One of the best cdramas I've watched in ages. Very mature and true to life, with clear themes sustained throughout (keeping up appearances for the sake of meeting social expectations vs doing things because they make you happy, finding the right balance between giving and taking in a relationship, deciding on your priorities and living life consciously, etc.) and likeable and realistic characters.
Tang Ying did annoy me at times because she kept learning easy lessons—if you like someone, be honest with yourself about it; don't start something you can't finish with a powerful man in a position of authority over you while you're in love with someone else; there's more to life than work; etc.—the hard way, but the drama made me understand her and sympathise with her even when her tendency toward self-deception frustrated me.
It even made its most loathsome characters sympathetic. I mean Xu Jiabai, Xinzi's boyfriend-cum-stalker, whose desperation to keep Xinzi by his side was (rightly) depicted as scary and violent without dehumanising him, and Tang Ying's first boss, who was introduced as an abusive tyrant but was, again, humanised and sent off on a bittersweet note without dismissing the things she did to Tang Ying. Both characters were shown at their most vulnerable and I did momentarily ache for them and hope they could find peace and fulfilment in their lives without hurting other people.
(The one exception to this rule was Yu Chuanchuan, who turned into a bit of a sexist caricature by the end of the drama. I wish she could have been given a more nuanced and sympathetic treatment because her initial portrayal as Ziquan's cool female friend who liked him but respected his lack of interest in a relationship was promising. The drama could have shown her bewilderment and disappointment when he suddenly got a girlfriend and quit his lifestyle as an unrepentant playboy, and used her character to explore the private pain of realising that the person you like could meet someone else and rearrange their priorities completely in the blink of an eye, but they will never do it for you no matter how long you wait, without having her harass Ziquan and his girlfriend.)
Finally, the drama was the perfect length to wrap up the story without any boring filler. One of the issues I have with many romantic cdramas is that they lose focus and devolve into undigestible fluff and pointless side plots after the main couple get together, but here the small number of episodes ensured that there was only one arc after the main couple started dating and it was something sensible (learning to trust each other with their problems and insecurities and adjusting to each other's lives). I didn't get bored when they got together and neither did I get frustrated; their scenes were still cute and engaging and there were no major misunderstandings or last-minute soapy drama, but at the same time there were still issues to work out that created lingering tension.
Oh, and I did enjoy the side couples too. Tang Ying's boss was really cool and deserved the mature and supportive relationship she got, and Xinzi's final suitor was great. I really enjoyed her scenes with him, actually, and hope they'll stay together for a long time.
I dont like the subs on myasiantv and dramacool, they are missing words and its annoying to watch, is there someplace…
I find that annoying too, so I watch on kisskh.co, which has the full subs and always uploads them first. The only issue is that their video player doesn't mesh well with Safari and there are occasional freeze-frame issues, so use a different browser if your default browser is Safari.
Yay for crime/mystery thrillers involving people in their 40s! They're both talented actors and I really enjoyed Diary of a Prosecutor (though I hope/expect this drama will be darker in tone). Looking forward to this!
I just started ep. 9 and I love how Yun Wei Shan's idea of being helpful is recalling her own assassin training and going, "wow! what if you poisoned yourself so your core would always be cold? you'd be forced to learn very quickly then! hey, I can even make the poison for you!" and Gong Ziyu's reaction to this psycho suggestion is, "OK, let's do it! my wife is so smart and resourceful and perfect and cute! love her!" like maaaaaan, this is obviously not the thought process of a merchant's daughter, get it together!
absolutely right!! LIke GIRL is super gorgeous+ Fantastic acting+ intricate character is a recipe for me to hyper…
I could have sworn it was about to air this February/March when Deng Lun’s scandal broke, but you’re right that it was last year… Time flies so fast it’s scary.
I am currently at ep 4 and Xin Zi looks like a complete BIT*H character.
She gets better! I found her mind games and high-maintenance attitude annoying at first, but later on it becomes clear she's actually very principled in love (she gets mad at Tang Ying for flirting with a rich old man she doesn't like for her job, for example) and gives a lot of thought to what makes a relationship successful and how much one should give to their partner/how much it is okay to take from them.
The initial impression you get of her doesn't go away; it just becomes more complex as more sides of her personality are revealed. She's a pretty lifelike character IMO.
Gosh, Cheng Ke is the most pathetic character in this drama, and I'm including Xu Jiabai here. Not only does he impose on Tang Ying's time again and again, forcing her to keep rejecting him and coming back every time as if nothing happened and he didn't hear anything she said, but he also thinks he can neg her into dumping her boyfriend for him? He liked her better at 18? Gosh, I want to slap him so bad. MISTER, YOU’RE A SINGLE FATHER. GO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SON INSTEAD OF HARASSING UNAVAILABLE WOMEN LATE AT NIGHT! Like, seriously, shouldn't his young child take priority over chasing after women? I hate him.
