Final Review (my first impressions were added below the final review for comparison)

Let me be honest. It's not as bad as everybody makes it out to be. But it's also not as good as all the Shen Yue fans are making it out to be either (I'm an SY fan so I have no intention to 'shade' their opinion).

Acting-wise, I think it was quite good despite the dubbing. In fact you get used to the dubbing as the drama goes on so it doesn't turn into a big deal. Definitely not Shen Yue's best performance (please check out Another Me, she was amazing there) but you can tell she has improved a lot in terms of portraying characters like Dong Shancai and Chen Xiaoxi. Tong Xiaoyou is simply a better and more polished version of those kind of characters. I see a lot of hate for Jerry's performance but I don't think it was that bad as he was very boring in the beginning because that's how his character's development is supposed to be. He's great at emotional scenes. However, I do understand how some people are irritated at how slow he speaks and his vocal expressions in general.

The plot is cliche to begin with but it could have been presented much better. Lots of parts were dragged on just so that it would reach 34 episodes. It should be a 24-episode drama instead. The slow pace would have been alright if they didn't repeat so many instances (Jiang Yan's antics, Lu Xingcheng being depressed, all this is repeated a lot of times). I did enjoy the romance element of the story. I loved how they made it a slowburn relationship because it's very appropriate. Jerry Yan and Shen Yue's chemistry isn't even bad, not strong, but not bad at all. I find them cute actually in a couple of scenes.

In general, it really depends on your cup of tea and what things you can handle. The production of this drama is quite a mess as editing isn't impressive at all for a delayed project. If you don't mind slowburn relationships and prolonged character development, this should be an okay drama for you. In the end I definitely think it's more of a 6.5 drama but I rounded it off as I loved watching the characters and setting. It was simply overrated before release which may be why a lot are disappointed because it isn't as good as well expected. I enjoyed it while it lasted, so that's that.

(FIRST IMPRESSIONS)

Episode 1 was not particularly amazing but it gives you a good idea of the character you'll be dealing with in the next 33 episodes. The beginning of the episode is also very good! It's a nice introduction that shows how Tong Xiaoyou (Shen Yue) and Lu Xingcheng (Jerry Yan) will officially start their story. You'll want to keep watching to find out how they end up that way. After the prologue, time is rewinded a bit to explain what happened prior.

I'm perfectly fine with Xiaoyou (Shen Yue did a good job in making her adorable and relatable!) but not warming up to Xingcheng. He's only either quiet or scolding one of his employees. But! Based on the MV and credits of the drama, they actually have decent chemistry. Looking forward to the romance parts!

Cast is very suitable for their roles too. Right now I'm looking forward to knowing more about them.

Pretty sure the actors dubbed over their own voices but there's something off about it. Mostly bothered by Shen Yue's dubbing. It's like they gave her a poor quality microphone to record her lines. They don't match perfectly with the video. Looks unnatural. Good news though is you get used to it later on. I'm not so irritated about it anymore by Episode 4.

There's an interesting film style to this drama. A lot of close-ups to the characters and you also see this in the beginning. Not a bad choice, it may need time to get used to. But sometimes it comes out as awkward.

I like the theme song and closing song but the background music during some scenes bother me. Sometimes they're dramatic for no reason.

After watching more episodes, the drama does get better (Episodes 1-3 is not attention grabbing but by Episode 4 I started to enjoy it more). The drama is very promising. I say try it out. Not surprised if it ends up as an international hit. I'll absolutely watch until the end. Even if you have other concerns I feel like it's worth checking out because of the cast. That's all for now, I'll update my review when the drama is finished!

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I don't think anyone here is actually reviewing this piece properly. Most are saying "it's too sad, Ansheng is always thrown aside!" Hate to break it to you but how does having more negative topics make a drama any less than others? I'd say this is one of the more realistic dramas out there. The story is one of the least cliche, and it portrays something that could actually happen in real life. The acting is spectacular, all the emotional scenes make you on edge. Especially Shen Yue, who impresses me in this considering where she came from (Meteor Garden). Her acting has improved so much since then it's impeccable and unbelievable. A favorite aspect of mine is the OST, it fits perfectly with the tone of the drama and brings more tension when it needs to. I do have to admit, there are annoying and frustrating characters such as Qiyue and her college friends. But when I rewatched it the second time, I wasn't as irritated at Qiyue because I realized, "look at it from her perspective". The drama portrays realistic characters who you can see in real life. A "perfect" girl, a "wild and carefree" one. Just because we as an audience feel bad for Ansheng, that doesn't mean this drama automatically is terrible. Just because Ansheng's experiences are horrible, doesn't make the drama horrible. Because the way they portrayed this somewhat tragedy is impeccable. The constant betrayal and lost is tearjerking, but it still is a great watch. I recommend this 100%!

