As Beautiful as You (2024)

One of my most fave modern romcom cdramas of all time

I want to start off by saying I wasn't going to watch this drama. I've never really watched anything with Xu Kai and although I know Seven Tan is a great actress, I was always convinced she had trouble nailing more intimate scenes. I was worried about the lack of chemistry. This drama proved me wrong in so many ways.

The chemistry between XK and ST is something I never knew I needed. The storyline allows the leads to exhibit so much healthy growth throughout the drama. Lately, I've been feeling like cdramas lose steam towards the middle-end of the drama but this drama only gets better with time. The leads have real issues that normal day to day couples deal with - miscommunication yes but also different love languages, how one gives love and how the partner expects to receive it. ML just wants to protect, but FL wants transparency.

I absolutely love the love between the leads as well. He has no problem touching, hugging or kissing her or even asking for kisses and I just think it's the sweetest thing ever. XK did so, so well in this role with his microexpressions and his execution in emotional scenes. He has definitely made a fan out of me. Seven of course was excellent AND she totally reciprocated in all intimate scenes which was honestly refreshing to watch. She also had no problem exemplifying a young entrepreneur with a big dream and working hard to make it to the top. We get to see her grow in her profession and in her personal life.

The supporting leads also did their best to bolster the storyline but never overshadowed the leads. XK and ST always got the most screen time which is what fans want in the end as LEADS. I can't say the same sometimes for these other dramas when second leads and ancillary storylines honestly just get in the way.

I'm going to miss waking up early for another episode of this. Kudos to the cast and the team!

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The most beautiful moments in life only come after hardships

I can't believe a drama I have waited so long for has actually aired. Luckily this one isn't disappointing at all! In fact I am enjoying it at lot. Let me explain:

I love both of the main leads and have watched them in several of their own projects before. I have yet to finish a modern drama with Xu Kai in it, but this one is a good one to add to his filmography. For Tan Song Yun this is also another drama she should be proud of. It's not excellent or anything, it is just a solid and well done job for everyone involved.

This drama succeeds in telling a story of a young woman trying to achieve her dreams. To me, I like how that is the main focus rather than the romance. Xu Kai isn't in it as much as I like because of this, but in the end I am fine with it because the story that is being told doesn't fit for him to be in every single scene.

Tan Song Yun is a beautiful woman who has RANGE. She has played a similar story in Master of My Own, but she is a splendid actress to show a different side with her character here as Ji Xing. Ji Xing is also a great example of a strong female lead. She doesn't have the plot change unrealistically for her to succeed, and is shown to have strength through her perseverance instead. I have watched a bit of other dramas with female leads in positions that she has, but everything is handed to them perfectly. They are almost too bratty in a way, and it makes them unlikeable because everything they worked for is handed to them. Ji Xing really has to work for it, and even if some of the scenarios she gets past easily, it is just a series of misfortunes for this woman. What is done so right is that the ML, Han Ting, is not her knight in shining armor.

What could be a diluted romance between the two instead has a very interesting dynamic. Han Ting is neither someone who is overbearing and overprotective when he shouldn't be, and he instead is Ji Xing's senior that gives her advice. It is tough love, and he isn't handing things to her just because he has a crush on her. Despite his interest in her, he helps her in the long run by teaching her lessons of the field they both work in. Han Ting is a privileged man and he knows it, but he is humble enough to invest in a small company, and has emphasized it isn't just because of his crush. The way that the business is run in this drama is the most realistic I've seen in a C-drama, as compared to other dramas that just run too smoothly. Like they don't have financial issues, they don't worry about hiring, things just don't go wrong. Again, it's not the most realistic ever, but the drama knows how to make Ji Xing's business a new company rather than a flip of a switch well run company.

Xu Kai leads well here. I really like the parts where he is able to lean into his puppy love attitude, and want to see more. Unfortunately his character here isn't the most charismatic for him. His best role by far is Wonderland of Love, but if I sit back and stop comparing to that he does a well job. This drama stays pretty safe and isn't offensive, but it is better than the average office romance story.

