Follow Your Heart (2024)

I Followed my Heart, Watched it and Enjoyed it

Not a masterpiece, but this drama had a good amount of love, comedy and sensibility to keep me watching til the end. The story follows Jiang Xingbai (Leo Lou) and Yan Nanxing (Song Yi) as they battle the evil forces behind the Zornia case while coming to an understanding of each other's secret.
Leo Lou's amazing act of portraying Jiang Xingbai is flawless. If I had to pick favorite characters in this show, Jiang Xingbai would be the only one. Not that the other characters are bad, but Xingbai is more memorable to me than the rest probably because both the writer and actor brings him to life. I appreciate that the writers point out Xingbai's thoughts in the first few episodes for the audience to understand how he determines people's identity not by their faces, but their posture, smell, hands, voice, ect. Takes less explaining as the story progresses and it makes sense. In comparison, Song Yi also did a wonderful job portraying the bright and bubbly Yan Nanxing. I have to say my biggest laugh of Nanxing's doppelgangers scene was the guy who appeared on their wedding night. Still can't stop giggling when I think about that scene XD. All the secondary characters overall were great. Enough for me to enjoy watching them interact with each other and understand their arcs but not take away from our leads.
If you're looking for a good drama to watch and not think too hard, this is the one to just sit and enjoy. You can probably miss a few snippets here and there and the story will still go on and make sense. I didn't feel time wasted after finishing it, but at the same time wished it was something different. Will I rewatch it again? Only if I'm a die hard Leo Lou fan who plans to rewatch all his drama, then this will on the list.

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Sweet romance but draggy plot

This drama is about the main leads who are both after an illegal poisonous drug. The male lead is the investigator of the drug, suffering from face blindness while the female lead is a travelling doctor (but more like beauty shop owner) that has the uncontrollable ability to shape-shitft.

I pretty much started this drama for the cast, especially my favourite guys Luo Yunxi and Ryan Cheng. The best part of this drama is the cute romance between the three couples. In fact, the romance is what kept me going to finish this drama. The worst part is the boring and extremely draggy plot.

POSITIVE:
- Sweet romance between the 3 couples. I was very much invested emotionally, especially the two side couples. The main couple is ok, still sweet. Everyone did “follow their hearts” just like the title alludes to.
- Platonic friendships between men and women. The second male and female leads are friends, the third male and female leads are also friends. But in terms of couples, the second leads get with the third leads. I truly loved seeing this dynamic play out as it's very rare in cdramas.
- Light-hearted with some funny moments (although sometimes the comedy can turn cringy).
- Cool fight scenes (not a lot but what you get is nice. Although in the later episodes due to LYX leg injury his fights are not as good. But Ryan Cheng slayed all the way).
- Awesome finale episode. One of the sweetest and happiest I’ve ever seen.

NEGATIVE:
- One overstretched plot line for 40 episodes. Apparently the drama was written as 24 episodes but then got re-written and extended for 40 (greedy producers). I can totally see that because there are many filler episodes and I had to skip tons (I’m talking whole episodes). In general the plot was a snooze fest and if it was only 24 episodes it would have been 10x better.
- Mix of good and bad. Some episodes were super fun and engaging, others super boring and draggy.
- Annoying mother. In general I hate cdrama nagging mothers. This one was no exception.

OVERALL:
This felt like a light-hearted mindless watch. It's an ok drama to pass the time but nothing more. I feel like the cast’s talents got wasted here.

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É um drama intermediário para passar o tempo. Cuidado, contém spoiler

Não nego que os episódios inicias, apresentação dos personagens, sejam engraçados e divertidos, porém o enredo não se sustenta. A história de pano de fundo é a busca por uma quadrilha de tráfico de drogas, vamos assim dizer, no entanto, essa trama se desenvolve lentamente no plano da frente temos o romance baseado na história de que ele se conheceram na infância, mas não se lembraram claramente um do outro devido a um quase sequestro que resultou em acidentes e isso deveria ser empolgante, pois o título é “Siga seu coração” já que ele teve como sequela a cegueira facial e ela a mutação a cada ciclo menstrual, mas não é. O enredo fica dando voltas e voltas e há pouco desenvolvimento. Outros persongens são apresentados e não acrescentam muito. Casamentos vão e vem e continua arrastado.
Não é um grande drama, mas nem os bons atores salvam de ser bem chatinho.

Desejo que ambos os atores peguem ótimos papéis em outros dramas melhores desenvolvidos, pois ambos são muito bons!

