You have got to be kidding me!
Warning: Don’t watch it while eating or drinking, you might get choked by laughing.Curious about the heading of review? Let's discuss it later.
Very cliche story with many tropes, no brainer as you just have to turn off your brain and not use logic, there are many moments I was having second-hand embarrassment, and drama failed miserably in the portrayal of the lead’s professionalism. But at the end of the day, it is just a rom-com that only focuses on the romantic relationship between leads. It doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining coz it’s super fun and extremely hilarious. I guarantee that you won't get bored even for a single episode.
The acting is the best thing, it's phenomenal. Steven Zhang and Liang Je nailed it, I mean it feels so real that body swap happened, as change is visible.. from facial expression, body language, the way of talking, and even very small gestures. Here Steven Zhang stands out as his character after the body swap is more colorful, energetic. But Liang Je did great too. It's not easy to play a stone-faced, aloof character. Plus leads have great chemistry, not just that, they look very good as a pair it's easy to imagine them as a couple as their visuals match with each other very well.
With being so funny, it's written very well and not draggy. Another thing I would like to point out as the whole story only revolves around leads they don't even try to focus on anything other. Especially like the story execution and its development that feels so natural. How leads start with bickering but with time they find trust, found comfort, and start to like each other... It is realistic and pleasing to see, not an abrupt change in the whole process, with lots of little details.
Not in just story-execution-acting vise, it's good, technically too! It has really good cinematography, particularly liked the choice of the color palette. It's not super bright but good for the eyes haha, definitely it's a good quality production. It's my first time giving re-watch this much score, but let me tell you it's a rewatchable drama lol.. perfect when you are feeling down to refresh the mood... Actually, I've already re-watched some initial episodes with my mom coz I wanted her to watch the drama :')
Soundtrack and effects
It's a rare thing for me to mention sound effects in review, but it is so necessary here because they have a really big role. I mean without all those sound effects I couldn't have enjoyed it this much, for some, they might be annoying but for me the reason to laugh more. So there's one scene where we think it's going to be a confession so kinda romantic BGM starts to play.. but that seemed to be a confession that turns out to be different and how they literally made it off tune and it's sooo funny, I died laughing there. It has many wonderful OSTs. They are refreshing, and soothing at the same time.
Fun fact: Two OSTs are sung by our Liang Je (Whisper) and Steven Zhang (My Soul), to be honest, I had no idea they can sing very well. So it was a pleasant surprise to me.
Now here comes the conclusion of the title, WHAT? they did, the story was consistently good. I mean let us live in the fantasy, I don't want something real to happen. They messed up so hard.. initially, it was the best rating possible from me 9.5 but as you can see it's not anymore. I wish the writer didn't try to become super creative in the end and let us have what we really wanted.
Though one thing really bothered me, I can of course let it slide by the fun I had with watching it I'm being so generous about the rating (that rarely happens). So watch it and have a good laugh ;D
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The Body-Swapping Trope Done Right…
The body-swap trope can often be a slippery slope for quality screenwriting in dramas .However whilst " The Day of Becoming You" doesn’t exactly stray far from its " body-swapping” predecessors as a concept, screenwriter Wang Xiong Cheng surprisingly uses the tiresome trope well in order to explore character growth and the relationship between the main leads .
Steven Zhang ( playing seemingly cold idol Jiang Yi) and Liang Jie ( playing bubbly entertainment reporter Yu Sheng Sheng) were brilliant as our main leads. The duo had dynamic chemistry onscreen throughout and were perfectly able to mimic the mannerisms of one another during the " body-swap” scenes. Respectfully whilst Vian Wang ( playing Sheng Sheng’s editor and best friend Tong Hua), Shen Po Qing ( playing Sheng Sheng’s close doctor friend and her second love interest) and Jiang Yi’s fellow band members of ” Little Galaxy” faded more into the background than the main leads, their performances were equally good.
On a more critical note ” The Day of Becoming You" isn’t entirely the more ” realistic" imagining of the ”body-swap” scenario either . The jobs of main leads respectfully as a journalist ( Liang Jie) and an idol ( Jiang Yi) were often taken for granted by inconsistent timing schedules or evident responsibilities with their jobs often dismissed easily. ( The irony not lost that Liang Jie trying to make up for loss time by working late at night could come in early the next day to work, looking fresh as a daisy without bags under her eyes.) However, these points are more nuanced and as the show only uses these settings really for exposition , they can be overlooked .
