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Misleading summary and categorization ruined my mood after watching this story.
Beautiful story transforms into sadness after Ximi dye. one moment ruined the whole serie, in my opinion, What kind of monster implement unborn child death into a romantic series. And why is it categorised as comedy? There is no funny moments. Romance at first, then devastation.I want to watch series to bust my mood, but this series gave me high hopes at beginning and then totally ran over it. This story really gives the "salt on the wound".
If you are like me and you watch series to escape everyday life and feel the joy and happiness while watching them. Then you probably shouldn't watch it because it would just make your mood go down really fast.
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I'm losing my interest
After watching a good episodes, I started to lose my interest because of Anna evil interference. That's not what I expect to happen and but I can totally accept that but the reaction of Jia Xin is unexpected. I thought he trusted Xiyi? Why all of a sudden, she just walk out and talk it over with him. She did not listen to Xi yi first and that's a natural reaction. This is not a good motivation to watch this drama. It's dragging the story and no longer as consistent and unrealistic. Better yet, don't watch the next episodes and just leave where you at now.Disappointed
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I am a huge fan of the leading couple because of the 'The Eternal Love' series. Their chemistry was absolutely sizzling in both the seasons. However, I can barely force myself to watch them being roommates with such boring interactions that can only make me encourage their divorce. Maybe it is the characters who are so ridiculous, the FL being the biggest pushover history has ever seen and the ML is becoming a straight-up two-timing for months together without showing any concern or love for the FL. Its almost painful watching these two interact like guests at a funeral in the bedroom while the giant photograph of ML's gf hangs in the background. I cannot believe Liang Jie accepted this role because she does well as a more decisive, self-respecting character.
So I've watched the Korean version of this show which was more concise, and the ML offered some character and strength to the show. I didn't enjoy the story in that version either but due to it being shorter it was well-paced, it still held my attention.
Overall I'm not a fan. If you want to watch this story, the Korean version is better. Also, the leading couple was great in The Eternal Love which I strongly recommend.
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I have now seen (though not completed) every version of this story minus the Thai version. The original is the first drama I ever watched and was 100% a crack drama for me, so despite its flaws, it holds a special place in my heart. It also has one of the two best female lead portrayals of the four versions I've seen. Chen Xin Yi gives a deeply affecting performance as our resident post-it girl, moving you with her smiles and her tears. When she cried, You cried. I watched the Korean version next and consider it the best version as well as my favorite. The writers toned down all of the over-the-top and nonsensical bits from the original, grounding the characters and the story, without losing any comedy, and the OTP is definitely a fav. I also immediately adored Jang Na Ra's character with all of her softness and tenderness and fabulous fashion sense and consider her a tie with Chen Xin Yi for best portrayal. Next, I watched the Japanese version which is much shorter, much quicker, and ends exactly in the middle of the story with no likelihood of another season to give the story a conclusion. This version admittedly has poor pacing and very little build up before some of the major events of the story, but I still enjoyed it and will be forever disappointed that we didn't get a season 2. It's the perfect drama for turning off your brain and enjoying the ride.Now we come to this version, the C-drama. This is the only version I have not finished and barring a future viewing of the Thai version (which I imagine will be every bit as dramatic as the original with probably a LOT of abuse thrown the female leads way based on my impression of what Thai dramas seem to be like), this version (c-drama) is my least favorite.
This version attempts to tell the story straight without much in the way of comedy, which could have been an interesting angle to tell the story from, but the more I watched, the more I found myself wishing the drama had more of a sense of humor. While the comedy of the original was outlandish and over-the-top (even sometimes grating), it still served as a well-deserved break from all of the melodrama. This version certainly is not as melodramatic as the original, but it was maybe something worse. Bland. It took all of the pertinent characters and events of the original, arranged the pieces in a similar fashion, and then did very little of interest with them. There's not much done to flesh out the characters or create compelling motivations, little to make the male lead a little more likable or sympathetic, and there's only light comedy which mostly centers around a few side characters. There's just no real personality with this version, except maybe to be a little more depressing.
