This is one of the best modern Chinese drama that I've watched this year. The drama centers around the lives of the characters living in Beijing, as a big city and the capital of China. The drama shows the hard life faced by people living in big cities. It deals with issues such as depression, suicide, fraud and betrayal. Each character has their story to tell with their difficulties and challenges. I like how true to life this drama is.

You can never really know a person, even though you're really close friends and the drama says that when you have a friend like Jing Jing, one that you go to when you're feeling sad and happy, you have to understand that she has the same needs.

Anyway, you have to watch it to really appreciate this drama. This is a unique drama that's different from your usual modern chinese drama, but in a good way.

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I began watching this drama with high(er) expectation. Some of my friends and family who've watched this drama enjoyed it and some even watched it multiple times. Wallace Chung and friends' reviews are what prompted me to watch this drama. The first two or three episodes were good, the opening theme song is good, so I was excited to watch this, thinking this might actually be good! However, a few episodes later, I quickly changed my opinion to the worst and just skipped many parts or watch it as a background sound while I do other things. I'm not one who drop dramas. Bad or good, I will stick it to the end. What makes it different is my focus. Some of what I don't like about this drama: the story is good but it's draggy, CGI is poor and noticeable, characters are weak and aside from a few, none of them are likeable or kept me emotionally invested. Moreover, the dubbing bugs the hell out of me! I thought the voice of Chu Bei Jie doesn't suit his character at all. He sounded weak and meek. Angelababy is sooooo terrible at acting. I felt like she's one of those actress who just rely on her looks not her ability. A couple of good points about this drama is the fighting and the OST.

This drama is 62 episodes long, so if you don't have the patience (or a huge fan of anyone of the actors and actresses), I would suggest you skip this one.

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If you're looking for something to watch that's light and easy to follow, I would recommend watching Refresh Man. Of course, the sight of cool and handsome Aaron Yan is a definite bonus too! The chemistry between Aaron Yan and Joanne Tseng is very interesting. For the the first 1/3 of the drama, all they do is bickering and fighting and they irritate each other all the time. However, as the drama progresses, you start to see a change in their character and relationship. I like how Aaron's character starts to show that he cares for Yu Tang in ways that would make me go super ga-ga over him. The kissing scenes are wow too! It's not your usual awkward just closed lips touching closed lips, but this is real kissing :) I would re-watch this drama just for these scenes alone!.

The reason I did not give this drama a higher score is because of the business storyline. I get that this shows the inspirational part of the drama, about team work and friendship and how to find motivation at your "supposedly" dead-end job. In fact, Yu Tang's team and colleagues are an interesting bunch of characters. But there are many parts of the business storyline that just doesn't make any sense to me and some of the villains are just despicable human beings that I keep skipping their parts because they are just too annoying (especially Managed Jia and Wendy)!

Overall, this is a good and enjoyable drama. I also like the OST, especially the ending theme song by Weibird, it immediately got on my playlist and I must have listened to it tens of times each day. Go and definitely watch this if you are a fan of Aaron Yan. He looks amazingly cool and handsome here!

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Wish there was one with English subtitles

I watched A Little Reunion and really liked that one. So when I heard about this drama and that it's in the same series as A Little Reunion, I was looking for where I can watch this drama. Found it on dramacool, but only the first 8 (or 10?) episodes are subs. I can understand quite a bit, but not enough to fully understand and enjoy the drama. Even with my minimum understanding, I thought the drama is good. It's a good family drama with issues and characters that we can relate and the acting of the two main characters are great. I would probably re-watch if there is one with proper English subs on one of the streaming apps.

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I was looking for something light to watch and chose this one by accident. The reviews seemed pretty good and there's only 16 episodes, so it's light and short... anddddddd filled with cute and sweet moments between the main female and male leads. This drama feels different than your usual c-drama, so it's a nice change for me. Each episode seemed to cover one theme of the relationship in this drama. Although this is a youth drama, it doesn't just tell about the kids, but also about the parents. I'm not going to write a long review on this but really recommend watching this hidden gem!

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The only reason that I continue watching this is because I have already (somewhat) finished the first part, and there is less than 25 episodes for the second season, so I thought, what the heck, might as well finish this (I'm not one who dropped dramas, instead watch it till the end while doing errands and other things LoL). My opinion is similar to the first season. I like Tan Song Yun's acting in this drama, but it's not enough to give this a higher rating. The rest of the cast is not my favorite and the main male lead (I don't even remember his name and don't bother to look it up) is so bad in my opinion. Overall, wouldn't recommend this drama unless you're a big fan of any of the actors or actresses.

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The first part for me was 10/10 but the second half was 8/10, so my average rating is 9/10.