When the direction is done well with the lighting and cinematography it really does well. It doesn't happen a lot, so in the end this drama isn't spectacular. The romance definitely is a slow-burn.

I recommend to fans of either and think it's a good office romance that feels fresh. A mentor-student relationship between two individuals that were once peers. Han Ting knows that Ji Xing is a smart woman and has a lot of potential, so he isn't easy on her. Its focus is the female lead who has to work hard for what she has and gets the bad parts of life handed to her 9 times out of ten. The supporting stories are also interesting, with the best friend of the FL being the best one there. It is nice to have a story besides the main one be interesting in a modern drama. He Rui Xian is perfect for the best friend role and she is just as strong as a woman as Ji Xing, but is instead more direct and forward and leans into her femininity more.

The themes of womanhood are done well also. Representing how just being a woman makes them to be seen as objects is disturbing, but it is unfortunately very real. I think it's important to see both Li Li and Ji Xing know their worth and leave their jobs, and I think Li Li is a great asset to Ji Xing's team.

The negatives are the ex boyfriend whose round rimmed glasses really didn't suit him, and the 'friend' who likes him. I don't like how she is portrayed as a friend when she has liked Ji Xing's 4-year partner in life? That is not good for the womanhood, but besides her Ji Xing surrounds herself by the right people. The antagonists are good without being too evil also, as this time it is another woman trying to bring Ji Xing down, her former boss.

So this is a good drama with good styling and clean camera work that doesn't have flashy editing. Recommend but not too highly.

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Seven and XK: Best CP pairing in years who produced 1 of the most beautiful C Modern dramas EVER.

I dont even know where to start with this review. Brace yourselves, it is going to be a long one. First of all , I am big fan of Seven and XK individually as actors so them acting in this drama was kind of a dream come true as a fan. It is like seeing your faves finally collaborate on a project. When this project was announced, I was so excited and I knew that ABAY would be very good because they are both very good actors and great people but I have been honestly blown away on how their chemistry was so beautiful on and off screen; they exceeded my expectations by miles.
The GOOD: SO much
1stThe chemistry; Omg they just oozed chemistry every time they shared a scene together and it was so palpable. It didnt even have to be a romantic scene but you could sense their amazing chemistry.
We got so many scenes between the leads and so many romantic moments; this was such a pleasant surprise because I have seen many C modern dramas failing to deliver on that promise.
Han ting outfits looked amazing. The drama just screamed money lol; like watching it, I could tell that a lot of money had been spent on it. I love seeing a very good drama with great budget.
The business aspect of it. Color me shocked that for once I was actually interested in the business side of a modern C drama. I actually loved it and learned quite a bit. I actually looked forward to these scenes as well.
I also did not mind the secondary characters and actually loved their storylines; another 1st for me bc I have watched many modern C dramas where they either spoiled the story at 1 point or they didnt add anything to the story.
Seven's acting. She is already an outstanding actress but she excelled here . I love her acting so much; it is so natural. She is also very good in emotional scenes. The break up scene is 1 of her finest moments as an actress. 1 of the best break up scenes I have ever seen and I really need her to be awarded for that scene in particular.
Xu kai's acting. I have watched a few of his dramas and imo this is his best acting yet; one that shows his best acting potential since story of yanxi palace and Arsenal military. Ive recognized his acting prowess early on but I feel a few dramas he had been in previously didnt showcase that properly. I was so impressed with his acting in ABAY. It is like he was possessed by the spirit of Han Ting.
Cinematography, directing, even the script.
The not so Good:
I dont have anything bad to say about this drama. I loved it so much. I cant count the amount of times I have re-watched it already. I also cant remember the last time I have rewatched a drama this much, that's how much I love this drama.
If I can be nitpicky, Seven's styling was a bit of a hit and miss; She is my fave and she is so beautiful but I wished the styling team was a bit better....like I said some episodes the styling was so amazing and others it was just ok. I really loved the whole styling of her wedding day; honestly 1 of the best styling Ive seen in a C modern dramas.
Also I feel like the show spent a lot time showing how Han ting was affected by the break up (which XK portrayed so beautifully; I kept tearing up at these scenes lol; I really felt his pain) and didnt do that a lot with Ji xing although she was heartbroken as well. This kinds of influenced a lot of people imo to feel more sorry for him even though they were both at fault imo.

