"Persevere through the storm, things will get better"
Meet Yourself was a tranquil 40 episodes of slice of life in a small village where wounded people went to heal. The safest place you could ever travel to or live in, where everyone might not know your name but they were always glad you came.
After the loss of her best friend, Xu Hong Dou escapes to a small village to reassess her life. In the place she is renting she is befriended by a writer, a singer, a man who meditates most of the day, a woman who runs the local café, and a man who is working diligently to put the village on the map and attract tourists. Numerous other people come into her life from all ages-from the auntie brigade to the munchkin squad. No one is allowed to hibernate, but all are encouraged to become involved in the village happenings and helping neighbors. Hong Dou is only staying for three months which becomes problematic when she and village problem solver Xie Zhi Yao begin to develop feelings for each other.
I will get what didn’t work for me out of the way. It’s a short list. I could not keep up with all of the characters in this village, especially as it seemed to grow day after day. Business bores me so I tended to check out when there were lengthy and oftentimes redundant trade talk. Singing sessions felt like filler more often than not. As in real life, there were characters I was invested in and those that I was not. That’s about it, which for me is a short list. Lol
I’m a sucker for redemption and personal growth stories and Meet Yourself had plenty of both. Nearly every character experience emotional growth except Yao’s grandmother who was practically perfect in every way. Nature was appreciated even as villagers came to realize that farming was not going to keep the young people from moving away. Traditional crafts and skills were encouraged as Yao continually fought to find markets for the locals’ produce and crafts. Beijing was praised but the drama pushed finding alternate forms of income for the village so that families could stay together and parents didn’t have to leave children behind to work in the larger cities.
No one ever went away hungry. In every episode people were cooking and eating, often in the outdoor kitchen. In this idyllic place, the open kitchen was never plagued by insects, rodents, birds, or any other multi-legged creatures attracted to the smell of food. With the exception of a few animated aunties, everyone spoke in the gentlest of whispers. Problems were solved with a can-do spirit and a little help from their friends.
Friendships old and new had unbreakable bonds of trust, loyalty, and forgiveness. Grief and tears were replaced with happy memories and smiles. There were no surprises and no real conflicts. Meet Yourself was simply 40 episodes of the nice being nice to the nice---the ultimate in soothing slice of life.
“Dark clouds are passing and the wind will always rise.”
12 June 2025
After the loss of her best friend, Xu Hong Dou escapes to a small village to reassess her life. In the place she is renting she is befriended by a writer, a singer, a man who meditates most of the day, a woman who runs the local café, and a man who is working diligently to put the village on the map and attract tourists. Numerous other people come into her life from all ages-from the auntie brigade to the munchkin squad. No one is allowed to hibernate, but all are encouraged to become involved in the village happenings and helping neighbors. Hong Dou is only staying for three months which becomes problematic when she and village problem solver Xie Zhi Yao begin to develop feelings for each other.
I will get what didn’t work for me out of the way. It’s a short list. I could not keep up with all of the characters in this village, especially as it seemed to grow day after day. Business bores me so I tended to check out when there were lengthy and oftentimes redundant trade talk. Singing sessions felt like filler more often than not. As in real life, there were characters I was invested in and those that I was not. That’s about it, which for me is a short list. Lol
I’m a sucker for redemption and personal growth stories and Meet Yourself had plenty of both. Nearly every character experience emotional growth except Yao’s grandmother who was practically perfect in every way. Nature was appreciated even as villagers came to realize that farming was not going to keep the young people from moving away. Traditional crafts and skills were encouraged as Yao continually fought to find markets for the locals’ produce and crafts. Beijing was praised but the drama pushed finding alternate forms of income for the village so that families could stay together and parents didn’t have to leave children behind to work in the larger cities.
No one ever went away hungry. In every episode people were cooking and eating, often in the outdoor kitchen. In this idyllic place, the open kitchen was never plagued by insects, rodents, birds, or any other multi-legged creatures attracted to the smell of food. With the exception of a few animated aunties, everyone spoke in the gentlest of whispers. Problems were solved with a can-do spirit and a little help from their friends.
Friendships old and new had unbreakable bonds of trust, loyalty, and forgiveness. Grief and tears were replaced with happy memories and smiles. There were no surprises and no real conflicts. Meet Yourself was simply 40 episodes of the nice being nice to the nice---the ultimate in soothing slice of life.
“Dark clouds are passing and the wind will always rise.”
12 June 2025
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