To Be A Better Man (2016)

I started -To Be a Better Man- totally unexpectedly and wow it was such a pleasant and unique experience, this is one of those rare dramas that made me go through various feelings as one minute it can be so funny and the next minute so heartwarming (touching). The strength of TBaBM definitely lies in its main characters (Lu Yuan, Jiang Lai and a few others) and its unique storytelling using flashbacks to narrate us Lu Yuan's past stories and the way he lived back then with his friend(s) and girlfriend , I have to admit they were very efficient and for once I didn't find them boring or redundant. This is really a charming drama.  I don't know how to describe it, it's way more than a drama, it's realistic, it's 100% Hilarious, actually I giggled from the beginning to the end, totally didn't imagine a Chinese drama could make me laugh that much and bring me so much entertainment, Lu Yuan's madness is really something to not miss, I saw a man who only wanted to make his relatives happy and for that he used the most unpredictable ways, I'm sure he didn't even realise he was being crazy and daring while doing all those things; also it's never overly dramatic so it was way easier for me to watch it, especially during the hard times I had these past few months. lastly I feel the need to say it's not a drama about food although our main protagonist is a (world) renowned chef, so in that aspect I was very pleased too as I'm not fond of this genre.
When I say this drama is crazy it's not an overstatement, Truly undefinable.


As I said above I didn't really expect anything from this drama indeed I did find the beginning a bit slow, the first 10 eps were good but something was missing for me to fully enjoy it, I was still curious about Lu Yuan and Jiang Lai and wanted to continue for them as I loved their interactions and their chemistry and found them so intriguing. Also I was very fascinated by the Ost, the colours and the cinematography : the reason why I continued and we can clearly see it's a high budget drama and they did so much effort which are very noticeable if we pay a close attention to every little detail. And slowly I fell in love with Lu Yuan and I think it's around ep 11 when Lu Yuan ordered a Wellington Steak in a restaurant that I realised I was already under his spell and I then I told myself '' this man has clearly nothing to lose, he is special and he has something that no other male leads have, he is strange, full of tricks, fearless and hilarious'' this instant I knew this drama had an offbeat feel and that it would suit my current mood.

This is a story about a man, Lu Yuan who lost everything in the United States and decides to come back to his motherland with his friend's ashes, he is then his friend's daughter guardian and has the duty to take care of her until she becomes an adult. We will follow each and every of his adventure in China, his reunion with his past friends (mostly his ex girlfriend) and his meeting with one enigmatic and fickle woman, Jiang Lai. It looks simple reading it like that but that's all what transported me for 42 eps.
Undeniably Lu Yuan was the highlight of the show and he was truly the only shining star for me though I loved Jiang Lai and Lau Tai Tai (Da Hai's mother) a lot. Lu Yuan is not a character he is more than that, simply too real and too charismatic to be unreal (in my world), that's how much I love and admire this man, we all need a Lu Yuan in our life to illuminate our days.
Of course I need to mention the gorgeous Jian Shu Ying, who completely stole my heart here with her beautiful smile, her mannerisms, capricious and lovely personality, simply I fell in love with her charisma, I think she has a peculiar beauty but all those traits make her so elegant and lovely. She made a great pair with our main actor Sun HongLei and I love every one of their scene together. Da Hai's mother was the sweetest and loveliest character in the drama, so caring, she's also the only one who made me cry here, some of her scenes are too powerful. Of course I loved the little cutie Xiao Cai who truly loves and admires Lu Yuan for who he is, never judging him and accepting him the way he is, without conditions. They both made me smile so much. I did like the other characters, Jia He could be very adorable and understanding but I didn't like how she always wanted to control Lu Yuan's life, she could easily become irritating at times. Don't have much to say about Jiang Haokun and Gan Jing, they clearly don't inspire me!

There are 42 eps but I can tell you that when I was already at the end I wish there were more waiting for me. ><


Now the Ost, I immediately fell in love with this music, I mean the first thing that attracted me in this drama is the opening so enchanting and beautiful, both musically and visually and it's the best I ever heard/seen. The songs and pieces of music here fitted perfectly with the atmosphere of the drama and were well chosen for certain scenes. I love the ending song "Lu Yuan" so so so much, aww.

