As Beautiful as You (2024)

The storyline is thoughtfully crafted, and the actors give strong performances

The details are carefully crafted and logical, capturing the characters' subtlety or innocence through even the smallest actions, which makes the overall structure quite coherent and well-aligned. Additionally, the character development is very reasonable and emotional, with the characters' maturity gradually and clearly shown through their later interactions.

The story is deeply moving, revolving around a pure love. The emotions while watching are largely positive, with very few moments that evoke negative feelings for the audience. The actors deliver strong performances, effectively portraying the characters' personalities. It’s a film worth watching again.

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Fill with small and big spoilers. So read at your own risk!

Xu Kai and Seven Tan of course here I came…. So far this is one the best mature business romance dramas this year. Mature ML & FL make the drama not so dramatic and problematic. But still it has unnecessary understanding & prolonged episodes… Haha…

Ok. Let’s talk about drama….

Story about Ji Xing (JX) & Han Ting (HT), university friends that separated & meet up later on. HT had feelings for JX since university days, but they were just acquaintances. On the day of their separation, HT had to go to Germany for study. He tried to reach out to JX to tell her about his situation, but because of the unfortunate turn of events, JX’s phone had been stolen so she never gets the info & always thinks HT just goes without saying goodbye.

Now, many years later, HT met JX again & all the feelings started to come back or should I say, never actually gone… HT & JX come across in their company, with HT as the investor in the company she works on. But like MDL told us, JX who was frustrated with unfair treatment in the company she works on decided to quit her job & start her own company together with her junior, Su Zhi Zhou. After circling around to look for investors for her company, JX finally accepted HT's offer to invest in her company.

Now, as usual, typical ML as investor & FL as the one he invests money in… HT teaches or ‘mentoring’ JX closely… And as MDL told us, with HT backing, JX’s entrepreneurial journey begins to gain momentum. And as HT & JX collaborate closely, their professional relationship starts to deepen, and of course in the end romance sparks fly.
But unfortunately even though HT has deep feelings for JX, he still can’t forget his identity as businessman & investor. One thing led to another, eventually that’s what caused misunderstandings between JX & HT. That in the end at one time made JX run away from HT & they broke up. Just to be reunited in the end… Haha…. Ok. That’s pretty much the story about JX & HT.

Now, the other side story…

JX has 3 best friends, Li Li, Tu Xiao Meng (XM) & Wei Qiu Zi (QZ). But in the drama it’s more about 2 of them, Lili & XM. Cause you can say QZ love story not crossed with HT & JX story.

1st Wei Qiu Zi (QZ). When JX separated from HT, she had a boyfriend, Shao Yi Chen (YC). When JX was about to start her company YC really saw the differences that cannot be crossed between JX & himself, so YC just broke up with JX. QZ, who turned out had long feelings for YC, began chasing & finally they ended up being together.

2nd Tu Xiao Meng (XM). XM is an online influencer & JX’s roommate. Lu Lin Jia (LJ) originally didn’t like XM, due to her bickering with LJ idol. But when they get closer, LJ finds out XM has her own charm & starts to fall for her. XM that thinks LJ as one of her friends never really thinks more about LJ as a man. But time goes by and so the friendship becomes closer & the feelings start to spark too… With the help of LJ’s mom, they finally end up together.

3rd Li Li. Lili is one of the top sales marketers. But because of one problem, she quit her job & later she decided to join JX’s company as their sales director. Su Zhi Zhou (ZZ) long admired Lili, but Lili is in a relationship with Xiao Yi Xiao (YX) & Lili thinks ZZ is still quite immature. So their relationship bloomed late.

Ok. That’s pretty much the story. Now let’s talk about what I like and don’t.

