I have been scouting for a story
from Mainland China, and I just happened to be craving something based on young women, and luckily a friend recommended
this fabulous series that I couldn’t stop watching!
“Grit your teeth ‘til you make it through…
Dreams and love, they all belong to you… ”
The Rundown
Behind
the name: The name of the apartment complex that brings the
girls together
Country: China, 2016
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Metropolitan, Drama
Network: Dragon TV, Zhejiang TV
Director: Kong
Sheng, Jian Chuan Su
Writer: Yuan Zi Dan
Cast: Liu Tao (as An Di), Jiang Xin (as Fang Sheng Mei), Wang
Zi Wen (as Qu Xiao Xiao), Qiao Xin (as Guan Ju Er), Yang Zi (as Qiu Ying Ying), Zu Feng 祖峰 (as Qi Dian), Wang Kai (as Doctor
Zhao), Zhang Lu (as Wang Bai Chuan), Zhang Xiao Qian (as Yao Bin), Jin Dong (as Tan Zong Ming)
Compare to: Age of Youth
Hate it or Love
it? Love it!
Synopsis in a Sentence:
Five womens' lives cross paths on
an apartment floor in the Ode to Joy building, and we watch them navigate work,
love and life from the perspectives of a rich spoiled-brat turned business
tycoon, a timid new-entrant employee, a (kind) social climber, a finance guru
and math genius, and a clueless, happy-go-lucky small-town girl trying to make
it in the big city—can they all get along?
On Writing: The Plot
The story is fun and didactic and entertaining and
fabulous! It gives us a unique, modern
window into the lives of different young Chinese women working to make it in
Shanghai and we don’t quite get this perspective often. It also offers
different perspectives and the nuances into the lives of different people.
The plot is layered and we get to see the viewpoints
of people from different walks of life—rich and poor, ambitious and
unmotivated, privileged and not-so-privileged, and everything in between. It
gives us a little think about the clashes between social class and age and
opportunity. A great one!
(4.5/5)
On Acting: The Cast
The actresses and
actors are very well cast! I hear some of them are some of the best from the Mainland
so there’s no surprise here! So we have, from left to right:
 |
| L-R: Wang Zi Wen (as Qu Xiao Xiao), Liu Tao (as An Di), Jiang Xin (as Fang Sheng Mei), Yang Zi (as Qiu Ying Ying), Qiao Xin (as Guan Ju Er) |
(4/5)
On Production: The Creativity
Production is the
weakest link n this one. It’s all right but needs to up its cliff-hanger game.
These are some of the weakest cliff-hangers I’ve seen since I cannot even
remember! Other than that the techniques are quite routine standard so they
quite needed some creativity, and the opening music was… blah. The interesting
thing is that I
(3.5/5)
On Resolution: The
Conclusion
The conclusion is quite the star! The first season
ends wonderfully and we can’t wait to get more of these girls! By the ending,
looks like production learned how to deliver—the end has the best cliff-hanger!
(4.5/5)
The Verdict: A fun, meaningful,
entertaining watch!
Overall Score = 16.5/20
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| The Complete Main Cast |
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