The synopsis is very misleading. This is a life family drama about how a divorced couple came full circle in order…
This is NOT a romance drama, therefore, there is NO romantic happy ending in the traditional sense. There are also no kiss or hug scenes between any of the lead characters.
Alisa & Xiang Qian flirted and developed a nice friendship throughout the drama, but never got involved romantically. Alisa had a crush on Qian, however, he never expressed any romantic interest in her. He treated her more like an annoying little sister & a convenient babysitter for his son (this could be because he was pretty devastated & heartbroken after his divorce).
At the end of the drama they meet each other again at the place where he and his son used to live & smiled at each other. What that smile meant is open to interpretation. Maybe it's an indication that they may now want to take their friendship to the next level ... but we'll never know. Ambiguous to say the least, but I did watch the last 14 eps raw so I may have missed something due to the language barrier.
Xun Zhao didn't appear to end up with anyone, which was fine by me because I wasn't feeling her & that young coffee shop guy. She continued to make strides in her career and overcame her depression. She & Xiang Qian forgave each other for their respective roles in the breakdown of their marriage & subsequent divorce ... and agreed to co-parent their son in harmony. Xiang Qian allows her to see Hua Han whenever she wants and gives her a key to his & Hua Han's place (at least I think that's what it was ... have to rewatch eps 31-44 when subs come out).
It's definitely a decent life, family drama .. but if you go in expecting romance you will be disappointed. I was disappointed because I expected a lot more romance than what we got. The synopsis, (previously) listed genres & tags lead me to believe this. In reality, there isn't any romance in this drama at all. If I didn't have that expectation going in, I think my enjoyment of the drama (and my rating) would have been higher. 7/10
I'm usually not a scene skipper, but Chinese & Taiwanese dramas do have a tendency to drag unbearably. I loved the first several episodes; they were very dramatic and provided a good introduction to the characters. They had me hooked. I didn't skip the early business scenes of the ML either because they gave a lot of context to his personality and motivations (however, throughout the drama I too was confused as to what exactly was his job! At first, I thought he worked in finance, but then they started talking about movie production ... so no clue).
Anyway, the pace started to slow down after the couple divorced. That's when I started to skip scenes. The FL's work scenes were rather boring to me because they really didn't do much to advance the central plot. They were basically telling me stuff I already knew about work life, esp for a woman in her circumstances, which is why they were skippable. I was totally invested in the ML's story arch and didn't really care about the other characters as much as I cared about him and his journey (while I understood & empathized with the FL, I related a lot more to Xiang Qian). If the drama was about just him & his son & his love interest, I would have totally enjoyed it.
I've completed the drama, having watched the final 14 eps raw - I literally binged watched it in 2 days. I'm totally insane and apparently have no life! lol I have to say I'm .... a little disappointed. Things did not pan out quite the way I wanted or expected. I won't say anything more for now. Maybe you'll understand what I mean when you complete it. I truly enjoyed Yang Shuo here, though ... I was so distracted by his fit body! And how well his shirts fit him ... ohalala! LOL Can you recommend me another of his dramas where there's a lot of romance AND a happy ending?
The synopsis is very misleading. This is a life family drama about how a divorced couple came full circle in order to be better individuals and better co-parents. It's about overcoming adversity & reinventing one's self. There's friendship and there's longing, but very little actual romance. Viewers should manage their expectations to avoid disappointment. If you want to be spoiled on the ending, read below:
I'm really enjoying it so far! I skip over a lot of the work scenes and the love line between the wife & coffee shop owner (because I can't feel any chemistry between them), but I love Yang Shuo's story arch. I love the scenes with him & his son. They're so goofy & fun-loving together. And the romance between him and the neighbour is starting to bloom ... I'm excited to see where that goes but cautious at the same time because with Asian dramas you just never know how things will turn out. I'm praying the ending won't be a complete mess! As for Yang Shuo himself ... yeeess, I'm definitely liking him here! I love his voice (I don't think it's dubbed), so deep & raspy! He's not classically handsome, but he's gorgeous in that alpha man sort of way. Just my type! Thanks for introducing me to him! As I love to say, he's fine as a mofo (pardon the french!). ;)
I did NOT like the fact that Zhang Yang was violent toward Ba La. I don't care how young and dumb he was back then. He KNEED her in the stomach twice! That area of a woman's body is very delicate & sensitive. That was so not okay! Men do not hit women, period! I don't want to see that shit in my entertainment, man. Especially from a male lead! Left a damn bad taste in my mouth, that's for sure. Could NOT get behind his character 100% even though he grew up & became a better person.
Cute little movie, but wtf was this guy thinking? Just walking away with NO explanation then suddenly reappearing a year later with some dumbass speech about how the time you spent with her changed your life ... neegrow, what??? You didn't even apologize! Or say sorry for hurting her. Not cool, man, like at all. I would've been so mad. I understand he felt that he had to go be successful first before committing to Sayaka, but he could have at least SAID SOMETHING!!! Not just disappear without a word, leaving the poor child dazed, confused & in turmoil. That just put a damper on the whole movie for me. Grrrr....!
