Fake It Till You Make It (2023)

Not Disappointed

I watched this drama based on a review, and I have to say that I was not disappointed. Aside from being written from a very mature, adult perspective give, the story dealt with a lot of issues in regards to work, health ;physical and mental), and interpersonal relationships with family, friends, colleagues and romance.

There wasn’t a lot of typical drama cheese in the romance story line, it was very well done. The female and male protagonists had equal billing, and they were portrayed beautifully.

There is a lot of business interaction on both sides, and that too was well scripted. This was pivotal for both of the protagonists and it attributed a lot to their outlook on relationships.

This was a refreshing drama, and I will be watching it again.

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Mature love story with big-city ambitions

"Fake It Till You Make It" is series about corporate people, who try to find balance between work and personal life. Realistic work backround make me feel like I was watching normal people in their daily life.

Main thread is romance between main leads, who are ambitious and hard-working, but lonely people. Their story is slow and uncontrived (it could happen in real life). They are resonable and don't act like children. They know their values and don't manipulate each other. Tang Ying is strong and independent woman, she wouldn't drop out her real-life accomplishements for a man. It'so cool, I hope in the future we would see more FL like her.

It is mature story with slow pace, it's stable and doesn't jump to conclusions. Every character have backstory and reasons for their bahaviour and action. This procedure shows viewesr that we don't know what other person is going throw and our judgement may be wrong.

Great script and directing. Good acting from whole cast. Enjoyable music. On point number of episodes, they don't drag out or rush too fast. Story not for everyone (slow and mature romance, lack of childish behaviour). I like this drama and recommend it, if you're looking for plot like this.

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60% Business to 40% Romance

This was good but it didn't rock my world. Elvis Han can handle being sexy for sure. I had dropped MMC for lack of chemistry and too much propaganda but this seemed like something easier. I lived for the leads interactions; flirting was actually a lot more subtle than what I'm used to or was expecting. And it was really 60% Business to 40% Romance. Will review this a bit differently than usual.

This was short; only 14 episodes but over an hour each. Really showed the lives of Asian cube monkeys working hard and overtime. Though many have said that it's only in Asia or China that this happens, it is often seen here in the states too. A lot of it reminded me of my time in the corporate world. The long hours, little to no positive reinforcement from your superiors, nasty coworkers, etc., one of the many reasons I left that world. I ffw'd a lot in the beginning because I didn't want to remember what that was like, plus there was very little actual interaction of the leads. And I didn't really pay much attention to the sister and her weird way of finding love getting stuck with a possessive stalker. Why didn't they go to the police after the spy camera was found? That's breaking a serious legal boundary. The regular Joe she ended up with was great but because of how little time they actually shared on screen and I think he was only introduced 3 episodes before the end, though they had chemistry, it did feel rushed.

I loved the FL's second supervisor! Now that's the type of manager you want to have; great mentor too. The 3 or 4 people in both of the leads lives that tried to harm them before and then apologized afterwards or thanked them, just seemed unrealistic because rarely if ever would that happen in the real world; those redemption arcs were unnecessary. The leads times together once they became an official couple in episode 8, was a time to treasure but I still felt like they were just not given enough screen time together to really work out their relationship properly. A lot was said or spoken of but not expressed. Could have been the time crunch of episodes and you never knew how much time passed as obviously there were time lapses. I'm glad the FL and ML finally decided to slow down work wise when something serious happened like her multiple health scares and him realizing he wasn't essentially a robot.

Their sexy times were great and so was the marriage proposal; it was different and fit who they both were. The OSTs were cute and fit them.

Would I recommend it? If you are looking for a business drama with romance as the secondary factor, then give it a go.

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Sweet, Realistic, and Mature

This drama felt so much different than the bubbly, passive dramas that often come of out China. The FL wasn't flat, and was a mature adult who was able to make her own decisions. She was strong, but laid-back when she wanted to be. I also love the FL's sister, and her story. She was able to overcome things herself. The only thing I didn't like much was the inclusion of things that felt unnecessary. Some side plots felt useless, and didn't build much character (however, they were still interesting to watch!) All in all, it was a great drama with pretty good directing, acting, and dialouge. It was natural, intimate, and sweet.

