Quando Nós Casarmos (2021)

A joy to watch despite lacking originality in the story line

“Once We Get Married” (OWGM) is the latest contract marriage trope c-drama. Knowing the this is all about contract marriage, I guess you have already covered three-quarter of all storylines, sub-plots, plots twist, and ending. Two (2) strangers are forced into a contract marriage. The ML is a successful rich businessman/CEO/President, while the FL is a naïve, but smart and resourceful young girl from an average family. Along the way, both protagonists experience many ups and downs in their relationship and life in general. Love eventually blossoms and finally they get together for real - a happy ending. Simple enough storyline and plots that have been repeated numerous times in Chinese dramaland.

Add a few more familiar sub-plots and you have a story that is both average, and forgettable. You have the second ML, who is also a successful businessman/CEO/President and perfect in every sense of the word who secretly likes the FL from childhood. A sad character!! Then the second FL who is also a beautiful and successful career woman/businesswoman who would do anything to win the love of the ML. Evil woman personifies, bending on destroying Cinderella’s relationship with Prince Charming. Then you have the ML’s grandmother who just adores the FL. Finally add in the office romance between the ML’s male friend and his staff as a filler to ensure that the series is long enough for 24 episodes.

Then why am I watching this series despite all the tropes and cliches in the storyline and subplots? One word – Wang Yuwen. The female lead is an absolute joy to watch. Her character as Gu Xixi – a naïve yet resourceful young lady – fits her to the tees. She is funny, adorable, cute, sweet, bewitching, etc – you get the drift. Her tall and slim physique matches well with the ML and second ML. When they are together, they look like a perfect couple. To me, she has the perfect height and body types for a leading lady in Chinese dramaland, and she is young enough to pull the cutesy role off. Gu Xixi is a perfect role for Wang Yuwen, and she is the star of this drama.

A miscasting will make a drama unwatchable. Too many examples to mention such as Zhang Ziyi playing a 15 year old girl in the “Rebel Princess” or Tang Yan as a 17 year old girl in the “Legend of Xiao Chuo”. The selection or casting of the actors is OWGM’s biggest strength that somehow compensates for the lack of ingenuity and originality in the story line and subplots. This drama brightens my day! Score 9/10.

Leia Mais

Decent filler (if you don't take it seriously)

OVERALL
Yet another fake marriage plot. Watch it if 1) you dig these plots, and you dig them hard, 2) you just need fluff to be happy, 3) you're looking for cute and smexy scenes. Reconsider if 1) you can't stand clichés and plot flaws, 2) you're not a fan of too much work drama, 3) you like well-developed characters, romance and/or plot. Reconsider seriously.

THE STORY
So because life happens, I had to pause this drama for two-three weeks before watching the last 2 episodes. Two-three weeks were enough to make me completely forget what had happened. That goes to show just how ordinary the drama is; nothing stands out. No memorable scene, no amazing joke, nothing. Did I enjoy it? Kind of, in a just-watching-to-have-something-to-do manner. It's fun, when you don't think it through too much. Do I recommend it to anyone? I'm not sure...

The Good
- The "being in love" part of the OTP (once they get together) is actually cute. Sometimes (make that often) that's where romance dramas mess up, so that's cool. The drama is generous with couple scenes and they don't feel awkward or unnatural. That was definitely the best of the drama.
- No crazy annoying, disrespectful and snob in-laws. It's the third time I see this in recent dramas and I'm living for it. By all means, make that cliché die.
- Occasional real fun scene. I can't remember them now, but I do remember that there were some!
...and that's it.

