This review may contain spoilers
As you can probably see, this drama is one of my favorites, if not number one. I've seen this drama three times, and I enjoy it every time. I could probably watch it again, today, if I had nothing better to do. Sometimes, I watch the first few episodes just for the fun of it. When I feeling down, or when I'm feeling alone. This drama is the perfect representation of what true love is, and how it should be portrayed. Yes, romcoms and comedies are good, and fun and exciting during that moment, but this type of love... it may be acted, but it still is a goal of mine to have love like that, because even I know love like that does exist, even if that one is not real.
This drama really hit everything for me. I'll try to keep the fangirl inside of me down, and be logical and realistic without giving away spoilers or anything, but it really got everything. There were so many plot twists in this story, and a lot of them weren't very original, and yet... they worked. I mean, come on, popular boy rich boy and poor girl, cancer, memory loss, pregnancy... that's just the beginning. It's like, everything you've ever seen in a drama was thrown into this one, and it WORKED. I know, I can't believe it.
I cry so many times when I watch this drama, it's definitely a tear-jerker. It's a beautiful story, one that will pull at your heart and you won't be able to stop thinking about it.
The acting was phenomenal, I think it is very underrated. Vaness Wu gets a lot of harsh criticism for his 'over acting' but I don't think there was a lot of it. I really liked his 'over acting'. When he cried... oh. my. god. I really believed it. He actually looked like he was crying, and it actually looked painful. I don't know how to put it... he looked like how a guy WOULD cry. And Addy An, she get's a lot of harsh criticism for her under-acting. I agree that sometimes she looks expressionless, but I think it had more to do with the script. Not only that, but I wouldn't say she under acted. I could see it in her eyes, in her reactions, in everything she said. Her mannerisms and subtle expressions, that's what made her character. You need to pay attention to those, it isn't in her character to look so blatantly affected all the time. Mu Cheng gets all of my respect, even if shes fictional. To me, the acting was superb, and lets not forget little Xiao Le. God is that kid going to grow up to be a super star. His acting was absolutely perfect, especially for a child. He really pulled the story together throughout the last half. Some go as far as to say the story was only held together by him toward the end, but I wouldn't go that far. With or without him, I would have kept watching, but he is such a cute little guy. Someday he'd get so tired during shooting that his dad would have to be on site. Such a strong little boy.
The romance and chemistry between the Mu Cheng and Guan Xi is tangible. I can literally almost taste it, I can feel it. It's so beautiful, it touches my heart. I know this sounds cheesy and cliche, but really, you won't find more pure love in a drama than in this. If I didn't know any better, I would assume Vaness Wu and Addy An are in love. The chemistry was just out of this world. Love really does win out in the end, that's what this drama taught me. I have to say I learned a lot from it.
Also, the people you hate in this show you'll grow to love. Along with character development in the main characters, the side characters really developed too. The side-plots in this show were interesting, too, and I found myself just as engaged in them as I was the main couple/family.
The ending of this drama is my favorite. Not just the ending with MC and GX but with everyone. The ending of this drama is also one of the reasons this drama is #1 for me. There is closure, on everything. No loose plot ends, all side plots are tied up, no questions are left, not for me at least. Everything is happy, I'm actually content at the end. No worries, no complaints, just sadness that it's over. Very bitter-sweet.
I won't lie and say that this is an easy drama to watch. There's going to be a lot of painful moments and heart-wrenching scenes, but the good in the drama sky rockets it to the top. Even when you hate someone you didn't think you were going to hate, you understand what's happening, and why their doing what their doing. The love never dies, and even in the toughest moments in the drama, they give you little moments to nibble on while you're waiting. It's a brilliant story, and I will forever enjoy it and remember it. The music alone is beautiful, I have a few songs saved and listen to them frequently, even now. In fact, this is random but I have my itunes on shuffle and ironically 'Next Stop, Happiness' just came on. How funny, must be a sign. (;
If you're looking for a refreshing, pure love story with superb acting, tangible chemistry, and every plot twist you can imagine, this is for you! I will recommend this to any person interested in dramas for the rest of my life, hah! Hope this helped people, sorry if I wasn't as rational and logical as I planned. As you can tell, I'm a fan. I have never watched a drama more than I have this. Three times through the whole thing, not counting the many times I've just watched an episode here and there that I liked. Please watch!
