Match made in heaven (and hell)

The chemistry of opposites are often the delight of any stories. Ye Tan and Qing Kui are twin sisters with marriage alliances to princes of Demonic and Heavenly Realms respectively. This match is in line with the signs surrounding their birth, with Ye Tan representing the ominous star and Qing Kui representing the auspicious star. With their wedding carriages swapped, The Starry Love is a xian xia version of wrong bridal sedan leading to the right groom.

Having 2 sets of couples with opposite characteristics, this troupey show makes for an absolute delight in its comedic moments, CP’s chemistry, and light hearted cast.

The Heavenly Couple, 情投”夜”合CP (Have Affinity) - 2700 years old recluse meets 18 years old mischief
What shines here are the surprising comedic execution of the familiar clashes between 2 opposites. Their dialogues and interactions definitely draw a lot of laughter.

Best part remains during their early days face off which draw in lots of fun and laughter.
- Ye Tan failing to kidnap You Qin, and then resorting to let him have bad impression on her (whom he thought was Qing Kui) so he will not want to marry
- You Qin’s needing to “meditate” after every interaction with Ye Tan
- Ye Tan trying various undermined tactics to get You Qin to remove a security lock he placed on her
- You Qin taking back a shooting star he prepared for Ye Tan within a minute because her wish is deemed non-noble

The Demonic Couple 青風徐來 CP (Gentle Breeze) - Hunter becomes the voluntary huntee
If the Heavenly Couple is 2 opposites slowly falling for each other through their various face offs, the Demonic Couple shows the quick fall of shrewd prince towards an angelic princess that may be naive but certainly not gullible.

Chao Feng, the 3rd prince whose mother is from a lowly status, is the one behind the bridal switch. Hence, he knows of Qing Kui’s identity from the get go. At first, he approaches Qing Kui to ensure no one, including Qing Kui, would realise he is the one behind the switch. However, he quickly finds himself falling into the charm and sincerity of our angelic princess. How could he not?

Beneath Qing Kui’s gentle exterior lies a steel of heart who adapts quickly, takes accountability and treats everyone with sincerity. Qing Kui isn’t a case of damsel in distress. In fact, she heals people around her, literally and figuratively. This makes her character charming in a way that’s different from Ye Tan.

And of course, nowadays, a show would not be outstanding with just great CPs alone. Icing on the cake are the supporting cast and their comedic interactions with our leads.
- Our Mortal Realm dad and Chao Feng’s mum who shine with their comedic reactions to various scenes
- Man man, Hai Chao, and Fei Chi, the trusting sidekicks who provide timely comic reliefs
- You Qin’s lovely siblings and mum who have one of a kind observations of our main couple
- The gullible and muscular Wu Dai who surprisingly has more screen presence

The starry love is not without its bugs. Plot wise, I find it rather one track minded. Both the Heavenly and Demonic dads of You Qin and Chao Feng are rather 1 dimensional and serve only as plot devises. The familiar heroic I-sacrifice-for-you troupe is, familiar.

Though as someone who aren’t a big fan of xian xia drama, I still say the Starry Love is an enjoyable light hearted story that’s bound to elicit laughters and pleasant surprises with its few refreshing takes, once you are bought into its starry world.

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Bewarned - don't watch this on empty stomach

There is no denying it. Food is an essential part of people's lives. Yet, cooking may be a gradually lost art among more Generation Z and C than our parents / grandparents would've liked, especially with the growing convenience of Delivery Meals, dining and restaurants.

Here comes Dine with Love, which brings us the message that home cooked food need not be elaborated, as well as the importance of sharing your meal time with family. With only 16 episodes, this drama is a quick and easy watch. The main characters for our show is Yu Hao, an efficient, logic driven entrepreneur who created his own food platform, and Su Kelan, his public relation director. Both worlds collide when a video of Yu Hao shooting with a stand-in on a food reality program his company sponsored gets leaked. Yu Hao had to quickly learn how to cook from Su Kelan, while the latter had to quickly learn how to adapt to the former's working pace.

What makes the romance part of this story nice is how Su Kelan isn't a Mary Sue or someone who needs protection despite being a gentle and understanding person. The part of the story where she had to continue working despite going through tough moments in her personal life is probably one of the most relatable scene for us working adults. Facing a boss who is known as the slave driver and demon, Su Kelan is able to stand firmly on her ground and communicate her thoughts calmly. Yu Hao, despite his cold demeanor. is also not one to stubbornly insists on his viewpoints if the other party is able to convince him on their arguments. Sure, he can be bossy, but he definitely works as hard as he drives others. He is also fairly observant and will do little things for another without needing to let s/he knows. Both of their relationship development is mature,

The key main ingredient for this story though is the food and the meaning for each dish presented. Hence, it's the few rare story where I would rate the re-watch value higher than the story plot itself. I like the messages shared behind each dish that were introduced - from bitter gourd, to fried rice, to tomato omelet, to steamboat and many more. I'd re-watch this show for the recipe of the food.