What I like:
+ The mature JX & HT. Although there’s some misunderstanding about HT’s intention for JX’s company, in the end JX understands about HT’s real intention for her company.
+ The communication between JX & HT. Once again, although there’s some misunderstanding between JX & HT, I really like how in the end JX communicates what she dislikes about HT’s behavior & intention. And how HT starts to fix what he lacks…
+ The growth of JX. We can watch how JX blooms to amazing women on our screen.
+ The growth of ZZ. At the beginning of the drama, ZZ was indeed not so ‘mature’, but when he took care of the business & when JX left he started his own maturity & till the end proved that he can be relied on.
+ Lili is a complex yet interesting woman. I really adore her when she can cut loose YX & later just treat him as a fellow businessman. She knows what she wants & she grabs it fully with her heart. & she proves herself as a worthy companion & true friend for JX.
+ Xiao Yi Xiao (YX). XY adores Lili & wants to be with her. But he is also a mature man that knows what he wants & not. & I really like him when he dares to tell Lili the truth about what he wants for their relationship.
+ Lu Lin Jia (LJ) is a childish man. But when he set his heart to the right place he bloomed & became a man that knew his responsibility. I love his relationship with his mom. His mom is also one adorable mom…
+ Shao Yi Chen (YC). Oh I adore him when he can let go of his ego, feeling & decided to break up with JX. He knows JX is not fit for his future & aside from how long his relationship & his own feelings with JX he dares to break up, that’s really adorable…
+ Wei Qiu Zi. She’s one good friend. Although she’s long crush on YC, she never really acts on it. Until YC & JX broke up. Although I’m sure many condemn her behavior. But for me, when you have a long crush (serious crush not just puppy love or admiration) with your best friend boyfriend & can wait calmly and not act anything harmful to your friend or their relationship. That’s something you have to admire.
+ Tang Song (TS) [Han Ting's assistant]. Oh this one very capable assistant. Not many in dramas have I seen an assistant as capable as TS. Usually, it’s either become friendly with ML or they just simply never told us the story. The assistant is sometimes just like an unimportant character in the background.

What I don’t like:
- JX is a childish woman sometimes. She ‘eats’ fully what Zeng Di (ZD) said & not trust HT in the end. But yeah I understand the manipulation that ZD did.
- ZD. UGH…. I hate that woman. She is one stupid woman that doesn't want to let her ambition & feelings for HT. She can’t even see one nice guy in front of her, although he already gives her his real intention.

Overall this is really one good business romance drama with many interesting characters to be told…

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“How to become an excellent business leader” courses

PLOT: Professional reunion in medical engineering of 2 former high school friends. He became CEO (& heir) of a huge group and investor, she is now a brilliant engineer and ends up creating a start-up. The ML guides her, helps her to become an entrepreneur. They face difficulties together, multiple rivalries, and their own mistakes too.

PROS:
+ A superb CL, with great chemistry. BUT they don't have enough screentime together :). The choice to focus on “how to become an excellent business leader” is certainly instructive, but quite boring.
+ The supporting cast is excellent, and some actors are really promising (particulary Zhou Da Wei & Tang Zhen Chao).
+ The story is well constructed, psychologically coherent. The parents are normal, reasonable (which is not always the case in dramas :). I really like the mother-son duo with the uncle and the great aunt.
+ Production is efficient, with no downtime. The images are beautiful and the framing is well done.
+ The OSTs are appropriate, without being memorable.

WHAT I LIKED LESS:
### There are too many characters and secondary stories which dilutes the narration => at times, the story loses its interest :(
### The FL3's character, streamer, is childish (including her outfits) and quite annoying.
### Seven's outfits correspond neither to her age nor to the minimum professional requirements (always in an ultra-short mini skirt or in shorts). This production's choice is very questionable!
### The scenes supposedly filmed in Germany are not very credible (pigeons, Bavarian waitress outfits and incomprehensible dialogues in German with a weird accent).

＼(〇_ｏ)／ Even more, in all C Drams, when scenes are supposed to be set in foreign countries, they just assume that everyone speaks fluent chinese (teacher, advisors, a lot of students, every business person ever,...) without needing a specialised translator.

=> Nice series for fans of Seven & Xu Kai (and I am one of them) but full of flaws and not addictive.

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PLOT: Retrouvailles professionnelles dans l’ingénierie médicale de 2 anciens camarades de lycée. Il est devenu CEO d'un énorme groupe et investisseur, elle est ingénieur (génial) et finit par créer une start-up. Le ML la guide, l'aide à devenir une entrepreneuse digne de ce nom. Ils font face ensemble aux difficultés, à de multiples rivalités, à leurs propres erreurs aussi.

