In Time With You (2011)

I REALLY have mixed feelings about this drama..... Ok, let's start with the basics:
Story: 7/10
I gave it only 7 out of ten because although I REALLY liked the story, I felt that as the plot went on, I disliked Cheng You Qing more and more. She's thirty years old and sometimes she acted like an inexperienced teenager when it came to her relationships... I also found her to be kind of whiny and needy... And I felt terrible for Li Da Ren, because literally he would follow her around like a lost puppy. But on the positive side, the ending did redeem Cheng You Qing's character. Also, the dialogue was fantastic, and not awkward at all like I find in some other dramas. Additionally, I felt that the drama as a whole took a realistic approach to love that we often don't find among the fluffy, feel-good dramas out there (although there were a few fuzzy moments too! :D).
Cast: 10/10
Each character was really portrayed perfectly by the actors. After watching ISWAK and ISWAK 2, I can honestly say that Ariel Lin's acting has improved a lot! Also, I had never seen Sunny Wang before, and well, I sort of fell in love. lol I was shocked to see his tattoos O__O but they fit perfectly with his bad-boy character in the drama. He acted so well that he became a character who I knew was bad, but couldn't help falling in love him with just like Cheng You Qing...
Music: 9/10
I thought the music was good. It went along very well with the drama and was pretty memorable.
REwatch: 4/10
This is just a personal opinion, but I couldn't stomach rewatching Li Da REn's heartbreak for another 13 episodes... :'( So sad..
Overall: 7/10
It was a good drama, it had high points and low points. I don't regret watching it, but its not one of those dramas that stick with you for days after you finish watching it!
Hope this review helps! :)

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This is my fav drama of all times!! I've watched a lot of them, but this one... is absolutely THE BEST. Ariel Lin, as usual, is the queen of acting. I love her, the way she portrait a woman that is beautiful, smart and sucessful, but also wants to find love. Chen Bo Li, it was my first time meeting him, but he just amazed me. His acting is just so natural, both of them together is just so nice. I love the plot, and caught myself wishing it was longer.
The OST very beautiful, very nice. All the songs are so meaningful, so is totally 10/10.
I've already rewatched it and I never feel tired of it. I think you are going to fall in love with this plot, so as I did.
I just didn't score 10/10 for the story because I wish it was longer, specially the end!

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I'm usually against this "falling in love with my best friend" thing, especially because I believe that it gives the idea that friendship between a man and a woman could not exist. BUT this drama has a little detail that makes everything different: since the begining Li Da Ren liked Cheng You Qing and the other way around, but they were too proud to admit it.
It's a little cliché, with some love triangles, but if you don't mind them, I highly recommend it.
What I liked the most about this drama is that Cheng You Qing is far from being perfect. She's just like anyone else. And she's not the stupid female protagonist that we usually see in most of the romantic dramas. She is bratty and selfish, but she's got a good heart and she's fierce.
Li Da Ren is there to prove that the ideal man does exist and that he's full of flaws, but you'll love each one of them. Cheng Bolin is just like the guy next door. Perfect!
If you're looking for funny moments, you'll LOVE Cheng You Qing's family. I'm sure that her mother will remind you of your own mother or that aunt that keeps asking you about your relationships every chistmas party. Or when she wants to learn how to use facebook and asks Li Da Ren for help. Really funny!!
Also, it's nice to see the relationship between the main characters and their group of friends. As time passes, they get closer to some of them and grow apart from others, but the ties that unite them remain the same.
The end was okay. I felt like they missed something. Watch and perhaps you'll know what I'm talking about.
I've tried watching it again, but the episodes are really long...
Overall, the story has the right doses of romance, drama and comedy. The actors surely have chemistry, which makes it especial. Watch it! You'll not regret!

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One of the best friends-to-lovers

I really truly loved this show. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this show carried it out so nicely. I loved that they had that deep connection with each for a long time since they were friends for a while. They know each other the best and always look for each other for comfort.

Also, this show is from 2011 so I was worried it would feel too old and cliched. But no, instead it felt kind of nostalgic to watch and it didn't have any cringey cliches. I loved that the FL was independent and strong. At first she did kind of annoy me, but as I kept watching, I saw that there was more to her and she's actually very caring. The ML is also just so sweet and has so much patience and just overall I love him. I also loved the little life lessons we get from every episode. It had me thinking about my life and the future.

It does take some time for the romantic part of their relationship to come, but I actually really liked that because I got to see and appreciate their friendship first, which is a big part of their relationship in general.

I highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone. I mean, even the title is pretty.