Please watch it and you wont be disappointed. Finding a good modern C drama is like finding a needle in a haystack imo. So many of them out there but not many good ones IMO. I dont know when we are going to get such a great pairing (with the best chemistry) and good drama in general. Dont get me wrong, this type of plot is kind of common in dramas but what makes ABAY special imo is Seven and XK chemistry and a good story.
I want them to collaborate again in the future but with Seven not repeating partners, who knows?
Anyways. if you want a good mature romance, lots of chemistry and so many scenes between the leads, a great secondary cast with great storylines that didnt deter from the drama, great cinematography, directing, beautiful ending....watch ABAY :).

Lire davantage

Loved the movie at the beginning but TSY breakup with that Gao han was pretty stupid not even lying I laughed at breakup scene cos it seemed to me dat if he supposedly loved her he would have stayed with her during start-up of the company
-Let's not even talk about how he somehow ended up with her" supposed friend" and everyone were just chill about it like too chill ? I was particularly annoyed at her friend cos it seemed to me she became friends with TSY because of Gao Han
Then we have her the abrupt surgery for no particular reason,like WTF?
-But acting was okay but TSY friend dat got together with her ex acting was a lil bit cringe
-Loved the music by the way"everything you wanted me to be"???
Pretty nice than best choice ever I guess couldn't even get pass an episode on that ?
Loved the extra episode, bittersweet ?

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I love the drama.

"As Beautiful As You" was one of my most anticipated dramas. I waited for about two years for its release, and now that it's finished, I must say it was worth the wait. I particularly liked the character of Xu Kai, who played Han Ting. Han Ting's love for Ji Xing was portrayed with such purity and sincerity that it often made me fall in love with the character all over again. Even after their breakup, he handled every situation flawlessly. Although he was heartbroken, he never let his personal feelings interfere with his business decisions. He managed his personal and professional life exceptionally well. This is the first drama of Xu Kai's in this genre that I've liked, as I usually prefer his historical dramas. In historical dramas, his portrayal of characters has a unique charm that I find missing in his modern-day roles.Regarding the drama, I would highly recommend watching it. Li Li made the right decision by choosing Su Zhi Zhou. I liked their pairing, but unfortunately, their story only really began in the final episodes. I feel their story deserved more screen time to develop.

Lire davantage

One of the best modern c dramas of 2024

I have finished watching ABAY and I loved this drama. Both lead actors in this drama had chemistry and it is one of the strongest acting performances by XuKai in a modern drama to date. I mean what is there not to like about HanTing and XuKai fits this role perfectly. The storyline for me was realistic than some of the other modern c dramas. The entire drama kept me watching every episode and I loved how the story kept building from the beginning. I haven’t read the novel so I can’t comment about how close it is to the book. This drama is one to watch on your 2024 list. XuKai was born to play HanTing or any type of CEO role IMO. Really enjoyed this drama.

Lire davantage

O início da história é bastante fraco e entediante. Não faz sentido mostrar a relação da protagonista feminina com o ex-namorado, já que eles iam terminar. Os primeiros 20 episódios poderiam ser removidos, o que melhoraria bastante a trama. O protagonista masculino quase não teve destaque nesse início. Quando comecei a assistir, senti que estava vendo o drama anterior de Xu Kai, “A Melhor Escolha de Todos os Tempos”, pois a história era praticamente a mesma.

Quando chega na metade do drama, os protagonistas começam a ter uma relação romântica que, ao meu ver, foi algo repentino. Não senti a relação dos dois evoluindo de forma cativante. Pareceu que uma noite de amor fez o casal rapidamente ficar junto. De repente, o amor intensificou, eles conheceram a família, brigaram e terminaram.

