The Rational Life (2021)

My fav FL ever.

I have watched so many k and c dramas and finally have found the gem of FL. She was mature, consistent , inspiring and believable character played brilliantly all the way till the last min! Disclaimer: I really didn’t expect to root for her this much!!

The story and tough topics are handled really well!
It’s obviously not perfect as I found the ML a tad bit too perfect . The actor was great in portraying and made him believable enough. I actually watched this out of curiosity because I watched another show of his( yeah.. the fairy/devil drama …😅) their relation was really beautiful throughout all stages.

I like this kind of story ( older career driven FL ‘find yourself’ is another one for ex) as it’s usually full of atypical challenges compared to your classic rom com of immature couple leads.. this is the kind of story with character depth and development that sets off beautifully. It also doesn’t skip in the relationship buildup that makes us root for the main characters.

The critical scene where the relationship of the main characters evolve is memorable and so well done !

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Interesting topic

Lots of food for thoughts in this series.
Love the part when she explains she was able to buy an appartement because she didn’t spend all her money on luxury goods or when he explains his friends that you don’t need money to be happy, just love each other... Find it unbelievable that you can bring a partner to a social gathering and leave her alone at the bar... Hope the kind of series will continue to set higher expectations for Chinese male...
A little “over” acting specially at the beginning, long dumb staring, I prefer when emotion are lighter and more natural, but I love the 2 main leads, we want more series with DD! 王鹤棣！
Sounds like some music is from Meteor garden Taiwan version, let me know if you recognize the theme.
Happy to learn more vocabulary about new energy vehicle.
Looking forward to know the end...

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Absolutely nothing special

Typical plot with predicable dialogue.

Start of the drama I already can see that there will be too many disgusting characters
Office male butt
Overbearing mom you can skip all her lines right away

I am not sure how realistic this is but the office male dominating environment with frequent sexist comments as the norm seems excessive?
Overbearing mom w/ too many lines
The ex insulting her age and income status yet comes back to assume his act can be forgiven?
She gets wrongfully terminated and she doesn't fight back
This is all within the first 3 ep and with zero comedic side kicks aka supporting characters.

What's good about this drama?
Actress - she's 40+ looks 30!! She played her character well just that the script was terrible

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Unexpected Gem!!! Don't miss it.

