Conheça a Si Mesma (2023)

An ode to the place where you can breath, heal and belong

This show is so much more than the typical healing drama.

Initially, I have my doubts about its raison d'etre. I’m happy to report that after completing the show, it has exceeded my expectations.

I’m getting ahead of myself, let's do the usual caveats. This show is not for everyone. It is slow, almost meditative in parts. There are only low level angsts and the show avoids high dramas and convoluted plots.

It is set in a village somewhere in Yunnan. The setting is beautiful as well as bucolic, but the village is dying as more and more young people move to the cities to seek their fame and fortunes. However, not everyone is accepting this as a fait accompli.
To see why this show works so well we need to examine three key areas, writing, acting and setting.

It sounds like a broken record doesn't it? In this case, we are presented with a master class in script writing. Do you remember the k-drama Thirty-nine? Top stars, tearjerker, rings a bell? It took that show many episodes to tell roughly the same story that this show managed to do in about 30 minutes. It was no less impactful and, in some ways, more poignant.

Moving forward, we have an eclectic collection of locals and transients. Most are friendly but with varying degree of eccentricities and foibles. The writer doesn't bother to hide the various problems but allow them to play out naturally. It doesn't judge the protagonists nor hand them free passes. Instead, they are allowed to find a place where they can feel connected, supported, while they confront their inner demons and heal. The healing motif is used again and again.

Is the show idealistic? Absolutely. There is a silver lining in everything related to our beloved village and its inhabitants. We are never left feeling hopeless or despondent. The location is unique but people who lived in rural villages will see shades of their old house just past the next alleyway. The backdrop is a living canvas that has been painted over for generations.

While our eyes might be drawn to the lively village scenes, our ears are filled with some of the best dialogues in a contemporary c-drama. They have been carefully written and honed. We are not talking about empty flowery phases, but simple yet insightful words uttered by people who have lived storied lives. There are wisdom and wistfulness in equal parts. It has added importance here because communication of all forms is a pillar for this drama. I shall never forget the few short voice messages the FL's BFF left on her phone. It is gut retching and life changing.

In terms of acting, the leads are just wonderful. Their characters are expertly crafted and brought to life. It is impossible not to like them and ship them. There are plenty of swoon worthy moments and a decent amount of skinship. The ensemble cast are full of good-looking young actors and seasoned senior members. They feel real and relatable. All the main characters have detailed backstories and carries a number of interesting subplots. The village elders are the soul of the village and the ML’s grandmother is a national treasure.

The OST is a surprise highlight. The soundtrack is very well done. It ranges from catchy ditties to soulful songs that pairs so well with the show’s changing mood.

While the show is superior in many ways, it is not perfect. It is low key jingoistic. There is too much emphasis on the local government doing right by everyone. It doesn't really explore some of the more hard hitting social issues confronted by rural China. The pacing also got a little inconsistent towards the end as well.

There are some fan services in the last two episodes. The show concludes on an uplifting note and a moment of reflection. We are affirmed that lives in our favourite village will go on after the final credit rolls. For that, we give thanks.
In my mind, this show is not a celebration of a home or even a village but a place more nebulous. A place where you know you belong.

Leia Mais

Best Chinese Drama!

I've watched a bunch of Chinese series and I always find some or a little fault in them, but Meet Yourself exceeds every prejudice against Chinese dramas. It's so moving, warm and makes you experience what's shown in it. This kind of feeling is hard to get in any kind of series and I'm glad to stumble upon it. Definitely gonna rewatch esp during hard and rough times.

Excellent story, casts, music, cinematography and the setting. In this fast moving world, we get to see a portray of harmonious relationship between the locals, with each obstacle in their lives. Such a lovely sight to see and feel, makes me wonder if we can experience the same thing.

Leia Mais

The Sun will Rise and Fall

A Windy Place far away from the busy city life .... this drama will ease you into a journey of healing, soul searching and starting a new life somewhere else. It's written, shot and acted in such a beautiful, poetic way that at times I wondered what the actual plot was. Normally that would be a major red flag but in the case of "Meet Yourself" it is the essence of the story.

When "meeting yourself" aka going on a self discovery journey nothing is certain and there is no set-in-stone-plan. Exactly that was captured by the creators and I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who isn't looking for the next action packed or cliche packed rom-com but rather something calm yet captivating.
I fell in love with all the characters, especially the grandma who was such a comfort character and of course our two beautiful leads, who in all honesty, were distractingly beautiful at times. I was in awe a lot!

