Cheng Huan Ji (2024)

surprisingly disappointing

I was really looking forward to this drama given the cast, however i have to say that i was fairly disappointed. This was barely a romance it was rather a story of how a mother controlled her family with verbal abuse and blackmail. If they didn't fall in with her wishes she would become hysterical and scream abuse at all around until everyone would bend to her will. Any romance that there could have been disappeared into the background it was barely noticeable.
When i think about the overall impression now i see the wonderful character of Grandmother who was a wise and beautiful lady who cared deeply about the people around her, and a screaming manipulative mother. I cannot for even a moment understand how this was being presented as a loving family. the Romance faded into nothingness. The ML and FL did their best with what they were given by the writers however they were not given much to work with, I do wonder if this was the outline and script that they signed up for in the beginning.
I do not really know why i watched it until the end of the series.

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A expectativa da parceria de Xu Kai com Yang Zi foi bem maior do que o visto no drama. O roteiro não é o melhor, é focado mais nas complicadas relações familiares, os romances não contagiam e os personagens são comuns e sem nada de especial. A parte negocial é apenas preenchimento da trama. A verdadeira personagem protagonista desse drama é a mãe, pois tudo gira em torno dela que é uma personagem, até quase o final do drama, pouco gostável.
As atuações são boas, mais nada de extraordinário.
O tempo de tela desperdiçado com personagens insignificantes é imenso. A relação do casal protagonista está mais para amigos ou irmãos, pois não há emoção entre os atores que passe o sentimento de um romance. A finalização é insípida e faz jus ao drama.
Há algumas cenas cômicas bastante engraçadas e algumas poucas, emocionantes.
Yang Zi e Xu Kai são extremamente talentosos, mas o roteiro não colaborou para que eles brilhassem vestidos de seus personagens.

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If you like overbearing and annoying mother then you may like it. Acting was mediocre by everyone

Best Choice Ever is a Romantic Comedy about a 30-year-old unmarried girl who lives with her overbearing mother, who has done nothing but ruin and embarrass her, even slap her in front of everyone for what her mother called "I did it because I love you."

My Reviews:
1. The overbearing mother is so annoying. She is too much, and Yang Zi's (Mai Cheng Huan) character is too weak to stand up against her overbearing mom.
2. Xu Kai's acting ability is mediocre, but he is handsome and good to look at. I could only manage to finish his modern dramas, but I ended up dropping all of them for costume dramas because the acting was so bad.
3. There was a scene when he lost his dad to a car accident, and his character went through the grieving stage. Xu Kai did not show griefing emotion and barely shed tears for such a loss.
4. Yang Zi is a good actress, but she needs to branch out a bit because she plays a similar type of role, which doesn't stretch her acting ability. She always plays a bubbly girl, career-driven, timid, and filial daughter to an inferior mom.
5. It is watchable since there is nothing good or exceptional with the Cdrama in 2024 until the last four episodes when the mother was diagnosed with something that was not severe but went missing. This caused a frenzy, and everyone had to drop everything to look for her. The last four episodes were annoying and frustrating.
6. This drama focused more on the mother's character than Yang Zi's. I would give it a high rating until the last four episodes when the ending ruined everything because of the unnecessary plot about the mother missing.

Downgraded to 6.0 rating instead of 7.0 rating.

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Se puede pasar de largo

Un drama que lo definiría, sin pena ni gloria, es más, bastante aburrido y cuenta con 37 episodios En realidad como ya leí varias reseñas y coincido con aquellas que exponen que el drama se trata de la relación entre madre e hija y que Xu Kai tiene un rol secundario. Desde luego hay buenos momentos que hacen que uno, no llore por el tiempo invertido.
Jamás se me ocurriría volver a verla y creo que dentro de una semana ni me acuerdo que la vi.
Además, quiero destacar que esta madre protagonizada por He Sai Fei es tóxica, para todos los integrantes de la familia, ella es el centro y todos los demás son objetos de su pertenencia. Pero es un personaje débil que los demás integrantes de la familia, hija, marido y hermano la van llevando como pueden por el bien familiar. A pesar de todos los problemas que ocasiona. Pero podemos decir en su favor que es una madre que cocina y se preocupa por su familia.
El personaje principal interpretado por Yang Zi, es demasiado perfecto como para ser real, en honor a la verdad ella es la madre de su madre y también tiene un crecimiento importante como empresaria y como hija. Recién en el episodio 28, tienen una charla donde ambas se sinceran y pueden encontrar un punto para mejorar la relación, pero son muchos capítulos repetitivos de lo mismo que llegan a aburrir.
Muy linda la relación de la protagonista con su abuela protagonizada por Wu Yan Shu como
Chen Shu Zhen o Grandma Mai.
Xu Kai, como Yao Zhi Ming tiene una buena actuación, su papel es el que más crecimiento interno tiene. Hay algunas escenas románticas bonitas y él es muy atractivo.
El drama tiene comedia, pero nada que destacar, todo siempre subordinado a esta relación madre e hija, la historia secundaria acompaña a este drama, es una historia de sostén sin mucha importancia.
La actuación de todos es buena, pero el guion a mi gusto soporífero.
De acuerdo a lo visto mi opinión es que mires otro drama, demasiado hincapié en las relaciones familiares, que desde luego son importantes en la vida de uno, pero me parece que en China hacen un culto de ella.

