Five Missions (2018)

Emily’s Five Things really started off strong and solid. It drew me in because I have such a soft spot for slice of life dramas, and I can enjoy a female lead who has kinda lost her way as it resonates with my feelings. I liked that every episode started with a flashback to her high school days because you were able to see how different Emily was back then and understand Dofuru’s (Dou Ru) frustration with the way she was dealing with her relationships with the people around her. I especially needed her to break up with her boyfriend ASAP because he was just straight trash.. How she even started dating him was beyond me.

When it came to the plot everything felt like it moved very quickly, but also extremely slow.. I was on episode 7 thinking it was at least episode 21 but in the same breath, thinking the story needed to move faster. There were very good themes and a strong cast. The overarching theme of being yourself was well done. Although the synopsis hints at the possibility of some supernatural events occurring and frankly so does the first few episodes, that is not the case whatsoever. It truly is just a slice of life comedy with its few eccentric moments.. I will admit that I did end up feeling a bit cheated because of this.

So while this show was very enjoyable in it’s earlier times, my biggest gripe came down to how they chose to do this friends to lovers thing.. MILD SPOILERS... Emily and Doufuru love each other. Sure they both have liked each other for more than ten years and may have paused liking each other while they were dating other people but at the very root of it all, they loved each other. Emily always called him her best friend and he did the same. They were always jealous of the other's romantic interests. It was frustrating watching these two idiots deal with their emotions. I think the biggest flaw was that the screenwriter gave us the moments of them being a couple that when it came down to the reason why they couldn’t be together, it felt like the cheapest of cop outs and made up tension. I hate the "break your heart to save them" trope.

In the end I just wanted this show to be over. Would I recommend it? Maybe the first 12 episodes.. after that it is a skip.

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Ai Mili (Xiao Ai) didn't start off as a character I would love, but once she accomplished the mission of "Be Herself," she was quite lovable from there on and became a character I could totally root for. I especially enjoyed the interactions between her and her high school buddy Dou Ru (Dofuru). During her most annoyingly no-self respect state, their friendly bickering was what kept me going. They never failed to make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sometimes, a girl just need a BFF like Dofuru who kicks her in the butt to get her moving forward. She and Dofuru was basically on high cuteness alert after she said "Farewell" to her tumor of boyfriend. BTW, I thought the breakup scene was well done. It demonstrated how much she had grown as a person.

Aviis Zhong's strong performance gave life to Xiao Ai. I can empathize with her reluctance, her disappointment, her regret. I can also laugh with her at her goofs, be proud of her accomplishments, and share the joy of her reunions. The transition from doormat Xiao Ai to confident Xiao Ai was one that worth rewatching anytime.

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