I'm changing my mind. I liked GSJ for his smarty brain and handsome appearance but episode by episode he's getting…
I mean, she is an assassin, so the situation is completely different lmao. "How dare he be mean to the cold-blooded murderous manipulator! She could be innocent! Girls deserve to be treated gently!" Oh please.
They're both smart and they're aware of the game they're playing.
How is this a Mr & Mrs Smith adaptation when the protagonists are described as "former lovers" who meet again? That sounds like a totally different premise.
I finally saw episode 11 and expected some infuriating wishy-washiness and emotional cheating from both leads based on the fuss people have made in this comment section, but there was actually nothing bad? Both of them turned down other people who were interested in them, but they never wavered or allowed their pursuers to cross the line.
I understand Tang Ying's displeasure at seeing another woman hug her boyfriend, but he was turning Chuan Chuan down and telling her to leave him alone and when she tried to get handsy, he pushed her away. Then Tang Ying and Ziquan had a good talk and were able to affirm their love and laugh at themselves. It was actually quite heartwarming.
This sounds good. I was gonna ask if we can have a bit of sexual tension between the leads as a treat, but Hayashi Kento's facial hair and haircut for this role look so atrocious that they'll most likely ward off any kind of subtextual flirtation... Still, I'm hyped.
She was a delusional stalker and if he'd shown her any shred of attention in that moment, she would have continued to think they were together. She was abusive toward him and I totally understand why he felt sick of her shit.
You don't owe people who threaten you with suicide a relationship.
I need to know how the family tree looks because I am confused; there are supposed to be four of them, right??…
I think genetically they're distant cousins, but they're raised as siblings/close cousins within the same generation. Ziyu and Huanyu are full brothers, but the funny elder young miss is their cousin, not a sister, I think. And then Shangjue and Yuanzhi act like brothers... but I think they actually belong to different lineages? So they must just be really close.
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Tang Ying did annoy me at times because she kept learning easy lessons—if you like someone, be honest with yourself about it; don't start something you can't finish with a powerful man in a position of authority over you while you're in love with someone else; there's more to life than work; etc.—the hard way, but the drama made me understand her and sympathise with her even when her tendency toward self-deception frustrated me.
It even made its most loathsome characters sympathetic. I mean Xu Jiabai, Xinzi's boyfriend-cum-stalker, whose desperation to keep Xinzi by his side was (rightly) depicted as scary and violent without dehumanising him, and Tang Ying's first boss, who was introduced as an abusive tyrant but was, again, humanised and sent off on a bittersweet note without dismissing the things she did to Tang Ying. Both characters were shown at their most vulnerable and I did momentarily ache for them and hope they could find peace and fulfilment in their lives without hurting other people.
(The one exception to this rule was Yu Chuanchuan, who turned into a bit of a sexist caricature by the end of the drama. I wish she could have been given a more nuanced and sympathetic treatment because her initial portrayal as Ziquan's cool female friend who liked him but respected his lack of interest in a relationship was promising. The drama could have shown her bewilderment and disappointment when he suddenly got a girlfriend and quit his lifestyle as an unrepentant playboy, and used her character to explore the private pain of realising that the person you like could meet someone else and rearrange their priorities completely in the blink of an eye, but they will never do it for you no matter how long you wait, without having her harass Ziquan and his girlfriend.)
Finally, the drama was the perfect length to wrap up the story without any boring filler. One of the issues I have with many romantic cdramas is that they lose focus and devolve into undigestible fluff and pointless side plots after the main couple get together, but here the small number of episodes ensured that there was only one arc after the main couple started dating and it was something sensible (learning to trust each other with their problems and insecurities and adjusting to each other's lives). I didn't get bored when they got together and neither did I get frustrated; their scenes were still cute and engaging and there were no major misunderstandings or last-minute soapy drama, but at the same time there were still issues to work out that created lingering tension.
Oh, and I did enjoy the side couples too. Tang Ying's boss was really cool and deserved the mature and supportive relationship she got, and Xinzi's final suitor was great. I really enjoyed her scenes with him, actually, and hope they'll stay together for a long time.
The initial impression you get of her doesn't go away; it just becomes more complex as more sides of her personality are revealed. She's a pretty lifelike character IMO.
They're both smart and they're aware of the game they're playing.
In any case, I'll be seated. It sounds fun.
I understand Tang Ying's displeasure at seeing another woman hug her boyfriend, but he was turning Chuan Chuan down and telling her to leave him alone and when she tried to get handsy, he pushed her away. Then Tang Ying and Ziquan had a good talk and were able to affirm their love and laugh at themselves. It was actually quite heartwarming.
You don't owe people who threaten you with suicide a relationship.