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Unless you can endure melodramas for Xu Kai or Yang Zi, I would advise you leave...

I think this show had potential. Family dramas have the tendency to be a little bit one-dimensional and boring, but I think this could've gone a lot of different places. From insights on filial piety to motherly affection to individualism in today's society, there were so many things that could've been explored in this drama. None of these things were touched, which was disappointing. Even more so...

The part about this drama I can't stand (probably influenced by my implicit biases, but anyway) is the story. The mom by herself didn't bother me like the other viewers were bothered. The mom was an over-attentive, un-empathetic, but ultimately caring person... you know Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice? Kind of like that. That type of character, while definitely unlikable, doesn't bother me if either A) they end up developing in order to represent/symbolize some sort of message or B) they just don't appear all the much.

This drama does not check off EITHER of those boxes. The mom is the only main lead, as other reviewers have noted, in this drama. She gets more screen time I daresay than Xu Kai, and possibly even more than Yang Zi. Even worse, the drama ends on the note of 'we should all quit our jobs to help our well-intentioned mother (which is fair) because she's ultimately the best for us (untrue as evidenced throughout this drama).' I think filial piety is a common theme among mainland dramas, and one that was expressed both as a prison for the female lead and also... the happy ending? There was no growth or insight that led up to this result either. The mom stayed the mom. The daughter adapted for the mom, no matter how much she was tortured and trapped by the mom's antics. This drama doesn't teach how to be a good son/daughter more than how to get stuck in an unhealthy parent/child relationship. It bothered me... and still does to this day. The saving grace in terms of insight for this drama could be the grandma, but then you'd have to stop watching after the first few episodes.

Beyond that, there's basically no plot or direction to this drama. Many good dramas can be summarized in one overarching statement. Nirvana in Fire describes an exiled general's revenge strategy to reclaim honor for his army. Reset describes two people stranded in a time loop on an inevitably exploding bus. This? It feels like a WebToon. The plot seemed improvised as each episode went on, and ultimately, it didn't really go anywhere. I couldn't summarize it unless I told you everything that happened. And that would be unhelpful.

Finally, although this doesn't really affect my personal rating, do note that if you're a huge celeb-chaser or your idol is in this show you'd probably not see them a lot. Xu Kai doesn't really get screen time until episode 8(?) and Yang Zi gets it but portrays the same scenes over and over again. Not a whole lot of development going on here...

Oh! If you're here for the romance, go find romance dramas. This has about as much of an inkling of romance as Nirvana in Fire does. I guess there's a kiss, but anyway.

Peace out ._.

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Un petit disclaimer avant de commencer ce drama

J’écris pour les personnes qui parlent français et qui hésiteraient à regarder ce drama. Si vous cherchez une romance ce n’est pas le drama pour vous et c’est dommage parce que le couple principal est très mignon pour le peu de fois où on les voit. Yang Zi et Xu Kai passent très bien ensemble à l’écran. Les deux gros problèmes de ce drama selon moi:
- On s’ennuie trop de fois
- la mère de la FL qui est au centre de l’histoire est insupportable et n’évolue pas tant que ça.
Je développe : pour le premier point on s’ennuie surtout dans les parties “business” mais ça ne sert à rien, ça n’apporte rien à l’histoire. Pour mon deuxième et c’est le plus problématique. Finalement le personnage principal de ce drama c’est la mère de Chenghuan (Yang Zi). Dans la première partie elle a fait des choses inacceptables et finalement c’est pas tant qu’elle a changé mais sa relation avec sa fille s’améliore parce que sa fille a changé. Y’a aucun développement au final, la mère reste une femme égoïste jusqu’au dernier épisode. Et vraiment vraiment le couple principal et relayé au troisième. Même les dix dernières minutes du drama ne leur sont pas dédiées. J’ai mis 6 en note finale parce que le casting est vraiment bien pour le coup mais honnêtement si j’avais su même pour Yang Zi j’aurais pas regardé ce drama.

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Dysfunctional families

This is my first time watching both Yang Zi and Xu Kai in a contemporary drama. Their acting was convincing, and kept the plot going. In general, the supporting actors also did a credible job.

Ranking;
#1 Dysfunctional Family Mai... Mother
#2 Dysfunctional Family Xin ... Son, Daughter, Father, Mother
#3 Dysfunctional Family Yao ... Father

MAI family
Mother Liu Wanyu was overbearing and controlling, but she was emphatic and kindhearted occasionally. She was the nucleus of the Mai family. Her husband Mai, son Zao and daughter Huan were her satellites. The drama should have been named Story of Wanyu since she seemed to dominate the plot. The actress should have been attributed a Main Lead designation.

