A Little Thing Called First Love (2019)

Adults probably shouldn't waste their time with this!

This is one of the worst cdramas I have ever watched. Truth to be told I wanted to drop it after ep5, but I had nothing else lined up & I needed something to watch during my 5 hour workout session. Naturally I have had my fair share of high school & college romance cdramas, but this is perhaps the first time that I felt this bored. People talk about liking slow burn romances & I usually like slow burn romances as well, but there has to be a hook, such as good comedy, or interesting characters, or sometimes even just the audiovisuals. In this show there is nothing like that. Uninteresting characters go about their school lives in a really boring & dragged out way, at least that's what happens in the first 25 or so episodes. (out of 36 episodes) The OST is weird, the visuals are nothing to write home about and even the actors are bad. I don't really blame them though, I mean how well can a 15-16 year old girl act in a supposed college romance story? (and FL is still far better, than the at the time 16-17 years old idol ML)

The last 10 episodes are much better, if I consider those a separate drama that's probably a 6/10, though it's quite difficult to forgive the extremely bad separation plot.

As for the second ML, for the first 25+ episodes he doesn't do anything beyond misunderstanding FL's every little action for FL liking her. After the fifth time I started smashing my fastforward button. His other love line is bad as well. The actor is an adult, but he is no acting genius , that's for sure.

The writers that wrote this worked on Put Your Head on My Shoulder & A Love so Beautiful before. I find it baffling how could those people come up with a script this bad. My disappointment is comparable to when I tried watching Start Up.

Just to say something good about the drama, I found that FL's gradual transformation process was really great. It's not jarring like in Ugly Betty, or other soaps that follow this trope. Another thing that comes to mind is that FL really looks like her mother in this drama. The mom was a phenomenal casting decision & she is probably my favorite character in the drama.
edit: I thought of another good thing! The drama has one "real" kiss scene and I think the way they hid the touching lips was relatively good. A hundred times this over cheek & forehead kisses. (or stupidly playing with angles)

Honestly I don't understand why this drama has an MDL score of 8.3. It's not funny, it only has a little fluff near the final episodes & as I said it's badly acted as well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I mean sure there are many that get mesmerized by beauty & then proceed to watch whatever happily, but we are watching literal kids here. I'm not sure what the average age on MDL is, but I have some uncomfortable thoughts about this.

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So I got the recommendation on Netflix and i’ve been wanting to watch a new Chinese drama it looked interesting and I mostly watched cause of Guanlin cause I Stan wannaone and I wanted to see how he’s is doing at first I didn’t like that they see ugly as dark skin, frizzy hair, bad teeth, and glasses I guess it’s China but the story line made me bored I dozed off a couple of times cause the main characters talked in such a mono tone but I still continue to watch still very mono tone I like the first love thing but it’s just gets boring cause that’s the only storyline carrying the whole story the main characters have no emotion that moves me into the story it felt so dry even when they broke up the break up felt dry they could have picked better main characters I bet they only added Guanlin cause he was popular I don’t know about Miaomiao she was a boring character was she supposed to be a shy girl turned to a brave one cause the girl that acted her was trash I love Guanlin but his acting was trash to they have no connection no spark just robots talking to each other pretending to have emotions and also I hate when they make a dark skin character into a white character like did she magically got white like no sis I used to be dark skin and it took me 2 years to get pale and this girl just magically went from dark mode to light mode sis you ain’t fooling anybody and then her hair looks fake before and after do they think to make her pretty is to get a wig make her skin turn white straighten teeth and no glasses (sips tea) no and Guanlin’s acting makes not bored when they got in a fight boring when he confessed to her boring when he tried to win her back boring even riding his bike boring like that should not happen overall the main characters are boring mono tone period.
The only thing that made me actually want to watch this garbage is the two lead characters they’re not the best at acting but better than the main characters their love and connection felt more real and it made me actually continue watching robots their love story was actually really refreshing they bring some what emotion to the table and makes me like their little quarrels and the way they argue with each other kinda makes me jealous unlike the main characters robots, if the second lead character had their own drama I will literally watch it the main characters felt more like a second lead the second lead had a main characters to them the only reason I even liked this garbage is because of the two leads give them a drama together better love story better chemistry and they give me emotions unlike the emotionless mono tone robots that are the main character.

