Jina
United States
strong start, great leads, good supporting cast, but ending seemed rushed.
Opinion for this drama will vary depending on if you've seen the original and the other adaptations. I have never watched the other adaptations and only vaguely remember the plot of the original. I did watch the original when it first came out and got about halfway through the series, but because of the wackiness and dragging drama, I stopped.
The only reason why I started this drama is because of the two main leads who are also the main couple in The Eternal Love series. I had just started The Eternal Love and learned that they were also in this drama, so I watched both alongside each other, and they are one of those perfect couples who fit so well together. Their visuals, their chemistry, their scenes--just perfect. (Their real voices too! Always appreciate it when cdrama actors get to use their real voices.)
The premise is an old one, of course, since it's an adaptation, but it's been modernized to fit the times. The absurdity of some scenes and characters from the original was toned down and so everything felt more logical and more realistic. For example, there's a scene when a character accidentally goes viral on the internet, making her into a meme, and revealing the truth about her situation. That part was hilarious but also too real in today's times where anything can go viral.
I love the main leads. I love Wang Xiyi. I think in the original, he was more of an asshole, but in this one, he felt like a realistic guy. I never felt like he was a complete douchy guy, but just a guy trying to deal with a complicated situation. From the very first episode, it's shown that he has a cold exterior, but is a pretty kind person on the inside. So, that made him so much more likeable in this version and made me care about him.
I love Cheng Jiaxin so much. She's a bit old fashion and has low self-esteem, but so kind and caring. She's a good person and her growth into a confident person, though painful, was very good to see.
Unfortunately, for the supporting characters, other than the family figures, I didn't care too much for the supporting characters like Dylan, Anna, Anson, and Liu Siqi.
The problem with Dylan, as much as I liked him as this gentleman type, is that he makes very little appearances and his backstory and his plotline is sidelined until the end. So, it felt lopsided. I was interested at first and then didn't care very much.
Anna: decent at first and I did feel bad for her, but of course, later on, she was just too much. And then barely faces the consequences of her actions, so. Really didn't care for her, sadly.
Anson and Liu Siqi: they're the funny side couple and I do enjoy that dynamic, but they felt a bit too extra. Anson felt too much like a comedian, especially, that it was too hard to take him seriously when he's in love. Liu Siqi was chill, but since her storyline was tied with Anson, I had a hard time caring.
These four characters seemed like they were just filling in the archetypes and the plots rather than being fleshed out characters.
The best side characters are the family figures like the grandmother, the aunt, the cousin, and, especially Cheng Jiaxin's mother. The true MVP is Jiaxin's mother. One of the best relationships on this show is Jiaxin and her mother. The portrayal of a mother and daughter, a parent and child, is so good and complex and just really well done. The grief, the ache, the love--it's all there and acted so well by both of them. Their scenes are some of the best on this show.
As some other reviewers had mentioned, the last maybe eight episodes start to get a bit clunky. So, my recommendation is to enjoy the beginning and middle of this drama and then when it starts to get annoying later on, just fast-forward.
Overall, I still enjoy this drama very much, a lot more than I thought I would since I typically don't watch modern dramas. I really loved the main leads and the familial members. I also appreciate all the the info about pregnancy because, truly, people don't think about how much of a toll it takes on the mother and how much support she needs. I'm so glad that this drama continously emphasized how important it is for a pregnant woman to have support and good health and didn't praise a father/husband who was only doing the minimal work. Fathers/husbands need to step UP!
The only reason why I started this drama is because of the two main leads who are also the main couple in The Eternal Love series. I had just started The Eternal Love and learned that they were also in this drama, so I watched both alongside each other, and they are one of those perfect couples who fit so well together. Their visuals, their chemistry, their scenes--just perfect. (Their real voices too! Always appreciate it when cdrama actors get to use their real voices.)
The premise is an old one, of course, since it's an adaptation, but it's been modernized to fit the times. The absurdity of some scenes and characters from the original was toned down and so everything felt more logical and more realistic. For example, there's a scene when a character accidentally goes viral on the internet, making her into a meme, and revealing the truth about her situation. That part was hilarious but also too real in today's times where anything can go viral.
I love the main leads. I love Wang Xiyi. I think in the original, he was more of an asshole, but in this one, he felt like a realistic guy. I never felt like he was a complete douchy guy, but just a guy trying to deal with a complicated situation. From the very first episode, it's shown that he has a cold exterior, but is a pretty kind person on the inside. So, that made him so much more likeable in this version and made me care about him.
I love Cheng Jiaxin so much. She's a bit old fashion and has low self-esteem, but so kind and caring. She's a good person and her growth into a confident person, though painful, was very good to see.
Unfortunately, for the supporting characters, other than the family figures, I didn't care too much for the supporting characters like Dylan, Anna, Anson, and Liu Siqi.
The problem with Dylan, as much as I liked him as this gentleman type, is that he makes very little appearances and his backstory and his plotline is sidelined until the end. So, it felt lopsided. I was interested at first and then didn't care very much.
Anna: decent at first and I did feel bad for her, but of course, later on, she was just too much. And then barely faces the consequences of her actions, so. Really didn't care for her, sadly.
Anson and Liu Siqi: they're the funny side couple and I do enjoy that dynamic, but they felt a bit too extra. Anson felt too much like a comedian, especially, that it was too hard to take him seriously when he's in love. Liu Siqi was chill, but since her storyline was tied with Anson, I had a hard time caring.
These four characters seemed like they were just filling in the archetypes and the plots rather than being fleshed out characters.
The best side characters are the family figures like the grandmother, the aunt, the cousin, and, especially Cheng Jiaxin's mother. The true MVP is Jiaxin's mother. One of the best relationships on this show is Jiaxin and her mother. The portrayal of a mother and daughter, a parent and child, is so good and complex and just really well done. The grief, the ache, the love--it's all there and acted so well by both of them. Their scenes are some of the best on this show.
As some other reviewers had mentioned, the last maybe eight episodes start to get a bit clunky. So, my recommendation is to enjoy the beginning and middle of this drama and then when it starts to get annoying later on, just fast-forward.
Overall, I still enjoy this drama very much, a lot more than I thought I would since I typically don't watch modern dramas. I really loved the main leads and the familial members. I also appreciate all the the info about pregnancy because, truly, people don't think about how much of a toll it takes on the mother and how much support she needs. I'm so glad that this drama continously emphasized how important it is for a pregnant woman to have support and good health and didn't praise a father/husband who was only doing the minimal work. Fathers/husbands need to step UP!
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