The first 30 episodes are excellent. The story moves in a good pace, the chemistry of Ethan Juan and Yang Mi for the first part was through the roof! The fighting scenes are also superb. I can see some bad CGI but the scenes are very exciting, edge of your seat kinds, so it's not too bothersome for me. Ethan Juan as Zhangsun Wuji is excellent. I have seen him in a couple of Taiwanese drama, but I thought that his acting in Legend of Fu Yao tops everything that he's ever done. He's amazingly charming and that smile can melt my heart! Yang Mi's acting as Fu Yao is also much better than Ten Miles of Peach Blossom.

Fast forward to the second half of the drama. The pace slows down and they introduce new characters as the two main leads move on to other kingdoms and meet new villains. However, unfortunately, it's not as exciting as the first half. The focus on the other characters get boring and I thought that they can do without these part of the storyline, and just skip to the last 5 (or maybe 10) episodes to close the loop.

The ending I thought was a bit rushed too, although it's a satisfying ending. I don't like those dramas with open-ended endings.

Overall, this is a very good drama that i would recommend for sure. The music is great too, ones that I would add to my playlist and listen over and over again. And... you've got to watch it for Ethan and Yang Mi's excellent chemistry. I would definitely re-watch the first part of the drama.

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The main reason I watch this drama is because of the two main leads, Deng Lun and Li Yi Tong. I've watched their other dramas and I like both of them, so I was excited to watch this and came in with high expectation. I was off to a good start. The first couple of episodes are good and interesting. However, I quickly loose interest as I don't particularly care or like the cosmetics storyline and the plot seemed confusing to me, plus there are many supporting characters that I found annoying. I'm not one to drop dramas and have to stick to it until the end. The drama quickly becomes draggy and I no longer put in 100% effort in watching it and only really watch it when it's Deng Lun and Li Yi Tong's scenes. I do, however, like the songs, particularly the ending theme song. If you like the actors, you can give it a try. You might have different tastes than me.

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Not Your Ordinary Romance

I started this drama thinking that it would be your usual fluffy romance drama, much like Put Your Head On My Shoulder or Love O2O. I needed something light after finishing The King's Woman's tragic story. But this drama turns out to be much more than just romance.

The story is about a somelier or wine critic with excellent tastebuds that can detect taste to the very detail. However, he ended up loosing it to a girl who coincidentally has no sense of taste due to an accident when she was a little girl by way of accidental kissing. If he wants to get his taste buds back, he needs to kiss the girl, He Bu Zui (whose name in Chinese pronounciation sounds like drink but not getting drunk - I thought the name reference is kinda cute :)). Bu Zui was then offered a job as Wei Xun's assistant where he can keep her close just in case he needs his tastebud back. And as they get closer they started to develop feelings for each other.

Well, the story goes beyond Wei Xun and Bu Zui's relationship. There is a murder mystery involve and business competition. The second half of the show gets more interesting as Yi Nan Ke (Bu Zui's school crush's twin brother) tries to find out the mystery of his missing father. I like the mystery flair of this drama. The second couple starts to grow on me. I didn't like Yi Nan Ke at first because he seemed like a villain, but as the drama reveals more of his background, I started to symphatize with him and the second female lead is one of the coolest characters in the drama that I've watched. I really like her.

What I like about this drama are cute scenes between Lu Wei Xun and He Bu Zui and their chemistry, the kissing scenes, the world of wine tasting and of course Simon Gong :) The mystery element kept it going although not excellent, but quite good. However, there are some inconsistencies in the story, like if the dad has been missing for 20 years, how come he was using iPhone 4 or 4s when he was murdered and fast forward 20 years, the characters are all using iPhone 6 or 6s. Those two phone types are maybe 2-3 years apart, 5-6 years at most if they're using second or used phones. I also didn't like how over the top the competition is between Lu Wei Xun and Mu Chun Feng, as well as the introduction of his "claimed fiance" in the middle of the drama, which I thought didn't add much to the story.

Overall, this is quite a good drama. If you are just looking for fluffy romance drama and don't like mystery, i wouldn't recommend you to watch this. But if you do, you can definitely give this a try.

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This is not your typical fluffy romance. This is a more mature romance. The drama deals with a more mature subject that is maybe not to everyone's liking. I liked Li Yi Tong's acting in Royal Nirvana plus I wanted to watch something different and this one has an interesting story. However there is just too many side characters and none of them are likeable. The drama could do with less episode and actually cut those second, third, fourth, fifth storyline and I would give it a higher score. Those other storylines and characters other than the two main leads are a pain to watch, especially Bu Quo Jiang with his never-ending chase of women even though he already has a girlfriend who adores him and his way of testing their love by cheating on the girlfriend is a super weird concept to me and I really hate his character. After all that, he still dare to ask his girlfriend to marry him? He is despicable with no redeeming quality! I also do not like Zhao Wenbo character, who cheats on his wife and very arrogant and selfish. Mo Heng, although quite okay is very weird, the way he treats his relationship with a woman with a contract, like business dealings. I thought that's very weird, although I do understand where he's coming from. But in the end, he is quite sweet to his girlfriend. Now, on to the good part. I really enjoyed the main leads, I like how their relationship and character develops. I like their bickering and despite all their bickering, I can tell that Lao Li slowly really cares about Ke Ke and he can be so sweet at times. Overall, it's a good watch, especially the first 7 episodes before it focus more on those other sideline characters.

