I Hear You (2019)

A story that may check the cliche boxes but stands up n shines on its own by being very grounded, relatable and eveb sensible unlike many of its peers. One may be tempted to include it in your usual romcoms and sometimes rather frivolous plots of youthul romantic C dramas. I was pleasantly suprise by how well written the characters are. And its focused on sinplicity of a relationship despite cohabilitation, contract aggrements hijinks.
Male character isnt a typical tsundere. He doesnt mingle much but isnt a complete recluse. He has his principles in life and is focused and perhaps a little rigid at first. Yet when taught and exposed to things he is perceptive and willing to learn and see things in different perspective. Even as it dawns to him Bei Er Duo draws him in and first time in his life another human being's emotions coiud affect his, hes mature in dealing with his burgeoning feelings. That's such a breath of fresh air in a male lead character..who is perceptive, observant, and helps out the female lead in meaningful ways.
Bei Er Duo is equally well written because they dont dump down her character. She may hav financial difficulties or difficult mother but she doesnt whine, begrudge ohers or dwell on the negatives. Instead shes hardworking and persistently strives to fulfil her dream. Her mostly cheerful demeanor puts you in good spirits everytime shes on screen.
Although the intial set up was typical.. the subsequent interactions felt very natural. The pace and flow was nice and did not felt forced. The leads communication and sharing of thoughts and dreams were also highlights that i enjoy.
Although im not that critical of my rom coms..i want to state that theres alot out there full of fluff, sometimes too cheesy or not believable. This drama was sweet in a palatable and soothing way. Even the second leads were good.
I felt this drama warrants more viewers. Do give it a try

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*Spoilers are only in the last paragraph, regarding the ending*

I enjoyed I Hear You up until episode 17, as a lighthearted drama without any elements that made me angry or annoyed (which feels pretty rare with Chinese modern dramas). I personally enjoy the 'pretend couple becomes real' trope. From episode 17 onward, I felt like the plot lost momentum and then finally, several elements of the final two episodes really bothered me.

Ye Shu Wei (Riley Wang) is a successful and talented violin maker who doesn't like other people, and he grows a lot throughout the show as he begins to care about Bei Er Duo (Zhao Lusi). Bei Er Duo is kind and determined; she has a dream of becoming a voice actress and her goal is to study abroad in Japan. I loved that she was always studying, working hard to improve herself, and wanted to rely on her talent not connections. Ye Shu Wei and Bei Er Duo slowly grow to care for each other, and since they are both inexperienced in love, they feel like an even-leveled match despite him being rich and successful. But to be honest, their relationship is pretty boring. There were some cute moments and some cringey moments but nothing memorable. I actually felt like Shu Wei put much more effort and heart into their relationship, in trying to understand her, encourage her, and prepare surprises for her. (But Riley Wang's stony-faced acting bored me.)

Shu Wei and Er Duo agreeing to be on a couples competition show seemed like a far-fetched premise but the characters Yu Sheng and Tang Li help make it a little believable since they are the producers(?) for the show. Tang Li's character arc is fantastic and is the one great thing in this show. I loved that she faced her feelings head on, stuck to her principles, and worked hard to find her own happiness. Her storyline wasn't what I expected, but she articulated it well when she explained her decisions to Er Duo. The maturity of her character was such a sharp contrast to Er Duo's childish behavior.

*SPOILERS BELOW*
As for the last two episodes... I hated the two phone calls that Er Duo receives. Why did other people feel like they had the right to blame Er Duo for Shu Wei's choices? I liked that Er Duo sat down with him at the beach and talked about it honestly but why did Shu Wei not respond? Even though Er Duo returned the ring, it felt so inconclusive. (Also, if he really wanted to give up violin making/didn't care about that major violin order, I can respect his choice.) The last straw for me was how Er Duo chose to separate from Shu Wei. They had checked in their luggage and he was being paged for the flight so it just made no sense on so many levels. At the very least she could have sent him a text message after clearing security. The last scene was so strange and inconclusive. I wish that instead she had said at the beach, hey don't come to Japan with me, don't give up your work and let's date long distance for now and see how it goes...

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