Accidentally in Love (2018)

Fun at first but very disappointing at the end

THIS IS MY FIRST REVIEW EVER.

I needed to write this down since I had so much expectation for this drama when I decided to finally watch it in 2023 after postponing for a few times because it was recommended to me. However, I was seriously disappointed with the story. In addition, the drama could have been finished in 24 episodes but it was dragged to 30 episodes which made it a little unbearable. It was to the point that I was even contemplating if I could finish it or just drop it. The last episodes in particular were really bad.

I especially found it ABSURD how the female lead has decided to normalize her disguise ("ugly", freckles, thick glasses, thick eyebrows) UNTIL THE END OF THE DRAMA just to satisfy the male lead's masculine inferiority when she outgrew him to be more popular in school with her TRUE appearance. It's disturbing how she has to wear a fake disguise even if she doesn't already need to, just because the male lead is jealous when he himself is an idol and has lots of fan girls glorifying him as their "highness". It imports a VERY dangerous precedent that ONLY male leads have to outshine everyone while looking cool, handsome and popular while female leads have to be in the shadows while looking "ugly", hated and bullied when in reality, the female lead is much more talented, smart and physically fit than the superficial male lead.

OVERALL, the only thing I can commend about this drama is the acting and the music. I liked how the actors and actresses portrayed their characters well. It could have been amazing if the story was well written.

Lire davantage

Despite the title, this is really a comedy with some romance and not a balanced rom-com.

It’s super cute due to th adorable lead female (who was also so cute in The Eternal Love). She’s funny and cute without all the cutesy cliches that other actresses use so this is refreshing. The entire series rests on her and she carries it off.

In fact, her character is more of an alpha than the leading man which leads to some fun situations and school musical. It’s great that he’s totally fine with it and let’s her be her. The actor may not be a believable idol, but he’s adequate against her winsome character.

So if you’re looking for a big romance, this isn’t it. If you want a fluffy comedy, then this is cute.

Lire davantage

seriously how i don't find this drama until now? I'm freaking love this drama and ofcourse the actor fiction guo.. the drama was cute and light.. highly recommend for those love romance, light and cute story... the plot is very interesting and easy to followneven somehow many part don't make any sense.. and the most thing i love in this drama is definetly the couple.. the female lead is very good actress, she can bring two different personality but for male, he seem awkward (?) in my opinion.. yeah just certain scene... the OST for this drama also good and catchy... i would watch this again and again if i have time..

Lire davantage

I like this drama a lot. It has everything I'm looking for in a drama at least 1 good looking actor (it got several actually), good chemistry between the leads, very nice OST (SiTu Feng can really sing) and a good story (well as far as 19 episodes are concern it's pretty smooth). This one is very light and fun to watch. It has some drama but not much. The comedy part is really nice. The interaction between the couple is good. I love the songs. It's not boring, I just wish I can binge watch it but since it's still ongoing I'm not able to. You won't regret watching this. Highly recommended. I watched a lot of dramas before, pretty new to chinese drama, it's great.

Lire davantage

Netflix picked it up and reviews here were decent so I thought maybe it might actually be good despite not having any big actors. Nope. Compared to other Chinese youth dramas like A Love So Beautiful and Rush to the Dead Summer, this was so plot hole ridden and 98% of the characters were annoying in a bad way (including the main character) with little in the ways of character development. If you're a usual watcher of Cdramas, skip this one. This might be good if you're used to more flippant characters like those seen in some Korean youth dramas (ya know, the one dimensional, secondary characters used to push plot in a 16 ep show) but not a great show by any means.

Lire davantage

Very light hearted Chinese drama with plenty of comedy. Most of the time, it's very sweet and fun, but also has some drama. It's just not as heavy as in other series. The "sweet" scenes, however, pack quite a punch. I think this is mostly due to both the cinematography and the score.

The soundtrack is great. The male lead is a pop idol, so he sings a lot. He has a great voice and all songs have a great composition and a pleasant melody. My favorite of the bunch is STAR, which is used in some of the best scenes.

As stated before, the cinematography is pretty good for a drama series. It's a step above most, at least. There's a particular scene which I enjoyed a lot that comes at the end of episode 27. You'll know why when you watch it.

Finally, the acting is the weakest part of the series; but that doesn't mean it's bad. Both Guo Fiction (Si Tu Feng) and Sun Yi Ning (Chen Qing Qing) mostly do a good job. Guo Fiction might feel awkward at times, but sort of fits his character. Sun Yi Ning is excellent as both Qing Qing and Qing Chen (Who are actually the same person but behave differently. No, this is not a spoiler). The supporting is decent. Only Ma Li (Gu Nan Xi) stands out, but that's mostly because he's pretty much a secondary lead.

