odetodramas
I enjoy this sort of drama, with an evil stepmother, business rivalries/power struggles, love triangles, etc, but it's so difficult to find one that's actually good from beginning to end and not overly frustrating. Initially I liked this so much that I was re-watching episodes while I waited for new episodes, but at around episode 25 I started to feel like the drama was unravelling, with a side plot thrown in that made you wonder who the heck thought it was a good idea! The ending was also really anti-climactic and unsatisfying.
I loved Li Yi Tong as Xia Ran Ran, who returns from abroad to take down her scheming stepmother while continuing her search for her missing mother. Xia Ran Ran is spoiled and impulsive, but also very upbeat and energetic. She reflects over her past actions, and I liked her relationship with Shao Ming Zhe because he helps her grow and learn. This is an age-gap romance, and I was never quite sure exactly how much older he was. (The one thing that bothered me was the timeline of his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, because she was in high school...) What won me over with their relationship is that they developed a friendship first and confided in each other about how they had been hurt in the past. They have great chemistry and I enjoyed their banter a lot, although at times I wished Xia Ran Ran could prove her ability without Shao Ming Zhe always helping her. I was only able to get through this drama because I liked them as a couple so much.
In the later portion of the drama, I couldn't stand that every single character learned a secret but left the person who it would hurt the most in the dark. When is that ever a good idea?! It felt like there was so much buildup for the moment this secret would finally be revealed, but when the moment came it was such a letdown because it was overshadowed by another storyline.
A big miss for this drama was Su Mo's character, because it felt like they couldn't decide what direction to go in. Sometimes the drama really made me hate her, but then it'd throw in a flashback that would make me sympathize and wish she and Xia Ran Ran could repair their broken friendship. These mixed signals from the writers ended up making her seem unlikable and untrustworthy, and her ending felt way too neat. Shao Ming Zhe's mother felt like an annoying, stereotypical character written just to set up some obstacles, and I wish there'd been more depth there. I didn't mind Peng Jing (the stepmother), because she was a formidable opponent for Xia Ran Ran, and her son was adorable - I wish there had been more scenes of Ran Ran and Chen Chen! Xia Ran Ran's father turned out to be more interesting than I expected, and his assistant Chen Luo was another potential love interest for Xia Ran Ran. I appreciated his character only because he made Shao Ming Zhe jealous, but otherwise Chen Luo was a pretty bland character.
This is definitely not the worst in the genre but prepare yourself with low expectations for the latter half.
I loved Li Yi Tong as Xia Ran Ran, who returns from abroad to take down her scheming stepmother while continuing her search for her missing mother. Xia Ran Ran is spoiled and impulsive, but also very upbeat and energetic. She reflects over her past actions, and I liked her relationship with Shao Ming Zhe because he helps her grow and learn. This is an age-gap romance, and I was never quite sure exactly how much older he was. (The one thing that bothered me was the timeline of his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, because she was in high school...) What won me over with their relationship is that they developed a friendship first and confided in each other about how they had been hurt in the past. They have great chemistry and I enjoyed their banter a lot, although at times I wished Xia Ran Ran could prove her ability without Shao Ming Zhe always helping her. I was only able to get through this drama because I liked them as a couple so much.
In the later portion of the drama, I couldn't stand that every single character learned a secret but left the person who it would hurt the most in the dark. When is that ever a good idea?! It felt like there was so much buildup for the moment this secret would finally be revealed, but when the moment came it was such a letdown because it was overshadowed by another storyline.
A big miss for this drama was Su Mo's character, because it felt like they couldn't decide what direction to go in. Sometimes the drama really made me hate her, but then it'd throw in a flashback that would make me sympathize and wish she and Xia Ran Ran could repair their broken friendship. These mixed signals from the writers ended up making her seem unlikable and untrustworthy, and her ending felt way too neat. Shao Ming Zhe's mother felt like an annoying, stereotypical character written just to set up some obstacles, and I wish there'd been more depth there. I didn't mind Peng Jing (the stepmother), because she was a formidable opponent for Xia Ran Ran, and her son was adorable - I wish there had been more scenes of Ran Ran and Chen Chen! Xia Ran Ran's father turned out to be more interesting than I expected, and his assistant Chen Luo was another potential love interest for Xia Ran Ran. I appreciated his character only because he made Shao Ming Zhe jealous, but otherwise Chen Luo was a pretty bland character.
This is definitely not the worst in the genre but prepare yourself with low expectations for the latter half.
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