Sweet show, mostly feelgood

This is a really sweet show around growing up, friendship, family, and love.

A bit slowpaced, without big conflicts or "villains", mostly feelgood.
There are some very heartwarming scenes, like between Guang Feng (?) and his grandma, and the small gestures from Rangrang showing us how he cares about her.

The ML's role is kind of similar to that in "You are desire" and the same of his friend (Gu Ran). I like both of their acting - suitable roles.
FL is very sweet, although I do find the female characters in Cdramas often to be a bit overly childish.

I can see myself recommending this as something to watch for a mum (/parents) and teenage (daughter) together.

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Sweet, easy watch

I would say this is a rather “innocent” story: it’s sweet and uncomplicated, without any big ups and downs and dramatic plots.
it contains a lot of the familiar tropes, but they are kept at a “calmer level”.
The cast is ok; the two main leads portray their characters’ personalities rather well, although their chemistry could have been stronger.

The screenplay also stays focused on the main characters. Yes, the supporting characters also has a story, but it is not elaborated too much.

Don’t expect any big surprises, but if you want an easy, feel good sweet romance with some funny elements, this is worth watching.
I liked how they approached the part that led to his “night time online study” ?

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Familiar tropes, but entertaining

Don't expect original plots – this script contains a lot of the familiar ones, but it is still rather entertaining. It also covers some more serious topics, like harassment in the workplace, but it isn't a serious, heavy drama. You have to watch it on the right premise; I kind of remember it as a hybrid of a romcom and a drama.

The kid is an absolute charmer, and he almost makes this worth the watch on his own, lightening up the show with funny scenes and "adorableness".

I like that the FL is strong and independent with a career in what some might think of as a more male dominated area.

The cast is quite good, and the two main leads interactions are often spot on.

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Charming and feelgood, although not very original

This was a lot better than I expected after reading the synopsis.
Although the storyline itself contains a lot of the familiar tropes from Cdramas, the charm, the small lighthearted humorous moments, and the acting resulted in a feelgood viewing experience for me.
Some of the common plots are also kept at the "less dramatic" level, keeping it more realistic.

The soundtrack is not intruding, but well chosen, adding to the mood and vibe in the differen scenes.

Grandad was excellent – the actor portraying this character did a fabolous job. I kind of wished we saw more of him!

I liked Xu Ruo Han (FL) in “Forbidden flower” and thought this role suited her quite well.
Even if kind of typecasted, Wei Zhe Ming (ML) is also an actor I like, and he nailed this role quite well. I can't really remember if I have seen him in many humoristic scenes before, and even if these were just small lighthearted moments I found his timing and execution to be spot on.

This is a Cdrama I can see myself rewatching when in the mood for something not too heavy, not too melodrama.

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Realistic and charming, challenging stigmas

What sets this apart from a lot of other Cdramas for me:
- That it challenges what I assume are stigmas within some groups (certain careers and disabilities) in a very natural way (not overly "preachy" or "propaganda-ist").
- The locations: I love that the majority of the story is unfolding in their hometown, not in Shanghai. It is charming and creates a very natural atmosphere. At the same time, the Shanghai-scenes are an important part of the story.
- The character gallery, their individual progressions and developments.

In addition, I think they nailed the casting, and pretty much all of the actors delivered strong performances.
All in all, this is a series I would recommend, and one I can see myself watch again some time.

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Don't watch in public (but do watch it!)

I often watch Kdramas on my commute. This drama is one I recommend you watch in a comfortable place, with easy access to tissues, as it gets quite emotional and will most likely tug hard at your heart strings.

Don't be fooled with the "chaebol cold guy, sympathetic poor girl" synopsis, as this story is so much more than that. Or, should I say - it adds a whole new layer to this kind of plot. You still have the typical characters of controling parent, love rival and so, and although kind of cliché, it adds to the main story revolving around the FL and ML.

Main reason to watch is the performances of the two main leads.
Especially the FL does an exceptional job I think, in portraying and displaying all kinds of emotions; despair, wishfullnes, disbelief, resolutness, love ...
ML is also delivering a strong performance. I like this character's development, and also how he handles it; we can see the changes he goes through in his expressions and body language.

