“As long as there's a lighthouse you'll never get lost.” Mom is an optimist. Even still, business has been bad and it's on a skid. Hopefully this new location near the lighthouse will turn things around for them. Speaking of lighthouses, not all are mere buildings: Some people guide us just as well.

ALTCFL is a 2019 release that is rated 8.2 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 36 40-minute episodes. It is well directed, written, and acted, and is, hands-down, the best Chinese modern-day feature I've seen, thus far. Simple and gentle piano playing supplements the scenes to soothing effect. The soft techno-pop theme song is good, but none of the soundtrack is Shazamable. Spotify does have the playlist. A project headed up by women, screenwriter Zhao Qian Qian is a force for good with A Love So Beautiful-7 (Korea already adapted it into a Kdrama), Put Your Head on My Shoulder-7.3, and The Love Equations to her credit. The director is Qi Xiao Hui of Consummation. Every element of the show is solid.

That doesn't mean it's blemish free. It has typical Chinese quirks, like when all the characters complain about the heat, yet they don't take off their jackets, smh. Kai’s father falls in the water. In Chinese entertainment, going into the water is treated as a threat of imminent death. Just swim with it as a representation of something traditional rather than an attempt at realism. Small inconsistencies like these can add up, but ALTCFL doesn't have many. What's probably the most subtly offensive is how, when Miao is in her ugly stage, her skin is darker. Asia is under a shared delusion that pale skin is most attractive. Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but just like a sunset is undeniably beautiful, so is a nicely copper-toned skin. For Asia, this isn't really a looks-based preference at all, though. It's an antiquated fashion based on a prideful perspective from the days when fair skin was associated with wealth. Field workers were the ones with the tanned skin. The important people were the pasty ones. Hey, Asia!! - Pasty isn't prettier than a lovely tan.

Lai Kuan Lin (Don't Disturb My Study) plays ML & human lighthouse, Liang You “Nian”. I've gotta admit he's delish - He's sorta perfect. Even his coach seems to have a crush on him. He's kind to kids. He was kind to Miao's sister when he happened upon her. When he says Miao’s name, he makes it sound scrumptious. Think his voice is a rich and woodsy bourbon? He was a pop star before he acted in anything. Call him Mr. Asia: He's Taiwanese, a K-pop star, and is now a Chinese actor. He's also a superb romantic ML. What they did nicely in My ID is Gangnam Beauty-7.5 they do even better here. He sincerely seems to find her cute when she's in her “ugly” stage. The viewer believes he's being drawn into her with his eyes doing the majority of the work. At times he seems more likeable than ice cream… or did I mean lickable? ;)

Zhao Jin Mai (Princess Royal, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love) plays the homely Xia Miao Miao. Her name sounds like “meow-meow”, but she's not a cat, she's a mouse. She's got awful teeth and even worse hair (it looks like a black scotchpad scrubber). She ain't Ugly Betty. UB is a cutie. One can tell Miao’s impy face is cute, but only barely. Miao struggles with math, but she is good at making doll clothes for her sister's enjoyment. (When mom finds out why her curtains keep getting shorter - they've been using the fabric - it's not Miao's happiest moment. Mom is scary.)

Alone at a new school, Miao is transfixed by Nian's beautiful presence. With her new house being on his route to school, they /always/ seem to run into eachother. He is /always/ kind. Miao is seatmates with the surly Lin “Kai” Tuo (Wang Run Ze from Amidst a Snowstorm of Love & Imagine Me Without You, who looks more Caucasus than Asian to me). Kai is particularly antagonistic towards his cousin, Nian. Gruff and often rude, he's got a “thing” for family members: It's love or hate. But even he isn't awful to our sweet mouse who gets into everything, everywhere. The prim He “Xin” (Chai Wei from Justice in the Dark) initially is awful to our mouse, but after a couple random acts of kindness and a couple other brave overtures. they become friends. Xin appears snobishly self-important at first, but she has a warm heart and she's true. Wang Yi Miao is the special topping on this confection as Miao's lifelong friend, Lin 'A Xia’. I'm jealous. I want an 'A Xia’ too. She doesn't get to shine until the summer before college. Mom has a sharp tongue. Dad is warm and quietly content to let mom take the lead but will step up when bravery is required. Miao's alot like dad. Little sister is a touch entitled and bratty but still endearing (she's alot like mom).

Soon, Miao starts to want more from life. She wants to do more, to be more. Like a mouse grabbing crumbs here and there and dedicatedly working the wheel, it all starts to add up to something more, something good. Our little mouse is too cute to be denied. In bangs she reminds me of actress Maisie Williams who plays Arya Stark. Like Arya's journey, this'll take awhile, though. Miao's teeth are even worse than her hair, and the viewer has to put up with them until the end of episode 4, when she finally gets braces. The braces don't come off until ep7. She still has dreadful hair, but she is a cutie-pie without a doubt. Ep7 also sees Nian going to college while the other 4, a year behind, go into grade 12.

ALTCFL is a superb romance. They slow-walk it, yet every moment is delightful. I had just finished watching Zhao Qian Qian's Put Your Head on My Shoulder which starts strong but falls off a tad in the second half. There, they drag out the romance in a frustrating way and don't seem to have enough content for all the episodes. In ALTCFL the director stretches it out perfectly. Nothing feels like filler. Nian excels at everything he does, afterall. So, when it comes to love, we shouldn't expect anything less.

