THIS IS FREAKING GOOD... Not typical C-drama... NO REGRET FROM START TO END
This drama is totally a new and feel fresh among typical C-drama... The script, the cinematography, OSTs, The Casts, the chemistry between leads everything are so perfect. Love every details...... Give big claps to scriptwriter and director... they really did a great job for this masterpiece except many many uncut scenes (this is really bad). The leads how they portrayed each characters to fit in, just wow! I can't imagine with Xiao Han and He Ran if not Jerry Yan and Xu Ruo Han pairs... you may think the age gap before you watched... but after you watched it, you won't even remember... Sure you won't regret to watch... 101% Recommended!!!Esta resenha foi útil para você?
You don't come by something like this everyday❤
Binged it within 2days, and now I'm a whole mood.? The drama got me exactly where it wanted me to be, from the opening sequence to the ending, it has been such a visceral, bittersweet experience and a celebration about the soft underbelly of humans, about basic desire, about life. It was naive and simple most of the time, and was deep for the exact same reason. I really applaud the entire cast and crew for doing this project.It didn't always make sense, but it didn't have to, either. Such is life. Sometimes you realise when you are overly critical of stories and character dynamics it is actually your own prejudice speaking, that you think only your moral standards are valid and noone else's. It is not easy to unlearn that, and to just lie back and listen to the story that the other side has so generously decided to share with you, faults, fragmented and all. It is very freeing and that's what this drama was to me~ it broadened my scope in lots of ways than not.
It was 99% vibes, 1% plot story with tenderhornysad feelings and with amazing kaleidoscopic camera language, don’t miss it!
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Female lead doesnt have considerate emotions
He ran was selfish , It actually happened a while ago also in the series when he ran became insensitive to her mother , when her mother was crying to let her set free from the pain and agony of her husband's death , she had the choice to choose another man , but he ran humiliated her badly and didnt support her mother .in the same way that in the end she called him to wait for her , she didnt understand the tragedy of survivors who have the face the sorrow of their lovers death. She also hid the fact of her anaemia for a long time from him .Esta resenha foi útil para você?
رغبت بمشاهدته مره اخرى وقد شاهته بعد شهر ولا ازال ارغب بمشاهدته مره اخرى انه حقا مذهل اعتقد انني بعد مشاهدت هذه الدراما احببت حقا ان بكوه فارق العمر بين الشخصيات الرئيسة كبير لا اعلم حقا ماذا اقول لكن المر يتطلب ٥٠٠ حرف لكتابه هذه المراجعه ولكن انا حقا اعتقد ان هذه الدراما مظلومه من قبل المشاهدات
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The chemistry is through the roof!
I started watching this drama after being recommended to check it out and I was instantly hooked.This really is a drama straight away goes into the main couples romance. There is quite a big age gap between FL and ML and I'm not gonna deny that it is really noticable. Not only is the FL playful and bold with her flirting, but ther were a few moments where I felt that if FL would have been older, she wouldn't have acted as immature. Whats lacking in the storyline is nonetheless covered by the chemistry between the leads and it is sizzling with passion. There are ALOT of montages where nothing happens in general in the drama (like the main leads just walking around in different clothes) and some plotlines are really inconsistent regarding timing and reality. The whole drama consists probably around 50% of just watching long edited montages of the main actors without any plot and just music, flowers or staring into some corner.
The music, although being quite repetitive, is really good (in my opinion) with a oldschool tropical song that is fantastic (It's the band Grasshopper and the song is called Half Heart or 半點心) and a few ballad songs that are dramatic and where the lyrics goes well with the plotline.
It is quite obvious how all the other characters have been written around the romantic main lead. Towards the latter part of the drama, the melodrama really takes of and everything gets more tangled than it needs to be. In the last few episodes, we start to see more scenes about the FLs mother and the story suddenly starts to shift towards her love story with a younger man in comparison to her daughter (the FL) who has a romance with an older man.
Regarding the open ending, there is an extra scene after the final credits that can be interpreted in different ways.
Honestly, I did not like the ending and feel like it is muddy and unclear.
SPOILER!!
Towards the end, FL who has been slightly sickly suddenly deteriorates and has a health obstacle that leaves the viewer with an open ending. The FL who has had jealous tendencies throughout the story comes off as extremely incompassionate towards her lover when she selfishly declares that he cannot move on if she passes away. The post-credit scene in my opinion is just an imagination or them meeting in the afterlife. Some viewers have expressed that they will interpret the ending as happy because it is just so sad if not.
