I need help. Should I read the novel first or is the drama pretty good compared to the novel? Because people who read the novel told me its really good but I don't know how this live drama compares to the novel.
I would rate this 8.5/10. It's better than the original version. However, I wish they would have done a better(sadder) break up scene because FL giving up on the relationship and going to Milan was kind of weak. The ML was basically going towards the peak of his life before falling all the way down. He even help the FL find her dream job as a designer when she was stuck in a low point of her life where she was a struggling model trying to keep any job she can get(she had no agent and no one to help drive her to her jobs). After when she was working her way up as a designer, it was the ML who helped do all the house chores and cook for her to make sure she didn't have anything else to worry about and can just focus on her designs. The FL gave up after hearing ML saying he's scared that in the future he may regret meeting her again. During the letter break up scene, she said she did everything she could but she didn't really did anything (1.She only paid 1 month of rent out of like the 1.5 years they lived together 2. She designed the shirt with his drawing on it, which, in my opinion I don't think even counts because it was something she promised him long ago that she would finish colouring the drawing and give it to him, plus it was thanks to that drawing of the ML that got the FL the opportunity to study in Milan). The ML had so much bottled up within him from the fall that he should be able to vent a little to his friend. The one thing, the FL could have done for him should have been taking the ML to some counselling for his mental health and their relationship. I mean giving up on their relationship on the next day after ML vented a little to his friend is a really weak move in my opinion. Could have been a 9/10 movie if they fixed the break scene.
Gao Zi Yuan did secretly aborted their baby without telling him because she feels that at that time it is not…
Was that what happened in the novel? Did you read the novel? Because I only watched the drama and didn't read the novel so there were missing bits of information that I wish I knew.
Watching Yun Hai's dumb wife, I was sure Si Shen would end up being Yun Hui's true love. But from what I've seen…
I want to know too because I can't stand the wife and her disgusting family. I mean that family pretty much used "looking after" the granddaughter as a bargaining chip and guilt trap Song Yun Hui to fix all her family's problems. Worst of all is that the wife wants him to do corruption and nepotism to help her family as she doesn't see how that's so wrong. I have a feeling that he will devoice her later maybe in Season 3 because of the "Devoiced Male Lead" tag.
100% you should watch this. But you should have tissue ready because you're going to brawl your eyes out. And maybe 2 hours because you will need like 10-15 mins to collect yourself after the movie(movie is 1:45hr).
The story never really address what really happened to Gao Zi Yuan when Chu Ke Huan turned against her. It was really frustrating because Gao Zi Yuan only had half a sentence to explain about it ("it's not what you think, there was no ...") and left the audience hanging and never got back to addressing what really happened.
This was so frustrating to watch. I literally had to drag myself to continue this as I already watched more than half way. There no much of plot as it goes no where, the story may seem to be about cheating from the trailer but really it revolves around bad timing and decisions. I understand that they used the main leads from "Pleasantly Surprised" hoping to recreate that success. The acting is not bad, but the main problem is that the character designs were frustrating. For example, the ML comes off as hypocrite (i.e. always says that he won't mix business with personal feelings but always does in the end) that loves that feeling of chasing love. The FL seems hollow where she drifts around the whole plot and going no where. The FL's boyfriend is a controller that like to plan things himself and restrict others to follow along with it. The only good character is Han Ke Fei which was keeping it real and interesting.
The one thing that I felt missing was the omission of Chu Ke Huan and Gao Zi Yuan flashbacks of their 10 year love journey. The Chu Ke Huan and Gao Zi Yuan relationship seem hollowed when there could have been so much more development and character depth to them if there were some flashbacks for them to displays themselves. It is disappointing story telling if you only get to know more about their past journey from an outburst from the ML in the later half of the show (where he believes that she aborted their baby so he can't love her anymore. *Spoiler: that was not what happened). If the director or screen writer sprinkled some flashbacks of them, it would have enriched the story so much more.
I would recommend "The Fierce Wife" and "The World of the Married" instead if you want infidelity but has both plot and character development.
I had a lot of fun watching this, but it is by no means a good drama in my opinion.Overall, the story is a mess…
@AuzuLa I had to defend this 2008 version as it was the best adaptation out of all the "The Deer and the Cauldron" so I wrote a review above to address it.
I understand that they used the main leads from "Pleasantly Surprised" hoping to recreate that success. The acting is not bad, but the main problem is that the character designs were frustrating. For example, the ML comes off as hypocrite (i.e. always says that he won't mix business with personal feelings but always does in the end) that loves that feeling of chasing love. The FL seems hollow where she drifts around the whole plot and going no where. The FL's boyfriend is a controller that like to plan things himself and restrict others to follow along with it. The only good character is Han Ke Fei which was keeping it real and interesting.
The one thing that I felt missing was the omission of Chu Ke Huan and Gao Zi Yuan flashbacks of their 10 year love journey. The Chu Ke Huan and Gao Zi Yuan relationship seem hollowed when there could have been so much more development and character depth to them if there were some flashbacks for them to displays themselves. It is disappointing story telling if you only get to know more about their past journey from an outburst from the ML in the later half of the show (where he believes that she aborted their baby so he can't love her anymore. *Spoiler: that was not what happened). If the director or screen writer sprinkled some flashbacks of them, it would have enriched the story so much more.
I would recommend "The Fierce Wife" and "The World of the Married" instead if you want infidelity but has both plot and character development.
I had to defend this 2008 version as it was the best adaptation out of all the "The Deer and the Cauldron" so I wrote a review above to address it.