Arguably what made our main leads and their pairing refreshing was the gradual process of development . It would be easy to have established Liang Ji merely as the “ significant other” in the drama without exploring further interactions, however, the series provides surprisingly heartwarming insights into her character’s sentience by her familial life as well as her friendship with Tong Hua.
This was perfectly contrasted by Jiang Yi and his “ complicated" family scenario with his father Jiang Dong Ha ( Zhang Lei) and his estranged younger sister Jiang Mo ( Cong Shang).Admittedly whilst it wasn’t the focalised subject of the series, it would have been intriguing to have explored more about Jiang Yi and his father’s reconciliation, than some of the earlier trivial scenes dedicated to his " secret crush” on superstar and close friend Xu Shu Yi ( Zhao Yao Ke). ( Only really provided to add " angst” and an ” obstacle” to the main romantic pairing.)
However, the drama arguably did allow time for Jiang Yi to heal some of his emotional wounds through his gradual alliance to friendship to affectionate relationship with Shengsheng. There were times this relationship did feel a little disconcerted by the sudden reversal of Jiang Yi’s " feelings" for Jiang Yi being dismissed so readily. ( Although Shengsheng’s feelings for Doctor Shen were slightly more drawn out, they suffered a similar fate of being disregarded when the storyline called for it.) Importantly but the relationship between Jiang Yi and Shengsheng was healthily built upon learning to trust and rely on one another by being ( literally) in one another’s shoes. The ending certainly offered an unseen twist which will likely surprise viewers, however, nonetheless does help to tie-off the more far-fetched moments of the storyline.
So, is “ The Day of Becoming You” worth watching? Whilst the show offers a more sugarcoated version of the respected industries and romance, there is something which is undeniably well-written about the body-swap scenario in order to allow the characters to grow, a main pairing who gradually developed an an unforeseen ending which surprisingly works. Definitely worth a watch if you’re looking for something easygoing and fluffy but with good screenwriting and acting on top.
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A near perfect drama
I can barely put into words how much I love this drama. It got me hooked from the beginning and I immediately fell in love with the characters. There is an amazing blend of comedy and romance as well as character development. I love how our main protagonists went from enemies to friends to lovers, nothing felt too rushed and viewers can't help but root for them all the way through. Their relationship was so healthy and it was so clear that Sheng Sheng and Jiang Yi are made for each other. The hilarious moments are so random and make me think the two leads have one brain cell split between them haha (walnut cracking scene, doing bizarre physical activity to try to switch back). The side characters were also purposeful and well-developed. Jia Shu and Tong Hua's side story was super interesting yet unexpected, while Shen Qing offered the "I feel bad for him but I don't want him with the girl" character lol. The family storylines were well done and I definitely shed more than a few tears. There is almost nothing to complain about tbh. Except, unfortunately, as with any drama, there are flaws that made this a 9.5 rather than a 10.Their breakup was justified. 100% I'll give them that. I bawled my eyes out during the whole of episode 24, which I think just showed how attached I became to their relationship. Seeing Sheng Sheng go through so much hurt within such a short period of time, and Jiang Yi feeling helpless tore me apart. They so badly wanted to be there for each other but couldn't figure out a way that would work for them. Also I really didn't expect this but I was also bawling during the whole Little Galaxy disbanding bit. Even though Little Galaxy was never a huge part of the drama, there was something about saying goodbye and all the fans thanking them for their childhood that hit so close to home.
The last episode gave me so many mixed emotions. First off, ONE WHOLE YEAR LATER. bruh. I was expected six months later max but damn okay writers. Anyway, I just felt like everything was so rushed. Jiang Yi coming back, deciding he doesn't wanna hide himself in public, then announcing that the body switching problem has been solved. I completely understood why Sheng Sheng was feeling to overwhelmed and didn't immediately say yes to Jiang Yi's offer. Something just felt off to me idk. Them getting back together was very very cute though, especially the mountain scene. BUT THEN. We realize it's a novel plot that real-life, non-fictional Sheng Sheng is writing and the beginning break up scene at the start of episode 1 suddenly made sense. While I get that having the body switching idea makes sense in a novel, I would rather have it be for real anyday. I know the novel is based off the actual relationship, but they are different from the Jiang Yi and Sheng Sheng all the viewers fell in love with. There was no need for those last 8 minutes and I kinda wished I just paused at that point.
Anyway, I will be re-watching cute scenes and BTS of this drama and missing all the characters v much.