With such great ingredients, why do I only rated Dine with Love at 7.5? It was unfortunate, I personally feel that the story plot and pacing becomes a little choppy when they are string together. It's like a slight overcooked steak or undercooked fish. There are moments in the story that feels forced so that there would be reasons for our main characters to progress their relationships.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend to watch Dine with Love, if not for the food. Afterall, quoting a popular Cantonese saying - 民以食為天, which translates to people see food as primary need.

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Getting to know each other, with heart

It baffles me as I am writing this sentence, Let's Fall in Love 3 is more than a dating reality show - it's about connecting and exploring, with others and with yourself.

In a dating reality show where a bunch of strangers stay together for a couple of weeks, LFIL3 is by far one of the more drama-free ones, thanks to the maturity of the participants and the commentators / observers. Credits go to the production team for good pacing the "dating injects" for the participants and good editing of the narrative.

When we watch a dating reality show from a third party perspective, we have a tendency to forget that this bunch of people only knew each other over 10 days, hence, the tendency to get invested way too fast over certain "couple lovelines" or too judgmental about a person's actions during the course of the story. This is where the commentators / observers play a part - and I like that this season's ones have rather matured discussions to provide a more objective view. They also visibly able to empathize with the participants' actions / decisions. I particularly find Annie Yi's comments in one of the latter episodes insightful and I translate - "In relationships, use your heart, don't use force. 在感情里, 用心, 不要用力." Helps one to ponder and reflect.

When it comes to dating reality shows, the "dating injects" do help to make or break the pacing and development of "love lines". In this season, I like the way they are set up. They aren't too many last minute surprises or overly intentional "dating injects" that's meant to direct a particular couple's progress. This makes LFIL3's participants feel more genuine, and the overall vibe of the show more comfortable to watch. We are able to relate to their decisions more.

In terms of the participants, I find this season's the most relatable for some reason. They are not only focused on being fancied by their "crush", they care about making friends with everyone too. They participate in the games and hangouts at nights after their day date. They are conscious of not letting their personal feeling affects the group's dynamics. Towards the latter episodes, we can see genuine friendships built as they share their thoughts with each other. This development is one of a kind, and one that likely would last for a long time.

Concluding my review, I believe we sometimes forget that dating is about getting to know another person and being honest about how you feel through the process. There's no one kind of love for there are also friendships, family, and self love. There's no rushing in love for we have a lifetime to experience it.

Special shoutouts:
- I admire how Yang Yang balances between pursuing for opportunities and respecting the choices of Xiao Loong and Ah Shuang. And she is only 21.
- I respect Wen Jun's courage in making the first move, follow by confronting and breaking the ice of awkwardness with Shun after it's getting clearer that he fancies Tan Nee more.
- I empathize with Ah Shuang's dileema on her choices and feelings over her current stage of life.
- I am touched by Shun's out-of-the-box thoughts and gestures in writing 2 letters in one of the episodes - one to Tan Nee, one to encourage his friend Ah Xing.
- I like Tan Nee's and Danny's steadiness and steadfastness, as they're both the oldest in this group.
- I also wish the best for 2 couples: Shun and Tan Nee as well as Danny and Wen Jun from this show. May they be able to bridge through the distance as they resume back to their respective life.

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Idol romance meets ice rink

This is your typical idol c-drama with ice-sports as backdrop. Shen Zheng Yi is your typical female lead who has all the passion, the talent, the grit, and the optimism for speed skating, except professional training as her mum objects her dreams to be a professional speed skater. Supporting and helping her once she gets into a professional team is Shao Bei Sheng, your typical male lead who is the handsome, hardworking and talented Figure Skating Prince that's loved by everyone, including his strict mum who is also Zheng Yi's coach.

That said, typical doesn't mean it's not enjoyable. One of the greatest strength is this idol drama knows thyself well, and hence, does a good job in being a light hearted and sweet idol drama we expect it to be. Their relationship progress is mostly nice to watch, albeit with a little too much drama and cliches. What is enjoyable about this couple is their playful interaction, and support for each other through each challenge. Ultimately, this couple manages to make me care for them, and their relationship, especially by latter half of the drama - I guess it's a success by idol drama standard. The second couple in this show is also cute, I love how innocent and support of a friend both are as our main leads' sidekick.

What I enjoy the most for the show though is Coach Zhuang's tenacity and journey in instilling the right mindset for Zhu Feng Sports Club. Here, the drama spends time to highlight some of the teammates' improvement under Coach Zhuang's tutelage. While these supporting characters do not have enough limelight, they have their shared passion to the sports and own motivation, bringing more colors to TFWY. The cinematography of ice skating moments are great for an idol drama.

