Only for Love (2023)

Takes the cold executive trope too far for too long

8.5/10 is my rating.This is a 2023 Chinese romantic drama with 36, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

As a reporter Zheng Shu Yi (Bai Lui) has a specialized and unique writing angle as a writer for a financial news publication. She is highly capable and career driven and her goal is to get enough headline articles that she can pursue digital platforming the publications to pull her magazine into the modern era. When the opportunity arises to land an exclusive with a young CEO who is rising in the financial investment world, it is the perfect chance to get a headline. Everyone is curious to know more about the cold but exceptional Shi-Yan (Dylan Wang). In fact Shu Yi’s arch rival, who is equally ambitious, is so determined to land the interview she even cheats in an attempt to get the exclusive. But Shi-Yan was more intrigued by Shu-Yi’s outline than her rivals so she still lands the interview. Once in his realm, Shu Yi decides she likes the handsome Shi Yan for more than just an interview subject, Can the determined journalist melt the heart of the cold young CEO?

Review

If you like the cold chief executive officer (CEO) trope then this is definitely a solid addition to that category. Overall I liked it. I recommend it for anyone that is fans of either lead or supporting actors as they all act their roles very well. If you like cold executives, romance and/or want a slice of the financial reporting or technological investment realms, you would find this interesting. There were some aspects that were not really interesting to me and some frustrating slow spots. It is not one I would rewatch in the immediate future, with so many choices available. I found the length of time he was “cold” and the parts about financial investments, tedious.

Spoilers

I think they take the cold executive trope a bit too far in this one. He is not just cold to her but I think his behavior borders on abusive. When she is trying to connect with him, if she doesn’t say exactly what he wants her to say, when and how he wants her to say it, he walks away or kicks her out. He says he does not like to talk business on his personal time and will shut her down even if she is doing it as a common interest to carry the conversation. And that would be one thing, but he seems to break the “do not mix business and personal” any time he feels like it. He doesn’t even say what she did that he didn’t like, he just shuts her out emotionally and often literally. His friends and family even find him difficult to deal with.

Usually by three fourths of the way through the series, the ice cube CEO has thawed and is now all warm and fuzzy, at least to the main girl. In his case, other than the briefest thaw before getting break up mad at her, he remained cold until the last few episodes. Which, to me, was entirely too long.

Okay so she approached him originally to get the story. So what? She is a reporter it is what she does. But she was using him to get back at the cheaters? I felt like they decided to twist it that way later because that was not a motivation she revealed in any of her abundant internal dialogues early on. But still, he should not have been so hung up on why she approached him originally, but where they went from there. I thought the level of cold shoulder she got from that was over the top. Then several commented later that he let her off easy. She was so heart broken she landed in the hospital multiple times, that is not letting anyone off easy. And I dd nit think she did anything so horrible to him to deserve his cold shoulder, yet again, anyway. Supposedly he still loved her but had no problem seeing how he was completely devastating her emotionally.

The second guy in this I thought was her perfect match. He noticed when she was sad and did everything to cheer her up. He let her talk work whenever, and even helped her find new opportunities. Through his actions and words he indicated how wonderful he thought she was. He was smart, handsome, successful and extremely kind to the main girl. She was happy and laughed a lot when she was with 2nd guy, so of course she liked the absolute opposite guy. I was disappointed he did not at least get someone else wonderful.

Other reviewers said her best friend gave her terrible advice and, early on, I disagreed. She gave great advice on how to catch his interest. But I found they were right later when she was advising on how to save her relationship. Continue to lie and deceive him until he is so in love with you he easily forgives? Main girl should have known better. In the book on being petty and holding a grudge (pretending such thing exists) there would be a picture of him. They never explained what made him so he assumed the worst in relationships but that definitely characterizes his reactions. Deceiving him was absolutely the worst thing with him and anyone that knew him well would know that. So the friend’s advice was so far from right with him. It was frustrating she kept following the friend’s advice and kept hiding things. Main girl should have known him well enough by then to know he would not forgive being deceived easily.