Physical appearance is a theme. Many truths are parallel, being true all-around despite seeming opposite. “There are no ugly women in the world, just lazy ones,” Xin avows. ‘No matter how pretty a woman is, someone out there is tired of putting up with her $h!+,’ on the other hand, is a common saying. People love to complain about the privilege of beauty, but it seems that 90% of us are part of the problem. Going after a person merely for looks is as common as it is foolish, and it's the basis for that harsh cliche about pretty women. Drying up the deep-end, too many people treat beautiful people like collectible figures - shallowness begets shallowness. Be that as it may, we will never stop people from judging external appearance, and looks will never, not be a part of romantic attraction. Protesting it is like protesting the color of the sky. Wrongs, human foibles, and downright stupidity should be called out, but complaining and name-calling are rarely (if ever) the right tactic. Complaining is actually a communicable disease that attacks emotional health but will never change core designs - or innate flaws, if you will. It just drives them underground. You will never complain your way to the top. True, beautiful people have a great advantage in life, but most of us are average. The good news is that confidence is the sexiest thing, and true lasting beauty comes from within.

Too little focus on external appearance, on the flipside, is almost as imbalanced as too much. The physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual are the 4 legs of the table that is humanity. To be a fully developed human, a person should work on each of those aspects and derive pleasure from each as well. Humans, by nature, take everything too far - people aren't good at balance or moderation. I've noticed that many of my fellow nerds refuse to compromise, believing they shouldn't have to change a thing to fit in. That's choosing to believe a lie. We all need improvement, and most people should pay more attention to their physical appearance (even moreso, their health). Don't spend one moment feeling sorry for yourself, Miao teaches us. Just keep going forward. Keep picking up crumbs. Keep improving. Steadily pick up good habits. Life can get hectic and our busy schedules can be murder, but if all your energy is going into your job or being a mom then you aren't a wife or a completed woman. Try new looks: Try a new hairdo (it grows out, don't be scared) - accessorize - put on makeup, pick up healthy habits. If all your energy is going into work, or something worse (like sports or video games) then you aren't a husband or dad. One could even argue that there's a self-indulgent arrogance to neglecting one's appearance, especially if one is married. That person is saying that their mate is not worth the effort.

Don't want to put in the effort? That's a personal choice. Just accept the truth about the likely outcomes of your decisions. Don't carp because things align with the standard profile. “Just because I'm fat doesn't mean that I'm not aware of how society operates,” snaps the zaftig Xia. “I just have a big appetite.” Xia inhabits reality. She understands it. She understands that she must accept it as so. She's made her choice about who she is, what she's about and what she does, and she doesn't complain. She embraces life. She enjoys herself, and she elevates the lives of those around her. She will always be loved just the way she is. She's the healthiest person in the show and the one we all want to hang with. If one looks at a photo of the writer, Zhao Qian Qian, it's easy to imagine that she wrote herself into Xia. I'm a fan of Ms Zhao, so I'd like to think she did. My biggest criticism of the show is that in the second half, Xia devolves into a caricature of herself. She becomes a background eating machine as her character stutters and goes into neutral without continuing her arc. After building her character up, they left her half done.

Finally, don't be part of the problem. Awareness is the key. Attractive people are given more deference and generosity. That ain't fair. Try to ignore looks and treat everyone the same. Don't be the 10,000th person to make a height joke or ask about a scar, birthmark, or some other anomaly over which a person has no control. Can you imagine having to hear the same jokes and comments from everyone new that you meet? What a nightmare. Scripture talks about how when we help a stranger we might be helping angels, unawares. If angels do exist among us they probably do take on the appearance of street people more than movie stars. So be an angel and treat everyone with respect. You never know…

“You never know what the future holds.” The math teacher encourages Miao after she failed the exam. (Only one other student failed, and he's been absent since a serious accident). Her teacher wants her to keep plugging away. Don't give up. That's the theme: Stay on that wheel. Adjust. Try things. Maintain hope. Always be decent. Do your best. No quitting. Soon, YOU will be the lighthouse.


QUOTES?

This is learning. You learn because you don't know it.

Attitude is Altitude

〰? IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 8.3
Writing 8.5
Acting 8.2
Romance 8
Flutters 7
Art 7.5
Sound & music 7
Ending8.5

LEVELS
Warmth 7
Action 2
Laughs 3
Tears 2
Fright 2.5
Tension / Anxiety 3.5
Gore 0
Thought provocation 3.8
Snores 0

?8.3 ?8.5 ?8.2 ?8 ?7 ?7.5 ?/?7 ?8.5 ▪ ?7 ⚡2 ?3 ?2 ?2.5 ?3.5 ?0 ?3.8 ?0

Age 11+ This show can be appreciated by a wide age range of viewers.
There's nothing objectionable. There's little physical contact. The relationship progresses slowly. No kisses until the mid to late eps

Rated- Per IMDB it's TV-G: General Audience and per MDL it's TV-PG-13: Parents Cautioned

Re-?? Definitely

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

♥️ -
C: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
I Hear You ‘19 7.3, so cute but with many flaws
You are my destiny 6.8 ‘20 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K:
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

Period -
C: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

Fantasy
C: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

Japanese lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5