There Will Be Ample Time (2023)

underrated slice-of-life that feels "homey"

A well acted story about four female friends in their late 20s to mid 30s, who could not be more different in career, character and romantic storyline.

Although it does not necessarily bring anything new to the table of these types of dramas, it feels very "homey" thanks to the story taking place in Chengdu, where a heavy dialect is only one of many things that sets it apart from Beijing based dramas.

Three of the four women, as well as two of the guys, went to the same high school, where as the youngest among the friends is the daughter of their former teacher. Wu Yun and Dan Dan are also cousins. It might be a bit confusing at first to figure out the character relations and backstory but you'll figure it out in due time. The fact that they grew up together but their life turned out so differently was refreshingly realistic and relatable. Another plus is that the love interests are all nice guys that know to treat their lady right and it's all ML chase FL first.

It's a slice of life, with mother-daughter relationships, romance and a lot of sismance, therefore it's quite a chill watch with nothing too exciting happening - but I really liked that. If you are sensitive around death & grief, I might be careful tho since there are multiple character deaths at various stages of the drama (not the leads). This is also where I see ties to "Remembrance of things past". The Writing around ep17-26 reminds me a lot of the writing style in that drama.
Admittedly I put the drama on for background noise in the beginning and watched the first 15 episodes with only 50% attention but by episodes 17 I was locked in and could not stop binging it.

I rarely have a favorite episode when it comes to dramas but episode 25 (the camping one) is so good that I will surely re-watch it. Generally in a drama with multiple mains, when they finally are all in one frame including their love interests, the screenwriters can really shine - and oh they did here. Even if you don't wanna watch the full drama, you can just watch this episode and get the feeling of chilling by a fire pit and watching great actors play off each other with cute interactions.

In terms of the couples, I was the biggest fan of Zhang Pei & Xin Yiang. The actors are veterans and have that extra something in how they carry themselves and use their entire body to act. Xin Yiang is a great guy, he doesn't appear perfect but is very down to earth and naturally playful. Ren Su Xi is one of my favorite actresses and her playing Zhang Pei only solidified her placement on my favorites list. Zhang Pei is unintentionally relatable and funny in a way that you have to see in order to understand.
The character dynamic of this pairing is playful and they joke a lot with each other. Although all couples are slow burn in terms of actual romance, it doesn't feel forced.
I liked that each couple had a completely different story and way of getting together. I wasn't bored with any of them but if we're playing favorites, aside from Zhang Pei & Xin Yiang, I liked Jia Xi's coupling a lot too.
Only Dan Dan's story made me roll my eyes once we reached the last 10 episodes. Initially I thought having a single mother as one of the FLs would be interesting but she definitely got the short end of the stick in terms of character writing. Aside from her love interest, that is way too nice to her, she is quite unreasonable and has terrible ex-in-laws. Wu Yun's pairing is wholesome and I liked that they did not make jokes about her appearance, but rather everyone liked her the way she is. (just saying this because whenever we get the token not-super-skinny friend in a cdrama they usually make fun of them).

Aside from the romance, sismance really shines and they are always supportive of each other. I loved that they all had very different careers and non of them were particularly admired jobs(murder mystery parlor host, insurance broker, streamer, city maintenance office worker), nor were they super successful or rich. Maybe that made it feel more "homey" too? I'm a bit sick of the rich CEO stereotype. Everyone in this drama hustles for their coin but the career aspect is never overpowering (after the initial introduction of the drama) and sometimes they appear to have quite a bit of free time... a bit too much almost :D
The main conflict, if you can even call it that, happens between the women figuring out their life and love, while their parents (especially moms) have different ideas. I liked that there was growth even in the parents and they got to a point where they could apologize for their mistakes but they still have the "asian mom" worries like 'when are you getting married', 'you need to get a good job', etc.

!!! ENDING SPOILER !!!