To be honest I don't really remember the soundtrack. It kind of makes sense the music took a backseat in this, but at the same time I have watched other series where the soundtrack still can evoke emotions, so they might have missed an opportunity here as well.

When I had watched around half of the episodes I ended up binging the rest, as I wanted to finish it before my vacation was over.

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Don’t let the title fool you

This is definitely not a typical Cinderella story. The synopsis (neither here nor on Viki) doesn’t really give it away either, but although there is romance and fate encounters and funny moments, there is also an originality to the story.

I liked Fumi Nikaido (FL) in “Eye love you”, and I think she is good here too.
Gordon Maeda (ML) seemed a bit too old for his role, even though I see he was only like 4 years older than his character when this was released. Other than that he acted well too.
Takanori Iwata (2nd ML) was kind of anonymous - I wished he could have had a bigger presence.
Matsui Rena did a brilliant job portraying Akira/Kikuno, which was a very interesting character adding a lot to the originality of this series.
Grandma and the “butler” added both warmth and humour, and some elderly wisdom.

The length was good; episodes were not too long, and it wasn’t dragged out over too many episodes.

What bugged me a little bit, and I see others too, was the ages. Not so much the 10 year age gap, but 17 and 27. It would have been better if it had been just a few years older, say 20 and 30. But then I guess the storyline with his games wouldn’t really have worked…?

So to sum it up:
Not a typical romance, but entertaining, and a nice little break from my usual C- and K-dramas.

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Entertaining

This was a good blend; a bit funny, a bit of romance, a tad bit of mystery/suspense, and good acting.

I ended up half-binging it, and it did kind of surprise me in a positive way.
The leading cast both did a great job, in my eyes. ML might seem a bit “over the top”, but that was suitable for the character.

Even though it’s not that long since I watched it, I forgot to write my review straight away, so sorry to say my memory is already deluted to write a detailed review.

Main point: Entertaining and easy to watch, good acting, and doesn’t shy away from showing a bit of the backside/behind the scenes of the showbiz industry.

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Interesting main theme

The main theme, mysophobia, is an interesting one, and even if it feels a bit exaggerated I feel it is important that his reason for it is explored.

The love storyline(s) are quite sweet.
Overall, however, I feel the script is a bit weak in some places, and leaves some loose threads.

It does tick off quite a lot of the typical boxes, like a trip, (some heavy product placements), an amusement park, love rivals, business competitors... not all are as extensive as others, though.

Some of the episodes had way too much flashbacks, so I ended up skipping through.

I would have liked to see more of his assistant's story; he was an interesting character. Could even be a spin-off!

ML and FL are ok; he had some moments where he was really strong, and both of them were mostly consistently portraying their characters in a decent way.

I watched this, and not the Korean version, first, as I did read some saying this was a better version. Not sure if I will watch "Clean with passion.." as well - maybe sometime down the line.

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Sweet and innocent about growing up

Very sweet story about growing up and loving someone.
The script is what I would call quite "mellow", as it does not contain many intrigues or big dramatic events, rather we participate in the characters' development and growth. It’s not super original, but it is kind of memorable, much thanks to the cast.

The cast does a good job, and the filmography is quite lovely. Some scenes might feel a bit unnecessary or dragged out, but not so much I skipped forward or felt annoying.
The group of friends works really well as a whole; the different characters complement and contrast each other.

I can see myself rewatching this show in the future, either with my daughter or if I'm in the need of something uncomplicated and sweet.

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Action with a western-vibe

This had a solid story, good cast and acting, cool music, and in general a quality production. The only thing I can put my finger on was that it was too dark at times, especially when watching on a small screen (mobile).

The story was well balanced; there was build-ups (suspense), intense fight scenes and action, and personal stories for some of the characters, seasoned with some light romance on top.
The story was a bit predictable, but not sure it would have been better if it hadn't been.

The whole vibe is a bit like a good old fashioned western, but it fits quite well.

It can't quite measure up to my two favourite historical Kdramas Mr Sunshine and My Dearest, but then again I feel it necessarily shouldn't be compared to those either. But both of those are amongst my highly recommended series that I also probably will rewatch one day.
Not sure I will watch this again, though.

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