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Don't focus on the character actions but the meaning behind them
This is my first post in MDL, even though I've been using this site for many years. the reason is this drama deserves.Actually, the first reason to start to watch this drama was because XuKai and Yang Zhi. But the main reason to stay was the story itself.
This was the best family drama I ever watched.
The focus here is not the romance, but how the main character got together to be a family. I loved the development of characters.
In fact, the development of the story, apart from the whole race in the workplace, which hotel is better, being president, getting a promotion and who gets Xian' Li is basically about the development of the family.
About a mother and daughter who love each other but have different views of the world and can't handle it without almost ending their relationship.
For many, her mother's abusive behavior during the drama is a reason to stop watching. And yes, I myself was angry at how Mai Cheng Huan is used by everyone at first. For the mother who dreams big but wants to use that so her daughter can have a better life and ends up passing over her. For Zhiming who uses her to achieve his ambitions at work. For the boyfriend who takes her for granted, lies to her but tells her he loves her, even though he doesn't lift a finger to defend her from his family. But through it all, as the story developed, I was able to see that her mother actually just didn't know what she was doing. Yes, she is clueless. But at the same time she only tried what was best for her family. That person who didn't get what they wanted during their life, and passes this expectation on to their children. Although I don't agree, I understand the vision. She wanted the best for her children: Happiness, but she needed to really get to know her children. She couldn't understand that there is no way to please everyone in life and there is no shortest way to live. And in all of this, she almost had to lose her family to be able to learn a little about life. She has a personality like that, but it doesn't mean she doesn't love her family. When at the end Zhiming joins the family, after both his grandmother and his father were gone I love how she in particular treats Zhiming like a son the most, worried about him, this warms my heart.
And, in the end, we can see Cheng Huan also needed to learn about her mother.
What captivated me in this drama was the reflections on family life. Zhiming, being a boy who never had the experience and love of a family, and only knew material pursuits, returning to China taught him what love is, he changes not only for Mai Cheng Huan, but also for his grandmother. That even though he doesn't know how to show it, he loves her and was looking for her love. And I feel that Cheng Huan didn't teach him how to love like in many dramas, but taught him to see that small actions are worth more than anything by showing himself what love is. At his grandmother's burial , when she says on the video that she took him to the Mai family so he could have a family, that's exactly what happens during the drama. He starts out alone, but gets a big family, full of problems, but united and noisy, that's what he needed in his monotonous life.
I also like Grandma’s teachings. She lived a lot, and learned a lot about life. She had regrets, especially when it came to family. But she lived intensely. She shows how she managed to achieve happiness by balancing her life. She doesn't always help everyone, but lend a hand to help them walk until they can walk alone. Learn to speak but listen. Be for yourself, but have others around too. She says so many things that made me think about life.
I like how each character develops and shows us important parts of the family, and that not all of them are perfect, just as a family is not made up of blood.
One of the most beautiful scenes for me was Cheng Huan's father and Zhiming talking, and he talks about how he lives with her mother. Giving up things for everyone's happiness, and cultivating their love every day.
This drama is more mature and made to think about many things in life. If you are a person who likes to analyze everything, appreciate the teachings without caring about perfection, this drama is for you. There is no right or wrong here in the story, it's about everyone making mistakes, no one being perfect, but still loving yourself and your family. And no matter what happens, a family is together through the ups and downs.
Everyone's performance was incredible, I laughed, I felt embarrassed, I cried and I was moved.
The choice of songs were also incredible, and if you pay attention to the lyrics of each one, it also has a lot to do with the scenes.
In the end, it's a simple drama, which definitely has many similarities in terms of story, but it's its simplicity that makes it so special.
