summerfancy

At least, it stopped being a Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden remake

I was glad to see that the sequel veered away from the BOF/MG and became its own story. However, Season 2 was mostly about a family squabble/competition between the stepbrother and ML. Stepbrother turns out to be a Long by blood after all (too bad he didn't know that before he had to give up Yoona - not that I liked Yoona - but what a raw deal!) and challenges ML's right to succession. During this competition, ML begins to mature (although I think he returns to immaturity in Season 3 and has to start the process over again).

We're also introduced to a new b***** who successfully convinces FL to play the noble idiot role and dump ML so she can have him because 'they're a perfect match' - apparently, because both are a couple of rich, entitled jerks. She looks about 10 years older than him so it can't be because they share common experiences like someone his own age. In exchange for dumping him, the rich b**** will use her family power to back ML over half-brother (aka stepbrother). Fortunately, the artist friend/love rival from last Season deliberately lets the cat out of the bag to ML, and ML puts a kybosh to the plan. For once, his obsession with FL actually saves the day - he ain't marry nobody but FL - and the rich b**** is actually sane enough to give him up. Must be because of those advanced years.

Finally, I regret to say we also meet a new character called Yangyang, and boy, is this girl annoying. Sorry but I really, really hate her hair - the color looks like a bad dye job, ok? She's supposedly the sister of both of these dudes, but apparently not, because she confesses to the stepbrother who's now the half-brother in later episodes. He rejects her. Thank God! Please, please don't put our cute boy -next-door Wei Zhemeng with this dingbat in Season 3. I'd rather him be with that sugary-sweet Yoona or better yet remain single. None of these chicks are worthy of him.

Well, that's the highlights.

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Another Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden remake but with a few differences

This is very much like Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden, but with a few subtle differences. The violin player becomes ML's stepbrother, and the male love rival becomes an artist who just happens to be an old friend of ML's. I personally don't know why Asian women are so infatuated with this type of ML (bossy, overbearing CEO). Yeah, there's a primitive part of me that is thrilled by his possessiveness and persistence in declaring her his girlfriend (even when she declares that she isn't), but he's really an ass, especially with his childish behavior following the picture incident. Frankly, she ought to have been glad to finally get rid of him so she could further her relationship with the more mature and considerate SML. I can understand wanting to clear your name but just ignore him. When he sees you having a good time with SML, he'll get off his high horse.

This picture incident is followed up by more childish behavior re: FL and his stepbrother. One reviewer felt the fault lies with FL because ML told her to stay away from his stepbrother, however, I'm sorry, but nobody has the right to dictate who she's allowed to associate with, ok? That's taking possessiveness too far, and the fault of the last 2 episodes rest mostly on the bullying chick and ML. If ML hadn't been an immature ass and just believed FL, she would have never been outside in the storm. However, bat crap crazy grandpa banishes her and basically forces her to leave town. If I were her, I'd say 'good riddance' to this toxic jerk and his tyrannical granddad and take up with the guy I should have originally taken up with. This drama reminds me a lot of 'Chasing Ball' as well - dumb FL choses the immature jerk instead of the guy who's always there to love and support her. Heck, at this point, even the stepbrother would be a better choice even if he was declaring himself in love with Yoona only a couple episodes ago. BTW, I preferred the Yoona character in Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden better than this chick. At least, the character in the other two dramas chose her career rather than being forced into an arranged business marriage by her family.

Even though I think ML is an immature jerk (and my last choice among the available men), he does have his cute moments. Of course, these moments only occur when FL is obeying him and everything is going his way. You know, I actually like childish MLs, but I like the ones who's childishness isn't tyrannical, destructive or borders on psychotic. Examples: MLs in Brilliant Class 8, Out with a Bang, Moonlight, Superstar Assistant, etc. These guys had diva-like egos and could be petulant/grumpy, but they didn't act like they owned FL nor did they throw tantrums. They also didn't abandon FL when she needed them most. That's the real kicker - both the MLs of Chasing Ball and this drama wouldn't believe in FL and abandoned her in front of everyone. That's unforgivable in my book.

FL knows Taekwondo, but she can't use it because of her 'Venus' image, causing her to be bullied by a bunch of b******. So, why even bring in the Taekwondo thing if she can't use it? She does finally kick a few girl butts, but apparently, she's not good enough to kick male butts. I wish for once these FLs would properly kick the butts of their bullies. I get tired of the helpless female who can just stand there pathetically as she's pushed, shoved and plastered with water/flour/food.

That's about all I have to say about this drama. In some ways, I prefer it to Boys Over Flowers/Meteor right now. It's removed a few of the elements I disliked about those dramas. So far, ML is not being forced to marry some rich brat...but there's still Season 2 and the Chinese have a way of ruining a good start. Grandpa already forced ML to go to Paris and he's banished the girl so I wouldn't put the arranged marriage thing past him next season.

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Still enjoyable despite the typical cliches/tropes

When I watch a drama or movie, I’m looking for pure romance. That’s why I loved ‘Be My Princess’. It was one of the most romantic C-dramas I’ve ever watched. That being said, I’m not a big fan of all the cliches/tropes – try using your imaginations, screenwriters! There are other scenes you can create that’s romantic that don’t involve umbrellas, accidental kisses, clumsy FLs who need caught all the time, blisters on heels, MLs cooking and cuts on fingers, ok? Oh, and let's not forget that one of the leads have to come down with a mysterious fever that's miraculously gone the next morning. Nevertheless, there were some really sweet, romantic moments in this drama that are worth watching. They did a good job creating a romantic mood in the scenes that should be romantic, and the MC actually shared some decent kisses, especially in episode 17. Despite the fact that this drama is loaded with cliches/tropes and some real nutcase love rivals, it’s worth watching. I don’t think it deserves some of the bad reviews it got on this site. I’ve seen much, much worse.