I found all of the “business talk” boring. Financial investment in technological companies just was not that intriguing. Reporting was more interesting but all the investment speak was a yawn fest. And it just made the main guy look less capable.

The side couples’ romances were all super heart warming and they spent just the right amount of time on them. I thought the triple wedding idea was great.

I know people love when the couples spend seconds to minutes just gazing at each other but it is not my favorite. I have never seen anyone do that in real life.

#OnlyForLove

#DylanWang

#BaiLiu

Lire davantage

Great acting and chemistry

I recommend giving this drama a chance despite its flaws. I gave it a nine because yes it's not perfect, but I had a really nice time watching it.
The chemistry between the lead was really amazing and left me hoping for more collabs between Wang Hedi and Bai Lu! The characters and couples were really cute. (Except maybe the couple formed by the best friend and the cousin, they didn't do anything for me, they were quite meh...)
If you're looking for a fast paced narrative, this is not for you as some subplots get dragged sometimes, I'm not sure I like the way this was directed 100% but the actors make it worth it cause they're real good. And apart from amazing chemistry they're also quite funny. Also, it's really worth watching if you're looking for fluff and sparkles ! You just have to make it past the (ok I admit - kinda boring) angsty bit in the middle and then you good !

Lire davantage

Light Heart Drama to watch for the Leads

I like this drama and of course Bai Lu's is always and will play the funny employee (comedic role) this is about the third drama she's in that she dates a CEO. I would like for her to pick different dramas with different roles in the future. Her acting is best suited for other roles that we have past seen in the last couple of years. I kind of didn't like how they wrote her character. But I'm watching it for Dylan. Dylan's acting has improved little by little. I'm glad that we get to see him play a CEO and his character is the cool type. Like what they say "perfect man." They have about the one of the best on screen chemistry.

Lire davantage

A bit long but worth the journey

I'll be completely honest -- I picked up this show because I like Dylan Wang's dramas. So based on that very superficial premise, I can say that I was both pleasantly surprised and confused by Only for Love.

The good stuff:
-- The chemistry between the two leads was pretty great. Their acting was very good -- this is my first time watching Bai lu and I really enjoyed her performance. And there were parts in the drama where they really played the romance back and forth very well.
-- The second leads were also interesting to watch. There were two additional couples in this drama which is nice since the show is 36 episodes long...it was good to switch perspectives every now and then.
-- I liked the show's resolution. It had an ending that felt like an ending which is always nice.

The bad stuff:
-- I like a good office romance...but include too much of the "office-y" stuff and it begins to feel like work itself. I honestly am not much interested in the financial impact of the chip industry in China. But whooo boy did they fill you in throughout these 36 episodes. My eyes glazed over at Dylan Wang's monologues about investments in the industry and whatnot. It was just too much "work".
-- The show felt a bit like a slog for the first half -- I think largely because of the focus on setting up this financial investment in the chip industry plot. Once the story moved forward from that, though, it started picking up steam again.

Overall it was a decent show. I will never rewatch it, but I'm glad I gave it a go at least this once.

Lire davantage

This series could have been so much better but was unfortunately disappointing

This series could have been so much better but was unfortunately disappointing. Very long, drawn out and slow paced...... I personally do not understand why it was produced this way but it must be due to the screenwriter, as the Producer has produced a number of very good shows such as Mysterious Lotus Casebook. It could have been done in at least 24 episodes to have a better flow and keep the viewer wanting more. I wanted to skip / fast forward at times but watched with eng subs so it wasn't doable.

The actors did a good job and Bai Lu and Dylan Wang did not disappoint. Their chemistry was on point and affection believable. The side couples also did well and their storyline was better than the Main couple's. The main couple's storyline was at times clouded by clichés and downright childish misunderstandings and miscommunication.

Story had flaws and its too tedious to go through everything.

Ost wasn't memorable

Production and Visual FX : 8

Lire davantage

Bel dramma ma poteva esserlo di più!