Please, please watch this!! It deserves all the love in the world.
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Amazing drama
This is my first time watching Steven Zhang and Liang Jie and I'm already loving it so far. They are such great actors that they could act both their own characters and each other's so well. Jiang Yi (male lead) and Yu Sheng Sheng (female lead) are quite the polar opposite when it comes to their personalities. So, for Steven Zhang and Liang Jie to switch between characters so well is honestly great to watch.Also, the drama is so funny, there are so many scenes where I would tear up, laughing. Those sound effects and background music definitely amplify the humour of those scenes.
Steven Zhang and Liang Jie are so adorable to watch, the drama has become really addictive.
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One of the Best Drama in 2021
it is rare for me to write a review for each drama that i watched so i'm gonna write a review for this one. first of all, let's talk about the acting and oh boys prob to Liang Jie and Steven Zhang for their phenomenal acting, they can portrayed each other's character out so well, even to the smallest detailed. the chemistry between the lead was amazing despite both of the actors are working together for the first time and i can feel "Couple Feel" from them and their kissing scene was intense as well.the story: the story is really great, it's about each of the character growth and they're portrayed it so well, i like how Jiang Yi come to term with his mother and finally embrace his mother again and i loved how Yu Sheng Sheng grow in this drama as well, and able to stay by Jiang Yi side and help Jiang Yi through his difficulty including his reconciliation with his mother. i'm a guy and that's scene nearly brought me to tear tbh.
Overall, i enjoyed this drama and i would rewatched it over and over again because that's how good it is. I hope that Liang Jie and Steven Zhang would get another project together again as a main lead, they're really good together.
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The production team's best drama to date!
This drama starts off really promising, with Zhang Xin Cheng's amazing body-switch acting (okay Liang Jie lacked a little at the beginning but gets better) and a very upbeat funny scriptand superb comedic timing when it comes to the background music (waiter! please give the BGM teacher one extra chicken leg!)
but as with the two previous dramas by this production team (Go Ahead and Find Yourself), I was worried that the scriptwriter would also give up on the earlier successes and like, disappoint us in the end
so I was hesitant to recommend this until I had watched all of it.
By episode 24, I was like, wow this is really keeping up
and by episode 26, I thought this was probably one of the best Chinese dramas I've seen this year.
The strengths of Find Yourself -- ridiculously funny character settings + breaking the 4th wall humor (oh my god that *one* scene hahahaha)
and the strengths of Go Ahead -- family love and reconciliation
minus the weaknesses of the two earlier dramas -- draggy plot, irrational character decisions, single-faceted villain characters
In this drama, not only all the main characters are lovable, but even the side slightly-bad villain characters get their redeeming moments
and I guess the 26-episode shortness kind of helped keep things contained and to the point
so we got the comedy and the fun and the romance without the draggy plot
I've already mentioned Zhang Xin Cheng's acting, but I got to mention it again.
Best female lead of 2021.
When he plays the female lead's soul, his attention to small details... 100% resemblance holymoly.
Would recommend even if you're not into rom coms and are just into enjoying good acting, music, and cinematography.
And even more recommended if you love a good rom com too. Cus this one is pretty great.
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my thoughts on this serotonin pill
When the narrative is great every second matters. It’s the first thing that I can talk about “The Day Of Becoming You”. Serious, the way my time seems smaller cause every scene make me SO SO happy that I needed to re-watch one or two times. Like is it a depression pill? Why do I feel my serotonin increasing just because Liang Jie and Steven Zhang are in a scene together.The drama went beyond my expectations I felt interested in every single episode. At first, I was afraid that they could be stuck in a single plot for a lot of episodes, which could be boring, but that didn’t happen. Even they made to swap bodies a lot of times every single time It was so fun to watch and they didn’t make the thing repetitive.
The development of their relationship was very good, the way Sheng Sheng got into Jiang Yi life, become his happy pill made me really relief and I got so glad that in the end he could be in good papers with his mom.
About the ending: I don’t think that was necessary and didn’t make the narrative better but to me didn’t make it worse either. It was something that I thought that could happen since the first scene and that I was more sure when I saw the date of Sheng Sheng comment about their kiss (If you don’t remember that comment was made in 2019)
But talking more about the ending plot: make their love story into a book was great but I didn’t felt empathy to Sheng Sheng author's because I didn’t get to know the REAL story, like I know the real story is what we watched but without the body swap plot but IT’S NOT the same. To me that kinda of plot was very dangerous: I wish they did develop more but at the same time If they did that the end could be terrible but glad that didn't happen.
