I stumbled into this series by accident but really enjoyed it. The funniest thing was I was actually paying attention to this series at first because I was looking for more stuff from the Word of Honor cast to watch and saw how Zhou Ye was filming this. I was waiting for more news to release and then forgot to check back. So, yeah, when I saw this the other day, it came back to me when I saw Zhou Ye’s name so had to watch. It started with hunting down for some of Tan Jian Ci’s songs, actually, lol. I had to after seeing him on various episodes of Hello Saturday and realizing he sang. (Yes, I live under the rock so did not realize his talent nor his existence until now. Or more like my lack of paying attention to the C-ent world as much.) What persuaded to watch this was the song “Ten Thousand Bones Crush the Sand” (万骨催沙).
Main Cast:
- Tan Jian Ci (檀健次) as Mo Qing Cheng (莫青成) / Qiang Qing Ci (錆青磁). One of the three top voice actors. He also sang and was revealed to be a master top chef. His real profession was actually a cardiologist. This was my first time watching Tan Jian Ci and I felt he did fine, unlike some complaints about how stiff and awkward he was. Because he was a natural with showing his talents and personality throughout. As a doctor, he was mature and professional toward his patients. He was also very caring hence earning a great reputation. As a voice actor, it was revealed he stumbled into it accidentally ages ago because he had to redo some dubbing and there was no other voice actors available at that time. That was how he started and became a talented artist. The two sides of his personality was due to the environment he was in. It didn’t mean he was fake or boring as one or another. It just meant the level of comfort and amount of feeling he was allowed to show in those settings. As a doctor, it was more appropriate to remain professional mostly. As a voice actor, he had more flexibility of being playful with his group yet also maintained a high standard toward his work projects. I saw some other comments saying how he was so different on Hello Saturday versus in here hence his acting was terrible in here; and I couldn’t disagree more. Because that was the whole point of him portraying this character. Of course, he was more lively and dramatic (for comedic purposes, I know, not picking on him, lol) on Hello Saturday. Because he was himself, not as his character Mo Qing Cheng. If he had portrayed similar roles as himself, would he be acting at all? That was the point of taking on challenges. I have since watched more and read more regarding his background and felt like he was always up to some new challenges, so I felt this was his strongest point, always evolving. So, I felt this was a success for his role if he was able to portray the character well, not just acting as himself off screen.
- Zhou Ye (周也) as Gu Sheng (顧聲) / Sheng Sheng Man (聲聲慢). A college student and a composer for Zhao Zhao Mu Mu Studio. She also was a major fan of Qiang Qing Ci. She was also a foodie yet wasn’t much of a cook (possibly due to being spoiled by her mom’s culinary skills). She was very passionate about her work and was a hardworking student. She also had a nice and kind family, even if her cousins were too overbearing at times. She was nice and gentle for the most part. At times, she could be mischievous but it was seen she was often shy and easily embarrassed. It was possibly due to the fact that she was too sheltered by her family, being the youngest and the only girl of the family after all. Although I understood her character and enjoyed her performance, I actually liked her character in Word of Honor more. I don’t know, I couldn’t shake that mischievous character off and felt this character was too dialed down, lol. The other one was more fun.
- Hou Wen Yuan (侯雯元) as Zhou Zheng (周政) / Jue Mei Sha Yi (绝美杀意). One of the top three voice actors. He was also known to run his own business on the side. I somewhat enjoyed his character and sometimes his mischievousness when he was with the rest of the team but didn’t really like him as an individual character, if that made sense. Well, I guess I did like him but the plot ruined it by forcing a pairing for him so it was so awkward I lost interest in his character later on.
- Yang Xi Zi (杨肸子) as Geng Xiao Xing (庚晓幸). Sheng Sheng’s roommate and good friend. She was a good character on her own. Yes, I said it, I was done. If they hadn’t forced her pairing, I would also like her more. If possible, make it different or something. Like if they must, maybe let her have a boyfriend elsewhere.
- Cao En Qi (曹恩齐) as Feng Ya Song (風雅颂). One of the top three voice actors. His real profession was actually a pediatrician. I found it kind of funny that he didn’t have a nickname or some type of stage name like the other two voice actors. He was a very frugal person and very secretive in some ways because of the lack of information on him. However, it was later revealed he liked Dou Dou and was very protective of her (although she was older). It was very obvious when they went hiking that one time and he was shielding her and telling her to slow down, etc. Sometimes, he was somewhat immature and petty yet it was understandable because of his insecurities.