The acting was flawless and I could write a paragraph on everyone but I don't want to spoil everything, so let me just say that the creators gave a lot of attention to small interactions, gestures, body language and overall demeanor of each character.

About the romance:
They truly were the perfect match for each other in the most realistic way possible. I absolutely adored our FL, who seemed to be a very private person but hit it off with the ML right away. Honestly it's so nice to see two adults act like adults and not be childish or bickering all the time. If you want to see a relationship develop in a healthy way, get butterflies and feel warm - then drama is for you.
Their flirting was oh so sweet! And I loved that the ML was not above the FL or anything, technically she was more successful and had more money even, so the set up for their story was already at a good base level and it was just a joy seeing them slowly but surely grow closer. It also had THE best confession scene I've ever seen in a Chinese drama, down to point where I could feel the persons nervousness and anticipation. Just wow.

OSTs:
Part of this dramas' charm was it's original soundtrack that was in English and although grammar was not the number one priority it will remain as a very memorable OST in my heart.
"Saddle of My Heart" will be blasted every single day for the next few days, "Days" will give me comfort during hard times and remind me it's just another day and the sun will rise and fall again, last but not least "Validate" will always make me giggle and remind me of spicy times :P

Little Things I loved:
- the storyline of his young brother, why he didn't wanna go to school anymore. On a surface level everyone laughed but I had something similar happen and switched schools, so this arc provided a lot of healing for me over something that I had long left in the past.
- the cats! and horses and cows! Oh what cuties those were and for once they seem to be treated well
- the scenery. Just wow, Yunnan Village seemed like a fairytale land to me

My Favorite Quotes!

"Walk when you can't run.
And when you can't run, mediate"

"You're a goddess,
holding the torch high,
showing me the way,
telling me that, you need self-respect,
self-esteem, don't look down on yourself,
don't be arrogant.
From now on, I believe in no one else but you."

"I want both the man and the career"

"Time will go on ceaselessly.
Happiness will never end.
Dark Clouds are temporary,
since there will always be the wind"

My only critique point:

Truthfully there were only a handful of little things that bothered me / left me with a bittersweet feeling.
The drama offered me so much peace and quiet, that I got greedy and wanted everything to be perfect.
I noticed that about half way through the drama a few supporting roles that I thought were here to stay faded into the background and it became more romance focused in the last 10 episodes, which was fine but my reason for cutting off 0.5 points. "Meet Yourself" started out as a self-healing journey and ended in finding a happy place. Slowly but surely you, as the viewer, were put back into the viewer position of the drama rather than being a part of it.

!!SPOILER!!

My biggest let down, which was entirely my fault, was that I became infatuated with a last minute couple that portrayed one of my soft spot tropes and I fell head over heals, something I should not have done since their story was concluded off-screen (happy ending tho)

Leia Mais

it's the best slice of life cdrama I've seen, but with some heavy political undertones.

The Good
⌲ The overall top tier acting
⌲ The excellent OTP romance
⌲ The outstanding side characters
⌲ The out of this world good cat actors!
⌲ The fantastic OST
⌲ The incredible mood
⌲ The incredible visuals
⌲ The Fantastic sismances
⌲ Li Xian is far more authentic here than in anything else I've seen him in before.
⌲ There is a lot of peace, healing and wholesome in this drama.
⌲ The outstanding child actors
⌲ The dialog is rather incredible at times.

The Average
⌲ While the village looks incredible, it feels very artificial.
⌲ Nana's unreasonable netizen backstory
⌲ Hong Dou's homestay has some weird plot issues. (it's admittedly not too important)
⌲ The plot itself is very simple and predictable. (also not that important)
⌲ I'm being nitpicky here, but I think that plum? harvest episode was a bit poorly done.

The Bad
⌲ There is a lot of political content in the drama. (the cdramas I typically watch are better in this regard)
⌲ This relates to the previous point, but there is abundant cleverly done & some rather blatant social engineering in the show (and this bothered me quite a bit at times)

Leia Mais

Charming and Charmed.

