I Want To Go Against the Wind (2023)

one of the best of the year

I'm not surprised I loved this drama cuz I don't think Gong Jun and Elaine would deliver anything less than amazing

I don't know where to start and I don't want to this review be too long, but firstly, I think China should release more cdramas like this, where the couples' problems and the scripts are based on life decisions and setbacks, and not on outdates clichés, like, the silly "love rivals fights" or second leads/females annoying tropes, you know?

I loved every second of this drama. The entire evolution of the Fl's character and the history of her family linked to the factory, this duality between ethics and empathy related to the male protagonist, the construction of friendships in unexpected moments and the two sides of each character, which can be selfish or generous, depending on the situation

I also really liked how the chemistry between the couple was built. A true relationship between adults, with flirtation and interest, but without leaving aside goals and career. In my opinion, despite the more "open" ending between their relationship, I believe it was the fairest. In the protagonist's place, I don't know if i would be able to forgive ML.

PS: I love the fact that we didn't have annoying and controlling parents trying to ruin the main's couple relationship, thank god!

PS: 2: And I loved that chinese writers are discovering that man and woman CAN BE friends without having any romantic feelings at all. I'm a fool for the FL and the cute guy friendship

Furthermore, the negative part, at least for me, was the side couple. They just had no chemistry, and the FL's best friend had more chemistry with her than the girl he liked, which doesn't even make sense, lol. The sister's character is also boring, selfish and dull. I have nothing against the actress, I like her in "Sweet Teeth", but I didn't find her interesting.

I will definitely rewatch it at some point. I found it touching, with a good script, a good female lead and extremely catchy. It's a hidden gem in the sea of cdramas released in 2023.

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Ticked all the boxes for me and rated 9/10 because ending left me with a sense of 'needed more'

Really enjoyed this series ❤️

SMALL SPOILER

Ticked all the boxes for me and rated 9/10 because ending left me with a sense of 'needed more', just a kiss or hug and not just running towards each other......... Waited for them to reach each other but ended with them still about 1 or 2 meters apart.....

Loved all the characters and actors did a great job of portraying their respective characters.

Gong Jun and Elaine Zhong were great as mains and really enjoyed them both. I'm impressed with Elaine Zhong, her acting is above average in my opinion and I am definitely a fan. Wish that she will be casted in more dramas & movies.
Another actor that really impressed me is Gao Zhi Ting as Yang Jian . His acting was spot on for his character and definitely the right choice. Will check out other dramas that his in to compare his performance.

OST was alo great and certain songs played at specified scenes added to the mindset of the character.

Overall very enjoyable watch and will miss these characters a lot.

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A solid and satisfying drama

This drama initially caught my attention because of its list of actors. As a long-time CDrama watcher, it was a thrill for me to see Taiwan CDrama veterans like Fang Fang and Zhang Chen Guang cast alongside newer favorites like Elaine Zhong, Wu Xuanyi, Miles Wei, Gong Jun, and Gao Zhi Ting. What a smorgasbord of professionals!
Each one filled their roles well, helping to push the storyline along. While there were a few times in the 40(!) episodes when things did start to feel a bit draggy; something significant would almost always happen in the midst of these "calms" to renew my interest in the plot. So I give kudos to the scriptwriters. (It's my understanding that the author of the original novel was also part of the writing team; which probably helped.)

Overall, it had some of everything -- corporate drama, romance, humor, schoolyard friendship and angst, slice of life, etc... to appeal to a wide audience; and for me, watching it from beginning to end truly felt like partaking in a well-balanced meal. I actually teared up watching the FL get repeatedly pummeled by life. I felt the pain of her losses, as well as the stifling pressure she was under. Elaine Zhong truly gets better with every role she plays, and this series showcased her versatility. Another favorite for me here was Gao Zhi Ting. Having seen him in a couple of other shows ("A Love So Beautiful" and "Young and Beautiful"), he excels at portraying the nice guy who finishes last. So it was refreshing to see his character finally win at love! :)

This drama won't make my list of top picks -- but it was well done. If you're not sure what to watch next, consider giving this one a look.