- Chen Hao Lan (陈昊蓝) as Dou Dou (豆豆) / Dou Bing (豆饼). Manager of Perfect Voice Studio. She also sang but often took on managerial duties mostly so the others could continue with their other life professions. She was almost like a mother hen to the others because of her maturity level and her responsible nature. Although the others teased at times, they really respected her and trusted her throughout.
Supporting:
- Xia Ning Jun (夏宁骏) as Fei Shao (斐少). A singer of Perfect Voice Studio.
- Liu Zhe Hui (刘哲珲) as Wang Ke (王可). A singer of Perfect Voice Studio. It was revealed later that was really good at archery but yielded to Jue Mei to help the latter score points with Xiao Xing.
- Kong Qing Xin (孔庆心) as Mao Ge (茂哥). The chief technological officer of Perfect Voice Studio.
- Zhang Qiao Er (张乔耳) as Club Leader (社长). She was the leader and also the lead singer of Zhao Zhao Mu Mu Studio.
- Xia Zhen (夏甄) as Guai Guai (怪怪). A composer of Zhao Zhao Mu Mu Studio. She was very talented in various instruments.
- Chen Ze (陈泽) as Zou Diao Er (走调儿). The lyricist for Zhao Zhao Mu Mu Studio. He later became a dubber for Perfect Voice Studio but still maintained his status as a member of Zhao Zhao Mu Mu Studio because he claimed it was his home.
- Zou Ji Jun (邹吉昕) as Gu Jia (顾嘉). Gu Sheng’s fifth cousin and the manager of the Gu family’s convenience store. Also protective of Gu Sheng at times yet was the most reasonable among her other cousins.
Others:
- Shi An (时安) as Xi You (西柚). A new intern and receptionist of Perfect Voice Studio. He was also a major fan of the majority of the members of Perfect Voice Studio and was really smitten by them. Yet had fulfilled his duties as needed and kept the confidential matters to the T without issues.
- Huang Jing Xiang (黄靖翔) as Mu Mu (沐沐). A cosplayer and one of the good friends of the Perfect Studio members. He was seen as being straightforward but dubbed by some others as having a stingy attitude. Possibly because he often pointed out all the issues of the other members or the situation so they found it somewhat annoying, mostly Mo Bai. However, when he witnessed Mo Qing Cheng and Gu Sheng taking wedding pictures, he actually smiled (because he was happy for them) and Mo Bai teased him about it (by saying, “So you do know how to smile”). Although he seemed indifference toward others and some situations, he was really reliable when the others called him for a favor, etc.
- Fu Han Yuan (傅汉源) as Mo Bai (墨白). A cosplayer and one of the good friends of the Perfect Studio members. A very lively person, so he was a good counterbalance to Mu Mu’s indifference to others at times.
- Xian Zi (弦子) as Mo Qiao Qiao (莫悄悄) / Ling Long Ti Tou (玲瓏剔透). An OB/GYN who worked at the same hospital as Mo Qing Cheng. She was later revealed to be Mo Qing Cheng’s cousin, not someone who liked Mo Qing Cheng like previous rumors. It was mentioned that she already retired as a singer but often came back to help her good friends if time called for it. I didn’t realize that was Xian Zi, lol. No wonder she looked so familiar, lol. It was nice seeing her in here.
- Huang Er Chun (黄尔纯) as Qi Yao (戚遥). Gu Sheng’s roommate and good friend. I actually like her nerdy personality and her mushy talks with her boyfriend at times, lol. She was a bit quirky but a very supportive friend in general. She was also trustworthy to keep secrets, even if she was a bit starstruck when she met Qiang Qing Ci at first.
- Liang Tian (梁天) as Gu Sheng’s grandfather (顾声外公). He used to be a doctor. He was now retired and was enjoying life with the family. Because he was also a doctor himself, he was understanding toward Mo Qing Cheng and his busy schedules.
- Chen Guan Ning (陈冠甯) as Gu Sheng’s father (顾声爸爸).