If there is one thing that bugs me about TFWY, it's the editing. As Shen Zheng Yi and Shao Bei Sheng have different specialization, there are 3 narratives to follow - (1) Sheng Zheng Yi and the Speed Skating team, (2) Shao Bei Sheng and his Figure Skating career, as well as (3) Zheng Yi's and Bei Sheng's relationship. Most of the time, it isn't too distracting... until competition days - I can't help but get sidetracked, wondering how our leads get so much interaction time in-between competitions. I mean, I know they are spread over a few days...still, shouldn't the one who hasn't compete focused on practice? And this indirectly affects the pacing of the show slightly, especially when we weave in the supporting characters, who have their own storyline too.

To sum it up, TFWY is an enjoyable idol drama about aspiring for your dreams. It's also a good introductory drama about speed skating, figure skating, and healthy athletism mindset.

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Lovely Mr. Cinderella and Princess Charming

It’s a contract-marriage drama no doubt with a slight dose of (Mr.) Cinderella element, but it’s also absolutely adorable and refreshing with its own flavor. What originally started out from mere curiosity unexpectedly turned to lighthearted enjoyment that had me cracking every other episodes.

The two leads had interesting dynamics from the get-go. Lu Fang Ning, though strong and charming, has many adorable moments. Ling Rui, though caring and warm, has an unyielding side. While Fang Ning initiated a lot of the lovey dovey moments, especially in the beginning part of the drama, Ling Rui was the one who “sealed the deal”, and in my opinion, progressed the relationship. The leads, Zhou Yu Tong and Simon Gong were casted well indeed – I feel that not many actors and actresses would be able to draw out these multi-facets within the characters and nuanced dynamics between the two as smoothly as the two did.

Both characters matured throughout the series, and so did their relationship. Once their kid was thrown into the mix in later part of the drama, it was heartwarming watching their family time and interactions with each other – and of course, the lovey dovey moments. The side characters were great too – each were well fleshed out such that they did not feel one dimensional within a rom com.

Begin Again did well in doesn’t taking itself too seriously for an overuse common marriage contract plot. It has been awhile since I am able to watch a rom com from start to end. I thoroughly enjoyed Begin Again and hope to see the leads together in another drama, maybe an ancient one. In the meantime, I’d surely Begin the drama Again whenever I want a light watch – …okay that’s a bad pun, time to wrap up my review here.

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Once in awhile, you just succumb …

You know that feeling of “just 1 more episode”…, if that’s what you are craving for recently, you’ve come to the right story.

The Double has 2 things done right. Pacing in the first part of the story, where it matters more to hook the audience in; and casting a strong CP for a 爽文 “shuang wen” - loosely translated as pleasurable novel. Once you are able to suspend logic, you will be able to ride onto the main characters’ wave for the tide is always on their side, like all 爽文 stories go.

What works well is having Wu Jin Yan casted as Xue Fang Fei - she has this aura about her where you’d want to root for her revenge journeys. Similar to her prior portrayal of Wei Ying Luo in Story of Yanxi Palace, it’s enjoyable watching how Xue Fang Fei in The Double toed the line on not being a pushover, yet still maintain her own principles when fighting against the villains, which were practically everyone except for her lover and chosen allies.

Wang Xingyue also interestingly found his own niche in idol romance show - the dude who love / covet other’s wives. Good thing he is the Duke Su and main lead in the Double this time. (no, I refuse to acknowledge the last part of the show. This show ends with a happy ending as far as I am concern.) I love the slow burn push and pull, the double entendre laced dialogues, as well as the build up chemistry between Duke Su and Xue Fang Fei - such that I am able to ignore the plot logic and some… questionable cut scenes.

Another 2 people who caught my attention was Ji Shuran and Princess Wanning. As the director for this show likes to do close up shots, I feel Chen Qiao En’s portrayal as the evil stepmother who maintain a kind facade and Li Meng’s portrayal of a pitiful bully hit the best mark. These 2 characters have lots of nuanced conflicting emotions that may not hold up as well with less competent actresses. And thus, I am grateful for Chen Qiao En and Li Meng, having managed to express these multi layered emotions on screen for the most part, questionable morals of their characters aside.

Alas, I don’t have much else to say for the plot. Though what I can say is if you are in the mood for a fast paced, addictive story where the smart leads can subvert all sorts of crisis, I’d recommend checking out The Double. Quoting Duke Su, “It sounds like a great show, watch it.”

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Nirvana in Life and Dongli Hospital

生 birth, 老 old age, 病 illness, 死 death.
It’s the passage of life we cannot avoid.
It’s the passage that’s explored in The Heart through our Medical Team at Dongli Hospital and the patients we come across... The passage where everyone battle with illness and death so we can continue living.

