This review may contain spoilers
Unfortunately, very flat...
DISCLAIMER: I have read Zhu Yi's original novel in Mandarin and understand many of the story's flaws are directly copied from there.
With that being said, I think this drama is pretty overhyped. It's not bad by any means, but I'd compare it to a less "gritty" and "real" Lighter & Princess (which comparatively, I prefer), where the male and female roles are flipped (and the trauma comes from something besides SA).
Some good things about it:
1. Acting was pretty good. For what the script offers, Bai Jingting portrays a nuanced Sang Yan, and Zhang Ruonan absolutely fits the mold of how I imagined Wen Yifan. Zhang Miaoyi is always wonderful, as is Edward Chen.
2. A LOT of different OSTs. I enjoyed many of them a lot.
3. Sang Yan's deadpans are always comedic relief. I have never seen somebody actually existing with that level of confidence.
4. Explores a lot of themes that tend to go ignored in Chinese society. I appreciate the attempt at depth which really isn't that present in Zhu Yi's other novel to drama adaptations.
Anyhow, I did find myself (someone who typically isn't too bothered by plot holes) seeing a lot of problems with this drama.
1. I don't think the characters themselves and their interactions had a lot of depth. I understand that Sang Yan is written in the novel as the character he is here, but there's no real explanation (besides the fact that she's beautiful) for why Sang Yan has such unrequited love for Wen Yifan for so long. The "angelic" BGM for whenever he sees Wen Yifan is pretty overused and corny too, in a way. Additionally— for two supposedly incredibly intelligent characters— Sang Yan and Wen Yifan do not have very many intelligent/interesting interactions that aren't corny or sweet (I actually think that Hidden Love had more reasonable development, in this respect. I understood how Duan Jiaxu started liking Sang Zhi a little better, and the characters just felt more consistent).
2. The pacing felt a little messy to me. I think a lot of scenes could be cut short, especially since so many are just focused on Sang Yan obsessing over Wen Yifan. Additionally, the Su Hao'an and Zhong Siqiao side couple seemed to divert focus from the main leads... I think the amount of ideas that the directing/producing team tried to put into this were great though not incredibly well-executed.
3. The script felt awkward. I think a lot of it is immediately adapted from Zhu Yi's novel, though. I didn't have this problem with "When I Fly Towards You" (which I think is still the best Zhu Yi novel to drama adaptation to date).
4. Some of the plots just don't make enough sense for me to believe them. When Wen Yifan escapes for 1.5 years in Hong Kong just to avoid hurting the people she loves, the way she gets back together with her friends and Sang Yan one miraculous day (after ~400 more with NO change of mind) felt rushed. There was no arc or development to the story here, which made the character feel shallow and "unalive."
4. I love Zhang Ruonan's acting... But, I think they could've gotten a dancer to do the dancing scenes (which were a little awkward, especially for a professional ballerina). This really broke some of the immersion and believability in the storytelling.
I know many people really appreciated this drama, so if you're into this sort of thing, I'd give it a try. But considering how long I waited for this (after Hidden Love and WIFTY I was expecting something exceptional), I felt a little underwhelmed : _ )
With that being said, I think this drama is pretty overhyped. It's not bad by any means, but I'd compare it to a less "gritty" and "real" Lighter & Princess (which comparatively, I prefer), where the male and female roles are flipped (and the trauma comes from something besides SA).
Some good things about it:
1. Acting was pretty good. For what the script offers, Bai Jingting portrays a nuanced Sang Yan, and Zhang Ruonan absolutely fits the mold of how I imagined Wen Yifan. Zhang Miaoyi is always wonderful, as is Edward Chen.
2. A LOT of different OSTs. I enjoyed many of them a lot.
3. Sang Yan's deadpans are always comedic relief. I have never seen somebody actually existing with that level of confidence.
4. Explores a lot of themes that tend to go ignored in Chinese society. I appreciate the attempt at depth which really isn't that present in Zhu Yi's other novel to drama adaptations.
Anyhow, I did find myself (someone who typically isn't too bothered by plot holes) seeing a lot of problems with this drama.
1. I don't think the characters themselves and their interactions had a lot of depth. I understand that Sang Yan is written in the novel as the character he is here, but there's no real explanation (besides the fact that she's beautiful) for why Sang Yan has such unrequited love for Wen Yifan for so long. The "angelic" BGM for whenever he sees Wen Yifan is pretty overused and corny too, in a way. Additionally— for two supposedly incredibly intelligent characters— Sang Yan and Wen Yifan do not have very many intelligent/interesting interactions that aren't corny or sweet (I actually think that Hidden Love had more reasonable development, in this respect. I understood how Duan Jiaxu started liking Sang Zhi a little better, and the characters just felt more consistent).
2. The pacing felt a little messy to me. I think a lot of scenes could be cut short, especially since so many are just focused on Sang Yan obsessing over Wen Yifan. Additionally, the Su Hao'an and Zhong Siqiao side couple seemed to divert focus from the main leads... I think the amount of ideas that the directing/producing team tried to put into this were great though not incredibly well-executed.
3. The script felt awkward. I think a lot of it is immediately adapted from Zhu Yi's novel, though. I didn't have this problem with "When I Fly Towards You" (which I think is still the best Zhu Yi novel to drama adaptation to date).
4. Some of the plots just don't make enough sense for me to believe them. When Wen Yifan escapes for 1.5 years in Hong Kong just to avoid hurting the people she loves, the way she gets back together with her friends and Sang Yan one miraculous day (after ~400 more with NO change of mind) felt rushed. There was no arc or development to the story here, which made the character feel shallow and "unalive."
4. I love Zhang Ruonan's acting... But, I think they could've gotten a dancer to do the dancing scenes (which were a little awkward, especially for a professional ballerina). This really broke some of the immersion and believability in the storytelling.
I know many people really appreciated this drama, so if you're into this sort of thing, I'd give it a try. But considering how long I waited for this (after Hidden Love and WIFTY I was expecting something exceptional), I felt a little underwhelmed : _ )
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