couldn't feel the passage of time :_(

I loved the KR film they based this on, so I wanted to give it a try. The MCs were very cute and fun to watch during their high school-univ days. The actors did a good job portraying these special moments of youth. It was the heavier parts of the film that I couldn't find too convincing. For some reason, I couldn't really feel that they were growing up and transitioning? I couldn't feel the slow fermentation of regret, compounded emotions and struggles in their relationship for all those 15 years. For me, this is a big part of why I felt connected to the original storyline. I thought maybe it was due to the fact that we only have limited time since it's a film.. but the KR version tackled this issue much more effectively. I felt sad when they fell apart, but I wasn't so invested in them that it felt gut-wrenchingly painful like I did for the KR vers.

Nevertheless, I liked watching this! I will always stand by the FL's decision to leave. "In order to save our love from the erosion of discontent, we must go separate ways" is an insane bar... who wrote this! Tears were shed!

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has its cute moments, but offers nothing new

I haven't watched the original film they based this on, but it seems to have a very simple plot. I feel like stories like these would have been more charming in the early 2000s, but all of it now is predictable. It didn't have anything particularly unexpected that set it apart from other romance films already put out. What could have made it better for me was if they showed more of the characters' nuances and thoughts.. and fleshed out their relationships. What made the ML truly care about the FL so much? What connection did they build from those surface level interactions? I like the actors in this film, but I couldn't really root for their characters because we're not given a chance to understand their intentions.. they didn't even know much about each other?

Visually, this film is so pretty! I wanted to take a screenshot of every scene.. it is all so pleasing to the eye.. god knows I WIIIISH the story was a bit better 😭

Final verdict: It is a cute little lighthearted film to watch on a slow day. It offers nothing much else though.

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Warm and endearing but loses its spark in the latter half

This has a simple plot - two dedicated professionals navigating how to build a life together despite the demands of their work. I found Mi Ka and Xing Ke Lei to be likeable characters and rooted for them. I enjoyed the first half of the drama the most! It had lots of tension and swoon-worthy scenes between the MCs leading up to their confession. Their dynamic was not as erratic nor intense as the second lead couple (and I agree that this type of quiet, slow burn is not for everyone), but I loved how they calmly communicated their feelings and tried to understand each other better after every bump. I can't recall a time where the leads shouted at each other or purposefully said something upsetting to retaliate when they weren't in the best terms. Their love was grounded with respect and the shared understanding that in order to be together, they had to compromise. I also really liked the scenes between Mika-Xia, Dr. Shao-Mika and Kelei-Keyao.. very natural!

Unfortunately, the latter half was no longer as charming. I felt like they came up with filler scenes and annoying characters to make up for the 40-episode length. They kept churning out problems that kept the leads apart only to reconcile them with the most underwhelming gestures. I no longer felt the yearning and warmth we had in the first 20-ish episodes.. I get that they're supposed to be in a comfortable, secure relationship already but at times it felt a bit too distant? like their exchanges felt more like they were friends compared to the earlier episodes? I'm not sure if the blame is on the delivery, direction or just the script itself.

Good cinematography! The action scenes were fun to watch. The music was not very memorable though :(

Final verdict: it can be very good in the first half, and you can keep it that way if you choose not to go past 20 episodes. I had fun watching this and I teared up over a few heartwarming dialogues between the MCs.. Bai Jingting and Ma Sichun are very talented actors. If you are fluent in hospital/police procedures, you have to suspend your disbelief a bit to believe some of the stuff.. but nothing too ridiculous. I don't see myself rewatching the whole thing again it's too long 😭, but I did grow fond of the MCs and think about their love from time to time. :_)

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