The Queen slayed it .....
Tbh, I went into this drama without any expectations and I felt so satisfied after watching the entire show. I am hesitant to watch modern dramas with more than 24 episodes, because I have seen too much draggy plot where ML and FL fell in love, broke up and then reconcile again. But We are All Alone is an exception, though having 36 episodes, I never felt bored watching this.Things that I like in this drama;
1.Realistic Truth of Drama Industry
I have wanted to watch a show about drama industry long ago, but never found one. This show portrays FL as an agent, encountering ups and downs in her career. Those ups and downs are not unpredictable but very realistic, they show about realistic truth of making and producing dramas, the ugly side of rumors and fandoms.
The story itself is not very special, but it was executed very beautifully.
2. Strong Female Lead
I would not want to see a dumb and unreasonable female lead in this kind of drama. Fortunately, our FL is so strong, and solves things out with her own capabilities. Qin Lan is perfect in this role, she can act very well and I would say the casting choice is very well done.
3. Production value and Acting
I don’t like those Chinese modern dramas with dubbed voice, where the voice is off. But this show uses their own voice, and it was recorded on-set.This makes me love this drama more.
I would say this is the best Godfrey Gao’s best drama I have watched and sadly, who would have thought that it would be his last drama?
Besides ML and FL, all the supporting casts did a very good job as well.
What I don’t like in this drama:
1.Overly Dramatic Lin Xiang
Lin Xiang character played a very important role. She causes all kinds of troubles for our FL, and this is her character, I understand. But sometimes, I feel like she is portrayed as an overly useless character. I think there won’t be an A-list actress as useless as her character portrayed.
2. Too much screentime for FL’s Dad
I would say, I enjoyed the storyline but her dad’s screentime is a little too much. But that’s understandable.
I’d recommend this drama if you would like to escape from lovey dovey stuff and see the life of a career woman. Kudos to the production team and director for making such a high quality drama.
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Mo Xiang Wan is like the Margaret Thatcher of showbiz, a shrewd agent - talent spotter, talent developer, artist manager, babysitter, problem solver. All in one. A professional with a conduct and no space for love in her life except for her talents. Being considered 'the agent' brings a lot of perks i.e. leading roles offers for her artists, top pick in endorsements... but also a lot of envy in her two arch-rivals: Judy and Zhu He. Judy wants her job and Zhu He, Yu Jiang's wife, shareholder of Qi Li Culture fully backs her, fermenting a volcanic hate for Mo Xiang Wan, her husband's protege.
She raised from the ashes to be successful only to be thrown to the wolves and being forced to rise again amongst them. The thing is people evolve and mature and when the world comes crumbling down, a high conscience means peace of mind and moving on. Qi Li Culture enabled Mo Xiang Wan to succeed, Judy and Zhu He plotted to bring her down but she would not stay down, rising again until the time where Qi Li Culture no longer felt like home and then it was time to part ways and forge a new path.
Although Godfrey Gao & Wang Zi Yi are listed as having main roles in the drama, the only main role belongs to Qin Lan as all other characters are the ones she influences and interacts with and share a similar screen time around Mo Xiang Wan who drives the story - she is the story.
We are all alone portrays love in showbiz; filming scheduling; filming conflict; fan wars; fan reactions and actions and how they make and break an artist; backstabbing; contract disputes; script changes; image management and damage control; love and one of the most contemporary illnesses that exist in the world: depression, here celebrity depression which is often masked with anti-depressions or painkillers taken to ease the mental pain reflected in the body due to sadness or other issues like loss of fans for example, although here in the drama is love sickness. How many young celebrities have suffered from depression? Many but how many have spoken openly about battling it? A smaller number.
Beauty and money do not necessarily equal happiness. They equal the value others attribute to it and that can cause a lot of pressure as beauty fades and money slips through the fingers when artists are no longer popular and have to work three times harder to get a certain level of popularity back. Showbiz is ruthless. We are all alone shows exactly how much.
The story has a regular pace which might appear slow at times but it's well executed and realistic. Here that's more important than speed. The themes it approaches are contemporary and modern, portraying the reality of showbiz, rather than a lovey-dovey romantic story fairy-tale set in Shanghai's entertainment industry which is brilliant and fresh.
For all of the above, we are all alone merits an overall rating of 10 out of 10.
