Margaret K

The setting, photography and music are gorgeous! From downtown to the country, coffee shops, photography studio and Yichen’s law office with old wood witches stairs, I want to go there. Who wouldn’t want to live in Yichen’s condo with a glass walled view of the city and a high rise patio? I still listen to the soundtrack, which has a variety of styles, beautiful piano and guitar music and fantastic male and female vocals. The photography is quite artistic. In one scene, the frames fade to black between each shot like a person barely catching glimpses of a traumatic event. In other scenes, there are one or more images superimposed on one another. At one key point the camera pans back to show a black pillar between the two, a concrete representation of the barrier that is between them. In another, an interesting camera angle catches Yichen with an imposing view of a city high rise at night. But if you are looking for classic attractive, romantic characters, this drama may not be for you. This is a love story between two damaged, orphaned neurodivergents. While physically attractive, their behavior is often un-appealing. Mosheng seems ADHD, very energetic but clumsy, inattentive and having serious doubts about Yichen. The young Mosheng is so forward that it's painful to watch, and the older Mosheng has been traumatized by angry, violent men and shuts down when she's anxious, hanging her head and refusing to speak. Yichen… where do I start? He might be on the spectrum, focused on his work to the exclusion of all else with a flat affect and a tendency to make hurtful comments, seemingly unaware that he’s being offensive. He is expert at masking in a work setting, and obsessively private and uncommunicative in his personal life. There is a hint that he inherited depressive and obsessive tendencies. He suffered severe emotional trauma when both parents died almost at the same time, and then later when his college sweetheart disappeared overnight. Yichen checks the boxes for complex PTSD with attachment issues, delusions, wild mood swings, impulsivity, self-destructive behavior, and occasional violent episodes triggered by panic over being abandoned. He doesn't quite get the concept of dating, being more inclined to lurking and stalking than flowers. He binge drinks when upset. Yichen is not exactly the slick, charming male lead. Mosheng's doubtful expressions as she encounters more and more of Yichen's oddities are priceless. I’ve seen Wallace Chung in multiple roles and felt this might have been one of his more difficult roles. He had to convey so many emotions for this role with nearly imperceptible micro-expressions, to visibly react without visibly reacting. He absolutely nailed it. And there was a synergy between the two Yichen actors so that I could almost see Young Yichen superimposed on Adult Yichen at times, that shy quiet kid. I agree with others that the side plots and recurring flashbacks can be annoying. Others have criticized Tiffany Tang's hair and wardrobe. The hair is plot element to make Yichen annoyed, but also distinguishes time periods and flashbacks. The wardrobe shows her artistic and playful nature, the influence of her time in California and distinguishes her from the scheming women in power suits that Yichen fends off on a daily basis. I wore this series out re-watching it. And, Netflix gave it a 'most rewatched' status. Perhaps I love this movie so much because neurodivergents are my people. Watching this lonely, handsome fellow with a tragic back story and super nerd energy trying to win back his girl while battling crippling levels of panic and anxiety was just charming.