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Best Family Drama
This is such a great family drama. If you are going to watch this for a romcom, this is not a romcom at all! It has romance dispersed throughout it, but it is mostly a family drama, and one of the best family dramas I have watched in a very long time. I absolutely loveddd this drama. I cried so so much, especially every time the FL cried. There were some really sad moments in this drama! All of the plot points, storyline, and acting were 10/10.Yang Zi's performance in this drama was incredible. She deserves all the awards out there for her role, and it made me an even bigger fan of hers. Her character in this drama was great as well. She was a strong willed and independent woman. She never relied on anyone to help her or her family out, even when times were extremely tough. Therefore - for anyone who was a bit disappointed that there was no definite engagement/marriage for her and the ML by the end of the show, I believe this was done to show that this show is mostly about the FL's growth and the achievement of her personal/professional goals rather than a typical romcom ending of the FL getting married. It is clear that the FL + ML will eventually get married, as the ML said he is ready whenever the FL is, but this was not important enough to dedicate episodes on as the show isn't about their relationship.
I see that a lot of people have dropped this drama because they found the FL's mother to be annoying, which she is, but that just goes to show how fantastic of an actress they chose for her role. Although she may go over the top with what she does in the drama, her character is rooted in love for her children + trying to do what is right for them.
And finally, the ML did such a great job as well! I watched one of his dramas a few years ago, and it is clear that he has grown into an even better actor through his role in this drama. His character is so well written (as are all the other characters). I appreciated his character's growth and the evolution of his personality. I find it so cringe when a ML does a complete 180 twist and develops a whole new personality when they get in a relationship, and I am so glad that this was not the case for him. I also LOVED the way that he became a part of the FL's family, not only by relation to her, but being close to her parents as well. So darn cute and heartwarming.
I'll wrap this review up by saying that I absolutely loved how their grandmother knew that the ML needed a family, while the FL needed a chance to excel in her career, so she made sure to help them through her will. Ughhh so heartwarming. This entire show was so well thought out!
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Ohhh Mother!!!!
There isn't really much to speak about in this series, though it was soooo long. so lets get into it:Dang, this is such a ridiculously long series that was about a greedy mother. Literally the entire series is about this greedy woman trying to pretend she wants her children to have a better life than her's. It took 20 episodes to solidify she was just a gold digger that didn't get to strike gold for herself so she was doing everything to ensure that her daughter did. Once she found out her daughter BF was rich rich, she couldn't wait to get them married, swear her daughter was a prized cow that she wanted to sell off to the highest bidder. She was truly disgusting to watch, worst yet, episode 16 was the heights of disrespects to her daughter, like how do you even do that to another human being and then have the gull, de audacity, de ko-ho-Nays to plan a whole wedding and not tell the bride.. the bride, the second most important person in a wedding. This lady made all asian mothers look horrible. I've been to China and they love tradition but they not about this level. I felt so sorry for the groom, he really was just a bystander in this horrific accident that his sister and that crazy woman that happen to be the mother of the girl, planned. It just got worst and worst, and finally at the latter half of the series, you get fooled into thinking the mother finally found a clue under her gold digging pickaxe, but no she goes off and makes everything about herself again, making her entire family blow a blood vessel simply out of worry all under the guise that she doesn't want them to worry. Like how stupid is that, you run away so they don't have to worry, because they wont worry about why you just vanish.
Now, that I feel like I got enough of that off my chest (sooo much more I wanted to say), lets get onto the romance of the show. That is basically it, because there is nothing to speak about it. The total romance equates to about 1hr and 47 min of screen time, It was totally sad. I mean they were cute and their chemistry was somewhat cute, but it was like a sub-thought in the midst of a family drama soap opera.
I was truly disappointed with the entire series, because it had a romance listed... I can't even pretend this is a cautionary tale to other children, because everyone seems to just love to enable the mother and cuddle her for the rubbish behaviour she is exhibiting. Soo many opportunities the father and brother had to let her know that she is off the deep end of crazy but they made excuses...
