Flavour It's Yours (2019)

Not Your Ordinary Romance

I started this drama thinking that it would be your usual fluffy romance drama, much like Put Your Head On My Shoulder or Love O2O. I needed something light after finishing The King's Woman's tragic story. But this drama turns out to be much more than just romance.

The story is about a somelier or wine critic with excellent tastebuds that can detect taste to the very detail. However, he ended up loosing it to a girl who coincidentally has no sense of taste due to an accident when she was a little girl by way of accidental kissing. If he wants to get his taste buds back, he needs to kiss the girl, He Bu Zui (whose name in Chinese pronounciation sounds like drink but not getting drunk - I thought the name reference is kinda cute :)). Bu Zui was then offered a job as Wei Xun's assistant where he can keep her close just in case he needs his tastebud back. And as they get closer they started to develop feelings for each other.

Well, the story goes beyond Wei Xun and Bu Zui's relationship. There is a murder mystery involve and business competition. The second half of the show gets more interesting as Yi Nan Ke (Bu Zui's school crush's twin brother) tries to find out the mystery of his missing father. I like the mystery flair of this drama. The second couple starts to grow on me. I didn't like Yi Nan Ke at first because he seemed like a villain, but as the drama reveals more of his background, I started to symphatize with him and the second female lead is one of the coolest characters in the drama that I've watched. I really like her.

What I like about this drama are cute scenes between Lu Wei Xun and He Bu Zui and their chemistry, the kissing scenes, the world of wine tasting and of course Simon Gong :) The mystery element kept it going although not excellent, but quite good. However, there are some inconsistencies in the story, like if the dad has been missing for 20 years, how come he was using iPhone 4 or 4s when he was murdered and fast forward 20 years, the characters are all using iPhone 6 or 6s. Those two phone types are maybe 2-3 years apart, 5-6 years at most if they're using second or used phones. I also didn't like how over the top the competition is between Lu Wei Xun and Mu Chun Feng, as well as the introduction of his "claimed fiance" in the middle of the drama, which I thought didn't add much to the story.

Overall, this is quite a good drama. If you are just looking for fluffy romance drama and don't like mystery, i wouldn't recommend you to watch this. But if you do, you can definitely give this a try.

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Bland

Initially, the plot might seem catchy and something new.
But that's about it.
This drama is superficial to that context.
The cliche's work their way.
It's a messy rom-com.
Your typical you save me, I save you.
Develop affection, a bit of mystery drama.
Voila happy ending.

The hype dies quickly, and it's too long.
The actors are good, the chemistry works but the elegance is missing.
They couldn't even revive this drama despite so many kissing scenes.

12 episodes should've made this better.
An average drama at best.

PS: The unique thing that I liked was the memory palace visualization. But they failed to carry it forward as well .
Quite disappointing.

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Story start with exchange of taste pallate ,which is different concept to make a lead love story .
But there two other parrallel with this story which has respective lead story
Female lead has past love story plus hatred story .
Her past story good but they didn't shows much Yi Bei Dao and her story ,Yi Bei Dao loves her a lot that turn to him bad result ,when Yi Nanke told her that how his brother died but he didnt mention her that for her also he worked all the time so she felt bad but not in a way i expected she should felt very bad that her ex love didnt betray her , his love towards her always been pure and true and she should remember all the scene which she spent with him and main lead slowly slowly help her to come over from her pain ,i expect this scene but this not happened .
She only help Yi Nan ke to come out of truth.
Other story of lead actor that how his father baehave with him ,how he so close to her mother and his past pain related to this story.
I like the last part happy ending .
So ,so-so story ..

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At times it was like watching paint dry

I have to say that I struggled through this one, and the reason it even got the somewhat high rating from me is due to the excellence of the second couple. This drama could have really used some serious editing. But let me get my positives out of the way for anyone that doesn't want to waste their time reading the rest of the review - the second lead couple made this drama for me! Dai Chao as Yi Ba Dao/Yi Nan Ke was terrific. He was stoic and mysterious and I remained curious as to how things would play out for him. Zhang Yu Qing as Mi Ya was wonderful as well. I love a female character that feels comfortable in her own skin and doesn't have to connive to bring other women down. She was a driven career woman, but I cared about her as well. Kudos to the costumers for the wonderful outfits she wore. In my opinion, their storyline was the reason to watch this show. They worked really well together and they had good chemistry. The main couple really took a back seat to the second couple in this show.
Story: interesting premise, but in how many scenes do we have to hear about wine making, wine drinking, wine color, wine texture, seeing people drinking wine, seeing people thinking about drinking wine, seeing people fighting over wine? I get it, the story was about wine! Plus, I thought there were just TOO many different story lines going on - gangsters, owing money, rivals, supposed fiancee (which was an extremely irritating and useless storyline), knowing each other in school, star struck fan, writing articles about winemaking, wine tasting competitions, forgotten memories, revenge, murder, just pick a couple and flesh out the stories completely, rather than just throwing in a smattering of each. And it's just my opinion, but I HATED all the drinking. I get it, it's a show about drinking, but her being in these competitions just to drink, I didn't care for that at all.
Acting/Cast: I did not think that Ireine Song was a good fit for the part of the female lead at all. She was entirely too young looking and she acted very immature as well. I did like the height difference between her and the ML. They had some cute scenes together, but the romance fell way down on the scale of importance. A lot of the other acting was stilted as well.
Music: I don't remember it.
Re-watch value: Nope. As it was, I fast forwarded through A LOT of it because I found so much of it boring and repetitive.
In a nutshell - watch this show for the second couple, and be prepared to use your fast forward button a lot.