Entusiasta della storia e dei attori mi aspettavo molto di più da questo drama.Carino si ma poteva essere molto più bello e convolgente ma si è perso per strada con troppa attenzione sulle vicende lavorative del protagonista e così la storia d'amore ha perso molto.
Protagonisti belli e bravi ma purtroppo avrei voluto vedere di più della loro storia.Si sono innamorati quasi per gioco e c'era spazio per raccontare di più.Belli e belle anche le storie paralleli.
Nel complesso dramma carino con storia bella penalizata solo dalla troppa attenzione data al lavoro dei protagonisti,però comunque ne vale la pena.

Lire davantage

Great chemistry between couples

Many people criticize Only For Love because of the constant miscommunication between Zheng Shuyi (Bailu) and Shi Yan (Dylan Wang). In my honest opinion, however, that doesn't really matter, because the storyline itself is great!

While there are many times when I felt second-hand embarrassment (especially with FL), I really enjoyed this drama. The chemistry between ML and FL was amazing. Sure, the FL might be a bit proactive, but it builds up the story. The ML may be bossy, but we all have to admit that he played his role well.

The second couple (Qin Shiyue and Yu You) was also very sweet. Like the FL, Qin Shiyue may be a bit too proactive, and Yu You was fairly hesitant to be with her at first, but when the two do get together, the result is beautiful love. In order to see that, though, you'll have to dive deeper into the drama, and go through all the times that Yu You felt uncomfortable with Shiyue, but I'd say its fairly worth it.

Overall, IMO, this drama is great, flaws and all. Some people will hate it, others will love it, it's up to you to decide.

Lire davantage

Good Acting, Muddled Storyline

So, overall I liked this drama. It is definitely kinda campy and at times silly, but the main leads had good chemistry together and everyone did great with the acting. My biggest issues were the constant miscommunication and refusing to just talk honestly with each other, especially as the FL and ML's relationship developed. At one point as the FL asked for the 10th time if she should tell the truth, I was literally yelling at my computer "YES!"

I also felt that the motivations and emotions of the characters weren't shown very clearly. I was confused for most of the middle third of the show why the 2 of the 3 couples were acting the way they were. Which could definitely just be my own thick skull, but I found it wasnt until each character flat out explained why they were acting a fool that I finally understood.😂 I think if maybe they condensed the middle episodes in like half, it would have felt less frustrating, especially since one of my biggest pet peeves is when there's relationship drama just because characters aren't having a simple conversation with each other. And this drama dragged that out for a LOT longer than I think it needed to.

My other big issue was with Yu Yue and Qin Shi Yue. Their relationship felt very forced and honestly weird. Normally I don't have an issue with age gaps in a relationship, but they felt mismatched as a couple and more big brother/little sister-ish. I understand what the writers were going for, but I just didn't quite buy that relationship.

Overall, I think I would still rewatch it, and I did finish it in less than a week because it did have some really nice moments and aspects to it. I don't think it'll be one of my absolute favorite shows though.

Lire davantage

For Wattpad lovers looking for a cliche old-school type of entertainment

I'm gonna be honest, just like everyone else, I watched this purely for the pairing of Dylan and Bailu - which did not disappoint. The most poignant strength of this show was the chemistry between the leads, and even the 2nd and 3rd pairings too. This show had almost 0 plot, and whatever plot was going on with the work stuff was more boring than watching paint dry. There were definitely funny moments, and I quite enjoyed the interactions between the pairings. Some satisfying moments, but this really is just for Wattpad lovers. Most, if not all, of the moments in this show was super cliched and old-school and doesn't at all feel like it's a drama released in 2023. So if you're looking for a good plot, this show is not for you. If you're looking for anything new and refreshing, this show is not for you. If you're looking for a very respectable and clear display of "true love", this show is not for you.

