Lucky with You (2021)

Tales of messy relationships in a topsy-turvy world

This review will contain A LOT of spoilers. You have been warned. :)

TL;DR: Oddly constructed rom-com that is weak on rom and com. A lack of direction and focus compounded its woes. Not recommended.

As with many contemporary rom-coms, this show started out with a promising idea. A rich, handsome troublemaker being protected 24/7 by an attractive, no nonsense, female bodyguard. Lots of opportunities for witty banters and close quarter actions, you'd think. It was a love-hate relationship from the start.

A decent show can become a problematic one when missteps are compounded. Let us apply the matrix to this show.
* Lack of Direction
What is this show about? Is it a rom-com? A family melodrama? A revenge drama? Business/crime thriller? At times, the show was all of the above and more. It really packed in a lot of subplots as if the writer was throwing mud at the storyboard and see what sticks. With that many threads and plots fighting for space, the main OTP plotline is sidelined without much progression.

* Lack of Focus
Case in point, most of the rescue missions were very elaborate and consumed a fair amount of screen time but it showed little return. It showcased how brave the ML is but also his recklessness and not being a team player. The people rescued or even the team members were just extras on the set. We know nothing about them, and they played no part in the rest of the show. Ditto the elaborate night race. It only served to give the FL street creds but all the people there were all forgotten by the next scene. Lots of other scenarios were thrown at us just to make a quick point and just as quickly forgotten.

* Illogical Plots and Actions
The company just carried on after the thieve of 20 million yuan (half their cash reserve), . The police did nothing. The top-level staff shouted at each other for a few minutes and it was business as usual. Another example, showing up with an expensive necklace for SFL1 in front of a crowd of squealing actresses. Why? The kidnapping in the final episode. (facepalm)

* Too Many Cooks
This is a common problem with c-dramas. When 1 CP is not enough, make it 5!
Let’s count;
CP1, ML (Johnny Huang) and FL (Wang Li Kun). Their faces are on all the posters
CP2, ML’s father and FL’s best friend (a drill instructor)
CP3, ML’s best friend and a waitress at his restaurant
CP4, FL’s mom and dad who are divorced
CP5, ML’s father’s assistant and the company’s accountant
SFL1 is a young actress (complete stranger), SFL2 is a rich b!tch from hell (old family friend), SML (FL’s college era ex-BF).
Collectively, we have crushes, unrequited love, love triangles, autumn-romance, push-pull, separations and more. This sucked the oxygen out of the OTP’s storyline, and the show suffered. (See Lack of Direction/Focus)
All these antagonists/protagonists lead to. . .

* Muddled view of Love
It is not unusual for the love line of the leads to be angst filled but this show brings home the bacon.
Both SFL1 and 2 subplots started with the ML leading them on so that they thought he was interested in them. Old trope but it was done in a very ham-fisted way and highlights the foolishness and naivety of the ML.
SML was a pest and just won’t take no for an answer.
The show suggested that ML5 was using FL5 to further his revenge plot but we are told it was true love later. Really?
Speaking of true love, the show gifted us a tropey romantic scene in the rain with a glowing merry-go-round as the backdrop. There were tears, rejection but ultimately, reconciliation and declaration of love. This is CP1, right? Wrong. CP2 got the special romantic treatment. Who is the OTP in this show?
CP2 was an autumn-romance with an age difference of 29 years! Not that I have anything against age gap love as long as it is believable but the meet-cute was a game of golf and lunch. Put together with the hint that he just wanted a bit of fun on the side, and she giving off gold digger vibes (no hint of that beforehand), it just screamed WRONG. Luckily, she came to her senses but later we were supposed to believe it was true love, again.
In the meantime, CP1 and CP3 are stuck in a quagmire. CP1 did eventually became official at the end of ep.38 (out of 40) with a hug and the CP3 was a nod and a wink in ep.40. The show really have problem closing deals.

* Lack of skinship
Some commentators suggested covid restrictions, but I don’t think so. If you were looking for kisses, there were none. Nada, zip, nuthing. There were a couple of hugs. Actually, CP5 was shown making out in the stairwell once but it was oddly unromantic and seemed to support the coercion theory. I discounted that.
Please, don't even dream of an intimate scene. This show is more chaste than some religious dramas. :)

* Lack of Character growth/whiplash changes
The FL was a cold, calm professional from start to finish.
The ML was an irresponsible rich heir and Johnny Huang did not play that convincingly. In short order, he reformed into a nice, upstanding man. In essence, he played himself as he did in other dramas. Is that growth?