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Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad show, but I thought it was going to be better than what it was. I'm a huge fan of chinese dramas in general and this really had some korean vibes with the plot twist and everything, but there was absolutely so much going on, I was like wow. This is really defeating the purpose. You think it's just the swap of their taste buds between the main girl and guy which it kind of is but also it just turned into a lot of complication and miscommunication and I think they were both childish on their ends. I really like the main female and male lead, they were cute together, the fluff honestly makes up for the whole show but it's short lived and there's so many things going on like the stalking, the kidnapping and etc. Blah blah.

Not a bad show, would probably watch again at another point and I liked it, I really did, but it fell short for me and that's okay.

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I remember one Christmas Eve I was invited to have dinner with friends and family at a family member’s house who served American and Asian food for our holiday dinner. The house and the dinner table were beautifully decorated with soft candle lights and hints of Christmas décor combined with Asian accent pieces. The change-up felt warm, it felt special, it was visually delicious, and the food was excellent.

This drama gave me the same feelings that I felt that night on Christmas eve experiencing the fusion of two cultures, two stories, two types of cuisine, and a visually titillating setting which made the holiday feel even more joyous and special.

This drama definitely gives you the feeling of a story that is told as two different Acts. The first half of the story felt like a cute Rom-Com, but at the half-way point, the drama unexpectedly transitioned into a suspense/thriller. The transition from Act 1 to Act 2 was well done but always felt a bit uncomfortable because it was unexpected, and the tone of the drama went from light and easy to dark and heavy. This drama seizes your attention quickly in the opening minutes of the first episode and does not let go.

This is a story of two people who made their living in the alcohol industry. Lei Wei Xun is a famous wine critic and expert sommelier. He Bu Zui is a young lady who has an unbelievable tolerance level for consuming alcohol and never gets drunk no matter how much alcohol she consumes. She makes a living by attending drinking contests and consistently can drink any competitor “under the table” until only one person is standing at the end of the contest. At the contest’s end, He Bu Zui is always standing as the victor. The writers of this drama did a nice job quickly establishing how vastly different the two leads are as people, as personalities, and in lifestyle----but then one day they meet quite by accident. When they meet, Lei Wei saves He Bu Zui’s life from a car accident. In the process of pulling Bu Zui away from danger, she falls on top of Lei Wei and the two accidentally kiss each other. The kiss proves to be magical and destined by the heavens because what transpires next changes their lives forever.

The kiss exchanges their skill sets between each other. Now the two main characters have to enter into a contractual work relationship for their careers to survive but require at times more kissing ?!!!! The uncomfortable closeness that they have to have with each other causes them to become fond of each other, but separation comes before love can fully bloom; then in the second half of the drama, a hunt begins for a necessary truth that they hope will be able to return their lives back to normal. In the end, the lights turn back on, love and warmth return to the screen, and a happy ending is delivered.

I think you will find the lead actress Ye Rin Song, also known as Iriene Song, to be a pint-size container of cuteness filled with bright energy and warmth. Her bio is also extremely interesting---she is a citizen of both China and Canada, she can speak fluent Mandarin, French, and English, and her rise to film stardom in China has given her the recognition and title of being “The Nation’s Little Sister.” She is a real cutie pie. They matched her well with another rising star in Gong Jun, also known as Simon Gong. Simon has starred in two well-received 2020 productions—“Begin Again” and “Love Equations.” Simon has Gentleman Quarterly looks (GQ Magazine) and can play well the role of the arrogant, aloof, and self-centered CEO type but can also transition well into being the loving, caring, and protective boyfriend. I think you will love the two lead actors on-screen but their co-stars Dai Chow (who played Yi NanKe) and the gorgeous Zhang Yu Qing (who played Mi Ya) almost stole the show with their story, talent, and performance on screen. Actually, I thought their love story had a bit more intrigue and realism than the leading couple’s.

