Never Give Up (今日宜加油)

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This was on my to-watch list because of Dylan. But I had other stuff to watch so it wasn’t on top of my priority. Yet I dived in to watch after having started some other drama that was in the middle of airing so I was stuck, lol. I also needed some light office romance. It was fun to watch in some ways but also somewhat annoying at times. I’ll get into more later. But it was enjoyable for the most part.

Main Cast:

• Ryan Zheng (郑恺) as Li Tian Ran (李天然). He was so silly and dramatic at times yet I soon realized that was the style of the storytelling. At first, I thought he was petty because of his assumptions. Then I realized he was rightfully bitter and disappointed because he’d been waiting for the promotion for a long time. His time and dedication seemed like nothing and the blow was hard to accept. Yet, he did learn from it and actually backed off because he was willing to understand the other person–whom he regarded as his enemy at first. Putting aside all the goofiness that was created as part of the office comedy, Tian Ran was indeed a nice and kind person. He was also considerate of others. Perhaps, that was one of the reasons why got taken advantage of at times. This was my first time watching him and I thought he was charming and funny. He really had a knack for comedy, putting in the right balance to it without exaggerating. Even if he was dramatic at times but it was part of his character and he showed that, not because he was exaggerating with his acting. (Yes, there’s a difference, exaggerating for the sake of the character and trying to do exaggerations to create humor, etc.)
• Yukee Chen (陈钰琪) as Fan Si Si (范思思). At first, I thought she was supposed to play the independent and strong career woman. Yes, she was indeed independent and strong but she wasn’t considered a career woman, which made a difference. Because she was trying to dodge so many stuff piling onto her that she was just looking for peace. I didn’t think it was too much that she wanted to take breaks and enjoy herself after work. She worked her ass off and was taken advantage by the other department after all. That wasn’t to say she slacked off after switching departments. Because she fulfilled all her duties and much more. It was just that she wanted to turn off the working gears after work, which was reasonable and anyone would want it too. Yet, somehow, she was considered a slacker by some just because she wanted off time. Having work boundaries and wanting to enjoy life shouldn’t be an abnormal concept, right? And this was my second time watching Yukee (since HSDS) and I liked her character. She was grounded in her reasoning and took responsibilities for her actions. (Of course, there were exaggerations at times but I thought that was the majority of the characters to create humor.)
• Dylan Wang (王鹤棣) as Bai Ma Shuai (白马帅). A young master of a major company yet wanted to start elsewhere to gain experience and truly rise up with his own abilities within the industry. For being one of the main leads, his appearance was severely lacking. It was strange coming from Only for Love and watching him portraying a humble character, despite his wealthy background. He was a recent graduate and just wanted to learn from others. It was indeed admirable, considering how he didn’t want to rely on nepotism. Yeah, I do know Only for Love was after this, but it was fun to see the contrast of both characters.

Supporting:

• Zhang Shao Gang (张绍刚) as Yu Qi Miao (鱼其渺). The head of the department. He seemed strict and uncompromising upfront yet he was quite reasonable and understanding when it came more serious matters. Sure, he wanted to be the best department yet also got his team’s back when it mattered. It was revealed later that he often got together with his band to perform at this one place. It was a heartwarming story in some ways. His passion for music and life was seen through those scenes.
• Liang Chao (梁超) as Ji Wa Wa (吉娃娃). He was so silly at times but meant no harm. It was just how he was. In some ways, it was his coping mechanisms to deal with the harsh working hours and the company’s strange policies that was created by other parties who took advantage of their power, etc.
• Zhong Li Li (钟丽丽) as Jiang Mei (江美). She appeared somewhat later in the show and became one of Bai Ma Shuai’s guides. She could be so crazy at times but was helpful during others.
• He Wen Jun (合文俊) as Gao De Fen (高德分). He was so annoying that it almost ruined the whole series for me. Yes, that bad. I didn’t know why they focused so much on him when he wasn’t dubbed as the leads or anything.
• Wu Ya Heng (吴亚衡) as Yao Si Wen (姚斯文). He was second in command in their department and could be hard to get along with. It was said that Ji Wa Wa trained him and he ended up advancing so far, leaving the old man behind. He was also seemed a suck up at times. Yet it was revealed later that he could be supportive of them when it mattered and he might not show it but did help them at other times too.
• Zhang Yue Chi (张悦驰) as Wu Ming Shi (吴名氏). He was part of the team yet always seemed to be invisible to the others the majority of the team. It was sad yet somewhat hilarious too. Because he got to come and go as he pleased and no one would give him a hard time about it.
• Cheng Zi (程梓) as Wu Yi Mei (吴意美). In charge of finances for the team. They often submitted their receipts to her to receive compensation regarding business expenses. It was said that she’d gone through so many plastic surgeries that she no longer could control her facial expressions, or more like no longer had any. In humor, yes, it was indeed funny. But also tragic because she overdid it. Sure, it was her money and her decisions, but still sad.
  • Yang chao Yue (杨超越) as the new Wu Yi Mei (新吴意美). Her brief appearance was hilarious as per the change regarding Wu Yi Mei. No one recognized her. They either thought she was new or lost, lol.
• Yuan Wen Kang (袁文康) as Zheng Zheng Hao (郑正好). The chairman’s brother-in-law. The narrator introduced him as the main villain of the drama. That set him up for good all right. Because we were warned to be wary of him from the start. Yet I felt he contributed more to the plot and rightfully deserved the spot more than, oh let’s say Gao De Fen, seriously, I’m still rolling my eyes regarding that decision. Anyway, the last time I watched him was in Sunshine By My Side and this was heaps better, even if he was portraying the so-called villain. I don’t know if it was the character or his acting, but he seemed more likable in here than the other. Yes, funny, but that was how I saw it. Or perhaps, because his character was actually necessary, comparing to the other one.