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Something new for fans of Le Coup de Foudre
A surprisingly good show from Mainland China, especially since a lot of the dramas that have been released lately have been unimpressive. This is a show mainly for those that want an older cast- and by that I mean past the age of 20 somethings. It’s much more realistic to have executives that are the correct age, and if you’re going to have a couple that are reunited again after a previous romance, like this does, to actually have some years on them. Let’s face it, a separation of a year or so is just not that drastic. That’s more of a temporary break up.The script writers and producers were honest about their world of entertainment and letting us see into it a little bit. We might forget with all the glitz and glamour how savage the world can be for them. I wouldn’t wish this life on anyone I cared about, even as I appreciate what they bring to us. It’s true that artists suffer for their art. The topic of depression, as others have said, is handled really well, I just wish they would handle the problem of overwork less cavalierly. They portray it as necessary and in a more positive light (like she's a badass because she does this) rather than for the serious health risk it really is. Overwork can lead to depression and mental illness, as well as a host of other health problems. Probably not getting sick when caught in the rain for five minutes though. Just saying.
Cinematography: It's helmed by the same director as Le Coup de Foudre, so a lot of the cinematography and style will feel familiar, such as the sunlight filtering through the leaves and classic window shots. It’s kind of nice when you can recognize an artistic style right off the bat.
Cast: The actors are really good. You get a full range here. The MFL, whom I first saw as the gentle empress in Yanxi Palace, is just the epitome of refinement. The MML, Godfrey Gao, our Magnus Bane from the Mortal Instruments series, just breaks your heart in so many ways. The supporting cast is also pretty good. You kinda love the little starlet and at the same time kind of want to have a do-over in raising her so she’s not such a brat. The SML- who was a bit of a surprise- makes it easy to become really fond of him. He comes across as a bit of an old soul, certainly doesn’t seem his age, beyond his face of course. I love that the antagonists in this aren’t vicious just for the sake of evil. They all have their motivations, and it makes sense even if you don’t particularly like it.
Misc: The music is really on point, about what I’d expect from a Chinese drama. Even if the show itself lets me down I can usually enjoy the OST. :) The title of the drama was a bit misleading though. Like, the opposite of what it actually was, just like Le Coup de Foudre. That show’s romance was anything but a bolt of lightning, it was a really warm and lovely slow burn. This show was more about always having someone there for you, even if you didn’t know it or appreciate it. Perhaps this director lives in Alice’s world.
Alice: ” If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would.”\o/
****slight spoiler****
Is this far enough down? Ok. There is a strange otherworldly parallel in the last few episodes where one of the characters dies (won’t say who), and the MFL is talking to the MML about how short life is and how you never know when you or someone you care about is going to leave this world…. It just sent chills down my spine knowing what happened to Godfrey not too long after that. I still get them whenever I think about it. For those that don’t know or remember, Godfrey Gao, the MML, dies in RL soon after the making of this show, ostensibly from a heart attack. It’s hard to watch this show at all without your heart aching when you see him, but this just .. was hard to watch. I hope in his next life he is able to claim as much happiness as he brought to others in this one.
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The Cruel Reality of Showbiz...
This drama showed you the dark and realistic side of entertainment industry. How easily you can gain power & fame, yet also how easily you can lose them. We follow Mo Xiang Wan (starring Qin Lan) as a showbiz manager and how she seems so cruel & cold, but in reality, she really isn't as strong as she seems to everyone. Watching Mo Xiang Wan's character growth was a rewarding journey. I didn't think she was as heartless as they made her seem like in the beginning, it was just that people didn't see her warm and humane side. You get a close look of the celebrities she managed, too. Even though I found Lin Xiang super whiny and spoiled, I honestly felt for her in the end. I didn't find any dull moment in this drama to be honest. I was worried after reading the spoiler comments down below. Yes, things were more intense in the first 20 episodes, but the rest was still very interesting for me.I was surprised on how much I loved the drama. I was interested in this drama for Qin Lan & Godfrey Gao. It took courage for me to start watching this, because I didn't know if I had the courage to watch this without crying when seeing Godfrey's face. It took a couple of episode, but I mean I was still crying a good bit, cause the many things that were happening in the drama. They both delivered their characters really well. But I was also really impressed by a lot of the other actors and actresses. I was the most surprised by Wang Zi Yi's character, Xu Ling, and how well he emoted with his eyes.
I love the OST. Added them all to my playlist and have been listening it on loop. If you read the lyrics of each song, they perfectly fit the drama as a whole.
It's been so long since I have watched a modern Chinese drama and loved it this much. You could tell the production quality was top notch. Highly recommend this if you don't mind getting out of that dream bubble to see the cruel reality of the entertainment industry.
P.S. That last shot of the last episode was.... just heartbreaking for me though. I cried (though I cried plenty throughout the drama.) Watch it and you will know why.
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underrated, why is no one talking about this?
