So... someone convinced me to watch this after I was repelled by the description about the memory loss, which is a huge part of the story. As many others, I see memory loss as a mediocre way to add a spin to a plot which actually arrived already at a happy ending and just needs some more emotional drama.
I was promised something else here... but it was practically the same good old memory loss, just that it took over 20 (!!) episodes to solve it (and we all know that Mr. Memoryloss gets always back together with his first lover, don't we). (Btw. this drama is 34 episodes long, I don't know why MDL shows just 21...)
So you have the original rich but unhappy douchebag (and wow, this one's as douchebaggy as it gets for the first two episodes) and the unlucky, but beautiful and good-hearted female protagonist. From here everything develos exactly as you are used to: The rich, awful tiger-mom, the ever-unlucky second-lead-guy etc. However, Until about episode 10 (don't remember the exact number) the whole plot is practically resolved. The douche turns into a protective prince, the girl gets away from her awful family, they love each other and... then cancer hits. Duh. From then the get-the-memory-back-whilst-loving-the-wrong-woman continues for over 20 episodes. Yeah. Not a fan of that.
Let me narrow it down:
What I liked:
The drama touches three difficult issues: 1) Abuse of women, even by their family members and 2) women, who raise children by themselves - always a touchy subject in Asia and 3) sicknesses like Diabetes. That's some serious stuff right there.
This drama showed one of the most touching and maybe the most BELIEVABLE LOVESCENE I have EVER seen in dramaland. It was cliché, in the shadow of the sickness, with rain and tears... but holly molly - the actors actually acted like real lovers! Unlike other dramas, especially Japanese and Korean, where I cringe everytime when the couple FINALLY kiss in what is supposed to be a passionate scene, solving it all... but you can just tell how awkward the actor/actress feel, their bodies often even not touching whilst kissing, totally stiff... HERE you actually believe it. The kisses are natural, the touches, too. And the first night is not just excluded from the whole plot, like - Sex, no, no, we Asians don't do that (in dramas). So Kudos for maybe the best and most endearing love-scene you will encounter in Asian dramas. (Of course, I haven't seen all, so there maybe better out there)
What I did not like:
Although the emotional settings are nice and believable, which makes it a good drama, the outer settings are... bordering on fairy-tale. Like, it's as if police doesn't exist in Taiwan, because obviously, no one ever called the police: Kidnapping, gangsters, attempted rape, violence, you name it. Everything is tried to be sorted out by the characters themselves... which often leads to unbelievable situations (The courtroom in the beginning, seriously? You got attempted rape and more on the table and they solve it at a SCHOOL court setting??? What the...) This made me sometimes feel like watching a drama for teens, because the reality level was just too low.
Then there is the female protagonist. Her actions post memory loss are often very... frustrating. Not unsimilar to the girl from The Heirs, the character here decides often to just do nothing or be silent or not search help - just not to do what most other people would do at given situation. They explain it with her selfless behaviour, but it's to a degree that can be called medical - lol.
And then there is the last 5 episodes... The way the memory loss problem was solved was really quite exhausting to call the least. I don't want to spoil it, thus I can say not much about it, but the last episodes just dragged and the ultimate conclusion was relatively flat. There is OF COURSE a happy ending, as every memory loss plot requires, but how the couple get back together and finally make up just felt hastened in the last episode and well... not as important anymore.
All in all it was a good drama, certainly worth watching, and I am sure I will revisit at least until the infamous lovescene :) But it could have been shorter by about 10 episodes, if you ask me.
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