[Discussion] Memories of Love ( 一路繁花相送)

Licensed by Viki, started airing February 7th.

Episode Count: 30

Where to Watch: Viki | Raw

Airing: February 7th on Dragon and Jiangsu TV at 8 pm

Synopsis: credit to Viki’s volunteer team “The Love Guardians”

What can 10 years do to a woman’s heart?

Lu Fei (Wallace Chung) first met Xin Chen (Maggie Jiang) when he was 18 and just starting at a top university and she was a rebellious high school student. Despite being polar opposites, Lu Fei and Xin Chen fall in love, only to be separated when Lu Fei decides to go to the United States to pursue his career.

Ten years later, Lu Fei has not been able to forget Xin Chen and decides to give up his overseas career and leave his fiancée, Ji Rou Li (Christina Mok), to search for Xin Chen. Xin Chen has returned to her hometown and is running a small business. Having just broken up with her boyfriend, Xin Chen is happy with her current single life and keeps her steadfast friend, Lin Le Qing (Aaron Yan), at bay despite his feelings for her. When Lu Fei comes back into her life, Xin Chen has no interest in him.

Lu Fei decides to settle in town to try to win back Xin Chen’s heart. But can he convince Xin Chen to give him another chance?

“Memories of Love” is a 2018 Chinese drama series directed by Liu Miao Miao. It is based on the novel All Along the Way, Blooming Flowers Shall See Us Off by Qing Shan Luo Tuo.

Main Cast:

Wallace Chung as Lu Fei (Xin Chen’s first love)

Maggie Jiang as Xin Chen  (Liu Fei’s first love. Stubborn and rebellious)

Aaron Yan as Lin Yueqing (Lu Fei’s university classmate. He has silently liked Xin Chen for ten years.)

Trailer:

This looks way too melodramatic for me but Wallace ❤ Even if his character from the description so far doesn’t sound like a nice person.

I will check it out when I get some time and update this post with a mini review. The good thing is that it is only 30 episodes long so I will give it a shot. I want Wallace to go back to more passionate melodramas.

First Impression: (1-3)

I think the story is a bit slow and so far I don’t like either male lead. I find them both to be very selfish in different ways. I have never been a fan of the loyal second male lead, Yue Qing, that stays besides our female lead for years waiting for her to notice him. I always feel like this type of character is pushing his feelings on her by making her feel somewhat guilty.  In this case he comes off sneaky, which makes me dislike him even more.

Then we have our male lead, Lu Fei, who left for unknown reasons but I am getting the impression that they were important. However, that doesn’t excuse the fact that he never contacted her or why it took him so long to get back to her. Then there is this other girl involved. He never thinks about how his actions can affect Xin Chen or what she is going through. Our female lead, Xin Chen, hasn’t made an impact on me. She seems to have changed a lot from her youth, but so far she is just on the background. Now, Xin Di is a lot of fun and I really enjoy her character.

The cinematography is very beautiful and there were a lot of impressive shots in the first three episodes. I have the impression that this drama is going for a more slice of life type genre, which makes it feel slow. I think the setting is very interesting, the small town and movie production. And I want to see the leads come clean about whatever secrets they are hiding and see them come together, but I am pretty sure the drama will be filled with misunderstandings. So far I am unsure if I will keep watching, but I am curious as to his reason for leaving.

Are you watching? How do you like it so far?