Medical dramas aren’t anything foreign. In fact, it’s precisely the familiarity of the profession and the amount of shows featuring them that makes this genre a tough nut to crack. On one hand, this genre deals directly with emergencies and deaths - perfect ingredients to string our emotions. On the other, it can be overtly cheesy at best, and a turnoff at worst if they overdo with the dramatic stories.

That’s what stood out about The Heart - it draws this balance perfectly, almost.

While we go through this show through our 3 main leads - Doctor Zhou, our physician, Doctor Lin, our surgeon and Doctor Fang, our ICU and post care doctor - the patients’ stories in The Heart makes them more alive than ever. None of the patients were fillers, even if they only take up 1 episode or less. None of the patients’ arcs were predictable, even if they appear to be the familiar troupes we come across in other stories or our day to day lives. This says a lot about the heart and sincerity that goes towards the cast and story plot.

The depth of patients’ stories made me afraid to watch this show in public transport as I go back and forth to work. This is because they draw tears at every juncture. Tears that I don’t feel cheated of.

Besides the patients’ stories, they also explored the politics of the doctors in The Heart delicately, pragmatically, and realistically. One can argue that politics shouldn’t be present in the face of life and death. But Doctor is another profession that requires management, systems, budget, and communication structure to continue its operations, even if they are in the line of saving patients.

Instead of taking time away from the patients or medical team, the political affairs of Dongli Hospital add color and life to The Heart. Even if we do not enjoy or agree with the political moments or the decisions that the characters take, I feel that those plots cement the fact that these doctors are people too.

~~~~
“Everyday you have to worry about this, consider about that, aren’t you tired?” Dr. Lin asked.

“Tired. Very tired.” Dr. Zhou remarked.
~~~~

At The Heart center, the dynamics of our 3 main leads are the core of the stories. Doctor Lin is the medical genius that learns to work in a team. Doctor Zhou is the workaholic that learns to rely on his team. Doctor Fang is the cherry one that reassures everyone. From these 3 lines, it’d sound like Doctor Fang has a shorter end of the stick with her character arc compared to the former two. And this is somewhat true.

That said, these trio won’t be complete without her. In a story that has so many things going on, Doctor Fang is a steady and warm presence that plays a more important role than people would give her credit for.

I love how they become comrades together with the medical team in Dongli Hospital. It made me wish that I too, will be in the hands of such a team.

~~~~

“每个病人都像一本书 Every patient is like a book。
医生能做的是尽量弥补他们的破碎 What doctors can do is try their best to mend their broken things -
不管是心脏 be it the heart，
还是心灵 or the soul.”

quote Dr. Fang.
~~~~

Besides the story, the OSTs of main theme are apt. Especially the ending song, 活着 Living. Deep and impactful lyrics.