কয়েক দিন আগের কথা, নেটফ্লিক্সে ঢুকতেই সাজেশনে এলো The Rational Life ড্রামাটা। নেটফ্লিক্সের সাজেশন সাধারণত আমি ফলো করি না। তারপরেও কি মনে করে যেন প্লে করলাম ড্রামাটা। তবে প্রথম এপিসোড না, এপিসোড নাম্বার ৩৫, সর্বশেষ এপিসোড। টার্গেটটা ছিলো এমন যে যদি ফিনিশিং ভাল্লাগে তাইলে পুরাটা দেখবো, নতুবা বাদ! ৩৫ নাম্বার এপিসোড প্লে করতেই একটা কাপলের লাইফ সম্পর্কে সিরিয়াস কথাবার্তা, জেনারেশন গ্যাপ সম্পর্কে তাদের বাবা-মাকে বোঝানো- আগের জেনারেশন কি চাইতো আর আমাদের বর্তমান জেনারেশন কি চায়, তারপর স্ট্রাগল শেষে নায়কের সফলতা আর হ্যাপি এন্ডিং দেখে বুঝলাম যে কিছুই বুঝি নাই আসলে! আরো কিছু এপিসোড দেখা লাগবে। তবে একটা বিষয়ে নিশ্চিত ছিলাম যে হ্যাপি এন্ডিং ড্রামা মানেই এটা আমার টাইপের ড্রামা!! তারপর ৩০ থেকে ৩৪ নাম্বার এপিসোড দেখলাম, মজা লাগলো। এরপর ২৫ থেকে ২৯ নাম্বার এপিসোড দেখলাম, আরো মজা লাগলো এবং মনে হলো যে এভাবে দেখাটা আসলে উচিত হচ্ছে না! তাই এবার ১ থেকে ২৪ নাম্বার এপিসোড এবং ইউটিউবে সাব ছাড়া ৩ টা এক্সটেন্ডেড এপিসোড দেখে ড্রামা শেষ করলাম! অড না ব্যাপারটা? হ্যাঁ, আমিও জীবনে প্রথম এইভাবে কোন ড্রামা দেখলাম!!
ড্রামাটা আমার কেমন লেগেছে - যদি এই প্রশ্নের উত্তর দিতে যাই তাহলে বলবো, খুব বেশি প্যাঁচ-গোছ নাই এবং হ্যাপি এন্ডিং ড্রামা মানেই আমার টাইপের ড্রামা। এই ধরণের যে কোন কিছুই আমার ভাল্লাগে। আর ড্রামাটা আপনারা দেখবেন কিনা - যদি এই প্রশ্নের উত্তর দিতে যাই তাহলে আমাকে বেশ কয়েকটা পয়েন্টে কথা বলতে হবে! পড়ার ধৈর্য আছে তো? চলুন তাহলে শুরু করি!
১/ আপনার যদি রিয়েলিস্টিক রিলেশানশীপ টাইপের ড্রামা ভালো লাগে তবে এই ড্রামা আপনার অবশ্যই ভালো লাগবে। রিয়েলিস্টিক রিলেশানশীপ বলতে আমি শুধু নায়ক-নায়িকার সম্পর্কের ব্যাপারটা বুঝাই নি। এখানে বস-কর্মচারীর সম্পর্ক, অফিস পলিটিক্স, বন্ধুত্ব, মা-বাবার সাথে সন্তানের সম্পর্ক, জেনারেশান গ্যাপের সাথে সাথে ধ্যান-ধারণা, মূল্যবোধ-মতবাদের পার্থক্য, সামাজিক বিধি নিষেধ সবকিছুই এর অন্তর্ভুক্ত। পুরো ড্রামা জুড়ে নায়িকার বেশ কয়েকজন প্রেমিক/প্রাণিপ্রার্থীর দেখা পাবেন, এটা কিছুটা এনয়িং মনে হতে পারে শুরুতে। কিন্তু আপনি যদি তার অবস্থান থেকে বিবেচনা করেন তাহলে সেটাকে আর খুব একটা বিরক্তিকর লাগবে না। তোমাকে ছাড়া বাঁচবো না, তোমার জন্য জান দিয়ে দেবো টাইপের রোমান্স নেই এখানে। সবই একদম রিয়েলিস্টিক। মেইন সেকেন্ড লিডকে এরোগেন্ট আর ওভার-কনফিডেন্ট মনে হবে আপনার খানিকটা। কিন্তু তাকেও জাজ করার আগে তার পজিশনটা দেখে নিতে হবে আপনাকে। তখন মনে হবে- না, ঠিকই আছে, সে এমনটা না হলেই বরং বেমানান হতো!
২/ স্ট্রং, ম্যাচিউরড ফিমেল লিড আর সুপার সাপোর্টিভ, কেয়ারিং মেইল লিড যদি আপনার পছন্দ হয়, তবে এই ড্রামা মিস দেয়াটা উচিত হবে না আপনার।
৩/ দুই মেইন লিডের বয়সের পার্থক্য অনেক বেশি, প্রায় ১২ বছর। কিন্তু রিলেশানশীপের মাঝে কোন ডমিনেশান দেখবেন না আপনি। দুজনের আন্ডারস্ট্যান্ডিংটা বেশ জোস। দুজনই দুজনকে বেশ ভালো বুঝে। যদি ম্যাচিউর রিলেশান বেইজড ড্রামার ভক্ত হন, তবে এই ড্রামা আমি অবশ্যই সাজেস্ট করবো।
৪/ ‘লাভ এট ফার্স্ট সাইট’ জাতীয় জিনিস দেখে দেখে যদি বিরক্ত হয়ে যান তবে আপনার জন্যই এই ড্রামা। এই ড্রামা দেখতে বসলে বুঝতে পারবেন কিভাবে ধীরে ধীরে একটা মানুষের প্রতি অন্য একটা মানুষের এফেকশান গ্রো করে। এবং একটা সময় আপনি নিজেই ঠোঁটের কোণায় হাসি ফুটিয়ে বলবেন- জাস্ট কিস নাআআআ…!!!
৫/ থার্ড পার্টির কারণে ব্রেকাপ, মিস-আন্ডারেস্ট্যান্ডিং, ফিলিংস নিয়ে কনফিউশন, জাজমেন্টাল আর কাওয়ার্ড ফিমেল লিড, উপরে কোল্ড আর এরোগেন্ট কিন্তু ভিতরে কেয়ারিং মেইল লিড - এসব দেখতে দেখতে যদি বিরক্ত হয়ে যান এবং এসবের বাইরে কিছু খোঁজেন তবে আপনার জন্যই এই ড্রামা। এখানে এই জাতীয় কোন ফেইক ইমোশন নেই।
সর্বোপরি আমার সাজেশান থাকবে, আপনি যদি ফ্রেন্ডশীপ, রোমান্স সমৃদ্ধ রিয়েলিস্টিক কোন লাইট ড্রামা খুঁজেন তাহলে এক্ষুণি বসে যান The Rational Life নিয়ে। তবে ড্রামায় প্রচুর কিস সিন আর বেড সিন খুঁজলে খানিকটা হতাশ হতে হবে! এখানে ঐসব তেমন নেই!
ড্রামায় আমার সবচেয়ে ফেভারিট সিন হচ্ছে নায়ক যখন নায়িকার মা-কে তাদের রিলেশানের ব্যাপারে কনভিন্স করানোর জন্য বলে- "You've never asked me why I like her. I like her because of how special she is. Her ability and strength, everyone can see that side of her. But her cuteness and softness, only I can see that." উফ! চোখে পানি এনে দেয়া সিন!
অফটপিকঃ ড্রামায় নায়িকার বয়স ৩৪, আর নায়কের ২২। নায়কের বয়স বাস্তবেও ২২ কিন্তু নায়িকার বয়স বাস্তবে ৪২!!! বিশাল টাশকি খাইছি এটা দেখে! ৪২ বছরেও নায়িকারে এত কিউট লাগে যে ৩০+ ও মনে হয় না!!!