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Story:

I really like this show so meaningful, I keep anticipating what will happen, It’s gets sad, I love his poem about her, At some point I feel so sad, you want to cry your heart out for Da Ran’s character such a nice warm person, The way they had made each episode was so meaningful in a very creative way, you keep thinking learning, it's has a deep meaning. and Last episode was beautiful, lovely, cute happy end I liked it! .

Acting
The leads were so amazing I loved their acting, even the supporting were so good, I just think one character's acting was a bit lacking, it's "Will", I don't know maybe it's just me and this is how his character should be portrayed, The Actor has such an amazing deep voice XD

Music
Lovely & suitable music, three of the ost I really liked specially his :)

Rewatch
I don't usually rewatch shows, but I want to rewatch this!!! >:)

P.S. I didn't want to watch this and kept avoiding it because Arial Lin is the main lead (it started with a kiss) which I found really annoying, but after watching this, I must say she's amazing!!

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I really enjoy this kind of drama, the slice of life were you get to follow the characters as they grow and get older.
The interaction between the characters felt very realistic, which I often find as a rarity.
The acting was overall great, were I think Ariel Lin was the one shining the brightest. She seem to have a special ability to bring out the best of her co-actors, making us believe their dialouges and feelings.

The trope of childhoodfriends turning lovers is one I always appreciate. In this case I think they succeeded greatly, with both casting and plot. I was rooting for them from the very first episode!

I'm sure this is one I will rewatch in the future.

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Vastly enjoyed watching, with some small issues

A friend recommended this one to me, as always I did not read the description, so I had no clue what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised. I did read the description afterwards and may I just say, to me it kinda fails to deliver the essence of what this Drama is really about... A beautiful story of two best friends that (come to) love each other. The description makes it kinda sound like it’s all about finding someone to marry as fast as possible, but to me that does not capture the essence of this Drama at all.

That being said here’s my two cents:

Actors: I absolutely loved the actors, I liked how they kept the same actors for the scenes when they were still younger. The male lead was absolutely the star of this Drama, if I remember correctly the actor won a price for his performance in this Drama, absolutely deserved in my opinion. Like honestly he did such a good job at conveying emotions, even if all the other actors had been terrible, he’d probably make up for it.

Plot:
I don’t think I’ve seen this kind of best friend romance arch yet. I absolutely loved it. Starting from the fact that this plot is probably relatable to a lot of people, since most people have found their self in a situation were they were stuck in a platonic relationship with someone they were interested in romantically.. Generally I loved almost every aspect of the two Leads relationship and the change in their relationship, with one major demerit: how everything was solved/how they got together. There was this huge built up through out the Drama, making us anticipate them finally realising their feelings and getting together... however when the time finally came, to me it just seemed really rushed and kind of disappointing. That part was honestly kind of a blow to me. I would have also loved to see more of their beginning stages, turning from friends into lovers. However, even like that, I was still vastly satisfied with how their relationship progressed, I don’t think I’ve ever been that invested in two people’s love, I actually cried a couple of times, and I liked that this was not the: everything is solved within the last 10 minutes, giving the viewer no time to enjoy the happiness, kind of End.

Now honestly apart from the main story arch everything else was not really that special, the side love interests, to me were just really annoying, but I guess they were needed to make the story work.
We also have a lot of scenes with the families of the two leads, showing different kinds of love developing or existing, which was nice, but not as capturing as it maybe could have been. But all in all these scenes did well in guiding the leads through their experiences of life and love.
We also have some kind of “finding yourself” type of story arch, that to me however, was not really that interesting. But the love arch alone was enough of a storyline to me.

OST:
Imma give a special shoutout to the OST, since I loved the soundtrack of this one.

So if you want to be taken on a journey of love, sadness, some happiness, anticipation, maybe a bit of frustration and a couple of funny scenes, do give this one a try. To me it wasn’t the best Drama ever made but I do not regret watching it at all.

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My favourite Taiwanese drama for a very long time.

This was my favorite Taiwanese drama for a very long time until Someday or One Day comes along. There were a lot of life lessons I got when I watched and it has stuck with me till now. And for a period, it really inspired me to want to be a scriptwriter myself because the writing was really good even though the story might not be the most novel.

Ariel Lin really hit the park with this because my impressions have been stucked to her performance of Xiang Qin. But here, she totally did a 180 change in performance style which I wasn’t expecting. Chen Bolin was also really good especially the parts where he was lonely and sad. Their chemistry is also another level and made me convinced that they are truly bestie turned couple.

Also, the side characters performed really well especially You Qing’s mum. Finally, it’s a mum that is not mean spirited and really knows the FL very well. How I wish my mum can be like this too..