Para quem gosta só de romance acho que é um drama intermediário para passar o tempo, sem empolgação, mas para quem está esperando o famoso Lost You Forever, melhor acompanhar The Princess Royal que está muito mais interessante.

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Nicely balanced romcom, engaging story and characters

This has been a fun and refreshing ride. I'd like to congratulate the efforts of the actors and actresses for their respective roles.
I started this without knowing much of how the story and characters will be. I got hooked when it felt similar to The Beauty Inside and eventually with the added investigation, special conditions of other characters, the pairing (well suited couples), the mystery behind the mastermind of the whole zornia case and the comedy which balances everything in the story
I like that it's not all romance and comedy, but has some lessons in life to keep in mind.
I like the two sets of trios here and their relationships but I'm sad they killed Gen Nan and Yao.
This is a first for me to wait eagerly not only to the main couple's happy ending but also to the second and third couples' happy endings.
It didn't really go for the wicked mother-in-law plot, the mother-in-law daughter-in-law conflict, or the evil plot by main lead's family to ruin the relationship of the main leads.
We also got an amusing main lead family.
Xin Bai's mom is one of my favorites. She stole the limelight of some episodes when she showed her being a worried and caring mom and not only someone with a high status trying to protect her children's futures. My favorites are her reactions, her acting was on point, whether the serious conversations, semi-serious situations or the hilarious scenes are unforgettable
I like the Jiang family, SL's dad, and the grandpa; they're funny and entertaining (the umbrella scene and when XB's mom thought his son was gay and the rest had no idea what's happening 😂)
The suspense on the real villain kept me going and I enjoyed the engagements here on discovering who he is, even doubting and questioning of some of the characters.
I have to say that Ruo Qian is a very interesting supporting character, well played GZC
I have my complaints about some parts of the story, character change and some character endings and have a lot more to say about this but it's more fun to discover them going through the story. It's a happy ending and you will find fascinating characters and even couples you didn't expect to cheer and look forward to

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Cute Fluff and Luo Yunxi

Rated= 6 ~ 26/50 ~ 5.2
Scene // Losing track of a Fairy in a Crumbling Castle. Battle Axe might be breaking.

This show started off great but I have to admit, about half way through, I kind of just wanted it to just get to the point. Once we got to the first 'downfall' of the bad guy hierarchy, I felt like there was just too much filler, esp that whole nonsense with the price wars. I actually got really annoyed at those episodes that I hurt my finger pressing the skip button so hard.
What a way to ruin a good show. I lost a lot of interest after that.

The whole show centres around this illegal plant called Zoria and somebody/group in the background using it for some unknown purpose. In the midst of this we our ML, a chief constable trying to wipe out it's purchase and avenge the injustice and murder of his father, and our FL, a travelling doctor with almost magical healing abilities and shapeshifts during menstruation.
Unbeknownst to each other they have met before in their childhood when their fates collided.

Overall, it's not a bad show. It's fairly light hearted in general and for me personally, just got super annoying at times with what I felt was meant to be humorous but unfortunately didn't land on me very well. It what you would expect from these types of shows, running with that magical, kind of don't believe you procedures like reconstructing a nose and fixing someone's eyes but I suppose if you have a FL who shapeshifts, I guess you have no choice but to go with it lol

The bad guys were the bad guys. Nothing really I can say about them. The usual striving for power and women should be kept in the kitchen kind of clownery and the collateral damage didn't hit me too hard. Oh, and the random 'bad guy' at the end who wants the FL because she fixed his eye and was nice to his people......OK....
There are 3 couples in this show and they all get a happy ending which I was happy about. Because of the moments I was getting frustrated with, I was expecting someone important to die so I'm grateful they didnt add fuel to the fire by offing one of them at the last minute, which I was completely expecting.

I wasn't feeling the chemistry between the leads unfortunately which was kind of a let down when it's a romance plot. I do enjoy watching LYX though and he did his usual graceful and soft spoken performance. At least this time he wasn't being horribly abused and left to die at the end. A special mention would be ep.3 when the ML is drunk. LYX makes a really cute drunk grandpa.

Overall, I did enjoy it mainly for LYX who is a favourite, but I don't think I'll be watching it again.

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Great Chemistry and Interesting Romances but could be Shorter and Tighter

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

For some reason, a non-suffering Luo Yun Xi is not attracting a big crowd to watch “Follow Your Heart”. Don’t you want to see him not spit blood and be happy for once? LOL.

For the most part, “Follow Your Heart” is a really enjoyable drama. It is just a tad too long (like many C-dramas) and then plot holes start to happen when you’re unable to keep up with the writing. The first ⅔ of the drama is great, especially the dynamics between the two main leads before they are officially together. The side couples are sweet and there really aren't any annoying characters.


