Yeah, I know, there's a lot of praises about this drama
But sorry I can't force myself and I need to vent on
Like a lot of people, I waited for this drama for a long time and with a lot of expectations due to the amazing trailer, and the amazing casting.
But oh crap : shitty writing
The story actually started off as really nice. I liked the premices : a pretty young maid who finds an innocent young boy raised by wolves and bounds with him but they get separated by tragedy before reuniting... And that's where it went downhill. Even Li Qin and Xiao Zhan couldn't save this drama (God, I hated their dubbing so much ! it was just too obvious and made them sound like teenagers ! it felt so frustrating when i remembered after hear their real, deep voices in the trailer that sounded so much better than these weird sounds)
First of all, writers : if you want to write a good story, AVOID AT ALL COSTS TO WRITE A SECOND MALE LEAD WHO'S BY ALL MEANS BETTER THAN THE MALE LEAD ! That's my first clue : if so many viewers have a big second male lead syndrome then that's a big flaw and failure to the story as it generates insatisfaction and frustration to the viewer rooting for the second male lead (and therefore hating the male lead). Here, we have the usual male lead who finds nothing better than to hurt the female lead nonstop, insulting her, humiliating her nonstop, sometimes even pretending to be about to molest her, basically does everything he can to let her think he hates her. And for what reason ? Oh yeah : the usual "I hurt you to protect you". OH GOD, I HATE THIS TROPE SO MUCH !!! On the other hand, Ji Chong, second male lead played by Xiao Zhan who starts at the very beginning like a rogue but develops such a cute and sincere devotion for the female lead... I'm sorry, and you still expect us to root for the male lead ? Moreover, I know a lot of people will disagree with me and I apologize in advance for the fans I'm gonna offend but I think that whether in terms of acting or charm, Darren Wang is clearly not at Xiao Zhan's level (actually, I thought Darren Wang was pretty mediocre : please don't kill me)
What was even more annoying is that the lead couple kept going around in circles nonstop : there were so many misunderstanding coming between them AGAIN AND AGAIN. For like two episodes they would be the cutest couple and then suddenly for some stupid reason or misunderstanding, they would have to (pretend to) hate each other for like the next 10 episodes and then they would suddenly reconcile... before falling out again and so on and on. URGH !
Basically the reasons why I fast forwarded the story like crazy and felt the need to rewatch "Youth Begins" to wash my eyes after that
Also, I think the costumes and sets weren't great, especially the costumes... But that's no big deal, I can easily let pass that one. And so many other characters were so annoying (like that bratty princess), barely even showing a correct acting (but then again, that awful dubbing made it even harder to bear... I mean, to judge). And finally the female lead was supposed to be smart and brave... but she was actually quite stupid and weak, she often needed to be saved.
So in other words : WHAT A HUGE DECEPTION !
Now, let's go, come at me, you fans that I must have terribly offended, I'm ready to accept my punishment !