Tosca1
Cute Story, Mouth Watering Food
When I got to Episode 6 where the ML fell asleep on FL's couch, I thought to myself "I've seen this plot before." I then googled this show and learned that it is a remake of the 2017 film "This is Not What I Expected" starring Takeshi Kaneshiro (an Asian heartthrob back in the 90's). Unlike the 1-½ hour film, this series was able to go in depth as to the background and personalities of all the major characters because of its length of 24 episodes. This made the show more comprehensible.
There was a lot of criticism in viewers' reviews of this series of the age difference between the two lead characters: he was 36 years old and she was 21 years old. In the original movie, he was 36 years old and she was 26-27 years old. The older female age made better sense, given the cooking experience of the female character. I believe the producers wanted Zhao Lusi for this series and made her character 21 years old to reflect the actress's actual age at the time of filming.
I liked the many references to modern western pop culture, such as Marvel's Avengers, Thanos and the Groot dolls in this series. Plus, the opening and ending songs were in English. It appears that the producers and writers want to appeal to an international global audience.
In the last episode, FL's speech to ML's mother was basically the same as the speech the FL said to ML's mother in Crazy Rich Asians at the mahjong parlor. The scenario was the same in both shows in that ML's rich mother initially did not approve of FL, but that last speech turned the mothers' opinion around and mothers then accepted the FLs.
The show also gave me a little Chinese history lesson. In Episode 19, ML's mother brought up Liu Bang and Xiang Yu to the FL. And later, ML questioned his mother as to whether she also mentioned those men's wives, Empress Lu and Consort Yu. I had to google those four historical figures to learn about them. I found that interesting.
I liked all the stars in the series, as they performed exceptionally well. The actor playing the ML, Lin Yu Shen, showed not only his serious dramatic side, but also his comedic side (making canned fruits and working in the food stall). I initially watched this show because I'm a fan of Zhao Lusi, after watching her in Love in the Galaxy and Who Rules the World. She is a great actress who can successfully take on dramatic roles as well as comedic roles.
The only complaint I have in the storyline is when FL goes against her fiance's advice and begins to hang out with ML's malicious younger brother around Episodes 21-23. What part of ML's statement to her to "keep your distance from Lu Zheng" in Episode 19 did she not understand??? To the actress's credit, Zhao Lusi posted a comment critical of her character's actions in this regard.
Nevertheless, I would watch this show again and recommend it to others, if only to view the magnificent gourmet dishes and cuisine.
There was a lot of criticism in viewers' reviews of this series of the age difference between the two lead characters: he was 36 years old and she was 21 years old. In the original movie, he was 36 years old and she was 26-27 years old. The older female age made better sense, given the cooking experience of the female character. I believe the producers wanted Zhao Lusi for this series and made her character 21 years old to reflect the actress's actual age at the time of filming.
I liked the many references to modern western pop culture, such as Marvel's Avengers, Thanos and the Groot dolls in this series. Plus, the opening and ending songs were in English. It appears that the producers and writers want to appeal to an international global audience.
In the last episode, FL's speech to ML's mother was basically the same as the speech the FL said to ML's mother in Crazy Rich Asians at the mahjong parlor. The scenario was the same in both shows in that ML's rich mother initially did not approve of FL, but that last speech turned the mothers' opinion around and mothers then accepted the FLs.
The show also gave me a little Chinese history lesson. In Episode 19, ML's mother brought up Liu Bang and Xiang Yu to the FL. And later, ML questioned his mother as to whether she also mentioned those men's wives, Empress Lu and Consort Yu. I had to google those four historical figures to learn about them. I found that interesting.
I liked all the stars in the series, as they performed exceptionally well. The actor playing the ML, Lin Yu Shen, showed not only his serious dramatic side, but also his comedic side (making canned fruits and working in the food stall). I initially watched this show because I'm a fan of Zhao Lusi, after watching her in Love in the Galaxy and Who Rules the World. She is a great actress who can successfully take on dramatic roles as well as comedic roles.
The only complaint I have in the storyline is when FL goes against her fiance's advice and begins to hang out with ML's malicious younger brother around Episodes 21-23. What part of ML's statement to her to "keep your distance from Lu Zheng" in Episode 19 did she not understand??? To the actress's credit, Zhao Lusi posted a comment critical of her character's actions in this regard.
Nevertheless, I would watch this show again and recommend it to others, if only to view the magnificent gourmet dishes and cuisine.
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