They do start to switch things up a bit at one point in the story with the male lead deciding to stay with the female lead and come clean to Anna only for the female lead to start expressing uncertainty and fear at this reversal. I was hopeful that they would really lean into the male lead recognizing his feelings and the female lead panicking and pushing him away. It would have been great to explore the female leads insecurity and create some meaningful backstory for her character. They make an attempt at this, but it's half-hearted at best and is quickly followed by the expected shenanigans with the second female lead and 'the incident,' which cancels out the writers' efforts and leaves you dissatisfied.
Many of the performances are forgettable as well. There are a handful of characters that are well acted, namely the male lead, both leads best friends (who have a far more interesting and enjoyable romance), and the female leads mother, but the story is so uninteresting that their performances are not very meaningful. (Apart from the mother, who seems to always be one of the best characters in this story, with exception to the J-drama.) The female lead is particularly uninspiring. First and foremost, they did very little to make her appear mousy and insecure, which goes a long way to believing a character. But she also had very little range when it came to her facial expressions and tone of voice. She always looked and sounded mildly sad and detached, which didn't benefit the story or her character..
Ultimately, all three other versions I've seen have had something unique to bring to the table, something to make you want to watch. The original is, well, the original, as well as a classic Taiwanese drama, and regardless of how over-the-top and dramatic it is, it has a female lead that pulls at your heartstrings. The Japanese version is weak in terms of pacing, and it ends in the middle of the story, so that's a bummer, but it's a quick and easy watch that won't make you tear your hair out. You can turn your brain off and enjoy it for what it is. And as I've already said, I think the Korean version is the best. It put meat on the bones of the story, elevating it and its characters to something more meaningful and resonant. Sadly, this version can offer nothing but blandness.
I imagine there are plenty of people who really like this version, even love it, and I'm not here to rain on their parade. I quit after episode 21, so maybe I missed where things got good. But from what I saw, I thought it was rather uninspired, and I didn't have any interest in finishing it.
Links to my reviews for the other versions:
https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22006
https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22004
https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/reviews/75009
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Frustrating
Dropped at 21, skipped to the last 8 mins of the last episode, even then I couldn't finish it til the end.I wasn't sure if I was going to go for this drama cause I knew that this was not my kind of story. The original drama I think was from 2007 when this kind of story was the trend - a lot of anguish, self sacrifice, major miscommunication urghh!
Wang Zi Yi - take away all the supposed cute moments he and Chen Jiaxin had, bottom line he was a selfish jerk for about half of the drama. He may have redeemed himself in the other half but dropped the show by then - another evil character appears - I really couldn't take it anymore!
Chen Jiaxin - an idiot for about half of the drama. She may also have redeemed herself in the other half but dropped the show by then. She was actually still a frustrating character in the last 8 minutes of the episode.
I did like Anson and Liu Si Qi.
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TBH i really loved the Taiwanese version of it. Saw reviews that said that the ML in this drama is less like a jerk? but to me i feel like he is the same old guy, still a jerk and immature. he doesn't show any love to FL and still together with ANNA for half the drama. dont see how "mature" he gets. lol. really dont see the love he has for FL and is still as immature as before, eg, getting jealous while he can still talk to anna. nothing much has changed. oh wellls.. started to get really boring at about 15ep. but i must say that some of the plot has changed and is a little different from the original story. love their acting though Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
The Story was good but the execution is not
The Story was good and ML lead did an excellent job.I am too surprised that the FL is expecting yet her tummy is still flat and she is running and climbing stairs and wearing heels...weird .......I guess the ML really did a good job and so did the 2nd supporting ML (Dylan) , it could have been really better but I lost the interest, might not watch it further.
There could have been some better moments captured , though I liked the fact that there are no eveil sister-in-laws and aunties but there could have been a way to show a Pregnant women Pregnant at least........ or was the herione not interested , just in case this will spoil her image.The Character Anna was played well by the 2nd ML and so was by the actress who was the grandma.
I guess it is the ML who pulled this show fully.
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It’s Cheating!
