I'll admit that I was hesitant to pick this up because I didn't find the ML attractive. (I'm shallow, I know; shoot me.) I really like Janice Wu & have found the roles she chooses don't annoy me. Yes, that's my basic requirement for a FL these days, haha. I have a feeling she is just adorable irl & it transfers on the screen. Anyway--that's why I started watching. Why I KEPT watching was 1) the music 2) the MC's story arc & 3) Ztao. I was MORE than pleasantly surprised by Ztao's acting & general screen presence. His looks grew on me as well & in the end, I've changed my mind: he's attractive but more in a charismatic way rather than the usual "pretty" boy lead. I agree with another reviewer's gripe about him having too much make-up on, though. It was distracting until I stopped noticing it. His character development was so realistic & subtle. It definitely helped that Ztao is obviously a talented musician & was able to have much of that on display to add realism & dimension to his character throughout the drama. I will admit to searching out more of his music after watching this! :) His chemistry w/the FL was great & even though the romance started WAAAYYY too late for me, it was seamless & believable. Cute, too!

I LOVED that both Janice & Ztao were not dubbed. It really sold their chemistry for me. Unfortunately, it was obvious in some situations with other actors when the dubbed sections kicked in & there was a mis-match.

I do think this drama is too long at 44 episodes & a LOT of the side characters' stories were uninteresting to me. There were also unnecessarily over-dramatized scenes & weird culture references w/American hip hop that felt a little off as well. I will admit to skipping liberally through all other parts unrelated to the MC but I would recommend this drama JUST FOR THE MC & the music.