Trick or Love (2023)

Main couple is fun in 1st half, but best romance is the second couple's in 2nd half.

Good for one watch. Fun premise and some interesting characters.

Very slow start but otherwise Ep 4-20 were great, Ep 21-29 were okay, and Ep 30-40 were mediocre. Despite the weaknesses, there was an addictive quality and always something that kept me binge-watching to the end, though I did fast-forward more and more in Ep 30-40.

Fun premise. A few unlikable characters that do have character and moral growth. Melodramatic in a mostly fun way. Had more of a soap opera feel in Ep 30-40.

The chemistry between the leads wasn't great. A lot of that had to do with the way Ling Cen was written and Eugenie Liu's portrayal. She was bland and flat. It was okay for the first half but in the second half, her character became irritating because there wasn't enough emotional depth to keep me invested in her character. It didn't help that I watched this immediately after Lost Romance in which Marcus Chang had fantastic chemistry with that female lead and that actress had great emotional and expression range.

The sister Jing Fan and Yu Quan were always awesome. Great characters, great acting, and good chemistry and romance. They were what I was most invested in for the 2nd half of the show. Loved them.

The girl's parents were well written. Their concern for their kids was well balanced with trying to respect and support their own decisions.

There were some positive messages about queer love too.

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With actors of this quality and an intriguing plot, this could have made a great series

For me, a new drama with Marcus Chang (as handsome as ever), it’s not to be missed!

Plot: the ML, CEO, harassed to get married by his grandmother, concludes a "fake boyfriend" contract with the FL, a girl who wants to save her bakery. The ML also does this contract to avenge his grandfather, robbed by the FL's grandfather.

PROS:
+ The FL is sufficiently androgynous to pass for a boy, but even the character is nice, she is stupid (no repartee, no proper thinking, etc.). It's super annoying!
+ CL2 is very funny in learning BL (｡◕‿◕｡)
+ Interesting and current discourse on homosexuality, love between genders.
+ In the 2nd part, the most coherent, the most realistic character, with the best thought out lines, is the sister!

** confession in episode 16. Get together in episode 22, then break-up (as usual)....
** the sister's stylist is talented, she is very elegant, but we can ask questions about the hair style of the men, Marcus Chang and his brother particulary :( :( and in the marriage proposal scene from Marcus, we wonder where the stylist bought his suit blah blah!

CONS:
- Some characters are not very credible and there is a lot of inconsistent behavior: hyper intrusive sister, FL who hides in the bathtub and gets up, mother who sees love everywhere, etc.
- The story gives the impression that Tapei is a village (the protagonists find so often themselves in the same places, the same stores, etc.). The coincidences are too obvious!!
- the mother's character has mental retardation, she acts and reacts like a capricious 10 year old child...
- the FL's family (including the FL) is naive and borders on stupidity, while the evil love rival, who wants to win the competition more than to be loved, is too well informed, always in the right place, super smart and cunning, etc.
- Another cliché of amnesia...
- The basis of the grudge between the 2 families makes no sense. FL's grandfather did nothing wrong...
- The story is poorly written and poorly told (the production is quite quick, but many characters are overplayed, with exaggerated facial expressions at every twist). The last narrative arc of the CL makes no sense: while the FL has already said that she has forgiven him, trusting the ex love rival to make the ML pay for his lies. is just stupid!

=> With actors of this quality and an intriguing plot, this could have made a great series. But it's ruined by a really poorly written story...
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Pour moi, un nouveau drama avec Marcus Chang (toujours aussi handsome), ça ne se rate pas !

Plot : le ML, CEO harcelé pour se marier par sa grand-mère, conclut un contrat de "fake boyfriend" avec la FL, fille qui veut sauver sa boulangerie. Le ML le fait aussi pour venger son grand-père, spolié par le grand-père de la FL.

PROS:
+ FL suffisamment androgyne pour passer pour un garçon, mais le personnage est gentil mais stupide (pas de répartie, pas de réflexion propre, etc.). C'est super agaçant !
+ Le CL2 est très drôle dans son apprentissage de la BL ( ｡◕‿◕｡ )
+ Discours intéressant et actuel sur l'homosexualité, l'amour entre les genres.
+ Dans la 2nde partie, le personnage le plus cohérent, le plus réaliste, avec les lignes les mieux pensées, c'est la sœur !
Rq : confession dans épisode 16. Get together in episode 22.
Rq 2 : la styliste de la sœur a du talent, celle-ci est très élégante, mais on peut se poser des questions sur le style capillaire des hommes, Marcus Chang et son frère :( :( et dans la scène de demande en mariage de Marcus, on se demande où le styliste a acheté le costume bof bof !

CONS:
- Certains personnages sont peu crédibles et il y a beaucoup beaucoup de comportements incohérents : sœur hyper intrusive, FL qui se cache dans la baignoire et se relève debout, , mère qui voit l'amour partout, etc.
- story qui donne l'impression que Tapei est un village (les protagonistes se retrouvent dans les mêmes lieux, les mêmes magasins, ..). Les coïncidences sont trop évidentes !!
- le personnage de la mère a un retard mental, elle agit et réagit comme un enfant capricieux de 10 ans ...
- la famille de la FL (y compris la FL) est d'une naïveté qui frise la stupidité, tandis que la evil love rival, qui veut plus gagner la compétition qu’être aimée, est trop bien informée, toujours au bon endroit, super intelligente et rusée, etc.
- Encore le cliché de l'amnésie...
- La base de la rancune entre les 2 familles n'a pas de sens. Le grand-père de la FL n'a rien fait de mal ...
- La story est mal écrite et mal racontée (la réalisation est assez rapide, mais beaucoup de personnages sont surjoués, avec des mimiques exagérées à chaque tournant). Le dernier arc narratif du CL n'a pas de sens : alors que la FL a déjà dit qu'elle lui avait pardonné, faire confiance à l'ex love rivale pour faire payer ses mensonges au ML . juste idiot !

=> Avec des acteurs de cette qualité et un plot intrigant, cela aurait pu faire une série géniale. Mais c'est gâché par une story vraiment mal écrite...

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