PROS:
+ Un great CL, avec une belle alchimie. MAIS ils n'ont pas assez de screentime together :) . Le focus sur "comment devenir une excellente dirigeante d'entreprise" est, certes instructif, mais assez lassant.
+ Les acteurs de soutien sont excellents, et certains sont très prometteurs (Zhou Da Wei & Tang Zhen Chao en particulier).
+ La story est bien construite, cohérente psychologiquement. Les parents sont normaux, raisonnables (ce qui n'est pas le cas dans toutes les séries :). J'aime beaucoup le duo mère-fils de l'oncle et de la grande tante.
+ La réalisation est efficace, sans temps mort. Les images sont belles et les cadrages bien travaillés.
+ Les OST sont adaptées, sans être mémorables.
+ Specail Episode très sympa.

WHAT I LIKED LESS:
### Trop trop de personnages et d'histoires secondaires ce qui délaye la narration => par moments, l'histoire perd de son intérêt :(
### Le personnage de la FL3, streameuse, est puéril (y compris ses tenues) et assez agaçant.
### Les outfits de Seven ne correspondent ni à son âge, ni aux exigences professionnelles minimales (tjs en mini jupe ultra courte ou en short). Ce choix du producteur est très discutable !
### Les parties supposées tournées en Allemagne, ne sont pas très crédibles (des pigeons, des tenues de serveuses bavaroises et des dialogues en allemand incompréhensibles).

=> Série sympa pour les fans de Seven & Xu Kai (dont je fais partie) mais bourrée de défauts et non addictive.

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The best rom-com of 2024

This drama is one of the best dramas of 2024 till now. Although the story line might look a bit common. However the acting of the leads, the direction, the picturisation made the drama rewatchable and entertaining.

The way Ji Xing never gives up and fights for her dream is really commendable. Despite facing so much hardship she finally achieves her dream with a little help from Han Ting. The chemistry between both leads looked realistic.

The drama not only focuses on love but also on business and independency of a hardworking girl. All the actors have done tremendous job in playing their characters. No actor overacted in the drama.

Loved the bond between ji xing and her parents especially her mom. Without any doubts this drama definitely deserves 10/10 and can be watched end number of times.

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As Beautiful as you

Excellent drama. Great story. Love the chemistry between the leads. Xu Kai is doing a superb job so is Seven. It might give us a hint of how starting a business is in China. It is a romance drama with quite a few good secondary stories. This is definitely a good watch! Excellent drama. Great story. Love the chemistry between the leads. Xu Kai is doing a superb job so is Seven. It might give us a hint of how starting a business is in China. It is a romance drama with quite a few good secondary stories. This is definitely a good watch! Excellent drama. Great story. Love the chemistry between the leads. Xu Kai is doing a superb job so is Seven. It might give us a hint of how starting a business is in China. It is a romance drama with quite a few good secondary stories. This is definitely a good watch!

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Strong female lead, entertaining and emotional

I started watching the drama yesterday and watched 10 episodes in 2 days. It obviously catches my attention, and I could not wait for the next episodes and wished for them to come out sooner. Seven Tan has always delivered great performance and make all scenes believable. Her natural acting abilities lets you feel all the emotions she wants the audience to feel. All her crying scenes are believable and touching. They honestly made me cry with her as well. I truly enjoy the drama so far and looking forward every day to see the next episodes. I am also surprised to see XuKai's acting is pretty good in this drama. His other dramas have not left any deep impression for me especially when he always acts goofy/playboy in most of his dramas. I think his serious role in this drama suits him really well. Seven Tan and Xu Kai work really well together and they have great chemistry together. Not too impressed with the second male lead who was her boyfriend. It doesn't make sense for him to break up their relationship especially when they were together for 4 years. He should have known that the FL is very smart, ambitious and has a goal/dream to fulfill. It is also not realistic to see (from the preview) one of your best friend hooking up with your ex boyfriend no matter how much she likes him.

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Just leaving this here... good so far

I don't know what happened to MDL but the trolls have taken it over...

I was pretty nervous about the drama, from the fact that there would be a break-up to a possible love triangle, etc. I also worried it would fall into typical tropes.

It doesn't. So far, it's realistic. I like how the reason behind the break-up of the FL and her ex-boyfriend isn't something stupid.... it's pretty realistic. Sometimes, your ideologies about life and love just don't line up and I can see how realistically that's portrayed here. There's an authenticity to Seven's acting too. It's very genuine and very natural. There are a lot of obstacles to a person's life, and this drama doesn't really sugarcoat that, which is also nice.

