[Mainland Chinese Drama 2018] The Evolution of Our Love 爱情进化论

[cheekychipmunk_stv]

I feel the China Version, Lu Fei is such a sad character. His parents are such a screw up. His father is hopeless n his mom is another controlling case. He has no one to talk to about his problems. His parents humiliates him in front of people everytime. No wonder he doesn't have many friends except Ruoman. He bottles a lot of  things up. He doesn't talk. He just work and try to live his life. His only pleasure is RuoMan. Even then Ruo Man these days saddens him a lot. I feel so sad for him when Ruo Man didn't call him after that car incident.  He was nervous and torn up. Then he decided to make everything easier for Ruoman by going to match making sessions just to detract RuoMan. 

 

The emotions he felt when RuoMan gave him a shoulder massage. I thought he was going to explode and grab RuoMan and kiss her senseless. Can feel his longings for her. Don't think he can hold out much longer. 

 

The statement he said to RuoMan - I'm happy or OK as long as I have you there. Ooo ... thé feel of it when he said that n his eyes on her. She is literally his world n universe.

 

His breakdown when Ruo Man lashes on him upon his return from match making session. That is so sad. And he had to swallow it all back up when he realised RuoMan is coming back into the house. 

[yitiantulong]

I realize this isn't the show of the year, but I think the Tianai and Ruoyun are really awesome actors and acting their hearts out here!

 

Tianai is just expressive and full of movement and life that when she's on the screen being funny, being angry, being bored, it's nearly enough just to watch her!  Ruoyun has a tougher job of emoting for an unemotional character but he does great and between the two of them you get a lot of exquisite angst.  

 

Agreed that the suppressed emotion from Lu Fei is killing everyone!

 

(I have to say though that his mother and sister and father are all incredibly annoying,I get it that they have to be awful for plot purposes but it's pretty ridiculous... even his sister who's the most normal of the lot is awful- she jumps to conclusions, accuses people without evidence and is just generally a pain.  The great 2ndary characters are Lu Fei and Ruoman's married, just-had-kid good friend- so reasonable and strong and fun! As well as Lu Fei's latest "love interest" the restaurant owner- she too seems pretty laid back and reasonable!)

 

Just to say I'm enjoying this and look forward to it daily!   Thanks everyone for sharing their thoughts here too.

[creidesca]

wow...

Spoiler

Ding Yuyang dumped all of Ruoman's hard work into the trash...if it had been Lu Fei, he would at least tried it and commented. But then maybe Ding Yuyang was not too happy finding out all the delicious food he had previously tasted when sick was actually made by Lu Fei!

 

Hmm...did Ding Yuyang ex-gf post a pic of herself and him having fun on his trip  back to US?

 

I loved the scene where Ruoman and Lu Fei were literally arguing/bickering at the table and Ding Yuyang pretty much felt like an outsider. One of the few times Lu Fei didn't completely back down from Ruoman.

 

[rainmaker5]

I find this show abit ridiculous simply because I am wondering how close to reality does this show depict? However, I still like it.  Thematic emphasis on womens role in todays society.  I did not watch other version. so I cannot compare

 

Lu Fei would be the more ideal type of guy for any society because of his character.  Whereas Man Man in most society she would be a "turn off" because of her personality.  She doesnt know how to display any warmth.  

 

I hope Lu Fei ends up with the 2nd female lead simply because she is more compatible with him.  With Man Man she simply takes him for granted,  she hasnt felt that angst or threatened of losing Lu Fei to any female yet.  She doesnt appreciate all the big and small things he does for her, the sacrifices on his part.  She is selfish and self absorbed.   Lu Fei said it right when he said, " putting too much importance on DY, and putting aside her principles". For a woman who revels in her career accomplishments, she sure  does a 180 degree when it comes to DY.  Its like she would give up all her hardwork just to appease DY and fear of disappointing him.  In that sense to me, her core self is lacking.  This is the first time Im actually rooting for the 2nd female lead.

 

Lu Feis parents are abusive, his deep seated fear of marriage stems from his parents.   Its like he is left to babysit two immature and vicious individuals that resent each other.

[Kim Yunmi]

2 hours ago, rainmaker5 said:

I find this show abit ridiculous simply because I am wondering how close to reality does this show depict? However, I still like it.  Thematic emphasis on womens role in todays society.  I did not watch other version. so I cannot compare

 

Lu Fei would be the more ideal type of guy for any society because of his character.  Whereas Man Man in most society she would be a "turn off" because of her personality.  She doesnt know how to display any warmth.  

 

I hope Lu Fei ends up with the 2nd female lead simply because she is more compatible with him.  With Man Man she simply takes him for granted,  she hasnt felt that angst or threatened of losing Lu Fei to any female yet.  She doesnt appreciate all the big and small things he does for her, the sacrifices on his part.  She is selfish and self absorbed.   Lu Fei said it right when he said, " putting too much importance on DY, and putting aside her principles". For a woman who revels in her career accomplishments, she sure  does a 180 degree when it comes to DY.  Its like she would give up all her hardwork just to appease DY and fear of disappointing him.  In that sense to me, her core self is lacking.  This is the first time Im actually rooting for the 2nd female lead.

