Review from someone who had no exposure to any of the previous versions

I watched this series because a friend showed me the first 20 minutes on Netflix. When I came home, I reluctantly tried to watch the first two episodes. After all, I dont speak any Mandarin, and was questioning the subtitles. I speak several other languages, and in my experience with Netflix, it doesn't provide great translation.

I was hooked after two episodes, and have now watched ALL the episodes.

Great casting job! Having come to understand, it was first job for many of the young cast, I'm impressed. Especially Dylan Wang and Darren Chen. Im sure Shen Yue knocked it out of the park, but her character had me, a woman, wanting to reach into my TV and knock some sense and shake her at times.

I grew up on Bollywood entertainment, and have a South Asian background. So I understand the cultural restraints to great story telling. The conservative nature greatly restraints the story I find, and the actors. Every cliché to dating and relationships is played out, and even made fun of in the story.

My biggest disappointment is the normalization of violence against women, and the acceptance of it. I understand that this version greatly reduces the violence by introducing a card game as a tool that F4 uses, but there is no remorse or acceptance of responsibility from the characters who mete out the violence, even Dao Ming Si.

Also concerning is the women, who dont look out for themselves. I was totally shocked at the bar scenes and women. There are no cautionary measures introduced, and friends seem content to leave their drunk female friend with a stranger. As someone with sisters, daughters, nieces, i was just floored. Please understand, I moved out on my own when I was 17, and had to learn some survival skills on my own. If I was at a bar, I watched my drinks, and we generally had designated driver, who stayed sober.

The ending felt rushed. There ought to have been more foreshadowing of financial struggles and Dao Ming Feng's desperation to keep the company afloat earlier. I felt jarred to go from two young people in need need of medical care to a waking Dao Ming Feng. I didnt care that she got some sleep finally.

Maybe language skills could've helped with the ending and the bizarre wedding scene. Also, what could help is translating the songs. The songs were cheesy, but i find they help understand the characters and their motivations.

Would I watch it again? Yes. Would I recommend to others? Oh yes!

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