Ok, let’s start with ML. He’s gorgeous, especially when shot from the side where his hair falls on his forehead. Although he starts off a bit cold, it’s clear he’s a softie on the inside and actually a little too soft, especially when it comes to dealing with psycho chick. Don’t get me wrong – he shows her no affection and states clearly (finally) that he never liked her – but he shouldn’t have allowed her to remain in the company (since she only joined to stalk him), and honestly, he needed to get a restraining order. His scolding of FL in episode 12 nearly had me dropping this drama. He basically takes psycho’s side and tells FL she acted inappropriately in the workplace. While I agree that FL stupidly placed herself under this nut job’s dominion by joining her department, she acted no more inappropriately than psycho chick who took credit for FL’s design ideas. That scolding really burnt me up, and I was as pissed off as FL. I also think he went a little too bat crap crazy over his ‘obsession’. FL was right – he needed to deal with it and seek help. She approached the subject calmly and sympathetically, but he totally overreacted, causing her, and pretty much everyone else, to overreact during ‘the typhoon’ scene. Finally, I did not feel sorry for him when he learned that FL was filling in for her sister for the following reasons: 1) he started this whole thing by wanting to deceive grandma. If FL owes him an apology, he owes grandma one; 2) he was pretty stupid not to realize the girl in the garage wasn’t the girl who met him and signed the contract. Their attire alone should have been his first clue, ok?; and 3) he’s pissed off because FL didn’t trust him enough to tell him, but the reason she didn’t tell you was because she was afraid you’d react just like you’re reacting now, buddy. So, I don’t blame her from keeping it from you. Overall, he was one of the better MLs, but I didn't love him so he didn’t make it into my ML Hall of Fame.

FL – I congratulate the costume designer for controlling themselves and dressing her like an ordinary girl. She wore small earrings and flat shoes and for the most part her attire was tasteful. However, I think the neckline on the dress she wore to the auction could have been more mature. She looked like a child next to the other women at the auction. Her reactions could be childish, and she got upset easily and jumped to conclusions a few times. However, I did like how she stood up to psycho chick’s taunts, and even if ML felt it inappropriate, I liked how she ‘marked’ him as her property right in front of psycho chick. You go, girl! That being said, I wish she’d just told ML her big secret instead of moping around. Just rip the Band-Aid off, girl, since no matter how or when you do it, he’s going to be upset because we need a plot device to cause separation and angst in the final episodes.

Now for the love rivals – these two (Nanfong Liuli & Fu Boya) were certified crazies. Nanfong was absolutely, 100% delusional, and even after ML told her that he never liked her, she still wouldn’t give it up. This woman needed to be in a psych ward instead of loose on the streets of China, ok? And Fu Boya needed to be in a psych ward next to her because he knew she was mental yet he deliberately submarined FL/ML’s relationship so crazy girl could be happy. What a really pathetic couple these two were. By the end of their usefulness as drama devices, I just wanted them off my screen. I don’t know why in C-dramas these types of characters are pampered by family, friends and even the leads instead of being placed under psychological care. I mean I’ve watched dramas were ML even goes as far as agreeing to marry a crazy because the family puts pressure on him. No, mom and dad, your daughter needs psychological care instead of getting her way once again. The reason she’s a psycho is because you’ve spoiled her rotten. Don’t keep doing it or she’ll never become a well-adjusted member of society. I also find it ridiculous how in a lot of these C-dramas, the crazy miraculously becomes sane, and we’re all good. Happened in this one too. Suddenly, crazy girl is no longer crazy and actually apologizing to FL. What?! And just a word of advice to the actress playing Nanfong - eat some food, girl!!!

To be honest, after these two crazies, I had no patience for the bitchy sister so I skipped through the last 5-6 episodes. I did like how ML was totally repulsed by evil sis and gave her verbal slap downs at every opportunity. I did feel sympathy for him during this period since FL's response to his desire to send sis packing was totally illogical.

Oddly enough, I liked the second couple. I usually don’t in C-dramas, but I liked An’an and Situ and their romance. I found them cute and not overly annoying like most besties. I do think they overreacted when FL wandered off during the rain storm (maybe she just wanted to be alone? You think?), but overall, I found them amusing, and I think the screenwriter/director managed to find the right balance between them and the MC. The nice thing about the 2nd couple? They rarely have psycho chicks or SMLs clinging to them so the only thing annoying about them is...well, their personalities.

Finally, grandma, of course, wins the award for being the most likeable. She reminded me of Maurice Chevalier with ‘I’d Rather Be Rich’ where he fakes an illness to get his granddaughter married. I love it when Asian parents assist the romance instead of trying to destroy and hinder it. It adds humor and likeability to the character(s).

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Although not the best K-drama, it's still worthy of watching

It wasn’t as good as most K-dramas, but it was better than the typical C-drama. The supporting cast, as usual, was made up of unique characters and relationships. The plot itself was interesting enough to hold the viewer’s attention, although it took several episodes before we got to where the ‘Strongest Deliveryman’ title entered into the picture. I think the weakness was in the male leads – not the actors – just the characters they were portraying. Both men spent too much time wallowing around in self-pity while the female leads provided the backbone they both needed.

Let’s start with Kang-Soo (ML) – without a doubt, he was nice, friendly, honorable, everybody loved him. He had made tons of friends. However, I found him a bit too righteous, especially in his quest to put Jin-Gyu (SML) behind bars because he and his cohorts closed down a highway to race, which delayed Kang-Soo’s friend/half-brother from getting timely medical care. I really dislike this need to seek justice/revenge (in other words, find somebody to blame) in Asian dramas. The half-brother ran a red light so he was ultimately responsible for the accident, however, Kang-Soo insisted on bringing Jin Gyu to justice as though he deliberately and maliciously harmed Hyun-Soo. Putting JG behind bars isn't going to make HS wake up, ok? And if we're going to be fair, why are they only targeting JG? There were other rich kids at that race. (BTW, what is it with Korean Chaebols and golf clubs? This is the second guy I've seen getting beat with a golf club!) I just wish Kang-Soo had shown this kind of tenacity when Ma Jung tried to destroy his business. He’s like Samson - once he changed his hair style, he lost all his strength/backbone. I really preferred this actor as the ghost in Chicago Typewriter. Although Kang-Soo was a likeable character, I didn’t love him like I have other MLs. He was too soft and squishy for my tastes.