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Unwatchable
A 50 year old man romancing a 20 something year old woman in the most groom like way possible. It's was the most disgusting watch I have ever encountered. The actress looks extremely repulsed by him hence why there is no chemistry whatsoever. The only good thing about this drama is the music selection. Everything else is a huge wtf!!! They try to sell it as love / romance but what this was really is an very old man lusting over a girl that could be his daughter. One must be truly mentally unwell to like this kind of relationship.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Stunning Visuals Can't Mask Shallow Plot
I really get confused when it comes to the rating of any Cdrama. I haven't watched many but the majority I found rating should be at least 1.5 points less. this drama is no different. the only good thing here is super sexy Jerry Yan, oh yes also the cinematography. I am halfway, and now keeping it on hold as it's very boring. I will complete it sometime later but now I can't keep it going anymore.Positive Aspects:
1. Jerry Yan's charismatic performance.
2. Impressive cinematography.
3. Beautiful locations, especially scenes on top of the mountain.
Negative Aspects:
1. Lack of character development.
2. Shallow relationships and lack of depth.
3. Absence of chemistry between the leads.
4. FL's lack of likability and depth.
5. Missing backstory and logic behind character actions.
6. Supporting characters' dullness. (though there aren't any significant ones)
7. There is no intriguing story, just some sexual tension between two leads that runs on for half of the drama.
Overall Assessment:
The drama falls short in various aspects. While it excels in visuals and Jerry Yan's performance, it lacks character development, relationship depth, and chemistry between the leads. The main female character's lack of likability and depth can be attributed to weak writing. The supporting characters also fail to engage the viewer. The drama's potential might have been better realized in a shorter format like a 2-hour movie rather than a series.
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Why is the rating so high?
I was super excited about another Jerry Yan series. I haven't watched anything recent of his so I was excited when this show was airing. Sadly, my excitement died down and I could not digest what I was watching. It's slow...like super slow. A story about a young girl falling in love with a mysterious man. I'm in 6 episodes and I'm sick of the long scenes of Jerry Yan looking hot. In my head, I'm playing behind the scenes of him crackling up as they film these.I read an article that the directors were fans of his since Meteor Garden. I felt this was just a fan girl directing a fan service show. I had the impression that this was meant for them to reminisce about him during those years, especially his headband...he wore a lot of headbands during MG. And those slow supposedly sexy scenes of him... I was laughing the entire time. I think they were trying to make him look good but I couldn't help but shake my head.
The FL was very disappointing. For someone young and daring and wanting to fall in love I didn't sense that. Instead, I felt she was like a little girl just curious about a mysterious man. Also, another disappointment that I was rolling my eyes at half the time was the foreshadowing of her having cancer or some sort of sickness and was going to die soon. It is SLOW and BORING. I wouldn't recommend it even if you like Jerry. Dropping this series.
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Don’t waste your time. Bad pairing for main CP. Jerry Yan is so bad in this drama
I think Jerry Yan is too old to match with xử Rou Hàn in this drama. I understand it is a forbidden love between middle aged man and a younger, but their onscreen chemistry was horrible.The story is so slow and draggy. I watched 6 episodes and I can no longer continue with it.
I wish Jerry Yan acts in better role that fit his age, something with mature relationship. Perhaps play a divorcée or widow dad, instead of RomCom where he is teaming up with actresses half his age.
Don’t waste your time with this drama in my opinion, and the supporting cast is also horrible, especially the mom.
Too bad, I really like the FL in Perfect and Casual with Miles Wei, a better pairing. I am dropping it and give it a 3.0 rating.
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He Ran character is childish
I started hating He Ran the moment she talked against her mom. When she wants someone in her life, whats wrong with her mom looking for a new man in her life? She is simply drooling over someone without contributing anything... She has no self respect except when she talk against her mom. Except Heran's character, i even love the character of the care taker.I dont know how believing someonw who we know just for days over our parents. Is this a culture the youngsters would love to follow?
Just create a romance story without degrading a mom.
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"I would rather live freely for ten days than live against my own will for 10 years."
