Review: I have never watched any of Shen Yue or Jerry Yan's dramas, so I have nothing to reference them to. For the first roles I have seen them in, I think they are doing a wonderful job at playing their characters. I think this is dubbed....and it is not dubbed well. It feels fake everytime they speak. The first episode did not draw my attention. It was an okay start, but there were too many predictable moments. Shen Yue's acting is very natural and wonderful to watch, but even she could not save the cringe-y writing. I guessed 80% of the plot as I was watching. I hope they throw a delightful curveball my way as the story progresses.
This is a play-by-play of my thoughts as I watched the episode on YouTube.
- Is this dubbed? - *fingers crossed* Wen Xi will becomes a Wei Lei, because I am already annoyed with her character. - She is going to forge the signature, isn't she? - She forged it. - 17:30 The dark circles under their eyes are so pronounced （⌒▽⌒）（⌒▽⌒） - 19:27 He reminds me of Shin Segi - 19:50 Is this when he falls in love with her raw talent? Then he finds out she snuck her way into this job, fires her and she pushes him off of a rooftop??? - 19:59 Is this dress from his childhood? Did his mother/grandmother wear it?? Was it his first design way back when??? - 20:12 Was that his mom? Ex-wife? Ex-gf? Deceased something? - 20:36 There is no need to take out your emotions on innocent bystanders - 20:45 I am not enjoying the dubbing. - 21:30 ◉‿◉ - 21:36 There's a wound near his left shoulder. Why? How? Who? - 21:38 His tiddie popped. - 23:04 Is this the only outfit he owns? - 25:48 That is a fresh pencil. - 27:35 I love your outfit, but you are not FL - 28:47 Who is this man calling Xu Xing Cheng out????? Why????? Does he have something to do with Xu Xing Cheng's past????? His mom????? - 30:15 Was that MSL? - 30:25 That was so cute - 31:04 Did Mr Lu's mother design that dress? - 35:54 Anyone else though they had sabotaged her design and Wen Xi was gonna flash the nation?? - 38:24 Is that not the exact same dress? - 38:35 WAIT, WAIT, WAIT A MINUTE! IS SHE GONNA MISTAKE Lu Yanzhi FOR Lu Xing Cheng????????? - 41:39 She's jumping to so many conclusions. If this doesn't get sorted in the next episode, I'm gonna have to watch this whole drama at 1.5x speed ಠ_ಠ - 42:07 Oh, the kiss.
Your article is so wonderful (人 •͈ᴗ•͈) I spend everyday going through my OST playlist ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
I (absolutely) love Yoon Mi Rae, Baek Yerin and Davichi's OSTs. Their work in Legend of the Blue Sea, Crash Landing On You and The King Eternal Monarch, respectively, has made an impact on my playlist (≧▽≦) Most played OSTs, along with Crush, Chanyeol x Punch, Wendy, 1415 and Chen.
I am a MAMAMOO fan, so Hwa Sa is DEFINITELY on my list too. Nearly the entire soundtrack of The King Eternal Monarch. Paul Kim's Dream ( https://youtu.be/B8ZxgIfJ3Qc ) and Kim Jong Wan's Gravity ( https://youtu.be/dOMkl_kgNeo ) brought me to tearssss when I heard them.
The opening theme song of The Love Lasts Two Minds was the good part (including all of their costumes). Shuang Sheng was the perfect choice. Chen Yuqi's most recent drama, And The Winner Is Love, ( https://youtu.be/AIBu_pTt3hQ ) has one of the best OSTs as well. Along with entire OST of Ashes of Love, particularly the opening ( https://youtu.be/SID9AIGTVso ) and ending ( https://youtu.be/wpan9yLmsgI ) themes. Never have I ever wanted to stand in a field of lavender, wind effortlessly blowing my flowing dress about, until I heard Sa Dingding sing her heart out in Upwards To The Moon (ending them of Ashes of Love).