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Best modern drama of 2024. yang zi and xu kai's chemistry is chefs kiss♡
Watching this ongoing drama is killing me because waiting for the next episodes is a different kind of pain. Anyway, I waited so long for this drama to air, and now that it's finally here, I'm in love!Not kidding, this drama is going so well. Let's talk about a few things first:
■ ACTING: 9.5/10
Yang Zi and Xu Kai: I guess I don't have to mention how good their acting is. Yang Zi portrayed her character very well, and Xu Kai, as the cold boss, nailed his role. Also, their chemistry is chef's kiss 😭❤️ Other actors are also good at their jobs.
■ STORY: I like family romance dramas, and the plot of this drama is well-written. I like the way they showed the struggles of a middle-class family. There were scenes that actually made me tear up a bit, but the FL and her brother are so hardworking that I feel proud of them. This drama shows the reality of modern society and struggles. The romance aspect of this drama is also good. It's not your typical rich CEO-poor girl drama. The FL is intelligent, wise, and kind-hearted. Though the ML seems cold, he cares about people in his own way (at least he's learning, lol). As I said, Yang Zi and Xu Kai's chemistry is no joke. They have my heart. ❤️✨️ Overall, I'm loving this drama, and I know it's going to be on my favorite list.
If you love a good modern romance drama, then I definitely recommend giving it a shot!
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Worst choice ever
Watching this was probably one of the worst choices I've ever made.This is just my honest, personal opinion, I disliked both the story AND the way it progressed. The acting could've been better, but it generally wasn't that bad by most of the cast. The story though... Some characters were quite literally UNBEARABLE (yes I'm looking at you FL's mom).
The FL is written as a very kind yet resilient and strong person, or so we're supposed to believe... The thing is, she behaves like a dormant, especially with her mom. Disagreeing with your parents is perfectly normal, agreeing with everything they say and forgiving whatever they unilaterally decide for you, is what's not okay. I could literally write an entire essay about how dysfunctional the FL's relationship with her mother is.
The FL is 29 years old and her mom treats her as if she's 12. She literally designed an engagement ceremony for the fl without asking for her opinion... and I'm not even talking about the decorations... I'M TALKING ABOUT THE GROOM like- 👁👄👁 lady get it together, please. The thing that makes me madder is had the FL enforced healthy boundaries with her mom, nothing like this would've happened.
Boundaries are of utmost importance in every relationship and suitable ones should be enforced (obviously depending on what type of relationship it is and taking into consideration personal preferences). By not enforcing proper boundaries the FL is enabling her mom's behavior. No, it's not cute, it's not "but, she's just worried" or "she loves you and cares for you that's why she's doing it". Seriously I hate when behaviors like this are glorified or simply glossed over in dramas with the excuse of "being a loving parent❤️". No. She is smothering her own daughter. The woman is simply controlling! Not to mention that she gaslights her daughter when things don't go her way.
Another thing that I didn't like is the grandma being used as a plot device to bring the main leads together (or at least the particular way she was utilized as a plot device). Moreover her being all "I brought you into the Mai family" towards the ML, like she gave him the biggest gift ever made me so mad. If she sincerely wanted her grandson to know what love is, she should've brought him to live with her or helped him before things turned as bad as they did (with his family). I believe that she was kind of cruel to her grandson since the beginning of it all.
Also isn't it ironic how the FL was betrayed by her long-term bf hiding the fact that he was wealthy, when the grandma did the exact same, and for many more years...
All in all, I think this story just wasn't for me, I struggled and ended up skipping quite a lot, up until the 20th episode. I'm a bit disappointed as I am a fan of some of the cast, but I'll just drop it here.
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Best Choice Ever became my Favorite Drama Ever
I think Best Choice Ever provided better growth for Xu Kai's character unlike She and Her Perfect Husband.I liked YZM & MCH Interactions the most. Xu Kai at his best. I've to say that there are very good and entertaining characters like YZM, MCH, He Dong, Zhang Zhiyu, Grand Mother. You can't get bored watching these characters. But of course, every drama has its own pros and cons. I felt the Mom character is too boring and hurts the FL many times. XJL (MCH's Ex) is also boring to watch. As his character seemed too childish where as MCH is a matured woman. I don't know Why MCH dated XJL?