Here is the official MV: https://youtu.be/5bOhd4oT6yg

Lyrics extract

生life, 死 death, 离别 separation，
若不由人选择 if it’s not up to people’s choice,
那就向前走 then let’s move forward.
~~~~~

To sum it up, there’s only ever 1 medical drama you have the quota for, give it to The Heart. It’ll pull your heart’s strings like no other.

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侠 (“Xia”) in essence - protecting what matters

Back from the Brink (BFTB) has a simple story plot - a handicapped dragon in search of his missing parts due to an ex betrayal.

This simplicity is its strength. Within 10 mins of the show, BFTB has told us what we need to know about the background context, Yan Hui’s (YH) personality, and how she is interlinked with Tian Yao (TY) in his quest. Straightforward with no filters. (Yes, those cute little loyal genies aren’t filters.) Their meet cute were hilarious and logical - a rare combination in many stories these days.

The best part of this light hearted series is Yan Hui’s character. I love how YH is kind, but isn’t a Mary Sue. She trusts people yet will not allow others manipulate her. She has a protective instinct towards those being bullied, but rightfully, affirms her priorities and will say No to requests that she doesn’t want to do. She is decisive and quick witted. What a healthy role model! I also particularly love how direct and expressive YH is. While a lot of credit is due to the screenwriter, I got to applaud the actress, Zhou Ye, who managed to strike that right balance for YH’s character. Her portrayal of YH adds a lot of points to made this character so likeable.

TY’s character is also done with care. Although he was betrayed by his ex in such a cruel way, and had to experience a lot of pain for losing his body parts, I love how he didn’t project his hurt to others. Sure, he was reserved and cautious with strangers, and was a handful to deal with. Beneath the reserved exterior, I can see his kindness, strength and wilfulness, befitting of the only Millennium Dragon in the story. His journey of redemption was slow, painful and can be frustrating at times to watch - but hey, isn’t the struggle and growth the whole point of a great character.

Main characters aside, I love the representation of each story arcs and the key characters in them as YH and TY journeyed to gather the latter’s missing parts. I love Xiange’s determination and stance in protecting what she believes in. I admire Lu Mu Sheng’s loyalty towards his wife, even if they did not expound on it. I respect Qing Qiu’s key characters’ belief and protection towards peace. While it is a stretch to understand Su Ying’s and her sister’s respective obsession (I suppose that’s why they are family), I can accept that there are characters like these and feel pain for them. And of course, how can one not love the little genies and children at dragon valley - how innocent and cute.

Most importantly of all, there were timely injects of humors and heartfelt moments throughout BFTB, making this xian xia my favorite of this year.

OST wise, it took me awhile to like them. The cute CGI style could be a make or break for some audience. And while I personally like the story plot is simple, it may be too light of a taste for those who are looking for brilliant plot twists or dramatic moments in stories.

At the core of it, BFTB makes us think harder about our prejudices (if any) towards people who are of different class, differentiating between love and obsession, the implications of choices and trade-offs (i.e. What it means sacrificing one life to save the world), how to embody the value, 侠 (“Xia”) chivalry, and what protecting truly means.

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Living each other’s lives, literally

We often talk about being more empathetic and understanding of others’ perspectives - but how much do we really understand when we are not facing the same experiences or live in their shoes before?

Enter “TDOBY” as Jiang Yi’s (Steven Zhang) and Yu Sheng Sheng’s (Liang Jie) souls got swapped in an accident and literally got to live in each other’s shoes until they figured out how to swap back.

We naturally have a lot of comedic moments that comes with a gender swap story, and the leads really delivered these scenes. When Steven Zhang had to act as Yu Sheng Sheng, I can really see that “the lady in Jiang Yi”. Similarly, Liang Jie’s portrayal of Jiang Yi was passable as well - it is not easy playing a reserved character. Coupled with the impeccable timely background sound effect, the funny scenes were funnier, the awkward moments were “awkward-er”, which in turn make it funny for us, the audiences.

The pacing and progress of the relationship between the main leads were done well too. They started from tolerating each other (mostly on Jiang Yi’s part), to developing a friendship (that drives Jiang Yi’s manager nuts due to Sheng Sheng’s job as a reporter), and then eventually falling for each other.

I personally like relationships that are founded on friendship, and it’s great watching Jiang Yi’s growth and development throughout the show with Sheng Sheng’s influence. When they both officially became a couple, oh boy, those sweet moments and chemistry would make your toes curl.

What’s more, funny / light hearted and romantic moments were not all TDOBY have. It has a number of heartwarming scenes on family and friendships as well.
While the supporting cast was mainly in the scenes to progress the story forward, they are not 1 dimensional characters.
While I am a tiny bit disappointed that certain characters weren’t expounded further, I recognise and accept that at the heart of it, TDOBY is a story about Jiang Yi and Yu Sheng Sheng. Fingers crossed for a sequel or spin off!

Also, if one pays attention, TDOBY touched upon current social issues such as stereotypes, fanatic behaviours, social media commentaries / critiques, healthy dating mindset / attitude as well as accepting consequences of own choices.

It has been such a long time since I have watched an entire show, rom-com no less, without skipping any scenes. Nada, zippo - I sat through the entire 26 episodes and thoroughly enjoyed the show.

I personally like the ending concept that the scriptwriter has chosen. The dialogue in the last 10-15 mins really drives home the message on empathy, which I believe is what the scriptwriter really wants to share. My only complain is this choice leaves a couple of questions and untied loose ends for me. Also, I thought it would’ve been nicer if they extended a couple more episodes to properly reconnect Jiang Yi and Yu Sheng Sheng after the time skip. Okay, that makes two complains.