Jin Gyu (SML) – I actually liked him better than Kang-Soo because he was a redeemed character. He started out as a good for nothing rich playboy and ended up being a useful member of the Deliveryman team as well as society. I liked how he refused to return to his family in the final episode, preferring to remain independent. I wish more rich MLs would do that instead of letting mom and dad tell them who to marry, etc. Although he wallowed around in self-pity for far too long, he was shrewder than Kang-Soo and thought outside the box when it came to business. It was really Jin Gyu as well as Min Chan who saved Strongest Deliveryman. Jin Gyu told them what I was telling them from my armchair several episodes prior to the ‘takedown’ by Ma Jung – don’t focus solely on the food alley and deliver something besides food. A good businessperson knows not to put all your eggs in one basket. I felt really bad for Jin Gyu having to be paired with that dingbat, Ji-Yoon. Yes, their bickering was cute and amusing, but she was SO annoying! I would have preferred him with Dan-ah and let Kang-Soo have the dingbat.

Dan-ah (FL) – she was the most likeable lead character of the group, in my opinion. She was tough and gutsy, having got that way by experiencing the ups and downs on life and coming through them still standing. She was really the backbone of this group, having saved Jin Gyu from drowning and smacking some sense into Kang-Soo when he ran away. I only wish she hadn’t joined the others in ostracizing Jin Gyu when she found out about his role in Hyun-Soo’s coma. I had hoped that she would have stood against the group and remained Jin Gyu’s friend. And let him keep his promise to you - accept his money, girl! She definitely had a cynical streak, but once she’d made a promise to Kang-Soo to stay, she had the strength to keep that promise when circumstances became difficult.

Ji-Yoon (SML) – unlike some bloggers I’ve read, I simply couldn’t warm up to this character. She was a dingbat and really annoying, especially when she was tormenting JG when he was trying to sleep. It felt like she was a little rich girl who was playing at being independent. I give her credit for not running back home when things got tough, but that didn’t overcome the annoyance factor. I honestly don’t know how Jin Gyu could stand being with her, let alone marrying her someday.

I’d like to comment on the other characters, but simply don't have time, and I'm sure you don't want to read a book. As with most K-dramas, the supporting cast was unique and memorable and added to the overall drama with humor and heart-warming togetherness.

This wasn’t the best K-drama I’ve watched, but it was solid and certainly better than most C-dramas. You won’t be wasting your time by watching it.

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The star of the drama is definitely Black

A viewer needs to pay attention to the smallest details in this drama because all are incorporated in the overall plot. It feels a little chaotic and disjointed in the earlier episodes as you meet a lot of characters and situations that appear to be unrelated, but as the episodes progress to the end, all these details are drawn together to culminate in one overarching event that involves our leads. It’s a masterfully woven plot that makes sense until the last 10 minutes where everything you’ve just watched is nullified and voided, bringing us to the old problem experienced with time travel plots – remove a character in the past and you’ve just opened up a can of unsatisfying worms as the viewer is left with more questions than answers. I understand the desire for a happy ending – I want a happy ending too – but I think a better ending could have been created for our MC. I’ll discuss this at the end in more detail. Also, just a FYI – almost everybody wants to kill themselves at some point. I’ve never seen so many suicide attempts on one drama.

The star of the show is, of course, Black, the grim reaper stuck in a human body, and Song Seung-Heon does a fabulous job bringing this character to life. First of all, he’s just damn good-looking with his upswept hair and black clothing, and his badass attitude just oozes ‘cool’. I loved how this character at first disdains humans, being rude and bad tempered. It was a good transition between actors as well – from Kim Tae-woo as GR Black to Song Seung-Heon as MG Black. KTW set the tone and SSH maintained it. Episode 2 is hilarious as the grim reaper adjusts to life in a human body in a human world. Who knew a grim reaper could be so funny? I just loved his bad-tempered grumbling, outbursts of annoyance and frustration with FL as she continually runs off to save someone, placing herself in danger and forcing him to break GR rules and save humans. At one point, he calls her a beagle, and my advice to him – put a leash on her. I shared his frustration as this girl didn’t know when to stop her crazy quest to save pretty much everyone who’s scheduled to die. It’s amazing how a grim reaper could so quickly become an ace detective, connecting the dots and completing the investigation that Det. Na had been working on. Not to mention solving the Joon mystery. Loved in episode 15 how he’s in Moo Gang persona when confronting the congressman but when he comes outside, he’s Black again with black clothing and upswept hair. I guess he made sure to bring some hair putty along with his change of clothing. HA! Also, cute how Man-Soo’s hair takes an upward turn when he temporarily borrowed one of Black’s suits in an earlier episode. HAHA!

I liked FL when she was tough and gutsy, but boy, this girl manic depressive! Like Black, I began to get frustrated with her impulsive rush to save everyone with a shadow. I mean, chill, girl! Her reckless, impulsive behavior from child to adult caused quite a few problems. As she found out, sometimes you need to be selective regarding who you save because you may be saving a serial killer. Personally, when it comes to ‘shadows’, I think it’s best to let fate take its course and not interfere. Was this actress pregnant during the filming of this drama? They continually dress her is very baggy, ill-fitting clothes that make her appear frumpy.

Many of the characters were interesting and added to the overall drama. I liked Black’s grim reaper friends (although I’m not sure why Hip Hop had to change in appearance – something about GRs not having human faces – and once he was found, why didn’t he go to heaven like Clara? I know he said he would go with Black but can GRs decide when they will and won’t go?) I liked Man-Soo although he needed to grow a pair with that deranged brother of his and stop letting him pummel him with a golf club. I couldn’t watch when he lost his dog. I’m surprised the writer even put a scene like that in, but this drama was a lot gorier than most so I guess cruelty to animals goes along with showing us intestines and brain matter.