Watched this a while ago because of wang ziyi and also as a tribute Godfrey Gao. I started this without much expectations but I ended up really liking this. The plot can be a bit draggy at some parts but the story is well-told. With one event after another, the it’s well-paced and keeps you on the edge but what stood out to me the most was Lin Xiang character. I hated her and loved her at the same time, her story was what kept me looking forward in this whole drama. Besides, the show also shows the dark side of the showbiz market, along with the solitude and loneliness of one living in it. However, I find the ending quite rushed and disappointing, every good thing suddenly happened that I somehow felt cheated. The acting is fine, both two leads did well and their chemistry was great.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Didn't know what to expect out of this drama, but after finish watching it , it definitely moved me. The beginning was a little rough, I was contemplating dropping it but pushed forward and found it to be quite interesting. Qin Lan is definitely the star of the show! she was an mazing lead actress. She portrayed her character of the agent really really well. The drama focuses on her as the agent as how an agent is faced with many things in the entertainment industry. Having to deal with her actors/actress emotions, settling scandals /drama, getting pressured from her boss, facing competition. It all feels really real and depicts the character superb. She has so much stress that I could felt it myself.
The main lead Godfrey Gao, I pay my respect for. I still cant believe he is gone and that it was his last production. To be honest his character seemed really minor and not standing it. I think it was partly because he was not in the same profession as the female lead. The male lead is a lawyer. He is really good to support the female lead whenever the female lead is down. At some parts of the drama i was frustrated with his character because he kept being on opposite side of the female lead. Dont get me wrong, he is such nice eye candy to watch, tall and hunky and looks good in a suit.
In the summary it said she loses two artistes at the night of the award , that is false. She gradually loses them due to one wanting a better future for himself. The other because the artiste's fan really didnt like the female lead style of leading the artist. The female then finds more veteran artistes and tries to invest her time in them. The last chunk got my eyes bawling hard!! (dont want to spoil it)
Definitely a great watch!
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Wonderful story with well-kept pace!
Watched it last year but only remembered to give the reviews now. I really love this drama, I haven’t seen much modern drama with such a well-kept pace. Qin Lan is such a girl crush in this drama, and her acting did not disappoint at all. Her styling here is also very cool, to be honest, the make up and the styling in this drama with most casts are all very okay! She did such a great job and her chemistry with ML is really really good. The side characters also did a very great job here. Although the FL & ML have a great chemistry, my most favorite would be Mo Xiang Wan and her fellow rival agent, they way they help each other out but also pull each other down. It’s very entertaining to see such relationships . Also, the villain surely angered me a lot too. The biggest turn point for XuLing character was his criminal record, and the way they wrapped that story was very goooood, but Ziyi’s acting could’ve been better and need rooms for improvements. He did a great job for a debut role though. And the biggest twist of all, was Lin Xiang’s tragic death, but at the same time, it wasn’t much of a surprise because the drama began with her attempted suicide. We kept seeing her triggers yet we were never aware that she would end up this way is a good portrayal to the society. The only thing I would dislike a bit would be Xiang Wan’s brother and his storyline, it’s a little unnecessary and boring to me, maybe also because his acting wasn’t really my cup of tea. Xiang Wan’s family back story was boring and not as good as I expect it to be. The purpose and the message of the story really matches its english title. At the end of the day, we’re all alone. It was a very wonderful time watching! ~Edited : I rated the music 10 but forgot to actually talked about it. I loved 《去爱你》a lot. Might be also because that song kept playing every time the FL and ML meet, the FL feels sad and even when the FL and SL story unwraps, it’s the same song but the SL actor sang it for the FL and SL’s story. Also it seems that Ziyi is a better singer than an actor, both his songs for the drama was amazing. Really love the OST. The music production quality is pretty good!
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Came for Wang Ziyi, stayed for Qin Lan and Godfrey
Plot: I thought this series provided viewers with insight into the darker BTS of the entertainment industry. They covered everything from manager-celebrity relations, secret dating, celebrity contracts, buying hot searches for celebrities, controversies, deceit, live vs recorded acting to the difficulties in film production. My interest and understanding of the entertainment industry in China increased after watching this series. I found the love story between Mo Xiangwan and Mo Bei to be kind of boring (it was unrealistic how they haven't moved on from each other despite being separated for 20+ years), but the actor and actress made it work okay.I also think this series gets major brownie points for the storyline of Mo Xiangwan's dad after he gets released from prison! I wish they elaborated on it even more, because it depicts an important issue that is not often portrayed in movies/dramas. The only scenes I cried in were the scenes with the dad! The main issue that subplot addresses is how convicts readjust to life after being released from prison. It was never something I really thought about until watching this series. Time keeps passing, but life stops moving in prison. The outside world continues to progress, but convicts are usually living very routine and disconnected lives in prison. There is a jarring transition phase once they are released (especially if they are in prison for a long time). Although some may have saw the dad's subplot to be a generational gap thing (he didn't know how to use any technology), but I think the addition of him being scammed shows how he feels like the world has progressed without him. He feels that the world has changed so much, and he has become a burden to his kids (this is where I see the generational gap come into play). His attempts to reconnect with his children and keeping his illness a secret depicts a more talked about issue of the challenges China's aging population's is facing (loneliness, disconnect from busy child, increasing pressure on child bc of one child policy).