What I Like:

Jiang Xin Bai (ML) and Yan Nan Xing (FL)
Luo Yun Xi and Song Yi did an excellent job in portraying the two main characters. They are experienced not only in acting, but also in delivering lines without the use of voice actors. I really appreciate that very much. Jiang Xin Bai and Yan Nan Xing are both intelligent characters with fun banter and dynamics. The chemistry is great and I enjoy how they slowly develop from strangers to comrades to lovers. The romance develops slowly and naturally. They trust each other and have honest communication.

Ryan Cheng
It’s nice to see Ryan in a role where he’s not just cold after all his mini dramas and “My Journey to You”. In fact, he’s hot-headed and impulsive yet a little dumb and adorable when in love. It’s a different side of Ryan Cheng that I haven’t seen. Acting alongside Luo Yun Xi and other veterans, he holds his own.

Platonic Friendships
I love the found family trio of Yan Nan Xing, Tong Sai Er and Liu Ruo Qian. They are just three very different individuals who happen to all settle into Yan Nan Xing’s shop. They support and care for each other. It’s lovely to not see any romance developed, and yet they help each other out in the romance department. This trio brings a lot of joy to the story. On the other hand, I am also very glad to see another platonic friendship between Shang Bie Li and JIang Suo Luo. I guess they are united because of their hatred/animosity towards Jiang Xin Bai. But this pair is mature and supportive, and really look out for each other’s best interests in a non-judgmental way.

Supporting Romance
Oftentimes, the secondary and tertiary romances are not as fun as the main romance. But in this drama, I really enjoy all three pairs. Each pair has a unique story and I root for all of them to live happily ever after. It also helps that we don’t have an evil, jealous secondary female lead who won’t take no for an answer. In a way, this is refreshing and nice.

Production Quality
I think aside from two supporting characters, all actors use their own voices. There’s a mix of live recording and studio recording (and dubbed over). I am a big fan of actors using their own voice, even if some are doing it better than others. “Follow Your Heart” also has good and high quality-looking costumes and hairstyles, sets and accessories. Even though the everyday costumes are simple, they look nicely made and not cheap. There are quite a few weddings in this drama, and I admire all the wedding gowns and beautiful headdresses and fans. The OST was not overplayed with songs that suit the moods of the scenes. There are a few very well-choreographed fight scenes. I actually wish I could see more of them throughout the drama.



What I don’t like or have mixed feelings:

Length/Plot holes/Writing
My biggest criticism of the drama, as mentioned earlier, is the length of the drama. It takes forever for the real villain to be exposed (I did guess it might be that person). 30 episodes are probably enough to tell the whole story. There are a couple plot holes, especially in relation to FL’s secret. She kept that secret for so long, and all of a sudden towards the end, so many people knew about it. No one seems to take it to heart that it is a BIG secret and you might want to gossip with doors closed. ML’s secret, on the other hand, was exposed without much fanfare. How the drama deals with the revelation of both secrets was not written well and very anti-climatic. I was expecting more, especially when the writing was pretty good in the first half. The love triangle at the end started too late. It needed more depth but instead, it’s hard to believe the guy fell in love so quickly and deeply in such a short period of time, and made enormous sacrifices.

FL’s secret
The face change plot takes a backseat in the first quarter of the drama. The secret was introduced but it doesn’t really affect what’s happening that much. I wonder if this disappoints many viewers. Although I appreciate this secret is not exaggerated to be full-on comedy, the writing and the usage of the face change could have been better.

Gu Zi Cheng (as Liu Ruo Qian)
Li Ruo Qian is a very likable character. He’s good-looking, smart, kind, sweet and a crowd pleaser. He’s a total green flag! However, there’s something about Gu Zi Cheng’s acting that doesn’t seem very genuine. When he smiles, that smile doesn’t always reach his eyes. He’s a handsome actor, but his acting does not seem natural. He’s not bad, but compared to solid actors like Luo Yun Xi and Ryang Cheng, he’s not quite up to that standard.



Overall, I had a good time watching this drama. The writing could have been better and tighter, but the overall acting and chemistry of the cast are really good. The veteran actors add a lot of flavor to the story, especially the multifaceted queen (ML’s mother).



Completed: 8/15/2024 - Review #471

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Luo Yunxi carried, again

The costuming, set design, cinematography, fight choreography, and the leads’ acting gave an appearance of depth to this show that was not belied by the actuality of the script. The first 27 episodes of the show was a blend of detective mystery, slice of life comedy, and slow-burn romance. And it was all done pretty well. Like a cup of lychee iced tea in summer. Slow burn was properly yearnful and slow, comedy was pretty funny, mystery elements are pretty serviceable for the genre.