The ending was a disappointment and as mentioned above left the viewer with more questions than answers. In the last 10-15 minutes, Black, in front of the death squad, asks for Joon to have never existed. We then see Ha-Ram living a happy life without either Joon or Black until she’s an old woman. Black comes to pick her up and they walk off together to paradise, I guess. Here’s my problem with this – Joon was involved in multiple people’s lives so what happened to those characters? Without Joon, Moo Gang doesn’t get a heart so did Moo Gang die? Without Joon’s heart, MG wouldn’t have thought Soo-Wan was the girl for him so chances are MG and SW were never involved (if MG is alive). And how does Joon never existing stop Ha Ram’s father from dying and being taken over by a reaper, thus keeping HR from being half reaper? And then, if Joon never existed, why does Black still look like MG when he meets Ha Ram after her death, and if Joon never existed to go missing that means Black would never have been a reaper. Since Joon’s body was found (or having never existed), why is Black meeting Ha-Ram? Shouldn’t he be in heaven or not even exist? And why does the loser inside of Leo still remember Black/Joon and have his bracelet if he never existed? See what I mean? So many unanswered questions because the writer felt the need to give Ha-Ram a happy ending. Couldn’t she have been happy dying and joining Black in the afterlife sooner? Or better yet couldn’t the writer have found a way for Black to become human and live the life his stepmom had denied him? And if you were committed to having Ha-Ram live a happy life without Joon/Black, the writer could have at least had her married to Man-Soo instead of some unknown husband. After all, Man-Soo deserved a happy ending after the crappy life he had. I’m just saying that they could have created a better happy ending than the one we got. It was only minimally acceptable. Enough said. Oh, wait, one more thing - why do old ladies always have to have curly gray hair, especially when they always had straight, long hair in their younger years? Such a bad makeup job on these two.

Villain Awards: First Place – Moo Gang’s mom for murdering a child to save hers. Second Place - Congressman Kim (and all the other rich old perverts) for numerous heinous crimes, including rape and murder. Third Place – Man-Soo’s brother for animal cruelty and overall assholery. Fourth Place – a tie between Missing Finger and the psycho serial killer. Fifth Place – Ha-Ram’s mom who was living happily enough with her husband until she finds out he’s a grim reaper, and then he’s suddenly disgusting and she has to leave him and her child for a child/wife abuser.

Stupid Awards: First Place – the young Ha-Ram – did you really think you could shoot a freaking shadow, kiddo? Second Place – Joon for having a crush on Soo-wan and thus getting entangled in her problems. Third Place – the adult Ha-Ram for recklessly trying to save the world from black shadows. Fourth Place – Moo Gang for thinking the magical heart fluttering meant he should be with Soo-wan and thus following his brother down the path of destruction because of this woman’s baggage. Fifth Place – Black for doing the noble idiot thing. I much preferred his idea of living out his life in MG's body and being happy with Ha-Ram. Sixth Place: the last 10-15 minutes of the drama.

Annoying Award: Soo-wan. Yeah, she has a tragic backstory, but all this woman did was run from and fret over her past instead of confronting it and sending that dirtbag to jail 20 years ago. She was a victim throughout and only briefly got enough courage to help Black and the other detectives trap the congressman into a confession. Also, she clung to Moo-Gang like dog poop even when it was clear he was no longer Moo Gang. At least, she did the noble thing and helped Black get Ha-Ram’s trust back. Really this one girl/woman was the cause of both brothers dying.

I wanted to give this drama a perfect 10, but I took off a star for the crappity-ass ending. Ha-Ram shouldn't be the only one getting a happy ending and was it really happy without Black/Joon?

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Typical old school C-drama

This drama was filmed in 2004, and it shows. The storyline is typical of old school C-dramas - naive FL, evil female love rival and rich tyrannical parent. FLs family is ok - there's even a cute white bunny who yawns - and her love rival is non-evil although he's a motorcycle dude. ML (of course - ML always has the crappy family bc he's rich) has an asshole dad trying to force him to marry his ex-girlfriend. His mom is sweet and accepting of FL, and it's mom who saves the day at the end by stopping ML's wedding to the b****. And, yeah, FL is also getting married on the same day to a different guy, but SML does the honorable thing and calls off the wedding. Why are men always portrayed as honorable in C-dramas while women are evil, vindictive b****** who will do anything to marry ML? What does that say about Chinese opinion of females? At least, that's beginning to change in current dramas - well, not really, there's still too many obsessed female love rivals. Well, anyway, both weddings come to a halt in final episode and then we get a happy MC wedding scene where we see all the baddies smiling happily. What? Suddenly ML's dad and Katrina are happy about ML marrying FL? Why couldn't they have gotten on board earlier so we wouldn't have had to be tortured like this? Well, anyway, the plot is typical and soapy.

The filming is pretty bad. Too many close-up shots and filmed at strange angles. What am I? An ant that I have to view them from the ground? I'm glad filming, at least, has progressed in China and most C-dramas no longer have shots like these. Now, if we could only get rid of the evil female love rivals, tyrannical rich parent(s) and usual romantic tropes/cliches like falling in ML's arms for an accidental kiss, tripping into his arms, band aids on heels, etc., etc. Surely romantic gestures/situations aren't limited to these. Use your imaginations!

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Would have been better to end at 24 episodes

First off, I’m not a big fan of FLs who worship, adore and crush on MLs right from the beginning of the drama. I feel FL is instantly put at a disadvantage in the relationship, especially with the MLs who are Abominable Snowmen a.k.a. cold, indifferent jerks. Unlike Korean's Snowmen, Chinese ones never seem to melt enough to make me love them. So, right off the bat, I wasn't thrilled with the story line. But that's just me. If you don't mind this kind of FL, then that's not a negative.

