El Día de Llegar a Ser Tú (2021)

LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH

The Day of Becoming You created its buzz on Twitter right after its first few episodes got availble in iQiyi. This drama was not that looked forward for by a lot that’s why it took everyone a surprise when it started to surface in most platforms there are.

(I am writing this review 10 mins after watching the last episode so everything may seem chaotic. ?)

The drama is based in one of the most used tropes in dramaland ever since the world began: BODY SWITCHING. Mayhaps, some of us probably brushed off TDOBY from our attentions to after knowing its main premise but good thing, we had Zhang Xincheng and Liang Jie to save the day! We may have encountered this genre for time and time again yet it was so amazing that this drama had its own flavor. Kudos to the casting directors for getting ZXC to play the role of Jiang Yi. He was so so so hilarious when his character, Jiang Yi, got to switch with Liang Jie’s character, Yu Sheng Sheng. You would never understand how funny it was if you had not seen it. ZXC once again proved how effective actor he is. Also, I am happy that chemistry between the two leading actors worked out so well.

The plotline may seem too simple for some but it was the punchlines that really made us stick to the drama (of course probably next to the hilarious portrayal od ZXC and LJ of their respective characters.) The drama is tremendously funny! You would find yourself laughing in almost every single episode there is! Sometimes, it felt that time was so short because you are about to finish an episode and you’d be jumping to the next. Morever, what made this drama extra funny was its genius musical scoring! I can still hear in my head the opera music each time embarrasing moments were shown! Reminder: Second hand embarrasment is so prominent in this drama.

Lastly, Chinese dramas (idol dramas) tend to include one or two more side couples other than the main one. In TDOBY, it took 18 long episodes to introduce the second couple to which was not deeply elaborated as the show went on. It was a new thing for me for I became so accustomed as to how they write their plots. However, this drama really focused to its main cp. There were no battle between screentime as well as draggy parts because of this. (Not everyone is fond of second and third side couples. More often than not, watchers skip their parts.)

I know maybe a lot, or some audiences found the ending off because it came out of nowhere. Well I must say that it did kinda made me pause and think for a while since there was no time alloted for us to digest what has really transpired. But I appreciate the idea and goal of the scriptwriter as to why it had to be that way (as what LJ’s character monologued into the last minute of episode 26.)

This drama came a surprise for 2021. No one was expecting it would be well received as it is now. If you ask people from May 2021, they are probably not even aware that a ZXC and LJ drama was shot and was about to premier. A month later, a sudden drama drop brought joy to our lives. The Day of Becoming You is indeed a refreshing drama that is so suitable for summertime.

Overall, I recommend this drama for everyone who wants to watch a show that is full of laughter and smiles. I swear you will be able to forget your worries at least for a while.

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A romcom with a good message + one of the most creative endings ever

The Day of Becoming You was a drama that I knew I'd like just based off its teasers and promotional pictures. Usually my gut is right and this was no exception. I think this drama is a perfect mixture of fantasy and slice of life. Liang Jie and Steven Zhang proved to be one of the best drama pairings in Cdramaland yet.

PLOT:
I was stoked to watch a soul-swapping drama because when done right, they can be quite fun to watch. This drama started off a bit confusing but for most part nailed its comedic elements. Although it seemed like a trope in a drama, the soul swapping had a much deeper meaning by the end of it all. Jiang Yi and Sheng Sheng both misunderstand each other and we as viewers can feel the same. They are compatible in ways they are not aware of but are really nice people deep down. I loved the chill vibe of the drama and minus a few boring parts, it was well made. It's no revelation that Cdramas are often longer than necessary and I thought it was the case here as well. It could have been shorter to maintain quality but it wasn't too terrible.

ACTING:
I think Steven Zhang was hilarious as a female and Liang Jie was super likable as the guy. I loved how well Jiang Yi blended with Sheng Sheng's family and never tried to do anything annoying. It was very funny seeing a guy experience the pain of females and for him to understand how painful our bodies each month can be. The leads really stole the show but I liked most of the side characters as well. All of them did a good job.