But anyways, MCH & YZM are together at the end of the drama.
Instead of that time waste by creating unnecessary plot in the last 2-3 eps, they should have worked around the plot of YZM and MCH's marriage like the most of the Chinese dramas do.
I loved MCH & YZM interactions the most:
1. MCH to YZM - Mr. Yao, the world doesn't end without you but your kidneys would, drink more water. (In Hospital)
2. YZM to MCH - Miss Mai, The world doesn't end without you but I would. (Replied again in hospital)
3. I knew it, Fang something right? He said you're childhood sweethearts (this line looks simple in English but it was funny when he said that in Chinese)
4. If you like someone, do you have to express it in person?, ...... I like you 💖
5. It was my fault for giving my heart to you too soon, now my world is filled with you! (YZM tried to be cheesy with his lines)
6. Auntie, I was that mouse running around at home.
7. YZM's scene with MCH's Mom - When I was young due to my family environment, I have always been a selfish person. I don't know what is family and what is warmth and I never expected to fall in love with someone in my life. Ever since Cheng Huan entered my life, she brought different colors and made me look forward for the future. In my heart, I have long regarded you as my family. I request you to let me properly love Cheng Huan & become a part of your family.
I liked YZM's character even more when he confronted Ms. Zhang over Xing'anli issues.
Cons of the Drama:
1. Lesser Screen Time for Xu Kai (But fine I'm more satisfied with YZM rather than his other drama - SAHPH: Yang Hua)
2. Boring Characters like Liu Wanyu, Xin Jialiang, Xin Jiali
3. Too much wastage ~ They should have reduced the whole marriage thing (Come On!, Ep 1 to Ep 16)
4. XJL was the dumbest character I've ever seen in the Chinese drama. You're almost 30 and you can't even trust your girl friend. You have always lied about your status and yet MCH should be understanding of you and your family?
5. Liu Wanyu's character bored me so many times. Her constant nagging towards husband, son and daughter couldn't bear it.
6. Last 3 episodes wasted on LWY's illness.
Pros of the Drama
1. Mai Cheng Huan - Being filial, positive, and honesty throughout is really difficult. It's my second drama of Yang Zi. I like her even more. She's a matured actress.
2. Yao Zhi Ming - In MCH words, A Successful Man with traumatized childhood. YZM seemed selfish in the beginning. Only cared about his promotion at the head quarters. But the trip with Grand Mother and MCH changed his perspective. Before he was hospitalized, he said to a kid that there's no Ultraman in this world. After MCH's care, he said to the same kid that there's no Ultraman in the world but there's spiderman & superman. The character transitioned a lot. The Apology to MCH. At first, I also interpreted like Mao that YZM's strategy to make MCH fall in love with him and then take over Xing'anli but he surprised when MCH and YZM began dating, there's a scene where YZM buys flowers for his Girl Friend from a Little Girl (She Says " Brother, I wish you happiness" and in response he says " I wish you happiness too and can you wish happiness to others on the way on the behalf of my Girl Friend?").
3. Mai Lai Tian - Positive and Patient Father. He is filled full of Patience. Mai Mom always had something to nag at him and he was always listening to her nagging with patience. He is too supportive and with a positive attitude.
4. Zhang Pei Sheng - Although she turned out to be Antagonist. Her scenes with YZM are good. Her daughter is more matured than her.
5. Chen Shu Zhen - Grand Mai's character is another best character. Always supportive of both her grand children. We can't just give 100% score to MCH for changing YZM. 30% Grand Mai also changed him.
6. He Dong - His interaction with YZM is most funny. YZM is friendly with him and HD is also friendly with YZM. Their relationship was too fun and interactive.