However, the script writer is not great at seamlessly blending all those elements together, sometimes the writers forget the overarching Zornia plot in favour of romance sit-com bits of the supporting cast, the show has Luo Yunxi as Jiang Xinbai to wrangle all of them into a tight braid through sheer skill and spite alone. The switch between cute rom-com and mystery is never jarring when he’s there. Luo has fifty never-before-seen microexpressions and an ocean of emotions in his eyes ready to go at any given moment. He made what could’ve been a sugary cordial of a show, no real substance just artificial flavour, into something with depth, something with stakes. He made this world feel real because Jiang Xinbai felt real. And because Jiang Xinbai was the lead, the reactions he gave to other actors’ cookie cutter performances made their characters felt real as well. When he isn’t there to stake down the tarp, the artificiality and the juvenility of the script is revealed in full (Episode 28-36). ((No seriously he appears for an average of 7 minutes in those episodes and the audience gets smacked in the face with a 2010s era Domineering Drug Dealer Bandit and his forceful romance with a white lotus female lead and it’s so old it makes me tired by proxy. The four episodes left Jiang Xinbai gets more screen time and the depth of back again.))

All in all, it’s fine. Perfectly fine. This is a show for people who want to get into c-dramas, people who like more of Luo Yunxi, people who need something mindless to wind down after a ten hour shift, and people who want some pretty screenshots for their Asian inspired moodboards. Could’ve been worse.

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A refreshing rom com costume drama that is soothing to watch !

FYH is a delightful Chinese romcom that captivates from start. Set against the backdrop of bustling Tang dynasty, the series weaves a charming tale of love, mystery, ambition & pursuit of dreams.

The storyline is refreshingly engaging, filled with heartfelt moments & witty humor that keep viewers eagerly anticipating each episode. The chemistry between the lead characters is palpable, adding a layer of authenticity to their evolving relationship.

Overall, FYH is a gem of a drama that delivers on all fronts - engaging plot, stellar performances, beautiful cinematography and soundtrack.

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Just for fun (and Luo Yun Xi :)

PLOT: The FL, traveling doctor & martial artist, meets the ML, son of a princess and head of the Imperial Inspection Corps, when he investigates the trafficking of "zornia" (=opium). Events bind them despite their initial distrust. But, the ML suffers from face-blindness and the FL changes bodies (bodyswap) every month, during her menstruation. Sharing these secrets, they will help each other (=> fall in love, etc.).

PROS:
+ A nice CL with Luo Yun Xi and Song Yi
+ A great cast with many excellent actors
+ The tone is light, making it very clear that credibility or realism should not be sought.
+ Very suitable, light and gentle OSTs.

CONS:
# slowness, lengths in the last third
# Nothing really unexpected despite the Fantasy plot, lots of clichés.
# One thing annoys me: the FL, a good fighter and with martial art skills at the beginning of the series, becomes weak, vulnerable, without strength, ... when she falls in love... Why ?? Why does this always happen ?

=> Good Fantasy / historical / Romance drama but won't be remembered.
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PLOT: La FL, médecin itinérant & martial artist, rencontre le ML, fils d'1 princesse et chef du Corps Impérial d'Inspection, lorsque celui-ci enquête sur le trafic de "zornia" (=opium). Les évènements les lient malgré leur méfiance initiale. Mais, le ML souffre de face-blindless et la FL change de corps chaque mois, durant ses menstruations. Partageant ces secrets, ils vont s'aider l'un l'autre (=> fall in love, etc.).

PROS:
+ Un joli CL avec Luo Yun Xi et Song Yi
+ Un great cast avec de nombreux excellents acteurs
+ Le ton est léger, indiquant très clairement qu'il ne faut pas rechercher la crédibilité ou le réalisme.
+ Des OST très adaptés, légers et doux.

CONS:
# des lenteurs, longueurs dans le dernier tiers
# Rien de vraiment inattendu malgré le plot Fantasy, beaucoup de clichés.
# Une chose m'agace : la FL, bonne combattante et avec des compétences en art martial au début de la série, devient faible, vulnérable, sans force, ... lorsqu'elle est en couple. Why ???

=> Bon drama Fantastique / historique / Romance mais qui ne restera pas dans les mémoires.