I deducted a point from the final rating due to using a title to the drama that is totally misleading to the essence of the story. Viki ought to rename this drama back to the original title given to the drama, and the one used in the opening credits. The title of this drama is actually “Flavour, It’s Yours.” Also, there were a few times that the drama needed to pick up its pace in telling the story; however, it is still worth the watch to see some really good-looking actors on screen who gave us very entertaining performances.

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Typical cliche but with a twist!!

The show shows typical cliches with the backdrop of the wine industry, while it starts out like a typical cliche but also develops a mystery plotline which was nice to see! Loved the second male lead’s story and his love line with the editor! Main couple also had good chemistry. However, midway they do introduce a very stereotypical annoying second female lead for a couple of episodes which was entirely unnecessary and added unneeded annoyance but overall this is a good watch! The music was overall pretty good nothing noticeable but I enjoyed it. Rewatch value is lower since I think personally I wouldn’t enjoy it as much the second time however this is all up to taste. Overall Recommend!!

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Story- this story was nice but scripting was so bad. A sommelier who has perfect palate,chic and strict to his rules having years of experience. A girl with high alcohol tolerence but no taste sensation. After a mishap kiss the ML loses his taste sensation and gradually falls in his life. FL gains back taste sensation and uses it to make some money.
Now there is a school love of FL who meets years later.
ML has a childhood friend who clings to him and eventually falls for another.
There are too many characters and stories which made the show very draggy in middle and rushed in the ending.
The chinese dramas dont usually show alcohol bit this drama is full of wine and its information, kind of bores sometimes as its repetitive.

Simon gong as lu wei xun, telling the truth I watched the drama just for him as in I was smitten by him in the show THE LOVE EQUATION. But I was kind of disappointed I didn’t feel the person who lost his taste.
Ireine song as he bu zui was pretty but her acting is not convincing either.
The chemistry could have been more better but its still watchable.
I would put all the blame on the script, as the actors did what they were told to. The story was about taste sensation, then it gets onto a competition,too much of wine information,then a crazy revenge plot ,murder and then a specific wine.the story was all over the place.
Music was fine. But I didn’t enjoy that much.
Rewatch-nope

The first kiss on the roadside was so dramatic that it wasn’t convincing at all. It didn’t seem natural. And also with everything stopped and showing it in 3D way totally not my thing.

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A mystery wrapped up in a fluffy romcom

This drama took me by surprise - what I initially came for (fluffy Gong Jun romance) is not why I stayed.
I found myself drawn to the dark storyline that started leaking out. It was still fairly easy to determine who the villain is as soon as they were introduced, however the build up to the confrontation was well worth it as the main characters unravel the mystery.

I actually like Ireine Song quite a bit, but I feel like this character falls a bit flat for me. I did not find the romance very poignant or feel much chemistry between the leads. The second couple had much better chemistry, but I was less interested in their story.

Things that irritated me about the FL: overly childish behavior that is common in cdrama, emphasis of her childish looks through wardrobe and makeup even in situations where it calls for something a little more feminine and mature. There is a scene where the FL goes to a formal event, the opportunity for her whilst wearing an evening gown to actually have proper makeup and give us that “wow factor” didn’t happen at all. I’m the same height as IS, and I love height differences in couples but why, why can’t we have height difference with a more feminine and mature romance?

Okay, I went slightly off topic for a bit there but anyway. The male lead character is the typical tsundere, initially cold and harsh and then later on becoming nothing but fluff and cupcakes. I wish the ML had retained some of his dignity in the later half of the show, but he loses that more calculating and dignified persona.

Despite my nitpicks of the main characters, the acting was done well for what they were given and the fantastical elements of the show were presented in a charming and entertaining way. This drama does indeed have some fantasy elements, so suspend your attempts to rationalize and reason what’s happening. It’s just magic.

All in all, an unexpectedly entertaining story bundled in a less captivating romance. Worth the watch, but temper your expectations. It’s not meant to be high cinema.

One final remark: the mystery storyline comes into play during later episodes and involves quite a lot of dark and gritty scenes, so do beware if you are sensitive to violence.

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Flavour it's yours

Story : Really amazing story line, I wasn't expecting this sort of thriller when I started watching. It was not that Interesting in the beginning. I really was only expecting the usual arrogant rich guy and crazy poor girl story, but this is definitely not that.. I like the fact that they gave enough time to every characters back story, and how everyone was interwoven with each others lives. Sure there were those Lovey Dovey - Sceond hand embarrassment bringing scenes...but I personally prefer the thriller episodes with a sort of a dark vibe.

Acting/Cast : The acting was really good. They managed to pull off a lot of character development perfectly. For an instance Simon Gong nailed the arrogant guy and caring guy roles and Irene Song was amazing in her own way. The height difference is cute. I personally prefer the second couple though. They were perfectly casted. All the other actors did a great job as well.

Music : The beginning theme had a very christmasy vibe, and the music that played in the dark parts was amazingly matched. The Ending theme was ok as well.

Hope you guys enjoy!!

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