 

Lu Feis parents are abusive, his deep seated fear of marriage stems from his parents.   Its like he is left to babysit two immature and vicious individuals that resent each other.

The original was better because she often got mad only when she had to stick up for someone else. The warmth of the character came from the fierceness she protected and cared about other people, even when that caring was downright fierce. She's not the same in this drama, often coming off fierce first which is why I think they took off the "arrogant" out of the original poem/song.

The original, BTW, is much shorter at 13 episodes, but certainly has a different dynamic than here.

But yeah, Lu Fei is a lot more pitiful in a way that Da Ren wasn't.

[yitiantulong]

On 8/17/2018 at 11:30 AM, cheekychipmunk_stv said:

His breakdown when Ruo Man lashes on him upon his return from match making session. That is so sad. And he had to swallow it all back up when he realised RuoMan is coming back into the house. 

 

Forgot to say "Yes!" Totally that scene when the usually unflappable Lu Fei is literally shaking and about to collapse and cannot even look up when Ruo Man returns?  I was  pretty impressed by the acting, and really quite mad at Ruo Man. (Also when he snaps at his sister and then tosses the chess pieces to the floor... these are pretty much equivalents of nervous breakdowns for him, which was great to see because in all other scenes he suppresses so much of his feelings!)

 

And yes agreed on how inconsistent and not truly independent Ruoman is.  Not the best role model for women, mostly this drama seems to be a discourse/commentary about how different young people today think about relationships and marriage?

 

But I admit this is still a guilty pleasure of mine because I think the acting is pretty good... no comments about all of the pairings, except it's pretty obvious (even if we didn't know about the original) who will end up together, and I do feel awful for Lu Fei.  His mom and father and sister and Ruoman all abuse him to different degrees. I guess I do feel like Ruoman at least has generally been good to him, although there are scenes when I think "Lu Fei if you were a woman and RuoMan a man, I'd tell you to run because Ruoman would domestically abuse you if you married 'him'!"

 

 

[cheekychipmunk_stv]

Can see Lu Fei softens towards to restaurant owner. She is like ruoMan but a softer side. He can easily fall for her if RuoMan isn't in his heart and mind already.

 

Superb acting chop from Ruoyun. He really can act like a love sick puppy to a breaking point heart broken guy. 

 

[litopanda]

On 8/15/2018 at 11:09 AM, Kim Yunmi said:

Totally worth rewatching the original. It lends itself to doing that over and over again. I always find new things when I rewatch it and new perspective. That's the thing about Winnie's dramas I always loved. (referring to the director). He always tends to love playing around with shots and actors. There is a reason Ariel chose him so many times too. (Her real life love story panned out more like In Time With You, though than ISWAK) (Winnie, the director, also got married around that time... so I kinda think it's his treaties to asking what makes a good marriage as well. He's slow to cut and hates cutting footage, but really thoughtful in his directing style, and likes screwing with the viewers in how he cuts together his episodes such that the previews play with you, but tell the story as well... and I could gush about his directing for ages... but it's worth also noting that the cuts on the way out aren't the same as the ones on the way in from eye catches. Sometimes they are different takes of the same scene that were done well, but differently in subtle ways. His style is like fine wine if you watch carefully. The way he uses reflections, divides his shots, it's utter art. He also tends to troll his actors a bit too... but in a funny haha way they appreciate after the fact.)

Proposal Daisakusen was really good--when Japan sets out to do rom com and romance it tends to be really good, but when they stick it in as a second helping or background, the romance no matter how many episodes they give them never, ever sticks the landing. Trick had like what? 3 seasons, several movies, a final movie and effing they didn't finish the romance. It's like they never get past the flirting stage. Forget kisses, they never even go there though you always get the feeling the characters *should* be together, they never are together. So in rom com, fine, but with romance as a second goal, never, ever, even though there rarely are second series in Japan. Japan does less rom coms probably because Korea does so many and gets imported into Japan. Only during dry spells does Japan ever roll out a really top notch Rom Com--which is what happened with Nijihage. Korea went on a Mystery/Thriller bender and Japan became starved because that's what Japan usually fills in the East Asian international scene. (Korea, I've realized also fluxes a lot more than the other markets in East Asia--as of late at least--Korea also uses adaptations to test new writers which is why most adaptations tend to suck--exceptions do apply, but it's rare).
 