- Juan Zi (涓子) as Gu Sheng’s mother (顾声妈妈). She was mentioned to have great culinary skills and was the one in charge of making meal boxes for the Gu family’s convenience store. She had an encounter with Mo Qing Cheng at the hospital and misunderstood the situation at first before calming down later. Possibly Gu Sheng got the awkwardness bit from her.
- Wang Zhi Yi (王之一) as Dong Yi Ru (董亦儒). An employee of the Gu family’s convenience store. She was a major fan was Qiang Qing Ci.
- Xu Ge (许歌) as Gu Sheng’s aunt (顾声小姨).
- Wen Wen Jing (吴文璟) as Gu Sheng’s eldest cousin (顾声大表哥).
- Chai Hao Wei (柴伟浩) as Gu Sheng’s second cousin (顾声二表哥).
- Li Kun (李鲲) as Gu Sheng’s third cousin (顾声三表哥).
- Lu Yun Feng (吕昀峰) as Gu Sheng’s fourth cousin (顾声四表哥).
- Ou Jian Yu (欧剑宇) as Zhang Le Le (张乐乐). A doctor. Mo Qing Cheng’s colleague. I sometimes felt bad for him for having to look after Mo Qing Cheng’s situation, lol.
- Yang Dong Qi (杨冬麒) as CEO Zhu (朱总). He was a good friend of the members of Perfect Voice Studio and some others within the industry.
- Yan An (颜安) as Bei Dou Xiao Xing (北斗小星). A traditional style singer.
- Chen Zhi Hui (陈智慧) as Qi Yao’s boyfriend (戚遥男友). I almost thought Qi Yao made up that boyfriend if he hadn’t appeared. He was sure quirky as she was and they made an adorable good match. Brief appearance but fun to watch.
Relationships: family, friendships, romances, etc.
- Tan Jian Ci / Mo Qing Cheng / Qiang Qing Ci and Zhou Ye / Gu Sheng / Sheng Sheng Man. I liked their chemistry and liked them together yet not apart. Yes, it was really strange to think about it. But that was how it was. In a way, both characters did have their uniqueness but maybe I was impatient to see how their relationship would develop. In some ways, they were as the other characters described: first love. Yes, many things were new to them, even Mo Qing Cheng, who surprisingly had never been involved in a relationship before. It was due to him having a busy schedule as both a doctor and a dubber. It was like he achieved a lot and influenced a lot of people but forgot to live his own life. She was just inexperienced in general because of her age and being heavily sheltered by her family. Their chemistry was refreshing yet lighthearted. However, I had to admit the majority seemed like surface romance only. The reason? I always felt like he loved her more than vice versa. I shouldn’t keep points, but that was the general vibe I got. He was always more active in wanting to make it work and thinking up of all these ideas for their various adventures and she seemed to just tagged along. Yes, she was unsure at first and even asked him at first times what if things didn’t work out, etc. It was in some ways realistic to think of an outcome. Yet the idea of falling in love with your idol was very weird to me. Like the author wanted to satisfy their own fantasy of falling in love with their idol or something. And yes, Qu Sheng did make a lot of effort later toward him, like taking care of him while he was sick and willing to try new things just for him. Yet there was this disconnect that it was still hard to take seriously. At times, she was seen rebelling and was on that one trip with him and others yet I wasn’t sure if she really wanted to be with him or because she wanted to rebel in general because she was too protected by her family and wanted to take back her personal space. Not to mention how she got to experience all of those things with all of her favorite idols. She did ask him at one point if he was bothered by the fact that she was attracted to his voice more than him, etc. He wasn’t bothered by it because his voice was also a part of him. Near the end, like when they were taking wedding pictures, it seemed like they understood each a lot more (obviously), he said she was taunting him regarding the underwater suggestion for one of the shots, it still seemed like they were in the initial phase. I don’t know. The plots tried to convince us, but I still felt it was a bit forced. Yes, I did enjoy their sweetness at times but I wasn’t completely convinced on them arriving at a point where they should be married. (And I thought the wedding photo scene was the part you could see Tan Jian Ci was himself because of his mischievous expression and his pulling at his tie, adjusting it and getting ready to go into the water). Even if they filled in more gaps later on how he actually was her fan of ages ago when he heard her debut clip. Or other aspect of how she came to enjoy his company more and more. Like I said, it was a lot of surface romance than talking about other life goals outside of their shared professions. Perhaps, because I wasn’t part of that fandom so I don’t understand. But I felt the part where she wept and mourned about his retirement from the dubbing community was too dramatic. Yes, I understand in the sense that when you learn your favorite celeb had moved on, it was painful that you could no longer enjoy their works. But as his girlfriend and possibly life partner, would it kill her to show him support with his next life decision? Because