This review may contain spoilers
gemessss
I almost didn't watch this drama, because I think the main actress not too pretty, but because the actress not the actor I still decided to watched this drama ^_^. Don't judge me, I like to see pretty face in my drama :p.This drama is about love can make us be better person, real friendship is for forever, communication is really important & every problem have a solution.
The first drama that makes me want to scream 'gemezzz' through all the episode. I don't find an exact word to express my feeling in English. A little frustrated see Liang You Nian (YN) so slow to realize his own feeling. A little touch when YN confess to Xia Miao Miao (MM). A little frustated to see YN just decided by himself about study aboard & didn't tell MM at all.
This drama is really well written. They give us several couple with their own problem. There is Kai Tuo (KT) & He Xin (HX), where HX always stick to KT until KT didn't realize his own feeling, a little distance really good for them. Kinda happy see KT at the end have to chase back HX. Wang Yi Chao (YC) & Fang Xiao Yue (XY), a little bit similar with KT & HX. But in here we can see in Asia we still have sex differentiate, when HX chase KT everyone said she have no shame, but when YC chase & finally confess to XY no one said bad thing about him ^_^.
They also give us several family with their own problem. There is YN & KT family where KT have really a huge anger in his heart about his own mom & dad. Once the problem solved they relationship turn to be good, communication is the key. Really touch when KT finally apologize to his mom. There is MM family where dad almost never home due to work.
YN & MM relationship also one of the sweetest & funniest. A little bit funny but also heartwarming when YN fulfill MM wish to hide their relationship. Really funny to see how jealous YN, his face suddenly change into sour like. Because the actress is still quite young (MM & HX) this drama didn't have much affection like other drama. But I think it's good because they can show us romance doesn't always need affection. Really happy because finally they give us actress & actor that matching their age in the drama.
I also think this drama will be better if some of the scene faster & the drama have fewer episode. Of course typical drama, stretch it as long as you can :p
Overall I really happy & satisfied watch this drama. If there's season 2 I will watch it. :)
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Because it pricks my highschool heart. All those sweet and embarrassing moments bring back memories. Specially those moments when you don't know what LOVE is, and then you found someone who unknowingly, with their actions, explained it to you so well.
At first I'm routing for the second male lead and the female lead, BUT as the drama progresses I can feel how genuine the male lead's love is. He just don't know it yet.
PS. I love those sneaky moments just to be with your boyfriend/girlfriend. Fighting, MiaoMiao and Younian!
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Very sweet
If you're looking for something sweet to watch than this might be your cup of tea. We have our main female lead(xiao miao miao) who started as "ugly" and no confidence in herself and that when she met our main male lead (Liang You Nian) who was basically her muse and the reason she started gaining confidence in herself. She went from being all shy around him to teasing him. What i loved was that we got to see her progress it wasn't an overnight shift like in som either dramas. Our main male lead wasn't your typical cold, smart lead. He was sweet and kind basically what we see usually see as the second male lead in other dramas.The music was very memorable I found myself signing along to the English part of the ost.
Our cast despite the young age did an incredible job in acting. Hope to see Lai Kuanlin and Angel Zhao in other dramas.
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Very Slow and Draggy
The story is very slow, you can watch the first episodes then skip all the way through episode 30 and it will be as if you did not miss a thing. I haven't watched a chinese drama that has 20+ episodes as filler hahaha. This is also very wholesome. No kiss whatsoever, maybe because female lead is really young in real life, she was only 16 years old when they did this series. It's very light and fluffy, even your cat can watch it hahaha. The only saving grace of this series for me is the second male and female lead, they brought excitement to the series. If not for them, this would have been really indigestible.Was this review helpful to you?
Too innocent for me
So this drama took me over a month to finish. I kind of had a bit of an Asian drama slump while watching this? Despite the controversy about the dark skin color of the actress in the first few episodes of the drama, I didn't really find anything else overly problematic about the drama. It was very...average. The acting of the female lead was passable, but the male lead's acting was absolutely stale and emotionless, which didn't do much in the way of making the watching process any easier for me. The storyline, and I do enjoy a good slow burning romance when done right, was extremely dragged out, to the point where I'd start watching the drama and stop almost immediately after because I'd get bored of the mundane plot that's driving the story. Now, with all that said, I DID think that the drama and romance was pretty cute, but I guess I'm just not part of the target audience anymore and no longer find pleasure in watching innocent, cute romance unfold in a school setting.Was this review helpful to you?
