Cast:
Hu Ge as Xu Ran
Tang Yan as Tang Qi Qi
Roy Qiu as Wei Xiao
Dong Xuan as Feng Lu Fei
Van Fan as Jiang Dong
Qi Wei as Ye Rou
Chang Chih as Cui Da Bing
Yumiko Cheng as Xiong Jia Jie
Liu Hui as Mr. Tang
Li Tao as Jian Dan
Gao Lei as Zhao Ning
Xu Zhen Xi as Zhang Da Yu
Genre:
Drama, Romance
Plot:
Eight years ago Xu Ran watched as his girlfriend died in his arms, his company’s ideas exploited and stolen by a mysterious organization existing only in the shadows. Eight years later Xu Ran is once again at the peak of his career. His mind is as sharp as ever and his ability to think ahead and get things done has made him very successful at his new company. Just at this moment the shadowy organization once again intervenes in his life and threatens to take away all that he has regained. Alongside him in his fight against the mystery organization is Wei Xiao, a seemingly cold-hearted and aloof policeman.
Still unable to forget his ex-girlfriend, Xu Ran meets Tang Qi Qi, a plain and simple girl with no dream and no plans for the future. Her kind and naive personality get her in trouble at her work place and also with random strangers. One of those strangers is Xu Ran, whom Qi Qi finds passed out on the side of a stone path. Thus begins their relationship, which is tested by the appearance of Feng Lu Fei, the daughter of the head of an enormous business empire.
A battle of wits and risks emerges as the different people around Xu Ran try to bring him down, the mysterious organization and also his once good friend Jiang Dong. Will Xu Ran fall in love with the normal and caring Tang Qi Qi or the ambitious princess Lu Fei? Will Xu Ran be pushed off his throne once again and reduced to nothing once again? Who is this mysterious organization and what are their plans?
Review:
I would like to say right off the bat that I enjoyed this drama a lot, but I still found certain elements lacking. The acting was great by most of the cast and the music was great but I felt that the story took a turn for the worse halfway through. The drama started out on a strong footing and got my interest quickly, but I didn’t really like how the story progressed. That is not to say that I did not like this drama. There were some really great parts and there were a lot of different themes covered through the interactions between the characters and also their struggles to get along with each other.
Almost every character in the drama undergoes a huge transformation. Sometimes it is not noticeable but if you think back to the previous episodes you will realize that nearly every major character changed in someway. The story covers great insight into class struggles between the rich and poor, the dreams of the working class, and also importance of making choices and accepting the consequences.
Let me talk a little about the different players in this drama. First off Xu Ran, played by Hu Ge, was a very dynamic character. I did not pay too much attention to him, but it was easy to see that he had to fill a variety of roles, which he accomplished. He is the protagonist of the show and supposedly very intelligent and charismatic, though imperfect in other aspects such as when interacting with others. Tang Qi Qi was the character who worked out for me the least in my mind. I felt her character was a bit unbelievable and many times the things she did or thought seemed a bit too carved out simply to drive the story of the drama. Ye Rou and Wei Xiao were by far some of the best performances in the drama. Roy was able to capture the unique personality of Wei Xiao and Qi Wei also captured Ye Rou perfectly. I felt the two really played the roles that were given to them and had great chemistry as well. The character of Cui Da Bing had the most humorous role of them all. He did a wonderful job as the oppressive superior. The character of Jiang Dong really seemed to grab the essence of the perfect nemesis. Many times I’d try to read into his character and just when I seemed to think he had finally changed for the better I find that he once again slides into his role as the antagonist very well. Quick props to Li Tao and Yumiko for also playing great support roles and helping to set the mood for the whole drama. Li Tao as the secretary Jian Dan really portrayed some of the darkness of human nature, however in the end we find that it is the environment in which they live in that causes them to act as they do.
In conclusion I must say I really did like how the drama started out. There is an abundance of character development and a lot of great scenes, but I felt that the drama lacked a lot in the development between Tang Qi Qi and Xu Ran. The majority of their scenes were probably just misunderstandings or tense feelings. There were not enough moments between the two of them to really let me feel their connection. There is excessive use of alcohol but then again lots of movies and dramas have that. I definitely found the side stories much more engrossing than the overall direction of the drama. About halfway through the primary drive of the story kind of loses its footing and we become lost for a bit. Then all of a sudden the organization comes rumbling in again for the finish line. I think some parts of the drama lost track of proper drive and got caught up in many mini stories.
I recommend that you do check out at least the first third of the drama, and if that leaves you curious as to the ending then by all means finish the drama. If the first few episodes don’t interest you then the last few probably will make you hate the drama.
Rating:
3.9/5.0
Everything Drama 