The Bad
- I think China really likes the fake-marriage trope. It's EVERYWHERE. I personally like it, but I have to say, most C-dramas have absurd setups for the fake marriage, and I'm getting tired of it. Sure, fiction is fiction, but there's only so much disbelief you can suspend. The setup in this drama is BEYOND RIDICULOUS. Makes zero sense that the leads would get together for the reasons they do. I think C-dramas should learn from Korea's 'Marriage Contract' or 'Marriage, Not Dating', which had some of the best setup for fake marriages I've seen so far.
- Male lead is like every other cold CEO C-dramas just can't get rid of, and female lead is like every other cute and kind of childish Cinderella C-dramas just don't want to get rid of. She's slightly better than him because she has a bit of wit, but they're still super cliché.
- I'm not too sure I understand why/how male lead and female lead fall in love. Why does he suddenly like her? Why does she suddenly like him? The "falling in love" part isn't really well-written (though, the rest also isn't that great).
- Third wheels are SO annoying (and cliché, of course, but at this point take it for granted). I'm still confused as to why these unbearable, can't-take-no-for-an-answer second leads are still a thing.
- Secondary couple isn't all that interesting.
- The dubbing is HORRID. I heard they had to change the script post-production, so they probably didn't have the choice, but it's really frustrating to see that the audio doesn't match the video (what people are saying).

THE ACTING
Mmm...Decent, from the OTP, but subpar from others. Not that bad that it'll ruin your experience of the drama, though!

THE MUSIC
Okay, I'd say! Nothing I'd listen to now that the drama is over, but it was better than in some other dramas!

REWATCH VALUE
Eh...moderate. I won't say low because I can see myself searching for some clips of the OTP on YouTube one of those days. Sometimes you just need a dose of fluff romance. I really doubt I'll watch the whole drama again, though.

Leia Mais

Who is the second couple?

This was not worth watching. Even thought I liked the main couple chemistry, the story did them DIRTY. I get clichés, I love them, but those accidental kisses were way to much to tolerate. Not to mention that the male lead has some trust issues.

The second male lead is really annoying, but even the villain got a better ending (what was his ending actually?).

The second couple was the most unsympathetic I've ever seen. So unsympathetic that I don't even know their names or story, I literally skipped every single scene, even the dialogues between the male lead and this dude, because their storyline was so so so boring I couldn't handle.

I'm going to avoid mentioning the small things that bothered me (like the fl not helping her friend with the store and NOT GIVING HER A RAISE LIKE WTF SHE ASKED MILLION TIMES), but I pretty much didn't like anything, so I wouldn't recommend.

The main couple have some cute moments tho.

Leia Mais

Kinda cliche story. Kinda cliche characters.

Kinda cliche story. Kinda cliche characters.

I've seen the same contract marriage but the characters fall in love thing about 1348274 times, but when I started watching it, it had been a while since I had watched any drama so I thought I should give it a try. Overall, I rate it a 6/10. There isn't anything profound about the plot. There was too much screen time on the 2nd couple that didn't add ANY substance to the main storyline. However, I really liked the chemistry between the main leads. Also, 2nd male lead was pretty hot though. That was mainly the reason I watched the whole thing, also because I liked Ran Xiwei, though Mo Zixin stopped appearing after like episode 15 or something and Ran Xiwei seemed to have no personality other than trying to break Sichen and Xixi apart. It's clear from the beginning that it's the guy that actively pursues the girl, which I really liked, but at some point, he just becomes way too much of a simp and it gets unbearable sometimes. I really liked the music though. Watching it 1 time through is enough if you can tolerate how much Sichen simps.

Leia Mais

Perfect romance & sizzling chemistry will make you overlook the cliche’s

Is this some boring drama full of clichés that I’ll regret watching? Or is it a sweet fluffy romcom with a sizzling romance I’ll love? The reviews seem very divided on this one. I put off watching it for a long time due to some of the reviews and comments. After watching it I completely understand where people are coming from. I’ll just say this, if you absolutely live for really romantic dramas with lots of kisses and skinship where the romance is done perfectly, you’ll love this drama. But if you hate clichés, you expect more out of a drama than just romance, and you’re not into laidback slice of life type dramas, then you should skip this one.