 

@Kim Yunmi

I actually watched the original like 3 or 4 times over and over again in the past but the last time was like 2 years ago I think, so my memory is not too fresh on it. I probably gonna rewatch it again soon maybe after I finish this mainland version so I won't be confused lol. I actually had never pay attention to the director of In Time with You. Shame on me because I should. A movie or a drama is created perfectly because of so many different aspect from story to acting to the cinematography to art direction, production design, to sound design and editing. If any part of it fail, it can really mess up the work. The director for In Time with You did a fantastic job on taking a good story and created a masterpiece with his directions and vision. I'll definitely look him up more. So many movie or drama failed recently because production wise, they really fail to bring to life the original story. It's sad that a lot of them would go for the top notch special effects or overly vibrant world/art direction, especially wuxia fantasy ones, but fail to understand the core of the story. In Time with You and Nirvana in Fire, took the core of the story and create everything else from it in details that most of the audience would miss watching it through the first time. However everything from a teacup on the table to the color on the wall in a movie/drama is and should be carefully planned out. It's there for a purpose. And I love it when I watch something again and actually see it. 

 

I recently went to watch and finished Zhang Tian Ai previous drama, Go Princess Go. You can really tell how low the budget is for that drama from costume to set. I mean one pond and walkway is like 10 different places in that drama lol. But it's very admirable that they actually was able to make it work with the resources that they have. Plot wise it's alright but  the acting and writing itself is pure comedy gold. 

 

I've notice the Korean dramas are moving more toward mystery/thriller. It's not a bad thing because they can't just do one genre forever. We will see how it goes. I do like some recent dramas in the genre. Like Circle. I love Circle. That is the best drama I've watch in my drama watching career. I think it's done really well, especially the writing. And it's also one of the few dramas where there are "romance" but it's not the main focus of the story. Not just in Japanese dramas but there are some Korean dramas that have the romance as a side story instead of the main focus and a lot of them just turn out to be so frustrating. Like *cough* Ghost and Misaeng. Sometime I feel like if you're not gonna "complete" a romance then just don't put it in there to tease us along and then gives us nothing at the end. I actually didn't know that Korea gives new writer adaptation to write. It sucks because that is pretty much insulting the original classics. No wonder why so many Korean adaptation of other dramas sucks so bad or fail so miserably. 

 

I might pass on Fuyao and maybe even Martial Universe. It's sad because Martial Universe is one of the ones I've been looking forward too. I haven't start it yet but I watch the trailers and I don't know what it is but I just feel like it's over the top cheesy with all that big special effects and the story from summary is felt generic. It's like Chusen all over again pretty much. 

 

15 hours ago, rainmaker5 said:

I find this show abit ridiculous simply because I am wondering how close to reality does this show depict? However, I still like it.  Thematic emphasis on womens role in todays society.  I did not watch other version. so I cannot compare

 

Lu Fei would be the more ideal type of guy for any society because of his character.  Whereas Man Man in most society she would be a "turn off" because of her personality.  She doesnt know how to display any warmth.  

 

I hope Lu Fei ends up with the 2nd female lead simply because she is more compatible with him.  With Man Man she simply takes him for granted,  she hasnt felt that angst or threatened of losing Lu Fei to any female yet.  She doesnt appreciate all the big and small things he does for her, the sacrifices on his part.  She is selfish and self absorbed.   Lu Fei said it right when he said, " putting too much importance on DY, and putting aside her principles". For a woman who revels in her career accomplishments, she sure  does a 180 degree when it comes to DY.  Its like she would give up all her hardwork just to appease DY and fear of disappointing him.  In that sense to me, her core self is lacking.  This is the first time Im actually rooting for the 2nd female lead.

 

Lu Feis parents are abusive, his deep seated fear of marriage stems from his parents.   Its like he is left to babysit two immature and vicious individuals that resent each other.

 

@rainmaker5

You should give the original In Time with You a try. I think that one is more grounded than this one. 

I think everyone have a different opinion on the story and character depending on their own experience. I can't say this story is completely realistic but in a sense it emphasize on a lot of issues in society today.

 

Ai rouman is selfish and self absorb but aren't we all at times? Not to her extend but there are times in our life that we are so focus on something that we look past or take for granted what we have. That is why there are soooo many quotes about appreciating the things you have. Like Kim Yunmi said, the dynamic in this version is very different from the original. From the main characters relationship to just their lives around them. Just my opinion but the original is more grounded in the sense that the characters personality and actions makes a lot more sense. Like You Qing (main girl in the original) have the constant "strong' personality throughout her life, from her school years when she met Da Ren to present day and to the future. She doesn't flux like Ai Rouman because of romance. Even when she went back with her ex (Ding Yuan in the original), her personality is still constant in which she stands equal to him and is truly independent until the later of the story (not gonna spoil for ya), but my point is she doesn't go Qing Qing on him like Ai Rouman is doing and lose all her personality. I guess other can argue that Ai Rouman is different from You Qing. Like An Zhou once said, Ai Rouman is like a paper tiger...always fierce and have a strong mask on the outside but in fact she is only just a sweet girl in the inside who needs loving. Again same story but the character dynamic is very different. Some of the changes I can understand but doesn't mean I'm not frustrated by it. Like Lu Fei's parents....I don't think they are necessary to be that extreme since in the original, even though Da Ren's mom and sister is also hard to get along with, they are not as extreme as his parent in here. I guess they felt the need to establish more on Lu Fei's character and fear of "commitment". As of right now I can't say I don't like the changes in the characters yet. I'll have to watch till the end and decide when I see whether or not it pays off. 