I was full of anticipation upon knowing that Li Xian (LX) and Liu Yi Fei (LYF) were the ML and FL of this drama. I have watched LX in other dramas and I like this charming young man. He, to me, is not the most handsome of the lot but he is absolutely charming! I watched LYF in "Dream of Splendor" and I was charmed by both her beauty and her acting ability.

Let me get back to this drama - Meet Yourself. I highly recommend this drama. I would not label it as a "healing or therapeutic" drama. I'd label it as a "meandering" drama of growth where the different people in the drama gradually discover their strengths (and dreams) and overcome their weaknesses (and get over their hurts).

What I loved about this drama:
- The cast was fantastic. Shout out to Ah Nai who is truly "China's National Grandmama". She was adorable and extremely natural and believable as Ah Nai. She lit up the screen when she appeared and often, she stole the thunder when she showed her feisty side by whacking Xie Zhi Yuan and the men who came to riot. Shout out to the ML and FL who truly made the show so very watchable. I really enjoyed watching how they fell in love and how they ended up together and how they tried to make their relationship work. Everything seemed very organic and real which, to me, is great. Almost everyone else in the cast was really great too. The acting is top-notch. Even the little kids were adorable. They acted very well. :)
- I liked how loving FL's family members were. They rallied around her and her parents were so cute, especially her mother. FL's mother's laughter is contagious. :)
- The OST suits the show.
- The setting of the countryside is breathtaking and I think a good break for us, city-dwellers, to escape to even if vicariously.
- I liked the clever script/ dialogue which was both witty and meaningful. :)
- Things are happening but there's very little angst.
- Happy ending where everyone wins/ succeeds!

What I didn't like so much but wasn't that big a deal:
- I felt that Hu Lao Shi was a negligible character. The story would have been good or even better without him. I found him quite a pain to watch.
- Some parts were just a little draggy but "fast-forward" button works wonders!

All in all, this drama is a must-watch for the superb cast and the beautiful scenery. It is a gentle and relaxing watch with every little angst but there are both big things and little things that are constantly happening as with our own lives. This is a slice-of-life drama done right and done beautifully. I have also learnt that (1) "what does not kill us makes us stronger" and that (2) "one must work hard towards one's dreams to make them a reality" and that (3) "even though the path towards success and accomplishment is treacherous, one will get there somehow/ eventually". Life and the people we meet will help us to meet ourselves.

I highly recommend it!

Leia Mais

Too long for an uneven pacing SLOW healing drama.

Subjective Gut Rating - 8.25

“Meet Yourself” is a beloved drama here on MDL and I can see why so many people are in love with it. I was hoping to love it too, but unfortunately, I only like it. I hesitated to watch this due to its rave reviews and I need time to ensure I am in the right mood to watch this drama. Objectively, this is a great drama but for my subjective rating of my personal satisfaction and enjoyment, I can only give it an. 8.25. I have two main criticisms only but they are enough to prevent me from truly enjoying the drama.


What I Like:

1. Grandma Xie - Who doesn’t love grandma??? She’s witty and funny, and it’s a ray of beautiful sunshine. I love how she defends her loved ones both verbally, physically and emotionally. I love her intelligent way of pulling strings behind the scenes to get what she wants. We need more grandmas like her!

2. Sceneries - Can’t really argue with the picturesque landscapes and relaxing sceneries in this drama. I want to visit this little village and take a long vacation as well. I really like the boarding house with the courtyard, even if it doesn’t have good soundproofing and I might fall on my face when walking down those cobblestones.

3. Acting - Great acting all around… from the youngest to the oldest. Those four child actors are amazing and I believe they use their own voices and speak the lines themselves. The main cast did not disappoint, nor the supporting cast.

4. No annoying characters -Oftentimes, dramas set in the rural areas or countryside will have annoying side characters or villagers. I actually like all the aunties and grannies in this drama. They are loud, but they are not annoying and each of them has their own personalities.

5. Chemistry - Though I think the romance is a little too slow burn, I do think once Xu Hong Dou and Xie Zhi Yao get together, they have really good chemistry. Their display of affection and skin feel natural and mature.


