We Started Dating From Marriage (2020)

I simply done with this kind of trope

I just watch this drama out of boredom. This kind of trope should be ban or completely removed in cdrama because it is so common. Most of the modern cdrama nowadays has this trope and im just tired of it.The storyline is so common and you can predict what will happen next. The acting of the Female Lead was good but not that good, she needs to improve some of her facial expressions because sometimes it does not fit on the scenario she was playing and also GongJun acting's is like a wooden stick that does not know how to use his eyes and face to give us more emotions and shows what the character feels at the moment. He is just a pretty boy that knows how to properly kiss. If you want some sugar then watch it but this drama is definitely not for me.

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This is probably one of my favorite contemporary Chinese dramas. I stumbled upon this drama accidentally and I never looked back. I've seen Gong Jun in another drama and I know that he is really good plus his eyes are expressive so I was curious especially with the plot.

STORY:
Lu Fang Ning (Zu Yu Tong) is a domineering CEO. What I liked about her character is that she is head strong, decisive, and doesn't care what anyone thinks. She does what she does and no one can stop her. We need these kinds of female leads in a Chinese dramas to be honest. I'm tired of the damsel in distress and domineering CEO plot. Anyway, she meets the male lead Ling Rui (Gong Jun) who is a doctor and concocts a plan of having him as her husband due to family pressure that she should be married and she should start a family. She chooses him because he's suitable and he's also pretty handsome. It was really hilarious seeing the female lead court the male lead. Of course in all marriage in name plots the leads eventually fall in love. What's new there? I especially love Fang Ning's friends, Su Yu and especially Tang Ping who is too clingy. They added color and fun to the plot. Though my favorite part of this drama is the 6 year time jump and when their son was added to the mix. We can see a reverse in roles perhaps? Ling Rui being domineering and Fang Ning being timid due to guilt. The ending is very satisfying that I didn't think too much of it being 35 episodes long. I wanted more and luckily they had 4 extra episodes which made my heart soar.

ACTING/CAST:
I already knew what Gong Jun was capable of but damn his chemistry with Zhou Yu Tong is off the charts. I loved watching their characters interact with one another and I especially love how natural they are. Me watching the behind the scenes footage doesn't help either. They were too natural it was like they were close friends. Or more than that. Or I don't know. I really, really like how they act together and I hope they get to have another drama together. I also had no problem with the other casts. Whoever casted this drama deserves a raise.

MUSIC:
There was one song that I really liked. And I'm grateful for OSTs that are good. It adds color to the story.

REWATCH VALUE:
Yes. And I recommend this drama as well. Yes, I've seen this for 3 times and I'm proud of it. lol

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In my top 3 best romcom of 2020! Luv the mainleads chems! RECOMMENDED!

Highlights:
- Liking how it’s the opposite of the most common drama characters (this one the rich dominating CEO is the woman n the “kinda normal” character is the guy)... they r both really goodlooking n so well matched…The chemistry is superb!
- There r character development for the mainleads n the other casts… even people u hate at first, they end up being ok people n in good terms with everybody... super happy ending kinda story…
- The kid actor is just super adorable!
- I like it plotwise… it’s not like a unique plot, it’s a contract marriage turn to real luv, but it’s definitely an entertaining watch, almost no boring moments, I rarely skipped scenes in this! which I do usually a lot for too boring/angsty parts in the drama… maybe there r some a bit too cringy moments for some people, but they r ok for me coz I just like the mainleads acting together, so natural... n I’ve watched their other dramas, IMO they r each other’s best partner so far...

Things I’m not too fond of:
- It took 6 years for them to reunite? It’s just too long to leave someone u luv like that, esp if u don’t even have a good enough reason to separate in the first place… she could’ve just gone with him to Germany since she gave up the company anyway… plus he deserves to know about his kid, he missed the first 5years of his life! I know they use this to make a big must have problem in a drama so they can have the last 10eps fixing that or there will be no important plot... plus they might wanna use a kid that’s big enough to act super cute n smart, so that time gap is explainable... n yes like I said before, Lu Youyou is just so cute, so his presence is just worth the time gap!
- The cliche “they knew each other from childhood” plot… though in this drama it’s kinda needed, since it’s the big reason for him to say yes to the contract marriage in the first place…

Overall it’s in my top 3 best romcom of 2020... Highly recommended! They have only 1 major break up! Yeah I know it’s a huge one, but still compared to some dramas that give soooo many breakup moments, this is an ok one... plus eventhough they got separated 6years in eps24, but on air aspect for us as watchers, by the next episode they already have an encounter again,so it’s not like we gotta wait for a few eps of them not meeting each other... especially for romcom lovers, this is a MUST WATCH!

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Sweet, and smart in the right places

My wife and I watched this together, and we both loved it. The story was not original, of course, but the execution was good. The leads matched, and the acting of Zhou Yu Tong in particular was very impressive. Her character was also a good example of the thoughtfulness of the writing that elevated this one above the many similar dramas out there. It was great to see her "badass CEO" persona was driven by a sense of loss and grief BUT she still had solid self-esteem.

The show's writing also showed intellligence when the plot dragged out the hoary old 'noble idiocy' trope. The supporting characters, and the ML, all called it exactly what it was, stupid. And happily, the show didn't wallow in it. After her return, it was also refreshing to see that both the ML & FL thought about how they needed to actually use their words, albeit after an amusing 'intervention' by friends.

There were plenty of very amusing scenes as well. The FL's 'uncle' at the gym had us both doubled up laughing, and the group hiding under the table toward the end was almost as funny.