 

I just suddenly realized in the original Da Ren also have a "second girl" in singapore. I think this second lead is more of a mix of her and half of maggie. I'm actually rooting for them too. LOL With Ai Rouman's actions lately....she needs to lose Lu Fei to someone who is a real rival for her realize what she had taken for granted. 

[Cat-O-Cat Kun]

@Kim Yunmi @litopanda i like long detailed posts thoroughly trying to examine something specific except for those  "long quotes".  Those quotes take good test of your patience.

 

@creidesca Where did you get all those spoilers. Thankfully i escaped a part of that spoiler.

@40somethingahjumma happy to see you here.

 

Operation Love is has few initial similarities with the show but that one is a pretty simple story.

You guys are doing good job comparing Taiwanese vs. Korean vs. Chinese.

I think Chinese Show has just taken the concept and made an original show out of it. This show can have similarities with over one dozen "childhood-friends-to-lovers" stories. S, I treat this show as an original show instead of a remake of something made earlier.

 

@cheekychipmunk_stv completely agree with your comments regarding Lu Fei. How unlucky a person can be? He needs atleast one healthy and stable relationship. platonic or romantic.

 

Now about the Scriptwriter - What He/She is upto. Why do Chinese dramas lack any form of coherence and logic? Writer went all over the place and wasted so much time to not come up with anything substantial or rational.

These thoughts kept circling around me - Is writer a feminist? or women rights activist? or just soft towards social issues and problems women face especially Working Women.

I have never seen so badly written female characters. This is the 1st time i  even used colourful words for "few fictional characters". I just don't understand the idea of women writer wants to present.

I even thought, 

1. Male Writer - he hates women because of no. of reasons and actually thought those real life women had these characteristics and intentionally wrote female characters like that.

2. Female Writer - Came across such characters in real life and hated them and made her female characters like these one as excuse.

Does scriptwriter hates Lu Fei? Why add more misery into his life? Or does Writer wants some revenge on audience?

Concept is already in your hands and you just have to churn few ideas to make the story appropriate for your own culture and time. Still, You mess up and create this kind of Product.

 

Actors are trying to do their best but when source is lazily written, you just can't ignore the obvious shortcomings. 

 

@yitiantulong Episode 25 last few minutes are so emotional. I almost cried. Lu Fei can't even cry in his own home. But i think his words did hurt Ai Ruoman a lot too and she retaliated back with direct abuse. We all know how good she is with words. The girl likes to tear apart others.

Quote

Also when he snaps at his sister and then tosses the chess pieces to the floor...

 

When did this happen?

 

For everyone active - Does viki cut few scenes? I can see some lousy editing from director but at in episode 28 someone was throwing stones at Ruoman's window and episode 29 started Ruoman getting ready to leave for Beijing in the morning and father getting all worried over white hairs.

 

He Xin - Lu Fei pair works and is quite good one. I don't think there is enough time left for the significant growth Ai Ruoman requires.

 

So it all will be - love above everything and Lu Fei will choose Ai Ruoman with all her faults and shortcomings.

[creidesca]

@catocat apparently the TV version of the drama is ahead (by at least 15min) even though the episode # is the same, possibly air time (not counting the OP+ED credits) is longer compared to the DVD/version that includes the OP+ED credits. So I watch the "DVD" version and then the TV version during the wait for new episodes. Saw DragonTV's episode 31 and they included 4min preview of what is to happen in episode 32-33.

Spoiler

Lu Fei's mom had a fit after witnessing Manman and Ding Yuyang together...which explains the 1 scene we've seen in the trailer where Lu Fei throws her cell into the fish tank. And Lu Fei is leaving for HK! His mom sure has a quick change of tune when he told her that.

 

As for episode 31 TV version,

Spoiler

Ding Yuyang and Manman gets into an argument over Lu Fei...and Manman will finally learn who Lu Fei wrote the love letter to.

 

Also, I saw a clip somewhere

Spoiler

where a little girl is being seen by Lu Fei at the dentist office--she asks him if he's her mom's boyfriend. Could possibly mean He Xin has a child???!

 

Well, for sure TV version has scenes cut...was comparing the ending of episode 28 DVD where she goes out to investigate whoever is throwing rocks at her window at night. Episode 28 TV version (Jiangsu TV?) has that scene completely cut out, and episode 29 DVD version doesn't seem to follow up on it--directly goes to the morning w/ her dad.

 

Now I really want to see a fuller version of this drama even with all its faults.

 

Saw another preview of ep32-33 on the official youtube channel

Spoiler

An Zhuo makes another reappearance, I guess to close out his story like they did w/ Qingqing and her engagement.

 

[Cat-O-Cat Kun]

The show is not in ratings competition. Struggling around 0.3 average.

 

@creidesca This is official channel that is updated videos on Youtube and they also post those 4 minute previews. Its cousin who brought that half torn letter forward.

