6
54
3
virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
Not the best Sisterhood Drama
Completed - 2/14/2022 - 7.75 rounding up to 8.0
It’s hard for me not to compare “Crossroad Bistro” with other C-dramas that focus on female friendships and their experiences in life and romance. Compared to “Remembrance of Things Past” (excellent drama) and “Delicious Romance” (fun romantic comedy), “Crossroad Bistro” pales in comparison in the female friendship. This drama is more of a slice–of-life drama and it doesn’t hook me in right away like the other two dramas.
In ROTP and DR, the female characters have been friends since high school, or even earlier. They already have a very tight bond, and know each other very well. And because they know each other so well, their dialogues are meaningful and witty. However, in “Crossroad Bistro”, two women are cousins, two are friends from high school and one is not close to either of the 4 to begin with. There isn’t enough time in the drama to show us how their friendship evolves and develops for them to trust each other and venture into a business together. It doesn’t seem very believable to me. I am not saying that they have to be friends for years, but I do want the drama to show me more of this newfound sisterhood. Additionally, the 4 business owners do not have that much interaction with each other, aside from having meals at the bistro every so often. In the other two dramas, the women made you feel like you want to be friends with them, and you want to be a part of their special group. I do not feel this way in CR.
On a positive note, the acting all around is pretty good. Individually, I like and dislike some of the ladies, and that is probably due to their acting. I actually do not know any of the female leads aside from Drolman Suijun who’s in “The Rebel Princess” but I don’t remember her. I am more familiar with their romantic partners. I am a BIG fan of Wang Yang (“Because of Love”, “The Rebel”, “You are my Hero”, “Joy of Life”). I’ve seen Yang Xu Wen “Noble Aspirations 1&2”, “The Legend of the Condor Heroes“. There are also two surprising guest appearances as wel - a climber’s wife and a doctor’s son.
As characters go, the women all have pretty different personalities and career paths. In a way, that’s good as we get to see their different life experiences and choices they make. I think I might like You Shan Shan (CEO) the most, followed by Feng Xi (Bistro Manager). Bao Xue (Actress) is cute and fun in the beginning, but I feel annoyed towards the end when she’s acting a little childish. I feel a little meh about Si Meng (housewife) and really dislike Dai Xiao Yu (PR) As for the male characters, we get three really good guys that I don’t think the women deserve (except for Feng Xi) and two jerks. This is not a drama with lovable characters.
I really enjoy the music in this drama. There are a few nice songs and also musical scenes in the drama with live music playing. I’ve never seen the musical instrument that You Shan Shan plays (not sure what it’s called) but the sounds made were beautiful. Her jam session with the other artists is one of my favorite scenes.
Other Random Observations:
1. All the women in this drama are super skinny.
2. Zheng Ye Cheng looks cool, handsome and mature here - not the pale and baby-faced idol actor.
3. We have men who look like men and not young boys.
4. I want to see more of the developing romance between Feng Xi and Zhao He Nan. Everything happens too fast. This is the romance I look forward to the most.
5. I thought the Bistro serves only Chinese food - but they have steaks and sandwiches, too?
6. They really like to eat dumplings in this drama (being set in Beijing).
7. It’s very weird that the drama shows when it’s the last time the characters appear in the drama. It could be a minor spoiler if it happens in the middle of the show. And completely unnecessary when it’s the Epilog.
It’s hard for me not to compare “Crossroad Bistro” with other C-dramas that focus on female friendships and their experiences in life and romance. Compared to “Remembrance of Things Past” (excellent drama) and “Delicious Romance” (fun romantic comedy), “Crossroad Bistro” pales in comparison in the female friendship. This drama is more of a slice–of-life drama and it doesn’t hook me in right away like the other two dramas.
In ROTP and DR, the female characters have been friends since high school, or even earlier. They already have a very tight bond, and know each other very well. And because they know each other so well, their dialogues are meaningful and witty. However, in “Crossroad Bistro”, two women are cousins, two are friends from high school and one is not close to either of the 4 to begin with. There isn’t enough time in the drama to show us how their friendship evolves and develops for them to trust each other and venture into a business together. It doesn’t seem very believable to me. I am not saying that they have to be friends for years, but I do want the drama to show me more of this newfound sisterhood. Additionally, the 4 business owners do not have that much interaction with each other, aside from having meals at the bistro every so often. In the other two dramas, the women made you feel like you want to be friends with them, and you want to be a part of their special group. I do not feel this way in CR.
On a positive note, the acting all around is pretty good. Individually, I like and dislike some of the ladies, and that is probably due to their acting. I actually do not know any of the female leads aside from Drolman Suijun who’s in “The Rebel Princess” but I don’t remember her. I am more familiar with their romantic partners. I am a BIG fan of Wang Yang (“Because of Love”, “The Rebel”, “You are my Hero”, “Joy of Life”). I’ve seen Yang Xu Wen “Noble Aspirations 1&2”, “The Legend of the Condor Heroes“. There are also two surprising guest appearances as wel - a climber’s wife and a doctor’s son.
As characters go, the women all have pretty different personalities and career paths. In a way, that’s good as we get to see their different life experiences and choices they make. I think I might like You Shan Shan (CEO) the most, followed by Feng Xi (Bistro Manager). Bao Xue (Actress) is cute and fun in the beginning, but I feel annoyed towards the end when she’s acting a little childish. I feel a little meh about Si Meng (housewife) and really dislike Dai Xiao Yu (PR) As for the male characters, we get three really good guys that I don’t think the women deserve (except for Feng Xi) and two jerks. This is not a drama with lovable characters.
I really enjoy the music in this drama. There are a few nice songs and also musical scenes in the drama with live music playing. I’ve never seen the musical instrument that You Shan Shan plays (not sure what it’s called) but the sounds made were beautiful. Her jam session with the other artists is one of my favorite scenes.
Other Random Observations:
1. All the women in this drama are super skinny.
2. Zheng Ye Cheng looks cool, handsome and mature here - not the pale and baby-faced idol actor.
3. We have men who look like men and not young boys.
4. I want to see more of the developing romance between Feng Xi and Zhao He Nan. Everything happens too fast. This is the romance I look forward to the most.
5. I thought the Bistro serves only Chinese food - but they have steaks and sandwiches, too?
6. They really like to eat dumplings in this drama (being set in Beijing).
7. It’s very weird that the drama shows when it’s the last time the characters appear in the drama. It could be a minor spoiler if it happens in the middle of the show. And completely unnecessary when it’s the Epilog.
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