Wenderella's Diary (2023)

It's Showtime! - A parody that you either love or hate

"Some people are born as Cinderella and some people are just Cinderella's sister."

The basis of a good parody is to flip the script, so throw out all your morals, disregard the synopsis and just enjoy the ride! And oh boy - this one was hilarious :D
The sweet and silly Mary Sue FL has turned into 黑蓮花灰姑娘 (black lotus Cinderella/someone who is pure in appearance, but opposite inside) and instead of a domineering president, we get a sweet and silly prince, that even upon finding out the truth still has the naivity of ten C-Drama FLs combined. Now imagine these two get married...

What makes this drama stand out the most is, it's self aware and completely disregards the thought "what will people think of this". Imagine you have the perfect story but all you're missing is a female lead, but you can't find one so you just have to fake it until you make it.
"Wenderella's Diary" made me aware of how much c-dramas have changed my expectation for how a story has to be and what the characters are like. It challenged my new found beliefs for a moment and reminded me of what kind of (fictional) stories I really enjoy. I've gotten so used to always seeing morally correct characters that feel so perfect or idolized, that it took me a minute to adjust.
But I truly enjoyed how fictional these characters were and how fun it was to see the "what if" played out, without having to think "is this a red flag?" or how I would have reacted if it were real, because that is out of the question. The comedy is on point and the shameless lies of the FL are almost as funny as the reactions of the ML and every supporting character.

The first half of the drama is especially funny with the constant back and forth of the FL telling a lie about her life and then having to "prove it" but it either goes wrong because someone exposes her or the circumstances change. The funniest thing is though, no matter what lie she tells the ML, he is just so in love with her that any explanation is fine with him and just when you think "Oh no! Now someone really exposed her", he turns around and finds a silver lining to be happy about.

I don't want to spoil too much but here are two examples:
1) FL fakes a run in with the ML and his employees try to expose her by showing him CCTV footage of her planning it but instead of being disappointed he gets excited about seeing her once more on the screen :D
2) Her evil sister exposes a possible relationship ending secret about her to him and he's just like "aww, you don't need to be jealous of us"
The reactions of the people around him whenever something like that happens are just DELICIOUS. It's as if they find him as unbelievable as the audience - another sign of how this is a well done parody.

The star of the show however is definitely Wen Rou. Her pompous outfits and never ending wits are making her one unforgettable FL. There is not a single naive bone in her body. Her compulsive lying made her an expert in spotting when other people aren't being truthful and I really appreciate how she stayed true to her character from start to finish. If you are looking for great character development, I have bad news for you but I'd say it makes the drama at least 20% better!
Early on I saw many comments comparing her to SFL villains in other dramas and although I don't fully agree, there is an argument to be made about that.
Cecilia Boey nailed the role in every aspect and I could not imagine another actress playing Wen Rou. Having a mixed-race actress play a character that is unlike most romcom female leads is like a double win. I've got no complaints :)

In the supporting roles department the drama also delivers a good mix of comedy and romance. The second lead couple has their own cut version out there somewhere, so great chemistry and a fun story is guaranteed! - But just a heads up, their story starts a bit later.

THINGS I LIKED A LOT:

- The running gags (example: whenever the ML finds out about a lie the FL told he sits by the piano in their apartment in a white suit. So when the FL enters she’s like "not this again")
- Easter Eggs (example: The Devil Wears Prada poster, references to snow white/cinderella, the episode titles)
- Casual relationships & the talk surrounding it (characters have been in relationships before, no shyness and there's nothing wrong with a little hook up, boy toy or being good with your ex :P)
- Unpredictability (although the overall story is predictable, there are a lot of clues that lead you in one direction but end up differently; don't rely on how tropes usually play out :)


"Wenderella's Diary" is hard to compare to any other drama because whenever I watched something parody related, it lost that aspect over the course of the episodes but "Wenderella's Diary" stays true to it's original plot, although around the half way point it loses some of it's steam. But luckily the second lead couple start their story around that time, serving all the chemistry one might miss in the main's. This is probably my favorite Fan Zhi Xin (My Lethal Man) romcom character yet. He's flirty but straight to the point and a great contrast to the ML as he also dated the FL in the past. - but don't worry there's no love triangle :D


THE NOT SO GREAT THINGS:

My reasons for not rating it higher than 8.5 have two sides.
First I don't see romantic chemistry between the two leads, however since the plot is focused on the FL faking her way through marriage and the ML's comical nativity, the lack of chemistry does not really impact the viewing experience at all. In my opinion you could have a puppet as the ML and it would still be funny - but not to take away that Shan Liang (ML) does have his moments, especially in combination with his three loyal employees who spare no effort to make sure no one can take advantage of him.
But it seems even the producers of the drama are aware of this, as I've read "Shan Liang is for Wen Rou, and the second male lead is for the audience" LOL
Although we get many hits at intimacy and enough kisses, I wouldn't call them steamy but it didn't bother me either.

The career plot of the FL was watchable but nothing special. As goes for the ML, his whole dating app was supposed to be a big part of the story according to the synopsis but you never actually see someone use it... they just talk about it.
The family of the FL is also not the best. She might be Cinderella's sister but neither her nor Cinderella (SFL) have had it easy with their father. I did not like her friend's (Han Qing) story and here and there the balance between live-recording and dubbing was off. The drama was filmed during the height of the pandemic and maybe that's why at certain times there was a lot of filming in studios. One could argue aside from the FL/ML story and the second lead couple, the drama is just average.
In terms of the ending, it fazes out like many Chinese dramas. It's happy and all is well, but there is also no sign of it possibly being a sad/bad ending at any given point before so it's not a surprise. It could have used a more "ending" feeling and maybe cut out a story line a few episodes earlier to invest more time into the finale but it's not the worst either.

Finally the "either you love it or you hate it" part of my review title comes into play - because if you take the story seriously and see the FL as a real person, you'll probably have an awful time watching this. She is a compulsive liar and the drama does not try to convey that it's a bad thing and she should change nor is there some big moment of clarity or redemption - it's a parody after all and if you watch it as is, laughs are guaranteed :)


I enjoyed this drama a lot and although it wasn't perfect I found it funny and am glad I watched it :)

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It's not an amazingly crafted script, but it's passable enough. The characters, with the exception of Shan Liang and her father, have annoying personalities. The protagonist is a character that lacks truth and is very irritating, but quite pitiful. Despite the many boring characters, little by little, by knowing their pitiful stories, they become more acceptable. The writer exaggerated the sweetness of just the character Shan Liang, he is very cute and actor Yu Meng Long nailed his interpretation. The ending is not apotheotic, but within the plot, quite satisfying.
The director kept the pace of the drama without any slowdowns or rushes. The editing, despite some rough cuts, does not compromise the work.
The cast's performances are good.
The soundtrack isn't bad.

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