Nem preciso falar dos personagens secundários. Senti que eles estavam ali apenas para acrescentar mais elementos à história, o que a deixou um pouco cansativa. Eles serviram para tirar o foco dos protagonistas principais e esticar mais a trama, apesar da boa atuação.

Já na parte final, o protagonista masculino, que desde o começo era um “cachorrinho” pela personagem feminina, fica ainda mais obcecado por ela. O drama tem 40 episódios e houve cortes de tempo muito rápidos, sem um bom desenvolvimento. De repente, passam-se meses e nem percebemos direito. Com o passar dos meses, aparece outro cara que logo se apaixona por ela. Esse personagem só serviu para fazer ciúmes ao protagonista masculino, então, ao meu ver, nem precisava aparecer na história.

O elenco é ótimo, com boas atuações e cenários, mas a história foi pobre. Se não fosse pelos últimos episódios, com certeza seria uma história ruim. Mesmo com muitas cenas românticas, não senti a química entre os personagens principais. Apesar disso, o final foi agradável. Eu gosto muito quando o drama termina com os personagens tendo filhos. Se não fosse pelos últimos cinco episódios, para mim, o C-drama seria um verdadeiro lixo.

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Ji Xiang e Han Tian foram colegas de faculdade e HanTian sentia um amor platônico por ela, porém devido a alguns mal-entendidos e falta de comunicação perdem contato. Anos depois se reencontram e começam um relacionamento comercial quando Han Tian decide investir na promissora, mas recém-aberta empresa de Ji Xiang.

Inicialmente Ji Xiang tem um namorado de um relacionamento de quatro anos. Porém, os dois estavam em momentos diferentes, enquanto o namorado queria casamento e formar uma família, Ji Xiang estava focada em fazer sua empresa ter sucesso e os dois acabam terminado o relacionamento por essa incompatibilidade do momento pessoal que cada um estava vivendo.

Achei o término deles muito triste porque eles pareciam bem confortáveis um com o outro e havia um carinho genuíno. Não houve traição, mas um afastamento natural. O que me fez sentir bem triste por eles, apesar de achar que a Ji Xiang superou muito rápido o fim da relação, aliás, os dois superaram rápido, visto que o namorado logo em seguida assumiu namoro com uma das melhores amigas de Ji Xiang e esse fato me deixou revoltada. Não pelo fato do ex ter seguido em frente e arranjado uma namorada nova, mas por essa namorada ser uma amiga da Ji Xiang. E o pior é que essa amiga da onça estava ali o tempo "comendo pelas beiradas", soltando um veneno contra a Ji Xinag para desestabilizar o relacionamento (que já estava meio capenga), esperando o momento certo para dar o bote, mas com aquela cara de sonsa.

Quem precisa de inimigo como uma amiga dessa, não é mesmo? Mas o pior é que ela tinha vários outros inimigos na trama. Mas gostei de como a Ji Xiang foi lidando com a maioria deles. Uma personagem inteligente, com personalidade e que, apesar do Han Tian desempenhar o papel do CEO poderoso que resgata a mocinha dos apuros, Ji Xing também trabalha duro para alcançar suas conquistas. Não é uma donzela a ser resgatada, ao contrário, é uma parceira que soma. Como fica evidente nos episódios finais quando ela assume a frente para lidar com os problemas/sabotagens na empresa e também na mediação do conflito e disputa de poder da irmã do Han Tian e ele.