The romance in this drama is done perfectly. There’s no insta love. They get to know each other over time and slowly fall in love. They have a healthy relationship and trust each other. And when issues pop up they actually talk to each other instead of making assumptions. Their chemistry is on fire and there’s lots of real kisses and skinship too. I also like that the female lead isn’t your typical shy scared of intimacy type of female like you normally see in dramas. Once they get together neither of them are shy about expressing their feelings physically. Even though this drama is full of clichés the romance had a lot of characteristics that were very unique like the healthy relationship, great communication, no silly misunderstandings and no breakups. I found the romance to be very touching and memorable.

The male lead is more complex than he seems at first glance. He has a really nice dad but his mom was overly strict with him when raising him. She even threw away any toys he got overly attached to saying emotional attachments make us weak. Anytime he really liked something she got rid of it. So the male lead believes that the more you like something the more likely you are to lose it. Therefore he refrains from getting emotionally attached to anyone or anything. He’s become this cold distant CEO whose world revolves around the business he created. So when circumstances call for him to marry the female lead in order to secure a huge partnership his company really needs, he doesn’t hesitate to enter into a contract marriage with her. He’s not a naturally cold person, he was just raised to distrust feelings of any sort. So on one hand you see this smart mature man that is very smooth and confident. Then on the other hand you see this petty jealous man child that doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings because he’s emotionally stunted. I loved his complexity and enjoyed watching his character grow and mature as he eventually accepted his feelings and learned how to deal with them.

The female lead is a very strong feisty woman that doesn’t let anything hold her back. She’s very smart, stands up for herself, and always has a comeback to anyone that harasses her. I like her spunk. And even though the male lead criticizes her intelligence in the beginning, when she helps him solve a crisis at work he finally acknowledges her intellect. I’ve always liked a smart sassy female lead so I definitely liked her character. And even though she was constantly being saved, they never portrayed her as being dumb or helpless. When she was being setup she was smart enough to record the encounter. She always made sure a friend was nearby for help too. So her needing saving had no bearing on her intelligence, it’s just that things don’t always go as planned. But overall I liked her character and was rooting for her the whole time.

So if the drama was so great, why didn’t I give it a perfect 10? Well as you’ve probably heard, it has a ton of clichés. Like a lot. The second female lead has an unrequited love for the male lead and constantly attacks the female lead. Then you have the typical second male lead that is in love with the female lead. There’s also tons of falling into each other’s arms and accidentally kissing between the main leads too. So I had to take a full point off because of the clichés. I took another point off for the storyline, or I guess the lack of one. There’s really not much to this drama except the romance. They really don’t go much into the female leads design business nor the male leads company. There isn’t any past trauma to heal from or evil antagonist out to take over the business or get revenge. It’s just basically a love story about the main leads lives and how they overcome a lot of obstacles to find their happiness together.

But for some reason despite the problems I had with this drama, I really liked it. I liked how perfectly they did the romance. I loved a lot of the characters, especially the male leads grandma. Her shenanigans in trying to push the main leads together was too cute. Her little giggles every time she pulled a fast one on them had me laughing. She really did want them to be together and was their biggest supporter. And even though I hate evil second leads that cause problems and misunderstandings, nothing really bad happened. The second female lead was a bully but she never tried to physically harm the female lead or ruin her. She just did stupid little irritating things. Fortunately, they were all resolved very quickly. And I loved that the male lead saw right through her and confronted her on it. And he made it clear he would never be interested in her romantically. And when the second female lead said she was the better choice because she could help the male lead in his business ventures, I loved his response. He said; “You don’t understand love. Love isn’t like a business deal. It’s not an equal exchange. Even if she does nothing for me and I do everything for her I’m happy to do so because I love her. Love isn’t about what the other person can do for you it’s about doing things for them because you want them to be happy. Because if they are happy then you’re happy. That’s what love is, that’s it.” The drama was so touching that I ended up adding a half point back and giving it an 8.5. And if I rewatch it a lot and it becomes one of those dramas I just can’t forget I may bump up the score even higher. We will just have to see.