And finally, there are those that I go back to for the memories:
My Girl / 99 Points Girlfriend • Pole Star (most recent FAVOURITE) by Chen Xueran ( https://youtu.be/_d-qAlxymbk )
Guardian • Just Care Too Much (ending theme and a year jerker if you have read the book or watched the drama or both) by Ning Hengyu ( https://youtu.be/EmtpTtcVQLM )
Sigh. I definitely know I have forgotten A LOT of my other favourites, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.
*I apologize if I have spelt any artist's name incorrectly, fit the right song to the wrong artist (or vice versa) and/or provided a link that does not work.
- 7 minutes to 7 minutes a d 45 seconds.... It looked equally hot and painful (≧▽≦)(≧▽≦) - 9 minutes and 58 seconds.... WEI LEI NEEDS FO CATCH UP - 16 minutes and 12 seconds.... She's catching up fast. - 17 minutes and 37 seconds... Wei LEI: 'I really didn't arrange the rain.' I died. - Why is Ms. Xu still here?
- 17 minutes and 40 seconds.... He just... Fell.... - 20 minutes and 38 seconds to 21 minutes and 24 seconds.... He has it all figured out - 22 minutes and 10 seconds to 23 minutes and 4 seconds.... Pa is gonna be all alone in the house. - 26 minutes and 5 seconds to 26 minutes and 18 seconds.... PA DID THE THINGS - 44 minutes and 32 seconds.... Wei Lei needs to catch up.
- 3 minutes and 33 seconds to 4 minutes and 6 seconds... Awwww (灬º‿º灬)♡ - 10 minutes and 17 seconds.... I love that Shen Yi's colleagues missed her so much. I'm sure Miss Scar is gonna tainit this sweet moment (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ - 12 minutes and 54 seconds to 13 minutes and 27 seconds.... I humbly bow to Mr Shen Sr and Assistant Jiang Sr (◡ ω ◡) - 14 minutes and 48 seconds.... *Claps and cheers* - 22 minutes and 55 seconds.... They look so happy. - 24 minutes and 12 seconds.... Like father, like son. - 27 minutes and 55 second.... ⁽⁽◝( •௰• )◜⁾⁾₍₍◞( •௰• )◟₎₎⁽⁽◝( •௰• )◜⁾⁾₍₍◞( •௰• )◟₎₎┏(＾0＾)┛┏(＾0＾)┛ - 29 minutes.... YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
- 10 minutes 32 seconds.... SHEN YI, WHY HAVEN'T YOU THAT LETTER YET?!?!?!? - 12 minutes and 20 seconds..... How are you upset with Sui An... When you are 70% to blame for what is happening with Meng Hui...? - 12 minutes and 39 seconds.... Jiang Jiang: 'Sui An is doing this for Meng Hui.... And for you... Think it as him....dating....you....' (≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦) - 12 minutes and 43 seconds.... Shen Yi: 'Then I shall write him a Dear John letter.' I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO MUCH ( ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ ) - 14 minutes and 20 seconds.... They look like the perfect family. Mom. Daughter. Son-in-law. (~￣³￣)~ - 14 minutes and 29 seconds.... Here comes the homewrecker ^_________^ - 14 minutes and 50 seconds... Auntie/Mrs/Mother Shen is THE absolute BEST - 17 minutes and 34 seconds... WEI LEI - 18 minutes 28 seconds.... KISS KISS KISS KISS - 19 minutes 29 seconds.... Let's be honest, this is a ShenSui date. - 41 minutes to 43 minutes and 20 seconds... (๑♡⌓♡๑)
In my watchlist, there are dramas I would have dropped (had I started them now), there are 'dropped' dramas I pushed through and eventually quit (again) and there are those that I have dropped on the first or second episode. These three stages have saved me from disappointment, frustration and heartbreak (as well as possibly good dramas, if ever I choose to go back which I do not think I will, because if I am not feeling it now, I know I will not fell it later on). I know the day will come when I go into my "On Hold" list and change them to complete, but if the drama has been labelled "Dropped".... There is no going back.