You Are My Destiny is the kind of drama whereby you need to ignore the morals behind the actions of the protagonists or create excuses for their behavior in order to enjoy the story. Basically, the main character cheated on his girlfriend by having a one night stand with another woman he met on a cruise. The woman who slept with him also knows that he has a girlfriend. Granted that the girlfriend stood him up and they were both drunk when they did it. If you can accept this excuse, then well and good. You might go on to enjoy the story. But if not, the story that unfolds could make you hate the guy even more.In short, Xi Yi is not your typical romantic hero. His behavior in the first half of the drama would not endear him to many. In fact, some may even find him to be a jerk. He got Jia Xin pregnant, forced to marry her, and then kept quiet about the marriage and the fact that he is going to be a father from Anna for a few months. Again, the excuse is he is going to divorce Jia Xin anyway and that such news is better told face-to-face. But then, he also starts to fall for Jia Xin. At some point of the drama, it is as if Xi Yi doesn’t want to give up either woman!
Plot Development (Spoilers Alert!)
Personally, I’m not so judgmental about the morality of the main characters or the lack of it in the story. But as the plot develops and inches towards the last quarter of the drama, it begins to feel lacking in some ways. Xi Yi and Anna seem to be a couple again. But there is no explanation on what makes Xi Yi re-consider his relationship with Anna apart from her refusal to give up. Then, when he meets Jia Xin again, there is a sense of deja vu. He drops Anna in favor of Jia Xin whom he still loves. Xi Yi’s relationship with Anna is never fully explored as she is made to be the evil one for the main characters to appear good overall.
Jia Xin’s brief fling with Dylan is also weird in terms of plot development. It feels to me as if they have to stretch the drama a bit longer by throwing in a fling that doesn’t seem to have any romantic notions to it. You wouldn’t even know that they are dating if you don’t follow their conversations closely. Add in Xi Yi’s online persona, Mr. W, and Jia Xin’s emotions seem like a mess to me since she is falling for a stranger she is messaging with while still feeling attached to Xi Yi. Then, she starts dating Dylan who pretends to be Mr. W when all along she has never had any romantic love for him. All these are happening within the last few episodes.
Hence, I think they should have stuck to a simpler plot as the story moves towards its conclusion rather than making it more convoluted than it should. Adding in more things that fall flat doesn’t contribute anything to the storyline to me especially when it is approaching a happy ending.
My Verdict
If you are looking for a rom-com like Intense Love, You Are My Destiny doesn’t belong to that category. But neither is it so melodramatic like Here To Heart. There are some crying scenes but nothing that will weigh you down heavily. If you want fluff and sweetness as well as enjoy a more natural relationship progression, then you are better off watching Love Designer instead.
For this You Are My Destiny review, I’m prepared to give it only a 6.5/10 rating. You can watch it for the Xing Zhao Lin and Liang Jie pairing as this couple have grown very comfortable with each other after working together in the Eternal Love series. Hence, their on-screen interactions are definitely easy on the eyes and they emit a natural couple vibe, more so than Xing Zhao Lin’s pairing with Bai Lu in Lucky’s First Love to me. You can check out some of their scenes in the above clip for a sampling of their chemistry.
However, to enjoy You Are My Destiny, you really have to be able to get into the plot as I don’t think it will resonate easily with everybody. If you absolutely hate two-timing characters, my recommendation would be to drop it and watch something else! And if you are a Liang Jie fan, you can always check out Mr. Honesty which is a slightly better drama in terms of relationship development to me. To be honest , I really regretted watching this drama
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**Small Spoiler**
How the heck could you invite that person to your wedding after what they did? I'm sorry but no.
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The BEST Version of this Story
I've seen the Korean, Thai, Japanese and Chinese (this) version of this story and this is hands down the best one to me. The Japanese and Thai ones were ok, I just didn't care a whole lot for the characters. The Korean one wasn't too bad but I didn't care for the male lead.I almost felt like he was too old for her and I'm not sure why but he was giving me Willy Wonka vibes? It's been awhile since I've watched it so I don't know how to articulate that, but it makes sense to me. lol
Anyways, the Chinese casting is just superb. I absolutely adored the female lead and loved her little glow up. I felt real chemistry between them which I didn't really see in the Korean one. I also loved the casting for everyone else. His grandma was amazing, even the aunt and cousin when they inevitably come around.
Not to mention Dylan and Anna. I really despised Anna despite wanting to have sympathy for her, but that's the whole point, I suppose. This drama made me laugh and cry and just have so many emotions. I've already watched it twice.
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