In terms of what I did not like it's mostly just minor things but aside from Dan Dan's story line I'm quite happy with the entire drama. The final few minutes did really try to squeeze those tears out of me but I felt prepared so the only thing that bothered me was the break up of one couple. Similar to Remembrance of things past, the couple that got together the earliest didn't make it but not quite understandable in my opinion. They were great together with no real fights and I do think they'll meet again but I still want to point out what bothered me about their break up. After doing long-distance for a few months, they met again and danced together(she is in Theater), where at the end there is only a voice over of him asking "growing old together or short-term journey?" and you hear her voice saying "short term journey"... nothing more. That was odd and felt unreasonable as a break up, but judging by the last minute of the drama they'll probably meet again.


To end this review, I think it's quite underrated and deserves more love from people who like this kind of plot. In case you watched "Be Your Own Light", you'll probably also like this even if it has less career focus.

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They could find endless possibilities in life, even in their hometown.

The story is about Zhang Pei (Ren Suxi), Wu Yun (Li Xueqin), Dan Dan (Shi Che), and Dong Jiaxi (Wang Zixuan), four girls who grew up together, but were scattered all over the world as adults. However, a turnaround in their lives brought them back to Chengdu.

Facing the hometown they had been away from for years, they went through the process of not adapting to it and becoming familiar with it again. In the midst of frustration, they found a new direction for their careers and reaped the benefits of friendship, the comfort of loved ones, and the beauty of love. Eventually, they realized that they could find endless possibilities in life even in their hometown.

I've had high expectations about this drama prior to watching it because they said it's related to RITP series and after finishing it; I can tell it really gave me a similar feeling to when watching RITP: the way it hits close to home and how real the characters are. It feels like a documentary at some point because the dialogue feels very real and their acting was quite natural.

Here's the thing: living in the big city is a dream for many, but are you prepared to return to the city where you grew up after all that? What used to be home can feel so foreign after being away, but like the synopsis said: "they could find endless possibilities in life even in their hometown."

It made me think a lot about my relationship with my mom too. I feel this on a personal level because when you're away, you miss home, but when you're really back, you want to go away. Through all four female leads you can see a glimpse of yourself.

On the surface it seems like this drama has no conflicts, but must a life be filled with dramatic ups and downs? Isn't the 'little problems' we encounter on a daily basis is a conflict on our own and the way we solve them is also a resolution that we managed to come up?

It's a drama that lets you follow the stories of the four girls who are now back in Chengdu, trying to navigate life in this place again after being away for so long and how they try to find the beauty in it despite all the stuffs that came their way

Would I recommend it to people? Yes if you're a fan of slice-of-life and don't mind a story that progresses 'slowly.' If you've watched Remembrance of Things Past and liked the drama, then I think you'll love There Will Be Ample Time too.

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A must watch for Slice of Life fans out there

The plot follows our four female leads who, under different circumstances, find themselves returning to their hometown. Zhang Pei returns to establish her company’s branch in Chengdu; Dan Dan is trying to avoid her husband; and Wu Yun is assigned to work in the local community. Then there’s Jia Xi, who returned to take care of her sick mother. Each has their own set of problems to deal with that are all easy to follow and sympathize with. The story has all the classic elements of the genre that it's not too hard to predict where everything will fall.

So where exactly does the magic comes from? Two words. Star chemistry.

The chemistry between the cast was just wonderful. My enjoyment of this show came from how well-executed the dynamics between the characters were. From family to friends to romantic partners, each relationship has enough heart to pull me through. I cried because I felt the anxiety of seeing your parents grow old. I remembered the hurt of being misunderstood by them. Then the sadness of the thought of losing them. I laughed because I remembered how silly I was in my younger years. Then I cried again, because there’s a part of me that missed that. I was in a cycle of laughter and tears because of this show.

Then, let’s not forget the romance. Guys, THE ROMANCE!!! I could write an entire essay about the romance in this show. But for now, I can only offer a quick breakdown. Zhang Pei and Xie Yang is everything. My blueprint. My roman empire. Dan Dan and Qi Pu are for all the noona romance fanatics out there. Wu Yun and Liu Wen Shan? Pure souls. Watching two kind-hearted people fall in love will never fail to make me believe in true love. Then Jiaxi and Yin Le—these two got me smiling and blushing with their chemistry. And again, all the actors nailed the right chemistry for their own story.

