Rebirth For You actually started off quite well as viewers are told that the male protagonist is quietly investigating his mother’s murder. But just as we begin to think this would be an investigative romance drama, it takes a different turn and third parties’ obsessions and jealousies become the central focus. Basically, it gets tiring watching endless schemes by these jealous people trying to tear the main couple apart.

The problem with this script is that you don’t have 1 or even 2 highly obsessed love rivals. You have 4 people going around trying to stop Bao Ning and Li Qian from being together. Emperor Zhao Yi and Zhao Xiao are in love with Bao Ning and they are extremely jealous of Li Qian. Tong Xin is in love with Emperor Zhao Yi and hence, she has an axe to grind with Bao Ning since the man she loves has deep affections for our princess instead. To add more jealousy to the plot, Miao Rong loves Li Qian immensely and hates Bao Ning for snatching her man away.

Well, just from that brief summary above, you should have an idea what to expect from this drama. 4 jealous people are certainly enough to make a 40-episode drama but the question is do you really want to sit through never ending efforts to create trouble for a loving couple?

In Dire Need For A Better Script
As mentioned, the drama begins with Li Qian seeking an answer to his mother’s death. That is the overarching plot that viewers are given in the first 2 episodes which could have been developed into something much better just like Maiden Holmes. But for the next 30 episodes thereafter, this storyline disappears. It is replaced with the antics of the jealous antagonists. In fact, the leads have given these people a direct rejection a number of times but they just couldn’t take no for an answer.

Li Qian’s mother’s case resurfaces only in the last 8 episodes and that is also interspersed with more schemes to cause the main couple harm. No doubt toxic love rivals are common in historical romance dramas. You can find one in A Female Student Arrives At The Imperial College as well as One And Only. But Rebirth For You has taken it to the extreme by giving too much attention to the schemes of these villains that the romance has taken a backseat when it is supposed to be a love story.

Therefore, the drama suffers from poor scriptwriting which fails to balance out the romance, investigation, and jealousy for a more pleasant watch. To me, if you want to build almost an entire drama on jealous love rivals, there need to be more depth to these people’s stories. As it is, their stories are very superficial as the focus is on their schemes and obsessions.

The Romance Is Lacking
Bao Ning and Li Qian is depicted as a very loving couple in the drama. You know that they love each other a lot but the romance doesn’t have the intensity and passion to make it more memorable. They are sweet at times but that is about it. I don’t know if passionate kissing scenes might help to elevate the romance but they are certainly missing from Rebirth For You. So, all you would get are simple pecks.

Personally, I would have preferred a more matured and intense romance because that would be consistent with the fact that they are a married couple with a deep love for one another. Some stories don’t need such scenes and they still evoke deep feelings in viewers such as The Long Ballad. But Rebirth For You just doesn’t have that same quality to be able to make do without more passion in the romance. As a result, the main couple’s romance becomes muted against the nonstop onslaught from jealous love rivals.

Leads’ Chemistry
While the romance is lacking in the drama, it doesn’t mean that the couple has no chemistry. I would say Ju Jing Yi and Joseph Zeng have good chemistry between them and they are easy on the eyes as an on-screen couple. Their sweet scenes are perhaps the bright spot of the drama amidst all the toxic characters but they are too few to really make an impact. Neither do they stick in your mind once the episode is over.

I know Ju Jing Yi doesn’t do intense kissing scenes which then brings to question if they have done the casting right given the script on hand. I guess she does have that mischievous look which is required for this role. She has played more or less this kind of adventurous character in Legend Of Yun Xi and The Blooms At Ruyi Pavilion and Bao Ning in Rebirth For You just seems another of the same.

My Verdict – Find Something Better
I just wish Ju Jing Yi and Joseph Zeng had picked a better script to showcase their talent and looks. They couldn’t save this drama despite their popularity. I guess if you don’t want to sit through the endless evil schemes of those delusional characters, you can watch the first 12 episodes and then skip to the last 4. But then, what is the point of watching when you are skipping more than half of the drama, right?

Anyway, the ending is also a little rushed. The produces tried to cram too many things into the last 2 episodes to wrap the story up that the pacing quickens considerably. Some of the fighting scenes are also laughable because what it is supposed to be a war between 2 nations is reduced to a gangster fight. I don’t know if the producer is constrained by a low budget or other reasons but the final battle is anti-climatic to me.

For this Rebirth For You review, I could only give it a score of 6/10. It may be a little harsh especially for the fans of the leads but the drama is really lacking in substance. If you don’t mind watching jealousies of bitter love rivals, then this would not be so bad. Their evil schemes are interesting at times and you will be waiting for the day they get just retribution which would be the main motivation to continue watching. But overall, Rebirth For You is not a drama that will leave you clamoring for more. In fact, you might even regret starting on it because there is only so much delusional jealousy that one can take!