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A SWEET LOVE STORY ♡
Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this drama. This was a remake of the Thai's hit movie 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', which I loved back in the days. But I think I ended up liking this Chinese remake so much more than the original. I really enjoyed the story of Miao Miao and You Nian's love story ♡.This story is faithful to the original movie, albeit with subtle changes and more depth.
The thing I love most about this drama is, how one is committed to one person once they love, and reject every other person who comes without any hesitation. I like Miao Miao in this aspect, because she has a strong love towards You Nian, and so how she rejects every other person without any hesitation. I really liked the way Miao Miao loves You Nian. I love their slow love, and the way they are together. The development of their love was so realistic, and their love was so pure and innocent. I truly love it ♡.
Also the ending was really well developed. I love how they gave enough time for the mains to reconcile, and we were able to see how each character changed because of each other for the better..Miao Miao gained more confidence and overcame her insecurities about their relationship, and You Nian was finally able to express his feelings and redeem himself for his mistake. I think You Nian finally opening up about his feelings is exactly what she needed to hear.
This drama was so cute and worth watching..Watching this drama from the first episode until the last makes me feel like I'm witnessing them growing up from little ones to adults, which also have made me feel so hard for saying goodbye to them (个_个).
So overall, if you are looking for something light and cute with a sweet romance, then I highly recommend this drama for you all ! Give it a try and you will never regret it.
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This wasn't a terrible show and it was cute, but it's not something I would personally rewatch but I did enjoy it for what it was. I didn't find the female lead "pretty" to begin with, but I also found her cuter when she was in her "ugly" phase which is more of a personal preference. What I liked most about her character development is that she grew into herself and she learned to value herself over time, and she acknowledges that it was what she wanted with the influence of YouNian. On top of that, YouNian was falling for MiaoMiao before her transformation so it wasn't the traditional trope of she becomes a new person and that's when he finally notices her.
My biggest beef with the show was Lin KaiTuo. It really bothered me that He Xin had pursued him for years and he didn't acknowledge her until after MiaoMiao straight rejected him and then he kind of fell back on He Xin. I'm sure there was always love and care there to grow, but he never delve into it; it was still poor taste, because the guy He Xin had been in love with for 15+ years falls in love with her best friend who just moved there and when her best friend turns down said crush is when he reciprocates. I will give him credit for actively pursuing He Xin though and trying to win her back.
I also give He Xin credit because in these dramas, sometimes the friend blames the female lead for these things, but He Xin never turned against MiaoMiao. It was often a battle within herself.
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This review may contain spoilers
I was a little hestitant to watch this drama since it starts with a high school arc until university and I was a little hesitant from the acting reviews I saw online. However, I gave it a try anyways since I loved Zhao Qian Qian's other dramas...and I must say, it's FANTASTIC. Of Zhao Qian Qian's other works, this has the most character development for the female lead. Normally I would be super annoyed in the high school arc since the girl is usually quite foolish and dumb, but Miao Miao was just super cute, mature for a gr11 and not annoying to her crush. You follow her through uni and you get to see her gain confidence in herself. The way she changes is slow and very realistic. It reminds me of so many people's transformation as they move from their teens to early twenties.
Zhao Qian Qian also writes great supporting characters. Love Lin Xia and her constant battle with food. He Xin is also one of my favorite characters - she is balanced so well...between her stalking and lying tendencies to get her boy and being very independent and reliable to her friends. Her and Miao Miao get into a rough spot in their relationship, but both of them handle it so well. It's a great friendship that everyone should have.
There are some very amazing themes. During the hate post incident, the characters (for the most part) trusted each other and didn't take it seriously...because you can't take online haters seriously. It felt like a nod to cyber bullying and a gentle way of saying haters will get what they deserve so don't take them seriously. The career and relationship problems they had in high school and university were so realistic since it happens all the time. Doing what you love versus doing what your parents want you to do is a constant battle asian kids have. This drama is so great in tackling all these issues.
I didn't love the Angela Zhao in the beginning, but she won me over after a couple of episodes. She's quite young, but she portrayed her character development really well. Also, love Edward Lai! His character was quite mature from the beginning so there wasn't much change to demonstrate his full acting ability, but I liked him a lot more than I thought I would. Also, I love how they actually cried in the crying scenes and had actual red eyes.
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Firstly, for the storyline, as mentioned above, it is totally different from the original except for the whole ugly girl turns pretty thing. Granted, they tried to mimic all the highlights of the movie, no. JUST NO. I really know how to explain it. Sometimes during the drama, I had the whole 'OMG this is from the original!!!' then a wave of disappointment will wash through me as the whole scene just seemed a little too forced or that scene is just too far off from the movie. I somehow try to justify this with the idea of it being a drama and therefore have to add much more relationship lines and scenes apart from the original, but I certainly feel that so many things changed that it should not have called itself a remake and instead is a whole new story that probably took a littleeeee reference from the Thai movie.
