anopinion
Pittsburgh, PA
I actually planned to write the review about a week ago when I started re-watching the drama, but quite a lot of things happened in the meanwhile, and it was especially shocking due to the timing.
To be frank, I don't think the plot is anything to shout about. If I were to poke holes in the story, I can probably write a lot as well. For one, there's the typical noble idiocy trope. Second, the drama is a little wishy-washy in the handling of the reconciliation. That said, the good thing is that the male lead isn't your typical rich asshole. He's someone who's genuinely kind and gentlemanly. In fact, he's perfect and the kind of guy you'll crush on in real life. The romance is also slow burn - the kind I like. Plus, the two leads had wonderful chemistry.
Godfrey Gao was perfectly cast since his background aligns well with the character. He's more than fluent in English and he looks the part too. On the other hand, it takes a while longer to get used to Jiao Jun Yan. She doesn't actually sound like someone who majored in English, but I don't know how fluent English major students are in China so I can't say. She also looks a little plain on first glance. However, I feel that Jiao Jun Yan carried the entire show with her acting. If you manage to get through the first few episodes, you'll definitely grow to love her.
Kudos to Godfrey for giving his best acting performance ever, but I would argue that it wasn't "difficult" for him because he is Li Chuan. It was great casting and they found a compatible actor for the role. Jiao Jun Yan was bloody impressive though as Xiao Qiu. I would say that she is probably the best female actor of her generation (85+ers) in China. At least, I can't think of anyone else off the top of my head. Surprisingly, this is actually quite a popular opinion on forums (hey, at least I know a good actor when I see one). She's not breathtakingly beautiful when she's expressionless, but she has a gorgeous smile and she's brilliant with her crying scenes. I was blown away in the scene where Li Chuan tore up their photo and threw the fingerprint ring away (in the trailer so not a spoiler). The way she cried, her gestures and how she gave a little stomp of feet when she demanded Li Chuan to retrieve the ring. I feel that it was a genuine reaction from a girl of her character's age. There are some raw moments here and there but I have never seen any other actress of her generation top her performance in this drama, and this was when she just graduated from acting school. The four fadans are really just serviceable at best. My hunch is that having her as an acting partner helped Godfrey quite a bit too, because he was never this good. On a side note, if anyone else is interested in seeing more of Jiao Jun Yan, I recommend Medical Examiner Dr. Qin.
The music was great as well. I love the opening theme and the two songs sung by Reno Wang. "Start Over" was a fantastic composition, while the two other songs tied in well with the plot. My only complaint will be that Reno Wang's lyrics sometimes made little sense, but I guess he's more of a songwriter anyway. I would say that this is one of the best Chinese drama OSTs.
Overall, I feel this was one of China's best attempts at melodrama. Well, in general they stink at making modern dramas. Chinese modern dramas are either too niche (political, family) and thus not palatable for international audience or too try-hard (e.g. Les Interpretes). This sort of brings you back to the 2000s where Korean melodramas were all the craze. To summarise the reasons why you need to watch the drama: 1. the romantic chemistry, 2. Jiao Jun Yan's wonderful performance, 3. Godfrey Gao (just look at him) and 4. the music.
To be frank, I don't think the plot is anything to shout about. If I were to poke holes in the story, I can probably write a lot as well. For one, there's the typical noble idiocy trope. Second, the drama is a little wishy-washy in the handling of the reconciliation. That said, the good thing is that the male lead isn't your typical rich asshole. He's someone who's genuinely kind and gentlemanly. In fact, he's perfect and the kind of guy you'll crush on in real life. The romance is also slow burn - the kind I like. Plus, the two leads had wonderful chemistry.
Godfrey Gao was perfectly cast since his background aligns well with the character. He's more than fluent in English and he looks the part too. On the other hand, it takes a while longer to get used to Jiao Jun Yan. She doesn't actually sound like someone who majored in English, but I don't know how fluent English major students are in China so I can't say. She also looks a little plain on first glance. However, I feel that Jiao Jun Yan carried the entire show with her acting. If you manage to get through the first few episodes, you'll definitely grow to love her.
Kudos to Godfrey for giving his best acting performance ever, but I would argue that it wasn't "difficult" for him because he is Li Chuan. It was great casting and they found a compatible actor for the role. Jiao Jun Yan was bloody impressive though as Xiao Qiu. I would say that she is probably the best female actor of her generation (85+ers) in China. At least, I can't think of anyone else off the top of my head. Surprisingly, this is actually quite a popular opinion on forums (hey, at least I know a good actor when I see one). She's not breathtakingly beautiful when she's expressionless, but she has a gorgeous smile and she's brilliant with her crying scenes. I was blown away in the scene where Li Chuan tore up their photo and threw the fingerprint ring away (in the trailer so not a spoiler). The way she cried, her gestures and how she gave a little stomp of feet when she demanded Li Chuan to retrieve the ring. I feel that it was a genuine reaction from a girl of her character's age. There are some raw moments here and there but I have never seen any other actress of her generation top her performance in this drama, and this was when she just graduated from acting school. The four fadans are really just serviceable at best. My hunch is that having her as an acting partner helped Godfrey quite a bit too, because he was never this good. On a side note, if anyone else is interested in seeing more of Jiao Jun Yan, I recommend Medical Examiner Dr. Qin.
The music was great as well. I love the opening theme and the two songs sung by Reno Wang. "Start Over" was a fantastic composition, while the two other songs tied in well with the plot. My only complaint will be that Reno Wang's lyrics sometimes made little sense, but I guess he's more of a songwriter anyway. I would say that this is one of the best Chinese drama OSTs.
Overall, I feel this was one of China's best attempts at melodrama. Well, in general they stink at making modern dramas. Chinese modern dramas are either too niche (political, family) and thus not palatable for international audience or too try-hard (e.g. Les Interpretes). This sort of brings you back to the 2000s where Korean melodramas were all the craze. To summarise the reasons why you need to watch the drama: 1. the romantic chemistry, 2. Jiao Jun Yan's wonderful performance, 3. Godfrey Gao (just look at him) and 4. the music.
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