If I were to Re-watch the show - I'll watch from Ep 21 to Ep 33. (Ep 1 to Ep 20, I would watch scenes involving YZM with HD, MCH & Grand Mai)
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Love it
I’m in love with all of the main characters. But I must say, although the mother’s behavior has made me cringe, I am completing love with Saifei He. Her acting skill and her emotional range are clearly the work of a seasoned professional. She is amazing. Many of the actors are among my favorite. Well done family drama. The tears and the laughs were genuine but most of all the crazy, illogical and profoundly important intricacy of the familial bond was front and center. Well done! Oh and the duet at the end is good too😊Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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Please, please don't judge this one by the rating...
The trolls and haters are at it again- they've successfully degraded this show to a 7.8 rating for honestly pretty minuscule reasons. Yet, sitting yourself down and understanding why the characters are the way they are- watching this show for what it was intended to be by the screenwriters- will leave you pretty impressed. Here's a brief rundown of all the things that seem controversial about the show:1. THE MOM. Got to start with the FL's mom, and honestly, I think some of the viewers misunderstand her role here. If not for her misguided antics, MCH would never have found the incentive to seek her own path and independence. The obstacles that the mom places in front of MCH ultimately help her grow and become her own person, the ENTIRE POINT of this drama. Secondly, the mom sadly does reflect some realities; MCH's family lives in stifling poverty. Mothers in those states will do whatever it takes to 'do the best for their child', often ignoring basic rationality (see Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice). I Yet, throughout the drama, she's anticipated to grow, and the funeral of the grandmother does foreshadow the learning curve the mom could achieve throughout the show. Also, the actress plays her SO SO well; you feel the annoyance, the anger, and the irrationality, but also the love she clearly has for her family and children.
If you can't get past the mom, that's fine. But for future viewers hesitant because of the skewed rating, I don't think it's too bad at all. Certainly, the mom is much better than Professor Umbridge in Harry Potter and similar to Song Qian in 'A Little Reunion' (also so good; definitely recommend it).
2. XU KAI'S LACK OF SCREEN-TIME. I like Xu Kai like everyone else here, but I truly think his character has appeared where it is needed and not too many other places. Sure, you could argue that YZM needs more appearances, but I think his character development has been fine as well as the fact that other characters such as the grandma and MCH do keep me entertained.
For those watching only for Xu Kai, I understand some disappointment- you don't see too much of him until post episode 16 or so.
3. THE LACK OF ROMANCE. This drama was not intended to be a full-on romance rather than a realistic family story, and I think it accomplishes its goals. Its characters are realistic and portrayed beautifully by the actors and actresses (especially the grandma, mom and MCH- this is Yang Zi's magnum opus). Objectively speaking, I think this drama has been better than the vast majority of romances I've watched in many aspects from realism to character development. It is a truly slow-burn though, so for romance-chasers, this MAY NOT be for you, and that's totally okay.
BUT, why would I write such a long review and urge everyone to watch it regardless?
1. THE CHARACTERS. They are written so, so well, especially MCH (FL character). Unlike other dramas obsessed with adding lines like, "She's so smart and pretty," into the script, this drama SHOWS and doesn't TELL. Mai Chenghuan is the only truly strong female lead I have seen throughout all the shows I have watched that is realistic and mature in her actions. She will get over herself and help others, she stands up for herself, and has her flaws (which she acknowledges and grows from). Truly, she is my FAVORITE female protagonist in any drama I've seen so far. Her character dips more than a toe into the water; the script does a wonderful job. Also, YZM, the ML, isn't just a cold, rich boss. He has a backstory and a development arc- kind of rare in C-dramas.
2. THE ACTING. So, so good. There's literally no need to mention it when you've seen it, but Yang Zi's attempts to hold back tears at the funeral (so realistic) and her flustered-ness arguing with Xu Kai really resemble MCH and build together a cohesive character. Other support characters are wonderful too; I'm not even a super-fan of any of these cast members but this drama has made me look for their other projects.
3. THE LESSONS. This is not just a story. It's a huge master-class on how to live life, especially from Grandma (cool character actually). Beyond the humorous and sad moments and everything in between, the lessons learned by each of the characters do translate to real life and make logical sense to me (doesn't happen a lot in dramas).