Others:

• Sandrine Pinna (张榕容) as Wang Wu Liu (王五六). She appeared in various scenes, donning on various identities throughout. It was revealed at one point that she had like seven PhD’s so her brain was probably fried from all those studying, lol. Because she was really comical at times.
• Sze Yu (施羽) as Chairman (董事长). He was hilarious. For a chairman, he was sure relaxed and chill. Well, considering how he didn’t have to take care of a lot of stuff, it made sense he could chill. But the plot later revealed he wasn’t as oblivious to things as others thought he was, especially his brother-in-law who tried to undermine him. He noticed what was going on and was trying to see what else would unfold without his close observations.
• Zhao Zheng Yang (赵正阳) as Wei Chang Bin (魏常斌).
• Kang Kang (康亢) as Cui Hua Lang (崔花郎). Zheng Zheng Hao’s right-hand man. He was supposed to be one of the bad guys and the evil force that brought the other teams down yet he was funnier than expected. I guessed it fitted with the theme being a light office drama and all. But seriously, his plans often backfired or he was just not knowing how to be evil, lol. Or he just needed a manual for doing evil deeds or something.
• Wu Ming Jing (吴明晶) as Zhou Xia Mi (周虾米).
• Louis Fan (樊少皇) as Bai Zhao Yi (白兆亿). Bai Ma Shuai’s father. Another hilarious role for him and he was seen at times talking to his son and convincing his son to come back. Yet, considering the situation, he couldn’t push too hard. But he indeed tried to support his son’s ventures throughout. Probably wishing his son would come back soon to help with managing the empire and taking over it, etc. What was funnier was his passive-aggressive feud with Sze Yu’s character. They were trying to compete for the best spot and he kept trying to find a way to bring the other guy down. But then his son had to go work for that guy. It was indeed frustrating.
• Lin You Wei (林佑威) as Director Lin ( 林总监). Nice appearance? LOL!
• Jerry Huang (黃志瑋) as Lou Xiu Ming (娄秀明). Fan Si Si’s friend, a cafe owner. He was hilarious, trying to advertise how it was good to start his own business so he didn’t have to listen to stingy bosses anymore. And then the next scene was him listening and taking people’s orders and delivering those orders to them. Well, he got to decide when he worked, etc. But still hilarious. What was more, they totally inserted that part about him mocking Yu Zhong Zhong, lol, for promotional purposes. But funny, nevertheless.
• William Yang (杨旭文) as Jia Fang (贾方). A negotiator of a major company who used high tech to detect people’s emotions through their behaviors. He eventually lost to Wu Yi Mei because he thought she was a pro with her poker-face. Yet, he didn’t realize she was as scared as the others.

Likes:

• The majority of the main cast. They were hilarious and fitted in with their roles quite well. I haven’t seen a great ensemble for a while and it felt refreshing in a sense. Because they were all involved on way or another, not just existing in the background while things happened.
• The humor. It seemed exaggerated at times yet I felt they put the right touch into it. It wasn’t insufferable, compared to some other series. Things could get random but it still made sense in the grand scene.
• The main theme song. At first, I just thought it was a goofy song that fitted in with the rest of the plot. But the plot revealed how meaningful it was. It was also an addicting song to listen to.
• The team. I like how they had their differences but put that aside and united to defeat the ultimate villain. It was nice to see. They didn’t have to get along to the point of making it unrealistic, but I liked that they supported one another when it mattered. There were weird quirks about different members of the team yet they all have different backgrounds and pasts that led to that outcome. I liked how each had their own side stories and the eventually getting along well in the end. It was heartwarming on some levels.

Dislikes:

• Making Gao De Fen a major character. I don’t know about other Dylan fans, but I felt we were really robbed. Why make DiDi a major character and making this guy hog the scenes? I get it. Pushing blame onto this guy seemed low and it probably had nothing to do with him. But he sure hogged the scene a lot. Sure, I got, everyone had to work and pay bills and try to survive. But his level of despicableness made him completely hateful and hard to relate to. Yes, they did infuse some of the characteristics that tried to make him relatable but his lack of self-awareness made it harder to like him. I felt like about 50% of the episodes include some kind of plot or theme surrounding him. They might as well make him the main guy and save the rest of us from watching. Yes, it was that terrible.

Discussions:

• The open secret: Tian Ran and Si Si dating. This was revealed at the end that the majority knew and tried to cover and protect them as much as they could. I was indeed surprised, because of how some lack self-awareness in here and didn’t seem to care. Yet they took the effort to hide it for the two, wanting them to stay together yet also helped them along in their own way. The part where different parties alert the rest about Tian Ran and Si Si’s whereabouts and tried to clear the way for them (even if they pretended to bump into them by accident or wasn’t aware, etc.) when they were at the resort.
• Season 2? I know the majority ended up becoming more popular and have other work projects so it would be hard to get the team back together. But seriously, I felt robbed. I liked the sitcom format with the short episodes. I liked the theme and the majority of the cast. The story was lighthearted enough. The goofiness of the majority was what made the series worked. I also needed more elaboration on Dylan’s character’s arc. It would make it even funnier when the two chairmen realized who Bai Ma Shuai had been hanging out with and much more hilarious rivalry between those too. I also wanted to more of Tian Ran and Si Si scenes because they were now protected from the others. It would be awesome to watch more of their silly, mushy moments together. Yes, super greedy ask here, but it was one of the random series that I liked of recent.

Recommended? I think if you enjoy lighthearted, random office drama, this one would be it.

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