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A business melodrama that it is decent to watch. Elaine Zhong did a great job in this drama.

"Rising with the Wind" is a modern about the failure of a shoe company and how Jiang Hu, with Xu Si's help, rebuilds her dad's company and retains his legacy.

The Synopsis: The story revolves around the revival of a national brand in the face of the impact of e-commerce. Xu Si, an investment professional who moves back to mainland China from a Hong Kong investment bank, meets Jiang Hu, the only daughter of the chairman of a national clothing conglomerate. Due to their differing business philosophies, the two are at odds with each other.

When Jiang Hu's father's company suddenly goes bankrupt, she is plummeting from the heights of success. Meanwhile, Xu Si—who has always been ambitious—sets his sights on the rubber-soled shoe brand "Tengyue," which was once created by Jiang Hu's father. Determined to save "Tengyue" at all costs, Jiang Hu—despite her downfall—engages in a fierce battle with Xu Si. Ultimately, their interactions and struggles will determine the fate of "Tengyue" and whether it can be revived.

I really enjoy this drama, and Elaine Zhong is a good actress. I think Simon Gong is better in modern drama than in historical dramas. He played a calm and collected investor with smart and wits as he guided Jiang Hu in saving her dad's company after his death.

Their on-screen chemistry is good, and I think the 2nd CP was an unnecessary filler, even though she played the designer for the TengYue shoe company. Wu Xuan Yi cannot act.

Can't wait to see how Xu Si and Jiang Hu develop their love interest for each other; at least in episode 20, Xu Si tells Jiang Hu that he is pursuing her. She is unsure and doesn't want to ruin their mentor/mentee relationship.

I am giving this drama an 8.0 rating because I like the main CP and acting. The ending is a bit cheesy, but overall it is a decent drama.

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Happy ending but bad

Nice plot,happy ending but not satisfied
Every people who watch this drama hopes an ending who main characters have a romantic moment,kiss scene,marriage,or something else
Also i think the last episode(40th) should be placed on episode 39 ,writer must placed a happy ending scene on last episode,which told them (jiang hu & xu si) had a great day together,run factory together,sweet moments & something else
I swear if you add that scene on last episode,viewers will appreciate that,and the drama will have a good ratings,>8.5
Hidden Love,Sweet teeth,Amidst a snowstorm of love
That’s my recommended drama which good rating & review, I hope writers can emulate that dramas

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Rising With the Wind - and my heart rate is rising because of the female lead

Rising With the Wind really surprised me. I was looking for a business drama with a romantic subplot and chose this because I like the poster - especially the autumnal color scheme with the brown, red and gray colors - as well as the fact that it's about a shoe business and focuses on the female lead and her personal growth.

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My highlight: The female lead Jiang Hu

She is confident, strong, goal-oriented, cunning and sentimental. The plot focuses mainly on her personal career path from a daughter of a wealthy businessman who lives in a gilded cage to a grieving and devastated woman who suddenly loses her father and has to watch helplessly as the family business goes bankrupt. She has to sell her possessions to avoid being left completely empty-handed. But she doesn't give up and manages to buy Teng Yue, the almost 100-year-old family business that is practically doomed to failure. She uses all her strength and her heart to save this shoe brand.

What I liked:

- Jiang Hu's style of clothing wonderfully portrays how she suddenly loses everything but at the same time gains a whole new self-confidence. In the first episode, we see her with a lot of make-up, styled hair, and wearing expensive designer clothes. Her entire demeanor radiates wealth, elegance, and arrogance. But after the fateful event, everything changes. She has to sell her clothes and, for almost the rest of the drama, wears only comfortable, ordinary everyday clothes, with a big focus on (oversized) sweaters, sweatpants, and sneakers. There's no more striking make-up or styled hair. And one thing I can say: This look suits her absolutely fantastically. She even attends business meetings in these clothes, and I love her for it. One scene particularly stuck with me. Jiang Hu is out jogging and is invited to a spontaneous conversation in a café by a potential business partner. Jiang Hu attends this meeting… in her jogging clothes!