Characters:
- Mo Xiangwan is strong and independent. Qin Lan is also a great actress, so it was easy to like the female lead and root for her. She comes up with effective solutions to keep her celebrities safe despite being met with so many setbacks. The only thing that confused me was her character inconsistency. The story is that she used to be cold hearted and then starts to care for her celebrities as people, but I thought she was fighting for her celebrities since the start? I never saw her coming off as cold hearted.
- Mo Bei is a good person from start to finish. He is a supportive boyfriend and a kind human being. He is a likable character, but comes off as having no character development because he doesn't really change much (he was already good to start with).
- Xu Ling was not on screen enough (I really like Wang Ziyi lol). I like his character a lot more than Xiang Xiang. At first I thought his character was a bad guy because he wanted to switch management companies secretly. But in the end, he proved to be a very loyal and genuine celebrity (he did so much to help Mo Xiangwan).
- I really dislike Xiang Xiang and found her to be pretty annoying for the entirety of the series. She was delusional in love and had a princess complex. She was a hot shot celebrity who owed all of her fame to Mo Xiangwan being a good manager. She had her ass saved so many times by Mo Xiangwan-- well more accurately, she would throw fits and create problems that her manager had to solve. I know that Mo Xiangwan is nice to Xiang Xiang bc Xiang Xiang signed a long time contract with her during the lowest point of her career. However, a contract is a professional relationship yet it felt like Xiangwan was raising Xiang Xiang like a child the entire time. Xiang Xiang did not have the qualities to be a good celebrity. I had to skip a lot of her scenes bc I really didn't like her weak character when it came to love, and I found her shitty behavior to everyone around her to be very disrespectful. She was only nice to her ex and gave everyone else attitude bc she is self-important. The movie tried to make her come off as this pure/innocent child that was wronged by the world to make viewers empathize with her suicide. She is an adult and a professional, she should have more emotional control than a child. She basically throws all logic away when it comes to her ex despite all the support by her side to help her get better. I couldn't understand her conflict bc she created all of it herself. She is an actress, but it seems like she doesn't care for her craft nor her fans throughout the series. She treats her fans as an ATM (her fanbase was also toxic af) and shits on Xiangwan until she needs a favor. She half asses her acting roles and only gets serious when she is acting with her ex. The only time I appreciated Xiang Xiang was in the scene where she is filming for a wedding scene and finally tells her ex that she is gonna let him go bc she finally realized she can be better than that. I was really proud of her for that and actually thought her character finally had some development from that. However, in the episode right after, she basically reverts back to her old, detestable self... that was when I decided to fully abandon all hope for this character. The only end I could see her having is quitting the entertainment industry completely bc she is unfit for it.
Music: I love Yan Renzhong's voice!!! The soundtrack for this series was really good! 去爱你 is my favorite! I also think the title of the series is based off a Leslie Cheung song of the same name (怪你过分美丽), which is a classic song! I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack and Leslie's song!