If you're in the mood for watching a light hearted drama series with high production values, I kindly suggest you watch Accidentally in Love. It's definitely worth a watch. For some reason, finding a complete (and decent) subbed version on the Internet is hard despite it being on Netflix. I suggest you just watch it there for a better experience.

Lire davantage

There isn't much to say about this drama. Initially when I started the drama, it seemed very promising. I enjoyed the couples, the acting, and the cinematography, however that didn't last long.

I liked the portrayal of Qing Qing, I thought that she was a bright, strong -headed, and intellectual character and her friendship with Fang Fang was one of the highlights of the show. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Fang Fang and Lin Yiyang, they were, without a doubt, the best couple in the show. I like how they both grew with each other and it was overall endearing to watch.

My main issue with the show was Si Tu Feng and Xin Ya by which Xin Ya was extremely emotionally manipulative/abusive and it's never fully addressed how damaging and toxic her actions were. My main issue with Si Tu Feng is towards the end of the show where he wanted Qing Qing to continue to look "ugly" because he was uncomfortable with all the attention she received when she looked normal. His insecurity rubbed me the wrong away and completely turned me off his character.

Overall: if you are to watch, watch it for the second main couple because they are a lot more satisfactory to watch.

Lire davantage

Super fun

This is one of the best university dramas I've seen. It's fun, wacky and light-hearted.

This show is always a pleasure to watch. It's doesn't take itself too seriously, so there's a lot of funny moments. I love the character interactions in this - it's probably my favourite part of the whole show. Despite there being so many bizarre situations, the interactions are realistic.

Pros:
HILARIOUS
Great friendships
Great romance
Realistic enemies to lovers plot
Clear character motives
Perfect pacing
Not much lipsyncing

Cons:
The intro spoils too much
Some parts can be so bizarre and weird, it's too unbearable
The fangirls annoy me
Does feel like it was made to be an ad for a loaning company

Lire davantage

It is supposed to be cute but has a wrong message

The show starts off OK. A girl running away from an unwanted wedding is in disguise and meets a pop star idol. Even though she is not "pretty" he eventually falls for her.

Sounds like a cute story. The leads are OK, a little on the silly side and the typical silly misunderstandings, but there are some really not so healthy things in this show. In the end the pop star idol would rather his girlfriend continue to be ugly because he is jealous of the attention she gets when she is pretty. I mean so basically she cannot be herself, what is that even saying. Plus I actually think the :ugly" version of the character is better than the "pretty" version. Second there is a back story of how the ML killed a friend in a car accident, yes it was an accident but he was recklessly driving fast and she told him to slow down. I mean he should be in jail or something, Then there is the toxic mean girl. Really a stereotype, until she becomes suicidal and forces the ML to get engaged with her. He agrees cause she tried to kill herself twice because of him liking someone else. I mean sure let's encourage that behavior instead of getting her psychiatric help. She doesn't really seem to learn or change and she has a friend that encouraged her to practically kill herself in order to get the ML. Then there is the ex-fiancee of the FL and his toxic personality.

I mean there were so many questionable story lines. If I was young girl or had a your female in my house and I would never let them watch something with such bad role models.

There was some good things I did like. The ML leads's best friend Gu Nanxi is adorable, I would have picked him over the ML. The second couple is also a plus. Lin Yiyang has the most character growth, and is the only person that seemed to grow up. He starts as a bully reacting to the death of the friend and girl he liked that the ML killed. He is rightly angry at the ML and blames him. He eventually realizes that his actions are hurting others especially the FL lead's friend Zhang Fangfang. While she is a bit timid it is understandable as she is a poor scholarship student that feels inferior to all of the rich snobs. Those two together help each other grow and become better versions of themselves. they had a far more mature and healthy relationship than the main couple.

Also what kind of college was it that they attended? I mean did they learn anything besides how to play dodgeball.

I mean it was a light weight show and not to be taken serious, but they could have put some effort into the story and making more than 3 people likable.

Lire davantage

The acting in Accidentally In Love is decent, if not up to par with the majority of the k-dramas I've watched - or Taiwanese or Japanese. It has matched others though.

My favorite character was Yi Yang. He's supposed to be a bully but he just came off as so awkward - a cat with resting bitch face that acts like it doesn't like you because other people haven't been kind to it but it actually really like gets head pets and neck scritches. Everything involving him and Fang Fang was great. I like how she handled him and all the stuff that happened because of/around him. He makes her more outspoken and she softens his edges and I love how complementary they are for each other. (I'm also curious, since it was never actually mentioned - exactly how loaded is Yi Yang's family? They own a restaurant the Fang Fang worked at for a hot minute, but that can't be all they own if he's got money coming out his ears, like Xin Ya and others at the school suggest.)