In conclusion, it’s a drama you’ll either love or hate depending on your preferences. Some love it because of the epic romance. Others just can’t get past all of the cliches. I say the cliches aren’t that bad because of the main leads superb chemistry and the great acting. I’m a sucker for a romance where the leads have a healthy relationship with good communication, no breakups, amazing chemistry, lots of kisses, and tons of skinship. So if you’re a romance addict like me you’ll love it. If you’re wanting more than romance and hate cliches you might want to skip this one. But as far as I’m concerned this was a great drama. It was far from perfect but I found it very touching.

Leia Mais

WORTH A WATCH!!

Saw many bad reviews but glad I gave this a try!

This became my top favorite China drama! No regrets watching this, every episode has me wanting more!

Love love contractual marriages where the guy ultimately fell for the girl HARD.

I love how this drama doesn't give unnecessary drags when they argue.

CEO - Yin Sicheng is really that dream guy that every girl wants. How I wish I could meet such a guy in my life too.... He's so so so super duper sweet please, he knows the right time to kiss. Every single time where their faces are so close to each other, honestly if I were the girl, I would fall for him so hard. And he SMILES - gosh don't get me started on that. He smiles because of her and that's all it matters.

Gu Xixi - Love it when the main girl in the drama is actually doing things, like she's not living off her rich husband. She wants to achieve her dreams on her own despite having such strong support that she can use to achieve them, but she did not. She's so cute when she whines and the main lead has no choice but to give in to it every time.

Fei Ang - Sicheng's secretary. Please give this man a drama on its own. He's so funny and he understands Sicheng so well.

Overall, give this drama a try if you love watching sweet, romantic, and comedic dramas.

Leia Mais

Because of this, I want to be married already haha

General insights:
This drama is not perfect like every drama, it has some flaws but still, I have enjoyed, loved, laughed, and crazy for it, And i felt so much butterflies from it. You, you, you, watch the show now or else, you will miss a great show.

Some minimal production flaws:
Clothing are ok but they have some mistakes like, they cloth suddenly changed at the same scene.
Repeating clothes is normal but sometimes in the drama, they have repeated the clothes they used from yesterday

Things I don't like:
Mr. Mo is my greatest dislike in this drama, he has a perfect and good character but the most annoying for me, most especially towards the Main couple.
- they showed all his help for the girl but they put the help of Mr. Yin hidden like they will only say he helped her after it is done (just from the beginning tho)
- They made the girl wet to SML everytime she had problems because she thinks that he is mor inclined with art than Mr. Yin but at the end, Mr. Yin always have the better solution. But they keep repeating that the girl still goes to Mr. Mo for help.
- At first when they aren;t official Mr. Mo's help is just fine but then when they are already official this Mr. Mo still appearing so much, they should put him some distance from Gu xixi.
I hate the competition between Mr. Mo and our Charming Mr. Yin, they are already official why would they compete like that (even if they made it funny, but for me, it;s a NO)
Why would a guy enter a couple's house giving a bubble tea and flower knowing that he has a husband who will take care of her(and he is already rejected so WHY?), He already have seen that her husband made a bubble tea already why would he still give them to Gu xixi.
I guess the only thing I hated is about Mr. Mo ahahahha but yes, I would give this review a 10/10 if not because of him.
Well I dont like Ran Xiwei but that's ok because, if she's not here then there would be no story.