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Not in the negative sense of the word, just the opposite. Watching it feels like reading a novel from centuries past, with all the tragic, the heart-wrench, the twist, the suspense and the sweetness of the most classic romantic literature. A friend compared it to a novel by Judith McNaught, and I tend to agree with her.
One of the things I appreciated the most about this drama is the speed with which the plot is set in motion and the pace established. By the end of episode 1, I was fatally hooked. This is not a show which promises the viewer something, only to drag unnecessary by the middle or loosing consistency and cohesion at some point. If you like the dishes you are presented with at first sight, you will love the whole meal to the end. And a truly romantic meal at that, full of passion and not the usual luke-warm, lovey-dovey chirping.
The acting performances are outstanding as a whole. I have read many complaining about Vanness Wu's broken accent, but since I don't speak Mandarin I didn't notice anything amiss. On the contrary, I felt with his character a lot more than any other in the show, possibly because he has to outshine the delivering with intense facial expressions. Ady An's character can stretch one's patience at times, but this only adds to the actress's skill to make it so. And the chemistry is palpable.
The child is a wonder, no addition needed.
My only complain lies in the editing. This is a general problem I have with Taiwanese dramas: too frequent commercial cuts, filled with those brief reprises in which flashes of scenes to come are shown over and over. Once the viewer is forewarned, I guess it can be overlooked, although I personally find it terribly annoying. The music falls under the same curse: it's very good, but played too often and at times it overpowers the dialogues. If I hadn't liked this story so much, I would have gone insane.
Overall, this is a drama I'm ready to recommend to everyone in search of true romance. It's a timeless story, which does not rely on trend, or shiny, perfectly made-up actors and glamorous outfits. Does it have cliches? Yes it has, quite a few even, but they are well blended into a solid script and a plot which will never get truly old.
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Everything in it, was a masterpiece, shining gold, with almost no flaws in it! it keeps you attached to it, wanting to know more, wanting to know what will happen, will they break up? Will she stay? you don't know, you have to watch it, and most of the times it will keep your jaw dropped, every time, my jaw would drop for a whole minute, functioning what had just happened, there were many situations, their endings, never even crossed my mind!
God what an amazing cast, and what made the drama even more and more amazing, was the story, how did they came up with this story? Wish there were even more points than a 10 here. The music, like a melody with each situation, fitted very very veeeerrry well! their acting was greaaaattttttttt and Xiao Le I am officially obsessed with him, how he smiles, the way he says Mu Cheng, ahhhhh I just wanna hug him =""""""""( also, his acting was astonishing comparing to his age, he's also sooo cute, and added to the drama a very large quantity of cuteness.
It's rewatching value is a definite 10, no matter how many time I'll watch it in the future, I don't think I'll ever be bored =D
Just a little advice, be sure to watch this drama when you have several days of freedom, cause believe me you'll be stuck with your laptop in these days till you watch the last minute of this drama, it just take you out of reality a bit, and enters you a world of drama, so much DRAMA by the way, and romance =""")))) Ahh they're so cute together
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The story is like a big WOW just incredible without anything wrong. The cast is just beautiful especially when the litte man joined in; he's so cute. Then the music is one of nicest chinese music that I've ever heard. I am not even into chinese language or music but I completely forgot about as I watched this dramas.
I finished it in three days non stop then I felt a blank when it ended because this drama was one of the fewest that kept me hooked up from the start until the end.
If you're looking for an outstanding story with great cast this is definitely what you've been looking for.
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It goes from being a typical drama in the first few chapters to something so much bigger than that afterwards. It is like an onion(Shrek, too much?), it has many layers and you only discover more the further you watch it.
It is a love story, a family story, a story about forgiveness, a story about being true to yourself and your feelings, but it is also a story about treason, about the two sides of the story, that not everything is what it seems at first sight.
The characters are really well written, each has a hidden depth that you see little by little. The drama pushes you to watch more for you to understand the story, it doesn't lays it out at simple sight like most dramas do.
I saw this when it came out in 2009 and I remember being super impatient all week waiting for the next chapter to air. Since then I've watched it two times. I have the OST on my computer, and the MV of the theme song.
Taiwanese dramas are always being underrated because of the acting, but anyone who watches this will be really impressed with it, and if I have to name my favorite actor, it definitely is the little boy, he's just so cute and adorable, yet mature.
