The Best of Times (2020)

Obvious from the get go

WARNING this is not a romance series. This series is a slow burn about the locomotive /train industry in china. Its also predictable how this series will end, that I had fast forward so many times. My rating of 6/10 is seriously generous for this series. Avoid watching if you dont have spare time.

Start of the series its about the negotiation of 2 locomotive companies for the past 2 years. Yet it is unresolved for large parts of the drama as each company tries to get the upper hand in this negotiation so its always still negotiating. Tan Jing Chuan is the one that is heading this negotiation.

2ML Tan jing chuan, FL Lin zhen yi and ML Li yan feng are a trio of childhood friends. That's embroiled in this train industry. This relationship obviously becomes a love triangle, Li yan feng for some reason is obsessed with Lin zhen yi, but Lin zhen yi likes tan jing chuan, while tan jing chuan only sees lin zhen yi as a sister. There you go 2020 and its still "dog blooded" like that.

What I dislike was the ML character setup, Li Yan Feng has left china for 10 years but when he returns to china, he is suddenly obsessed with the FL. Stalking her, renting a house next to her and live as her neighbor. He is also 1 of the locomotive's CEO son, a genius of sorts and everything he does is for FL. This is just a silly concept, its like after 10 years of not seeing each other suddenly he is so in love with FL even thou they were childhood friends. Coming back to china, he just confessed to her, doesn't hide that he loves her, wants to marry her, but FL just takes it as a joke.

I really liked ML Oliver chen's role and acting ability in "Goodbye, my princess", which shows that a script really makes and breaks an actor. However for this series the early parts of his obsession was really hard and cringe to watch.

So what's the watching point for this drama?
ML trying to win over FL (non existence romance, skin ship and i only recalled 1 quick kiss in a basketball court, even the proposal is bad, finally FL leaves for Africa just to show another sacrifice for china train industry.... its all about this china train company. The wedding is also in a train and speeches about trains too lol.)
FL eventually being confident to be a successful project leader
ML relationship with his CEO father
2ML love relationship
Plots and schemes of the negotiation
The obvious success of china's locomotive industry after all the challenges (annoyance was that this series kept highlighting the number of employees and hope of china on this company)

Such drama is obvious from the get go, obvious because regardless of what hardship and challenges, this china train company will overcome it. It is pretty much a "butter up" china train industry series, which shows that the employees will take low pay, fall ill, sick, go blind or get heart attack and have family issues but everyone will still work and overcome all challenges for this train company because of loyalty and patriotism.

From getting a free patent from ML that is jobless and was offered 10 million yuan and a position of director for it yet gives it up for free and become an assistant for FL by staying in R&D, to giving up the negotiations, to being an independent company with its own technology etc. Its like even if the sky collapses they will still survive and its because they have a set of beliefs, unity, patriotism and righteous blah blah blah *rolls eyes*.

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Not worth to watch

The storyline targeted more to the viewers on mainland china rather than international viewers. Most of the storyline plot displays the sense of pride towards the motherland over locally built trains. I do not see any rewatch value for the whole drama. I felt they emphasis a lot on patriotism towards the country rather than romance or comedy. It is too china centric to be honest. It is not entertaining and furthermore this drama is more qualified to screen on schools or universities as a subject to teach these students during patriotic lesson. For the first time this drama empowers woman in career field. Men portrayed like useless timid quite like a sloth when comes to problem solving. I had no second thought on giving any good rating to this drama. It is too boring

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