My 9 days experience with “The Day Of Becoming You” was very great. I did laugh, get stressed and emotional with these 26 episodes. Now I think I can name it as my favorite drama from 2021. But I can’t lie...I felt SO empty!!!! It’s like I finished watching an entire life on a casual Sunday night.
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My fav of 2021 so far
If I have to rate it according to how much joy I felt watching this it would be a 100/10. But like everything else there are flaws but I won't be focusing on that because it is very little.I thought at first this was gonna be a remake of a Korean drama named secret garden, and I loved Hyun bin in that so I just wanted to check out how Zhang xincheng will topped it despite body swapping being one of my least favorite trope.
And this drama is so much more enjoyable than secret garden and this is definitely not a remake.
I absolutely love the story.
First, the cast is perfect. Liang jie and Zhang xincheng absolutely nailed it. And the chemistry is top notch. I knew they were both good actors but I never expected them to be this good together.. And how natural they are with each other. The romance and the chemistry wasn't right to your face, it was very natural. It almost seems like they are not acting. I guess that only shows how good of an actors they are.
Second thing I love about this drama is how healthy the relationship between the main characters. And I actually find myself envying it the most.
Third, the comedy. I had to pause many times so I can actually laugh. No other drama has made me laugh like this. From the first episode this drama made me very happy. I think the scriptwriter did an amazing job
Fourth, the lack of villains. I love how it doesn't have any.
Fifth, it did get a lil heavy towards the end It was necessary for the story so I am fine with that.
And the real ending was a bit underwhelming and leaves me wanting more because the vibe and energy doesn't really match the entire drama. But I guess they purposely made it that way.
Overall I Don't have much complain.
I enjoyed it very much. This made me very very happy. My face hurts from laughing and smiling so much.
And highly recommend it to anyone wanting to have a lil more happiness through drama in their life. Or if they want something light and funny when they are going through a tough stressful week.
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Watch and come back to write the review. You are welcome!
This drama made me break my no writing slump.The day of becoming you has this fairly popular but not overused story of interchanging each others souls into bodies.
I love this troupe. Its like quickest way to become close to a person in the shortest of time. And the dynamics of an idol and a not so quite a fan. The story has its own clichés but they are so fun. The First half was excellent in humor and fun and second half becomes enjoyably sentimental. The story did not drag or have any fillers. It an obvious aloof guy falls for bubbly girl but in a refreshing take of it.
The leads dominated the screen and I love them to bits and pieces. You'll too.
The acting was wonderful. I'm a big fan of Steven zhang right from skate into love. He does a wonderful job of differentiating the souls of cold, aloof Jiang Yi and the hyper fan girl Yu sheng Sheng. Liang jie is pretty as ever, and her acting is wonderful. The dynamics between the leads is just crackling. Your cheeks are gonna hurt from all the smiling. The little galaxy members, Tong hua, Liang Jie's family all of them are such feel good characters, you cant not love them. Special mention to Yu sheng sheng's clothes. They were chef's kiss.
The soundtrack was pleasant and not jarring. I even loved to listen to the intro song every episode.
Final thoughts:
I mean ,I have watched over lots of cliched, dumb dramas just for the plot. The plot was a 10,the acting was a 10, the chemistry was a 10 in mind. So go watch!!!
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Best Chinese Rom-Com of all time for me!! Extremely funny! A Must watch!
This show just made me so happy! It's extremely rare to see such a gem in this genre, considering how mediocre most of the rom-com dramas in modern settings are. They took such a classic trope of body swapping and made it into such a funny, mature, and entertaining drama. Hats off to the entire production team for such a masterpiece!What I loved:
The story - It's extremely funny, so many laugh-out-loud situations, and so many embarrassing moments with the body-swapping trope. Their reactions to the body swap are so realistic and logical and not over the top in any way that you immediately relate to their situation. The writing is intelligent. Characters are logical, and the dialogue and flow are very reasonable and rational.
The acting - Wow! I am blown away by the acting of both our leads. They are so good at playing both of their roles; before and after the switch, they never break character. After the switch, I can believe that Steven Zhang is a woman and Liang Jie is a man. Both Steven Zhang and Liang Jie are exceptional here, but I confess I could not take my eyes off of Steven Zhang in any of the scenes he was in. His posture, mannerisms, speech, walk, expressions - everything was so detailed and perfect. Liang Jie was also great, but Steven Zhang shines throughout this drama and is easily the most versatile actor in his age range. I've loved him in everything he's been in so far, but this role really puts the spotlight on him, and he is phenomenal here.