If you are reading this is because either you haven´t watched it and you aren't sure if it's worth your time, or you have already watched it and want to see if anyone feels the same way about this drama that you do. If you are in the first category, let me tell you that yes, it is worth your time, this is a brilliant drama by any standard, and even if you don't like love stories (very unlikely because you watch dramas) you won't be able to deny that this is genius. And if you are in the second category, yes, I think like you, this is genius and it is one of my favourite dramas. If I had a flavor of the week of "sucker for romance dramas" this one would definitely would be in there. Either way, I hope you find this review helpful.
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The drama delivers on the story. The characters are interesting and even those we come to dislike are shown to have a different side to them.
Through most of the series, you feel sorry for the male lead, for what he goes through. But, in a gratifying sense, when he figures it all out, his reaction and the questions he asks are the very same ones that's been running in our mind until then.
The kid is very cute and has been used to obvious advantage throughout.
Another character that leaves an impression is that of Guang Xi's mother who is antagonistic from the beginning but gets a 180degree change in character later on.
The one problem I had with this drama is that I didn't like the character of the female lead for almost all of the drama. Most of the time, Mu Cheng acted like a damsel in distress, like she needed saving from someone or something. There was some level of sincerity to the character in the first part of the drama which is lost and I couldn't recover it in the latter half. I think all the lies and denial got to me.
The actors (save for the female lead for lack of expressions) are pretty good. The photogenic moments they show in the OST are beautiful but aren't really very significant moments in the drama itself.
The drama in all is very watchable for the situations and overall feel.
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This drama is one of those dramas that have a full ride story : It's the kind of storyline that's not common, it can sure give you another sense of entertainment and mixed up feelings.
The story was devided : before episode 6 and after episode 6 : it sure gave it another spirit with time passing by and all, even though there were some dramas like that but this one was diffrent, it had another concept that you feel like you've never seen it before.
The storyline development was amazing even the little things sounded very important.
The cast was perfect: i can't imagine a diffrent one, both lead actors were awesome not to forget the cute little child, he gave the drama another diffrent cute perspective. Even the supporting roles have made the drama much enjoyable.
I remember the music and i do believe that this drama is very rewatchable, at the matter of fact, i think about rewatching it sometime soon.
2)Subjective :
This drama is one of my favorite taiwanese dramas of all time ! I felt like i was in a great ride, going through all the details and amazing events withut a blink of an eye.
At every ep, i feel like i've waited for it forever and i keep expecting more and more from it.
All the romantic moments were enjoyable for me, wether it was at the beginning, in the middle or at the end.
I enjoyed the leads performance and i really liked the cute child and wanted to see him everywhere.
Autumn's Concerto is one of the dramas that i'm unable to forget not even the little details, because when i was watching it, i was really excited and felt all kind of feelings that the actors were delivering.
3)Overall :
This drama is recommandable to everyone specially romance lovers : It won't fail you expectations.
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The story is touching, and though the plot drags on a bit, its definitely a good watch.
And it helps that Van Ness Wu has a smoking hot body!
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This is a story like no other, it will always keep you guessing. If you are to watch it for the first time, do not see it with someone else who has, or just don't ask any questions about what is happening, try guessing and your friend's face will tell you what you DON'T want to hear. Unless you are with someone who can lie for your benefit.
This is a couple that every time I see the poster I get red almost immediatly. I love these two. Whether they end up together or not, is something you never know until THE VERY END of the drama.
I suggest you [reader] that you stop reading, head over dramafever.com or any other site that has it and watch the first episode. But now that I remember I suggest you DO NOT DO IT ON FINALS!!! I did that and I had to wait until I finish all of the episodes to start seriously working on my essays. My mother is rewatching it with me next to her, and I am easily distracted by that piece of pure hotness that is Ren Guxing Xi.
Good Luck and Happy watching! The BEST TAIWANESE DRAMA! And a bonus James Wen appears! He is my second Taiwanese husband (family joke) where VanWuss is my first!
^^
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This review may contain spoilers
Autumn's Concerto had all the hallmarks of an epic romance novel. Rich, larger than life hero, sweet innocent heroine, the adorable love child, scheming parents, the ever present love triangle, grandiose declarations of love ... yeah, the whole nine yards. It SHOULD have been wildly entertaining, the type of love story to sweep any and every romantic off their feet. Sadly, it just did not happen. Not for me. In fact, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more had it been a novel rather than this TV show.