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Karma is a bitch... but the romance is slow burn

Production and acting were very well done. Costume and styles were fantastic- very modern and chic and Qi Lan pulled it off. Dylan Wang- much better than Meteor Garden.

This drama focused more on the strong, independent woman having to deal with manipulative and backstabbing superiors as well as office politics. So it’s catered towards a more matured audience. But in the end, like I said- karma’s a bitch! ;) The romance and chemistry was somewhat lacking for me, their kissing scenes were disappointing too lol.

Best character was Qi Xiao’s mum! That woman was not only supportive, she was SO WISE, and the pearls of wisdom given to her son and thereafter to Shen Ruoxin’s mum was spot on! Kudos to the writers for that gem! I also particularly liked the part where both leads were explaining to Shen Rouxin’s mum why they liked each other. Their words were so poetic and meaningful.

I did however SKIP A LOT! Yes unfortunately, because it was boring and predictable. It got really draggy somewhere between episodes 10-21... then it picked up again. Side characters had depth in their relationships, but I just found it dull. If you’re into romance and chemistry, don’t bother with this one. He only confessed his love in episode 27!! Hahaha.... slow burn romance. After that also not much action lol. :):)

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I would not have finished this drama if not for the fast-forwarded button. Nothing but the main couple was worth my time. The secondary couples were so bland and boring, and I could even care less about their individual lives. The only other aspect that I did watch besides the romance of the main CP was the office politics. I was rooting for Ruo Xin to get her comeuppance and well-deserved executive position. The only other character besides the main couple who I liked was Qi Xiao's mother. Compared to Ruo Xin's mother (the stereotypical Asian mom), Li Ting is a breath of sunshine in terms of mothers in Chinese-drama land. I was also excited about the arrival of Xu Ming Jie, not in terms of a rival suitor, but as an intuitive and supportive boss who wants to see Ruo Xin's career flourish despite being rejected.