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Come for the romantic green flags, stay for the funny and talented ensemble cast

Follow Your Heart is an original screenplay (not an adaptation) that is an easy, light, and heart-warming Rom-mystery-com. It's a leisurely paced drama (imho, they could have tightened it up by about 4 eps) with strong acting, great fight choreography, good OSTs, and lovely chemistry between the leads. It's not perfect, but as someone who rarely re-watches dramas I could actually see myself wanting to rewatch much of this for the cute humor, the sweet romance of the main cp (ugh the way he looks at her even though he can't see her face! this is true love!), as well as the action, and great performances - the ensemble cast is very strong. From the many Yan Nanxing 'shapeshift' actors, to the support characters, and especially Jiang Xinbai's extra af mom who I thought was hilarious.
If you missed it when it was airing and you need a comfort watch, look no further.

-spoilers below-

First up: Happy Ending for all, except some side characters who sadly leave us but give our leads the opportunity to cry movingly. Even more joyous than the final wedding scene for me is the scene where Jiang Xinbai finally finds Yan Nanxing - even though she is self-conscious, looking like an old woman, afraid that she'll never turn back to her real appearance, he truly sees her and loves her as she is. This is the Real Thing folks.

Weak points/disappointments: the pace lags during the middle/last third, and the main lead's story disappears for a while. This definitely affects our appreciation of their chemistry, which is so strong at the beginning, but then we rarely see them together! LYX was injured on set so that's part of it, but I think the writing is more to blame.
Though there is one main "case" that is being solved throughout the whole drama, and one main cp, significant time is spent on the side-plots for the two other romances in the drama, of which at least one was not necessary. Characterization of some characters - particularly Jiang Suoluo (Sebrina Chen) never really worked for me. She was supposedly brilliant and competitive with her brother, but somehow couldn't even figure out how to break off her engagement to slimy social climber Yan BiQing (who did a great job of making me hate his stupid face.) I never got over how annoying I found her at the beginning even though she reconciled with her brother. The romance between her and Ruoqian felt forced and artificial for me - it would have been much more satisfying to see them crush on each other slow-burn style but then go off and become the great Chancellor and official that they wanted to be. Cdramas please stop making the end game early marriage and babies for EVERY character. JUST STOP.
I was also disappointed that they seemed to weaken Yan Nanxing in the middle - she is a traveling doctor who knows martial arts! She's a wily girlboss supreme! If they needed to make her a bit more helpless to further the plot they could've done it by putting insurmountable obstacles in her way instead of just somehow making her less competent. I still love her though. YNX is now one of my favorite FL characters, and I am so so so happy for Song Yi that she got to play her - she did a fabulous job.

The good stuff: Jiang Xinbai and Yan Nanxing are great characters, played by great actors, and their chemistry is great. Their relationship is a series of green flags, no contrived misunderstandings, just mutual admiration. The plot device of JXB being face-blind and her shapeshifting is adorable. He recognizes and loves her no matter what she looks like. This was especially funny on the 2nd wedding night - his was so angry he wasn't going to get his wedding night funtimes. And it was very touching at the end, when he recognized her even though she was old and gray (particularly touching to me, an old and gray watcher.) This is what love is like.
I did enjoy the Shang Beili and Tong Sai'er relationship as well - it's cute that he falls for her and her unconventional cooking then gets gege-zoned. Huang Riying did a nice job of playing a broadly humorous but innocent and naive character (which is tough to do, I often find these naive girls irritating, but I just thought she was cute and funny.) It was nice that they got Shang Beili to stop shouting so much after he fell in love - it softens even the loudest general I guess. It was also so satisfying to see the JXB/SBL relationship go from enemies to bros who had each other's backs.
I love love loved all the actors who played Yan Nanxing. Even Cheng Xiao who I have not been impressed with in the past did a great job of picking up YNX/Song Yi's mannerisms, and playing a woman stuck in someone else's body. Extra special shouout to Wang Chengsi, but all the dopplegangers were great.
Loved loved the appearances by Zhao Yuanyuan (Love is Sweet with LYX) and Wang Yifei (Ashes of Love & TTEOTM) give these beautiful and talented ladies some leading roles please!
Last but not least, the moms! THE MOMS. Finally we get a LYX drama with alive moms, and they are both tough, funny, and thoroughly entertaining. YNX's adopted mom was streetwise and funny (though i wish she hadn't randomly disappeared through some eps) and JXB's mom was a highlight for me. Weng Zhenrong did a great job being thoroughly entertaining - the Duchess was competent but capricious, intelligent and politically savvy but also loving and devoted to her kids. Her portrayal really encapsulated the kinda screwball-comedy tone I thought they were trying to go for, but alas, the entire drama didn't stick with that tone.

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