The story had enormous potential, but fell apart under the weight of crappy, disjointed writing, dubious casting and uninspired direction. I can’t have much respect for a drama when things happen to suit the writers, rather than the circumstances they’ve placed their characters in. I can’t have much respect for a drama when things aren't consistent.
Couple a bad script with a not so great lead actor and you have a bit of a hot mess on your hands. I know I'm about to raise the ire of many a Vaness Wu fangirl, but I'm sorry, it has to be said: the brother cannot act. At least not in Autumn's Concerto he couldn't. There were times when he seemed really into his character and other times when he literally seemed to have lost the plot. He just did not embody that charismatic stage presence required to bring alive a larger than life character like Guang Xi. I also didn’t find him attractive enough so not even brownie points for being man candy could save him. Lead actress An Andy came across more natural and a lot more comfortable in her skin, however given the horrible material she had to work with her character didn’t amount to much. She had a good start, but not much later she morphed into a bland, uninteresting shell of what she could have been. She pretty much spent the entire drama after the first 6 episodes being frustratingly passive.
Thank goodness the supporting cast were decent. I liked President Fang even though she seemed to have ice running through her vains. She was an intriguing character who I felt strangely sympathetic toward even though I couldn’t tell why until the end. The villagers of Hua were a wild, hilarious bunch. I was particularly taken with second lead, Hua Tuo Ye. It was very easy to like this guy. You know the saying ‘what stays too long serves two masters’? Well, this pretty much sums up Guang Xi and Mu Cheng’s relationship to the point where Hua Tuo Ye started to look like the better catch simply because he was PRESENT in Mu Cheng’s life, taking on duties and responsibilities that should have been Guang Xi’s. Yet another indication of shoddy script development if your audience spends most of the drama wishing somebody else gets the girl. Last but not least there’s Guang Xi and Mu Cheng's son Xiao Le. The kid’s a show stopper. I loved him, but for a 5 yr old, little man sure had some ridiculously grown up lines and was too wise beyond his years. I didn’t buy an ounce of it. Another failure of the script? I think so. Lousy direction? Yupp!
Finally the music choices in this drama were atrocious. They played the grating, high pitched theme song literally every 10 seconds throughout the entire drama. When the theme song wasn’t on, random use of different genres of music were tossed in. There were a couple scenes covered with medieval tunes which had absolutely NO relevance to said scenes at all. I mean, WHAT??? Did an amateur compose the score?
And it doesn’t end there. Constant flashbacks (which slowed the story down to a snail’s pace), disruptive cut-ins to repeat a scene that just played or to show spoilery future scenes ran rampant. Imagine, just when you’re getting into story … BAM! You’re pulled right out of it by these ridiculous machinations.
I don't know what the producers were thinking. It had a great premise, but was executed with catastrophic results. While I was still able to enjoy it somewhat, watching this drama gave me a major headache. I can't give it more than a 6, and that's being quite generous, considering...
It's okay to watch Autumn's Concerto, if only for the few romantic scenes. One thing I did appreciate about this drama is that it showed intimacy between the characters quite realistically without compromising the virtue of the actors. The Koreans could learn a thing or two from Autumn's Concerto in that regard.
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The music is super catchy; they played it at the right emotional times and the songs make me emotional. The OST at the end is very cute as well.
I would rewatch some of it, but not the whole drama again. I would rewatch the scenes between the leads again because of their sizzling chemistry.
A definite watch if you like melodramas with poignant romance, with the factor of family (the little boy!)
**edit**
after watching this for the second time, and crying again (!), i came to appreciate this drama even more. It really is a classic, and one of the best dramas I've watched, especially since I hate super vindictive second leads, and this doesn't have that. I grew to like all the characters, even the cliche overbearing mom. The plot, though a "cliche" one, is one done right and all the elements are incorporated well. It's not too melodramatic, or too exaggerated. It's definitely lives up to the hype on MDL. If you're wavering on whether to watch this or not, watch it! (10/9)
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The plot was excellent, although I really wish both the female lead and the guy's mom would have just told the truth sooner than they did to make the story "easier", but then it would have been less realistic. This drama had a bit of second lead syndrome, aka where you want the girl to end up with the other guy, at parts but I liked how they resolved all the conflicts.
Acting of everyone was exceptional and I thought the little boy was super adorable and excellent in his role!! I will rewatch this someday and I highly recommend seeing this drama at least once.
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