Overall, I thought I'd leave this review here. Otherwise, too many people would miss out over 'the mom', 'no Xu Kai,' etc; they would miss out on what's a genuine story- sadly far too rare these days.
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The Best Choice Ever Would Be For Chenghuan to Choose Herself
The story was good to start. A new boss Yao, the ML, comes to town from abroad to run the Botecelli hotel chain, but this boss is not just coming in to run the business he has he own agenda that may or may not be nefarious. While Chenghuan, the FL, is a sales and marketing superstar who is looking to grow her career but may be a hindrance to the MLs plans unbeknownst to her. There was entertainment value here, but then the story lost its way when it no longer centered around the business happenings at the hotel to focus on the soap operaic drama surrounding the Xin family and Chenghuan’s interactions with them. SMH. It was over the top, contrived drama. And don’t even get me started on the FL’s mom and the SML’s sister, who were insufferable busybodies.I will say I loved the chemistry between Chenghuan, and Jia Liang, the SML. He could be cute with his actions towards her and they really popped together. It is too bad that he was immature, irresponsible, and failed to take control of their relationship when his family continuously butted in causing chaos. He was essentially a wealthy bum. Truly a shame.
Though the series tried to sell a budding romance between the leads, it was difficult to suspend disbelief and believe their relationship could actually go there. I know it was just business, but after he used her as a pawn for his own business coupe, which nearly destroyed her reputation and did derail her career, it wasn’t believable that the FL would interact with him in any way beyond an as needed basis. Moreover, she and the ML didn’t have any chemistry. They had the scenes and dialogue to create what may be a budding romance but there was no spark between them.
I didn’t finish this series because honestly I got incredibly bored with it. However, seeing as Jia Liang was a man child who’d never grow up, Yao being a scheming user who was a vulture coming to swirl around his elderly grandmother in a plan to acquire her business, and the Mai parents being a mix of passive uselessness to their children, to aggressively controlling them to the point of being intolerable, I came to hope that in the end Chenhuang will pull a Kelly Taylor and choose herself.
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So Relatable When It Comes to Having Immigrant Parents
I CRIED...just because this entire drama was so real, raw, and relatable.I have never watched a drama that hits home and touched the soul. Themes included family, struggles of being the oldest child, expectations, the work environment, regrets, forgiveness, and much more. Just everything about this drama definitely touched the heart strings, as there were many scenes that made me cry.
I definitely learned a lot through this drama - the realization of my parents' expectations vs reality for me, what they believe is the best for me, etc. There was a scene where I felt not a lot of dramas have: a conversation between the lead daughter and mother where they became vulnerable towards each other and decided to listen and understand each other.
With different generations, it's always difficult to understand where people come from and why our parents act the way they act. This drama provides a reminder to spend time with your family as much as you can before it's too late, to forgive, and to listen to each other.
Overall, the entire drama was amazing and definitely something I feel has hit home so much!
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Extremely refreshing story about the realities of family dynamics.
Caution: it is slow paced and don't go in expecting romance to be the centre
The writing is beautiful, it's slow but makes sure that you get to know the characters. While each character has traits that are highlighted, they are not one dimensional. As the audience you get to see how their strength can also become their weakness. How human these characters are.
The male lead is so deeply flawed because of how he grew up. I didn't think he would redeem himself in my eyes. But by the end I obviously loved everything I hated about him like how scheming and fierce he is. And I absolutely loved the strong female leads, I think it was just that much easier for me to get attached to Chenghuan. She is determined and holds up to her values, foolishly. Reminds me of Itaewon Class.
I geniunely felt for the characters, the actors did an amazing job. Especially Yang Zi, as the female lead! Her portrayal was so well done in this drama, got me crying by episode 9! There were too many moments where I felt like I was right there with the characters.
I feel like we got to through the rollercoaster of emotions with the FL when it came to her mum. I could see myself in her. Being nagged by mom, having boundaries crossed and yet loving her more than anything in this world.
This one so beautiful portrayed how complicated family can be. I geniunely recommend it!
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