What I have Mixed Feelings or Don’t Like:

1. Slow Pacing - My biggest criticism is the pacing of the drama. I understand this is a healing, relaxing slice-of-life drama. I’ve seen my share of them as well. But the first 20 episodes really are slow with nothing much happening. 40 episodes for a healing drama is too much. I feel that the drama could have spent some time on the stories of the supporting cast in the first half, instead of jamming them all in the second half. There are so many interesting stories that could have been explored more instead of doing so half-heartedly.. The romance can be slow-burn, but when everything is slow, the slow burn romance feels even slower. I am a binge-watcher and I keep on falling asleep (I am also tired from work). Even though I stopped binge-watching and watched only a couple episodes a day, the drama still doesn’t hold my attention throughout. I find myself not tempted to hit the “play” button for the next episode. If I wasn’t persistent in continuing, I could have easily dropped it within the first 20 episodes.

2. Music - I actually quite like the songs in the soundtrack. BUT, they play the songs waaaay too often and too loud, and often the same songs repeatedly for many episodes.. For a healing drama in the countryside, I would have liked to have fewer songs with lyrics blasting when the actors are speaking their lines. Maybe some relaxing instrumental background music to complement the tranquility of the drama (but will I fall asleep more? Mmm….). I was quite annoyed with all the singing.


I would definitely recommend this drama if you are in the mood for a slow, healing, slice-of-life drama. It has beautiful scenery, excellent acting and a very fun supporting cast. The drama is just too slow for me. Additionally, this drama should not be compared to the Korean drama “Hometown Cha Cha Cha”. HCCC is a rom-com with annoying characters. “Meet Yourself” is totally different. Two very different genres and feel to them.


Other Random Observations:
1. FL has so many pairs of sunglasses.
2. There’s a lot of cooking and eating.
3. There are some pretty funny moments, and lovely conversations.
4. Those 4 kids warm and break my heart.
5. Ep 19 is one of my favorite episodes - the mushroom episode brought out so many different emotions.
6. Reminds me of the Taiwanese drama “A Thousand Goodnights”. Both dramas are like promotions from the local Tourism Board.



Completed: 9/12/2023 - Review #353

Leia Mais

Soothing feeling

the best thing i like about this drama is that this is soul healing and not fast paced

there relationship process is very satisfying and you can feel step by step process in this drama. once you started watching this you can't help but feel very soothing and relaxing feels like healing your soul it has satisfying scenes and views this made me feel the difference between happy tears and sad tears. when you watch this drama you feel very calm by just staring at the scene through the screen and it creat the feeling that you can plan the tour to the Yunan Village for feels the fresh and soothing scenes.
when it ends i feel something is missing because i can't believe it ends here i feel like i was attached to them and want to continue watching but sadly it ends!!

the cast they choose did the very great job to attract amd create the special bonding with the viewers every character is great even side character gives the attached feeling it feels so connected to each other and thanks to mango tv to create this special drama. and wu qian's special appearance can give this drama more feeling coz without this feeling there can't be hong dou can meet xie zhi yao and anything will happen it just feels great without any reason.

also the ost is somewhat catchy and amazing
~ THANKYOU :)

Leia Mais

Like a warm hug

This show is like a hot cuppa on a rainy day with a nice rug over your shoulders while reading your favourite book. Its a slice of life drama discussing friendships, family, loss, grief, uncertainty of life, forging forward in life despite our fears. Its characters are multi dimensional and very relatable and real. There are no unbelievable scenes or outlandish storylines. Its my first time watching ML and FL and they have great chemistry and are completely comfortable around each other. Their romance is NOT the central theme of the show, and i see some people being disappointed about this. But there are so many more facets to this show than romance. Its about finding yourself, struggling between following your dreams vs the expectations your family have of you. Im sure many asian viewers like myself will be able to relate.

All the actors did an amazing job but my most favourite character is Ah Yao's Nai nai. Omg shes the best grandmother in the world and says the wisest and funniest things. I absolutely adore her!!! I just looked her up and shes an acclaimed actor whos 85!!!! Omg so inspirational 🙌

Leia Mais

refreshing. a breather. im kinda sad it rushed through it and now i have only 5 episodes left :)))

please watch this if you're looking for a calm and serene drama that'll heal your soul. everything about this cn drama was just so feel good. i cried a good amount on the first few episodes but then i was also getting healed along with hongdou. every character here holds a purpose and they all have such unique and nice way of thinking. i specially like xie granma. she's a sweetheart. all the village folks have a strong bond and understanding with each other that makes the drama 10x more good.
our main leads have a natural easy flow chemistry. i just adore them. another thing tha really gave me comfort is how hongdou talks. there's just something about her tone, her words, her body language and her temperament that melts you and makes you feel so good from the inside. i seriously love this drama so much ❤️‍🩹

Leia Mais

Dark Clouds Are Passing, And the Wind Will Always Rise

I couldn't be more grateful to come across such a beautiful and impactful drama. This drama is simple, wholesome, and educative. It portrays the struggles of the ordinary individual living in the society that has been designed for us. Hardships, loss, death, and failure come in more than one way and will eventually affect all of us. And we will fall because we are human. But the sun will always shine brightly after a storm and hardships will eventually pass to become stories and experiences we use to grow and teach others.

