Falling Into You (2020)

We finally have a Tdrama as well as a Puff Kuo drama in my top dramas of 2020 list! I might be biased because I love Puff Kuo and Jiro Wang and believe there should be more dramas with them, but I also loved how it contained all the elements I love in a classic Taiwanese drama as well as having this calmness to it where you might be watching an intense heartbreaking scene, but it was easy to watch. It kind of gave me elements of Love o2o how it was just an emotional but easy watch. Also, I am a HUGE fan of quirky turned emotionless woman that Puff knows how to play so well. You always want to root for her and once you see a smile or two, your heart just melts knowing the quirky girl is fighting through.

I loved all the characters! I was surprised by how the story came together at the end and the characters that we hated throughout, became likable at the end. Everyone was very mature, most of the time, and there was really no "revenge-seeking" even after the hellish childhoods the mains had. I loved the relationship that Zi Tong (Puff) & Fang Zhi Sheng (Jiro) had throughout the drama, even in the beginning when he was trying to break her at work. It came off as harmless fun and he was being a "butthead." But what I loved the most was how much of a boss Zi Tong was. And once they got together, the easiness of their relationship reminded me a lot of Xiao Nai and Wei Wei from Love o2o, which is extremely rare as we don't see a lot of drama couples like this because the director wants to add another level of drama. I think it is a bit tacky, but I still watch it! So when we see a couple like this where the writer doesn't feel the need to add that element, it is refreshing. I also liked how Zi Tong & Fang Zhi Sheng, weren't the only main characters of this drama and got about equal screen time (a little more into the drama) as Tian Lin & Fang Qing. I liked the growth in their story and how adult yet childish it was.

But the reason why I wasn't able to give this a 10-star review was because of the characters as well. As much as I loved this and will rewatch it many times in the future because Fang Zhi Sheng is a dreamboat who is equal parts silly/quirky and Mr boss man who stands up and does everything for "his people," I wish there was more fire or passion in their relationship. I needed a little more. Also, even though I loved Tian Lin & Fang Qing and how Tian Lin's daughter stole the whole show, I got a little tired of Fang Qing. She was one of the oldest characters here and she was acting like a school girl the entire drama.

Overall, it was a really good story about a girl who gave everything she had in order to have one last chance to compete and reach her goal and learned how to trust people again. It was about a man who fought through his trauma in order to heal from an abusive childhood. And it was a story about two unlikely people who reunited and got a second chance at love.

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Good pacing and enjoyable, but with Unrealistic ending.

Subjective Rating - 8.5 (exceeds my very low expectations and enjoyable)
Objective Rating - 7.5-8.0

Taiwanese romantic comedies are usually a hit-or-miss to me because I am not quite used to the humor yet. And maybe because of that, I have low expectations for “Falling into You” and am pleasantly surprised that I had a very enjoyable time watching it. “Falling into You” follows the journey of injured and retired Taekwondo champion, Chen Zi Tong (FL).


What I Like:

1. Fang Zhi Sheng (ML) - FZS reminded me of a milder version of the male lead in the K-drama “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”. He’s a little over-the-top, narcissistic, petty and childish, but actually very sweet and caring. I was worried that I might not like his character but luckily, I find the humor to be tolerable. I enjoy seeing his character development and how he has become a caring, supportive and understanding boyfriend, yet doesn’t change his personality to always think about money and business (according to him, always a win-win situation for him).

2. Chen Zi Tong (FL) - Independent, competent, hardworking, self-sufficient, and not a damsel in distress. She never gives up on her dream despite life’s tough challenges. She’s not perfect and can be very stubborn. She has changed a lot from when we first met her in the first episode, to the woman she’s become in the last episode. I would have liked to see her cheerful self a little bit more when she’s with ML, but also appreciate the fact that she doesn’t lose herself once she’s in a relationship.

3. Chen Tian Lin/FL’s brother - A tough, dedicated and no nonsense journalist/reporter, who is always trying to find out the truth. Yet when he is with the one he likes, you see the tenderness in his eyes as he gazes lovingly at Yang Qing. I also like the interesting bromance he has with Fang Zhi Sheng.

4. Taekwondo - I think Puff Kuo and Xi Wei Lun did a pretty admirable job in all their taekwondo moves. Of course they are not as good as professionals, but I can see the effort they put in to make sure each punch and kick look as realistic as possible.


What I have Mixed Feelings About:

1. Fang Qing (2FL) - She does not sound or act like a 40 year old woman. She seems like a pretty good teacher and doesn’t teach her children good lessons. But her behavior doesn’t always seem mature, e.g. slapping Chen Tian Lin on the face at the hospital when she doesn’t know anything about him and his family. That was uncalled for and definitely not what a teacher should be doing in front of her student. She also acts like a teenage girl in love most of the time, when she’s already had experience in the romance department. There are times she could have an honest conversation about her feelings, yet she chooses to avoid and lie. I think her high-pitched voice also makes her sound really whiny and young.