For the storyline on its own, without thinking it as a remake whatsoever, is not bad. The beginning took on slow but it somehow makes you want to continue watching and see how everything work out in the end. For a lighthearted romance drama, it works. It has most of the cliche moments needed in a drama that somehow works and the character development was done well as you can see them gradually change through the episodes. If you want a break from all the intense dramas, this is definitely it! Not the best drama out there but still enjoyable to watch.
For the actors, I think they did a great job considering that they are all pretty new and do not have much experience. Yes, there were some awkward acting at times but most of the times it is quite natural. The characters are all very lovable! Great bromance, romance and sisterhood and every character have enough depth to get you invested in the show more! The love lines in the drama are also executed well and are all enjoyable to watch and root for.
To end it off. I really need to reiterate that this is really one of the most failed remakes ever. It is not like the acting or the storyline is bad. But it is really not the 'A Crazy Little Thing Called Love' that I expected. If you watch it with the same expectations I had, it is really disappointing. You get a glimpse of the original, and also it reminds me of another show that I can't really point my finger at. If only they could just give it another name, it would be perfect. Would recommend you to watch it if you are taking a break from all the intense political/fighting dramas and want some happy, lighthearted show to make life a little more interesting :)
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Bland and Very Forgettable... Colourism Makes a Huge Feature Too
I got to know about this drama through A Love so Beautiful recommendations. However, I was sorely disappointed.The actors lack depth and any real chemistry. The characters are all very one-dimensional and nothing about their relationships or their actions is heart warming or thought provoking or really stays with you and makes an impact. They try to create depth or problems in certain instances but it feels so superficial.
The plot is super slow paced and yet with nothing really interesting to keep you wanting to watch the show more. It's not funny, not interesting, character development is like it's written by a 12 year old. The drama uses that silly drama misunderstanding trope where "ML does sth for FL and vice versa but they somehow think it's for another person" wayyyy too muchhhh.
And something that seriously rubbed me the wrong way about this drama was that the FL started out the drama dorky and what they considered unattractive and then by the end "bloomed" or whatever. At the beginning, she was darker skinned and then by the end she was super pale. Likeeee, this drama was just reinforcing dark skinned = ugly. And you have to work to "improve" (i.e. lighten) your skin. Like, they literally had the FL wear yellow face at the beginning of the show to make her appear darker skinned. Looking forward to a day when a FL will be a naturally darker skinned actress who will be perfect just the way she is.
Very bland forgettable drama, nothing stays with you really. Poorly written and acting was nothing to write home about. OST was bad corny songs and not in a fun or catchy way.
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Heavily boring sometimes. Could be wrap up in 24 ep which would be way better. I wad frustrated all the way by the ML. By the end, the breakup was unnecessary in my opinion and was here just for the drama. I liked the message behind though. Great romance but sometimes the chesmistry was a bit off or awkward... No hug or kisses (they often feel a bit off and we see they lack of chemistry). The ML was super great delivering the "falling in love" by the eyes though. No plot or anything else. I knew this will not be my favorite but I still prefer the movie version However, I will check the other projects of Lai Kuan Lin since he gave me such a big impression. Was this review helpful to you?
My thoughts.
These are the negative thoughts i had about the drama, I'm leaving out the positive as I think that anyone can learn to enjoy the drama just by watching a small part of an episode and quickly find positives. After finishing the drama I would say it was enjoyable. . There were times i cried, and felt pain with characters, but this is normal, for me at least. I would totally recommend this drama, although i felt as though it was a bit long, and I am not talking about the number of episodes. As i was watching this drama, I found myself skipping through scenes every couple minutes. I should probably expand on those thoughts but then again, I came on here to talk about what I thought ruined many parts of the drama. It slightly irritated me how music would play at unnecessary times. Not only does it play at random parts but the music, and this is in my opinion, did not assist the current event in the drama. It seemed like most of the drama, music was playing, and of course I'm exaggerating, but that is what it felt like. It would be playing one track for at least 2 minutes then switch to another track right after. I didn't mind the music much while watching but many times it ruined the mood, it would be a happy track then quickly switch to a completely different song with a different feeling to it. ~of course there were parts that the music paired nicely with the scenes~ Again, i enjoyed the drama and these were just little thoughts i had while watching and also after. So, these are my thoughts about the drama. :)Was this review helpful to you?