Most of the other characters remained largely unchanged. The only exception is the ML’s father. Oh boy, did he change! He went from a ruthless businessman, controlling father and a boar of a man to become a nice, gentle, fatherly figure in the space of 1 episode. Cue death bed conversion to Born Again Nice Guy™ in ep.35. Never too late.

The show is not unwatchable, there are good bits. I just felt detached and despondent as I watched. The various romantic subplots were flavourless and underwhelming. The business subplots insubstantial. I almost dropped the show a couple of times.

Thankfully, there was a dramatic change in tone and direction in the last 10 episodes. It really felt like a different show, one that finally have a clear purpose and direction. Did someone whispered something to the writer?

The last few episodes were fan service. All the loose ends were tidied up. Unicorns were roaming free. The attempt at some drama/action in the last episode was a bit laughable (see Illogical Plots). Those last few episodes are the saving grace for me, but the damage is done. It was hard to ship any of the CP's and that is the kiss of death for a romance drama.

OST is serviceable but repetitive. Rewatch? When I get a big slice of that 20M yuan.

Take heed fellow viewers, I gave you fair warning with is missive. Watch this at your own peril. ;)

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Good, but not great

OVERALL
There are many things to praise about this drama, despite its average quality. Watch it if 1) you like strong and calm female leads, 2) you're looking for cute OTP scenes, 3) you like when there's a bit of action in your drama, even if it's really just a bit. If 1) you want to see lots of skinship and smexy scenes, 2) you can't stand older woman-younger man tropes, and 3) you're looking for suspense/more intense action, then skip.

THE STORY
I'm going to say it: this drama is really not that great. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can also say that I honestly really liked it! The main reason why I like it is because it's taking cliché elements of C-dramas and changing them just a little bit, so the story still feels refreshing. Female lead is strong and can fight, but she's not like terminator. She's actually pretty mellow and even-tempered. Male lead started out a spoiled brat, but he's not cold, rude and mean like we often see in C-dramas. He's just a bit childish, and that turns out to be his charm by the end. As a couple, they also hit different. Rather than going the route of "age doesn't exist", which we see in age-gap dramas a lot, where the guy treats the girl like she's not older than him and the girl treats the guy like he's not younger than her, in Lucky With You the age gap is there to stay, but it's turned into something positive. Male lead's liveliness and childishness brightens the life of Female lead, and her being down-to-earth and more mature brings the best out of him. It's just really nice!

Another plus in this drama is the interactions between the OTP. They're REALLY cute together. Not in a super romantic, cringey or cheesy way, but in a feels-so-natural-and-real way. And yet another plus is the fact that Female Lead is played by a woman in her mid-thirties. I'm SO happy she gets to play in a drama with an actual plot and isn't being forced to play in those boring "this is life in the 30s" dramas. I hope more like this comes our way!

On the negative side, Lucky With You's romance (which is really really promising) kind of feels lacking. There's almost no skinship in this drama, probably because of some clause or something banning skinship between the main actors. But even without skinship, they could have focused a bit more on the OTP. I feel like a lot of C-dramas forget what they're about and get lost in random stuff (office drama, uninteresting side characters, etc.). This is definitely the case of Lucky With You, in the second half. The ending feels particularly dissatisfying. All in all though, I don't regret watching and would even recommend it, but these are things to keep in mind!

THE ACTING
Fab. The main actor, I've seen him before in Love Designer and I don't know how he does it, but his relationships with the female leads always feel natural. In this drama it's even more impressive since there's zero skinship haha Female lead was fine too, of course, and even the side characters were okay.

THE MUSIC
No comment.

REWATCH VALUE
I think I will rewatch parts of this drama. Not the whole thing, because there are parts I didn't care for, but the OTP was really cute together, and the first half of the drama was binge worthy, so it'll happen for sure!

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Best to watch in a lockdown without fillers .

I strongly suggest thiz bcaz after a long break this is the 1st drama i havent skipped yet. Its worth my attention with some new scripts .not overgoing not too unrealistic.. hope yu all enjoy !