I thank the universe for drama recaps, because they are my life savers. If I see that a certain drama is not going well I simply read a episode ahead and decide if I shall continue. Earlier on, I would push through and regret it later, but now I do not have to. Recaps are my way to go.
When watching a drama, the good must outweigh the bad. I do not mean in terms of 'good vs evil', but the quality of the drama itself as a whole: screenplay, character development, cinematography and soundtrack. Although a drama is perfect when all of these elements come together to your liking, it is possible to survive on only the first two elements. If the story and characters keep you wanting more, you can ignore the rest.
For example, a few dramas I recently committed to completely dropping were because of the supporting cast either being ABSOLUTE PAINS IN MY ASS ( ರ╭╮ರ ) the main characters ABSOLUTE LACK OF CHEMISTRY (눈‸눈) or the trainwreck of a plot I know is coming and cannot do anything to stop it ( ತ_ʖತ ). These were all confirmed by the recaps of later episodes that I read. I do not care about spoilers, I just want to know if this supporting cast will (hopefully) die in the next scene or if this misunderstanding will be cleared up soon. I need to know. Not much can be done about the stars chemistry with their love interests or their co-stars...... ┐(´ー｀)┌ *sigh* but a storyline and character can improve.
My dropped dramas shall stay that way for a while—probably forever—because I know the characters and storyline will not change, so why should I put myself through that (again). It is not possible to enjoy EVERY drama you come across. You can try, but it is better to trust your instincts the first time around.... It has been working for me (・∀・)
I have never watched any of Shen Yue or Jerry Yan's dramas, so I have nothing to reference them to. For the first roles I have seen them in, I think they are doing a wonderful job at playing their characters. I think this is dubbed....and it is not dubbed well. It feels fake everytime they speak. The first episode did not draw my attention. It was an okay start, but there were too many predictable moments. Shen Yue's acting is very natural and wonderful to watch, but even she could not save the cringe-y writing. I guessed 80% of the plot as I was watching. I hope they throw a delightful curveball my way as the story progresses.
- Is this dubbed?
- *fingers crossed* Wen Xi will becomes a Wei Lei, because I am already annoyed with her character.
- She is going to forge the signature, isn't she?
- She forged it.
- 17:30 The dark circles under their eyes are so pronounced （⌒▽⌒）（⌒▽⌒）
- 19:27 He reminds me of Shin Segi
- 19:50 Is this when he falls in love with her raw talent? Then he finds out she snuck her way into this job, fires her and she pushes him off of a rooftop???
- 19:59 Is this dress from his childhood? Did his mother/grandmother wear it?? Was it his first design way back when???
- 20:12 Was that his mom? Ex-wife? Ex-gf? Deceased something?
- 20:36 There is no need to take out your emotions on innocent bystanders
- 20:45 I am not enjoying the dubbing.
- 21:30 ◉‿◉
- 21:36 There's a wound near his left shoulder. Why? How? Who?
- 21:38 His tiddie popped.
- 23:04 Is this the only outfit he owns?
- 25:48 That is a fresh pencil.
- 27:35 I love your outfit, but you are not FL
- 28:47 Who is this man calling Xu Xing Cheng out????? Why????? Does he have something to do with Xu Xing Cheng's past????? His mom?????
- 30:15 Was that MSL?
- 30:25 That was so cute
- 31:04 Did Mr Lu's mother design that dress?
- 35:54 Anyone else though they had sabotaged her design and Wen Xi was gonna flash the nation??
- 38:24 Is that not the exact same dress?
- 38:35 WAIT, WAIT, WAIT A MINUTE! IS SHE GONNA MISTAKE Lu Yanzhi FOR Lu Xing Cheng?????????
