cressela
This review may contain spoilers
<< Plot : 7.5/10 >>From the first few episodes, it appeared to be the typical clumsy damsel in distress who falls into misfortune and a smart, stoic yet charming prince charming waltzes into her life and coolly fixes all her issues. While the male lead, Han Che, does do a lot for the female lead, Nuan Nuan, Nuan Nuan actually grows a lot independently and a lot of credit to her growth should be given to her and pleasantly not the male lead.
It's quite refreshing to see the klutzy female lead have a storyline that allows her to grow and mature (because quite often, these cliche dramas leave it to the charming male lead to fix everything). Plot wise other than Nuan Nuan's growth in the fashion industry is pretty typical. Nuan Nuan loses her final chance at debuting as an idol due to Han Che misinterpreting his savior as Nuan Nuan's groupmate, Lin Jia Yi. He soon finds out that he repaid the favor to the wrong person and is determined to pay it back to Nuan Nuan by assisting her when she decides to pursue her fashion passion. As expected, Nuan Nuan and Han Che become close as they spend more and more time together and they eventually fall for each other, but the truth about Han Che causing Nuan Nuan to not debut comes out and it puts a roadblock to their relationship. Like the stereotypical romance line goes, Nuan Nuan forgives Han Che and they get back together.
** On the side note, biggest thing that I'm not a fan of the two are probably the kissing scenes. Reminds me of a truck ramming into a wall during some scenes.
Aside from Nuan Nuan and Han Che, there is some plot focus on some side characters including Nuan Nuan's best friend (who is also Han Che's older sister), Han Xue and Gu Li, who happens to be Han Che's subordinate and a long time "di-di" friend of Han Che's. Drama "villain" Lin Jia Yi gets some attention as well, and also Han Chen who has long harbored romantic feelings for Nuan Nuan.
Overall, the plot is cheesy and predictable, but that's what I signed up to watch. Brownie points awarded to the development story of Nuan Nuan.
<< Acting: 8/10 >>
I haven't watched much of Eleanor Lee, but she's quite natural and adorable. I wish she had a better hairstyle and makeup throughout this series because the hot pink lipstick definitely was not a good pick. But style wise aside, she executed Nuan Nuan quite flawlessly -- the clumsiness, quirkiness, happiness, and cuteness were all done so in a non-cringey way. When she was upset, it felt realistic as well.
I watched the Meteor Garden remake and got used to Leon Leong as the smiley sunshine boy, so the stoic genius role of Han Che took some time to adjust to. Regrettably, I must say that LL is probably the weakest of the acting bunch and it's quite lucky his character is stiff...to match with his acting. Still, he isn't a seasoned actor and his portrayal of Han Che wasn't terrible, so I still look forward to seeing him grow in the future.
From the secondary cast, Li Min Jun's portrayal of the adorable Gu Li was my favorite. He's actually my favorite character in the drama and I thought he conveyed his puppy-like character quite well. His chemistry with the actress who played Han Xue was quite believable as well. Xiong Yu Ting reminds me of another idol/actress who I can't remember right now, but I definitely liked her spunky and bold character. Her friendship and loyalty to Nuan Nuan was sweet and I love the BFFs together -- especially in the beginning when they crashed Lin Jia Yu's birthday party.
Lin Jia Yi and Han Cheng served their roles as the "villains" or "obstacles" to the main leads quite well, though I have to argue that LJY was a lot more annoying than Han Cheng. For a while I actually quite pitied her losing her friends for the chance to pursue her dreams, but after her learning that Han Che and Nuan Nuan were an item and still trying to interfere made me realize that her selfish character hasn't grown at all. As for Han Cheng, I feel like he's more of an obstacle as a villain; I feel bad for him and his feelings for Nuan Nuan that aren't reciprocated. The respective actor and actress played their role decently well, a bit stiff at times, but not bad.
TLDR: If you're looking for a cliche romance drama that has a relatively strong female lead then this is the drama for you. Nuan Nuan's storyline has you rooting for her from the get go and I don't remember a time when I stopped rooting for her. Second lead's Han Xue and Gu Li's romance is also quite cute and you'll most likely also be rooting for Gu Li to get the girl. Overall, probably will not rewatch but this drama put Eleanor Lee and Li Min Jun on my to-look-out-for actor/actress list.
Was this review helpful to you?
Probably the best summary term for this drama though I already long discovered any Rain Lu drama is sweet and simple which I appreciate. Overall, for the story, if you can enjoy the nonsensical plot holes (AI's sweating, AI's eating, etc.) it's a light and fluffy drama.
Without going into too much detail, this drama has all your stereotypical tropes in this sort of drama but what I like is that the obstacles are overcome pretty quickly. What I don't appreciate is that the obstacles come in a never-ending cycle so even though if one issue is resolved, another one pops up right after. There's also a handful of corny but sweet moments in the drama that serves as a good compensation to this cycle of issues.
Acting wise, most of the cast seem to not have a lot of dramas under the belt but Rain Lu and Ao Rui Peng have an undeniable adorable chemistry with one another that was pleasant to watch (as their past drama together didn't seem to light any strong sparks). Both have adorable smiles and are visually compatible with each other and of course the cute height difference plays well.
Characters wise, Jackey's Bai Dong Chen was my favorite though I would say everyone aside from the ex-boyfriend and the ex's new girlfriend were tolerable/likable.
Overall, not something I will rewatch but this was a good break from all the serious dramas I was watching. Will definitely be hoping for another Rain Lu and Ao Rui Peng or even a Rain Lu and Jackey Zhu drama in the future as the actors/actresses all seem compatible with one another.
Would recommend as a good light watch but not for someone looking for an accurate portrayal of an AI bot.
Was this review helpful to you?
As hinted in the drama trailer, there is a love triangle involved, but it’s not your typical aggressive fight for the FL triangle. Instead, it’s a sweet and respectful love triangle and of course, where the second male lead is selfless with his feelings. Even though there is a strong display of a love triangle in the previews, I was surprised and delighted that the drama downplayed it so it wasn’t cringey or over the top — fitting for the overall style of the drama.
The main male and female leads are sort of destined to be together and the way he helps her grow is enough to make you support them. Also his small displays of jealousy is super cute and puts a smile to your face.
Acting isn’t anything spectacular but as most of the cast are rookies, that’s expected. Each character was portrayed well though and I’m anticipating some of their next dramas (especially 小雨!)
Probably won’t rewatch but it’s definitely a good one time watch if you’re in need of a sweet and simple drama!
Was this review helpful to you?