2. Romance - Both the primary or secondary romances are enjoyable enough but not great. The chemistry is decent. I wish Chen Zi Tong (FL) can show more emotions and there are more cute and fluffy scenes between the main leads. I think after they get together, they dive right into a mature relationship (which I like as well) but somewhat skip the sweet and fluffy honeymoon phase. That’s partly because the drama needs to focus on the FL’s comeback. I am also a little disappointed in the kisses between the main leads. Luckily, we get a couple steamy kisses from the secondary leads. The male characters are so smitten by the ladies. I always love the loving and secret looks but also would like some more from the female leads.

3. Editing/Storytelling - In the second half of the drama, the editing got weird. Instead of straight storytelling, there are many flashbacks and scenes that are cut short or stopped. The scenes are cut back and forth, and only show enough information to keep it ‘suspenseful’.

**** Spoilers****

4. Unrealistic Ending - For an athlete who is injured and stops training for over 2 years, there’s no way FL can compete at a high level without enough training/prep time. The Olympic qualifying tournament is laughable with a cheap venue and is sparsely attended. In the last match, there’s no way Wu Qian Ni would just stand there and not attack to try to win. But of course, this is Chen Zi Tong’s comeback story and we know she is going to win eventually. Now that she wins and is injured again (possibly unable to compete ever again), what is going to happen to the investment Fang Zhi Sheng has made in her and her mother’s dojang? He spent so much money on them and probably is not going to get his money back.


Other Random Observations:
1. Both male leads have nice six packs. I wish to see them more. LOL
2. The characters in this drama like to secretly record a conversation on their cell phones.
3. We never met Chen Tian Lin’s ex-wife or Gao Yu Qian’s girlfriend.
4. The child actress is cute and does a good job, but her voice is too high-pitched.
5. Love FL’s dad - sweet and caring and reminds me of his role in “A Thousand Goodnights”.



Completed: 11/14/2022

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Tedious

The best part of the drama was the relationship square (each male making incorrect assumptions about the other). I liked the relationship between the second couple, except for the episode in which they finally get together. The three of them (SML, SFL, his daughter) had great chemistry, but she was a little too tentative. Loved the little girl. There was nothing else in this drama that really caught my interest... but since there was nothing outright offensive, I didn't drop.

Dislikes:
* First couple no chemistry and just not that believable, from either side.
* The Taekwondo was long and not explained well. The coach was not professional. The competitive girl wasn't believable -- just spiteful.
* I don't recall the music at all, which tells me it didn't contribute to the show.

SPOILER:
* I view the scene where the second couple finally get together as a rape. She's blind drunk and says she loves him, he kisses her, and they wake up naked the next morning. This is not OK. Just to make it worse, it's only a few minutes between the point where she was sober & went into the house & started drinking, and he follows her in -- there's no way she could get that drunk that fast.

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I wanted to love this

I love Jiro Wang.

I love Puff Kuo.

After reading the synopsis, I was hoping for something like Protect the Boss.

What I got was an odd jumble of angles, where the pieces didn't quite fit. The characters never felt real or engaged me. Jiro was smarmy and Puff acted like she didn't want to be involved in any of it.

The plot meandered and the paint by numbers tragic back story failed to move me on any level. The mystery lacked suspense. Worst of all, the drama did the unforgivable.

It bored me.

I can forgive a lot but this drama was dull and plodding. I don't recommend it.

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Slapsticks not to be taken seriously

This drama does have serious issues like mental health, childhood, sports injury, family relationships etc, but its mostly slapstick comedy even from the start of episode 1.

To watch this drama, you got to forgo some level of logic /realism and manage the scenes at face value. Its a pleasant and light hearted series, great for passing time but not a memorable series based on plot and storyline. Just beware of the cringe worthy lines and dialogs.

Both ML and FL have above average chemistry which could be credited to their acting ability and experience. There is without a doubt on that. But as with kiss scenes in series my order is always Taiwan /Japan > Korean > China dramas.

However an obvious observation is that the older ML have a very well maintained physics but the FL kinda looks slightly aged, puffy / thicc etc. Its a pity because once a upon a time puff kuo was voted the sexist woman in the world.

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Such a refreshing and great drama

Finally I got another great taiwan drama after Lost Romance.. I am a huge fans of T-drama since meteor garden era, and always love Taiwan drama because of the storyline and the actors. Puff Kuo and Jiro Wang are indeed amazing to portrayed the role and have a great chemistry. The storyline is refreshing, female lead was once a good Taekwondo athlete but because of she's been betrayed and got a knee injury, she has to leave her dreams. The male lead is a successful CEO, but has a traumatic problems to make him suffers from hemophobia. They met because of an unexpected events, and slowly after several problems, they fall in love.

The reason you should watch this drama is because it has a good and unique storyline, the female lead itself has a strong personality, tough, and Puff Kuo really made it so great! The male lead also very supportive towards her, and really a best boyfriend ever. The second couple (female lead's brother and male lead's aunty) also did a great job. Their love story is very cute and interesting. Oh yes, every episode was so good, definitely not dragging, instead it was engaging enough to make me interested and excited to see what happens next.

