1
Read the novel if you want a complete picture
I loved this show. I love Mo Bao Fei Bao's writing (both novels and scripts), and I think Allen Ren and Bai Lu made a perfect couple. They both fulfilled their characters perfectly, and the rest of the cast was well-chosen too. The cast as a whole came together beautifully. The sets were stunning, costumes lovely, perfectly suited to the story.That said... it wasn't perfect. There were gaps in the story that would not have made sense without the book. In the latter half, there were way too many scenes in bed (usually on an IV drip).
In comparison to the book... It filled several holes that weren't well-explained, such as Zhou Wen Chuan's story arc, which seemed kind of arbitrary in the book. Some of the scenes improved, such as the step from "not married" to "married"... where the drama gave her a say in the matter. I loved the way that grandma was woven into the drama; she became a very interesting character.
Lots of comments seem to be upset about the lack of kissing -- Allen Ren's contracts usually have "no kissing"... (and the one kissing scene isn't, if you watch closely) but I personally didn't find it lacking. They had enough chemistry without the kissing. I did find it annoying how they stopped the kissing scenes with stupid stuff... like people walking in, or suddenly she has something to say (that could have easily been said a moment earlier). None of that was necessary.
Overall
1. Watch "One and Only" first -- it's a really nice complete version of their past lives
2. Read the book (hui3r.wordpress.com)
3. Then (and only then) watch "Forever and Ever"
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This review may contain spoilers
Beautifully heartbreaking
Season 1 was very addictive. Three couples, each of which has a very strong female character. Realistic relationships, friendship, betrayal, complex decisions, happy times, desperate times. You fall in love with the youngest couple (Zhu Qing + Guo Zhen) and understand why and how they became so dependent on one another. The other two couples are believable and show a slice of society that we rarely see done well. The end of the season is utterly heart breaking.I needed a break before Season 2. Season 2 dragged a bit, but brought the story to closure in a way that was very satisfying. A nice history of Taiwan. I was pleasantly surprised by the acting of Cindy Lien (Zhu Qing) -- she showed far more flexibility than I had seen in season 1.
All non-Chinese characters were truly awful. The "priest" in season 1 was particularly jarring. I don't know who wrote their scripts, but it really should have been scanned by a native English speaker.
This is a favourite drama for me, but I won't rewatch because some of the scenes are burned in my mind, and I don't need to.
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Nice story about recognizing differences
Thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of the well-executed story. Great chemistry between ML+FL as their relationship changes. She starts the final high school year looking down on the entire class, and grows to become part of their group in a very believable way, recognizing that each personality type has advantages and should be respected. Likewise, she starts much more mature than her classmates (given that she's had 10 more years of life), and they grow up to meet her expectations really nicely. Well-constructed interactions with students and teachers around the school, and she uses her "future knowledge" really well. I liked all of the second relationships. No strange complications. andWas this review helpful to you?
Good depiction of second-chance love
This is the move version of Gu Man's book "Silent Separation".Well acted, and well-depicted. The flashbacks to the original misunderstandings were clear and concise. The current-time situation was presented well, and ML did an outstanding job of portraying his frustration / desperation. I liked the love-rival side characters too -- both were realistic, and also stepped back when they realized they had no chance.
The movie is true to the original story (likely because Gu Man was also the screenwriter for the movie), and the movie is MUCH better than the 32-episode drama "My Sunshine" (2015). The drama was tedious, especially the over-long flashbacks, and changed important details.
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So bad it's funny
The movie starts with a Chinese guy in black face... so badly done his chin falls off (yes, you read that right). During the movie, they manage to offend literally every demographic I can think of. Lots of scenes reminiscent of Looney Tunes. You have to pay attention because they skip forward frequently, and you're the one who has to work to figure out what the context is. ML did a good job with lots of surprise twists, and all the other characters fit 1D stereotypes so no surprises from them (they could have been Looney Tunes characters). You're never quite sure what's real, or what's going to come next. I enjoyed it, but likely won't rewatch unless I'm in the mood for something this crazy again.Was this review helpful to you?