The scenes with Qing Qing and Si Tu Feng where they acted like regular people - just friends hanging out - were my favorites. The entire episode where she 'tricked him' into exercising. When they played basketball like fools. Playing in the fountain. Dancing in the street and visiting street stalls. Him climbing up the wall of the dorm to deliver a gift to her. Teasing each other in the green house. Playing on the beach. His moments of 'oh no, she's gorgeous' (the Boyfriend Shirt moment and her in an evening gown performance). I loved every minute of it.

The Xin Ya/Mu Nian plot line needed to die. "Your kiss broke my spell" actually made me gag. That whole subplot was utter garbage. And the suicide plot line was awful. I hated both Xin Ya and that other girl whose name I don't even remember(Linyang? I don't even care). Neither of them were given any redeeming qualities, so the suicide plot came on suddenly, fell flat, and felt improperly handled. I also hated that 90% of the females that showed up in this show are absolutely horrible, awful people. Qing Qing, Fang Fang, and those three girls from the Student Council that make periodic appearances are okay, and the three Your Highness fangirls get better with time, but all the rich girls and all the classmates and the fangirls at first, and ugh. I got tired of bitchy, petty, nasty women showing up.

I wish that Qing Qing would have resumed her normal look after everyone knew who she was. That plot point never even...went anywhere? Like, that guy released her info in order to 'drive a wedge' between our leads and then...there was no wedge formed and he never came back in?

So basically the end of the show post-wedding-escape was kind of wonky and confused about what it was trying to do. But the show was fun to watch - wacky, silly, cute good times.....for most of the show at least. And I adored Yi Yang and Fang Fang's developing relationship, from 'we happen to attend the same school' to 'accidentally involved because our friends are involved' to 'acquaintances' to 'friends' to 'couple.' I just love them so much. So so much. Faves.

If I rewatch this show, it'll be scenes with Fang Fang and Yi Yang or scenes for the main couple like I mentioned above - where they're just having fun.

Lire davantage

Starts out as light romcom, becomes super random, then makjang, and finally finishes how it started.

Sometimes it's quite funny, the FL's dual role is sufficiently charming, and the frequent songs don't hurt either.

Acting, production and sound aren't great. There's more than enough plot holes and scenes that serve no purpose.
Unfortunately the whole middle of the show is full of filler scenes (while it's not that bad early on, one episode near the end is almost entirely made of adverts!).
Towards the end the writing goes into some really absurd directions, with obstacles being created and torn down again just because. Many spoiler reviews lash out at a particular arc that really shouldn't have been added.
The final episode only wraps up about two thirds of the characters, with the others disappearing never to be seen again.

As is common in CN dramas, the audio dubbing is very noticeable and sometimes quite bad.


P.S.:
I've seen shows that have cliffhangers meant to make you tune in for some revelation every single episode.
I've seen shows that just stop between scenes and don't try to fake excitement.
But I've never seen a show where plenty of episodes just stop like it's in the middle of somebody's sentence.

Lire davantage

Big NO

Omg what was this!? First running of from marraige and meeting the ML was the only scene were i felt somewhat logical. The whole drama was just many plot devices to move on with the show. The first few episodes was enjoyable. When the FL asks ger friend/roommate to quit her job, she quits it just like that. I mean they just met a few days back.... And the gossiping community, ML fans (but in some moments were they supported him was good), the other lead just kidnapping the girls. And not to mention them being friends again because the ML protected him from his fans.
I did not like the acting at all. Many moments felt childish and just rubbish. The bank ad moments were rediculous and out of nowhere.
Even after falling from clif both of them did not have any inguries. And even the breaking up part. Or after comfession part. The grandpa being sick and then magically gets better. FL rescuing ML from being married (I actually thought that was a dream). Even his mangement comany felt like a total fool to me.

And issues like sui©ide and toxic behaviour is taken in a light form. One moment k!lling youdself, next moment getting married. And the ML not liking how pretty the FL actually looked... And magically at the end everything is perfect and happy. Idk if that was actually happy? Like bith of them not choosing their careers. They could be still dating after going abroad for whatever they wanted.. I could just go on and on about these things.

I was actually looking forward to watch this because it had 'college' tag but no any college moment at all. I wanted to watch something cliche and light, just to spent my time and had hopes for this. Total wastage of potential: could have been a good one.

Lire davantage