Zui Shi Ren Jian Yan Huo Se (2023)

Based on romance, scenic views & craftsmanship.

It was a good drama, not too good or too bad, it isn't for those who get easily bored, there wasn't anything special about this drama, just an average couple & their struggles with a bunch of crisis here & there.

There were misunderstandings as usual between the leads but they were solved easily, not too draggy.

No major villains, bad guys & cliche plots.

Overall it was good for time pass, just like a documentary.

Last few episodes of the drama were too boring & went downhill from romance to craftsmanship lawsuits & chinese values, I think if they just focused on the romantic part of the drama it would have been more than enough but they just made the last few episodes about something completely different.

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A lovely healing drama with bonus puppies

The meet-cute is the usual enemy-to-lover trope. The initial impressions of the leads are also quite stereotypical. Ambitious FL with a chip on her shoulder meets a cold, talented ML. We soon find out that they are actually decent people but both have damaged psyches. They might display a brave front, but their wounds run deep and they suffer in silence. There is a vulnerable individual behind the tough exterior.

The Show could have taken the easy road and rely on tropey plots and cliché characters but thankfully it didn’t. It does stray close to some timeworn scenarios at times, but it managed to use them to its advantage.

I appreciate that the story is more complex than at first glance. The writing is layered which makes the narrative more engaging and thought provoking. The characters also have more depth and they are relatable. With only 23 x 30 minutes episodes, the pacing is good and there is no lag.

I won’t give away the interesting plot twists. Let’s just say that it is a nice mix of romance, humour and angst. The found family theme runs deep and resurface again and again.

The chemistry of the leads is very good. The romance appears to grow organically, and not artificially sweetened. There are some skinship. It is not very passionate but it is good enough.

It is not all smooth sailing though and there are some misunderstandings and rash decisions. They are resolved relatively quickly and are not allowed to fester. The best part is that the two leads complemented each other so well and each provide the other half what they longed for. The other CP's are the usual pairing of secondary characters but at least you don't feel that they have been forced together for no reason.

Acting is solid. There are no big-name actors here. The ML is a new idol turn actor with this show being his first starrer. I have to say that he impressed me. It is a measured performance. His role is made a little easier by being stoic and reserved in the beginning but he does expand his range as the show progresses. The FL also did well and turned in a decent, anchoring performance. The support cast generally pull their weight and rounded out the ensemble nicely.

The Show also shares duty as a docudrama about aging traditional artisans and the accelerated decline of their arts in the age of fast fashions. It did get a bit jingoistic towards the end but at least it is self-aware enough not to push through a flag waving but illogical resolution. The ending is balanced and consistent with the overall narrative flow. The added bonus of a decent amount of fan service is appreciated. I also like the fact that neither of the leads have to give up their dream/ambition. There is a middle ground as long as both parties are willing to work hard at it. I admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the nuanced writing so kudos to the writer!

While it is not a high budget production, they did used their resources wisely. The rural locations are beautiful and full of character. The post production and cinematography combined to give us some memorable and poetic scenes. It certainly exceeded my expectations. The OST is pleasant and worked well with the ebb and flow of the scenes.

The Show is a surprisingly good healing journey and an ode to the aging master crafts people. Both the journey and the destination are enjoyable. Recommended.

P.S. The puppies are so cute, but someone should have told them they don’t stay puppies forever. But hey, who wants to be a killjoy. ;)

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generic Romance worth watching

keeping it short

it isn't a mind-blowing show, the actors did a right job, the story was probably one of the most generic romance stories ever with all the drama that comes with it. the visuals were beautiful, i like the setting the show plays in and the looks of the main characters like- damn so pretty??

story is pretty fast paced, ending episodes kinda meh. they did not break up their relationship just for the sake of it and misunderstandings got cleared up pretty quick.

its a great watch if ur down for something cute lighthearted, nothing u have to pay close attention and u want them pretty visuals.

7.5 for me is average show, this show prob deserves a 8 but i gave it a 8.5 just for the visuals alone

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Beautiful, healing drama with a lovely ending

This was truly a gem. I wasn't so sure about the OTP after the first episode, but the setting was so gorgeous, I almost didn't care. But I was hooked by the second episode.

The two main characters both had such heartbreaking insecurities and backstories, you couldn't help but root for their happiness and love. They had wonderful chemistry and a healthy, supportive relationship, despite a rocky start. I loved their willingness to make sacrifices for each other -- and their UNwillingness to let the other person make those sacrifices too. I also loved the way they understood each other's deepest insecurities and how protective they were toward each other, even if it wasn't always the best decision.

The side characters also grew on me. Without giving away too much, this drama turned a couple of classic tropes on its head, with certain storylines unfolding in unexpected ways.

