Jairen

A lot of things about this series are so pretty. The actors. The visuals, sceneries, and sets. The music. The story. The symbolisms. All very beautiful. There are a lot of sincere interactions, meaningful messages, and depth in the storytelling. 'The Best Thing' definitely left an impression on me.

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● REVIEW
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[ --LIKES-- ]

✔ The series has a lot of beautiful scenes and visuals.

✔ I really like the OSTs in this series.

✔ The series stimulated many of my senses as it incorporates things like food, herbs, and flowers on top of stunning settings/visuals and music.

✔ Lots of little cute, romantic, and touching moments. Even simple interactions made my heart smile.

✔ The progression of the leads' romance felt very real and natural. There were moments of awkwardness at first that were very cute, but then they grew very cutely comfortable with each other.

✔ The traditional medicine aspect is interesting and educational.

✔ I like the handling of the FL's story with her ex-boyfriend. The ML was patient and understanding and waited for her to be ready. FL was strong and clear in her resolve to not get back with her ex.

✔ Both the male and female lead characters are supportive, kind, intelligent, understanding, and thoughtful. Both were able to help each heal from an aspect of their past.

✔ I like that ML and FL both get along well with each other's family. Everyone was pretty supportive of the relationship.

✔ Some nice themes about family and letting go of things. "Some things are better left in the past." - Suye's Grandpa.

✔ Xifan's ex showed no growth. His past behavior wasn't a misunderstanding of any sort. There was no redemption arc for him. He was just a not-great guy and I liked that. Made it easy to root for hero ML.


[ --DISLIKES-- ]

✖ There's an episode where the FL misunderstood that the ML had a kid and just kind of started treating him like a stranger without a proper conversation. I dislike it when someone doesn't give the other party a chance to speak or explain something. It's important to verify information before jumping to a conclusion. In this case, it worked out in a cute way because it kind of exposed the FL's feelings, so I'm willing to forgive it a little in this instance.

✖ There's not a lot of focus on the second couple. I do wish we spend a little more time on their development.


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● IN-DEPTH REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

Even those that grow up in a nurturing, supportive environment can have scars in their heart. Our female lead Shen Xifan have loving, supportive parents and great, supportive friends. However, a toxic relationship with her ex-boyfriend has left both her mind and heart scarred. When she is unable to sleep, she seeks the help of a traditional medicine doctor, He Suye. Almost right away, she leaves an impression on Suye, and their journey towards love begins. There was a point in the series where Bi Wenjun showed up, which was funny to me because the vibe of this initially reminded me of "Sweet Teeth", a drama Wenjun starred in. Handsome guy in the medical field (dentist vs doctor) treats a female patient and falls in love with her quirkiness/personality. Both have an overall sweet, cute, heart-warming vibe. However, that's about the extent of their similarities though.

I think it was the rain scene in episode 4 that really set the tone of this series for me and captured my heart. Xifan running at Suye with an umbrella while his eyes are locked on her was such captivating scene. The bright flowers in her hands, the cherry blossom tree in the background, the rain and the soothing sound of it pouring down all worked well together to create a stunning scene while building and evoking the feeling of a romance quietly blossoming. I just really loved that imagery. The series uses a lot of cinematography and symbolism to help tell the story. From the medicinal foods and its properties to flowers to the seasons and other things, they all contribute to the experience. The story isn't about big moments but is built up by a lot of memorable little ones, and there are a lot of them. Not just cute, but also heartfelt, touching ones. The first one that came to mind was a scene where Suye and Xifan were walking under the osmanthus trees. He was feeling sad and Xifan knew he was upset, but wasn't sure how to comfort him. In that scene, he pulls her in for a hug. That was warm moment. It was quiet, but memorable. There are quite a few moments like that.