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A journey which everyone goes thru

This was not a typical Cdrama. it pleasantly surprised me that there can be such cdramas too.

FL was strong, independent woman but was not perfect. she had her own share of insecurities but learnt to deal with it. what i liked is she stood for herself without bowing down too much. she also expressed and communicated her insecurities in a matured way

ML was a typical non committal playboy. Deep down even he was scared and insecured but did not display it. His actions did when he was faced with it. He also overcame it through the journey

the second lead, sister also learnt her lessons thru her journey and realised nothing is forever and take it as it comes.

overall a beautiful story, worth watching as it touches the real aspects of people and life. the star cast was amazing. the chemistry was fabulous and made of each other.

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The best contemporary romance you'll ever come across

' Fake it till you make it '
The title piqued me instantly.
The poster was compelling.
The start was catchy and intimidating.
I'm not an avid watcher of Chinese dramas, coz they lack depth more often than not and are quite superficial, but this drama blew me away.
It was so compelling, the script is adapted from a novel.
The characters were so well written, and so unique.
The plot was so engrossing, it's one of the best dramas of 2023 and certainly the best contemporary romance drama.
The actors are outstanding.
It's like everything this director wanted to do, happened with this drama.

The versatility of characters was surprising, it made you wonder often what's their purpose, each of them served and left and some people in life normally do .
The biggest plus point is that the whole drama rotates around both the leads .
Mesmerizing chemistry b/w the leads followed by modern takes on how things proceed, the dating ploy, the urban constraint, the pretentiousness of humans and how it isn't necessary.
The struggles of the workplace, the toxicity of corporate culture, and how at the end of the day everybody is still struggling despite all the cunning tactics.

With the conclusion that life is more than work.
You might think that struggle and hard work will lead you to something but it can never fulfil the void it leaves in your life.

Most dramas lose their ploy by the time they end, this one never did, infact it develops as the episodes progress to a newer perspective, it does get slow after episode 10, which I found to be the problem.
But it still deserves a 10 for bringing something new to the table.

It was a lovely experience, I hope you watch this drama and enjoy it too.
Till then ^^

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Couple Chemistry Saved This One!

The drama was just ok. Too much business-speak and meaningless interactions between characters who didn't have a lot to contribute to the main story. Just a lot of fillers. Still, the acting was pretty good - no silly, overly dramatic characters, no villains to seek revenge, just overall a fair characterization of ambitious, overworked professionals in the big city. The episodes tended to drag in places where there really was no importance to the storyline, and that time could have been better spent on the lead and side couples' relationship development and wrap up. The last episode was quite underwhelming with a lot of repetitious babble, but we still got the happy ending we deserved.

The real star of this drama was the chemistry between Elvis & Elvira. While too much time was wasted on the bantering back and forth and the ambiguous exchanges at times, there is absolutely no doubt about the electricity between these two. Those soulful stares from Elvis and Elvira's response to him just sizzled. I liked the sister and her young boyfriend, but really felt sorry for the first guy with the psychological problems. He really played his part well, my heart bled for him even when I tried to see him as creepy. I also liked the love story of the pretentious client and her childhood friend, and the second boss and her guy. All-in-all, while I could have used a little more PDA all-around, the romance part scored.

OST was beautiful and added to the story.

Worth a re-watch on a lazy weekend with nothing to do and kill time. I'm a fan of Elvis Han now. I liked him in Three Kingdoms - but not near as much as in this modern-day role. Will also take a look at Elvira's work as well.

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An excellent series, realistic, romantic, modern (with a very hot CL :)

PLOT: the storyline tfollows the professional and emotional journey (50-50) of 2 senior executives, hard workers each in their field, 1 lawyer & 1 banker investment . They meet by chance on a plane, then find themselves working on the same cases.