Nevertheless, I still love TDOBY and would highly recommend everyone to watch the fun journey of Ms. Jiang Yi and Mr. Yu Sheng Sheng.

And, Summer 21 best female lead goes to … Steven Zhang

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Flowers that bloom in adversity

One doesn’t meet a girl like Hua Zhi in an ancient society. Thou one does meet a girl like Hua Zin in an ancient idol romance story.

And I meant it well. Hua Zhi is the kind of female lead that we ladies root for and want to be in our heart. After a long day’s work, it’s healing watching a smart, independent, courageous female lead successfully starting a business and leading her group of supportive family and friends out of poverty after the guys in the family are forced to exile.

Other than this strong female lead story done right, it has all other lovely elements such as romance, friendship and kinship.

Yan Xi is the god sent male lead for Hua Zhi in an idol romance. Strong, understanding and respectful. Their love story is one of the healthier ones that dismisses most troupes. Though Hu Yi Tian and Zhang Jing Yi chemistry is a little lacking, it’s healing watching Yan Xi and Jing Yi’s steady progression, heathy communication and supportive teamwork.

There are many other couples in the story too, which make up for a good time. From the happy bickering couple (Bao Xia x Chen Qing), to innocent playmates couple (Shao Yao x Shen Er), to supportive married couple (4th uncle and aunt), I quite like all the love story lines. Even granny’s first love story with grandpa got a shoutout.

Moving on the next point - the friendship and kinship. Blossom in adversity is not only about Story of Hua Zhi. It’s also about story of each Hua Lady. Every one of them is a unique flower that blooms prettily on her own right. I like how every of them have a memorable trait / character despite the big cast.

First, there are Hua Zhi’s grandmother, mother and aunts. Not many stories highlight the friendship of grannies in their 60’s and beyond. I love the backstory that Blossom in Adversity gives to Zhu Mu. We got to see a glimpse of who she was when she was a teenager, how she talked about her first love and what her considerations were as the head of a large family.

Myolie Wu plays the prideful 3rd aunt who has a soft heart. There can be many things you will feel frustrated about being family with her - at the end of the day, she does care and is reliable when times call for it. Her words to Hua Zhi, “Family is not a place to talk reason” may sound like she’s pulling rank. But indeed, sometimes reason is not the solution.

Second, Hua Zhi has 4 maids who become reliable business partners. They are interestingly named after the 4 seasons, adding color to the flowers with their own storyline - Ying ‘Chun’, Bao ‘Xia’, Nian ‘Qiu’, Fu ‘Dong’.

Third, Hua Zhi’s sisters also got mini spotlight in this 40 episode story. The one who stood out to me is Hua Qin. One might not respect Hua Qin on her schemes and only thought of using marriage as a way out. However, I thought it was a good contrast to Hua Zhi, without vilifying Hua Qin’s method.

All in all, Blossom in Adversity is a little tad perfect with Hua Zhi and Hua Family’s lovely ladies successfully building their business in the ancient society together. The guys somewhat become the Hua Ping (vase) in the story. But it kinda of hit the right tune when one wants to relax and feel a win after coming home from our real life’s adversity.

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More than skin deep

Composite art, image modification (age progression), facial (post mortem) reconstruction - the 3 main disciplines of forensic art. These are the 3 main elements that’s used in identification, assessment and resolutions of the cases in Under the Skin through the gifted Artist Shen Yi and his reliable partner Detective Du Cheng.

And they are used masterfully in UTS.

Truth to be told, Under the Skin was a difficult series for me to sit through. Not because the story is crappy. On the contrary, it is often because of the disturbingly humane reasons of the perpetrators when revealed why they did what they do. UTS highlights the social issues that’s plaguing our current society - gender equality, view of beauty in society, bullying and feelings of outcasts, human trafficking, identity fraud, abuse, rape, organised criminal, and of course murders. All heavy topics. All too real. All grey. All more than skin deep. The cases may have concluded, however, the underlying social issues that spark the cases…not so.

Besides the heavy utilisation on forensic art in solving the cases, one of the things that stood out about UTS was Shen Yi’s character, as the gifted artist. Usually, gifted characters are stereotyped to be eccentric because they are gifted with a special ability that normal people can’t understand, pun intended. Like Sherlock Holmes. I appreciate that UTS made Shen Yi a gentle, calm, smart introvert who relates well with others. And often, he shows an empathy to the perpetrators in ways that others can’t. Through Shen Yi’s eyes, he helps bring out the humanity side of the cases.

One fun fact that was brought out by this show is the amazing ability that certain gifted people have. I thought UTS exaggerated the ability of Shen Yi in facial reconstruction with the little information he had to go by. (Age progression technique is popularised by app in recent years, so more “believable”.) And through others’ reviews and comments, I got educated on a real world person who has this ability - a retired Chinese police forensic artist Lin Yu Hui who can sketch image of a person based on few clues. He helped solved a high profile murder case in US back in 2017 and now establishes his own studio to draw portraits of missing people, usually children, and martyrs. Inspiring and admirable.

Another fun fact is the various arts and stories behind them where Shen Yi used to teach the university students. More than art, they symbolise the messages that Shen Yi / UTS wants to relay to the students / audiences. Such as the female artist who drew Judith and Holofernes and gifting the portrait of Marie Curie to one of the perpetrators.