- 41:39 She's jumping to so many conclusions. If this doesn't get sorted in the next episode, I'm gonna have to watch this whole drama at 1.5x speed ಠ_ಠ
- 42:07 Oh, the kiss.
*Sigh*
The first episode was okay.
I spend everyday going through my OST playlist ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
I (absolutely) love Yoon Mi Rae, Baek Yerin and Davichi's OSTs. Their work in Legend of the Blue Sea, Crash Landing On You and The King Eternal Monarch, respectively, has made an impact on my playlist (≧▽≦) Most played OSTs, along with Crush, Chanyeol x Punch, Wendy, 1415 and Chen.
I am a MAMAMOO fan, so Hwa Sa is DEFINITELY on my list too. Nearly the entire soundtrack of The King Eternal Monarch.
Paul Kim's Dream ( https://youtu.be/B8ZxgIfJ3Qc ) and
Kim Jong Wan's Gravity ( https://youtu.be/dOMkl_kgNeo ) brought me to tearssss when I heard them.
The opening theme song of The Love Lasts Two Minds was the good part (including all of their costumes). Shuang Sheng was the perfect choice. Chen Yuqi's most recent drama,
And The Winner Is Love, ( https://youtu.be/AIBu_pTt3hQ )
has one of the best OSTs as well. Along with entire OST of Ashes of Love, particularly the
opening ( https://youtu.be/SID9AIGTVso ) and
ending ( https://youtu.be/wpan9yLmsgI ) themes. Never have I ever wanted to stand in a field of lavender, wind effortlessly blowing my flowing dress about, until I heard Sa Dingding sing her heart out in Upwards To The Moon (ending them of Ashes of Love).
And finally, there are those that I go back to for the memories:
Princess Silver
• If Snow (Wu You's theme song) by Aarif Rahman
( https://youtu.be/fnNBIF5-bI8 )
• Forget Worries (Rong Le's theme song) by Zhang Xueying
( https://youtu.be/yHlRRyJWpjQ )
• Leaving The Shore (Rong Qi's theme song) by Su Xing
( https://youtu.be/rQS7u3c0FPA )
• Heart Lock (Fu Chou's theme song. MY FAVOURITE) by Jin Runjie
( https://youtu.be/sAAkkvPfJ4I )
Come & Hug Me
• Times Without You (OST part 3) by Na Yoon Kwon
( https://youtu.be/tAK-7buOYxw )
Legend of Fu Yao
• Hard To Get Love by Lala Hsu
( https://youtu.be/zihwDHR_W7o )
• Window (another of my FAVORITES) by Greeny Wu
( https://youtu.be/K_tNj8YdxK0 )
• Blood Like Ink by Diamond Zhang
( https://youtu.be/4wJXMr7Vcfk )
Legend of the Blue Sea
• Somewhere Someday by Sung Si Kyung
( https://youtu.be/n4Fl3w0yoAY )
My Girl / 99 Points Girlfriend
• Pole Star (most recent FAVOURITE) by Chen Xueran
( https://youtu.be/_d-qAlxymbk )
Guardian
• Just Care Too Much (ending theme and a year jerker if you have read the book or watched the drama or both) by Ning Hengyu
( https://youtu.be/EmtpTtcVQLM )
Sigh. I definitely know I have forgotten A LOT of my other favourites, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.
*I apologize if I have spelt any artist's name incorrectly, fit the right song to the wrong artist (or vice versa) and/or provided a link that does not work.
watchasian (dramacool)
or download Telegram onto your computer and join Asian drama groups.
They have THOUSANDS of dramas.
It looked equally hot and painful (≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)
- 9 minutes and 58 seconds....
WEI LEI NEEDS FO CATCH UP
- 16 minutes and 12 seconds....
She's catching up fast.
- 17 minutes and 37 seconds...
Wei LEI: 'I really didn't arrange the rain.' I died.
- Why is Ms. Xu still here?
He just... Fell....
- 20 minutes and 38 seconds to 21 minutes and 24 seconds....