It's pretty feel-good so far. I usually don't leave reviews until I'm done, but considering the number of haters lowering the show's rating, I decided this might be the move.

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EBAY": A Wonderful, Entertaining, and a Feel-Good Romance Drama

When it comes to the show "EBAY," I've checked it out based on the following criteria:

1. The Story: The blend of medical AI, business start-ups, friendship, and romance makes the story intriguing.
2. Screenplay and Storytelling: So far, there are no dragging or dull moments—the storytelling is well-executed.
3. Acting: The entire cast, especially the leads, delivers top-notch, natural performances.

The long wait for this show has been worth it. It consistently brings a smile to my face, and I eagerly anticipate each new installment. Interestingly, the small screen adaptation fills in some motivational gaps less visible in the novel. For one, it made the ML in the drama more human than the stern and more robotic kind in the novel. Kudos to all the artists, especially to my favorite Xu Kai, and creators who poured their heart and soul into this long-awaited modern romance entertainment piece. I agree with the saying that a happy heart sees and creates happiness all around. EBAY's artists and crew are all happy people who bring happiness to the viewers. Thank to you all!

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Timeless love

This Drama was the most creatively written drama I seen in such a long time. This was brilliantly written and produced. The characters was really good. It had its ups and downs for me but honestly I felt like I was watching my parents grow up. That's how connected I felt.

The ending episode 41 sigh.... it was the most breathtaking episode. The forgiveness card he had. He was so healthy yet, he knew he was going to pass away before her. I just couldn't stop crying. I held my partner tight. I just wanted to live life after this drama. We only get one chance. Meanwhile I'm watching this but in real life , mentally I was going through hell, thank you for creating this drama and being a contributing factor in my mental health healing. I know it's a drama but bravo ma and dad

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A rivetting love story that you should try watching!

If there ever was an unreliable MDL rating, it's for this drama. I have been stuck in a rut with being unable to enjoy dramas so had low expectations going into this and this drama just blew me away. 40 episodes were finished in no time.

What I enjoyed:
- Both characters had growth and developed with the passage of time. Unlike 80% of cdramas, the FL's actions were sensible and rational. She is very naive when it comes to business but is willing to learn and rely on herself to grow. I liked that the FL solved her own issues most of the time rather than being the damsel in distress. The ML also starts out cold and unfeeling but towards the end, he realises the value of love and sacrifice and learns how to communicate better to avoid misunderstandings.
- The wholesome and complete happy ending gave me butterflies. To find a love like that, is enviable. I thoroughly enjoyed the extra episode
- The leads had great chemistry and the plot was easy to follow and interesting that I was willing to watch 15 episodes of very little romance. I think even the SML at one point states the ML is filming a commercial drama rather than romance and that cracked me up
- The second leads were not ALL boring. Unlike most cdramas, where I skip the second and third lead stories, I enjoyed LL's storyline and how she fell for someone who was not right for her and not willing to make room for her in his life. She also learns and grows and accepts someone who has been patiently loving her all along. That was a nice cherry on top of the main leads' storyline.
[Slight spoiler below]
-Their breakup was believable and realistic. Their values, and perspectives differed quite a bit and the relationship was not ready to be tested like that. The FL did not forgive him right away and the ML had to grovel and ask for forgiveness multiple times before she returned to him. He learned to value her more and realised he couldn't be without her and she understood his actions better and reflected on how much he had done for her. Dramas that have no closure and unnecessary breakups annoy me but here it seemed like it was part of their growth and story. Without it, the drama would have lacked something and their love would have been less believable.

Did not enjoy as much:
- I skipped past the third leads story (the influencer friend and the bar owner as well as the grand aunt). It didn't add much to the story and I found it quite boring
- The ML rubbed me off the wrong way in the beginning with the way he sometimes looked down on the FL because he thinks she's clueless and will fail in her business. Ultimately I moved past it because he learned to behave better over time and it was part of his cold and business-like demeanor with everyone.
- The second male lead inserted after the breakup (in Germany) was unnecessary. They could have resolved issues without the jealousy aspect.

Overall, this drama took me along on a journey and I'm more of a fan of the main leads than before. This drama had continuity, chemistry, character development and a very satisfying ending.

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