Phroggies

This is turning out to be ridiculously addictive for me. I’ve rewatched most of the first 7 episodes (and I am usually *not* a rewatcher) and I’ve started the novel…sigh. Hope it stays good.

Yikes! I knew it wasn’t easy but I had no idea it took that much work! Thank you belatedly for your contributions.

I don’t blame you at all—but what makes me cry is that such a good drama is going completely under the radar because of bad subs. Fansubbers, take note! This would be an absolutely worthwhile project (says me, whose Mandarin is pretty basic, who has no idea what time and technological commitments are involved…).

Someone pursues the ML but he has absolutely no time for her.

Try Chef Hua! It meets all your criteria!

It’s definitely a slow build up, and obviously some people have found it draggy, but I absolutely think it’s worth it (so far; you never know how Cdramas will end…). Every detail in the beginning that I can remember has turned out to be highly relevant on down the road. The characters have been built up so carefully and all their actions, good or bad, seem to be deeply grounded in who they are. But if you’re wanting a fluffy quick romance this isn’t necessarily where I’d look ( despite the vibe in the first few episodes).

Me, too!

Well, her name does translate as “Naive” :). But I agree with you—it’s definitely not a healthy relationship (yet) and she definitely knows better on some level—in part, ironically enough, because of her similar experiences with her father.

I haven’t finished 24, but yes, this is so interesting. He seems so desperately into her and yet his revenge plans have corrupted him so much he doesn’t even realize what love is. It’s like he wants her sealed in with him in that house in his portfolio, where he can look out but no one can see in. Contrast this to the SML, who is excited about the ML joining their family because it will mean more people to love. I thought it was interesting when ML told FL that yes, he was pretending when he was with her—pretending to be good. He’s such a conflicted character. I just hope there’s a happy ending and that he learns his lessons without her suffering too much!

Oh, wow, that sounds amazing.

I’ve been unsettled by this for many, many episodes, and I will tell you that pouring over MVs and intros and outros doesn’t make me any calmer. He seems sooo sincere—even his internal monologues often express real affection—but he’s *such* a schemer. I mean, it’s definitely raising the stakes, so dramatically speaking, it’s a good thing, but I really prefer my MLS to be completely trustworthy :).

I’m officially at that stage of being deeply invested in this despite the definite angst looming on the horizon. The main couple has great chemistry, not in the hot & bothered sense, but in that they really get each other and enjoy each other’s company in a way that feels realistic. The SML is just adorable, and I even feel for the SFL, despite the complexities of her character. I’m anxiously awaiting next week’s episodes.

I just finished episode 4 and so far I’m enjoying it. It seems to go beyond the standard tropes—he’s overbearing but not toxic, she’s cute but no pushover (and she comes from a wealthy background while his seems less so). The characters seem more true-to-life than is often the case, especially in terms of the friendships. I can definitely see why people might be finding it slow but I think it could develop in interesting ways.

As was pointed out by a poster below, the subs are indeed pretty hard to follow, and yes, it’s hard to see how 40 episodes is going to work out well. I’m also nervous because one trailer seems to portray it as a fluffy rom-com and the other as an angsty melodrama. Chinese dramas that aren’t clear about what genre they want to be make me very twitchy. But I’ll keep with it for now.

Now that I've watched it, some random impressions that I think are spoiler-free:

This was strange but fluffy and fun. It had a very original plot but also included Every Trope There Ever Was. I don't mind tropes, but it was a bit much even for me. It constantly felt as if it were going to tip over into ridiculousness but somehow never did. I liked the main leads a lot--in particular, I had seen the ML in Intense Love and Love Equations and thought he was a good comedian. Here he plays a much straighter role (which I didn't expect given the show's premise) with moments of comedy, but he's actually got that ML attractiveness here.

The second couple was super cute. Dai Fu in particular was adorable. The third couple didn't seem especially integrated with the rest of the story and left me a little meh. Dai Xiang Yu did a great job with his role.

If you have any contact at all with the psychiatric profession you're probably going to be driven crazy (no pun intended) by how it's represented here. Otherwise, consider giving it a shot. It's light and enjoyable.

There is a little drag towards the middle. Episode 17 in particular felt skippable.

ML was quite good in Way Back Into Love! I couldn’t stand his character in PYHOMS but you should definitely give him a chance!

Plot sounds cute and I like the leads…on to the PTW list it goes!

Same. I keep on thinking “what an adorable little 15 year old!” then I saw his bio. Not sure how to feel about that :).

Heck, yeah! I love how she keeps turning the tables on people. Someone tries to tell her she’s not good enough for the ML and she’s just holding him back? So she makes herself even better. Someone tries to force her into a false position by relying on social convention? Her normally beautiful manners go flying out the window. But she’s always as gracious and classy and generous as she’s able to be without betraying what’s most important.

The song she sings in episode 4–does anyone know what it is, or is it original to the drama?

Erm, maybe I should mark my comment spoiler …sorry about that …