He has it all figured out
- 22 minutes and 10 seconds to 23 minutes and 4 seconds....
Pa is gonna be all alone in the house.
- 26 minutes and 5 seconds to 26 minutes and 18 seconds....
PA DID THE THINGS
- 44 minutes and 32 seconds....
Wei Lei needs to catch up.
Awwww (灬º‿º灬)♡
- 10 minutes and 17 seconds....
I love that Shen Yi's colleagues missed her so much. I'm sure Miss Scar is gonna tainit this sweet moment (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ
- 12 minutes and 54 seconds to 13 minutes and 27 seconds....
I humbly bow to Mr Shen Sr and Assistant Jiang Sr (◡ ω ◡)
- 14 minutes and 48 seconds....
*Claps and cheers*
- 22 minutes and 55 seconds....
They look so happy.
- 24 minutes and 12 seconds....
Like father, like son.
- 27 minutes and 55 second....
⁽⁽◝( •௰• )◜⁾⁾₍₍◞( •௰• )◟₎₎⁽⁽◝( •௰• )◜⁾⁾₍₍◞( •௰• )◟₎₎┏(＾0＾)┛┏(＾0＾)┛
- 29 minutes....
YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
SHEN YI, WHY HAVEN'T YOU THAT LETTER YET?!?!?!?
- 12 minutes and 20 seconds.....
How are you upset with Sui An... When you are 70% to blame for what is happening with Meng Hui...?
- 12 minutes and 39 seconds....
Jiang Jiang: 'Sui An is doing this for Meng Hui.... And for you... Think it as him....dating....you....'
(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)
- 12 minutes and 43 seconds....
Shen Yi: 'Then I shall write him a Dear John letter.'
I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO MUCH ( ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ )
- 14 minutes and 20 seconds....
They look like the perfect family. Mom. Daughter. Son-in-law.
(~￣³￣)~
- 14 minutes and 29 seconds....
Here comes the homewrecker ^_________^
- 14 minutes and 50 seconds...
Auntie/Mrs/Mother Shen is THE absolute BEST
- 17 minutes and 34 seconds...
WEI LEI
- 18 minutes 28 seconds....
KISS KISS KISS KISS
- 19 minutes 29 seconds....
Let's be honest, this is a ShenSui date.
- 41 minutes to 43 minutes and 20 seconds...
(๑♡⌓♡๑)
(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻(ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻
I thank the universe for drama recaps, because they are my life savers. If I see that a certain drama is not going well I simply read a episode ahead and decide if I shall continue. Earlier on, I would push through and regret it later, but now I do not have to. Recaps are my way to go.
When watching a drama, the good must outweigh the bad. I do not mean in terms of 'good vs evil', but the quality of the drama itself as a whole: screenplay, character development, cinematography and soundtrack. Although a drama is perfect when all of these elements come together to your liking, it is possible to survive on only the first two elements. If the story and characters keep you wanting more, you can ignore the rest.
For example, a few dramas I recently committed to completely dropping were because of the supporting cast either being ABSOLUTE PAINS IN MY ASS ( ರ╭╮ರ ) the main characters ABSOLUTE LACK OF CHEMISTRY (눈‸눈) or the trainwreck of a plot I know is coming and cannot do anything to stop it ( ತ_ʖತ ). These were all confirmed by the recaps of later episodes that I read. I do not care about spoilers, I just want to know if this supporting cast will (hopefully) die in the next scene or if this misunderstanding will be cleared up soon. I need to know. Not much can be done about the stars chemistry with their love interests or their co-stars...... ┐(´ー｀)┌ *sigh* but a storyline and character can improve.
My dropped dramas shall stay that way for a while—probably forever—because I know the characters and storyline will not change, so why should I put myself through that (again). It is not possible to enjoy EVERY drama you come across. You can try, but it is better to trust your instincts the first time around.... It has been working for me (・∀・)
Thanks for the article.