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The story isn't the most original out there. It's cliche, but the general setting and situation the characters are put in are actually interesting and attention-grabbing. Cliche plots grab a lot of attention anyway, so this shouldn't be a major problem at all.

The major highlight of the series is Liu Nuan Nuan, the female lead. She isn't a typical "dumb naive" character. Instead, she has her own personal growth journey. She faces several obstacles but is able to overcome them not only with the help of male lead Han Che but also by her own strength which is admirable. The actress does a terrific job in portraying this character, and is very similar to Fair Xing. She brings so much life and joy to it, it makes you glued to the screen. I've seen a lot comment on the "stiff/woody" acting of Connor Leong as Han Che, but I disagree. His character in the first place is stoic so it makes sense why he simply adjusted to that. Although I do admit, at first, his acting genuinely seems underwhelming and stiff, as the drama goes on, you see that it's all part of the character's development. Slowly, the cold Han Che becomes more warm and expressive as he falls deeper in love with Nuan Nuan. The only problem with his character is that the story doesn't allow us to know his character the way we know Nuan Nuan. Her development is so much more fleshed out and it would've been nice for Han Che to get the same treatment. Overall, Connor is a great actor, and I recommend his dramas Another Me and Project 17: Side by Side. Eleanor Lee is fantastic as well, and I recommend her dramas the Big Boss and Fake Princess.

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Pretty disappointed

Not much reviews on it so I'll help give curious viewers an idea of what they're getting. The first episode caught my attention completely. The way they began the drama, the way they showed all the main characters and how they behave because of an "incident", and the way the main character, Xia Shi played by Zhao Yiqin is. A few other dramas use a similar plot but with all the romance fluff out there I don't mind another "regrets/travel to the past" plot..

All in all Episode 1 is great.

But I can tell you with confidence that nothing, absolutely NOTHING happens in Episodes 2-8. No plot movements at all. Just simple, draggy, scenes about the female lead and how she has a crush on Xia Shi. When more episodes are released, just skip these episodes. You won't miss anything except short scenes about a murder mystery that doesn't connect with the main characters yet.

The problem with the drama is the inconsistency of the way the story is told. Episode 1 is mostly in Xia Shi's perspective but the rest of the episodes, as they show us the past, is in the female lead's perspective or the second male lead's perspective. This is odd when the story revolves around Xia Shi facing the past through the VR game. Shouldn't we know how he thinks of all of this? He's BARELY in the episodes yet he's the one I want to hear from the most. At first they make you believe he's controlling his own body in the "game". But he isn't because the drama uses the VR game as an excuse to show us the past. In fact in Episode 6, it looks like he's only watching everything that happens instead of playing.

The main character in Episode 1 is Xia Shi but onwards is the female lead. Gotta say she's an example of a bad female lead character. She's the generic dumb girl who has a crush on the smart kid. Nothing more, nothing less. Xia Shi also has no personality as his high school self. He's the smart, soft spoken guy. The drama tries to pull a "A Love So Beautiful" trick but it fails.

FINAL CONCLUSION: Finally, the drama caught my interest again in Episode 16. I like how Xia Shi is starting to realize things he hadn't before. But honestly I hated it when we went back to the perspective of the past. The problem with the drama is it's terrible execution on a pretty interesting story. They dragged so much and it's tiring to watch already. None of the characters are really interesting or entertaining either. Not attached to them at all so no motivation to continue. I'm dropping it, unfortunately. I'll check in for what happens in the end but I won't be watching full episodes anymore. It's a bore. Even if you do make it to the end of it, I doubt you'll bother rewatching.

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The highest rating I've ever given?

"Be Yourself" proves once again that slice of life dramas that talk about real life social issues always come up on top compared to the rather cliche and repetitive romcoms.