But if you're looking for a good palette cleanser, a cute workplace romance, or simply just a chance to stare at Dylan and Bailu's insane face cards, this show is for you!!! Despite my objective rating, I honestly quite enjoyed watching this show. It was super brainless and nonsensical and so absurd that I'd burst into laughter out of disbelief, but it was still an enjoyable watch. I liked the chemistry between Dylan and Bailu, and one thing the show did RIGHT was the kiss scenes - I replayed them many times and had to hide my face behind my hands sometimes because damn both of them can KISS. Those were 100% done excellent, absolutely 0 fish kisses or one party not reciprocating. Some moments, though old-school and perhaps cringey to some, made me giggle and kick my feet in spite of the cliched-ness of it all - but I'm also someone who enjoys this as a guilty pleasure LOL. So if you're looking for good chemistry between the leads (and the side pairings too), this is for you.

In all honesty, I skipped all of the plot stuff on the ml's part (aka all his work meetings and discussions) because I did not gaf. This show has a LOT of pairings though - there’s a total of 5 including the leads. I really enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd pairings (aka Shi Yue and Yu You; Shan Shan and Guan Ji), and if I'm being honest I loved Shi Yue and Yu You's moments more than the main leads towards the end (from about ep28 onwards)... the tropes are kind of mildly toxic? Because (spoiler) Shi Yue is basically just borderline harassing Yu You in the beginning and the relationship progression is not well fleshed-out, he just went from rejecting her advances over and over again to being super concerned about her and suddenly liking her. So it doesn't make any sense, but I was willing to look over that because they're just so so cute together. I really loved them both together and I want to see them in another pairing together as main leads because the chemistry is there!! As for Shan Shan and Guan Ji, I thought their trope was quite refreshing with both of them being players, but I was not a big fan of the constant push-pull, it felt repetitive and boring, but I will admit that they were very cute once they got together (esp with how clingy they both became, it was such a 180 from their previous relationship and it was amusing and adorable). 4th and 5th pairings were barely given screen time but mentioned in passing, had a few cute scenes together though I don’t see what value they added to the show LOL, probably just to max out the number of CPs they could milk out of the show?

There’s not much to say about music and styling, they weren’t worth mentioning much but they weren’t terrible. Music was typical of a modern workplace romance drama but styling fell flat, the only thing carrying the visuals was Dylan and Bailu's lethal face cards. (And for personal preference... Dylan looks way better without the glasses he always wears in the show - but he's still fine no matter what HAHA) I REALLY loved Shi Yue's styling and makeup and hair - exceeded Bailu's styling by an insane amount. Also Dylan had like 3 outfits at most - always suits, though he absolutely rocks them so no complaints really, but personally I would’ve loved to see him in a casual at-home outfit (aside from the apron) more often, I think we only got to see that once or twice?

SPOILERS! The breakup was soooo dragged out that it got really infuriating, it lasted from ep27 to ep31 which was just so entirely unnecessary, the miscommunication trope never miscommunicated like THIS before and I was ready to tear my hair out and punch the screen. It could’ve (and SHOULD’VE) been solved in ep29, when she got drunk and he sent her home. Also fl pissed me off so bad when the entire thing was just HER FAULT and when shit hit the fan she just backed away like a coward and stopped trying to explain things to him and instead threw an entire pity party for herself, and the ml was just constantly having to be there for her when she got drunk, got sick etc. Even in ep31 when they got back together she barely apologised or explained enough for me - in that moment I truly felt that the ml was way too good for her. It's a good thing I don’t care that much about their relationship in detail and just watched without a deep connection to them to enjoy their interactions and cute moments, so it didn’t bother me as much since I didn’t care. But there’s definitely a lot wrong with this show in terms of cultivating a healthy relationship. I also feel like their relationship progressed really quickly and it felt unnatural? In some way? So definitely don’t watch this show too seriously, it's a great show for a cute brainless palette cleanser but it doesn’t in any way, even remotely, show what a healthy love should be - their love did NOT even come close to touching my heart, I didn’t feel like they were truly IN LOVE (because the progression wasn’t done well enough, I didn’t feel like they’d have good reasons to be this in love with each other). I won’t bring up other shows in this review, but there’s definitely other shows out there in which the relationship progression is done so well that you feel yourself falling in love with the ml as the fl and the fl as the ml, and thus their love makes sense to you. So if you’re looking for LOVE like in Disney films, this is not for you.