Com relação as tramas secundárias, especialmente das outras duas amigas da Ji Xiang, gostaria destacar que fiquei muito satisfeita com a construção da personagem Lili e como foi encerrada a história dela no drama. Ela era uma mulher de personalidade, bonita e que chamava a atenção dos homens. Teve dois pretendentes, o amigo do Han Tian e o sócio da Ji Xiang. Começou um namoro casual com o amigo do Han Tian e conforme o relacionamento evoluía para um namoro, o cara se mostrava cada vez mais reservado com relação a vida dele. Quando finalmente é revelado o motivo da recusa dele de formalizar o namoro, eu fiquei realmente revoltada e achei que o roteiro conduziria a Lili a aceitar aquele relacionamento que tornava ela quase uma "amante". Mas para a minha felicidade ela recusa esse lugar e no final acabei ficando feliz que ela e o sócio da Ji Xiang (que era apaixonado por ela desde o começo) ficassem juntos, mesmo que de inicio eu não torcesse muito por ele por achá-lo muito imaturo e irresponsável (até com relação aos negócios da empresa), o personagem teve uma evolução e amadureceu bastante ao longo do drama.

A história da outra amiga foi menos interessante, mas achei muito fofo o ator que fez o par dela. De inimigos a namorados, os dois também tiveram ali o seu final feliz e foi satisfatório.

O drama é bom, a história prende, a química dos protagonistas é ótima. Nunca vi Tang Song Yun (a Seven) tão a vontade com um ator nas cenas românticas como ela estava com o Xu Kai. Minha única ressalva é que na segunda metade do drama, mais para os episódios finais, tem alguns subenredos um tanto desnecessário, com muita embromação. Um "problema" de dramas muitos longos que acabam preenchendo alguns episódios com tramas desnecessárias para o contexto geral. Mas apesar disso é um drama bom. Recomendo.

Lire davantage

A good adaption of the novel!

As Beautiful as Beijing was my first Chinese novel I've ever read, and it took my expectations way higher. I had read the novel while waiting for the drama to air. The novel really has my heart, so I was doubting if this drama would be able to portray this well. And for me it did!
I knew Xu Kai would nail this role and he did really well. Ofcourse Han Ting's character here was not cold like the novel. He had emotions here and personally I liked the change.
I don't think any other actress could have nailed Ji Xing like Seven. There was no change in her character compared to the novel. They kept it the same.
The chemistry between them is insane ngl. To me they looked like a real life couple.
The writers tried to stay true to the novel. And one thing I didn't like about the drama was that there were too many side characters.
And the extra ep really made me cry like I did when I read the extra chapters of the novel. It couldn't have been more better to give an ending to the drama!

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ABAY - This series does capture you

I don’t watch based on reviews and barely write reviews, however I had to because I have seen some reviews with definitely wrong information as through they’re just writing it knocked down the ratings which is unfair.

I read the book and saw the series and here is my take:

Comparing to the book:

HT is more ruthless in the book than the series. They met differently in the book. ZD was his friend with benefits in the book and that’s why in the series you see her coming and going as she pleases. Those who didn’t read to book might missed that and questioned it. They did add on with SY and her best friend getting together to have more drama. How he went to Germany and met her again. However, I felt the stay pretty close to the book as they could. JX was naive about the business world but learned from her mistakes. HT and JX loved each other very much in the book even though through the betrayal and some of the mean things HT said to JX (in the book it’s far worst).

Acting : I thought XK did a great job portraying HT. The serious looks and the gentleness at time. I wished he would take more roles like this as he’s a great actor. Seven did an awesome job portraying JX as well. She was impressive with expressions of emotion and explosive. The acting all around was great. Humor, anger, sadness, etc, you will feel it with all the actors. So not sure why some reviews said acting was horrible.

Chemistry: XK and Seven had great chemistry. Even with the age gap between them, you can’t tell. Their eye expressions of love for each other and then the betrayal you feel it all. Kudos to XK and Seven on an outstanding performance.

Favorite Episodes were 35 - 41, especially 41. As they grow older, their love deepened and you can feel that even though the extra episode was only about 10 minutes. Get ready to cry on this one.

OST: I only really like 3 songs on it so it was okay.

Overall: I didn’t want to put too much spoilers as I feel you shouldn’t based what you watch on reviews. See it for yourself. For me, the was a great drama overall and I would rewatch it. If you like a modern drama of ruthless business world, this is it. It has it all, betrayal, ruthlessness, romance, etc.

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