vylmen
Berlin, Germany
Too little depth, too much background noise
There is a lot of detail in the story, but it doesn't make for a lot of depth. Crucial parts are missing and the relationship between Qin Qing and Zu Yuolin is all background noise and an extremely distracting cacophony towards the end. Part of it is the acting of Yi Daqian - he's not up for a main lead yet and somewhere after a few episodes I suspect the writers tailored more to his style as it became a bit less annoying, but still he can't carry the role. And it makes the depth of the relationship unfounded and unbelievable. I think he can improve, he's just not there yet - he's still at the level he played in Eternal Love of Dream.
Who is ready for a lead role and I would've loved to see more of is Song Luo. I missed the arch in the U.S. and would've loved to see how she adjusted and if something would come of the friendship turning romance or not. Overall the females were more expressive, more vibrant and better in their acting. Dilireba, Zheng Shuijing and Zhu Yin are a pleasure to watch. The elder generation is just oozing acting experience, show for example by the way Zhou Younian supports his wife and also handles her stubbornness with flair and subtlety. It really feels like they've known each other for decades and even when mother Ruhui knows she's being handled by "Old Zhou", she can't help but let a smile of endearment escape her.
Don't kid yourself though. The mothers in this series are extremely overbearing and manipulative. Acted brilliantly, but still getting under your skin, making you bite your fingernails, plead at the screen and beg for them to gain some restriction.
But in the end it is the writing that lacks here. The main story arches could've been done in 24 episodes, maybe less. How it ended up at 51 (45 on DVD and streaming) is mainly because they started to write it as a soap opera. Which is all well and good, but then make a soap opera and don't postpone the ending of a finite series that everyone is waiting for. Writing fillers and product placements that are just far too obvious is not entertainment and I skipped over most of the issues that Qing Qin faces in episodes 38 and beyond cause it was just too hard to bear.
The animosity between Su Yushan and Song Lin is also underdeveloped. Sure - they are competitors, but the hate that Su Yushan displays is truly villain worthy, yet we don't have this big thing that happened between them. Maybe he overplayed his role or the writing just give him too many tools to be evil, but with very little response and background to be justified.
However, the parts that are good, are excellent and that's why it still ends up at a 5.5. Just be ready to skip entire arches if you don't find them interesting.
Who is ready for a lead role and I would've loved to see more of is Song Luo. I missed the arch in the U.S. and would've loved to see how she adjusted and if something would come of the friendship turning romance or not. Overall the females were more expressive, more vibrant and better in their acting. Dilireba, Zheng Shuijing and Zhu Yin are a pleasure to watch. The elder generation is just oozing acting experience, show for example by the way Zhou Younian supports his wife and also handles her stubbornness with flair and subtlety. It really feels like they've known each other for decades and even when mother Ruhui knows she's being handled by "Old Zhou", she can't help but let a smile of endearment escape her.
Don't kid yourself though. The mothers in this series are extremely overbearing and manipulative. Acted brilliantly, but still getting under your skin, making you bite your fingernails, plead at the screen and beg for them to gain some restriction.
But in the end it is the writing that lacks here. The main story arches could've been done in 24 episodes, maybe less. How it ended up at 51 (45 on DVD and streaming) is mainly because they started to write it as a soap opera. Which is all well and good, but then make a soap opera and don't postpone the ending of a finite series that everyone is waiting for. Writing fillers and product placements that are just far too obvious is not entertainment and I skipped over most of the issues that Qing Qin faces in episodes 38 and beyond cause it was just too hard to bear.
The animosity between Su Yushan and Song Lin is also underdeveloped. Sure - they are competitors, but the hate that Su Yushan displays is truly villain worthy, yet we don't have this big thing that happened between them. Maybe he overplayed his role or the writing just give him too many tools to be evil, but with very little response and background to be justified.
However, the parts that are good, are excellent and that's why it still ends up at a 5.5. Just be ready to skip entire arches if you don't find them interesting.
Was this review helpful to you?