While overall, the series was mostly sweet and cute, it's not without its angst. As mentioned before, Shen Xifan has trauma in her heart from her past relationship with her ex-boyfriend. This becomes the biggest obstacle between Suye and Xifan getting together. I think that story arc was very well done and highlights the strengths of both of their characters. I like that the FL is very firm in her resolve to cut Heng from her life, even blocking his contact. She doesn't entertain the idea or possibility of getting back with someone who has cause her mental anguish. She has a strong will. Sadly, while she maintains a strong exterior, internally she is struggling. More and more, I just wanted to hug Xifan. It was heartbreaking when the words of Heng and Kexin kept echoing in her mind. I'm glad Suye was around to keep reassuring her that the trauma is not her fault. She deserved a love that truly cherishes and values her.

The reappearance of her old boyfriend caused her a lot of mental stress and discomfort, but reading a simple text from He Suye made her smile and comforted her. One man was the cause of hurt, while the other one is the reason for her healing. Suye was very understanding of her and waited patiently until she was ready to open up to love again. Once she was ready, she went straight to him, and I really liked that. She gave a bold and straightforward confession. He had confessed to her before, but she rejected him. However, he never pushed her or placed any pressure on her as she healed from the trauma of her past. He was just always there. She recognized that and when she finally lets go of her past self, she took the next step forward herself.

Suye also had his own issues. His relationship with his father is estranged, and he still carries the shadow of his mother's death in his heart. It is his relationship wit Xifan and her family that ultimately help him move forward from the past. Suye's grandpa said a very memorable line and it's an important bit of wisdom that applied to both of our leads. "Some things are better left in the past."


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

I really enjoyed the leads' chemistry. I liked the long lingering gazes of affection. I also enjoy the awkward interactions, the silent and dead air between them sometimes. It is awkward but also very natural. A lot of their interactions felt relatable and real. Overall, the acting left an impression in my heart. They are also both very attractive and beautiful people with pretty smiles, so that kind of helps sell this series, I won't lie. The rest of cast were also good. Though I did wish we could see more of the second lead couple and also more of the supports like Tang Jiuzhou (Li Jie).

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

This series had a lot of great and memorable music that really set the vibe. I playlisted a lot of them. Many had a vibey guitar sound that I really like. Of course, always a fan of Silence Wang, so I really liked 'You Are In The World I Like'. I also really really liked '最好时候 (The Best Time)' from 符雅凝 (Fu Yaning) and 都智文 (Baby·J). My favorite out of all the soundtracks though would probably have to be 'Fate' from Lauren Woo.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

When it comes to modern romance, this one is up there for me. I really liked it. There is definitely a lot I want to go back and see so I will be rewatching this at some point.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

I'm about to make a comparison to another series. The audacity! I know. Feel free to skip the rest of this. It was just something I was thinking about while watching this. It also may be a series that you may not have seen, so proceed with caution! Very high-level though so not too spoilery.

So, this drama actually reminded me a lot of "The First Frost". They both aired around the same time. For those who have seen it, yeah, I know, that's stupid and weird of me to say considering it has a very different mood/tone. I actually think that their opposite vibe makes them great companion series to watch at the same time. However, vibe aside, they have many similarities. Great cinematography/visuals, amazing OSTs, and very likable leads. Both female leads are strong, smart and have scars from their past (which affects their sleep) that they are healing from. They both also have some guy that kept bothering them. Meanwhile, both male leads are patient, kind, and understanding and help the FLs lead move forward. The MLs also try to act cool but hide cute ulterior motives, so the humor and cuteness is about the same. Both series is a bit of a slow burn.

Cinematography is used to help tell and enhance the story of both. The visual of the world in both is a reflection of our leads' hearts and the love that they hold in it. Cold, dull, bleak versus warm, colorful, and hopeful. Just a lot of little details in both that hold more meaning/significance than what they literally are. Obviously, there are differences in story details and structure, but for me, overall, they are more alike than different when examined with a broad lens. I think that's why I kind of like them about the same, which is reflected in my overall/general rating for them.


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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