- Jiang Hu and her love for Boss, the company dog. The scenes with the two of them were very sweet and wholesome.

- Jiang Hu learns how to best run her business and overcomes hurdles either on her own or in collaboration with other employees. It was nice to see how the company gradually gained a sense of unity. In the end, she had a really good relationship with the workers and came to appreciate everyone very much. Her character development is very satisfying to watch.

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My favorite romance: Jiang Hu and Xu Si

In my opinion, Rising With the Wind delivers a really well-done and natural slow burn. Jiang Hu and Xu Si start off as enemies or rivals. For the first ~20 episodes, we have an entertaining push-and-pull dynamic between the two. Jiang Hu is trying to save the shoe company Teng Yue, and Xu Si, as her investor, is constantly involved and often puts obstacles in her way.

What I liked:

- No love at first sight.

- A natural, slow, and heartwarming development from rivals to friends to lovers.

- Work was always the priority. Even after they started dating, they didn’t forget their respective duties. Sure, you could say it’s a bit disappointing when, for example, Jiang Hu cancels a date because she wants to keep working, but I found it so realistic that I had to applaud. Jiang Hu had embarked on a major mission, and just because she fell in love, it doesn’t mean she would drop everything for this man. The same applies to Xu Si. Even though he was the one who was sometimes saddened by her work focus, he also had a lot to do and fulfilled all his responsibilities. Both of them are basically married to their jobs. That’s how we got to know them, and that mostly stayed the same. I appreciated that in this drama.

- There was no love triangle and no toxic jealousy. We only learn that Jiang Hu had a childhood crush on Gao Yi, but it didn’t get in the way of her relationship with Xu Si. What I particularly liked here was the scene where Jiang Hu casually tells Xu Si about her former crush. That helped prevent more misunderstandings, and Xu Si didn’t need to be jealous.

- Xu Si pulls Jiang Hu into his car against her will in one scene, and Jiang Hu simply gets out the other side and walks away – queen behavior. I cheered so hard.

- No toxic relatives. Both leads have relatives who support their relationship and are quite happy about it.

- Beautiful kiss scenes (though sometimes a bit short) and, above all, very heartwarming hugs and hand-holding.

- In one scene, Jiang Hu and Xu Si are coincidentally wearing the same sweater, even though they weren’t together yet. Of course, there are some funny comments about it.

- At the start of their dating phase, Jiang Hu didn’t take much initiative. You could see that she was still unsure and wasn’t able to fully let herself go and embrace the love like Xu Si could. I found that very realistic, and it suited her character. She eventually warms up and you can see how deeply in love she is. It just took some time.

- The angst and breakup in the last quarter of the drama, in my opinion, were really well done, logical, and exciting. Finally, a 40-episode Chinese drama that, for me personally, didn’t get draggy towards the end. I was really rooting for them and was so proud of Jiang Hu for not letting herself be beaten down again. In the end, we got the well-deserved happy ending.

What I didn’t like:

- Two kiss scenes under the influence of alcohol. In my opinion, they were unnecessary and didn’t build any tension for me. What I found especially disappointing was the fact that Xu Si never revealed that they had kissed. Jiang Hu was always so drunk that she couldn’t remember it, while Xu Si was sober every time. He should have mentioned it but didn’t. At the same time, these flaws also make his character interesting. Xu Si, the red or gray flag?

- Jiang Hu and Xu Si often acted maturely and thoughtfully, so at times, I wished for better communication between the two after they started their relationship.

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My favorite friendship: Jiang Hu and Yang Jian

The friendship between these two was so cute. They initially met as enemies but eventually worked together and formed a wonderful friendship. Their scenes always put a smile on my face. Yang Jian was always there for Jiang Hu, especially in the second half of the series. Yang Jian was the only one Jiang Hu didn’t feel betrayed by after the collapse of her business. He was also the first person she reached out to again. He was the first to visit her in her hideaway, bringing her food and showing his support. I love these two so much.

