Check out my episodic recaps for 22-38 and overall review:
Nothing But You eps. 22-38 (End) (CDrama) (2023)
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Nothing But You Eps 1-21 (CDrama) (2023)
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Drama: Nothing But You (爱情而已)
Country: China
Episodes: 38
Aired: Mar 27, 2023 – Apr 8, 2023
Aired On: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Original Network: CCTV, iQiyi, JSTV, Tencent Video
Duration: 45 min.
Plot: A promising badminton player switches to tennis with the help of his club manager.
Main Cast:
Zhou Yu Tong – Liang You An
Wu Lei – Song San Chuan
Check out my instagram for my episodic recaps 1-21.
Falling Into Your Smile (2021)
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Drama: Falling Into Your Smile (你微笑时很美)
Country: China
Episodes: 31
Aired: Jun 23, 2021 – Jul 15, 2021
Aired On: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Original Network: LINE TV, Tencent Video, Youku
Duration: 45 min
Plot:
Tong Yao joins the all-male ZDGX OPL team, replacing Ming, and becomes the first female professional esports player. ZDGX team leader, Lu Si Cheng, at first didn’t accept her, but they slowly grow close.
Main Cast:
Xu Kai – Lu Si Cheng
Cheng Xiao – Tong Yao
Zhai Xiao Wen – Jian Yang
Review:
Somehow i always end up watching esports themed drama even though I’m not a fan of esports. But i appreciated the esports players after watching this drama. Didn’t realize they also do a lot of trainings. I just thought they were naturally talented.
I liked getting a peek into the good and bad sides of the industry. I think it’s the same as with showbiz where fans, rumors and fake news can make or break you. Fans dont own the players and we should respect them and their personal lives. You are watching esports because of the sport and the player who is good at the sport. It shouldn’t matter who the person was dating or doing unless it’s something illegal.
I like the ZGDX team and their friendship. Accepting Tong Yao as the only female player in the team. They also fight and argue a lot but they all grow and learn better.
I also liked that they showed the different teams and their sportsmanship with one another. The ending when Tong Yao won the championship and everyone (not just ZDGX) was cheering and praising her skills (even the ex boyfriend who at first was annoying).
I found the romance cute from the first time they met until they got together around ep 21 or 22. One of the cutest confession scene when the kitty came out of Cheng’s jacket, and Tong Yao was so happy she hugged Cheng. (I would have done the same 😁).
I wanted Tong Yao to be more responsive during the kiss scenes. She always looked wide eyed and wasn’t playful like Cheng. So it felt like Cheng liked her more than she did and the kissing didnt look natural. Which was too bad because there were a lot of kissing scenes and Xu Kai was too hot to not kiss!
Unfortunately, I got bored starting ep 23 and was fast forwarding to finish. I didnt like the forced issue with Cheng as the captain.
Rating: 8/10
She And Her Perfect Husband (2022)
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Drama: She and Her Perfect Husband (爱的二八定律)
Country: China
Episodes: 40
Aired: Nov 14, 2022 – Dec 11, 2022
Aired On: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Original Network: Tencent Video
Duration: 45 min.
Plot: To get a shot at promotion, a female lawyer lied that she is already married to a guy she has never met. By some twist of fate, they meet at a party and her boss and colleagues thinks that he is her real husband. She makes a deal with the guy to pretend to be her husband for 3 months in exchange for a place to live and to help him stop his mother from setting up blind dates. Will their fake marriage turn into a real marriage?
Main Cast:
Yang Mi – Qin Shi
Xu Kai – Yang Hua
Li Ze Feng – Tao Junhui
Wang Zi Xuan – Wu Feifei
Baby Zhang – Yao Yao
Review:
First completed drama for 2023! My third jiedi lian romance. I don’t know why I gravitate towards this kind of romance. Most likely it’s because the actor is cute 🙂
I love the relationship between Qin Shi and Yang Hua. They may have started with a fake relationship, but they supported and complemented each other that the age gap wasn’t even an issue. And the guy wasn’t “lower” than her, he was a genius and helpful to her career, it’s just that he had some previous career issues he had to work with, and meeting Qin Shi gave him the courage to face his issues and find support where his parents/friends/ex gf couldn’t give him. Where can I find my own Yang Hua? He was almost perfect! Good thing Qin Shi found the perfect fake husband. What if she randomly found another stranger who was a jerk? It will be a very different story! I wished they also showed how successful Yang Hua was to get back at all those who looked down on him for being jobless.
Every fake marriage trope needs to end before their real relationship begins. That’s why I didn’t mind that they broke up on eps 36-40. Qin Si mostly had the upperhand in the relationship, so it was just right that she should be the one who realizes what she lost. Although I liked that that they got back together, I wish it was Qin Shi who made the grand gesture to bring him back. And even at the end, they never said “i love you” to each other and they didn’t remarry. But that’s alright. Just like what Yang Hua said, they don’t need to get married, as long as they can be together forever and ever. Not being a pessimist here, but nowadays, marriage doesn’t guarantee forever.
I was expecting to hate Tao Junhui but I actually liked him too. It’s just that he wasn’t able to protect Qin Shi that time, and she disappeared from his life that he couldn’t even make amends. And now he missed his timing since Yang Hua is already in Qin Shi’s life. Although I don’t know if Yang Hua wasn’t there, will Qin Shi take him back? She probably still wouldn’t. I can’t believe that he would like a spoiled and spiteful girl like Wu Fei, I thought he deserved better. I thought Wu Fei was cute and sweet, but she so the opposite of Qin Shi, who was sexy, mature and intelligent. I didn’t want Junhui to end up with Wu Fei, but the ending looks like Wu Fei also grew up a little and is now ready to be more mature and work earnestly and not just rely on her daddy’s money. I hope that’s true!!
What I didn’t like is that it took too long for Qin Shi to resign from Cheng & Hui and realize how toxic their culture was. Junhui already warned her that she was being used, but she didn’t listen since she had stubbornly set her sights on partnership. I almost thought she was going to accept the partner offer after all the humiliation she went through. I’m so happy she didn’t!! Particularly Madam Tang who I always thought looked so fake, trying to dangle the carrot in front of Qin Shi and throw it away again and again.
I thought Li Dai was going to be the b.tchy villain but I also liked her a lot! She is the funny, sassy friend that Qin Shi needed. Wished that they just opened their own female lawyer studio. Their combo will be lethal!
Let’s not forget Yang Hua’s best friend who is funny and great help to the couple. I love their dates with him tagging along. Too bad we didn’t get to see his wife.
The whole side story about the brother Wenyu and Meimei was boring so I skipped all those parts. They just keep fighting and fighting it was so toxic.
Lastly, I loved the ost but couldn’t find the songs on Spotify.
Rating: 8.5/10
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