During family trips to China when I was young, I remember hearing about the many large, historic buildings that were built without a single nail; I loved how this story was also an ode to traditional craftsmenship and the artisans who protect these endangered skills. (And for anyone curious, this drama was filmed in Wuyi County in Zhejiang, at the Jingyuan Ancient Houses Museum.)

As I mentioned in the comments, I would watch this drama for the scenery and mood alone -- give me a cozy blanket, mini stove heater, a pot of hot tea, rocking chair, a book (or a tablet to watch dramas 🤣), put me in one of these courtyards, and I would be content for daaaaaayyyyys.

It's more of a slow-burn/slice of life story, but I personally found the romance swoony and the backdrop of art and ancient homes absolutely fascinating. The friendships were also wonderful, and I loved the ending. Of course there are flaws and minor quibbles, but overall, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a quiet and lovely drama.

(Oh, there are also very adorable puppies and kittens throughout -- these magical puppies never seem to grow up despite years passing, lol!)

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Simply Romantic

I really had no expectations as I started this drama. I read the overall review and thought, "why not." But I was surprised to find that this is really a hidden gem of a good, simple romantic story with a wonderful undertone of the craftsmanship that Ji Chen wanted to keep viable.

Si Qing and Jing Chen are by far polar opposite but as they say opposites do attract. Who would have imagined on a winter solstice night Si Qing would propose marriage to Jing Chen. That is how this romance started. I was blown away myself by her direct and "in your face" proposal. At first, Jing Chen is stunned but after he knew she had something of value that would make his grandfather happy, he agreed.

Like all romances love for these two came slowly but gracefully. It was Ji Chen who faced abandonment issues while Si Qing was seeking a "family" to call her own. This is what drew them to each other because each had what the other was seeking in their lives and was the catalyst that bound them together.

Ji Chen who was silent and held his emotions in, but knowing that his grandfather was going to pass, and Si Qing had what he needed he raced to her office only to knock over and see the winter solstice art that he created, and she had bought six years ago. This realization, and knowing who she was, gave him an added edge in wanting this marriage. As he got to know Si Qing,
he realized so much about how she had such a good heart, kind, generous but also how she was treated by her parents and co-workers, this further added to him falling in love with her, accepting her as his family and being her "one and only" who would protect and shield her from anything that would harm her.

Si Qing had parents that were never around, and work was her go too. Her father had remarried and had another family so when holidays or her birthday came, they were brushed aside. Basically, she was always alone, working late and working hard enough to have the money to buy that apartment that she always dreamed about was her goal. But when she met Ji Chen, and really seeing him with the gold dust when she inadvertently opens the window, everything stopped. He was the man that had moved her heart and wanted as her family.

They did go through several ups and downs but in the end love prevailed. The SFL who you would think would be dramatic was at first but when she realized that Ji Chen was willing to sacrifice and go back to a job that he never wanted to go too...she knew he loved her, and it was time for her to let her dream of being with him go. Si Qing and the SFL both met each other before she knew that she was married to Ji Chen so a bonding with Si Qing had started, so their friendship remained even after she gave up on Ji Chen.

Ji Chen who had an older brother with the same name put to rights all the misunderstandings that they had growing up. He admitted that he did bully him growing up because he didn't want his grandfather to replace him, and he felt that Ji Chen was his replacement. But doing an intervention was what finally help Ji Chen face his demons of his childhood and abandonment issues.

The director did beautifully intertwine the story of those who have a skillset and craftmanship that in this day and age is being forgotten. It was nice to see how they touch upon and let myself as a novice see those who do basket weaving, lanterns, umbrellas, craving wood, etc. It was such an eye opener to see that generations upon generations have handed down these skills but with modern day machinery the elegance of love that is put into each piece is lost. It makes me hope that younger people would want to carry and learn these crafts so we will get to enjoy them years from now.

The scenery was just breathtaking. The field of flowers, the fireworks, the temple of all those craftsmen, it was just a scenic tour which I felt that I was really in and enjoying. But you really will fall in love with the puppies. They are just too cute when you see them following Ji Chen around. I just wanted to keep one.

I can only say that I hope you would take the time to enjoy this drama. It is one that you can sit back enjoy and feel like you are going on vacation and seeing two individuals that you would not think they would ever find love, but they do, in such an unconventional way.

The fireworks for me not only were in the sky but bursting from my heart....

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Quiet waters run deep

What a satisfying watch. The scenery and settings are beautiful and if you are in the mood for something that gently takes you along but yet has some gut punching moments then you can’t go wrong with this shorter drama. The leads do a believable job of each character’s personality and the past events that shapes their present.
I love the FL because her struggles and what makes her who she is is never forgotten in the writing. She doesn’t suddenly get a personality change as the story enfolds. Everything is there from the start.
The plot especially the setbacks may not be groundbreaking but the story is credible.
Definitely one I would happily rewatch for the scenery, beautiful ending OST and the two leads.