 

追剧FUN  is another channel that posts small scenes from next episodes.  Episode 32-33 will be quite entertaining the way Ruoman acts and the way pushes Lu Fei when he visited her.

 

感谢订阅中剧独播 This is official Youtube channel that updated complete episodes.

 

I saw Mom's violent act in SMG电视剧 Channel's video posted yesterday. 

 

Yeah Ah Zhuo is back and we might get time jump aka time skip.

 

無二音樂 - All the OST are here at this Youtube Channel

 

 

[Kim Yunmi]

5 hours ago, litopanda said:

 

@Kim Yunmi

I actually watched the original like 3 or 4 times over and over again in the past but the last time was like 2 years ago I think, so my memory is not too fresh on it. I probably gonna rewatch it again soon maybe after I finish this mainland version so I won't be confused lol. I actually had never pay attention to the director of In Time with You. Shame on me because I should. A movie or a drama is created perfectly because of so many different aspect from story to acting to the cinematography to art direction, production design, to sound design and editing. If any part of it fail, it can really mess up the work. The director for In Time with You did a fantastic job on taking a good story and created a masterpiece with his directions and vision. I'll definitely look him up more. So many movie or drama failed recently because production wise, they really fail to bring to life the original story. It's sad that a lot of them would go for the top notch special effects or overly vibrant world/art direction, especially wuxia fantasy ones, but fail to understand the core of the story. In Time with You and Nirvana in Fire, took the core of the story and create everything else from it in details that most of the audience would miss watching it through the first time. However everything from a teacup on the table to the color on the wall in a movie/drama is and should be carefully planned out. It's there for a purpose. And I love it when I watch something again and actually see it. 

 

I recently went to watch and finished Zhang Tian Ai previous drama, Go Princess Go. You can really tell how low the budget is for that drama from costume to set. I mean one pond and walkway is like 10 different places in that drama lol. But it's very admirable that they actually was able to make it work with the resources that they have. Plot wise it's alright but  the acting and writing itself is pure comedy gold. 

 

Like Circle. I love Circle. That is the best drama I've watch in my drama watching career.

 

I might pass on Fuyao and maybe even Martial Universe. It's sad because Martial Universe is one of the ones I've been looking forward too. I haven't start it yet but I watch the trailers and I don't know what it is but I just feel like it's over the top cheesy with all that big special effects and the story from summary is felt generic. It's like Chusen all over again pretty much. 

Fuyao was good, just wish that the pacing was a tiny bit better. I had a few quibbles that I understand the original novel didn't have.

If you liked Circle, you might like W. W has both romance, mystery and action. I don't know if you've seen it.

The director of In Time With You did It Started with a Kiss 1 and 2. Also The Rose, which was Joe Chen's first major role. He's been doing mostly movies lately. He's famous for pissing off networks because he's really slow to edit together the footage he's shot. He tends to direct and act as a PD on his works. He's also hella faithful to the original source material almost to madness when he's doing adaptations. He also tends to cameo in his own works--he was the taxi driver in the last scene of In Time With You. He's probably the only director I really follow out of East Asia that I adore this much.

If you watch his work--The Rose is so worth watching and It Started with a Kiss 1 and 2 (Also did Tiny Times series, not movie) you start to pick up on directing habits he loves to insert and you find and get rewarded visually for everything he puts into the work. So the first time you might enjoy the story, the second time you realize how the story was communicated to you through visual symbolism, the third time you might watch to see the pay offs and so on. He's that sort of director. Like fine wine. He has a thing for loving to play with credit sequences, tailoring the music to the drama perfect pitch, working really hard on visual symbolism and he's really has a thing for using reflections to show different sides of the actor and add to the storytelling. Despite his visual symbolism, I feel at least he doesn't do it purely for the set or art piece, but he literally thinks hard on it with the writer to communicate the story better. He also likes pranking his actors in ways they find absolutely funny and often puts the NGs in... which is probably why the cutting together takes so long he treasures the actors, story and footage that much. Even the ones where he didn't get to finish the project with, he often puts a ton of feminism front and center, a bit ahead of his time, though, I think because he's often willing to play with male gender roles as much as female ones and ask questions about sexuality in ways I think presses the boundaries.

The behind the scenes with him are always funny--you can tell he's somewhat of an introvert, but cares a lot about his actors, so they often reciprocate to him equally with joking, laughter, etc even as he pranks them. (The fishball scene in behind the scenes was really funny as was in ISWAK 2, where Ariel related how she kept going and going he he refused to say cut until she said, 'So when are you going to say cut?")

I could gush for ages, but he's definitely a director I have like a crush on (creatively, not like sexually or anything.) He's the kind of director that if I made a book and he wanted to direct it into a series or movie I would flat out say yes without questions.