ROMANCE:
One of the factors for which I started the drama was the romance but for most part I loved their skinship. Their chemistry was very believable and the kissing scenes were great! I think it's because of the actors themselves who always manage to have real chemistry with all their co-stars. They were very well matched and their acting wasn't cringey at all.

ENDING:
I know that not everyone liked the ending, but I loved it. It's a good message for people to think from other's perspective or to get to know people better before passing judgement. In this case it helped the leads fall in love and in real life, it could just give some comfort to a suffering person or one could find friend in someone unlikely. It was a nice ending and yay because it also passed censorship. I hope this writer writes more dramas in the future. If this is where Chinese dramas are heading, I'd be excited for them to be more layered.

OST:
Nice, chill and something to listen to during the rainy weather.

OVERALL:
I highly recommend watching this drama even if you don't like Chinese dramas or romance. It's got some nice messages and it's most depth I've ever seen come out of a rom-com.

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Best Body Swapping Rom-Com so far!

The body swapping trope can be hit or a miss, and this was an absolute HIT!
When I first watched this Drama, I didn't have high expectations.
But this Drama was amazingly well produced. The comedy, chemistry, romance and acting all excellent.

The story was nicely constructed, and written. Except for the last 10 minutes. I am not that bummed by it, but it could have been better for sure. I would have given this a rating of 10, if it was a more satisfying conclusion. And the story sort of got draggy at the last 8 episodes. But it's to expected with 26 episodes.

I liked how they used music and sound effects to brilliantly potray the comedic scences.
And the OST from this show was amazing. I See You (Qian Xi) and Crush On You (Lu Siying) are the most memorable.
Those 2 songs will be stuck on my head for a few days!
The acting by the two leads was amazing, it was really believable that the body swap has occured with the characters.
They both potrayed the characters very well. I am now a fan of both the leads.
I hope they both work on another drama together.

Overall I really enjoyed this Rom-Com.
I had good laughs watching this, it was really addicitve from like first episode to about episode 16.

I highly recommend to watch this gem of 2021. I am really glad I watched this Drama!
I plan to rewatch this sometime again.

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Best Modern Rom-com Ever!

Modern dramas disappoint me because they severely suffer from two issues: 1) predictable, cheesy cliches, 2) trivial problems that drag on too long. For these reasons, I normally wouldn’t rate a modern show above a 8. However, “The Day of Becoming You” is in a completely different ballpark. It has made me laugh in every episode and warms my heart in many scenes (cue the “I found you” episode). Watching this drama is like unwrapping a Christmas present on a cold winter day. It’s delightful, surprising, and memorable.

The show’s biggest strength is the acting, especially from the main roles. As everyone knows, the leads Yu Shengsheng and Jiang Yi body-swap with each other. Both actors Liang Jie and Zhang Xincheng perfectly pull off the body-swap. The transition is so smooth to the point where I actually believe that they have swapped bodies. For Zhang Xincheng, he really uses his entire voice, body, and soul to express that he is Yu Shengsheng. While the spotlight is on the main characters, the supporting roles are also excellent.

The story is hilarious; the body-swaps cause all sorts of embarrassing and unpredictable situations. Some rom-coms are only funny for a portion of time, but this drama continuously delivers pure comedy gold. The romance is nicely paced throughout the series. The main characters don’t immediately fall in love and actually spend time becoming friends. At the same time, their relationship progresses fast enough to keep me entertained. Through body-swapping, they literally put themselves in the other person’s shoes and learn to empathize with one another.

One of the show’s weakness is the lackluster first episode. Everyone should continue watching because the fun really begins in the second episode. Other episodes that aren’t as great are the final two. After the serious events, I wish that the drama could conclude with more hilarious situations like before. Instead, the story between Yu Shengsheng and Jiang Yi ends quite blandly. Some viewers dislike the plot twist in the last ten minutes. I actually think it is a clever way to bypass censoring and can be easily skipped without affecting the main story.