XIN family
A privileged family of four, lacking in ethics, but full of arrogance and condescension. Son was too clingy, trying to manipulate Mai Cheng Huan. Daughter was psychotic and condescending. Mother and Father were calculating.

YAO family
Ex-convict Mr Yao had his fifteen minutes of fame. The day he grew a conscience, was the day he died. That was cold, Scriptwriter! Yao should have lived, reside permanently at Xing Anli, and work as a host. Son Yao Zhiming realized too late that his father had redemption.

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If Mother/Daughter Dramas are you're thing, this is the one for you...

I loved this drama because of its heartfelt messages of love and family unity in helping to face the difficulties of life and family strife. These messages are conveyed in the story of Mai Chenghuan, who has dreams of excelling in her career, but has a well-meaning and controlling mother who gets in her way.

I think this drama hits home for many women, young and old, who've had moms like this. They work hard all their lives taking care of you and wanting what's best for you, but just can't seem to make the transition from raising their children, to being hands-off companions to their adult children. They get caught in the push/pull of what they believe will make their children happy instead of listening to what they actually need, making them horribly unhappy because they've grown used to being in control. This is where our story begins.

The mother/daughter leads are played masterfully by Yang Zi, as Mai Chenghuan, and veteran actress, He Sai Fei, as Liu Wanyu. These two actresses were phenomenal together. They took us into their tumultuous relationship, making us cry with their heart-breaking fights and making us cry again when they make up. They got their characters down pat and brought them to life on-screen. What an honor I can imagine it must have been for Yang Zi to work alongside such a talented actress that is He Sai Fei. I could see right off that she took all her younger counterparts to unimaginable heights. My hat is off to the director for guiding them all to go further in their performances. The ensemble cast were all wonderful as the Mai family. They felt like a very real family, supporting each other in good times and in bad. It is no wonder then that Yao Zhiming, wants so badly to be a part of it?

Xu Kai, as Yao Ziming, is the quiet loner who slowly becomes entangled with Mai Chenghuan and her family life. They both share a very important person in their lives and she is instrumental in teaching them that nothing is more important than love for family and doing what is right. She gently guides Yao to become more free and less transactional, employing the efforts of Mai Chenghuan in her endeavors. I was very impressed with Xu Kai's understated performance. He could be the cold CEO, but you could see that he had a big heart and that he was guarding it, not willing to give it away until he was ready. I appreciated that about his performance. He understood his character completely. That inner monologue was present and you don't always get that in less seasoned actors. He was alive, a rock for Chenghuan, but vulnerable at the same time. The rawness of his need for a family was palpable. All I can say is the noodle scene. Without giving anything away, that was the moment he won me over as an actor.

The weakest areas of the plot were at the beginning. The first few episodes felt disjointed and slow. I think the drama was still trying to find its footing and those first 12 episodes could have done with less cliches.

In a forest of Chinese dramas full of young, handsome romantic leads and cliche plots, this was a diamond in the rough because it doesn't just dwell on romance. There is much more going on and that is a good thing. Even the secondary romantic couple is well written and doesn't detract from the main couple or the principal situations. I highly recommend this one for viewers who like slice of life dramas, or want more going on than just the romance.

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Its good but very exaggerated mother daughter duo

I am very confused with this drama honestly.i watched it for xu kai, but ended up watching till the end. i just hated the exaggeration of a mothers obsession towards her children. i kind of did not like the unprofessionalism where a mother can randomly enter a daughter's office meeting and say to have lunch. They were a lot of unattractive points in the drama. but above all the ML and FL has carried the drama beautifully. Even FL's brother and Ex boyfriend did a good job projecting the relationship. It was sensible for a mother to be noisy in a daughter's relationship but it was really really not acceptable for a mother to be noisy in professional fields. I have a lot of mixed feelings towards this drama. Its a family drama with very weird obsessions. The granny was the best among everything.

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Oh so boring! :(

Unfortunately, yes. The trailers and reels would make you think it’s a romance story between Yangzi and Xukai, but it’s really not.

The drama revolves around Mai Chenghuan and her family, centering on her relationship with her mother. The mother has a really annoying character where she talks too much and constantly interferes with other people lives. Too much screen time were given to both the parents which I did not enjoy. The other couple which is her best friend and little brother also did not interest me one bit.

The first half focused mainly on the FL relationship with her bf of 3 years, whom she didn’t know was the son of a very wealthy family. Somehow forced to get married, she finds there’s too many differences in their social status and creates conflict with the future mother and sister in law. These scenes were so frustrating to watch. And her own mother never learns- even after breaking off the relationship, she secretly held an engagement party , tricked her to attend it and it was SUCH A MESS!

After that it gets boring, a grandma dies, she inherits a hotel and navigates her way to run the hotel, whilst getting closer to xukai and liking him… really not that interesting.

So unfortunately will be dropping this. I just fast forward too too much just to get to their kiss scene in ep26- and even that was a lack of chemistry and let down. Definitely not recommended.

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