sulkytofu

Currently on episode 16 and I'm surprised by how much I like it so far! This is definitely not a drama that's for everyone's taste, but I like it as a slice-of-life that delves into the daily lives of its characters. I love how Victoria's character is incredibly flawed, is definitely imperfect, and has her own limitations. Her portrayal of He Fanxing is also so unique in dramas, despite being so socially relevant - a woman who has focused on her career, but is also inexperienced in dating. I also like how Song Weilong's portrayal of Yuan Song is both very young at times (especially in terms of his appearance), while sometimes being more calm and emotionally mature than Fanxing. One thing I was surprised by is how the pairing works - normally when the couple "gets together," I generally get bored of the drama. However, this drama actually goes right into their relationship early on, and really focuses on their fights, their bickering, and the social pressures they face - and also how they work through them. I think it also made me think a lot about gender and "age gaps" - in that it's very normal to see male stars be significantly older than their female co-stars, while when I went into this at first I was hesitant seeing Victoria and Song Weilong with their 13 year age gap. If this is what you're worried about, give it a try - because they really make it work and it's nice seeing them work through their relationship (and how it's not always perfect!)

It will be really interesting to see what the reactions are if this is really a reboot - especially since there was a significant amount of controversy beforehand about the *twist* in Season 1. I'd be curious to know if the ratings for this season might be higher, or if some people who dropped Season 1 may be more open to this one - especially if the issues with the first one were resolved and if this is essentially a new story in itself. Not sure how I quite feel yet because it seems a little pointless to do essentially an alternate version of a drama that already had its happy ending - but I'm all up for seeing Chu Yan finally getting the ending that he deserves!

I'M SO IN LOVE WITH YUAN HONG'S ACTING - he and Zhao Zhao Yi have so much chemistry, and there are so many sparks! I also love the costumes even though I believed there was some criticism over its "tackiness." It's definitely a lower-budget production, but so far with suspension of disbelief at some of the craziness, it has all the tropes that I love, like FL disguised as a boy, an "antihero" as the ML, and a rather fluffy overall tone.

So I just watched the trailer.... and to be honest the 60 episodes, some of the weird casting (Peter Ho in this kind of a role?) as well as the fact that the entire trailer was one long road of angst made me a little surprised. It seems like it's veering more on melodrama territory, especially with the muted colour palette and how the story seems to be taking a more sad as opposed to romantic tone. I'm not going to lie, I'm not looking super positively at this, but as a big fan of Song Weilong I may hold my reservations until it finally airs.

I'm SO EXCITED FOR THIS! Just found out that it's the same producers as Well Intended Love, and I'm really looking forward to a fluffy romcom to watch. Not to mention I already love the fact that it's the ML chasing (literally!) after the girl. Can't wait until all the subs are out, and I already love how the sets and costumes look!

Totally agree! Will definitely let you know once I find out - I am EXACTLY the same and am not into the main couple at all, but I have a HUGE heart for second lead couples and if Junghyun is one, I'm going to have to watch this.

Agree, he's my favourite. If he gets his own love line (instead of being the standard second male lead) I am definitely gonna watch this - otherwise, I may pass up because I'm not really a big fan of the story.

I'm so excited for this - this looks so good!

Honestly.... I really wanted a second season of Well Intended Love.... BUT FOR CHU YAN! One of my all time favourite second leads and he was so supportive and kind to the female lead that I really wanted him to have his own story instead. Not to mention that Season 1 wrapped up with a happy ending for our leads, and so I felt that it would have been much more interesting to start off with a "fresh" storyline.

As if the first time wasn't painful enough, sigh...

I'm so excited for this - I really love Luo Yunxi especially after his acting in Ashes of Love! I can definitely already sense the chemistry from this pairing and can't wait until it airs.

Also really surprised Toby's in this as second lead again especially after Arsenal Military Academy.

Honestly, the beginning of this drama was super strong and I LOVED how their romance was so adorable. The FL has an awesome personality, and it was cute how while she had a crush on the ML, secretly the ML loved her as well and constantly held his feelings back for her.

THEN, however, we get into the university part, and I wonder if I am watching a completely different drama. There are so many changes in the personalities of our characters, which made me feel frustrated with them as they veered off from what made them so likeable in the first place. There are also secondary characters that come in and issues that I feel are incredibly unnecessary. I really thought that this was going to be like Le Coup de Foudre, where you feel satisfied as you can watch these individuals "grow up" and see the different stages of their lives. Unfortunately, however, it fizzles out, and despite the great beginning I can't even make it past the middle to get to the ending anymore.

Yep! I really watched this for Timmy Xu, and it's a real shame because the drama itself is gorgeous - I love the pastel colour palette, all the sets are super high quality, and Bridgette and Timmy look great together. However, the chemistry is just really not there and not enough to pull me through into watching this. It's a shame because I really looked forward to this, but the execution just didn't turn out all that great. You know it's time to drop when you're even fast forwarding through the scenes with the main couple together...

Does anyone else have the feeling that Mengyan has a lot more chemistry with the second lead Qiao Keming? They are so cute together and I always look forward to their scenes, while as much as I love Jiang Chao as Lin Mo Bai I just keep skipping all of the scenes with Mo Bai and Mengyan.

I just saw it!!!! The inside joke is that Yu Zheng (the producer of AMA and the owner of the company Xu Kai and Bai Lu belong to) is the biggest fan of the Kailu ship haha. I'm really curious to know if it will be a Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace remake, or if it's just loosely based on the story and has some similar aspects. I'm surprised netizens are not as happy because I feel like international watchers are super excited - I love their chemistry and really can't wait for the drama to air!

I think that's how you can tell Mark Chao is just that good of an actor - despite being the same actor, he was able to play two different characters, and make you really feel deeply for both of them. Never had I loved both MLs so intensely, and also never have I seen two MLs who were so respectful of the FL and her feelings (there was no scheming between the two men, no fighting, etc. because both realized how important the other was to the FL). I didn't mind whoever Bai Qian got together with in the end because I think both relationships were very justified, but I do love how this created a really meaningful conflict, and really tied to the theme of "different lives in different worlds."

I absolutely love Yang Zi and think that she's a great cast choice, especially with her childhood acting background and also her versatility as an actress! As a big fan of Kris, I actually also don't know how to feel about him being a male lead...and am not sure if he's a strong actor (despite his success being a performer and musician.) Hoping that this turns out to be great!

As somebody who really loves fluff and romance, and really has a hard time watching angst and tragedy, would anyone recommend this? I know and have prepared myself for how this is tragic, and I've heard lots of good things, but my romcom heart is wary about getting into this one!

Great for the chemistry, styling, and for the first half (tons of chemistry, the drama is fast-paced, and you get really addicted b/c it kind of has a "mystery" to it in that you want to know what happened to all of the character's friendships and why they distanced from each other). Then the plot takes a complete downturn with unnecessary contrived issues, efforts to create tragedy for tragedy's sake, and generally the overall outcome and ending is so unsatisfying even it is "happy" because of those events.

Some early/initial thoughts while currently on Ep 12 - the drama is really well produced, has a great cast, and I love how it's a light fluffy romcom but I'm finding myself skipping a lot (almost half of the entire episode). I feel as if Timmy + Bridgette have something lacking in their chemistry, as in I do like the characters separately but just not together/am not yet convinced of their pairing. Also, as a big fan of UNIQ and Yixuan, it's hard to say this but I'm really not feeling his acting either because I feel like his character doesn't have much presence. I'm going to keep giving it a go, but I guess my expectations for this to be very fluffy and sparkling with chemistry aren't really quite what I'm experiencing while watching.