Overall, I highly recommend “The Day of Becoming You” to anyone looking for a modern rom-com. The show is packed with comedy, depicts a beautiful romance between the main characters, and touches upon issues with family.

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Is this drama for you? Does it have the trope you are looking for?

Is this drama for you? Does it have the trope you are looking for?
Read for more

If you like the following then watch this drama.
Her private life.
My lonely Planet
Because this is my first life
Proud of love s2
Mr. Queen
Go ahead (same screenwriter)


First of all this is the only drama on mdl which has the rating it deserves (8.5). Read to find out why not 10.

CONCEPT
The whole story revolves around the concept of body swap which I would is portrayed really well. The ml is a idol and the fl is a reporter so it is pretty interesting.

ACTING
The both the actors did a great job in showing them selves in opposite gender.

EPISODE KNOWLEDGE
Sometimes whil watch the drama you loose interest, it is in not one of them. Or sometimes the drama goes down hill well it's not the case in this drama

CLICHE
There are not a lot of cliches which we find in c- drama.

SCRIPT
It is a well written drama, it showed how the life of an idol is like, how they can't date, how anti fans react. It has ample scenes of comedy.

ENDING
Honestly the ending could have been better. It was pretty fine.

Is this for you?
If you like the tropes or things you below then watch it

1) ml is an idol ( in the story)
2) looking for fluffy drama
3) cheerful fl and introverted ml
4) jealousy, mostly ml sometimes fl
5) many kissing scenes & physical contact
6) no betrayal
7) no sudden twist
8) great chemistry
9) comedy


Why not to watch? Why not 10?
If you do not like the following the don't watch

1) cliche breakup
2) cliche sad story of the ml where parents abandoned him & they patch up like it never happened.
3) a bit unrealistic. Since the fans didn't find out the fl had been visiting the idol(ml) often. I mean there are stalkers who literally know there phone no.s
4) for kdrama watchers, if you have no experience of cdrama and are unaware of cdrama setting then don't watch.
5) if you have really high hopes from watching Korean rom com

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this show has my entire heart

there's something so beautiful about how simple and focused this story was. it managed to take all of these classic drama tropes - body-swapping, optimistic female lead, cold, popular, and troubled male lead, and turn it truly into something of its own. watching liang jie and steven zhang on screen was electric and their interactions felt as easy as breathing, the episodes flew by.

i'm not a fan of body-swapping plots; in fact i usually turn the other way when i hear that that's the preface. as someone who enjoys more mellowed and realistic plot lines, i'm so so happy that i took a chance on this one (it caught my eye because steven zhang has impressed me again and again in all of his works) because it was everything i needed. even with all the far-fetched details, this drama somehow stayed grounded. the amount of normal i felt watching this show was so refreshing. the mix of comedy, romance, sentiment, and social commentary was nicely balanced, it made you crave more but every episode felt satisfying to watch (which is rare in asian dramas, at least with me).

i especially loved the visual details and the consistent efforts they made in the outfit pairings between the main leads!! jiang yi wore darker colours, which really helped visually remind us when body swaps occurred because we'd see yu sheng sheng wear the dark colours instead. and then, in the last episode, you'll notice that jiang yi began wearing bright colours as his character grew. it was such a subtle touch because the outfit palettes were so neutral, but i loved seeing how much they contrasted each other yet fit together perfectly. yu sheng sheng really was his light :')

while not without flaws, this drama really took my breath away. definitely a gem, highly recommend!

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Must watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dont miss it... what r u waiting for??? This is the best best comedy romantic gender blender drama... i can vow that u will nvr get bored frm 1st to till 26th episode... best part is the music synchronization wth scenes.... wherever ur mind is the sound will bring u back into the plot.... best cp of ml n fl... fab acting bt steven zhang he literally nailed in girlish act... even liang jie became my favorite because of her acting here... i had some prejudice about soul switching, gender blender stories, bt this drama is an eye opener fr me.
To be frank got a little disappointed at the end... it was a over smart idea by the director to make the whole drama into a novel story... there my dream shattered.
I'm giving 9.5 ratings bcoz i liked it so much. -0.5 fr this over smart idea...
Entirely successfully entered my favorite list.