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A Great Drama That Looks Inside the Chinese Entertainment Industry
I wanted to try this drama since I heard about its cast (Qin Lan and Godfrey Gao) and I was so excited when its air date was announced. The trailer already hooked me on with its dramatic music and Qin Lan's charisma, and the first episode did not disappoint. Without spoiling, the first episode managed to reveal a lot of the entertainment industry in China and how managers and companies work with managing their artists. It was just very interesting to watch. The following episodes only continue to further dig and reveal the lives of actors and managers. This is very intriguing to me as a Chinese and Korean drama fan, as well as a music fan, because it showed so much about an artist's life with fame. However, there were some moments where I felt the drama was slow causing me to put the drama on hold for a couple of weeks. When I started again, I used 1.5x speed to watch, but it didn't pull away from the experience.May have some spoilers below:
The pros of this drama:
1. The acting was top notch! (Qin Lan amazed me with her superb acting as a top manager and she was able to convey a wide range of emotions whether she used words or not- her eyes could speak words; she is a very versatile actress and I am glad she is getting more acknowledged for that after The Story of Yanxi Palace last year)
2. Great scriptwriting (very interesting and fast-paced)
3. Showed the glam and pitfalls of working as an idol or actor/actress in the entertainment industry (which really opened my eyes to what they go through such as middle-aged actresses struggling to find roles and their diminishing fame, or artists forced to choose certain roles/music to please their audiences, or the difficulty controlling fans)
4. The soundtrack was on the spot (although one song was constantly played as bgm whenever there was a chance which got annoying sometimes)
5. Strong and brave female lead Mo Xiang Wan who did not give up and persevered until the end; the character's growth was done very well (Qin Lan was amazing at this role)
6. Teaches important lessons about the reality of life (how Mo Xiang Wan was treated by directors and producers after she was demoted; but also how Xu Ling treated her)
7. Godfrey Gao and Qin Lan's loveline (though not a huge chunk of the drama is focused on them, they are cute and oozing with chemistry onscreen)
Cons:
1. The ending wrapped things nicely but it would have been better if it had shown where certain people ended up because it was vague for certain people (Fan Mei,
2. The loveline between Xu Ling and Mo Xiang Wan- I think that it still could have been a great story even if Xu Ling didn't like Mo Xiang Wan in that way, it could have just been a brother-sister love
3. It didn't make sense to me how Lin Xiang's fanbase had contact information with Lin Xiang's personal assistant nor how the company didn't do anything when they literally stalked her; they were just too overbearing and illogical sometimes which ruined the plot sometimes
Overall, it was a very pleasant watch with touching and frustrating moments which was all due to the great storyline and amazing jobs of the actors and actresses. I totally recommend it if you want to want an interesting look at the entertainment circle in China and you're looking for a strong female character. If you're looking for another reason, please try it as it is Godfrey Gao's last drama and he was amazing as the handsome and tall Mo Bei who is unable to turn away from injustice. Please do try!
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imho the best modern C-drama to date in 2021
**Non-spoiler section**Tight, gripping, fast-paced. Never a dull moment.
The star of this show really is Qin Lan. I didn’t have much impression of her (weak and easily bullied) character in Yanxi Palace but her performance in this show threw me off my seat. It really did her justice and I loved every minute of her in it. She’s this smart, witty, aggressive yet empathetic character that I learn so much from.
What’s better is that this show is a fresh idea. The focus is on the ruthless celebrity world which I believe many of us would like to know more. This opened my eyes about how their world works, the stakes and story behind each production, each weibo post. A much fun watch, actually.
Talk about couples. I love the chemistry between the FL and ML. They are funny at times. Both are successful in their careers so you don’t have the perennial issue of one earning more than the other. And Mo Bei provides such a loving support to our iron lady after a long, hard day at work. <3
Really a thumbs up from me. One of the best modern shows I’ve watched. Love the FL’s outfits and make up in this show too. It makes her look 10 years younger than in Yanxi Palace and The Eight.
OST - 10/10 the 3 main songs are sooo good.
Rewatchability - 10/10 all of Mo Xiang Wan’s yelling at people and giving love to her artists are worth rewatching over and over.
Closure - 10/10. ‘Nuff said. You gotta watch this yourself.
Also, R.I.P Godfrey. Taken away too soon from us.
** Spoiler section **
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My fav work relationships and friendships in this drama:
Xiang Wan + Guan Xian: if these two don’t have their own spouses I can imagine them growing old together and annoying each other.
Xiang Wan + Ruan Li Hua: how she handles a veteran diva who’s out of touch with showbiz.
Xiang Wan + Song Qian: how she fights for a neglected yet stubborn stage actor.
Xiang Wan’s ‘gift’ to Zai Zai was the best arc ever. It was so emotional and perfect on many levels.
Lin Xiang has a very true and realistic character. Episode 35 was a terribly heavy episode for me. I’ve never cried an entire episode in my life. You get to see the consequence, regret and redemption in all those around her. R.I.P. and I hope no artist will ever have to go through this.
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Unbelivable good, MUST watch
This series was good. It was soo good, I even made a dramalist acc to write a rewiew about it.Totally honest about the chinese shobiz, we can see the darkness behind the shining, the work of the staff, the making of dramas, the merch behind the scenes, the crazyness of the web and the fans. Everything is so brutally honest and feels painfully true, it is unbelivable.
The cast is good, the director is awesome, some scenes like moving artwork. Absolutely took me inside the story. I dont remember when was the last time when I cryed because of a series, but it happened now. Twice.
It is a MUST WATCH series, maybe rewatch later.
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