Also, this drama seems to shine positive light on FL’s perseverance in pursing this guy. Uh, yeah, perseverance is a good thing, but I’ve seen too many C-dramas where love rivals, ex-girlfriends, etc. can’t seem to let go/give up/go away/get a life no matter how many times ML tells them he’s not interested or how many times he’s outright rude to them so I’m not sure I like the message that’s being conveyed. We've got enough psycho chicks in these dramas; we don't need to create real ones in real life. Sometimes, no, a lot of times perseverance is not enough to make someone fall in love with you, which we’ve seen over and over in C-drama love rivals.

MC had their cute moments, but honestly, I preferred Lu Jingwen, even if he was a playboy. I liked his teasing nature. What can I say? I just love rascals…as long as they get reformed and stick to one lady, which most do in these dramas, if they happen to be the ML.

As far as story and set go, at times, I wondered if ML had stepped out of Lucky’s First Romance into Cute Programmer because 1) it’s the gaming industry again and 2) the office space looked suspiciously like the office space in Lucky’s First Romance. Even some of ML’s attire looked like it came from that drama. That being said, I preferred Bai Lu’s character to Lu Li's. She was alright, but the adoration thing immediately made me dislike her character, which isn’t the actress’s fault.

And as always, I've got to mention the costume! Where do these Chinese costume designers come up with these outfits? Ok, FL is pregnant. She didn’t suddenly become a pilgrim (that ugly black dress with the white collar that was far too big on her even if they added padding for the pregnancy) and she suddenly didn’t become 80 years old! And what’s up with that blue sweater whose sleeves look like a shredded tissue? I can’t believe people pay money for such clothing!

Overall, it’s an alright drama if you don’t mind the hero worship nonsense. She does at least make him chase her and suffer emotional distress in the final episodes. Her coldness helped make up for the earlier worship although she suddenly lost any of her former cheerfulness to behave like a sedated nun....or pilgrim.

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Snoozeville with characters I couldn't warm up to

Don’t waste your time with this drama unless there’s nothing better to watch. It’s wasn’t the worse C-drama, I’ve watched, but it certainly wasn’t the best. It was typical, maybe even worse than typical. Honestly, I dropped it at episode 17 because with each episode, I found myself more and more frustrated with ML/FL. Let’s start off with FL.

The only thing good I can say about her is she’s not the typical C-drama heroine – there’s nothing ‘cutesy’ about her. Nor is she a dingbat or a professional woman who dresses like a tart (dangling earrings, thick makeup, stilettos and bright red lipstick). Overall, she’s fairly tough and no-nonsense and comes across as smart and mature (for a C-drama heroine). So, what do I have against her? Number one, she dumps ML in college without apparently telling him why she dumped him…or at least that’s the impression I got since he acted totally clueless. Not cool. Two, why didn't she dump this guy again when the script leaking scandal broke, and he insisted on defending that harpy, Feng Yiyi? I was yelling at the TV through 4-5 episodes for her to tell him flat-out that she was no longer his girlfriend yet she continues to let him behave as though she is. So, she dumps him indiscriminately the first time, but this time around, when he does something far worse, in my opinion (taking the side of the love rival), she won’t tell his ass off and break up with him? And everyone is telling her, she’s being selfish, and she ought to be more understanding towards ML? Balls to that! Anyway, her inconsistencies and chip on her shoulder attitude at times began to annoy me, BUT I still liked her better than ML. If I were her, I would have dump him for good this time and taken up with any man available (the nephew? Laoyun?). Her ski friend, Ye Nan, would have been such a better choice, but the scriptwriter decided to match that poor guy up with the dingbat bestie. Why does Chinese FLs almost always have an annoying bestie?

Now to ML. In the beginning, I liked him (or rather accepted him as ML) and even sympathized with how FL broke up with him, but as the drama progressed, and I saw how wishy-washy/mealy-mouthed his character was, I grew to dislike him and strongly advised FL to dump his butt for good. I suppose the scriptwriter was intending to show us how reasonable, how conciliatory, how sensitive he was, but he came across (to me anyways) as indecisive, weak and not the kind of guy who’s going to ‘have your back’. He refused to take FL’s side against Feng Yiyi and even made excuses for the harpy. I’m sorry – if there’s one thing a girlfriend wants, it’s a boyfriend who’s going to support her. Did he step in and stop Yiyi’s rant at FL in episode 16? No, he just stood there. Only after the woman said her crap and departed, did he offer FL a hug. Not cool. And then his oh-so sensitive rejection of Yiyi’s love – please! Give me the Chinese MLs that are outright rude to the love rival any day to this Marshmallow Man! At least, the rude MLs don’t give their woman any room to doubt his commitment to her and her alone. I think I ended up disliking ML more than any other character, Yiyi included.

The second couple was totally uninteresting (Ye Nan & Jinjin), in my opinion, but this is nothing new. I normally don’t care about the 2nd or 3rd couple in a C-drama because too much time is spent on them, and the SFL is usually a dingbat. Sometimes SML is a dingbat as well.

This drama really got bogged down with a bunch of corporate intrigue/misunderstandings around episode 12-13, and it hadn’t improved much at episode 17 where I finally gave up. MC just got back together, and they're immediately plunged into a bunch of angst so the viewer doesn't get to enjoy any cute moments before the crap starts. I didn’t find these script scandals, investment issues and money shortages, etc. interesting at all, mostly because they went on and on and on. I cared less about Yiyi disappearing from the company and pouting over her unrequited love and even less about her return and ML finally setting her straight about his feelings towards her. Once again, I’m amazed by the sheer audacity of these Chinese love rivals who think that merely doing stuff for ML (usually without him even asking them to) somehow entitles them to his love. I get so tired of the ‘why is she better than me’ line. The conceit of these women is breathtaking.

Well, that’s it. Like I said, I dropped it at episode 17 because ML was annoying the hell out of me and the corporate intrigue just went on and on and on. It completely crowded out any romance between the leads, which might have helped me warm up to ML. The most interesting character in the whole drama was Lai Yaoyun, the actor that took a liking to FL.

