The Perfect Match (2017)

The Perfect Match is far from perfect, but unlike other reviewers, I thought 22 episodes was the right length. The plot does get unnecessarily convoluted around episode 20, but I think it does give some of the plot holes some closure. I just think it could have been done better. The biggest reason to watch this show is for the performances of Chris Wu as Huo Ting En, Ivy Shao as Wei Fen Qing, and Lawrence Liu as Peng Xiao Bin!

Story: For the most part, I actually really liked the plot and storyline. Parts of the plot arcs follow some usual drama tropes, such as family secrets and corporate political struggles, but a lot of the characters didn't fall into cliche roles and Fen Qing and Ting En have a very strong, healthy drama relationship (mostly). The show starts out making it seem like Ting En and Fen Qing are in a teacher/student type dynamic, but they very much challenge each other as individuals. A significant part of the relationship between Ting En and Fen Qing is about how Fen Qing doesn't need a man to protect her or fight her battles for her, though she could use some support. The only reason I wouldn't rate the story higher is because of those last few episodes where it feels like the writers couldn't figure out how to resolve some loose ends and decided to create chaos instead.

Acting/Cast: Mixed feelings on this one, but I ended up rating it high because of the three aforementioned actors. Chris Wu gives Ting En a charming maturity and depth. He and Ivy Shao as Fen Qing have great, bantering chemistry. Ivy Shao also does a great job of balancing Fen Qing's youth and naivete with her strong personality. But Lawrence Liu as Peng Xiao Bin, Ting En's best friend, is the scene stealer whenever he's on screen. His expressions and comedic timing are excellent and give this show life! While these three actors were all great, I thought Suan Wang as Meng Ru Xi was robotic, which was unfortunate because she got a ton of screen time and her character was actually pretty decent for a rival love interest.

Music: That opening song is so catchy!! It makes me think of rainbows and sunshine and summer breezes and my day feels brighter whenever I hear it.

Rewatch Value: Very low. I would fast forward to just watch some of the cute interactions between Ting En and Fen Qing. The rest of it is skippable.

Overall, this show is enjoyable for the most part with minimal cringe factor and some steamy kissing scenes, but lacks an addictive hook or a compelling finish.

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Story was much better than the reviews!

I am so glad I was not swayed to drop this Taiwanese drama after episode 16-17 after I read a number of the reviews. So many viewers thought that the perfect ending should have been episode 16 but I disagree. Episodes 17-22 added more richness to the story. I thought the male leader was so natural in this role and was so convincing. The development of the female lead was seen throughout but especially towards the end. I usually watch mostly kdramas. I learned so much about cooking, the cuisine and the restaurant business. This was only my third drama from Taiwan and because I enjoyed Perfect Match so much, it will most definitely not be my last.

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Chris Wu can kiss. I stumbled across this steamy kiss scene in youtube as one of the best forced kisses and was simply blown away. It is true, it is one of the best I have seen, it happens in episode 9, and it's alright if you skip the entire drama but just watch this scene play out. The actors are so realistic and passionate you cant believe they are doing this in front of the camera.
I wanted to know all about the characters and what transpired to make him kiss her like that. I will not reveal anything more. This was my first Taiwanese drama so the language felt strange to my ears. But the acting skills and cuteness level of the characters and scenes kept me going. 22 episodes is too long for a romcom, it could have ended a lot sooner. But it was a pleasant watch and educational, as both the leads are chefs and they share many interesting tidbits about the ingredients and cooking methods. Side characters are sweet and actually contribute to the story rather than being evil and selfish, which was a plus. This drama is atmospheric and takes you into a different world. There are the usual cliched scenarios which are cringey and over the top, i especially disliked the exaggerated ridiculous sleeping habits of FL, the ML's best friend who tries too hard to be funny, and few other forced-live in incidents where the mothers act really ridiculous.. but there is the feel of a genuine love story underneath it all which makes it worth the watch. I will possibly rewatch this for their sweet chemistry and the smooches! BGM is appropriate and couple of them are catchy. Give this one a try for a glimpse into the Taiwanese world - the close-knit lives of night market food vendors and the pressures and problems faced by the truly wealthy.

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Um drama que está na Netflix. Ting En é um cozinheiro e começa a ajuda a Fen Qing, pois ambos amam o faz, principalmente ele como cozinheiro profissional e que tem um restaurante, e acaba precisando muito dela já que há uma lembrança muito forte da Fen Qing com a irmã dele falecida.

O relacionamento não me pegou tanto, até que a família dele se mete e vira um relacionamento fake. A entrega do personagem masculino é melhor, mas algumas coisas não me agradaram como o primeiro beijo à força. Perdeu o encanto e até cheguei a pensar em abandonar. O romance não é tão bom.

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This Taiwanese Rom-Com is worth watching. Quite entertaining with lots of laughs in the first 10 episodes. The story line is very similar to 'My Fair Lady' as it was also referenced in one of the episode. I did very much enjoyed the English version of My Fair Lady. I would say although there were similarities between the two but there were also differences which made it enjoyable to watch.
Chris Wu the main lead actor was very convincing and the maturity he brought out in his acting made it very enjoyable to watch. However, I like his sidekick more which brought out the funny side to the whole story line. Keeping the whole show grounded.
The ending was a bit abrupt; I would like to see the main lead actress struggled a bit more when she took over the cooperation. It did not made sense in that someone without the right training is able to lead a major cooperation that easily, even with Xiao Bin's help.
Not the best music score though.