I strongly suggest thiz bcaz after a long break this is the 1st drama i havent skipped yet. Its worth my attention with some new scripts .not overgoing not too unrealistic.. hope yu all enjoy !
I strongly suggest thiz bcaz after a long break this is the 1st drama i havent skipped yet. Its worth my attention with some new scripts .not overgoing not too unrealistic.. hope yu all enjoy !

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Good acting and actors/ actresses.

I saw the rating (7.5 at that time) and read the reviews. Although the rating of 7.5 over 10 isn't high in my opinion, I thought I'd give this drama a go since the reviews were generally positive. Having completed the series, this is what I have to say.

What I liked:
- I wanted to watch one episode after another to find out what was going to happen next. The plot was quite engaging.
- Acting was good. The actors and actresses were in character and suited their roles.
- Happy-ish plot where nasty stuff does not get dragged out for too long save for Ma Yong's fiasco and the parts with the two irritating gold-digging girls.
- Complex characters were engaging and fun to watch. For example, I enjoyed watching the relationship between Hou Zhi Rong and Qian Qian because it seemed so believable. Each had his or her concerns about the relationship and their concerns were real.
- Happy ending! Everything was wrapped up nicely.

What I didn't like:
- 40 episodes is rather long for this show. It could have been completed in 30 episodes. Some episodes were rather draggy.
- The male lead was seriously annoying in the beginning but I guess that was his role.
- The male lead and female lead have very little chemistry. There was nothing sizzling going on and the relationship did not seem very romantic or lovey-dovey.
- Music was forgettable.

On the whole, I'd say this drama is watchable because the actors and actresses did their job well. However, if you have other better options, you can skip this. If you don't have better options, this is a pretty good time-filler. It is a 7/10 to 7.5/10.

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STORY IS SOMEWHERE LACK OF EXTREMISM

I started it with reading of the synopsis as it was seemed good but it dissapointed greatly.There is so much happening in the show and all are not that interesting at all. The main cast story is not wholesome.No kiss at all may be for covid.The side love story with the father ,the famale best friend and the male best friend is not somewhere compleated (seemed They started after somethime they dropped with the father of ML then they started with the best friend and suddenly end that too and make the story not at all attacheable.
The acting is quite only thing talkable here only for this I watched this despite of not any interested.
The story of the mother and father of the female lead is just there.
SO OVERALL THE STORY IS NOT ENGAGING AS NOTHING IS COMPLETED.

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First drama with not a single ?...

Both ML and FL are interesting characters.
Lots of stories intertwined. Most are not good or interesting. The villans are laughable, the couples are annoying.
2 or 3 strong female characters, some romantic hints, but without any deliverance.
I fast forward a lot, 40 episodes is too long for what we get
I enjoyed it though, even if, when I analyse the all show it lacks coherence, plot, romance, etc.
STORY - could be better, the couple is nice, wish I knew a FL like her!
CASTING - They did ok, despite the lack of chemistry or love gestures.
MUSIC - didn't catch my attention, wil never remember a single song...
REWATCH - romantic scenes are non existent, the plot is not interesting, but some action scenes are ok. But I don't think I would watch it again

OVERALL - I think they try to do a salad with all the ingredients. Nothing is missing, only the feelings...

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A good and pleasant drama

I don’t know why this drama got this much low rating even though the worst drama like cute programmer got more than this. This drama is a complete package, a descent melody love story, funny and romantic. Of course still (18 episodes) they are not in a relationship but as a colleague their chemistry is very good. I wish to ship them in a real life because they can make a perfect pair. Especially the FL is so reserved and cute and her acting skills are way beyond excellent, this is my first drama of her but I became a big fan and I decided to watch more dramas of her.
This drama story, direction and cast everything is good and I am eagerly waiting for the next episodes to watch. Unlike in other cdrama the ML respects FL decision, her private space and he know his boundaries to Pursue her.
This is one of the best cdrama and I can boldly suggest you to watch and definitely I can assure you that will not regret for watching.

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Heartwarming drama

Reasons to watch this drama:

1) It’s a feel-good story.

2) Huang Jingyu gets many opportunities to show his comedic talent.

3) Wang Likun is a VERY good actress.

4) She plays a kick-ass heroine.

5) The dialogues between Wang Likun and Huang Jingyu flow very naturally. Nothing about their acting feels forced.

6) Ce Wang and Huang Jingyu make a perfect father-son-duo.

7) Chen Wei (playing Hou Jue‘s housekeeper) is just the cutest.