The Chemistry - Oof! These two have such great chemistry when in their own bodies and even when they swap. They look lovely as a couple, so comfortable and so convincing that they love and care for each other. I found the chemistry between the two to be so natural, without pretenses, and extremely believable. To top it off, this drama has a number of passionate kissing scenes and confession scenes that are very well done.
The relationships - Our main leads have such an enviable relationship. Their relationship was such a breath of fresh air. It was the most transparent relationship I have ever seen in any drama so far—no misunderstandings, no doubts, no unnecessary jealousy, just open communication about anything and everything. Any potential issues are immediately resolved by the leads reflecting and resolving the issue by talking to each other almost immediately. I haven't seen such a healthy and mature relationship in a long time in dramaland.
Additionally, the side relationships and supporting cast were also so positive, and there was really no bad guy or villain in this, which is always nice. I also liked that they didn't force a relationship between the supporting leads in the end. It was more realistic this way.
OST and BGM - I really like the OST here; the opening sung by Liang Jie and especially Steven Zhang's ending OST are really nice and are used really well. In addition, this show amplifies the funniest moments with some of the best over-dramatic background sound effects I have seen in shows of this kind. Honestly, the funny background music elevated the comedic situations to a whole new level.
What I didn't like:
One gripe I have with this show would be the too many product placement ads in the show. They really overdid this aspect of the show.
Another gripe I have is with the pacing of the penultimate and final episode. Not sure what exactly it was, but the pacing felt somehow off in the last two episodes.
Also, as was expected with such a story, the later episodes have a more serious feel to them, and it is noticeably less funny than the first half, but that's only because the first half was extremely, extremely funny.
Also, I see people disappointed with the ending, but I believe they delivered the best ending they could, considering body-swapping supernatural stories would not have passed through China's censorship board as it was.
Overall, this is going to be my new go-to rom-com drama. Thoroughly entertaining and worth multiple rewatches! 9.5/10
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A Delightful Drama
What I like about this drama is that the characters are matured and logical. They communicate well with each other. I love how the couple did not just fall in love. Their feelings developed gradually. I’ve seen a lot of CDrama and KDrama and by far, it has one of the BEST kissing scenes I’ve seen. The rawness in those kissing scenes makes you giddy because it feels so real.This drama is not perfect. The FL seems to have tons of vacation leaves and is allowed to leave work anytime she wants. Also, at the beginning the ML seems to have a secret crush with her female idol friend, but it was somehow forgotten. The ending was also a bit off that I wish I didn’t watch the last 5 minutes of the show. I heard it must be because of the censorship.
Overall it was great, specially the chemistry of the leads. Steven Zhang and Liang Jie are both amazing actors and their chemistry is in a different level.
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Pleasant Surprise - Good Catch
Started this without any expectations, and couldn't quite imagine Liang Jie with anyone else apart from XZL (The Eternal Love series) but this was a pleasant surprise.The chemistry between Liang Jie (FL) and Zhang Xin Cheng (ML) is top notch, and both leads nailed the body swap scenes perfectly. Many of the reviews mentioned how the ML played the body swap scenes really well, but I think we shouldn't forget to give the FL kudos too. It's apparent that both of them put in significant effort in mirroring each other's actions and behaviours so to make the swap believable — even to the slightest details such as non-verbal cues that we usually wouldn't pay attention to (from postures to expressions to even gestures).
The drama has a fair balance of scenes in their own bodies and body swap scenes, helping to build the relationship between the leads, as well as pacing the way for audiences to understand how the story progresses without being overwhelmed or underwhelmed. The story moves illogically-logically (I mean, it's a body swap after all), does not skip parts and it's easy to follow the process of it all.
Not forgetting to give a shoutout to the audio/sound for their amazing work. The sound effects in the drama definitely helped to add an extra twist and burst of flavour to the build up. Every episode of this show is so beautifully crafted together. It has a myriad of emotions and importantly, hilarious at all the right times!
Never too late to start this! Was never quite a fan of body swap dramas as there're so many areas that could be potential loopholes but this show has a good script and group of cast that have put in great work for it. Thumbs up!
The only downside of it is the last 10 minutes of the drama explaining the full story. This could be a miss, but otherwise apart from it, everything is A GOOD WATCH. I'd totally catch this again.
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