Anyway... back to the drama... is swallowing ink a bad thing? I wonder. Maybe it's not so bad if it's so old. But yeah, I'm starting to not like Ruoman... I mean she keeps putting Lu Fei down over and over again and telling how impossible it is without her turning around and telling him why she's his friend. I get she's protective of him, but that's not enough for me. (I felt like in the original, you knew why they were friends... and You Qing was fierce about being his friend and you knew why he liked her so much was because of that reciprocal relationship.) Here I'm puzzled why she likes him at all if she keeps putting him down (Especially since she knows how he feels now). Maybe it's the acting? Maybe it's the writing? What I kinda want from either is that moment's hesitation that maybe just maybe she feels hurt by something he did in the past to rebuff her feelings (accidentally, maybe or minor) or something so she started to think it was impossible and so she gradually became louder over it over time because that's the only salvage I see so far.

[creidesca]

@catocat Besides watching through viki/youtube official channel, I also download the TVrips (DragonTV and/or Jiangsu depending on who the ripper is) to view--they have the logo of the TV station and/or have it "shaded out" plus any weather announcements for different parts of China. The Jiangsu TVrip I saw had the part where Manman in her room at night when the rocks thrown at her window completely cut out, but the youtube official channel/web-DLs all have this scene up to the point where she goes out to investigate (whether it says it's DVD or not). Now I'm trying to see if the DragonTV version has this scene cut out or not too.

[creidesca]

@Kim Yunmi I was under the impression Lu Fei had said something when they were in high school that made Manman insecure about herself (not the one where he had told her to look at herself and ask why no one wanted her as the class monitor). Lu Fei apologized for it as an adult, but it was something Manman never really got over even though she says she has. Will have to go back and find that particular episode.

[yitiantulong]

33 minutes ago, Kim Yunmi said:

Maybe it's the acting? Maybe it's the writing? What I kinda want from either is that moment's hesitation that maybe just maybe she feels hurt by something he did in the past to rebuff her feelings (accidentally, maybe or minor) or something so she started to think it was impossible and so she gradually became louder over it over time because that's the only salvage I see so far.

 

Agreed that with all the incredibly CLEAR signals Lu Fei is giving (even the obnoxious girl from high school who Rouman thought Lu Fei liked could tell) somehow Rouman manages to not-see.  I just finished Ep 31 and I guess this is it?  She's finally realized how much Lu Fei likes her and how he's suffered, but...

 

Spoiler

.... it seems like Lu Fei will leave for HK in the next episode without an opportunity for him and Ruoman to really tackle that head-on, and then there will be a time skip?  Gaaaah!  What a coop out!

 

Urg!  I'm with everyone who thinks Lu Fei deserves better, e.g., the 2nd lead female has been nothing but awesome so far, and BTW, yes if she already has a kid it might be even better... Lu Fei is so good with kids!  I know how this story ends and also in many ways I still like Ruoman (although I stop short of respecting her- she's too boy-crazy for that- I still like her care for her friends and standing by them, and generally smart, quirky personality), but I can't help wishing Lu Fei could find someone who treats him right.  C'mon Ruoman, stop this nonsense, face up to the situation!

 

(Ok, I think I'm also a little peeved at Lu Fei for the situation, if he could only stand up to his mom and tell her that Ruoman is dating someone else, things would also be a LOT less stressful and complicated for him! All the shouting and screaming isn't helping anyone's nerves and sanity.)

[Kim Yunmi]

1 hour ago, creidesca said:

@Kim Yunmi I was under the impression Lu Fei had said something when they were in high school that made Manman insecure about herself (not the one where he had told her to look at herself and ask why no one wanted her as the class monitor). Lu Fei apologized for it as an adult, but it was something Manman never really got over even though she says she has. Will have to go back and find that particular episode.

If you could I'd appreciate it because I can't see why she keeps rebuffing him.

 

@yitiantulong

Agree... That sort of yelling doesn't help anyone. He's absorbing a lot of hurt and anger which doesn't belong to him. It's just abusive rather than helpful.

Original had a separation, but not a time skip. She needs a crisis and also a reason for why she's acting like she's acting. The gradual and graceful of the original teased it was coming, but I hope they do something to explain her actions because the original didn't need it, but they certainly do here otherwise I won't quite feel this is a good OTP and more a recipe for an abusive relationship. The playing field needs some leveling.

[Cat-O-Cat Kun]

@yitiantulong females of this show are crazy and have anger issues.  Mother has lived a stressful and painful life and lashes out at others and always loses control. Lu Fei isn't known to clear things out. So no matter what Ruoman vs. Lu Fei's mother was given.

 

Lu Fei's clear signs can be misinterpreted and that's what Ruoman has done so far. Its not far fetched or unconvincing but after that cheek kiss ruoman started to notice things around her.  Still one part of heart strictly follows the slogan of we-are-friends. In this regard both Lu Fei and Ruoman are similar.

 

@creidesca I want to know what Lu Fei said in that specific situation in that particular episode. You have to do so much to find the reality of scenes cut-or not. Its looks quite unfair and bad if proven that different mediums have different airtime of episodes.

 

Ruoman is spoiled even more by Lu Fei than her father.

 

I was scrolling SMG interviews again to find a specific scene and there Ding Yuyuang proposes to Ruoman in public and Lu Fei watch it all with tears in eyes.