There was a lot of great dialogue in the show - the FL's rant against public proposals was superb, exactly right in every detail.

There were flaws, of course. The 'bad guy' was both a bit OTT in his fixation and then let off with blnding ease and speed. That last was a reflection of the slightly over-saccharine nature of the final few episodes, quite likely a PRC requirement. It could have benefited by being 30 instead of 35, and the way the characters all moved on from the 6 year gap was a bit too hassle-free. Despite that, it was a very enjoyable watch, one of my favourite C Dramas now, with a sweet happy ending that earned extra points by NOT bringing back a character that most K Dramas almost certainly would have.

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Funny with drama mixed in

When a Chinese drama is more than 24 episodes long, I always have second thoughts about watching, anyways, I finally went for it.

So, what did I think, I think the drama is okay. There were parts that I didn’t like, skipped two full episodes. I don’t think I missed much as I was still able to follow the story.

I liked the first part of the series more. I liked Lu Fang Ning’s character more during first part. She was bossy and seemed like a bully but really had a soft heart. She was funnier here. Zhou Yu Tong really portrayed the character well. Simon Gong fit the role of Ling Rui – the quiet genius. I liked his character more on the second part though. He was more assertive.

Why do I keep saying first and second part of the series….well, after the two episodes that I did not care for and skipped, there was like a total switch of character behaviours. I think it would have been good if they continued the story from the first part and found an ending from there. Lu Fang Ning kept her character. Ling Rui becoming more like his character on the second part of the show.

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GOOD BUT NOT ONE OF THE GREATS

Honestly, give this one a try! The chemistry is decent and the story is too!

Acting was so well done! I'm definitely going to keep watching the FL, Zhou Yu Tong, she was excellent.

But do be warned... the plot takes a dip around episode 25.

This drama had comedy, a sprinkle of drama, and a pretty even plot pace. I enjoyed the main couple and their story, but I definitely think it could've been altered so things didn't feel so "off" later on.

The second couple was also cute, but deserved more screen time! I hate when directors do that.

In terms of plot, I think they could've done better. It was strong until some drama occurred, and the reconciliation between the characters did not go as smooth as I thought it would. I didn't feel the chemistry come back 100%, if that makes sense. Looking at it chemistry wise, the FL was definitely awkward at first but she seemed to warm up as the drama continued. Other than that, their kid was adorable, and so were all of the scenes with him!

As I said in my headline, this one is good, but not one of the greats! Don't let its flaws keep you away ;)

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Could've been better !! Would not recommend

I got this as a recommendation from my last post on Reddit. Honestly, I loved the first 20 episodes. We have strong fl for the 1st time and who is rich at the same time. Then calm, hot ml who is caring at the same time. Their chemistry was amazing. Both the lead actors acting was really appreciable. But...
First, there was that irritating second lead, but it did not matter to me much like he was okay. Then the childhood meet up which was also ok. But then all of sudden she leaves him for him to follow his dreams like WTF was that. And then the son grows without ml... Excuse me why writers you made it like this... Breaking up is not a solution to all problems. It's more than sitting together and resolving it. I lost my complete interest in it. And also so much screen space for second leads made me skip all the parts of it...Instead you can watch drama like.
Put your head on my shoulder or Love is Sweet.

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Good for the first 10-15 episodes.

I didn't read the reviews for this one before going into it, should have. I just wanted to see Garvey Jin in another romantic drama but it was for the naught. His story only got interesting in the last couple of episodes that was the only good part about those episodes.

The story is so bad halfway through. Why can't these people talk things out? What's with keeping the baby from the father? Its not like he is going to be crappy father, the ML was a green flag and honestly would have been a much better father than the mother. As a role model for the child, she should have at least considered how her decisions would affect the baby but no. Once you find out you are pregnant, reach out to the fellow. Stop making decision for the guy, if he said he didn't want to be a father once he found out, then that's another story. But that was not this guy at all.

Just felt like wasted 9 hours watching this. Had to skip most of the scenes since they were not very impactful.

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It is worth your time to watch this!!

I really enjoyed this drama especially because the female lead is a strong independent woman. I like that both the male lead and female lead were people who could stand on their own two feet. I really enjoyed their acting and the interactions it was so adorable, even all the supporting characters you can't get enough of! I really do recommend people watch this because I really loved it. It's a heartwarming romance, and the ending honestly I probably couldn't ask for anything more. PLEASE WATCH!!! You will enjoy it a lot. I know I actually laughed a lot watching this and had some parts where I teared up. So if a drama can play with your emotions, you know it's a good one. I hope people give this a chance~

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I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE LEADS AND THE STORY!

TBH, i was not into cdramas before... I have only watched Love 020 and A Love so Beautiful in 2016 and 2017... then i have watched Go go Squid in 2019. Then last Nov 2020, i have stumbled upon a poster of a cdrama BEGIN AGAIN with list of episodes. I didn't hesitate to watch episode 1 and booom! i was into it. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE LEADS AND THE STORY! I haven't watched the trailer nor read the plot. I just wanted to surprise myself of its story and it really surprised me. I thought it was just a typical contract marriage set up so I didn't expect the 6yrs later part. I was so in love with thia cdrama. That's the start of me being crazy with Cdramas. I have binge-watched more cdramas in 2021 until now than kdramas. hehe... And Begin Again is still my most fave cdramas ever. As of July 2022, it is my 4th time rewatching it. hehe Ling Rui and FangNing will always be part of my life. I think, out of all cdramas i have watched, I can only memorize few characters names of the leads... if i can remember their names, means that cdrama had a great impact to me. hehe I can also memorize what episodes are the important scenes and my favorite scenes here.

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