8) The love story between Hou Jue and Wu Shiyi develops at a slow pace. I have to admit that I found that irritating at times. But their love story evolves in such a sweet and heartwarming way during the last episodes that it won me over.


Reasons to not watch it:

1) There are a few cringe-worthy scenes like e.g. the wedding of Shiyi‘s oldest friend. But I don't want to spoil it - you'll know why once you watch it :o)

2) Some female charakters - mainly the girls chasing Hou Jue - are pretty annoying. They should probably contrast Wu Shiyi and make her appear even more likable but that wouldn‘t have been necessary. Wu Shiyi is likable on her own. She doesn‘t need the extra contrast.

3) The sound quality is not very good.

4) The story isn‘t innovative.

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A good drama, nothing more, which nevertheless had real potential

Catchy from the 1st episode (humor, action, explosive CL interactions).The interest remains until half of the series.

But then, we start to see too many flaws. I completely agree with Zogitt's comment :

- narration too slow and detailed on useless secondary aspects. The storyline has simultaneously Office aspects, corporate rivalries, thriller, suspense, action and too few romantic moments. What a mess !!
There is little construction context, but varied first aid situations. We follow in detail the romance of too many couples with a lot of useless scenes.

- Not enough focus on the CL. The interactions between the OTP are too rare. They're REALLY cute together.
No kiss or skinship in this drama, supposedly for health reasons??? I can not believe ! How did they do in the other series???

=> Big flat from half of the series. Even if the CL is very cute, even if Johnny Huang is really really handsome and talented, it's hard to rate this drama well...

The screenwriter could do better!
The director especially, had a cast with such potential, that he could have made a captivating drama...

It's still a good drama, nothing more.

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Enjoyable Storyline

Once again I would like to thank Writers/Producers for having positive role for FL. Per say there isn't a Bad Boy/Rich male defaming females. I like this story line because not do they have a main plot, they also have subplots. Subplots have sub subplots.

I was 22 episodes in before Hou Jue / "Marquis" grew a pair and became a man, For awhile he was not a likable person. He acted like a spoiled kid. How Wu Shi Yi feel in love with him I don't know. Wu Shi Yi started as a bad ass and slowly she is melting. In this storyline you have heart ache, funny and happiness. Scenery looked great. I recommend this to scene. Make sure you pay attention while you watch it.

I will watch it again.

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A story with a little bit of everything.

A bit of the corporate espionage/betrayal and a glimpse of the security services world. Failed relationships and second chances everywhere.

ML was an arrogant heir of a rich father. On the surface, he seems to think of nothing and no one but himself. But he also has this deep need to help and save others.

FL on the other hand, was a filial daughter of a broken marriage. She has a deep sense of responsibility and has the tendency to take on everything that comes her way on her own.

It was their luck to meet each other after a failed relationship with their exes. They've clashed, they've bonded and then they've fallen in love. The end.

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Good, but slow drama

I have enjoyed the drama. Even, the story progresses really slowly, one still likes to keep watching. In my opinion, this is because of the great casting.

Johnny Huang is in his element of playing this badly behaving rich bachelor. His way too long monologues are one of the funniest things in the serie. However, he is one of those actors I would watch whatever he does. I would probably watch him count numbers for 2 hours and still enjoy the show.

Wang Ce does an excellent job as the father of ML. Especially, how he acts of middle-aged man falling in love without it being creepy made me really happy. Too often these "senior love" storylines are meant as extra humor content, but luckily not in this serie.

In this drama, I appreciate how they keep the FL character cool and strong. Too often these strong female characters turn into helpless giggling girls after the first 5 episodes. Now, the illusion of trained bodyguard is still strong until the end, and Wang Li Kun does really good job in this role. However, Qian Qian as a character is totally opposite. The tough bodyguard instructor character breaks early but it does not bother me as the love-triangle setup is too juicy. Additionally, the actor (Cheng Cheng) looks too tough and scary in the uniform for audience to question that authority.

In addition to casting, the production is also great. There is not too pushy background music or sound effects to describe the atmosphere for the viewers. It is mostly based on the acting. I liked how the drama kept proceeding until the end without any rush. Too often the serie finals are packed of plot twists as the creators try to explain everything in 45 minutes.

Conclusion: Are you quarantined because of Covid? This drama is just for you as you are not in hurry to go anywhere anyway.

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