REVIEW: A Little Thing Chosen First Love [C-drama]

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Rating: 3 out of v stars

Re-spotter value: 1 out of 5 stars

Synopsis

*From DramaList*

Tells the story of an ordinary daughter who falls head over heels for the most popular guy in school.Xia Miao Miao is a shy, artistic pupil who develops a shell on a handsome, talented classmate and embarks on a journey of self-discovery through college. Because ofLiang Yous Nian, Xia Miao Miao decides to brand a change. Through the assistance of her friends, she starts to acquire about fashion, join school clubs, and studies hard to raise her grades. Her ordinary life condign more colorful by the solar day. Based onStart Love, also known asCrazy Lilliputian Thing Called Love, a 2010 Thai romantic comedy picture.

Ramblings

*beware of spoilers*

I'll start past saying I'll go on this one brusk! My terminal rambling went way likewise long, and I don't want to make it the habit of writing 1,600-discussion reviews. Yikes.

A Little Affair Called Beginning Lovereminded me of the infamousUgly Betty (in all its forms, both Castilian and English shows), likewise as the Chinese high school-to-college dramaUnrequited Love (which is besides very proficient, I highly recommend watching that one).

The principal character develops a full-blown crush on a popular boy in school, but considering she has such a shy personality and an appearance that's—permit'southward just say she's not to her fullest potential, the romance stays one-sided until the boy wakes upwards and realizes she's perfect.

Just similar Ugly Betty, Miao-miao has a gradual transformation. Her hair starts out shoulder-length and curly—it's a terrible wig, only whatever. Her complexion begins nighttime, tanned from the sunday, and her teeth are discolored and crooked. Oh, and of course, she has glasses.

In the end, she transforms into a beautiful butterfly. Her obnoxiously curly hair and comically brusque bangs get relaxed into lovely long waves and tasteful side bangs (episode 22). Her complexion is whitened with the overt help of some skincare product. (Side note: the skincare production placements in this bear witness were A LOT.) She gets braces, which sadly and unrealistically took all of ii episodes. As someone who lived with braces for two years, information technology hurt my pride to see such a banal portrayal of wearing braces. Go full Betty! Wear braces for YEARS. And lastly, she wears contacts and then undergoes Lasik surgery to ditch the glasses.

I'll dwell on the transformations for a 2d because you're sort of waiting for them as the bear witness progresses. Miao-miao undergoes near of these changes of a sudden and as a upshot of someone spouting negative comments at her appearance. I don't know if this is a expert thing or a bad thing. Certain, you lot'd beloved for a character to exist proactive near bettering themselves and making big changes because they want to. But it's realistic that Miao-miao was more reactive. Someone talks about her kleptomaniacal teeth, and then she finally gets braces—in fact, she drags her female parent to the orthodontist instead of the other way effectually, as earlier the dirty annotate, she didn't desire to get braces at all! And after that witch of a roommate talks shit about her dark skin, Miao-miao'southward younger sister buys her decent skincare to remedy the outcome. Afterwards a douchebag wannabe film director berates her for messing up a scene due to her being unable to run into in front end of her without her glasses, it gives her the push she needs to go through with Lasik.

I get it. These are things nobody wants to hear, but they can inspire alter. They're all hateful, bullying comments in service of conventional beauty standards, but did they brand Miao-miao happier? Sure, I retrieve they did. Therefore, I think ultimately, no thing how she got in that location, it was worth it. Hither, the terminate justifies the ways.

There was an ballsy dear triangle at one signal, and I wasn't mad at it. I loved how "bad male child" Lin Kai-tuo didn't become the girl, but the mild-mannered, gentle, sugariness boy is the one for her. Miao-miao had such a sweet spirit, it was heartwarming to see Liang You-nian be sweet right dorsum to her.

I appreciated that while Miao-miao was shy, she didn't accept whatever trouble asserting herlack of feelings for a couple of boys who tried to shoot their shot. When drunk Lin Kai-tuo practically screams at her that he likes her and she just says "merely I don't like you." Wicked. Merely the side by side day he's sober and he approaches her once again. She's then calm and well-spoken, giving him an out if only he took it. No, he essentially stands by what he said in his drunken state. So she says this zinger: "Fine, if you're serious about it, I'll reject you lot again seriously." OMG! Yaasssss.

Speaking of Lin Kai-tuo, I could accept done without the entire subplot of his biological begetter being a debt-ridden gambler who refuses whatsoever contact with Kai-tuo for fearfulness of gangster debt collectors harassing him for money. It was so platitude and unnecessary. Episode 24 was one big eye-scroll for a specific logistical reason. Kai-tuo's dad falls into a scenic lake, and he jumps in as if information technology'south a life and decease emergency. Both men obviously look similar they're in shallow water but were somehow having trouble staying afloat. Then all of a sudden Kai-tuo and his dad were in the heart of the lake?? It was a contrived manner to bring Kai-tuo and his dad AND Kai-tuo and Y'all-nian together, since they reconciled their friendship after You-nian saves both dudes. It was dumb. I didn't care for it.

The romance betwixt Miao-miao and You-nian was irksome. And I do mean boring. I kept getting frustrated at the loads of missed opportunities to accelerate their romantic human relationship and go things more than physical. You-nian picks her upwardly from her Lasik surgery and she cannot see. Nothing happens betwixt them. Healmost holds her mitt but then she ends up holding his shirt? The show cuts to the adjacent day as if there wasn'tannihilation elsethat could have happened betwixt the two? You're kidding me, right? Or unexpectedly running into each other at the lighthouse during the festival and then lighting sparklers together. These are manufactured moments that weren't utilized at all. And the 1 and just kiss that they shared? Withal humid mad about that. The showrunners decided to have a column of balloons block the camera and swirl colors where our leads should be having their first kiss—then no, we don't even run across them kiss.

I will say that their suspension-up scene at the puddle was one of the meliorate interruption-ups I've seen. At that place'due south nothing like a male atomic number 82 refusing to articulate the air and communicate that gets things to bubble upwards. Miao-miao'south impassioned speech about her feeling insecure about his feelings for her and her just waiting for the other shoe to driblet during the entire relationship was stirring. It made full sense, also.

The almost upsetting part of this show was hands-down when the bitch roommate slut shamed Miao-miao on the online campus bulletin lath and all the girls do to retaliate is make her consume fatty junk nutrient snacks. BYE.

I'chiliad going to wrap this upward by saying this show wasn't exactly satisfying, merely I did enjoy the characters. I enjoyed the innocence of information technology. And ultimately, I'm not upset that I watched information technology. Simply if you're looking for some steamy romance or even i with a standard kiss, you'll be sorely disappointed with this.

Did you see A Little Thing Called First Love? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!

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Daebak Strange TV

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