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Very Nice Rom-Com

This is the kind of Chinese Rom-Com that I prefer. Sweet romance was at the maximum and angst at the minimum. The plot was simple, but it held together and didn't drag.

There were no control freak parents - ML's mom (the only parent in this drama) was so, so nice and worked to further the romance of ML/FL rather than hinder it. She liked FL instantly.

FL had a love rival, but Gu Wei was nothing serious - although she took over ML's office like she owned it (at least briefly) & caused FL to have a sleepwalking spell, she was quickly dispatched by ML and really served no serious threat (or major annoyance to the viewer - in other words, she didn't make you want to throw a brick at the TV). Really her only purpose was to clear up the misunderstanding between the second couple.

ML's love rival was more serious (his brother, Shi Yi) but not really. I had a case of the SML syndrome - if it were me, I would have chosen Shi Yi since he sings, plays the piano and is of a quiet and sensitive disposition. I gave him thumbs up for playing the role of scheming love rival - at least half-heartedly. It's so rare that the SML is the schemer. I don't know about you, but to me, Shi Yi seemed more like the younger brother than the older one. I really felt sympathy for him not getting the girl, especially since he liked her before ML (via her prior voice work). I don't understand how you can be someone's soulmate and yet not be in love with them, but I also don't understand how you can be in love with someone yet leave them to 'chase your dreams'. I guess I'm just from the old school. I was glad that there was no dream chasing separation in this drama like in so many C-dramas.

ML - he was wonderful. Not overly cold and unemotional like a lot of C-drama MLs. I didn't like him as much as ML on 'Arsenal Military Academy' or ML on 'Moonlight', but he was likeable and of course, quite handsome and debonair. Frankly, I would have thrown FL out of my house once the goose showed up - and I wouldn't have had second thoughts and let her back in. There's no way I'd let a goose live in my house. Geese are for barnyards, not high rise apartments. ML briefly played the role of noble idiot, but it didn't last long so it wasn't too distressing for the viewer.

FL - originally, I liked her, but as the drama went on, her bubbly cuteness began to wear on me. I did like that she dressed sensibly in longer skirts and flat shoes - although those sock-like tights she constantly wore were kind of ugly. She wore a lot of fuzzy, fluffy sweaters, which I'm assuming they used to try to make her seem goose-like. I did find it odd that whenever she was scared, she went into a trance yet during the kidnapping incident with Shi Yi's crazy manager (which to me would have been the most frightening), she stayed alert and conscious.

I was glad to see that the scriptwriter/director kept the second couple's romance to the minimum. In other words, their romance was there, but it didn't overshadow the MC like second/third couples romances do in a lot of C-dramas. Because they were limited, I felt the drama/plot moved along nicely, and I wasn't bored or fast forwarding through a romance I'm not interested in. Kudos to the scriptwriter/director for treating the second couple more like a K-drama - there's a romance but it didn't distract from the MC.

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama and hope this format will continue in future C-dramas. It was limited to 24 episodes, it limited secondary romances & it focused more on romance than angst (no control freak parents or evil female love rivals).

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Very Good

Netflix may have destroyed K-Dramas, but they've really helped J-Dramas. Romatics Anonymous was surprisingly good even though some of it reminded me of Tastefully Yours (not a bad thing, I actually liked TY). It was well plotted out - each episode focusing on one of the handmade candies offered in boxed set. It seemed natural how FL/ML grew to respect and then love each other - although there was certainly a supernatural element since she, who couldn't look anyone in the eye, and he, who couldn't touch anyone, managed to look and touch each other without any problem. ML fell first since FL had the mistaken impression that SML was the man who saved her and thus, wasted most of the drama trying to work up the courage to confess to her crush. It was heart-warming to see FL become accepted by the other workers at the chocolate store. It was just a really good drama considering what Japan normally produces. I'm not sure why it's called Romantics Anonymous when the only anonymous person was FL who anonymously provided one of the candies in the boxed set. But most of these Asian dramas have odd names so whatever. I didn't quite understand SML's fascination with FL/ML's therapy doctor or their relationship. Maybe I missed something but I didn't understand what her issue was with being with SML. They apparently slept together and then she keeps running away from having a relationship with him. That couple was just...off. SML, although sexy, displayed little emotion so I found it hard to believe he was in love with the doctor. As for the doctor, she was just confusing and not very likeable. It felt as though the writer was 'forcing' a relationshp between these two because the plot needed another couple for some reason. Trust me, it would have been fine without their relationship.

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A good start

I say 'start' because there's obviously going to be 2nd season since the ending was a cliffhanger. I wondered while watching if there'd be another season because they never got to solving the main mystery - who was behind the destruction of ML's family. I sort of dread the second season because knowing C-dramas, they'll find some way to ruin a good start. It was good because it lacked a lot of what makes a historical C-drama bad in my opinion - forced marriages (well, ML/FL were forced to marry, but nobody's forcing them to marry someone else), tyrannical emperors bestowing marriages, evil concubines/love rivals (yeah, there was a love rival for FL, but this girl wasn't too effective and gave up once ML resisted the aphrodisiac she gave him). I do have to wonder how long ML will be able to keep his secret (that he's not an eunuch) if he and FL make their marriage real. Guess FL will have to call in the local witch doctor for birth control, eh? I did feel sorry for ML's love rival - the pastry baking prince. My favorites character was ML's sidekick, General Gu. He was pretty funny, especially when he and FL's maid were have heated yet silent conversation behind ML/FL back while the couple were out shopping when respective love rivals (the couple was having a fight at the time). Although Gu and Tian didn't speak, they made expressive gestures while their conversation voiced over/written in subtitles. I think that was the cutest scene in the 1st season. ML looks sufficiently devastated/hurt when FL was forced to break off their marriage by the female love rival. Poor guy.

Overall, it was enjoyable, but I dread the second season since no doubt MC will be torn apart by some misunderstanding or meddling by love rivals or Lord Xian or this mysterious 'master' of Lord Qian Sui (ML).