Overall, though my review was mostly negative, I did enjoy this watch, especially the second half of the show (probably ep20 onwards). I didn’t go into this show with many expectations at all because I’ve seen the bad reviews, but I WILL watch ANY show for Dylan (and Bailu is an incredible bonus). The acting wasn’t incredible at all but both Dylan and Bailu are excellent actors without a doubt - this show, however, is not their best work by far because the plot and characterisation didn’t give them much room to show off their abilities, only their face cards. Nonetheless, it’s a decent entertaining watch, and my personal rating of this would be 7/10. Rewatch factor is solely for moments when you’re craving a brainless Wattpad watch again, as I do sometimes LOL. I do hope they’ll be paired in another show together (historical!!!! xianxia!!!) because their chemistry felt like wasted potential in this plotless show... would LOVE to see them in a xianxia drama together because I personally believe that that’s their strength, they shine more in historical shows.

To fully appreciate Dylan's acting skills, watch Love Between Fairy and Devil - that’s his BEST work to date by far, with the styling and micro-expressions... he outdid himself and I am in LOVE. Will write a review on that show too, it’s my favourite and my #1 forever. For Bailu, do watch One and Only, and Till the End of the Moon.

All in all, worth the watch if you go into this with no proper expectations and just want to have a good time staring at the eye candy cast LOL. Bonus points for the 10/10 makeout scenes.

Lire davantage

I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this despite its (many) flaws! Despite all the nonsensical and frustrating aspects, I was still eagerly awaiting each new episode.

I wouldn't consider myself a Bai Lu fan, but she was just so playful and charming when her character Shu Yi was flirting shamelessly with Dylan Wang's Shi Yan. Dylan Wang felt miscast because he didn't pull off the CEO aura and his expressions were sometimes lacking, but he does have a pretty face and he looked good with Bai Lu.

But I had too many issues with the plot and characters. Shu Yi was (supposedly) an intelligent, insightful, and hardworking journalist, but it seemed like 100% of her work was focused on Shi Yan and his company, and when it was time to get serious about her relationship with Shi Yan, she totally failed at communicating. Even after her friend Yu You explained how her actions were coming across, she still didn't change her behavior! It was like she was too used to being the center of attention and spoiled by others to understand how to communicate and apologize.

It was delightful when Shi Yue came into the picture and I cackled every time she was trying to help Shi Yan or be his spy. It was nice to see a lovable rich girl for once, but my one complaint is that I didn't like how her romantic storyline was developed. She became a relentless, obsessed stalker after one extremely brief encounter?! I wish she'd been given room to grow and mature before a romance developed and I didn't like her love interest's sudden 360-degree turn either. I'm not saying they weren't cute together, I'm just saying I didn't like how the progression was written.

And then there's Guan Ji and Bi Ruo Shan, who had a setup I loved and so much chemistry! Friends with benefits who fall in love! I even understand why initially they would be hesitant to take a chance and open up their hearts, but they just looked depressed separately for far too long. Especially while Bi Ruo Shan was giving Shu Yi the worst advice on the planet. There were too other minor couples that were very pleasant though, which showed the writers WERE capable of writing mature relationships with good communication!

My last complaint is Yi Yang, whose entire character was unnecessary, or at least the romantic aspect was completely unnecessary. He literally came out of nowhere just to create opportunities for Shi Yan to get jealous??? The actor who plays him was great though and I'll be keeping an eye out for him.

It's been too long since I watched this so I probably had other complaints but this is what I remembered most clearly. But like I said, I still found this immensely entertaining and have no regrets about watching it.

Lire davantage