Things I like:
I love Gu Xixi, she's so pretty. She can pull of every dress and clothes.
I like the expressions and reactions of Mr. Yin, his smile is charming and his simple eyes is attractive.
I felt a lot of butterflies with their interactions, so much.
For me who have watched a hundred of Cdramas already(I started watching cdrama last year only , 2020), many Kdramas, few Thaidramas and some Jdramas. I can say that secretaries are the best haha, they solve a lot of problems for the main couple and that's cool.
I love the grand mother off course, she is the no. fun of GuYin couple. hehe
I love the family of the guy, they support their love, especially when they gave umbrella and baseball bat to Xixi for defense to those that will attack her, haha.
I love how the secretary, friends, and Xixi's bff reacts when they suddenly kisses all the time haha.
I love how Mr. Yin stand firm his love to Xixi infront of everyone, to his mother, to his long time friend, and to the media. I want to protect my future wife like him hehe

To finalise my review, I love this drama so I will highly recommend it to everybody.

Leia Mais

A me i clichè piacciono

Sono una di quelle persone a cui i clichè piacciono molto e li difendo, ma il tutto deve essere ben costruito e ben recitato altrimenti STOP! Questo drama ci è riuscito nella maggior parte. La coppia principale per me è da 10, la seconda da poco più che sufficiente; diciamo pure che non mi ha entusiasmata, ma la prima ha tutto il mio cuore. Adoro quando gli attori sono talmente bravi da farmi provare le loro stesse emozioni, adoro quando sono in imbarazzo per loro e stoppo la visione perchè ho "paura" per la reazione dell'altro o perchè mi vergogno di quello che fanno XD
Ogni tanto mi piace immergermi in questi drama non originali, ma che mi fanno provare emozioni!

Leia Mais

cliché,but i loved it!

there's really nothing new here,the story itself is cliché..but you know,there is something here that makes you want to keep going..and that is the main leads!this soooo adorable,sweet and funny that i absolutely would recommend to people like me,who likes to watch light and fluffy dramas!

yin sichen is the opposite of the ml's i like.he's overbearing and narcissistic,but for some reason it didn't really affect me,like other overbearing presidents i've seen..maybe bcs he's hella hot??lol...his character development is great!he went from an arrogant guy who dislikes the idea of having an affection to an adorable,clingy and childish husband who makes sure that he gives out his best on protecting his wife.His little smile,is my everything!he is soooo cute

tbh,i did not feel anything special fro gu xixi before..although i can sense that she is smart from the start..as i watch her more,i started liking her more and more!you can see that she is independent and works hard to achieve her own dreams.Despite her kindness,she does not let anyone belittle her.I love how she got classier in the later episodes,she did really feel like that nice rich lady..

both of the leads had flaws,but as the time goes by,the started learning from each other and make a better version of themselves.they make sure to give each other a better result before making their own sacrifices and give out all their support to their partner..they are really one of the most adorable couples i've watch!

the second couple was ok,their story wasn't something new,and was not my cup of tea,they weren't as enjoyable as the first cp,but when they got together,it got actually better for me..

things that i dislike....everything about the sfl.i don't think i have to mention the things she did cause this type is very cliche lol,although i am glad that they didn't do that cheesy forgiving the evil sfl who tried ruining their life,cause i would absolutely hate that!as for the sml,he was actually ok.he did not do anything that would affect both of the leads..what didn't like about him is that,he's everywhere!when fl needs help,he's there!i glad that he actually gave up after he got rejected,but still tries to help fl,but as a friend..

overall,it was super enjoyable,despite of it being cliche..the ending was very beautiful!i really really like it <3

Leia Mais

Couldn't stop watching despite how bad it is.

Tropey, cliché, etc.
High cringe factor.
Great chemistry in lead couple.
Rubbish side characters.
Zero interest in secondary couple.
Unlikeable love rivals.
Fab mums (and one dad and grandma).

The show is mostly held together by the ML's acting. FL is a quick thinker and only annoying when acting "cute".

Wasn't even a feast of fashion either, considering the theme of the show. Horrible back lighting in many scenes.

Despite this, I still enjoyed the experience though because it stirred up a lot of conversation about why we like to watch these shows. Simple fluff.
I will probably rewatch with skipping if only just to count how many times they accidentally trip kiss.

Leia Mais