These words were spoken by Zhou Zi Shu in Word of Honor (2021), which happens to be one of my all time favorite Chinese dramas. I wonder what he would have had to say to He Ran had they ever met.Though coming from two completely different spheres of dramaland, I think this sentence captures the essence of The Forbidden Flower/Summer Flower/Xia Hua, which follows the rich and talented daughter of a late renowned painter, He Ran, who despite having everything, has gone through several dark days.
Still reeling from the after effects of a deadly illness, 20 year old He Ran is sheltered and cut off from the outside world by her overbearing and overprotective mother, Mrs. Qiu, who has assigned a nanny to watch over her for 24/7.
While managing to sneak out and enjoy bits of a free life, she is enticed by the voice of a stranger at a Hair Salon, whom she only knows by his assigned No. 33. It's unbelievable, but He Ran finds an excuse to escape her gloomy existence - find No.33 again.
Xiao Han, the owner of the said voice, is a man years past his youthful days, but that does not stop He Ran from pursuing him.
She cautiously probes for information about him from what she could gather within the first two episodes, before beginning a full blown onslaught to realize her vision. This part in particular was hilarious and slightly disconcerting to watch. Xiao Han, the object of her attentions yeets himself away from his own home to escape her shenanigans.
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I want to rate this drama a 7, but I invested too much time into this to end it in such an unholy manner.
Now… I will begin by writing down a few observations/random details/caveats first from what I gathered:
1.This is an age-gap drama based on an already existing novel 'He Stands in the Gorgeous Summer Flowers (他站在夏花绚烂里) by Tai Hou Gui Lai.
I 'google translate' read 90% of the novel and I 100% prefer the drama. There are some quite distinct changes in characterization and the live adaptation adds real depth to the two dimensional versions I read about. Or maybe things got lost in translation.
I've noticed that contemporary Chinese dramas often surpass their novel counterparts and this drama is no exception.
2. And judging by the number of watchers it has, I think the age-gap tag scared away most of the viewers. And I'm 100% sure that this drama is a success partly because Jerry Yan looks like he did 20 years ago - not to mention that he has almost the exact same hairstyle from his Dao Ming Si days. Both Xu Ruo Han and Jerry Yan just fit together so well into their characters and I barely noticed that there was an age gap between them. Age-gap doesn't matter to me as long as the characters are brought to life.
3. I highly suspect that multiple script changes or scenes were shot. There are times that scenes black out and cut off jarringly. Some of the dialogues were never mentioned, yet we later hear the characters speak about it. There are certain scenes from the trailer which are never shown. And the additional behind the scenes footage (aside from the intimate ones) sort of solidifies the point.
The opening scene itself seems to have selected a different shot instead of the one which we see in EP8. (There is a minor flashback.)
Moreover, this is definitely "NOT" an S-Class drama from my assumptions. It had only 30 minutes per episode.
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The warm fuzzies:
● The Scenery: the whole drama is a visual feast. Every scene is shot beautifully. It's worth watching it just for that alone. Plenty of money seems to have been spent on camera and lighting and location and flowers and painting.
● The Cast: Every single actor played their part to a tee. I loved how Xu Ruo Han in particular portrayed two different sides of He Ran - the one when she is not genuinely interested in something and the other side of her which she reveals to Xiao Han alone.
Xiao Han, a man content with being isolated and loves the peace and quiet of the plants, was a joy to watch. I loved how he looked like he was regretting every decision he made after meeting He Ran during the first 8 episodes. We slowly see him give up and just give in to her demands and by the 10th episode, we are aware of why he shelters himself from everyone. Jerry Yan absolutely served justice to his character.
Their chemistry together was just too sweet and easy on the eyes. I did not find the age gap annoying.
The mother was another well acted character - - atleast I think so. If she was meant to depict a broken yet muddled woman, she definitely did the part well. Supporting characters such as Pan Zi and even Han Yu showed the contrast between He Ran and her 'hidden friends'.
● The Soundtrack: My favorite is "The One'' by Vivian Loh. Had the opening scene begun with Lucid Dream, I don't think I would've been pulled in as intensely as I had.
Plus, there were several songs played throughout that just makes certain scenes indelible. Summer by Nicki Lee is one of my newfound favorite songs, thanks to this drama.
Some other favorites:
● Heartbeat by Vivian Loh.
● Mine by Vivian Loh.
● The Characters: they are the reason I stuck till the very end, regardless of how depressing or happy it was going to be.