The story is wholesome. It tells the story of a young woman who suffers a loss and loses the direction of her life. She decides to take a vacation to a beautiful village that changed her life forever, as she met people with similar struggles as her, she made friends with them, she found love, and she gained happiness. She proved that in this life, only you can choose your path to happiness, and happiness will find you where you never expected it. The story is also about a young man with great ambition for his home. He grew up watching families get torn apart because of poverty caused by a lack of development in their village. He came with the ambition to change the future of his home, and he did. Along the way, he met new people, who were merely passers-by, but turned out to be his dear friends. And he found love, in a woman who was willing to grow with him.

The Yunan village was a beautiful, ethereal, and calming setting. It brought the drama to life, and the actors were the wind that blew this drama to victory. Each character with a story. Each member of the village played a part in changing the future of their village. Each character that lived in the courtyard, served as a blueprint of the struggles of life and taught us that we can overcome them.

this drama did something to me that many dramas haven't, I won't lie and say it's my favuorite, but it is impressionable, it is beautiful and it was definitely worth the watch. It is another 100% romance drama because it goes beyond the love of two people, it is the love of friends, family, community, and country. And truly Love prevails.

Leia Mais

The perfect refresher of mind and mentality

This has to be another best work of Screenwriter Wang Xiong Cheng other than "Go Ahead". I love everything about it, out of all the drama that is made in 2023 so far (as of now: February 2023), this is the best one out of all in my opinion. The acting, story, cinematography - everything juts works in the best way possible.

Let me start off by the cast/acting:
- They did such a great job at casting the perfect Male and Female Leads. I have been a fan of Crystal Liu since Mulan came out in 2020. I did not know much about Li Xian who played the Male Lead, except I knew him from Go Go Squid, where I had bad experience watching. But aside from all, they both (Crystal Liu and Li Xian) did such a great job portraying each of their own characters. I don't think there are other actors who can pull off their characters so well, so I think they are truly the best actors to represent the lead characters.
- I love that the Female Lead is very mature, no acting cutesy or cringey either - very normal, put together, and eloquent. She also has mature ways of dealing with many types of people, which I admire very much.
- The Male Lead character is a little more on the child-like personality type, and not in a bad way - very playful, but at the same time, very mature when needed.

As for the story:
- I love the story very much. It truly represents their own genre, which is "Life". There are a lot of good message to reflect my own life. I especially like the saying; as I summarize "you can't judge people based on your own standard, or what the society thinks. You can think someone is having a rough time, but to that person, it may be a blessing to them already" It really brings me to reflect myself as a person who always think that I, myself is not enough to please the society and what matters most is what I think I am as an individual.
- The love story is portrayed beautifully. I know that the main problem between the 2 leads are distance. They met in an awkward timing and undesired location where they need to do long distance relationship to make things work. I am so glad the writer doesn't make one person sacrifice for another. I especially love the Male Lead's quote, "why do people always assume that women need to make the sacrifice, male has to be responsible to provide housing for women". It can be considered as revolutionary thinking in Asian drama history.
- I also love that both male and female lead have a mutual understanding where they both prioritize themselves first, rather than sacrificing everything for love. (for example: Female Lead moves back to the village because she genuinely loves the village and its people, also she wants to open her own business because she saw a potential. But she also take ML as the consideration too) - which I think is such a mature move.
- The story has no creepy/annoying love triangle, no toxic relationship, no annoying characters. It's a simple, yet interesting story that is very relaxing to watch. I seriously hurt my face watching it because I couldn't stop smiling.

All in all, if you love a therapeutic drama with no complicated and annoying story, this is the drama for you. Very light-hearted, entertaining, plus there are a lot of meaningful messages that can be learned.

Leia Mais