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Seems like a generic plot but is filled with hilarious acting and adorable characters

If you read the synopsis, it seems like one of the most generic plots. Body-switching... again??? But this show does it right. During the body switches, the leads and their acting is incredible to watch. When they body switch, it is almost TOO realistic that it feels weird to watch - I had to remind myself that the two didn't actually switch bodies! That's how realistic it felt. The acting and chemistry are the highlights. It's a light-hearted watch with mostly character-driven plot devices, such as reconciling with family, balancing work and relationship, and the obvious body switching. One of the standouts is the comedy aspect. The romance is obviously done incredibly realistically and well with solid pacing -- the comedy aspect always follows closely behind reminding viewers the absurdity of the situation and injecting goofy yet entertaining scenes every episode.

Pacing: It's a relatively short cdrama which I am all for, only 26 episodes. 2021's higher ranked modern dramas has brought on a welcoming trend of shorter series with You are my glory (32 eps), Sweet Teeth (22 eps), My Little Happiness (28 eps), and this one. One of the common complaints I have had with cdramas was the drag, especially in the second half of dramas where the plot starts becoming unrealistic and new and evil characters start getting introduced. Thankfully, in the dramas that I have listed, none of that really happens just because of the shorter series length. Breath of fresh air! The Day of Becoming You has one of the better pacing I have seen in a Chinese drama, and I would even recommend it based solely on pacing - it's short enough to give it a try. Episode 1 starts off weird and slow, but it really enters its groove in the next couple of episodes.

Characters: Refer to first paragraph -- acting is amazing and most characters are realistic and supportive. Definitely a standout, especially if you're looking for a light-hearted and character-driven romcom.

Plot: Fun plot. I'll point out that the final "arc" is a bit harder to watch (last 2 episodes). You knew that this issue would be coming eventually (celebrity dating a non-celebrity) so I would have liked it if they handled it earlier or if they just removed it altogether. The predictability killed off some of its fun, especially since the body-switching aspect became less of a factor in the last third of the drama. If they resolved this particular issue earlier, I believe the plot could have been more interesting to watch. This is just a minor complaint.

The ending: is wack. Read some of the comments on the drama page. It's a ?????????????? type of ending. I won't spoil it and the drama LITERALLY works if you omit the final 20 minutes of the final episode. But its there and it's a weird one. Not a deal-breaker by any means and is generally inconsequential, but still confuses me greatly.

Conclusion: Don't be put off by the generic synopsis. The charming leads and their playful and hilarious acting skills make this worth watching. Liang Jie and Steven Zhang are hilarious and their chemistry is great. It is primarily a character-driven plot, which is what I personally enjoy because that means you know the drama won't fall into the typical drama trope pitfalls like angsty second leads, disapproving parents, or evil villain seeking revenge on the leads. It's a short watch so give it a chance!

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Watched this of course because of Steven Zhang & Liang Jie being together in a drama. Turn out this drama better than what I expected.

Never imagine this kind of story will gonna be happen. Quite intriguing yet silly in one way or another. Really have to give a big applause to Steven Zhang & Liang Jie, they really give their best performance here. I literarily can imagine when they switch body how the other actually gonna be react, they every move & even small gesture really imitate the other quite perfectly.

The story quite unusual here. Usually if there is something happen to the artist, they will tell their manager directly, so the manager can help thinking solution or anything. But here, regard the relationship between Jiang Yi (JY) & Jiang Da Chuan (DC), they never tell DC but instead try to resolve it themselves.