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“ There’s no place like home”

I just stumbled this drama in YT , It’s fairly new and ongoing. I’m not fond in multi-main leads drama I’m more of a solo main leads drama viewer, but for some reason, when I started watching episode 1 , the drama gives me a good vibes and before I knew it , I already binge watching the first 5 episodes , I just have to endure the subtitle in YT which I know it’s not really 100% accurate but it’s understandable anyway.

One thing really captured me right away is how amazing and very cinematic , very eye captivating the scenery they showed particularly in this place or hometown where this 4 main leads characters originally came from. It makes me wants to go or visit that place. Also, even if it is early for me to say , but any 4 main leads characters in this story seems like really relatable of where you at in your life right now. I liked how they chose the respective actress who portrays each role , each of the character appeared cosmetically so natural ,and their appearance, their outfits it’s just believable in real life and not so looked -like so white or very bright face or with an OTT heavy make up and thick lipstick or need to have an actress with an hour glass body or a dressing a shabby clothes , it’s just right in the middle to me , perfect ,I liked so far all of the characters personality inner and outer.

So, this 4 friends was grew up together in this beautiful town ( I can’t remember the name of the place but this will be the setting of the story)but was working in different cities in their adulthood.
Something happened to each of their lives that brings them back together to their hometown, where they grew up.

First FL— Zhang Pei, she’s in an insurance business. Still single at her ripe age, successful in her career and she look stiff , strict , seems very capable independently woman , but seems like deep inside she’s lonely and vulnerable. She’s actually a big baby when she’s with her parents. I love her family, the caring mom and dad. If you grew up in a single parent household , it makes you dreamed and longed to have a family like hers. There’s a glimpsed of cute and handsome love interest of her later , so I’m excited to see and find out later. She attended blind dates but I feel what she felt ,those men are actually pretty bold and idiots to me, one blind date made me laugh , he said he wants his woman “ talk less and work less” , it’s funny ZP’s reaction and she answered “ but I’m an insurance agent and I need to work , so we are not suitable “ . lol?.


2nd FL— Gou Dan Dan, she’s a food vlogger, she dressed so fashionably , stylish ( I like all her outfits). She is in a 6 years relationship with her boyfriend. They lived together until one day , she surprised him to come home early and caught him cheating with his close friend a friend in that city where she lived before moving to her hometown.I like her character, fiesty and don’t put up any BS from the cheater and decided right away to dispatched him, cut all his communication to him and decided right away to move out from their place. Later she found out she got pregnant and this is where she decided to move back to her hometown for a good cause for her baby. I am excited to her story because there is a glimpsed of “ noona romance “ later n her life (noona romance is my favorite genre in drama).

3rd FL— Wu Yun, she is a civil servant, she seems like a timid and shy person but not when she’s with her grew up friends. She’s actually an upbeat and very talkative when she’s with them. Her character seems a very kind, so giving person. She might not have a body of hour glass woman , she looks tomboyish , but her genuine personality makes her a very attractive person( my opinion to her) . Actually I’m very excited to see her character development later. I like to know what will be her story later. I am sensing a " noona romance " story of her too.

Dong Jia Xi , the 4th FL, I think she’s the youngest of all the FL’s here. She works in the theater. She is a hard worker. I can’t wait for her to slam and quit her job in theater to be back in her hometown, those seniors and other people in the theater really take advantage of her too much that even if it’s not her job they really abused her
“ too obedient “ personality. She also have a cute love interest that I can sensed it later.

The first 5 episodes shows and introduced the viewers ( if my vibes not mistaken) the love interest of the 4 female lead characters. In fairness, they are all handsome and cute - minus the cheater, but even him he is not a bad looking either, but what a big cheater he is!

Even if it is early to say since it’s a very new drama , but this story has a magic of realizing one self about , no matter where you are in life , nor you are in beautiful abundant opportunities places you were and in now , there’s some point in your life that makes you appreciate the beauty of where you came from and the familiar smell, noise and the culture of the place where you originally came from is a very good realization that makes you utter “ I Wanna go home , please take me home .”

It’s a daily and 36 episodes drama , I can handle this lol , as long as it’s not too draggy. Will update this review later when I accomplish this series.

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