So Ruoman trying a wedding dress scene is my imagination or i really saw it is my current search activity.

 

[rainmaker5]

Ive only watched a few mins of episode 31 and the 2nd lead female is talking about her decisions to venture out on her own against her parents wishes....and Lu Fei is actively listening because he is thinking of his situation with his parents....he needs courage and this lady will give him that.

 

Man Man doesnt deserve Lu Fei.....if he said something to hurt her in the past...so what?  She should know her best friend loves her the most and would never intentionally hurt her.  It doesnt warrant for her to rebuff him and constantly remind him that she does this and that for him....blah blah!!

 

Thats why I am rooting for the 2nd female lead....She's successful, she understands him... that one episode when Man Man called him to let him know that she and DY are now dating, his heart sank, and you can feel the sadness in his tone, He Xin caught on and without saying anything she catered to his brokenheart by staying with him.

 

Man Man doesnt have the depth of love that Lu Fei has for her.  Even if she realizes she loves him....she still doesn't deserve him.  That is why I hope the writers throws us a curveball and lets Lu Fei and He Xin be together in the end...Like relocate to America and start their family there.  He needs a clean break from his past.  And  He Xin is steady, stable, solid etc... whereas Man Man seems more like a rollercoaster...all over the place.

[litopanda]

@Kim Yunmi

Thanks for the recommendation, I will take a look at these dramas/movies again. I've watch the first ISWAK but also didn't realize Winnie directed it.  This is a fine wine that I had take for granted in the past and should learn to appreciate now lol. 

I've watched W already...well I don't think I finished it..I may have like an episode or two left but I was waiting for sub then got busy with life and never went back. As far as I remember I also did like it alot too. 

 

14 hours ago, Kim Yunmi said:

(I felt like in the original, you knew why they were friends... and You Qing was fierce about being his friend and you knew why he liked her so much was because of that reciprocal relationship.) Here I'm puzzled why she likes him at all if she keeps putting him down (Especially since she knows how he feels now). Maybe it's the acting? Maybe it's the writing? What I kinda want from either is that moment's hesitation that maybe just maybe she feels hurt by something he did in the past to rebuff her feelings (accidentally, maybe or minor) or something so she started to think it was impossible and so she gradually became louder over it over time because that's the only salvage I see so far.

 

@catocat 

 

Before I say anything, I actually still on episode 20. I stop for the time being because I want to wait for a little more episodes to come out before continuing. I stop before Rouman goes any further with Ding Yuan. Because I know the original and I know what will most likely happen and how mad I would be (like you all from all the posts lol)....I decided it was a good stopping point to wait till maybe episode 35 come out then I will marathon through it again. By the time I'm getting through all the angers at the characters and show...it will be in time for the resolution....hopefully lol Instead of being mad and also angry at waiting for the next episode lol. 

 

So I can't really comment on much of the actual show yet. i'll be back with replies, rant, and frustration in a couple of days. 

 

Anyway, I would say maybe Rouman "likes" and stays with Lu Fei for so long because of the comfort he gives her. I mean he takes care of everything for her. With how they are showing Rouman being head over heel for Ding Yuan in the past, it would be a really hard ball to then turn around and show that Rouman actually had feelings for Lu Fei in the past and been shut down. I felt like Rouman's feeling for Lu Fei and developed throughout the years and he is her "ideal" type even when she herself never realized it. Just like in the original where You Qing was struggling with her feelings before her wedding with Ding Yuan there, and it shows that the guy have everything he can give her (like Kim Yunmi said, her extreme highs) but that's when she realize she is not very happy with it and finally realize that she was indeed happy with the simple things that Da Ren have been giving her. 

 

Though the characters dynamic and their relationship is different here than the original but I feel like the core of the character is still the same so Rouman's reason to push Lu Fei away despite knowing his feelings is almost the same as You Qing's. In the original You Qing at a point in time also knew clearly Da Ren's feeling for her (from Maggie)....but she hesitate and end up letting him leave (the separation) because to her, she is already dating someone and at that point in time...she is happy with her relationship. So to me it felt like it wasn't the fact that she realized how much Da Ren loves her that made her leave the bf but it's the fact that she realize what she wanted in her other half, that it is someone like Da Ren who even though cannot be like the other guy but he gives her his all to match her steps in life and be by her side even if it resulting in him denying his own love for her throughout the years. She didn't go to him because she start to realize his feelings for her, she had known for awhile before....She went because she realize her own feelings for him and what she wanted. Like I mention in a couple of post before, I never felt like You Qing 'suffers' enough before Da Ren comes back to her..in another word it really didn't felt like she really 'deserves" him. 

I doubt Rouman in here is much different. Maybe...just maybe Rouman has always idolized Ding Yuan and see him as her "ideal" man but throughout her relationship with him and her drift away from Lu Fei, that's when she finally realize that her "ideal" man has always been Lu Fei. And when she realize her own feeling toward him and what she wanted....I in actuality hope that Lu Fei is borderline moving on...and she actually have to WORK and put in an effort to step back by his side. Only then will she maybe deserve him. 