personally, he was moving on to the next journey. There was no point in continuing on a path if he no longer felt strong about it. It wasn’t like he was distancing himself from the dubbing community completely. He was at a point in his life where he wanted to hone future talents. It was an admirable step, actually, something the older generations always failed because they clung onto fame too much, not wanting to help pass some of the knowledge along. Not to mention how he expressed at one point he felt burned out by being so overworked, whether it was being a doctor or a dubber. He also wanted to make time for the love of his life, who was now a top priority to him. So, yes, it was hard to stomach some scenes because they didn’t really have some major talk regarding life goals and other future plans. I meant he did expressed it to her and letting her know he was ready to move on. Other characters seemed to discuss it too regarding if push came to shove, what would he choose, etc. Yet I felt Gu Sheng was a bit indifference regarding that. Or like he cared about what she wanted more than she did for him. I didn’t want to be petty but it just seemed that way at times. I thought as the main leads, they should at least have a serious discussion regarding life goals, not just him caving into making her happy the majority of the time.
- Hou Wen Yuan / Zhou Zheng / Jue Mei Sha Yi and Yang Xi Zi / Geng Xiao Xing. They were so boring I rather watch paint dry. Yes, that was mean as hell but that was how I felt throughout. I felt their relationship forced and another pairing that was pulled together because they needed another pairing, it wasn’t really necessary.
- Cao En Qi / Feng Ya Song and Chen Hao Lan / Dou Dou / Dou Bing. They were actually my favorite couple among three couples. Yes, surprisingly although they had less screen time than the others with how their story unfolded and how they finally got together. Possibly, because they were the most relatable to me. Not to mention how I was operating on the mentality “less is more.” Since their relationship seemed the most mysterious. Although they got together late, it wasn’t rushed. It made sense since they have a strong foundation. They just had to find the courage to step forward and acknowledge one another’s feelings.
Likes:
- The soundtrack. It would have been weird if the music wasn’t the highlight of the show. Although the dubbing industry was mentioned at times but music dominated the majority of the drama. The mix of traditional music and modern instruments was interesting to see and hear. My ultimate favorite song is still “Ten Thousand Bones Crush the Sand” and was a tad disappointed it was only sung partially twice. But I guess it made sense, considering the majority of the series was very lighthearted. So it was more suitable to play the other songs more.
- Food culture. Usually, in dramas, food wasn’t the highlight of the show. Somehow, food was often discouraged too and would only be use for light humor. At least, I haven’t seen a series where food was part of the dominant plot for a while now. Because both of the main characters were foodies, the plot allowed for more time. People often forget that food and music are the universal languages for people around the world to connect. Because it transcends all boundaries and differences, allowing one to communicate. It was a bridge to communication and understanding. Being a major foodie myself, I enjoyed the exploration of different foods and the cultures of various locations. It was fun and also informative at times where it was allowed.
Dislikes:
- The somewhat ancient age mentality regarding some situations. Or more like they were making it weird. What in the world am I talking about? It was the inconsistency of how various people of the opposite sex were seen together and different reactions to them. Like one moment, some people decided it was all right to be friends with the opposite sex and even participated in different events together like the various members of the Perfect Voice Studio yet other times, they were acting like it was controversial to see other people walking together. It perhaps made more sense that the Gu family were acting all protective toward Gu Sheng because she was probably the only princess of their family. Yet it was odd that the others who were more experienced in life and had various friends act all weird to see Mo Qing Cheng and Gu Sheng together. Even if they were just talking normally and not in any relationship or anything. I did understand the context some of the members were teasing the two at times and were mostly joking at Mo Qing Cheng’s expense. But at other times, it was just weird. Then there were the scene were Grandpa Gu was fine with Gu Sheng taking Mo Qing Cheng upstairs to explore around the house, especially going to her room. Grandpa Gu was probably the most reasonable among the group yet it was still weird to see him trusted them so much like that. The vibe in general at times made me feel like they were living in the dark ages and can’t accept some stuff.