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A Hidden Gem

I grew up watching Taiwanese and HongKong drama. But recent Taiwanese dramas are not as good as the Mainland Chinese ones and they are too few to watch too. So they kinda slipped my mind these past few years and watch mostly Mainland C-Drama. I stumbled upon this one by accident while looking for a new drama to watch. I saw that iQiyi has a section on Taiwanese drama and that got me curious and Arc of Life stars Roy Chiu and Ruby Lin, so I gave it a try.

The first episode was not that interesting, but I'm so glad that I continued watching to the next episode, because from episode 2 onwards, I really enjoyed this drama. This is one of the best recent Taiwanese dramas that I watched. I did not regret staying past the first episode.

This drama is well written and the actors and actresses played their part well. Lin Mei Ji is a character that I hate in the first few episodes, but she grew on me and she turned out to be my favorite character. She has integrity despite her "cheap" look and is a really loyal and good friend to Xiao Niao and Xia Zhi. Mei ji has the strongest character. She can overlook being rejected by Yi Nan and soldier on and has no issues working with Yi Nan. She is one character that surprised me. She is kinda the epitome of "don't judge the book by its cover". She may dress cheaply, tramp-y and shows cleavage all the time, but she has a heart of gold.

I love how the drama shows the ups and downs of starting and building your own business. It's not always smooth sailing, there are many problems that you have to face that can make you want to just give up and close the business. This drama shows how perseverance and hard work are the key to success.

I really really really love this drama and would recommend you to watch this hidden gem. One of the best that I've seen this year.

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Enjoyable Family Story

Despite its length (73 episode long!), I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. If you like family drama, I would recommend this one. The chemistry between the Papi, Daddy and the Daughter is right. I love watching their relationship and how they tackle daily life issues with a growing child without a mother. There is romance story in this drama, but it's not the main storyline. The story focuses more on family relationship. This drama is also fun to watch. There are funny moments, especially involving the Daddy and the teacher. OST is just so-so, no memorable songs that I want to play on my Apple music. As for rewatch value: I wouldn't rewatch this because it's just too long and I have so many more chinese drama on my list to watch... Oh well, maybe I would re-watch some funny scenes :) They really do make me laugh..

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Wow. Just Wow

Wow. This drama series is brilliant. Just wow. Amazing. This is not your typical c-drama with romance or historical wu xia costume drama. This is psychological thriller. It's dark and gripping and keeps you on your toes while watching. The episodes are only 12 but I wished it were a bit longer. There are still a couple of questions that I have that haven't been answered but I thought it ended quite well. Maybe I have to read the novel to find those questions.

But this drama is just great. A must watch if you like the thriller and mystery genre. What blew me away was also the acting of the main leads, particularly Qin Hao. He can play the character really well I thought. My kudos goes to the kid actors that played Zhu Chao Yang and Yue Pu. For a very young actors, they can display the emotion of the characters really well. I thought they deserved special recognition. The other kid that played Yan Liang is good also, but I thought the other two kids are better. But they all played their character well.

Music is not good. not memorable or ones that make you click shazam because you want to know the title and add them to your library, but I thought it adds to the suspense well.

This is one of the best that I've watched. It deserves a rewatch just to see the brilliant acting of the actors.

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Good story, bad casting

A friend of mine recommended to me, and the premise of the story seemed good, so i tried it and after almost halfway I sort of struggle in finishing the drama. The drama started out pretty good and interesting, and the story between the ML and FL seemed cute. Towards halfway, the story seemed dragging and the female casts' acting is below par especially compared with newer c-dramas that I've watched. The second female lead that appears halfway is super annoying and honestly the drama started going downhill since her appearance and I thought the ending was a bit rushed as well. I don't think I will recommend this drama. There are much better c-dramas to occupy your time with.

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I first watched this series because it was recommended by a friend and because it starred Wallace Huo. As a huge fan of CSI and Criminal Minds back in the days, I love mystery detectives series and decided to give this one a try.

The first 1/3 of the series are a bit okay for me, but after that it's too difficult to digest. This is not because of any gory scenes. I'm used to it with CSI & Criminal Minds. Didn't bother me at all. Gory scenes came hand in hand with mystery detective stories, it's to be expected. But the story for me is a bit confusing and all over the place. What irritates me the most is how they can communicate with each other using two different languages! That is to me just doesn't makes sense and that alone takes my rating down to 1 (or maybe -1 LoL). The handsome-ness of Wallace Huo is not even enough to justify this part and kept me focus on watching this series. I did finish it, but i did not wholeheartedly watch it.

With character in the series who supposedly studied and lived in the US but unable to speak English just doesn't make sense to me.

The turtle is cute though :)

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