Han Yu was one character who made me laugh everytime he came on screen. Not because he was purposefully being oblivious to He Ran's dismissal of his friendship and companionship, but he was also the only one who even bothered to worry whenever He Ran showed signs off sickness.
Xiao Han has several fans, so I'll skip right down to He Ran, whom I absolutely adore. And I feel a bit guilty speaking for her instead of against her.
Several people mentioned how she loves selfishly. Was she selfish? Yes, definitely. But, she loved selflessly too. She put in 100% effort into her relationship, sacrificing everything once she understood that it was worth it.
Her comparing herself to other women and making dangerous promises ticked off several viewers, but I understood where she was coming from. She just wasn't able to wrap her mind around how Xiao Han must've had other women in his life and wondered whether she was meant to be forgotten just like them.
(I once asked my friends who were in a relationship how they could be with their person, knowing he must've liked someone else before them. Someone gave me the exact same answer as Xiao Han's.)
He Ran seems to have the same fear - that she too will be like one of his experiences. If anyone noticed, she is the assertive one in their relationship. She is well aware that she isn't a 'nice' guy.
She just doesn't want to be forgotten like the many people who had crossed Xiao Han's life. Ultimately, we all wish to be remembered by someone in some way.
And as much as I appreciate her character, several times she comes off as unreasonably and dangerously possessive. She barely lets anyone breathe on Xiao Han - there are episodes where we see her push limits and just go bonkers.
Her pursuit of Xiao Han is itself comedic. Xiao Han considers his temporary attraction to her as something he wouldn't obsess over, and He Ran's stalking tendencies is what he deems to be the antics of a young girl who is blinded by her crush. It isn't after a long time, that he finally concludes that she isn't kidding.
Well, He Ran was lucky that it was Xiao Han. And vice versa. Or else this drama would've turned into a crime thriller.
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Now….. somethings make me want to rate this a 6.5 - 7. I settled on 9 [rerated it an 8 when I realized that there were too many filler episodes past EP13] because the drama seems to have been made with serious dedication and effort worthy of a longer drama. Both from the cast and crew. Plus, this is the only time a contemporary setting which is not centered around youth managed to keep me hooked.
● I was unfortunately not invested in He Ran's mom's and Yuan Qi's relationship.
I liked their individual scenes, but I simply did not care to watch their scenes as a couple. More than half of the drama after EP13 focused on them.
● The handling of He Ran's illness. For someone who is cocooned by her mom, it irked me how casually everyone except Han Yu and his aunt were regarding her health. (It was understandable why He Ran had resolved to 'living in the moment'.)
Both of them were more concerned than anyone whenever she appeared weak.
It's mentioned in the first two episodes about her 'follow up' check ups, but then we barely hear about it. Shouldn't it have been stressed on more?
And after Episode 18 or 19, I could not make sense of what was happening. Her diagnosis and prognosis were more positive than negative, then what about her treatment? Shouldn't it be more serious?
It's evident that some things were portrayed more for cinematic value rather than reality.
It might be able to get brushed off in a book, but in an onscreen adaptation with significant changes, it's hard to pass by.
● Last, but never the least. The ENDING. The last time an ending pissed me off so much was Word of Honor.
I could literally see the director teetering over whether to wrap up the drama by staying true to the source novel or to choose happiness over everything. (I've pinned an additional comment on my thoughts about the ending to my review.)
Well, he is a winner, cause I can see four different versions.
With all these complaints, this happens to be the first contemporary Chinese drama after Legally Romance (2022) that I've been patient enough to keep up with in spite of my complaints.
Nevertheless, this drama is one of the most beautiful and romantic ones I've seen to date.
The Queen of the Night blooms very rarely, but it is for this very reason that it's remembered. And maybe that's the same charm 'The Forbidden Flower' exudes.
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Sensual poem of life
There are some movies you watch and your relationship with finishes with the end. Some movies you want to rewatch and remind yourself the vibes or story or actors. and there are another kind of movies you call masterpieces. I believe I will rewatch it in slow tempo to enjoy those beautiful moments as some amazing poem I read during my life to nurture myself with it's beauty.Colour palitra, pace, music, landscapes, eye expressions, sensual touch,amazing visuals even choice of clothes... there are a lot of layers where you gather beauty and healing.. on so many layers you touch your life, you come alive, refresh and fall in love with life.
Just give in your senses and enjoy the . It won't disappoint you.
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