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Should have stopped at 17 but...

I rewatched this drama recently as I was drama-less lately. Food+idol drama is for me the perfect match indeed. I like also Taiwanese drama as they are less cheesy than the Korean ones. The chemistry between the first leads is evident and I really loved to watch them bickering and falling in love at the same time. The heroine is witty, strong and opinionated which is a nice change. Huo Tingen respects her and also falls in love with her because of that. They really are perfect partners.
I second the bromance as well which is really fun and looks quite organic as well.

Now the show indeed drags up after the 17th episode but hey, watching these two interacting is still worth it. There is no story anymore but who cares! I was in for the love...

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Interessante e cativante 8,5/10 (contém spoiler)

Já estava de olho neste drama na Netflix fazia uns semanas até que resolvi assistir pois achei uma história diferente. É uma história incrível. Entretanto, toda via tem os seus poréns na história, a cena da Wei Fen Qing dançando a música do hambúrguer é um fator grande que muitas pessoas parariam de assistir esse dorama, mas pra mim, eu achei essa cena muito engraçada e morri de rir quando ela repetiu a dança numa festa de vinhos com o Ting En. Eu adorei a história, em todos os seus aspectos e como vai amadurecendo a trama aos poucos, parece que você amadureceu junto com os personagens.
A Wei Fen Qing é uma menina imatura e que vai crescendo aos poucos durante a história junto com o Ting En, a química dos dois é simplesmente perfeita!!!!!!! eu amei esse casal. O Ting En é um homem super maduro e apaixonado por culinária e ensina várias coisas a Wei, mas além de culinária ele ensina para ela sobre amor. A troca deles é admirável. Vale a pena assistir o dorama pela mensagem que passa e pelo casal que é lindo.
Alguns pontos me fizeram querer questionar a trama principalmente por conta da quantidade de episódios, sério gente....22 episódios de 1 hora? foi difícil manter a linha linear na história. Em alguns momentos senti que a história estava se arrastando, exemplo nos episódios que o melhor amigo da Fen Qing, o Wei sugere a ela que faça ciúmes no Ting En para que ele prove se o amor dele por ela é verdadeiro. SÉRIO? e o pior que ela aceita, porém eu super entendo ela ter aceitado pois ela é muito menininha, nunca tinha namorado e até então nem se interessado romanticamente por ninguém e os sentimentos pelo Ting En são algo que ela não conseguia compreender, mas sinceramente, o cara já tinha se declarado para ela duas vezes, quer mais afirmação de amor????? Eu vi que o amigo dela, o Wei quis se aproveitar do momento apenas para mostrar para o Ting En que ele lutaria pela Fen Qing. Isso se estendeu por uns 3 episódios e o trama central era o Wei promovendo ciúmes e encontros com a Fen Qing, precisou o Ting En dar um sacode nela para que ela se ligasse que não era legal fazer isso.
Eu simplesmente não SUPORTEI o Wei, o melhor amigo em pele de cordeiro, em todos os momentos ele tenta ajudar a Fen Qing e proteger ela de tudo e todos, porém é extremamente chato pq o cara CLARAMENTE sabe que está na friendzone e continua correndo atrás dela incansavelmente enquanto ela sempre vê ele como amigo/parceiro. Em nenhum momento ela deixa entender algo a mais para ele, mas, ele continua tentando fazer ela notar que ele quer ser mais que amigo, as vezes chega a ser insuportável. ele é inconveniente, chato, mal amado, irritante e eu já falei que odeio ele? Pelo menos no final ele se redimiu.
Uma das cenas que mais me marcou foi o Ting En terminando com a Fen Qing foi um show de atuação e dramatização! Eu chorei junto com eles. Ele expressou todos os sentimentos naquela cena. Foi lindo.
Eu amei a história, menos o Wei hahahahha. Vale muito a pena assistir e dar uma chance ao amor do Ting En e Fen Qing. Foi gostoso de assistir eles se apaixonando. Assistiria novamente com certeza.

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SPELLBOUND KISSES

Hadn’t watched too many Taiwanese series, but I was drawn to this one. My favorite episodes were 9 & 17. I wasn’t familiar with Chris Wu, but am a fan, now! Thought Ivy to be a great actress and she played a strong female lead—a little quirky, but intelligent and smart. I have watched a lot of Korean and a few Chinese, Japanese and of course, American movies/series. I thought I’d seen the best kiss, by Yoo Yeon-seok, in “The Interest of Love, Ep. 10, I believe…Until Chris Wu’s kisses! OMG! He doesn’t just passionately kisses Ivy’s character, he romances her lips-slowly gliding from top to bottom, never breaking contact, until the kissing had ended. Then slowly pulls away, remaining relatively close to her face and confesses his love (Ep. 9). Ep. 17 was similar. I’d never seen that in all my many years of movie watching. The thing is, I’m tired of watching supposed “romantic” movies, with no romance. Would loved to have seen them finally get together (and really be together), while they were in their pretend engagement period, just to see how Chris’ character would have accomplished that! Overall, enjoyed the camaraderie of the street market “family,” the goodwill of the grandmother, and the friendship of the manager. Great show!

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