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One of the best Chinese Rom-Coms out there!

From beginning to end, this drama stays true to romance and cute comedic moments. Angst is kept at the minimum and is resolved quickly. Also, it focuses almost entirely on the MC without those annoying side romances that, in my opinion, distracts from the MC and makes me push the fast forward button. So, let’s get into the details.

ML – he’s the typical arrogant, unemotional CEO. His one goal is to further his business, which, when we meet him, is acquiring the Marry Me brand from Alex, an Italian-Chinese designer. He’s got the whole thing planned out, right down to the necklace that Alex’s dead wife designed to play on the guy’s heartstrings. FL, however, appears on the scene and turns his plan and life upside down. The skirmishes between these two, as they try to one up each other, are amusing, but eventually, their skirmishes become love and the contractual marriage becomes a real one. Exposed to the warmth of FL's personality, ML’s ice begins to melt and finally breaks, warming him up nicely. His personality makes the transformation from cold CEO to cute and loving husband – which so unlike a lot of Chinese tsunderes who never quite lose their frost. His personality seems to change with his hairstyle. At work or when he’s dressed for business, his hair’s neatly brushed back. At home or at play with FL, his hair is on his forehead, giving him a warmer, more youthful appearance. I would have preferred him to be ruder to Ran Xi Wei (the delusional love rival). Because of their past friendship, he allows her to get away with her scheming a little too easily. This woman needs to receive consequences for her actions not slaps on the hand. He could have done a better job of protecting XiXi from this woman if he’d dealt out some consequences instead of quietly cleaning up the messes this psycho chick created. Don’t get me wrong – he never showed Xi Wei any encouragement and he did tell her to stop her antics – but more should have been done to stop this vindictive lunatic.

FL – she’s independent and clever as well as warm and sweet, a very likeable character…although her cutesy behavior with ML once they’re ‘in love’ does get a little annoying. I’m not a fan of the breathless, pouty, baby talk stuff. Does love suddenly cause women to start cooing like babies? Maybe men find this cute; I don’t. Just act like you always did! That’s what he fell in love with! And here’s a blessed change in drama tropes - her dream didn’t involve travel or study abroad! Finally, a dream that can be accomplish in the same location as ML. Yeah, she leaves for a refresher course, but it’s still in the same country and it’s only three months. That’s a dream I can approve of.

Love rivals? Yea, we’ got two.

Our Male Love Rival – His name is Mo Zi Xin, and he’s an absolute dream! I struggled with SML syndrome pretty bad. How I wish these dramas made two versions – one where ML gets the girl and one where SML gets the girl. There’s really no reason for FL to choose ML over Mo Zixin other than she was forced to be in his proximity nonstop because of the marriage contract. Both men are rich, successful, handsome and wonderful. (Just an aside – all those cons that were in ML’s column won’t be so loveable after a few years of marriage so any woman watching this drama, please don’t choose a man with so many ‘cons’ and no ‘pros’ in real life!) Mo Zixin’s eager yet shy expressions whenever he looks at FL makes a viewer want to swoon. I loved their backstory, and I thought to myself: ‘Damn, if only she hadn’t left the invitation in the car!’ or ‘If only Mo hadn’t been away getting that paint when she needed money.’ So, I guess in the end it was all a matter of timing. My poor baby!

Our Female Love Rival (Ran Xi Wei) – this is one obsessed chick. ML, even in the beginning, never treated her as anything but a friend and useful tool, a.k.a. eye candy on his arm at social events. Had he never met FL, yeah, he might have eventually married her because she was there, and it was his duty to marry. He certainly wouldn’t have married her for love. I honestly don’t know what Xi Wei thought she’d accomplish by making XiXi’s business venture more difficult, a.k.a. stealing models, spreading rumors, exposing diary entries, etc. If anything, these actions only strengthened MC’s relationship. And honestly, the gossip of FL being a gold-digger is just ridiculous, scriptwriter! Are you telling me that the people whispering about her never had those same ideas? There’s nothing shameless about wanting to become rich. And we all know that it was ML that forced the marriage – although at the time, psycho chick didn’t know that. Everything about this character was annoying. She constantly looked like she’d just come out of a rain storm with that flyaway hairstyle and smudged eye makeup. Also, she was costumed in outfits that looked like they were made from the same material as my Grandmother’s couch. That green plaid sandwich bag dress that barely covered her butt was the worst of all. Still, without this vindictive harpy, MC wouldn’t have had any obstacles to outcome so I guess she served her purpose.

I applaud the scriptwriter for making ML’s mother into the kind of Chinese parent that I like. At first, she appeared to be the typical control freak mom that promised trouble for our couple, but she turned out to be a good judge of character. After some initial sternness, she readily accepted FL and pledged her support. Grandma (ML’s, not FL’s) was a sweetie as well! FL’s mom was nice but her father and grandma were grafters. Nevertheless, these are kind of Chinese parents/family that I like – they accept and approve of their child’s love interest. They add warmth and humor to the overall plot.

Another trope that this drama rejected was the dingbat bestie…at least as far as FL goes. Xiaoya was upbeat and lively without being a dingbat. They also didn’t involve her in a romance, which was a blessing. C-dramas get too bogged down with side romances that distract from the MC. That being said, there is a side romance between ML’s guy bestie, Shang Ke, and Ruona. Thankfully, the director/scriptwriter didn’t focus too much on them. Shang Ke was the one playing the role of dingbat bestie – his character was just downright stupid, and I have no idea why a smart woman like Ruona would fall for this guy. He was like a not overly bright child. Enough said about that couple.

Once again, this is one of the best Chinese Rom-Coms I’ve watched, and I highly recommend it to viewers who like romantic fun without a lot of teeth gnashing or brick throwing at the TV. The plot isn’t overly complicated or filled with angst. Most of the scenes just involved MC falling in love with each other. They have some obstacles to get over (mostly one caused by psycho chick’s scheming) but misunderstandings are cleared up quickly and they move on to sweet romance. I highly recommend this drama!