I was waiting to be spoiled before deciding to watch and my conclusion is no, thanks. Good thing I did not waste…
Yeah, if only it were that simple. So many people know what they have to lose but do it anyway for a fleeting moment of excitement because human beings are selfish by nature & very few can withstand the weakness of their flesh. And who said women cheat less than men? Nope, they're about equal according to countless studies on the matter. Women are just better at not getting caught.
You know what was the most annoying? They made it seem like Jiang Jiao (Zhang Yang's ex) was super annoying during…
A few years ago I watched a Japanese drama where one of the leads was involved with someone but was clearly not in love and wanted out of the relationship. For some reason, though, she would not leave the guy although she was miserable & had started to fall in love with the ML. I was so mindboggled & annoyed by this, but then a Chinese viewer on here explained the cultural context to me.
Apparently in Asian cultures when one party wants to break up, you can't just make that decision on your own. It has to be a mutual agreement. Otherwise you will cause the other party to lose face & losing face is considered a very grave cultural taboo in most of Asia, esp in the East & South East. So until the gf decided to 'release' Zhang Yang, he had to stay put. When she finally told him they were done, you could see the pure & utter relief on his face. He was finally free.
I'm not saying it was an excuse for him to cheat cuz it's not, but it made me a bit more understanding of him (when usually I truly hate cheaters). The gf *knew* or at least sensed that he was no longer invested in the relationship but still would not let him go. It makes no sense to me, clinging on to someone who has made it clear through their actions that they don't want you. She also knew ZY was using her for her money & she didn't care. In fact, that totally gave her a power trip & she took every opportunity to throw that he can't survive with her in his face. So, as far as I see it, they both screwed each other over.
Anyway, just wanted to respond in case other viewers might be wondering about the same.
Like many dramas, there of course will be traumatics moment. In my opinion this drama follows a cliche route so…
Well my dear, Aylam, regarding your last paragraph, I sincerely hope you're wrong. I've been speculating myself how they're going to make them live together. They have to end up together, they just have to because, you know, in the honeymoon stage of love you can't live without the other person ...
I've also thought that they might go the Switzerland route. As you said that's the most plausible solution narratively, while the two territories are still at odds. But as you also observed, this is a Korean drama, very much infused with Korean logic that don't always make sense to viewers outside of Korea or Asia. I'm pretty sure they're going to go for the typical cliche, nonsensical Korean ending - which is either an ambiguous ending (don't think they'll go all the way sad since this is a romcom) or one of those weird 'happy' endings where there's a time slip, reincarnation or some sort of makjang nonsense like that. I grudgingly accept that such an ending - while neither would sit well with me - might be fair since this is a Korean drama made by Koreans for Koreans ...
However, I'm holding out that they will give us a proper happy ending that's more universally acceptable. I mean, this writer DID give an alien and a human and a half-aquatic being and a human a happy ending so why in the world wouldn't she let these two humans have their HEA? If she breaks them up, I swear to God I'll go to Korea and strangle her.
Like many dramas, there of course will be traumatics moment. In my opinion this drama follows a cliche route so…
How exactly is he going to do that? North Koreans & South Koreans aren't allowed to go to each other's territory and 'live for a bit'. They must either defect or don't go there at all while the two territories are at war. This type of living arrangement would be completely forbidden by both governments.
Agreed. I've seen First Love, it's not bad ... but not the best he's ever made.
Well, I was thinking if I'm going to try one of these glittery things, it would be Jojo's Bizarre Adventure ... not Idol x Warriors. haha! But I see you think I should go with the latter rather than the former? Lord, save me ... LOL!
Agreed. I've seen First Love, it's not bad ... but not the best he's ever made.
If you're a Miike fan, then definitely watch Visitor Q, but prepare to get your mind all messed up! LOL! I watched it a few years ago and still feel dazed and confused ... in a weirdly good way! It's dark, twisted humour at its finest. If you're too conservative, however, you probably shouldn't watch it as it pushes all kinds of boundaries that you can imagine.
I'm participating in a watch challenge that requires me to watch a toksatsu movie or drama. I might change my mind based on your description and watch one of these movies, but I would do so reluctantly as this type of glittery stuff is not my thing at all.
This movie is a total mindf*ck! It's funny, disturbing & shocking all at the same goddamn time.... you're definitely gonna walk away from this movie feeling like you've been punk'd. Only in Takeshi Miike's twisted mind ... smdh
Agreed. I've seen First Love, it's not bad ... but not the best he's ever made.