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Very Relatable

I like the story but it was a little to long. I know that the question about an older women and a younger man and the issue with her mother. Her mother seem to want women to be independent and learn to live with out a support of a men but then she is old fashion and wants her daughter to have a wealthy husband and older then her daughter. The mother contradicts her self thru out the whole drama. As old as the female lead is, she is insecure and not confident enough. But the lead male helps her to be confident and secure and that is why he fall in love with her and she with him. He show her that a men can be caring, supportive, and loving. I like the supportive women characters also who help her succeed but not the characters who bring her down and make her in secure. That is what her mothers contradiction makes her to be. The lead female is strong and picks a strong career as a lawyer but when her job choice is not up to her mother stander and her mother is not proud of the job she choose, she becomes insecure and not confident of herself. This is something that many of us women know how it feel and understand. I enjoy the ending. The actors performance was great and the story was good.

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A Good Slow-Burn Slice of Life Drama which Shows the Outdated Mindset if the Society

This drama is a great series. I know that a lot of people found the romance to be too slow, which is understandable, but it's still realisitc, given their age gap in which the woman is much much older than the man. This drama is a lot about life: the hardships women face, struggles to look for a job, marital problems which include casual chauvinism and negligence, pressure to have kids and most importantly, the pressure of a single thirty-something woman to get married (what the female protagonist faces in the drama) and prejudices surfacing a May-December romance.

I binged it and finished it in 4-5 days ever since it released on Netflix. This drama is an interesting and mature outlook on the regressive mindset of the society. This is the first ever drama that I binged, as it kept me hooked. I may not relate to it now as I'm a teen, but I may, if I get older. It's still worth a watch. It has some funny moments too, but most of it is for flavour.

I find this drama very refreshing, seeing a strong, intelligent and older female lead, and a sweet, extremely supportive, mature, understanding but smart male lead. All of the actors performed very well here. I want to praise Qin Lan jiejie for of course, giving a great performance as Shen Ruoxin, who shined on her own and didn't need a man to help her, and also being a great mentor to Dylan Wang. And also, I want to praise Dylan for nailing this role, keeping in mind that Qi Xiao is very different from his actual personality, and that he had not training in acting and has 4 years of experience. It's very refreshing to see him shed his bad-boy image which was created in his Meteor Garden days, and I didn't even see a trace of Daoming Si in it! His acting is very natural here, and this is his best character so far. He was a delight to watch. Okay! Enough fangirling! Moving on further:

Despite the 19-year age gap, the leads had great chemistry, even before their characters were in a relationship, as they also made a great team when he was her assistant. I love that Shen Ruoxin and Qi Xiao had a mature relationship in which there was a great understanding between them. Qi Xiao was always there as emotional support for Shen Ruoxin whenever she was in trouble, and was also caring and protective of her, while also focussing on his own goals. I actually find this refreshing from the usual completely self-sacrificing characters he played (I've explained this in my feed), while also seeing an intelligent, strong, mature and ambitious female lead, quite contrary to the usual, dumb and childish FLs in CDramas. Apart from being ambitious, she was also calm and composed (another very refreshing thing about her). The romance developed slowly, and both the characters were well written: both of them had a mature as well as a childish side to them, and were always there for each other. That is important. And yes, Shen Ruoxin shined on her own ;)

My second favourite is the married couple: Song Ziyan and Zou Cheng. Their arc was also very interesting, because of their initial conflicts as their respective egos take place, to how they work on mending their relationship in which both of them compromised. This shows that marriage means being inclusive and considerate to each other's feelings, and also about self-respect. Great job Bao Wenjing and Kang Kang! *clap*

And apart from those two arcs, my favourite is the friendship shared by both Shen Ruoxin and Qi Xiao's mothers. Both of them are of opposite personalities: Mother Shen is a domineering and traditional woman (because of what she's experienced) who mostly takes control of her daughter's life and pressurises her to get married, while Mother Qi is a very sweet, caring, kind and a liberal woman who never interfered in her son's life. Unlike many comments here, I'm not hating Mother Shen, as she's also a good person, but her experiences made her like that. It's because of Qi Xiao's mom that Ruoxin's mom changes her outlook on life and her daughter.