Even though you can say this drama quite fast paced, but everything is there. The chemistry between the lead, the family issue, etc. What I like is this drama not only involve the couple problem, but also a little bit history & the family problem that JY have. Really like how they resolve the relationship problem between JY and his mom. In here we can also see the growth of JY & Yu Sheng Sheng (SS), although it's more the growth of JY then SS. Really funny to see the shock in DC face when JY announce his relationship with SS.

Overall this is just drama, a good drama indeed. Even though the ending quite catch me unguard, but I quite like this drama. But no, I don't think I'll gonna re-watch this.

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A delight and surprise!

I really had low expectations because I have seen the body swap trope failing so many times already in Asian dramas as there aren't many actors (especially young ones) with the proper acting calibre to pull it off but Zhang Xincheng and Liang Jie gives justice to their characters here and my favorite parts of the show are actually the body swap parts.

The best thing is that the body swap isn't mainly used as an entertainment comic source but also moves the story forward. Both characters are flawed but the way they are depicted makes you understand and resonate with their flaws. None of the main leads have a shallow back story, and even in times you disagree with their actions, you can totally understand why they do things that way.

Also Zhang Xincheng needs an award for that walnut scene. Classic and iconic. My favorite parts of the drama are when he plays Sheng Sheng.

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Living each other’s lives, literally

We often talk about being more empathetic and understanding of others’ perspectives - but how much do we really understand when we are not facing the same experiences or live in their shoes before?

Enter “TDOBY” as Jiang Yi’s (Steven Zhang) and Yu Sheng Sheng’s (Liang Jie) souls got swapped in an accident and literally got to live in each other’s shoes until they figured out how to swap back.

We naturally have a lot of comedic moments that comes with a gender swap story, and the leads really delivered these scenes. When Steven Zhang had to act as Yu Sheng Sheng, I can really see that “the lady in Jiang Yi”. Similarly, Liang Jie’s portrayal of Jiang Yi was passable as well - it is not easy playing a reserved character. Coupled with the impeccable timely background sound effect, the funny scenes were funnier, the awkward moments were “awkward-er”, which in turn make it funny for us, the audiences.

The pacing and progress of the relationship between the main leads were done well too. They started from tolerating each other (mostly on Jiang Yi’s part), to developing a friendship (that drives Jiang Yi’s manager nuts due to Sheng Sheng’s job as a reporter), and then eventually falling for each other.

I personally like relationships that are founded on friendship, and it’s great watching Jiang Yi’s growth and development throughout the show with Sheng Sheng’s influence. When they both officially became a couple, oh boy, those sweet moments and chemistry would make your toes curl.

What’s more, funny / light hearted and romantic moments were not all TDOBY have. It has a number of heartwarming scenes on family and friendships as well.
While the supporting cast was mainly in the scenes to progress the story forward, they are not 1 dimensional characters.
While I am a tiny bit disappointed that certain characters weren’t expounded further, I recognise and accept that at the heart of it, TDOBY is a story about Jiang Yi and Yu Sheng Sheng. Fingers crossed for a sequel or spin off!

Also, if one pays attention, TDOBY touched upon current social issues such as stereotypes, fanatic behaviours, social media commentaries / critiques, healthy dating mindset / attitude as well as accepting consequences of own choices.

It has been such a long time since I have watched an entire show, rom-com no less, without skipping any scenes. Nada, zippo - I sat through the entire 26 episodes and thoroughly enjoyed the show.

I personally like the ending concept that the scriptwriter has chosen. The dialogue in the last 10-15 mins really drives home the message on empathy, which I believe is what the scriptwriter really wants to share. My only complain is this choice leaves a couple of questions and untied loose ends for me. Also, I thought it would’ve been nicer if they extended a couple more episodes to properly reconnect Jiang Yi and Yu Sheng Sheng after the time skip. Okay, that makes two complains.

Nevertheless, I still love TDOBY and would highly recommend everyone to watch the fun journey of Ms. Jiang Yi and Mr. Yu Sheng Sheng.

And, Summer 21 best female lead goes to … Steven Zhang

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