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My least favorite romance: Yang Jian and Xiang Zhaoyang

This side couple didn’t need to exist, in my opinion. The two characters themselves were important to the plot, and I wouldn’t want to miss them, but they didn’t need to be placed into an additional romance storyline. I feel like Yang Jian – this lovable and selfless green flag – deserved someone better. Not much more to say about that.

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Last thoughts:

Overall, I really enjoyed Rising With the Wind. It’s a good slice-of-business-life story with an exciting romantic subplot that kept me hooked all the time. Jiang Hu has now become one of my favorite female leads. It was a pleasure to witness her journey.

Since I really had way too much fun with this, I’m giving it a rating of 9.5/10.

[finished watching on 9 September 2024]

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Favourite contemporary dramas for 2023

Really enjoyed the drama, my favorite Chinese drama for 2023.

The cinematography was nicely done in terms of the lighting, the way the scenes are set really adds to the atmosphere. The director really likes call backs and also showing contrasting scenes.

Highlighting two of them, first negotiation between the ML and FL was beautifully done. From the closing and opening of the electronic door highlighting the conflict FL have internally, the music and showing of the time really increases the tension. Another scene would be the time when the FL knew about her dad's death, the camera showing the changes in expression both the ML and FL Then showing passerby talking about hotpot and then the camera pulling out to show the city, feels like it is saying despite this life changing event life goes on.

The main characters were great, they do not follow typical tropes and are more realistic. The ML really demonstrated a very principled investor with a bottom line, who is very charming with a poisonous tongue. Really enjoyed the FL character as she strives her best to preserve and keep the company. However, did not agree with some of her actions particularly in the later episodes, which was likely done to create a more dramatic conflict in the drama but I personally find it very unprofessional.

The OST fits the drama very well, this was particularly obvious in scenes where the lyrics were displayed.

Would also recommend re-watching it, as I found there were many hints dropped in the beginning which makes sense only at the end.

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Gong Jun, Enough said

I will watch anything that has Gong Jun in it, as he’s my favorite Chinese Actor along with Johnny Haung.
This might sound biased because I love Simon so much but his acting here was so good if I do say so myself. I also liked the FL’s character so much, our marketing genius plus she wasn’t a woe is me character.
There was absolutely nothing I liked about the 2nd FL, she was such an incredibly bland character and for the life of me couldn’t understand what Jian saw in her but to each their own.
The way they glossed over that peace loan incident just so the FL and Gao Yi can reconcile was baffling, no matter how you look at it, his actions or even inaction if you may resulted in the death of her father, I know he didn’t kill her father but he might as well have IMO.
The last part of the drama didn’t make much sense honestly, the FL valued trust above everything especially after everything she went through and the MLs characterization has always been open when it comes to business matters especially acquisitions why then did he hide it from the FL? it was for just no other reason than to have more episodes and the drama can have their dramatic moment but it ended up cheapening the main characters IMO & it was a shame.
Overall I enjoyed the drama and I recommend

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Well done with a touch of laziness...

Really liked this one. I stuck with it - even re-watching whole episodes - and barely had to fast forward through anything. Strong and talented cast. I have learned to tone my reviews and let others get into the details of why they loved that lamp that was turned on 4 minutes into episode 23 in the background...

Gripes:
- We watch FL eat too many times. It started to bug me since she likes to talk with her mouth full. In one scene - I had my hand up to read the subtitles while blocking her face while she was talking and eating. Ugh.
- Flashbacks are so badly done they are laughable. If the artist is thinking back to her love why and how does she have the ability to see him running when she wasn't even around? How does she know he ran from the parking lot to save her when she was busy drowning in the water? Lazy crew - lazy director/editor.
- The artist's mother. What a horrible woman. I would have let her get in trouble financially to the point of arrest or, court order. She never learned and LOVED taking from anybody and everyone.
- Dad's bad past - wasn't covered enough in detail. What happened that sent someone to jail? Why the multi-year grudge? Why was one person brought on just to die?

Overall - a winner. Loved the cast and the story/plot is strong. One of my favorites.

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