That was the knot in my fault with the original even though I love it to bits. I didn't feel like You Qing deserves Da Ren in the end either...there is a separation yes but she didn't or I didn't see her put in any effort to step back into his world. He literally just went back into hers after awhile. I hope Rouman is a bit better in this one. 

 

Lu Fei's parent is so unnecessarily dramatic.

 

I don't think the writer knows how to write female characters, all of them seem like the extreme of cliche character type...ie Qing Qing, the extremely clingy and annoying one. Beside Rouman who fluctuate....most of the female characters feel 1 dimensional.  If Qing Qing had a depth of a character like Maggie was then she wouldn't be as bad....but she is constantly annoying. 

Given that the writer probably write the character as close to the original character as possible....but I don't think they fully understand the depth of each of the character...and pretty much just take the surface personality of each one and put it in here. Another example would be An Zhou,....he will forever just be a cheating bastard in my eyes, while in the original Nick's character was actually remorseful and actually sorta redeem himself. And by the end, he was "lovable". But then again the dynamic is different because Nick in the original is gay and actually have no interest in You Qing and after everything he learn to appreciate himself and becomes a good friend of you Qing. While here I guess they can't have homosexuality so they change An Zhou to be a cheating bastard and have "real" feelings for Rouman? So now what they have is just an awkward past relationship. Again no depth in An Zhou character.

It shows that changing a character can affect the dynamic of the story even if most of the scenes are the same. 

 

Just a day or two more then I can actually comment on the real drama here with ya'll haha. 

 

Honestly without the knowledge and understanding of the original story, I don't think I would have made it past the Qing Qing stage of this drama. To me, it won't survive as a stand alone because most characters are written too one dimensional, the drama is over the top and some unnecessary. The frustration is too real. And without the reputation and core story and "theme" of the original, this drama itself alone would not make it past all our angst and frustration at how stupid some of the writing is. 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

I'm probably a bit behind most people who are watching this. But I'm really, really enjoying it. Much more than I thought I would actually. Differences with the original are to be expected but I feel that it has managed to recontextualize some of the introspection that the T version was famous for. I also think that the satirical aspects of this show are taken up a notch or two especially with the over-represented caricatures that masquerade as the older generation. I don't mind the slice of life approach... because it demonstrates the somewhat jarring disconnect between the humdrum routine and the romantic idealism that is being gently mocked all throughout. The show seems to be setting up egregious pragmatism in marriage verses marrying for love  as opposing categories and sledgehammering us with the tensions.

 

My number one favourite thing about the drama has to be the dialogue. There's a lovely rhythmic almost lyrical quality to the exchanges that's a bit lost in translation. That might be the writer playing to his/her strengths. On that note, I am particularly struck by how the OST complements the storytelling in a way that reminds me of a broadway musical. Repeated strains functioning as introspective soliloquizing.  On the negative side, an argument could be made that the characters (especially the supporting ones) often come across more as mouthpieces dancing to writer's tune rather than interacting as fully fleshed out characters.

 

My other favourite thing has to be Zhang Ruoyun as LF. There's something about his performance that reminds me of Chen Bolin's Li Da Ren but not entirely. The character is grounded in a way that none of the other characters around seem to be. Everyone else seems to be obviously acting... and at times you get the feeling that they might break the fourth wall. But ZRY inhabits the role of FL with a nuanced performance and draws you into the reality of his inner life as something deeply meaningful. I don't think he is written better necessarily... because really LF is quite a pathetic creature but a lot of credit has to be given to ZRY for making LF feel real despite the caricatures around him. It's almost as if he's in his own drama.

 

I agree I think that on some level that LF is rather too good for RM who seems completely self-absorbed with her own lovelorn pathologies. But I don't think that's really the point of the drama. There's a strong suggestion of inequality (of commitment) in romance coupled with missed opportunities. And even the notion that romance might be inferior to a lifelong platonic friendship. Romantic partners come and go but a friendship tested by the passage of time... is much harder to find and a greater loss when it's gone. I was really struck by the developments in Episode 25. For the first time I got the sense that they were both afraid of losing each other if they tried to go romantic on each other. I think LF was frightened into believing it at least. I was interested to see that RM was toying with the idea of being in a romantic relationship with LF but was terrified, I believe, that if that went nowhere, everything they shared previously would be gone. I love what RM says here in a huff.

"Don't assume that in my heart that you're all important, all special and utterly irreplaceable."

She storms off, slams the door and exits the stage.

A few moments later, she returns and says...

"When fate arrives, you can meet the right person even on a blind date. My words were too harsh. I take them back. You should understand me fully that to me you are very special, very important and completely irreplaceable. You are my best friend. So I want good for your well-being."

 

What seems to be keeping them from taking it to the next level is the belief that friends cannot become lovers... at least friends who have been friends over a long period of time. Apparently there's a use-by-date from which there can be no return... and the belief that LF is not compatible or strong enough for RM.