I like that there was no typical love triangle and unnecessary scenes of the main leads trying to convince their parents about how serious they are (as said in one of the comments here)! And that Xu Mingjie never became a "villain" here (it would've been very disappointing otherwise)! These are also the refreshing things about this drama.

Props to the writers for making each and every scene realistic, and also writing all of the characters as humans and not making fairytale-like characters, and unnecessarily complicated plots which would have been an extremely cliched idol drama, while also making women the hero of their own lives, as all the women were portrayed strong, smart and capable. This is a great feminist drama. I recommend you to watch it if you want dramas that are not so frustratingly cliched. This is definitely a great watch.

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Too too long with few going on

The story is ok.


STORY - A tough, interesting woman struggling in a male society with the help of a caring and loving companion. He starts as her assistant and become in love with her and her support.
In between, the age gap problem, the conservative mother, a sort of love triangles, backstabbing attempts,etc.
There are also other 2 couples, both not so interesting, especially Qi Xiao roommate.
This is an interesting portrait of some of society problems, maybe is modern China also.

CAST - Most done a good job, particularly the main couple.

MUSIC - do not remember any song, so it was not interesting for me.

REWATCH - I will never rewatch mainly because of 2 things: the unnecessary length and the lack of awesome and memorable moments. Although I enjoyed watching

OVERALL - It was ok. The subject of electric cars and some of the issues like charging were interesting. The main couple was nice to see. The stories around the drum girl, motherhood, dependency, etc was ok. Even the fashion and design was not bad. But most of the themes were treated shallowly.

ENDING - I never understood the way these dramas are shot! During all the series we are conducted by the director, as if we were stupid to not understand the feelings or who or what the characters were thinking. And then, they deliver short endings, sometimes open endings or without the closure that I, at least, would like to see...

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Ruoxin is an inspiring character

The Rational Life (2021)

Likes
1. I loved Ruoxin as the main character. I thought she was very inspiring on how she was able to deal with office politics in a male dominated company, and how she is able to handle crises, and how she relied on her skills and efforts to climb the corporate ladder.
2. I also loved Qi Xiao, he was mature and can do anything. Cook, design jewelry, sweet, support Ruoxin. We also saw how he grew up and thrive in the office, starting from an assistant who just followed his boss to a competent one who can also make good decisions. I'm glad he was able to follow his dreams of being a designer.
3. I loved the story of Ziyan and her husband. They had a rocky marriage, i was almost sure that I hated her husband and wanted her to leave him, but i loved how they were able to talk through their issues and stay together.
4. I also liked Suyang and Sijie, they were so cute together, although there were times i wanted to get angry at Suyang, i'm glad he has Sijie by his side who didnt stop believing in him.

Dislikes
1. Ruoxin's voice is always so soft and calm even in urgent situations. She only raised her voice one time for the entire 35 episodes, even when she was angry, her voice was still soft.
2. All of the older guys in the office and her suitors were jerks except Xu Mingjie who was half a jerk.
3. Ruoxin's mom was so off, im not sure if it's the acting or the character. One day she will be sweet and kind, the next day she will scream at Ruoxin. Then another day she will cry and be scared. I didnt know what she wanted for Ruoxin and thought she was selfish.

I wonder where i can find the special episodes? Netflix does not have them.

Rating: 9/10

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Binge watchable on lazy weekends. Simple sweet well written drama.

I've been contemplating whether to watch the series as it contains 35 episodes (I don't really watch 35+ episodes drama sorry) but I'm hooked after watching the prologue. The writers did well on every episodes as each episodes ends with hook-able plot.

Their love story is very sweet and tender love. Each episodes really open my eyes on certain things in life. The drama also tackled all types of people (parents, children, boss, subordinates, friends) which voice out the unsaid topic in life. For this, I give 10/10 for the plot. There's almost no conflicts between the first lead couples and 2nd lead couple's story not outshining the first lead story but stand out on its own.

From casting perspective, I would say Dylan gave his 100% on his acting. All the emotions he portray as well received by the audience. All the pouting / lovesick / sly / goofiness is well acted. Qin Lan also did very well in portraying a strong woman character but vulnerable.

All in all, love this drama and hope to see writer-nim and the cast in another drama. The Rational Life Jaiyou!

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