The music is also really good and very fitting to the vibe of the drama. And the OSTs are really nice to listen. Overall, you are missing if you haven’t watched this.

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After a slow and sluggish start, this drama gets better after a few episodes in (you just have to be patient or skip the side/artsy-fartsy parts). The dynamic between the two best friends are great, played naturally by Ariel and Bolin who have great on-screen chemistry. I finally came to like Ariel Lin in this drama and Bolin Chen is suitable to play the love-lorn guy who secretly loves his bestfriend about to be married. Can't get enough of this couple whose characters have so much history together. I know it might not be the best T-drama out there, but it is one closest to my heart.

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It has been ages since I last reviewed a Taiwanese drama. Though I watched In Time With You sometime between February and March, I don’t know what took me so long to review it. ‘In Time With You’ is a romantic Taiwanese drama about two childhood friends who promise to never fall in love with each other despite having deep-rooted feelings for each other. I picked this drama because it had only 13 episodes (at least on the site that I saw it on) and finding a T-drama with less than 20 episodes is a big deal. Moreover, the drama had great reviews online so I thought this is perfect for binge-watching over the weekend. However, it took me more than a week to finish the drama as each episode was 90 minutes long. So, basically, the number of episodes made no difference because the drama was loooooooooooong anyway. But it was an enjoyable drama so I am not complaining.  

Let’s weigh In Time With You on our show beam balance and see if this two friends-turned-lover are worth your time or no.

Good Weights
You Qing’s Wardrobe and Character: Every girl will know why wardrobe is counted as a good weight. You Qing works as a manager with a shoe manufacturing company. She is a smart and ambitious woman and that is clearly reflected in her dressing. Mostly dressed in smart formals, You Qing’s clothes and shoes had me frothing at the mouth. Even her sister-in-law would borrow clothes from her in the drama. I was in awe of her impeccable dressing sense. You Qing’s wardrobe is every girl’s dream. Actress Ariel Lin looked stunning in almost every outfit that helped her look her part in the drama. You Qing is a headstrong girl who knows how to perfectly balance her personal and professional life. She is stubborn, rude, and unapologetically outspoken which is what makes her character so real. She is not sweet and kind lady but a hot and nice woman. Moreover, Ariel Lin played the character to perfection which is what made me like You Qing even more.  

Chen Bolin: I have seen Ariel’s dramas before so I was aware of her acting prowess. It was the first time I was watching Chen Bolin in a drama and I think he has the cutest dimples in Asian dramaland. Li Da Ren is the quintessential romantic hero who loves the heroine unconditionally and can do anything to see her smile. He is always there to wipe her tears when she is upset. He patiently listens to all her complaints. Solves her problems for her. Protects her from harm. Fights with people who speak against her. And basically, acts like a err….drama hero. The casting director chose the best face possible to play such an endearing character. Chen Bolin’s smile can make any girl go weak in the knees. Thankfully, his pretty face is not devoid of expression and his portrayal of Li Da Ren was just perfect.

Intense Chemistry: For this, I have to applaud Ariel for being able to build an amazing chemistry with both her male leads Chen Bolin and Sunny Wang. Her chemistry with her ex-boyfriend on the show Ding Li Wei i.e. actor Sunny Wang was too hot to handle. There are plenty of sweet love scenes between You Qing and Li Wei which is a given for any romantic T-drama. Also, actor Sunny Wang is an eye candy which is why it is natural to be torn between Da Ren and Li Wei. You Qing and her bestie Da Ren do not have that many love scenes but there are several adorable scenes between the two pals that will make you fall in love with them.



Bad Weights
First Episode: I don’t know why but I found the first episode of the show extremely boring and almost decided not to watch it. Had I not read rave reviews of the show I surely would have not watched it beyond episode 1. But luckily I held my patience and gave it another try. In case you decide to watch this show do not feel very disappointed by episode 1. It is boring I agree but the show overall is not bad so let the one-episode slip.  

Draggy Episodes: The website I saw the drama on had 13 episodes but several other websites have broken down the drama into 20+ episodes. But despite the breakdown, the story does seem to drag sometimes. It does slow down a bit but doesn’t fully lose track. In spite of the slight dip in pace I eagerly waited to catch the next episode only because I liked all the characters on the drama.

 
In Time With You is charming love story that will make you want a guy best friend. It is that Taiwanese drama which should be on your ‘to-watch’ list. If you are looking for a sweet friendship-turned-romance drama then stop here and spare some time for this heart-warming drama.

Originally posted on www.alphagirl.in

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