Mo Bai (2022)

Made for Mindless Binging

Double Love is a good pick if you're looking for hearty laughter, fluffy romance, and fun engaging characters.

Adapted from the novel "Master, your wife is AFK again" by author Da Ju Mao, the story centered around Lu Wanwan, a female actress who is trying to make her mark in the acting industry without counting on backdoor connections, and Han Jingmo, a star, and expert game player.

The plot itself was the usual idol drama - a bumbling yet bright and warm rookie actress meeting a cold but admirable popular male artist and how they fall in love online and offline. There were cliches like past encounters leaving a deep impression on one of the leads and the usual show business shenanigans like scheming actresses trying to sabotage the FL's career and get between the two leads.

The storyline may not be new, but the show was fun to watch. The main CP's love story was endearing, and I love watching their journey to success in their careers and personal lives. The humor and wit were on-point, and the interactions between the characters were so heartwarming that they pulled me into the drama. Plus, issues and misunderstandings were resolved quickly, making it an easy watch.

Unfortunately, the show suffered from some terrible editing, and key scenes were cut, leading to viewers' frustration and confusion. I strongly recommend looking through the comments for links to the cut scenes for a better understanding.

The CGI for the game was pretty good, and I enjoyed watching the matches and the characters. There were some hilarious setups in the virtual world, especially when juxtaposed against the characters in real life.

The chemistry between the main couple as well as among all the characters was organic and engaging. I was rooting not only for the main CP but also for the low-key relationship with BL undertones between another pair. I adored the dynamics of the Lu family and the sibling relationship between Wanwan and her brother Lu Guang Han. They were hilarious, teasing and bullying each other but also so supportive and protective of each other.

Zhang Sue Ying was the highlight, honestly. Her character was full of energy and spunk and brought so much life to the show. ZSY's acting was so natural and realistic, like she became one with her character, Wanwan.

As for Bi Wenjun, he was somewhat stiff in the beginning, but he got much better in the later episodes. I was not wild about how they styled him as the top star Han Jingmo, and I preferred his look in the game. However, he was still eye candy, and together with ZSY, they made a great-looking couple, especially during their scenes on the red carpet. Han Jingmo was the perfect ML - faithful and consistent, always looking out for Wanwan...although he can be childish at times.

In general, the cast was great, and there was a fun rapport among them. I did find the side couple's story unnecessary and uninteresting. I would much rather them show more sweet moments between our main CP.

The OST was awesome. I never skipped the ending credits because of the song, 'I Wanna Be Your Love' sung by Bi Wenjun. It is a sweet song played during the main CP's romantic scenes. The opening song, Tiptoe, by Xu Mengjie, was catchy too. For posterity, I listed the song list at the end of this review.

Overall, do give this show a try! It would be a shame to miss out on the comedy, fun and satisfying ending. Whether you need to cure bad-day blues or just a distraction, watching this show might just do the trick!

OST List:
* Bi Wenjun (毕雯珺) - I Wanna Be Your Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztJE7NwDhOg

* Xu Mengjie (徐梦洁) - Tiptoe (踮脚尖)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLq-5sam6O0

* 打扰一下乐团 - Fearless (无畏)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uFefnf9A9o

* Jin Wenqi - No Trace (无迹可寻)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umsk7wFO8Bo

Album on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/52w5EV0C36g1EsEmGX4nDK?si=mX8-ZjeRQBiiMuPIBNS-cA

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It could´ve been so much better!

Ok, I´ve finished watching it. I doubted before I started to watch because of all the posts about the bad editing, which is absolutely awful. Too many fundamental scenes were cut and made my heart ache because this drama had a great production and the plot had many great highlights to explore.

What was missing:

- The first kiss of the MC in episode 6 when ML was drunk
- Also at the end of episode 6 when ML proposes ingame and FL asks to the FL how she wants to be called (Wife, darling, honey etc) and she says if he agrees to have a real relationship she will pick one.
- Confession in episode 16... Come on!!! WTF??? how do you miss that???!!!
- When ML discovers his boss is FL´s older brother.

What could have been better:

- If the writers wanted a "love triangle" for the FL, then director/production please cast someone that could´ve been seen as an opponent to BWJ, not an actor close to an uncle. Or if you wanted an older suitor, please mind you are filming an Idol Drama and cast someone aesthetically coordinated with the rest of the cast.

- ML´s grandpa was adorable, he could have had a couple of scenes more sprinkled in the last episodes.

- Writers: did you try to make a SC with Lu Guang Han & Gu Qiao Bei a bromance, a BL, a mentor/disciple or a dage/didi relationship? Because you hinted all that and finally we didn´t have either. I think could have been better if you didn't force a girlfriend for LGH in the last episode and just leave it open for viewers to interpret.

- Please send a red fat envelope to "S**ting Stars" because the hidden top actress/absent mother and the assistant/mean top actor we´ve seen it last year and better done.

- First drama I´ve watched with Bi Wen Jun and Zhang Xue Ying and for me, she ATED IT. Cute without being dumb or sickly sweet, quite natural. BWJ flunked the first half for me because his "tsundere" was lacking personality. Few actors can pull a tsundere without being confused with a brick. Park Seo Joon in "What´s wrong with Secretary Kim?" set the bar too high for me and quite difficult to reach for the majority of idol actors. The second half when he starts to pursue the FL more out in the open and he warms up is where he starts to shine. When he ends up as a cute henpecked boyfriend in the last couple of episodes he takes the crown.

- Regarding what is missing in edition, is not the first time government makes cuts in dramas, but is the first time the production didn't fix it properly. I don't remember any other drama where the editing was so lame that made the plot lose sense at some point. Oh... I forgot "She and her Perfect Roommate".... sorry "Husband". After all the cut scenes between YM and XK we went from a chocolate cake in the trailers to a pudding when it was released, but at least the plot made sense.

Is it worth watching?

The production and the game scenes were on point. Red carpets and awards ceremonies were also great. The ending was one of the most satisfactory for me in the recent same niche rom-coms.

The chemistry between the leads was good and ended even better. The the dage/meme relationship was insanely well done and fun to watch. Is one of the highlights of the drama.

The conflicts were solved quickly and the evil-doers got the reward they deserved.

If the writers polished the script and the editing was done better after the government review, this drama could have been easily a "Love O2O" 2.0. Had the storyline, the actors and the production to reach the same level or top it. BWJ is not yet at Yang Yang´s level, but his FL was far better than Zheng Shuang, at least for me. So that makes the MCs even.

If the viewer is warned about the missing scenes and wants to watch a good quality production rom-com, worth the try if there isn't another drama on queue.

Rewatch Value:

Yes, I probably will rewatch it. I don't know yet if it is because I really enjoyed the good points listed above or because my brain is still trying to put all the pieces together.

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