I think this drama is definitely not for everyone, though it's very special to me and it means a lot as it brought me so many laughter and enjoyment. I'd recommend it more to people who are looking for mature, delirious, not typical and realistic stories though it has a bit of fantasy* (EDIT: eventhough* it felt weird and inappropriate at times it didn't bother me too much hence I change my 9.5 into a 10).
THIS DRAMA IS TERRIBLY UNDERRATED, hope it eventually gets the attention it deserves.

Last but not least I love this quote : "True love is actually very simple and plain, whenever I sit next to him just by the look in his eyes, the tone in his voice I feel strongly that we could both read each other's minds. Some people might never come across such a feeling." Lu Yuan truly deserves to be loved.

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After reading the synopsis i was expecting it to be culinary/cooking centered, but it's actually more of slice-of-life type of drama

Story was about self growth of the ML, his past love, and people around him.
The loveline wasn't necessarily the focus but it makes a big impact.

Like the other review said, one minute it can be so funny and the next minute so heartwarming.
Watching this feels like watching everyone grow in front of my eyes, their imperfections was relatable. The mental health part doesn't have a good closure which is realistic. Because even in real life not many people put care and actually look for treatment.

Everyone did great with their roles. But I'm really impressed with Guan Xiaotong, her portrayal of Peng Jia He was amazing.

I wish they did better with ML's look in the flashbacks scenes, instead making him look young they ended up making him look older.

i really like the outro song, I'd definitely listen to it from time to time

Overall whole story was pretty light, it kinda gets a bit slow and boring in the middle.
It's not really my favorite and not really the one that I'd rewatch. However I'm thoroughly enjoying watching it.

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I just finished To Be a Better Man. In my country it was released in increments of 6 episodes every weekend so I was able to binge this drama in small amounts at a time. This drama revolves around the meaning of love present and love past. It is a engaging and enigmatic drama that is both visually stimulating as well as emotionally stimulating. You will laugh, cry and have all the feels you can handle in 42 episodes. All of the actors are amazing. The OST is absolutely stunning. I am still in awe over this drama and this review is very lacking as compared to my other reviews but before you stop reading, just know that if you enjoy melo or if this is your first Chinese drama, do not be afraid of the length. Go for it. Just try it out. You will be in for a great surprise. Rewatch value is low for me because as usual, I dont rewatch dramas. Not even my very favorite ones. TBABM will tear your heart out and then sew it back up. Must watch. By the way, my kids even would hum the soundtrack ... its super catchy!

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TBABM is a drama emotionally charged.

Not only because it perfectly handled comic elements with melodramatic ones, but also and mainly because it completely blindside its viewers by drawing up a initial situation and characters that can seem very cliché or lacking of originality, but it's a wrong impression : TBABM is so much more than a cliché drama, it's not simply a love story filled with misunderstanding, passion and portrayed by a love triangle.

*This drama is a poetic life's lesson.

The story itself isn't extraordinary, but the way it's skillfully written make it deeply beautiful and exceptional : hilarious at times, dramatic and heartbreaking and truly heartwarming at other times.

The whole drama is also artfully directed and the cinematography appealing (really the director's work is what made me want to keep watching it at the beginning when I was wondering If I would drop it because it takes me several couple of eps to really get into it ^^').

But the thing that really amazed me, about this drama it's its characters and the way they were interpreted : all the characters were very authentic, and relatable (well some of them not so much cough* haokun cough*) and even the ones that were less likeable, were able to reach me at some points (and that's a REAL success because I don't easily relate to characters). The acting was also really really good for all the cast.

However the characters' realism was also frustrating by moments : they were like us normal people, with they qualities/defaults and sometimes they didn't always made the good choices and it could be REALLY frustrating, and it's also true over the relationships and love lines in this drama : you can expect passion and deep emotions but not magic or "love is kind and unselfish" kind's of mood.

The drama's pace could be a little bit slow though at times, what made some eps a bit draggy and repetitive but it's not something that bothered me, overall.

I've to conclude with a special word for the OST who was stunning, and well-fitted!

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Music : It starts with good title music and the drama itself also has some good music.

Acting : The Mc is like a veteren actor, no flaws and the other cast also ddn't dissapoint here. Especially the Friends daughter she nailed her rebelous role. I think she would become a great actress in the future.