The four main characters are so witty, lovable, and relatable. I believe they are even better than the characters in Twenty Your Life On. Each has their own personal style, and the actresses' chemistry with one another is incredible. It's good to see characters who are flawed rather than perfect because then their good nature shines even brighter when they mature and grow throughout the story.

I love that each episode centers around one or two of the four girls while still maintaining the others' presence. The stories they tell are so entertaining and engaging to watch especially because of how real everything is.

My only nitpick is that I want to know more about Fan Qinzhou (Leon Leong's character). Although I do love he takes a backseat most of the time to let the girls shine, his character here is really interesting and eccentric that I'd love to see more of him. Fun fact: he has worked with 3/4 of the girls in this drama before already! As love interests too. It's fun to see him work with them again.

But I'm very happy to see Shen Yue take on a role that's more unique compared to her last two ones. Hopefully she stops being typecasted as the "bubbly stubborn" girl soon to have more characters like this.

Overall, this is a must-watch drama, so check it out!

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Highly recommended

To those deciding whether to check this drama out, this review is for you.
Not gonna lie, the first two episodes are cringy and you may think this is one of those terrible tries at comedy. But I assure you, from Episode 3 you'll be laughing your heart out! It's a really good light-hearted romcom that is a fun watch. You'll want to keep watching episodes because of how fun and enjoyable it is. Main leads have great chemistry, and there was a lot of almost-kisses that look unrealistic and cringy but it doesn't last too long so it's okay.
At first I didn't like the female lead but she's really nice once you see her in many episodes. She isn't so annoying also so that's a plus. Though her dub is not that great it isn't the biggest problem.
All in all, it's a great watch if you want to feel happier and smile. The dub might sound terrible at first but it's easy to get used to. Hockey and ice skating scenes are great too, not overboard dramatic. Go and try it out!

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Definitely recommended!

Prior to the drama's release, many people doubted the main lead's chemistry mostly because they were used to Daddi Tang being the second lead. Gotta say he does well to prove everyone wrong.
The drama is entertaining from the get-go and immediately there is chemistry between the two leads. The cinematography and lighting is so great in this drama. The visuals are enough to keep you hooked. Their dramatic scenes also hit well and the music complements every scene nicely.
The lawyer-doctor story is enjoyable and interesting to watch, but the romance story between the leads isn't that great in my opinion (hence, the 6.5 story rating) because I don't think it's very engaging or believable to have the male lead love her from the very start because of their strong connection in primary school. And the way the female lead falls for him isn't that engaging either when she only "realizes" it when her friend tries to ship her with the male lead and convince her that he likes her.
Highlight of the drama for me would be the second leads. It's so rare to love the second leads as much or even more than the main leads. I'm more curious about how they will develop and their dynamic is fun to watch.
Overall, it's a very fresh rom-com. It's definitely worth checking out!

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The chemistry is addicting

If I'm being honest, the story and characters aren't at all special. I know the story has a lot of cliche elements to it and a lot of other dramas have done something similar (although please note, I haven't watched much gaming dramas so this review is coming from someone who is watching this type of atmosphere for the first time). Both male lead and female lead characters are your typical smart boy and naive (slightly high pitched) girl. But the acting and charisma of Lin Yi and Lulu Xu is what brings this drama to life.

The main leads' chemistry is outstanding that I don't mind the dragged out storyline of Liang Chen not knowing that Lu Jing knows her identity. There's a spark in every scene they're together in whether that be in real life or in-game. The charisma of the actors really make these characters better than they actually are. Lin Yi has also heavily improved from Put Your Head On My Shoulder.

But the big flaw of the drama is how it has a weak supporting cast. Strong leads do make the drama entertaining but its side characters add nothing else to the story, making you want to skip their scenes. If the secondary cast was more likable, the drama as a whole would have been stronger.

Overall, the drama is able to hype up its lead couple really well. But in a way I would say that may be the only part of the drama that actually excels? Cinematography is great and I love its use of music in important scenes but it's not spectacular either. As a romcom though, it's definitely worth a watch. After all, the main point of a romcom is to hook you in through the leading pair. My rating of the drama is purely based off my enjoyment of watching the two leads, so is it worth it? I would say yes, just don't expect a well-rounded drama that is excellent in every aspect.

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