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Surpassed my expectations for now

I am pleasantly and overwhelmingly surprised at how good this drama is right now. I say 'right now' because C-dramas have a way of going downhill somewhere in the middle. I didn't get bored once during the first 10 episodes and currently, there's no evil love rivals or meddling parents trying to marry ML off to someone to further their political aspirations. They're managed to keep my interest with humor, a dreamy fantasy atmosphere, interesting supporting cast and the relationship between Shi Xia (FL) and Hou Chi (ML). I'm amazed. I really am. Granted, it's a little goofy, but it's an amusing sort of goofy and I give them credit for being IMAGINATIVE and CREATIVE - which is something sorely lacking in a lot of C-dramas. Now for a few details.

It's apparent that there's more than just brotherly/sisterly affection between ML/FL, and FL is starting to realize that by episode 10. ML is such a novice at relationships that he's currently clueless that his behavior goes far beyond the behavior of a brother. First of all, brothers don't kiss their sisters, even accidentally, and they don't cherish a gift to the point of being flayed by a fire whip. I'm not saying that brothers aren't protective; it's just that it's clear that this relationship of theirs is something more. It brought tears to my eyes when ML suffers punishment for FL and refuses to draw a line between them despite his master's anger. And what's up with that? Why does Master Stone-Face (my name of him) hate women so much? Did some Bi Hong's mother break his heart or something? I guess we're find out.

Right now, my favorite character is FL's real brother, Shi Dong (the Devil Lord). He's such an original character from his wild attire to his 'inventions'. His back and forth with his sidekick is amusing as well. He's such a temperamental rascal I can't help but love him. However, I do wonder about this brother/sister relationship between him and FL. Are they REALLY biological brother-sister? Because he, too, seems a bit too possessive of a mere sister. The brother-sister relationships in this drama are a bit questionable and somewhat creepy, but who knows what will be revealed as the drama progresses.

All the characters are pretty interesting from sweet by shrewd Bi Hong to the meddling fanboy, Yi Yao Gua, to FL's new bestie, Qing Feng. I do kind of hate the Sect Leader right now because he's such a cold-hearted tyrant who only cares about Hou Chi becoming the Alliance Leader. He treats his own son, Bi Hong, like he's worthless because he's not a immortal. Like I said, there's got to be some story behind this guy's behavior. I'm just hoping he's not going to try to force Hou Chi to marry some sect princess or something as most parents do in C-dramas.

I just really hope that this series has a happy ending because right now it's light-hearted yet wonderfully romantic as the relationship between ML/FL grows. Also, the scenery is dreamy and divine. Wished I lived there! I really, really don't want ML/FL separated at the end - they are from different worlds after all so who knows how the scriptwriter resolved this. From experience I know I can't trust Chinese scriptwriter for happy endings. If she has to go back to the 'real' world, I hope she meets a real world, Hou Chi. I'd just as soon have both her and Shi Dong stay in the fantasy world forever.

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Don't let the age difference put you off

I love the setting - Republican Era. I wish we had more C-dramas set in this era instead of the Dynasties. Costumes and set design are lovely.

Now, the age difference. I honestly don't know how old ML is supposed to be when he rescues FL or how old FL is supposed to be. The actor looks like he's in his 30s, but the screenwriter/director might want him to be in his 20s when they meet. After all, he does not look 40+ after FL is grown up. There looks to be maybe 10 years difference between ML/FL during the majority of the film so I'm going with that. Also, we need to remember the time period in which this takes place. It was common for older men to marry much younger women. It was only recently that society started frowning on such relationships. Also, I'm going to assume that FL is at least 18 years old, but keep in mind that prior to the 1900s, 15 year olds did marry. They had to - disease & war would wiped out young people as well as old. It was only in modern times that both men and women married later in life. Also, childbirth took out a lot of mothers so the younger you were, probably better your chances of survival. It's important to consider the context and history in which a drama is set and not judge the characters by modern standards.

If you can't handle the age difference, then don't watch it, but I would recommend not even paying attention to the beginning. Just concentrate on the 90% of the drama in which the actor/actress looks close enough in age to not be creepy.

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I would have liked to see a different story line

I'm up to episode 14, and honestly, I think it would be a more compelling story of Yunsi trying to recover his lost love than the romance between MC and surrounding intrigue. Although it's the old amnesia trope, at least, there's a reason for the amnesia, and it was instigated by hypnosis (i.e. deliberately by a villain) instead of a conk on the head or PTSD. I'll be honest, I find Yunsi hotter than ML. He's got this wild intensity from his attire/grooming to his desperation to get FL to remember him that thrills me. Now, I don't know the entire story yet as far as his background with FL and how she actually forgot him, but I would love to see this kind of plot line made into a drama (ML desperately trying to get his lost love to remember him and once she remembers, she's torn between new and old loves). And right now, I wouldn't call this a light and fluffy romantic comedy. There's too much intrigue and too many serious things going on. I don't find much comedy, and I suspect as I get further into the drama, it'll get even more serious as Chinese historicals tend to do. That's not saying that you shouldn't watch it; I'm just saying it's not what I'd call a romantic comedy.

Update to episode 19: I'm having a hard time continuing to like FL after she so easily chose ML over her first love, Yunsi. From Yunsi recollections and flashbacks, it seemed like their love was pretty strong/intense so once she regained her memories, I expected more of a struggle, but nope, she easily cast Yunsi aside for ML. That just didn't sit well with me. What kind of shallow love does this girl have for the men in her life? Because of her behavior with her first love, I have a hard time believing that she truly loves ML. Honestly, Yunsi had every right to go bat crap crazy after that. I don't blame him a bit. I'm also not a fan of childish FLs who pout, make the 'hmpf' sound and dissolve into 'baby talk' as though it's cute or something. I don't know about men, but I don't find it cute at all. I find it annoying and what to tell these FLs to grow up.

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