Story : As you can see from synopsis its about a guy trying to find reasons to live again when he was trying to cut off all links to die alone. Its a beautiful story which was aptly played by the MC in the drama.

although being a taiwan drama it has more episodes which wud be huge red light but if you give it a try you wud come to like the characters. Also the rewatch value is 9 becoz i want to see it again which is very very rare for me and just the thought is enough for it to have 9.

All in all i wud recommend it as it is a drama worth 9 / 10.

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Deep Romance Story about letting go.

Completed on 2021 Mar 31 Wed 0123, Started on 2021 Feb 12 Fri.
I usually don't watch Chinese Drama but this is really good!

I think the most difficult role respectively would be: Cry Baby Peng Jia He, Problematic Jiang Lai, Confused Gan Jing, Grumpy Jiang Hao Kun, Carefree Lu Yuan, Best Support Cai Ming Jun, Etc.

Flashback
Lu Yuan acusing Peng Hai: "He's Lobdter theif."
Lu Yuan flushes his mobile phone down the toilet bowl in U.S.: "Bye bye Gan Jing."

Lu Yuan jokes with Jiang Lai about upgrading flight seat for Peng Hai's Ashes.
Lu Yuan & Peng Jia He entrance in Shanghai.
Lu Yuan & Peng Jia He throwing Peng Hai's Ashes around.
Lu Yuan stalking Jiang Hao Kun.
Lu Yuan debuts with Beef Wellington at Gray Whale.
Lu Yuan hires 1 Cart Seller, 1 Eastern Cook & 1 Baker.
Lu Yuan request Minced Shrimp for Dessert from Xiao Cai.
Lu Yuan made Xiao Cai his tongue.
Lu Yuan gives Cart Seller & Baker Knives and ask them to hack at each other on the count of 3.
Lu Yuan celebrates Jiang Lai's Birthday!
Lu Yuan assess Xu Li & gets splash at.
Lu Yuan stand up for Xu Li & sleeps at her house.
Lu Yuan enjoys his time at the hospitable playing dead.
Jiang Lai almost remove Lu Yuan's pants for sponge bath & he awakes.
Lu Yuan hides Shoemaker's late wife's Portrait & Shoes.
Lu Yuan orders Beef Wellington for Entry, Minced Shrimp for Dessert
& Happy 18th Birthday Cake to be prepared by Chef Cai.
Lu Yuan escapes the hotel with help from Chef Cai & the 3 hired Cooks.
Lu Yuan gives shoes to Gan Jing for wedding.
Jiang Lai brides the Line Cooks to cry with Advance Year End Bonus.
Lu Yuan give his Recipe Book to Chef Cai.
Everyone celebrates Peng Jia He's 18th Birthday.
Jiang Lai secretly follows Lu Yuan on Aeroplane to U.S..
Lu Yuan at Peng Hai's restaurant with Grandma Peng: "I'm yours, Jiang Lai."
The End.

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It is a tough drama for me to watch.I watched this one as I am a fan of Maggie Jiang and thought that it is a light-hearted romance-comedy drama after seeing the poster. Only after watching a few episodes, I realized that this is not a rom-com drama and deep-feel one. My opinion might be different from those of others, the following are my personal opinions

1.Perhaps because I am not a fan of mature dramas, I felt like this drama is so deeply written with emotions, and make me feel uneasy throughout the drama.

2. I watched this one solely because of Maggie Jiang and her acting is amazing as always, but what I don’t like is that her screen-time is even less than Guan Xiaotong and Che Xiao though she portrayed a major character.

3.I didn’t get the romantic feeling that I supposed to have. This maybe because the male lead is too old(Sry to his fans), his acting is good though. But I’d prefer other old but handsome actors (e.g, Jin Dong).

4. I am impressed by female actresses ( Guan Xiaotong, Che Xiao and Maggie Jiang).

5. I also don’t like the fact that the male lead always pushes Jiang Lai away, however perfect she was. I more or less feel that they should get more screen time together.

6. There were too many flashbacks. Sorry but I more or less fast-fowarded almost all of them. It is okay to have flashbacks, but it is not okay to be repetitive.

Good production team, though. If you are fed-up with typical teen, school, modern drama and want to give mature dramas a try and is patient enough, you might like this one.

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