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gemessss

I almost didn't watch this drama, because I think the main actress not too pretty, but because the actress not the actor I still decided to watched this drama ^_^. Don't judge me, I like to see pretty face in my drama :p.

This drama is about love can make us be better person, real friendship is for forever, communication is really important & every problem have a solution.

The first drama that makes me want to scream 'gemezzz' through all the episode. I don't find an exact word to express my feeling in English. A little frustrated see Liang You Nian (YN) so slow to realize his own feeling. A little touch when YN confess to Xia Miao Miao (MM). A little frustated to see YN just decided by himself about study aboard & didn't tell MM at all.

This drama is really well written. They give us several couple with their own problem. There is Kai Tuo (KT) & He Xin (HX), where HX always stick to KT until KT didn't realize his own feeling, a little distance really good for them. Kinda happy see KT at the end have to chase back HX. Wang Yi Chao (YC) & Fang Xiao Yue (XY), a little bit similar with KT & HX. But in here we can see in Asia we still have sex differentiate, when HX chase KT everyone said she have no shame, but when YC chase & finally confess to XY no one said bad thing about him ^_^.

They also give us several family with their own problem. There is YN & KT family where KT have really a huge anger in his heart about his own mom & dad. Once the problem solved they relationship turn to be good, communication is the key. Really touch when KT finally apologize to his mom. There is MM family where dad almost never home due to work.

YN & MM relationship also one of the sweetest & funniest. A little bit funny but also heartwarming when YN fulfill MM wish to hide their relationship. Really funny to see how jealous YN, his face suddenly change into sour like. Because the actress is still quite young (MM & HX) this drama didn't have much affection like other drama. But I think it's good because they can show us romance doesn't always need affection. Really happy because finally they give us actress & actor that matching their age in the drama.

I also think this drama will be better if some of the scene faster & the drama have fewer episode. Of course typical drama, stretch it as long as you can :p

Overall I really happy & satisfied watch this drama. If there's season 2 I will watch it. :)

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Honestly, the acting of the leads are so-so but i overlook it because of the story. Why?

Because it pricks my highschool heart. All those sweet and embarrassing moments bring back memories. Specially those moments when you don't know what LOVE is, and then you found someone who unknowingly, with their actions, explained it to you so well.

At first I'm routing for the second male lead and the female lead, BUT as the drama progresses I can feel how genuine the male lead's love is. He just don't know it yet.

PS. I love those sneaky moments just to be with your boyfriend/girlfriend. Fighting, MiaoMiao and Younian!

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Very sweet

If you're looking for something sweet to watch than this might be your cup of tea. We have our main female lead(xiao miao miao) who started as "ugly" and no confidence in herself and that when she met our main male lead (Liang You Nian) who was basically her muse and the reason she started gaining confidence in herself. She went from being all shy around him to teasing him. What i loved was that we got to see her progress it wasn't an overnight shift like in som either dramas. Our main male lead wasn't your typical cold, smart lead. He was sweet and kind basically what we see usually see as the second male lead in other dramas.

The music was very memorable I found myself signing along to the English part of the ost.

Our cast despite the young age did an incredible job in acting. Hope to see Lai Kuanlin and Angel Zhao in other dramas.

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Too innocent for me

So this drama took me over a month to finish. I kind of had a bit of an Asian drama slump while watching this? Despite the controversy about the dark skin color of the actress in the first few episodes of the drama, I didn't really find anything else overly problematic about the drama. It was very...average. The acting of the female lead was passable, but the male lead's acting was absolutely stale and emotionless, which didn't do much in the way of making the watching process any easier for me. The storyline, and I do enjoy a good slow burning romance when done right, was extremely dragged out, to the point where I'd start watching the drama and stop almost immediately after because I'd get bored of the mundane plot that's driving the story. Now, with all that said, I DID think that the drama and romance was pretty cute, but I guess I'm just not part of the target audience anymore and no longer find pleasure in watching innocent, cute romance unfold in a school setting.

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Apesar do lenga-lenga, eu gostei.

Quando minha amiga me indicou esse drama eu não imaginei que gostaria tanto, gostei bastante porém quando foi chegando os últimos episódios eu já estava cansada do lenga-lenga e tava doidinha pra terminar.

