Currently Watching: Love Designer

Love Designer

This article may contain minor spoilers from episode 1-15

大家好 (Dàjiā hǎo) or Hello MDL Readers! It's been a while as I had some mental health issues and took a break due to stress, but I'm back! I haven't done a Currently Watching yet, and I would like to do this as one of my first ones. 

You're welcome to comment down below as I love to hear feedback and improve my articles! Also, I always love to chat with people that have similar and different opinions in comparison to myself. 

Introduction

Love Designer tells the love story of a fashion designer and a man in the e-commerce industry.
Fashion designer Zhou Fang (Dilraba Dilmurat) met Song Lin (Johnny Huang) because of a lawsuit. They were a mismatch from the very start but had to cooperate due to interdependence in their lives and their work. Having two hard-headed people together was bound to result in conflicts, but, in the process of competing with each other, Zhou Fang and Song Lin gradually fall in love. As they seek to be better versions of themselves, Zhou Fang works hard to create a sophisticated brand while Song Lin, who prioritizes efficiency above all, pushes for a breakthrough in his career.

The Cast

Dilraba Dilmurat | Zhou Fang Johnny Huang | Song Lin

Viann Zhang Qin Qing	Yi Da Qian Zuo Yu Lin	Hu Bing Su Yu Shan	Zhang Duo Duo Lu Na

Why You Should Watch This Show

The Story

What drew me to this show (other than the actors) was the plot. I don't know why, but I love the very few shows that have an independent female fashion designer who paves her own path in life. This drama is just so refreshing as it has few to no cliches, and it is nice to see these types of shows in the Cdrama industry. I was, honestly, worried that it would be similar to Stay With Me (which, in MY opinion, was a mess in comparison), but luckily it was a fresh contemporary drama.

I usually NEVER enjoy the screentime of side-couples, but this was one of my few exceptions. I loved Qin Qing and Yu Lin, almost as much as the main couple. You have Qin Qing, who appears strong and independent with no soft spot but, whenever she is with Yu Lin, it's adorable! This drama is romance-oriented, but I always love strong female lead(s) in a story.

The Acting

In this series, I was extremely impressed by Dilraba as I can see the difference in her acting in comparison to other series. I honestly can't say the exact aspects of her acting that have improved, but she just seems more professional then she usually does. Some people say that her acting and facial expressions are inaccurate, but, in my opinion, she chose the perfect role as this series showed how much effort she put in!

Johnny Huang's acting improved over the years, but there wasn't a dramatic change. Don't get me wrong, he still acts well but, compared with the difference in Dilraba's acting, there is not much room for comparison. (Of course, he became a better actor through experience; don't get me wrong, I've loved Johnny Huang ever since his first series Addicted Heroin)

The rest of the cast was amazing as this is one of the first times I enjoyed watching the side couple scenes. Everyone's relationships are just too adorable as it ranges from Shen Di (Wang Yi Ming) and Luo Luo's (Christine Zheng) teen romance to Zuo Yu Lin (Yi Da Qian) and Qin Qing (Viann Zhang) romance as young adults trying to figure out their lives.  

The Sismance 

Every good drama has to have plenty of bromance or sismance, and we have plenty here. Qin Qing is Zhou Fang's best friend - she's independent and headstrong. They will both always back each other up and consult each other when problems occur.

This is one of my favorite parts as most dramas have the cliche of back-stabbing 'best friend', but here we have women supporting each other. Qin Qing is that one friend everyone wishes they had as they will be your loyal friend and the closest person you know and trust. We all need a Qin Qing in our lives...

The Pacing of the Romance

In many series, the romance feels forced, some are too fast, while others too slow and boring, but this one is perfect. They started dating around episode 15 which may seem fast in a 45 episode series, but I can tell that they will have difficulties to keep the story interesting. Zhou Fang (Dilraba) does not rely on Song Lin and is completely independent and confident in her abilities throughout the series, as she never attempts to use their romance to her advantage in the fashion industry. I'm predicting that they will be in the dating phase for the majority of the show, which is always nice as they don't have to get serious (married), but they are past the crush phase.

This is one of the first series where I have enjoyed the screen time of the other couples (I know I already said this, but I need to emphasize this). They are also a well-paced couple, as they might be opposites but they have plenty of chemistry.

The only problem for me is the character Lu Na. I understand that you need an antagonist for the FL, but I wasn't a fan of how she was so persistent when he rejected her for years. She really shouldn't try to force herself on someone that is blatantly rejecting her. Honey, please know when to back off.

Overall Summary

So far (up until episode 16) the series seems to be starting off strong. I just have the concern in the back of my head as many contemporary Chinese dramas end up failing due to the plot being stretched or something happening down the road. I came in with low expectations, but this exceeded them for sure. If you are thinking about watching this, I definitely recommend it. Many people have been curious about it as Dilraba Dilmurat and Johnny Huang were cast as the main roles. The main leads definitely have chemistry in my opinion and the rest of the cast too.

Also, the series isn't 100% romance. In my opinion, this contains some slice of life about a young adult trying to make her way into the fashion industry and the others trying to get through life with parental expectations, company pressures, competitors, scandals, etc. 

This show was a pleasant surprise, and I definitely recommend giving it a try!

Thank you for reading my article! See you next time!

If you want to see more upcoming contemporary dramas, you can read my other article here

^{Edited by: Cookie (1st editor)}