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A very light-hearted drama

Wow, where do I even start? I wasn't going to watch this since there is a big age gap between the leads. However, I was so so wrong. They don't seem to have the 7 years age gap when they interact together. This drama is not dramatic, and it was actually kind of slow. But I really like it though. I like how this drama has a setting in a countryside place instead of modern city like in other dramas. The lead couple's love grows naturally. There were misunderstandings but they got resolved very quickly. Another plus point about this drama is the OST. The lyrics just fit the drama so so well. I love those scenes where 6 people gather together and eat. It is just so heartwarming. I would definitely recommend this for others to watch. This drama is lighthearted so please don't expect something too dramatic.

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I cannot recommend this drama!

What a weird drama, oh my god I don't even know where to start..

Alright about the premise, the whole way the relationship/marriage started is completely insane. I kept watching, because Perfect and Casual had a similarly insane first 2-3 episodes & after that it turned out to be one of the better cdramas I've seen.
In all honesty around e7-8 I started thinking this show will be like that too, before the secondary love interest shows up most of the episodes were a work of art. There were several episodes in a row where there was no plot, but only very chill, cozy and a bit moody romance & I felt I could keep watching content like this for a hundred more episodes.

I think our leads look great together, in an attractively misfitting way. They had slowly developing, but good chemistry & if I focused exclusively on their romance, then that was quite good up until the finale. They had their ups and downs, but there were no serious problems or misunderstandings that took too long to resolve.

This is a visually stunning show, it's really high up there in terms photography & the sets, sceneries are just amazingly beautiful..

To me this drama feels a bit like they hired the best possible actors, the best possible cinematographer, procured some great background music inserts and gotten an amazing director too. Unfortunately as it often happens the writer did not work out. I already talked about the premise, but I'm almost at a loss of words about the things that go down in the second half of the drama. There is big twist too & that is indescribably absurd & once that is resolved ridiculous business problems crop up & suddenly the money required to solve problems shoots to the stratosphere, they start throwing around numbers that make no sense..
There is some propaganda related messaging as well in the final episodes, though I'm not sure how much of it is intentional.
Unlikely coincidences sure happen a lot in dramas, but good gawd in this one the unlikely chance meeting trope sure is overused & that's an understatement.

One thing that is not writer's fault is the puppies on the show. What the characters describe as "stray dogs and cats from a nearby village" are specimen of incredible pedigree. To me that was extremely immersion breaking, similarly to when in other dramas they adopt and raise randomly found imported hedgehogs that look like $2000. Though in this show it's worse, because the meaning & messaging associated with strays is very significant & then showing dogs that are worth more money than my car is just absurd.

Just to reiterate, the plot twist shocked me more than anything else I can remember in cdramaland, the egregiousness of it, not because it was so impactful.. I'm even suspecting that a large chunk of the drama failed censorship, so they quickly filmed that birthday scene & moved on from all family conflicts with a single stroke.. (the 23 episode length does support this theory) I'd be happy to read your opinions about that under this review :P

5.5 may seem like an unnecessarily low rating, but I don't have it in me to go any higher!

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hm................ do not recommend

This isn't gonna be a super detailed, well-written review but wtv <3

I actually really enjoyed the first part of this drama! They got together pretty quickly (like within an hour of meeting each other LMAO and then obv got married).

I don't love a slow burn (I'm addicted to the dopamine I get from super fluffy dramas lol) so I was pretty happy that their relationship/feelings developed pretty quickly (wouldn't say it was super rushed tho).

The first part of the drama doesn't really have a lot happening other than showing their developing relationship (and PUPPIES!!) and it was superrrr cute with some good chemistry between the leads. Sooo I was expecting this to be a nice, relaxing, healing drama but NO! no.... T_T it was not a healing drama at all.

A bit over halfway thru, the most confusing, out of left field plot twist happens and it was all down hill from there... it didn't even make sense!! I'm trying my hardest to describe it without spoiling but I might have to a little (so stop reading if u don't want minor spoilers)

But basically, two of the main antagonists have a complete personality switch out of NOWHERE ("we were treating you terribly and making your life hell because we actually love you sm <3 and we want the best for you :D") be so fr...

And THEN one of the things that gives me the biggest ick in dramas happened.... the leads forgave them immediately and pretended nothing happened (the horror!!) and then they all became BFFL' s... The End...