Overall, Iam very satisfying with this drama and really think the rating could be higher than this because they deserved it. really recommend you to watch!! Surely not a boring drama

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Female character Is Great

It was a different kind of story but I love the lead female character. She was strong, independent, straightforward, and did not let herself be hurt by what people think of her. She was cold because of her past and very private but her sincerity was great. The lead male character at first does not know what to do with her but her sincerity, I believe is what makes him fall in love with her. He stand by her side and supports her thru all her struggles. I enjoy the story until they started inter twining all the characters story between his fathers death and her father and brother. I did like the surprise of the news article and the ending. The actors performance was very good.

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Watchable rom-com that is short and sweet

There is not a great deal to be said about this drama. I enjoyed it and you know what they say about hindsight . . .

Pros are a short run, decent cast, decent pace. Nothing offensive about the plot. Some swoon worthy moments and some sexy time scenes that are more than the token hands entwining. No stupid last minute break-up or evil ex's.

Cons are questionable OTP chemistry, plot holes, too much push-pull with the 2OTP. The 2FL/ML seems to exist purely to provide a source of angst and their motivation is inconsistent.

HEA ending was never in doubt. It was just the right length for the simple plot. Given its short run time, I can overlook some of its issues. A decent watch between major releases.

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Enjoyable, but not amazing.

The Good
⌲ The leads look great together visually.
⌲ Puff executed the aloof female lead persona very well.
⌲ The cute second lead noona romance
⌲ The workplace banter up until e9.
⌲ The relatively well executed fight scenes
⌲ Effectively speaking the villainous characters don't get any screen time. (I cannot emphasize how great that is compared to the cartoon villain galore that we normally get in dramas)
⌲ There are no love triangles worth mentioning.

The Average:
⌲ The main romance. (there is just unusually little fluff overall)
⌲ The supporting characters at the company felt too average, kind of like they were drawn from a template or something like that.
⌲ The mom is horrible, but on the flip side she has very little screen time, as such causing fewer than average annoyances.
⌲ Recording conversations left and right.
⌲ The weird 13 episode format, did the bad ratings lead to premature cancellation? (then again it's better then dragging the story to 16..)
⌲ There is very little fun banter & main romance after e9, the focus shifts to other things.

The Bad:
⌲ ML keeps hitting on FL, who does not notice for half the drama & then suddenly they are dating.
⌲ The separate bedroom.
⌲ The plot flows strangely. (it's difficult to explain. There are a large number of very emotionally satisfying scenes, but the whole drama feels a bit disjointed.)
⌲ The final episode is fan fiction tier for a variety of reasons, it's really not a well thought out episode plot wise.
⌲ Redemption arc, redemption arc, everyone gets a redemption arc, yay. (no way forgiveness is justified for these people!)
⌲ Friend & exBF ...

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It's about commodity of family and friends.

fear of blood( hemophobia) that was caused by his father death 23yo and he thinks he might have caused it as his dreams keep showing parts of what happened. As time went on it seams that there lives and family are intertwined as MF brother tian Lin is a reporter and starts to investigate the case that caused ML dad death. As the romance/relationship of the ML&FL starts her father showed up and he hear her father voice and all of his memories started flushing in he could hear and see him arguing with his father and so he leaves in a panic. He call her brother and tells him about his father who was a reporter in the past that worked on the mindlong case that was dangerous. So they work together to clear his father name and find the true killer as the ML is also in contract with mingling. As this is going on he sponsores FL in getting surgery and rehabilitation and physical therapy to get her wish back. The rest of the story is the ending results of all there hard work. So you need to watch to see 😊

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I liked the office and sport setting of this drama and it mixed these two aspects well together. The supporting characters were nice and provided some humourous and bubbly situations which made me chuckle.
At first I liked the secondary couple more but later I got quite annoyed with Fang Qing finding so many reasons why she shouldn't be together with Tianlin. It was honestly so annoying and quite draggy.
The main couple was much better and they had good chemistry (not the best but good enough) but what was it with the fish kisses?! The male lead kept his eyes opened in majority of their kisses which made them kind of embarrasing to watch...
Overall the story was unique, there were a few clichés but nothing unbearable. The ending was indeed a bit rushed but it was a really cute and funny rom-com.

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Great romcom without alot of frustrating misunderstandings. The main couple actually stands together to support each other in good and bad situations. The characters can seem a little unlikable at first, especially the mom, but by the end you understand their motivations. It's not a critically acclaimed sports drama! It's more of a light romcom so yes true to many Taiwanese series can be corny slapstick at times filled with unrealistic scenarios of business and competition. It's no less entertaining for it. This series to me is about persistence and learning to heal! It's not a passionate romance but more of a supporting companionship. My only issue with this drama is the way it ended so abruptly. The drama really needed to play out more about the ml father, taekwondo competition, but mostly the recovery portion! More happy future moments with the leads and aunt/brother couple would have been great too! I also wanted to add I loved Puff's performance! She was so lowkey and badass compared to her usual performance that her acting ability really was center stage. Jiro and Puff did such a great job in this drama imho!

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