This is a beautifully made drama but with no essence or substance.
I love the slow pace and how intimate they present every scene to you. There's something magical about how they show parts of Chinese culture, music, folklore and of course food. There's a big food theme in every episode and it is truly fascinating how wonderfully every recipe and sensation is described.
The acting is great and honestly the chemistry between the leads is fantastic too. I adore Zhou Ye, and couldn't recognize her when she has transformed into a shy, naive and inexperienced young woman for this role. You can see her in other dramas like Back from the Brink of Scent of time and she can really act!
Tan Jian Ci's role would not let him shine as his character was very stiff, flat and expressionless, and the only times you could really enjoy him was when he was having romantic moments with the female lead, then his eyes would say everything. Again, great chemistry.
My issue with this drama is that there's no plot whatsoever. Nothing ever happens. It's just a simple and extremely lighthearted storyline where there are just scenes of fluffy unrealistic romance. It gets to a point where is very cringe to watch adult actor behaving like teenagers. I get that this sells in Asia and they romanticize the idea of inexperienced, naive, and innocent to the point of being embarrassed if someone applies medicine on your forearm, but it is not normal at all. It was also cringe to watch 30 year old men chasing after college students and gave grooming vibes when the portrayal of the female leads was so childish.
So although I really like how this drama has been created and produced, It really bored me to death. I recommend it for children or teenagers who are just starting to watch dramas and they just want happy scenes of fluffy romance. Otherwise skip.