Eu amei o elenco, a química dos atores é perfeita, porém eu achei que a história se estendeu mais do que deveria e alguns personagens não tiveram um bom desenvolvimento, como por exemplo a Lin Xia.

Confesso que shippei muito errado, só consegui shippar o casal principal nos últimos episódios. O casal He Xin e Lin Kai Tuo ao meu ver não teve desenvolvimento algum, foi o drama inteiro a He Xin correndo atrás dele e magicamente depois ele começa a gostar dela faltando menos de 10 episódios para acabar. Não gostei disso.

Recomendo muito este drama, uma história fofinha e é incrível ver como a protagonista cresceu e amadureceu durante toda a história. Apesar de tudo, eu gostei do drama e quero muito assistir outros dramas com esses atores.

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A SWEET LOVE STORY ♡

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this drama. This was a remake of the Thai's hit movie 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', which I loved back in the days. But I think I ended up liking this Chinese remake so much more than the original. I really enjoyed the story of Miao Miao and You Nian's love story ♡.

This story is faithful to the original movie, albeit with subtle changes and more depth.

The thing I love most about this drama is, how one is committed to one person once they love, and reject every other person who comes without any hesitation. I like Miao Miao in this aspect, because she has a strong love towards You Nian, and so how she rejects every other person without any hesitation. I really liked the way Miao Miao loves You Nian. I love their slow love, and the way they are together. The development of their love was so realistic, and their love was so pure and innocent. I truly love it ♡.

Also the ending was really well developed. I love how they gave enough time for the mains to reconcile, and we were able to see how each character changed because of each other for the better..Miao Miao gained more confidence and overcame her insecurities about their relationship, and You Nian was finally able to express his feelings and redeem himself for his mistake. I think You Nian finally opening up about his feelings is exactly what she needed to hear.

This drama was so cute and worth watching..Watching this drama from the first episode until the last makes me feel like I'm witnessing them growing up from little ones to adults, which also have made me feel so hard for saying goodbye to them (个_个).

So overall, if you are looking for something light and cute with a sweet romance, then I highly recommend this drama for you all ! Give it a try and you will never regret it.

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This wasn't a terrible show and it was cute, but it's not something I would personally rewatch but I did enjoy it for what it was.

I didn't find the female lead "pretty" to begin with, but I also found her cuter when she was in her "ugly" phase which is more of a personal preference. What I liked most about her character development is that she grew into herself and she learned to value herself over time, and she acknowledges that it was what she wanted with the influence of YouNian. On top of that, YouNian was falling for MiaoMiao before her transformation so it wasn't the traditional trope of she becomes a new person and that's when he finally notices her.

My biggest beef with the show was Lin KaiTuo. It really bothered me that He Xin had pursued him for years and he didn't acknowledge her until after MiaoMiao straight rejected him and then he kind of fell back on He Xin. I'm sure there was always love and care there to grow, but he never delve into it; it was still poor taste, because the guy He Xin had been in love with for 15+ years falls in love with her best friend who just moved there and when her best friend turns down said crush is when he reciprocates. I will give him credit for actively pursuing He Xin though and trying to win her back.

I also give He Xin credit because in these dramas, sometimes the friend blames the female lead for these things, but He Xin never turned against MiaoMiao. It was often a battle within herself.

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I was a little hestitant to watch this drama since it starts with a high school arc until university and I was a little hesitant from the acting reviews I saw online. However, I gave it a try anyways since I loved Zhao Qian Qian's other dramas...and I must say, it's FANTASTIC.

Of Zhao Qian Qian's other works, this has the most character development for the female lead. Normally I would be super annoyed in the high school arc since the girl is usually quite foolish and dumb, but Miao Miao was just super cute, mature for a gr11 and not annoying to her crush. You follow her through uni and you get to see her gain confidence in herself. The way she changes is slow and very realistic. It reminds me of so many people's transformation as they move from their teens to early twenties.

Zhao Qian Qian also writes great supporting characters. Love Lin Xia and her constant battle with food. He Xin is also one of my favorite characters - she is balanced so well...between her stalking and lying tendencies to get her boy and being very independent and reliable to her friends. Her and Miao Miao get into a rough spot in their relationship, but both of them handle it so well. It's a great friendship that everyone should have.