Despite that, I kept watching, hoping that the fluff that dramas usually have in the last few episodes would redeem the show for me at least a little bit.. but NO u_u ... they decide to introduce an entirely new conflict/angst plot in like the third to last episode and they rushed through it sooo bad (it was so confusing and unnecessary?? I have no clue what was even happening. I checked out fr lol). But still... I had a sliver of hope for a cute ending with maybe a real wedding ceremony and them living happily ever after.. but it was soooo unsatisfying that it put me in a bad mood the rest of the night LMAO.

I really don't recommend this drama lol. If you reeeally wanna watch it, I can only recommend the first half.

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Not a Typical CEO / Cinderella Love Story

The drama title was at first intriguing me, now I get it why, the " fireworks" means" sparks" not literally. Main Couple started on fast marriage proposal before falling in love, no chemistry in the beginning. As the story progresses, it all changed, misunderstanding, jealousy, assumptions and listening to other's opinions that I truly dislike. Just finished watching.
Loved this modern drama with a cultural and moral values. Showcasing craftmanship, local art talents, embracing and learning from them, and respect for the elderly and most vulnerable ones, realizing that no one really protects the disadvantaged laborers. I am very pleased with the ending - It's a 10 for me. I wish I can see more positive story plot dramas like this. No annoying SML and SFL characters. The most thing I liked was the reversal of role where the female lead is portrayed as strong support to her man not just a wife but an equal partner. I respect both of them and their love for each other.

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Menikah dulu, pacaran belakangan

Drama ini cukup berbeda dengan drama 'tiba-tiba menikah' lainnya. Pemilihan lokasi drama dan sinematografinya sangat bagus. Pemilihan outfit serta penggunaan properti di taman Jing juga cocok, sehingga menambah kesan healing.

Kemudian, saya suka akting FL dan ML. ML mampu menampilkan perasaan emosi dengan baik, dan saya juga suka perkembangan karakter dari FL. Interaksi mereka lucu dan menyenangkan untuk dilihat. Saya merasa tidak ada masalah dengan penggambaran karakter FL dan ML di dalam cerita.

Di awal hingga pertengahan episode, saya menikmati konflik di antara FL, ML, dan mantan ML. Mantan ML memang nampak menyebalkan, namun perkataan yang diucapkannya terdengar realistis dan menarik perhatian saya. Kemudian, saat cerita beralih ke konflik di mana kakak ML dan direktur Xiao muncul untuk mengganggu FL-ML, saya merasa ini terlalu dipaksakan terjadi. Direktur Xiao hanya disajikan sebagai antagonis yang dimanfaatkan oleh kakak ML. Setelah tidak diperlukan lagi, direktur Xiao langsung menghilang. Selain itu, saya pikir perubahan hubungan antara ML dan kakak ML justru terlihat canggung, karena cerita saat mereka masih kecil terlalu kuat.

Di beberapa episode terakhir, love line pemeran pendukung terkesan dipaksakan untuk ikut dimuat dalam cerita. Love line ini terlihat seperti ingin membuat pemeran pendukung juga mendapatkan pasangan masing-masing, agar tidak kesepian dan iri melihat pasangan utama. Menurut saya, mungkin lebih baik jika pemeran pendukung tidak diberikan love line sama sekali, atau berikan beberapa episode tambahan untuk menampilkan sedikit proses pendekatan sebelum resmi berpacaran.

Terakhir, penjelasan semua konflik di drama ini terlalu lama, namun penyelesaiannya terlalu singkat dan terkesan ingin cepat berpindah ke konflik lain.

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Really wanted to like this drama :(

Most of the other reviews are very good. Sorry to be the rotten apple, but this didn’t make the cut for me. I truly wanted to like this drama. It had a lot of promise in the first half, then it just got annoying and boring.

The chemistry of both leads were quite evident from the beginning. And I liked their visuals and characters. FL is a successful corporate working in the bank, he is the strong silent artistic type who prefers to work with wood carvings and Chinese relics and antiques. The story unfolds with them meeting by chance (but we later find out that he met her 6 yrs ago) and five days later they are getting married! Lol… nothing new with Chinese dramas I guess. Their romance was progressing pretty nicely and even though the love rival came back (his first love) they managed to sort it out, although I was quite annoyed during those episodes with their lack of communication and wondering how the FL can be friends with the love rival and still hang out w her?? Also, the kissing scenes were terrible! ;) Just closed lips pressed together, haha! Oh, and after two years, the puppies are still the same puppies?? Akakaka!!

But yeah, then the long lost older brother returns and there’s another weird vibe to it. Is he a good guy or bad guy… I was so confused. It was just too strange. After that I started fast forwarding wayyy too much and didn’t really relate to the storyline anymore. Just didn’t hold my interest.

I did like the setting, the Jing Garden and the cinematography. It was quaint and beautiful. To watch or not to watch? Depends on your taste I guess..

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