PROS:
+ 2 great actors (Elvis Han in ML -- a pure eye-candy ---- & Elvira Cai in FL) with a chemistry that sparks. This duo, which becomes later a couple, is adorable, mature, super endearing.
+ the view of employees in Beijing is fairly realistic, pessimistic even, even if they are executives, graduates and hard workers (ultra competition, overtime, weight of the hierarchy, various harassments,...).
+ This is an intelligent series, where the protagonists question their lives in depth: meaning of life, place of love, work/life balance, analysis of interpersonal relationships, ... in an almost philosophical way.
+ Very pleasant OST, perfectly adapted to the atmosphere of each scene.
+ Search for the ideal husband by the little sister is quite funny : a so-called "super beautiful", to whom no man can resist, (undoubtedly she has the cute side which fits with Asian beauty standards?) , but for me, she is less attractive than the FL .
+ The description and evolution of a toxic relationship is coherent (with a narcissistic pervert in hyper control)... We can feel the experience from the screenwriters :)

CONS:
- Lots of legal or financial jargon.

=> Really not many flaws for this drama, almost perfect in its genre! To watch and rewatch with great pleasure.
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Excellente série, réaliste, romantique, actuelle

PLOT : la storyline retrace le parcours professionnel et sentimental (50-50) de 2 cadres supérieurs, travailleurs acharnés chacun dans son domaine, 1 avocate & 1 conseiller en investissement. Ils se rencontrent par hasard dans un avion, puis se retrouvent ensuite à travailler sur les mêmes affaires.

PROS:
+ 2 super acteurs (Elvis Han en ML & Elvira Cai en FL) avec une alchimie qui fait des étincelles. Ce duo, qui devient couple, est adorable, mature, super attachant.
+ Vue grise assez réaliste des salariés à Pékin, mm cadres, diplômés et travailleurs acharnés (ultra compétition, heures supplémentaires, poids de la hiérarchie, harcèlements divers,...).
+ Série intelligente, où les protagonistes s'interrogent sur leur vie en profondeur : sens de la vie, place de l'amour, quel équilibre travail / vie perso, analyse des relations interpersonnelles, ... de manière presque philosophique.
+ OST très soignés, parfaitement adaptés à l'ambiance de chaque scène.
+ Recherche du mari idéal par la petite sœur [soit disant "super belle", à laquelle aucun homme ne résiste, sans doute qu'elle a le côté mignon qui colle aux canons de beauté asiatiques ?, mais qui n'est pas plus attirante que la FL] assez drôle.
+ Bonne description et évolution d'une relation toxique (avec un pervers narcissique dans l'hyper contrôle)... On sent le vécu de la part des scénaristes :)

CONS:
- Beaucoup de jargon juridique ou financier.

=> Vraiment pas beaucoup de défauts pour ce drama, quasi parfait dans son genre ! A voir et à revoir avec beaucoup de plaisir.

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Straight forward romance

This drama gives us something most dramas do not, which is grown ups acting it grown ups. I for one get tired of mostly female leads acting like high school girls. Not knowing what they want, and being to needy. The female in this drama is independent and knows exactly who is is, does not need constant assurance from the male lead.

This drama has no clingyness at all, and the romance story is completely realistic. Also, this drama has a sexyness overload. The male lead is drop dead handsome and super sexy. He does give off a lot of play boy vibes. But not too much, that it will make you lose interest.

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A Gem, don't miss it!

The story was so engaging , it was a little bit classic towards the end but nevertheless enjoyable.

The characters: every character was well developed, so you kind of understand where they come from and maybe from there you can somehow understand their behaviour, it was nice to watch them have a proper closure, there were not just mere fillers.

THE MAIN LEADS GUYSSSS!!! THE CHEMISTRY WAS WAOUH! THE KISSES !!!! like it has been two years or maybe three that i watched a drama that gave me so much butterflies.

For me it's a 9,5/10, and yes i did rewatch some episodes . I really enjoyed the process of them falling for each other, i liked the chemistry, the way they were flirting, it was just beautiful. If you are looking for a realistic drama, with a mature and beautiful romance this drama is for you. I recommend it!

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