There are some very amazing themes. During the hate post incident, the characters (for the most part) trusted each other and didn't take it seriously...because you can't take online haters seriously. It felt like a nod to cyber bullying and a gentle way of saying haters will get what they deserve so don't take them seriously. The career and relationship problems they had in high school and university were so realistic since it happens all the time. Doing what you love versus doing what your parents want you to do is a constant battle asian kids have. This drama is so great in tackling all these issues.

I didn't love the Angela Zhao in the beginning, but she won me over after a couple of episodes. She's quite young, but she portrayed her character development really well. Also, love Edward Lai! His character was quite mature from the beginning so there wasn't much change to demonstrate his full acting ability, but I liked him a lot more than I thought I would. Also, I love how they actually cried in the crying scenes and had actual red eyes.

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If you are like me who watched the Thai version of 'A Little Crazy Thing Called Love' and want to have the same heart fluttering, butterflies in your stomach, and weird-smile-on-the-face the entire time moments, this show is definitely going to disappoint. BUT if you are just here for the love of a sweet, college romance drama, this is a show for you! :)

Firstly, for the storyline, as mentioned above, it is totally different from the original except for the whole ugly girl turns pretty thing. Granted, they tried to mimic all the highlights of the movie, no. JUST NO. I really know how to explain it. Sometimes during the drama, I had the whole 'OMG this is from the original!!!' then a wave of disappointment will wash through me as the whole scene just seemed a little too forced or that scene is just too far off from the movie. I somehow try to justify this with the idea of it being a drama and therefore have to add much more relationship lines and scenes apart from the original, but I certainly feel that so many things changed that it should not have called itself a remake and instead is a whole new story that probably took a littleeeee reference from the Thai movie.

For the storyline on its own, without thinking it as a remake whatsoever, is not bad. The beginning took on slow but it somehow makes you want to continue watching and see how everything work out in the end. For a lighthearted romance drama, it works. It has most of the cliche moments needed in a drama that somehow works and the character development was done well as you can see them gradually change through the episodes. If you want a break from all the intense dramas, this is definitely it! Not the best drama out there but still enjoyable to watch.

For the actors, I think they did a great job considering that they are all pretty new and do not have much experience. Yes, there were some awkward acting at times but most of the times it is quite natural. The characters are all very lovable! Great bromance, romance and sisterhood and every character have enough depth to get you invested in the show more! The love lines in the drama are also executed well and are all enjoyable to watch and root for.

To end it off. I really need to reiterate that this is really one of the most failed remakes ever. It is not like the acting or the storyline is bad. But it is really not the 'A Crazy Little Thing Called Love' that I expected. If you watch it with the same expectations I had, it is really disappointing. You get a glimpse of the original, and also it reminds me of another show that I can't really point my finger at. If only they could just give it another name, it would be perfect. Would recommend you to watch it if you are taking a break from all the intense political/fighting dramas and want some happy, lighthearted show to make life a little more interesting :)

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Bland and Very Forgettable... Colourism Makes a Huge Feature Too

I got to know about this drama through A Love so Beautiful recommendations. However, I was sorely disappointed.

The actors lack depth and any real chemistry. The characters are all very one-dimensional and nothing about their relationships or their actions is heart warming or thought provoking or really stays with you and makes an impact. They try to create depth or problems in certain instances but it feels so superficial.

The plot is super slow paced and yet with nothing really interesting to keep you wanting to watch the show more. It's not funny, not interesting, character development is like it's written by a 12 year old. The drama uses that silly drama misunderstanding trope where "ML does sth for FL and vice versa but they somehow think it's for another person" wayyyy too muchhhh.

And something that seriously rubbed me the wrong way about this drama was that the FL started out the drama dorky and what they considered unattractive and then by the end "bloomed" or whatever. At the beginning, she was darker skinned and then by the end she was super pale. Likeeee, this drama was just reinforcing dark skinned = ugly. And you have to work to "improve" (i.e. lighten) your skin. Like, they literally had the FL wear yellow face at the beginning of the show to make her appear darker skinned. Looking forward to a day when a FL will be a naturally darker skinned actress who will be perfect just the way she is.

Very bland forgettable drama, nothing stays with you really. Poorly written and acting was nothing to write home about. OST was bad corny songs and not in a fun or catchy way.

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