First, an important disclaimer: I am a middle-aged male, and as a glance through my watchlist will show, I'm a hard-core Brony. I love me a good romcom. I don't mind the usual clichés and tropes if well-executed with clever writing and good acting, and can put up with a lot for the sake of credible chemistry and a sweet story. Which is why I tried hard to like this drama, because so many people raved about the beautiful chemistry. I didn't see any in the six episodes I survived.

What I saw was the sort of chauvinist propaganda that is very common in current PRC romcoms. It was clear after six episodes that the ML was deceiving and manipulating the FL because he knew best, and was doing it for her good. Barf! This toxic trope is one that I cannot stomach. It is possible to have sweet, even clichéd OTPs where the two are in fact equal. There are dramas in which the two are not equal but in which the male lead still avoids treating the female lead with condescension or manipulation. Two of my favourite examples would be Queen In Hyun's Man and Le Coup de Foudre.. Dramas like those show that it is possible to set up formulaic "cute" OTPs without paternalistic posturing. The smug assumption of superiority by every male character in this drama was just too much.

No doubt some who are fans of the drama may feel that I didn't give it a fair shot, but at my age, life is too short to waste on bad dramas. It's also too short too waste on bad on dramas that not only don't grab me quickly, but actively repel me - no matter how amazeballs some insist the OTP becomes. I gave this one a decent shot, watching 1/6 of the entire drama, but can't be bothered wading through more of its "men know best" motto.