The acting in this drama is absolutely wonderful. First off, you've got the main cast:
- Jerry Yan as Xiang Yu Ping
- Ella Chen as Yang Guo
- Michael Zhang as Qi Ke Zhong (Yu Ping's best friend)
- Chen Zi Han as Ding Hui Fan (Yu Ping's girlfriend of seven years)
- Kelly Huang as Yang Duo
- Ji Xin Ling as Xiang Yu Fei
- Xiao Xiao Bin as Xiang Yu Ting
- Amanda Chou as Xu Yan Ling (Yang Guo's best friend)
Ella Chen also does a wonderful job of making Yang Guo that perfect mix of likable, goofy, heartwarming, and just the tiniest bit dense. She's not stupid really; just a bit naive about certain things. Though she can be a bit annoying at times, it's only very briefly that this happens and she always ends up coming back around to being completely lovable by the end of the episode.
Next, we have Michael Zhang. Qi Ke Zhong is not a character I remember with fondness (because [spoilers]), but I do remember some things about his performance that really impressed me. There are times in the drama where he has to come off as being despicable (again, because [spoilers]), yet we as the audience still can see that he's not really a bad guy. He's just doing horrible things because he's in love with the wrong person and he's willing to do anything to please her. There are times where we have to see that his conscience is twisting inside him and making him feel increasingly bad about what he's doing, and Michael Zhang does an excellent job at that.
Now we come to the person I do not look forward to discussing. I hate, hate, HATE Hui Fan with everything in me. She is the most annoying, clingy, desperate, emotionally dependent woman I have ever seen, in a drama or otherwise. Still, there are some things I suppose I should mention. The actress playing Miss I-Don't-Know-What-I-Want-But-Give-It-To-Me-Anyway is Chen Zi Han. I don't know much about this actress, but I do know that she's good at portraying a character the audience loves to hate. Yes, at times her performance seems pretty over-the-top, sometimes even approaching soap opera levels of dramatic-ness (that's NOT a good thing), but I really think that's pretty on par with what the character is supposed to be. She's supposed to annoy the Dickens out of the audience - and she does just that.
There are a few other performances that merit some attention. Most notable is Kelly Huang as Yang Duo, a woman who is so ridiculously concerned with saving money that she steals condiment packets from a corner market (I'm not kidding). Kelly Huang does a wonderful job of making Yang Duo's character a very tough woman on the outside, but she has her vulnerable moments too. The best part of that is it's not too hammy. Next is Amanda Chou as Yan Ling, Yang Guo's slightly air-headed "romantically inclined" best friend. Yan Ling can be rather annoying, but she is cute and she acts the part of best friend/shoulder-to-cry-on very well. She does manage to get some pretty good comic relief lines throughout the drama as well.
But, of course, I can't write a review of this drama without mentioning the little devils themselves, Yu Fei and Yu Ting. Yu Fei is played by Ji Xin Ling and I don't know how old she was in real life when she did this, but she's supposed to be around ten in this story and she definitely acts like a ten-year-old. Take that for what you will. Yu Ting on the other hand is the cutest thing on two legs. He's played by child star Xiao Xiao Bin, who is the go-to kid for child roles in dramas. Once again, I don't know for sure how old he was when he did this, but he's supposed to be four-ish in the drama and he does a pretty good job for being so young. His role, aside from causing trouble, is mostly that of eliciting a whole chorus of "Awwwww"s from the audience.
But enough about that. What about the writing? In my opinion, this story was very well-written. I don't claim to be the best judge of story quality in the world, but I do know a thing or two about good writing versus crappy writing, and this definitely falls under the former. The pacing is really good except for a couple of minor issues that come up in later episodes. The dialogue is well-written, bringing just the right amount of goofiness into the mix along with the heartwarming (or heart-wrenching, depending on the scene).
But by far what blows me away the most about the writing in this drama is the way the characters all figure together in what transpires throughout the story. Believe you me, I have attempted time and time again to write something along this line of storytelling and I can tell you, it is SO much harder than it looks. The fact that it all flows together so smoothly along with incorporating some trademark Taiwanese silliness into it all just amazes me.
Now comes the part where I warn you. There is only one thing in this drama that I feel I must mention before I recommend this to people. There is quite a lot of talk about homosexuality in this drama. It's pretty well contained to the first half, but still, there is quite a bit of it. Now, my personal opinion about this sort of thing has no bearing on the situation; therefore I shall not state my opinion. I just feel I should state this right up front before the recommendations and closing comments (we're getting there, I promise).
On the upside, however, this drama does have a strong emphasis on family relationships, as well as being able to press through hardship and come out on the other side. There's also a more subtle focus on being who you are and not changing because someone else says you should. This story has a big heart behind it, and I definitely see that coming through the screen.
So, final comments. I just have to say one thing: I love this drama so much. I recommend it to just about anybody. It's so cute and goofy; the characters are wonderfully written and well-played; the story is excellent; and above all, this story definitely has heart to it. If any of that sounds like your cup of tea (heck, even if it doesn't), go watch this drama. You won't be disappointed.