All in all, the forensic art aspect of UTS is like garlic and onion in Chinese dishes. On its own, garlic and onion can be rather blend and not something we will have as the main dish. With other dishes though, they bring out the flavours and make for appetising meal.

Not sure why I use food analogy to describe a crime fiction story. Long analogy short, UTS is a story that peels into the complexity of social issues through forensic art.

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Making our youth counts with the right guidance

Ray of Light is like your typical coming of age, school drama - with a crucial additional pillar, Hao Nan Lao Shi. Indeed, great teachers do make students care more for their studies.

What is enjoyable about Ray of Light is being able to see this story from Hao Nan Lao Shi perspectives, on how he believes his students’ potential, on how he advises them as a friend / peer, on how he spend the time with them to get through their current largest hurdle.

On the students end, I particularly like one of the students arc, Jia Kun, who wants to go Shanghai because his first love is there. Through Hao Nan Lao Shi’s words, he comes to realise that the most reliable support to protect their love is through getting a stable job which education can provide. That’s the kind of adult’s perspective, influence and guidance a lot of teenagers need in crucial juncture of their lives - and it‘s nice to see this play out well on screen.

Ren Zhen’s and Gao Yuan’s relationship dynamic is also cute. They share a side with each other that they don’t show to others, they listen to each other’s worries and support each other, they study together and know to prioritise the practical things first - it’s the kind of high school romance I ship. The romantic buff in me is interested to see more of their development as working adults.

Hao Nan Lao Shi’s backstory is a little dramatic, but I guess it grounds the character, knowing his what, his when and his why. Special mention to his mum visiting his workplace - cool mum.

Despite the aforementioned highlights, I only rated Ray of Light at 7.0 because I wasn’t pulled in by all of Qingyun Class 14. What makes high school time highly reminiscent is because of the shared camaraderie of going through the same intensive public exam that seemingly make / break everyone’s future and a celebratory graduation trip that symbolically marks the start of adulthood. While there were these in Ray of Light, I don’t feel that camaraderie bond between Class 14, which is a key ingredient for school dramas. They can’t seem to evoke that mixed feeling of anxiousness and anticipation which I once felt about graduating high school / university.

(Oops, looks like you guys could probably guess my age range now. :P)

Maybe it’s the pacing of the stories, maybe it’s the execution, maybe it’s the cast, or maybe I have past that stage in life. Regardless, Ray of Light is still worth to check out, especially if you are into coming of age stories. If it’s not for Class 14, for Hao Nan Lao Shi, who’s that ray in this story.

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Slowing down admist all the hustle and bustle [of dramaland]

Meet Yourself is likely the type of show where you’d either love it to the moon or feel meh about.

To some, 40 episodes of a healing drama is too long; to a few others, the show probably inspire them to take intentional steps, as required, so they’d be able to appreciate the things that matter to them, before it’s too late.

For me, I quite like Meet Yourself for its lovely characters, awesome cinematography, mature romance, and nuggets of wise conversations…but it has to catch me at the right mood. Even this review has been a long time coming, which ironically fits into the show’s iconic slow pacing.

First things first, on the story premise, we follow Xu Hong Dou journey of healing in Yunmiao Village after feeling burnt out from the grief she felt of her best friend’s death. As she settled in and eventually got “coaxed” to take up an advisory position to assist the local cafe, she started to get more involved in the affairs of people at Yunmiao Village. And then, slowly but surely, Xu Hong Dou felt pockets of fresh air from this place and people, which gave her the energy to connect with herself and begin again.

While there may seem that the stories were unfolding in its own timing and there are many moments in the show that seems more like local tourism MV promotion, I’d say that’s how life kinda is. After all, we don’t necessarily stop to hear or remember the stories of people we deal with in our day to day life. Only when the interactions increase and we start to care about these stories of people who were once strangers to us would we then feel the impact in our hearts. It’s not a process that we can and should rush. And this is the timing that Meet Yourself follows - through Xu Hong Dou’s lens and timing.

Each character’s arcs and stories make Yunmiao Village a warm place. And the greatest anchor is Xie Zi Yao, a promising young lad who had the capability, heart and determination to work on his vision - a vision that Xu Hong Dou seems to understand and support. Neither of them were looking for romance. Yet, they found life is better with each other in it.

In the world of hustle bustle, in real life or drama land, Meet Yourself firmly cement itself as the place that everyone wants to rest and relax in, but unsure if they want it for that long. Still, I’d recommend everyone to give it a shot - perhaps at some point of your life, Meet Yourself may be what you need to reconnect with what you want to work towards to and what matters to you.

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Values and characters worth to learn from

It was an unexpected day for He Huan. On her 10th year marriage anniversary, her husband went MIA, and 4 debtors soon came to collect million of debts owned by her missing husband. As if this news weren't shocking enough, her long term program got cut due to critical reviews by her friend, her mum diagnosed with cancer, oh and her missing husband - turns out he cheated.

Thus, we have our story's premise for Be Your Own Light, a story of a woman requiring to step back up on her own feet after her world crashed oversight.