I gave it an 8/10. It's a mixture of badass, gore & guns, black comedy and a love story all mixed together. My favourites from Miike are Audition, Visitor Q (haha, what a total mindfuck!!!) & Harakiri: Death of a Samurai. I seem to like his more substantial story/plots rather than the gore fess ones like Ichi, The Killer. I definitely do not like his foray into glitter theory. I mean, wtf...? One thing's for sure, though, is that he definitely knows how to keep us on our toes! :)
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Alisa & Xiang Qian flirted and developed a nice friendship throughout the drama, but never got involved romantically. Alisa had a crush on Qian, however, he never expressed any romantic interest in her. He treated her more like an annoying little sister & a convenient babysitter for his son (this could be because he was pretty devastated & heartbroken after his divorce).
At the end of the drama they meet each other again at the place where he and his son used to live & smiled at each other. What that smile meant is open to interpretation. Maybe it's an indication that they may now want to take their friendship to the next level ... but we'll never know. Ambiguous to say the least, but I did watch the last 14 eps raw so I may have missed something due to the language barrier.
Xun Zhao didn't appear to end up with anyone, which was fine by me because I wasn't feeling her & that young coffee shop guy. She continued to make strides in her career and overcame her depression. She & Xiang Qian forgave each other for their respective roles in the breakdown of their marriage & subsequent divorce ... and agreed to co-parent their son in harmony. Xiang Qian allows her to see Hua Han whenever she wants and gives her a key to his & Hua Han's place (at least I think that's what it was ... have to rewatch eps 31-44 when subs come out).
It's definitely a decent life, family drama .. but if you go in expecting romance you will be disappointed. I was disappointed because I expected a lot more romance than what we got. The synopsis, (previously) listed genres & tags lead me to believe this. In reality, there isn't any romance in this drama at all. If I didn't have that expectation going in, I think my enjoyment of the drama (and my rating) would have been higher. 7/10
Anyway, the pace started to slow down after the couple divorced. That's when I started to skip scenes. The FL's work scenes were rather boring to me because they really didn't do much to advance the central plot. They were basically telling me stuff I already knew about work life, esp for a woman in her circumstances, which is why they were skippable. I was totally invested in the ML's story arch and didn't really care about the other characters as much as I cared about him and his journey (while I understood & empathized with the FL, I related a lot more to Xiang Qian). If the drama was about just him & his son & his love interest, I would have totally enjoyed it.
I've completed the drama, having watched the final 14 eps raw - I literally binged watched it in 2 days. I'm totally insane and apparently have no life! lol
I have to say I'm .... a little disappointed. Things did not pan out quite the way I wanted or expected. I won't say anything more for now. Maybe you'll understand what I mean when you complete it.
I truly enjoyed Yang Shuo here, though ... I was so distracted by his fit body! And how well his shirts fit him ... ohalala! LOL
Can you recommend me another of his dramas where there's a lot of romance AND a happy ending?
Sounds like a story/plot I would like. I just hope there won't be too much Chinese makjang! lol
And who said women cheat less than men? Nope, they're about equal according to countless studies on the matter. Women are just better at not getting caught.
Apparently in Asian cultures when one party wants to break up, you can't just make that decision on your own. It has to be a mutual agreement. Otherwise you will cause the other party to lose face & losing face is considered a very grave cultural taboo in most of Asia, esp in the East & South East. So until the gf decided to 'release' Zhang Yang, he had to stay put. When she finally told him they were done, you could see the pure & utter relief on his face. He was finally free.
I'm not saying it was an excuse for him to cheat cuz it's not, but it made me a bit more understanding of him (when usually I truly hate cheaters). The gf *knew* or at least sensed that he was no longer invested in the relationship but still would not let him go. It makes no sense to me, clinging on to someone who has made it clear through their actions that they don't want you. She also knew ZY was using her for her money & she didn't care. In fact, that totally gave her a power trip & she took every opportunity to throw that he can't survive with her in his face. So, as far as I see it, they both screwed each other over.
Anyway, just wanted to respond in case other viewers might be wondering about the same.
I've also thought that they might go the Switzerland route. As you said that's the most plausible solution narratively, while the two territories are still at odds. But as you also observed, this is a Korean drama, very much infused with Korean logic that don't always make sense to viewers outside of Korea or Asia. I'm pretty sure they're going to go for the typical cliche, nonsensical Korean ending - which is either an ambiguous ending (don't think they'll go all the way sad since this is a romcom) or one of those weird 'happy' endings where there's a time slip, reincarnation or some sort of makjang nonsense like that. I grudgingly accept that such an ending - while neither would sit well with me - might be fair since this is a Korean drama made by Koreans for Koreans ...
However, I'm holding out that they will give us a proper happy ending that's more universally acceptable. I mean, this writer DID give an alien and a human and a half-aquatic being and a human a happy ending so why in the world wouldn't she let these two humans have their HEA? If she breaks them up, I swear to God I'll go to Korea and strangle her.
Crystal spent her formative years in the US & SSH, while he may not be 100% fluent, he can handle himself.
Well, gosh, I guess it's gonna have to be Idol x Warriors then! lol ><
I'm participating in a watch challenge that requires me to watch a toksatsu movie or drama. I might change my mind based on your description and watch one of these movies, but I would do so reluctantly as this type of glittery stuff is not my thing at all.