Be With You (2015)

Story wise, it was a little bit cliche the way the plot developed from episode 40 onwards.The first 40 episodes were interesting and it didn't feel like a daily drama at the rate it was going. I was very entertained, but episodes 40-the end got a bit more boring in comparison to the first 40 episodes. Regardless, I did like the plot, considering that it's a daily drama. At the very least, nothing about it tempted me to drop this drama. I think I kept watching because I wanted to know what happened to the second lead’s (Man Li-Vivi Lee)and Ying Qian’s (Bobby Dou's character's brother) storyline. The only flaw I saw was that this drama had a malicious second female lead, and that really annoyed me because it felt like it was completely unnecessary. I don’t usually like to compare dramas but since this is also a SETTV daily drama, I think Fabulous 30 was done much better. Vivi Lee was better in that drama; she was also the main female lead there.

Although the main leads were supposed to be Bobby Dou and PeiJia Huang's characters, I was more interested in Man Li (Vivi Lee’s) character and romance development. Her storyline had more chemistry than the main leads. To be honest, I liked the supporting characters more than the leads as well. Ying Jie’s (Bobby Dou) brother was adorable; I really liked his storyline. I wish it could have been shown more though. However, I felt that his plot line was better developed and made more sense, whereas I didn't really see how the main leads fell in love with each other other than the fact they were childhood best friends turn into secretly crushing on each other. The family scenes were heartwarming, albeit a little cliche, with the disapproving parents versus the warm-hearted parents. There was comedic relief as well; that was good.

Honestly, I’m usually pretty easily satisfied with the OST because I'm in the moment unless they are really terrible. So, I did like the music, especially the song played when Ying Qian’s (Ying Jie’s brother) storyline came on. My favorite character was definitely Shang de (Adrian Tan), who seems to be a newbie as this is his first major role, and I look forward to see him in more dramas.

I don’t think I would re-watch this drama actually. I personally like daily dramas, but I would only re-watch a few of my favorite scenes at most. Going through it all the way again would be too much. But, I do recommend this drama for those of you that like daily dramas like me, as well as multiple romantic storylines that are not developed within a few episodes, but rather a lot of episodes. Also, if you liked Fabulous 30 or anything like it (see my reviews), I do think you would enjoy this drama. (8/7.5)

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I’m on episode 41 now and struggling to get through this drama for one main reason. I HATE the female lead Man An. This “girl” represents everything I dislike about Taiwanese dramas (which I love when the female lead is of strong character). I can’t think of one redeeming quality about Man An other than she is loyal. She uses baby-talk throughout the entire series, pouts, can’t do a single thing by herself without messing up, is clumsy, constantly gets hurt, and is completely dependent on others. There is nothing “ke ai” about her performance. Maturity wise, I put her at about 12 years old. I’m not kidding. Which leads me to my next issue, what does Ying Jie see in her? He almost seems like a pedophile when he’s holding her hand because it’s like he’s holding a child’s hand. This show could have been so much better if they made Man An’s character a mature woman and more on par with Ying Jie. For this reason, I have totally checked out of this relationship and am more interested in the side relationships. So, if you like needy females that act pre-teenish and are innocent to the level of ridiculousness, then this is the show for you.

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