What works well for a seemingly cliche plot is the element of surprise. The show smartly use our bias to make us enjoy the show. It has grounded and likeable characters. It has smart, witty slightly over the top approach for moments that were supposedly cringey or dramatic. It has sincere dialogues and positive messages for us to learn from - on career, on life struggles, on beliefs.

And the show smartly turn its focus to He Huan's, Bai Yang's and Yuan Yuan's career line after the necessary context of He Huan's situation was established.

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Starting with our main female lead, He Huan played the role of a woman who seemingly had it all, with stable career and loving family. When her world crashed before her, I was impressed with how the show laid out her growth and development. Here, we saw a strong woman who picked herself back up steadily and decisively after going through the proper stages of grief. Yes, there's a tad teeny idealistic cliche-y moments. No, there is no domineering CEO boyfriend to the rescue nor some untapped special potential that He Huan unlocks. If anything, her talent is always recognised before she left the news industry 13 years ago to prioritise family.

I like that He Huan is kind, but not a Mary Sue, principled but not a preacher. She had clear and admirable motivations for her actions. He Huan accepted the reality that her skills may not be able to meet the current fast paced environment and humbly chose to start again. She worked through the ranks again, and gained the rightful recognition through effort, sincerity, and tenacity.

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Bai Yang played the foil of He Huan's character - the successful career lady who remained single. With her blunt, no nonsense, demanding, rigid and prideful personality, she can be a character that's easy to dislike or sympathise. To Bai Yang, she says what she means and she means what she says. If anything, Bai Yang, though the most expressively critical of He Huan, is one of the few that truly believed in He Huan's capability and often helped the latter in tangible ways.

While Bai Yang's arc may feel a little outdated in 2023 for some modern single ladies, I enjoyed how the show highlighted her vulnerable sides and how the few perceptive ones in the show could see through as well. I love they knew the right opportunities to offer words of comfort which Bai Yang needs to hear. Sure, Bai Yang has a strong steel of armor, but she is no machine. These moments ground her characters and made Bai Yang real.

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Last but definitely the most refreshing, we have Yuan Yuan. Yuan Yuan resembles a lot of more what people who term as "masculine" traits. She is ambitious, competitive, assertive, courageous, calculative, and decisive. With people, she is direct in expressing her thoughts whenever the moment is right. She is the first one that helped He Huan and gave the latter a much needed dose of reality checks. At work, she is resourceful and almost never let emotions get in the way. While certain actions toe the line, Yuan Yuan has her principles that she doesn't cross. With the right reminders, she focus on her own pie and value. In relationships, she is clear with what she wants, and is quick to honor her thoughts when she changed mind too.

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To wrap up my review, Be Your Own Light shows that light can come in many forms - so long it is our own effort.

While my review did not highlight much of Liu Yu Ning's character and arc, he did a great job too and his character, Jiang Jun Hao, is one of the cutest onscreen debtors. The pacing is by and large okay, with the last part a little rushed. I don't quite get He Huan's husbands' motivation / actions, and I personally also didn't feel we need Jiang Jun Hao and He Huan falling in love. But I guess we won't have a story if the husband isn't a jerk and each of these lovely females having a "worthy happily ever after" partner. Oh well, the silver lining is their love stories aren't that forced, cliche or not.

And thus, Be Your Own Light is an enjoyable series with admirable characters, especially the ladies.

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For corporate millennial ladies in late 20’s and beyond

“Ever since I started work, I worked hard to be of value to my boss so my contribution at work will transcend my gender.

…but I am wrong…

If your boss can’t leave you, you cannot “graduate from” your boss.”

With the rise of working female and talks of feminism in social media over the years, the show biz is quick to capitalise on the market opportunities through commercialisation and stories that center on these themes. What makes Nothing But You stand out among the lot of crappier stories, rather considerably is the realistic portrayal of Liang You An (LYA)’s corporate struggles in today’s middle class’ ladies.

This is a modern corporate lady contemporary show done right.

How many late nights, urgent calls and contemplative car rides we have taken, thinking about our progress at work, recognition, value and purpose. How many times have we thought about quitting the stressful and meaningless job, but came up with a blank because we also do not know what we want to do next. Our parents and society would say we are thinking too much. Yet, shutting the voices down also dulls us, gradually but surely. And that’s on the career aspect.

On the relationship aspect, LYA’s perspectives were also spot on. I like that the show didn’t characterise her as an ambitious woman who didn’t want love. Yes, she takes a long time accepting her feelings and undeniable attraction to Song San Chuan (SSC). Yes, she has her fair share of reservation through their journey. Which is realistically, how a lady who had built a decade of independence, would feel and behave.

It’s easy to think that SSC represents the idealistic side with his career and theme focusing on sports and career switch. Represents the beacon of hope because he is young and full of possibilities. Look a little beyond the stereotype though, 20’s in sports can feel like our corporates’ 30’s, or even beyond, as many competitive athletes retire by SSC’s age.

Hence, they met at the right career juncture of their own. An athlete who found renewed spirits to step on the court again, a corporate worker who found renewed purpose to take charge in her career.

And then, only when they had their direction in life, they found “Nothing But You.”

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