- Length. This should have been 20 episodes. I say this from a place of love. I did enjoy how lighthearted and bubbly the majority of the series was. However, I felt it became somewhat of a stretch by the time it reached like 20 something. If they wanted to stretch a bit more, it could have been 25 episodes.
Discussions:
- Dubbing Industry. I didn’t realize there was such a huge fan base among the dubbing industry, lol. Or I just wasn’t paying attention. What was ironic was how the majority of the cast had their voice dubbed over and Zhou Ye didn’t really sing the songs in there. Yes, I did understand that according to the plot, Qiang Qing Ci was supposed to be that way, so it made sense to have someone with that voice to dub for the character. But it was still ironic that they said he had the best voice and then dubbed over him, lol.
- Chat rooms. I felt like we lost a generation because of the confusion from different comments. Like why would a famous dubber sneak into two college girls’ chat and started to creepily follow Gu Sheng. Or like sliding into her DMs. Yes, both things could be really creepy. But I felt I need to explain the concept of chatroom, lol. Anyone could join if you open one and they didn’t lock it. I don’t know how that platform work (in the series) and can’t be sure if it could be locked. But there was a time AOL (yes, ages ago, lol) and MSN (yes, also something of the past) have chat rooms. Other types of forums or websites also used to have those where you meet and chat and stuff. The point was friends connection and meeting people who had the same interest. At times, you can also open private chats or connect with someone else by messaging them. It’s just based solely on friends connection. It was back then when the internet wasn’t infested with creepy people taking advantage of situations and spamming people’s DMs, etc. So, I’m not disregarding people’s concerns about the creepiness level all around, just explaining how chatrooms work here. Do I like it that the world is a lot more complicated now and I could no longer randomly message people? NOPE, that’s the most annoying thing now because I have reconsider two hundred times and eventually give up because I don’t want to look like some creep not respecting people’s boundaries. (The reason for wanting to private message people? Just to share some common interests, that’s all. And some probably off topic stuff that aren’t in the post. Yet now I just have to say it in some post instead and apologize for being off topic because it’s just how it is now if I want to make an effort to write something.) So now, back to the drama. When I watched it, I didn’t think it was strange that he entered their chatroom because he genuinely heard an interesting topic that he wanted to engage. To them, he was a famous person and they were starstruck by his presence. OR more like Gu Sheng since she was the one who heard him at first and had to relay the message to Xiao Xing later. Anyway, to him, he was just a normal human being, wanting to share about that topic, that was all. He was a foodie after all, so how could he hold back? His passion for food overtook his reasonable side and he felt the need to share his own experience. As for the sliding into Gu Sheng’s DM thing, he private messaged her and wanted to expand further regarding the recipes. It was a harmless move yet because of the world we live in now, it’s considered creepy because he dared to private message someone. Was he so oblivious that he had crazy fans? No, he actually understood. That was why he wanted to keep his identity private and even encouraged others not to treat him differently or be too obsessed with his voice that they might be disappointed later because real life was different from just a voice they heard in some game or drama. You can say these were just justifications for his behaviors but I just looked at it from the perspective of someone who lived through a time of chatrooms and harmless engagements and people who connected because they had similar interests.
- The age difference between various pairings. I think I read some places there were more backlashes regarding the two main couples than Feng Ya Song and Dou Dou. But maybe because others did not care for them hence didn’t pick on them as much? I thought it was weird that there were two main pairings having somewhat of the same age gap, considering Gu Sheng and Geng Xiao Xing were friends and roommates. I felt it was kind of repetitive to make two pairings of similar backgrounds ending up together but the age difference didn’t bother me. Yes, I know it’s important to some people but it wasn’t impossible with real life celebrities with age differences so it wasn’t so odd. Considering how I was guessing they were five years apart at most so it didn’t bother me. If older maybe. I didn’t read the novel so don’t know how much of a difference that was so couldn’t comment but that was my opinion regarding the series.
Recommended? Yes for those liking lighthearted series. And this was a truly lighthearted series, NOT the type that was masked as so.