3 Reasons To Watch Romantic C-Drama "Such A Good Love"
Does love itself change, or does the way we experience and idealize love change? The answer may well be both. The year is 2007, and feisty Dai Da Ji (Wang Yu Wen) meets Zhou Shui (Wang An Yu), an aspiring filmmaker, while still in college. Zhou Shui follows Da Ji to Beijing, their city of dreams. Brimming with hope and a hunger to succeed, the two strive hard to make something out of their lives. Little do they understand that in a bustling city like Beijing, it is not hard work but rather talent which determines your future. Even in the hopelessness of their situation, the two never give up since they have something stronger between them: their love. They believe as long as they have each other, they can surmount any challenge, until the two are compelled to go their separate ways.
Fast forward 18 years later, the year is 2025, and beauty and fashion influencer Tong Le Yi (Zhao Jia Li) meets Su Zhi Hao (Yang Yun Hao), an aspiring civil servant. The two are gaming buddies and come across video footage of Da Ji and Zhou Shui. Swept into the love story playing out on screen, Le Yi and Zhi Hao wonder if it was even possible to have a love and be in love like Da Ji and Zhou Shui.
“Such a Good Love” is a heartwarming story which spans across two distinct timelines and also reflects on distinct attitudes towards love and relationships. A show for all die-hard romantics, here are three reasons why it should be on your watchlist this summer!
Warning: minor spoilers below!
An unforgettable love
Da Ji and Zhou Shui meet in rather unusual circumstances. She storms into his dorm room in search of her cheating boyfriend. Taken in by her sassy spirit, Zhou Shui can’t stop capturing her on his video camera. This is the beginning of their deep friendship: she is Brother Da Ji to him, and he is Director Zhou to her. Da Ji has big dreams: she wants to go to Beijing and get rich. Zhou Shui, on the other hand, lives and breathes cinema and hopes to make his own movie once out of college.
However, Beijing proves to be far from the promised land. Upon arrival, Da Ji gets scammed. There are no job opportunities, and rather than living in a swanky apartment, she ends up sharing a dorm with four boys. Nevertheless, she fabricates stories, leading Zhou Shui to believe she is thriving. He sees through it and lands up in Beijing to be with her. Zhou Shui also gets scammed upon arrival, and it becomes evident navigating Beijing requires sharp skills.
The unspoken feelings brim to the surface, and what follows is a heartfelt confession of love. Jobless and penniless, with just a crammed room to their name, the two are certain of one thing: they are better together. What follows are several sweet, heartwarming, and utterly romantic moments as both encourage and support each other. There are challenges aplenty as Da Ji insists Zhou Shui only make movies and not waste his talent on anything else. She gets upset when he starts shooting wedding videos to earn money, since making movies requires connections, opportunities, and luck… which is not on their side.
A sweet moment is when she spends her entire daily wage on buying movie tickets. Even though he tells her it’s a waste, she calls it an experience. And she encourages him to write his first film, the story inspired by their own life. Before he can submit the script, there is a brief scare when Da Ji is misdiagnosed with a terminal illness. Zhou Shui wastes no time in getting funds together and working himself to the bone. However, the two are told a commercial private hospital had taken advantage of their naivety.
With their renewed promise to persevere together, they once again seize the day with fresh optimism. Da Ji, whose dream is to see Zhou Shui make his first film, gives the unfinished script its title: “Such a good love.”
Da Ji and Zhou Shui’s love story is a reflection of their youthful idealism. Though broke and penniless, the two are content, believing that once Zhou Shui finishes his film, there will be no looking back. Their recklessness and impulsiveness reflect their immaturity. Basking in the innocence of love, they’re neither mature enough nor equipped to weather the challenges of adult life.
The strong, unbreakable love they share threatens to crumble as outside pressures begin to weigh them down. Zhou Shui is constantly humiliated by Da Ji’s childhood friend, a well-connected figure in Beijing, and cracks start to appear. As pressure, self-doubt, and misunderstandings grow, the couple drifts apart. One sees how Da Ji is unable to cope with the promises she had once made to Zhou Shui, and the one time communicative couple can no longer understand the other.
The love Da Ji and Zhou Shui shared is unforgettable — but will they ever reunite? And will Zhou Shui ever complete “Such a Good Love”? Or will it be shelved like their relationship, becoming a beautiful, aching memory of the past?
The contrasting lens of love
The many videos that Zhou Shui had shot of Da Ji and himself are found on a computer. The computer, which had been left behind by Da Ji at the airport, resurfaces later, after changing hands over the years, at a gaming arcade. There, it is discovered by Le Yi and Zhi Hao. Le Yi is a fashion model who wants to make it big in the glamor world. She comes across as bold and unabashed. Zhi Hao is studying for the civil services and is a reserved and calmer personality in comparison. The two bond over games, and their shared commitment is to never get hitched.
According to Le Yi, she is unable to deal with the unpleasantness which accompanies love. Zhi Hao, on the other hand, is merely weary and skeptical. As the two start watching the grainy footage of Da Ji and Zhou Shui, they find themselves drawn into a world that blends realism, dreams, and an imagined future.
Le Yi and Zhi Hao view the love story unfolding on screen as impractical and even illogical. Love is clearly not going to help Da Ji get rich or make a movie for Zhou Shui. Le Yi has learnt to survive alone in the city. She fends for herself, and her confidence can often scare people away. Zhi Hao is aloof but happy to play along with Le Yi. They are in more of a situationship than a relationship, and they name Da Ji and Zhou Shui as the scandalous couple.
The innocent and straightforward relationship between Da Ji and Zhou Shui contrasts with the informal, non-committal friendship between Le Yi and Zhi Hao. But both Le Yi and Zhi Hao are not oblivious to the story unfolding on their laptop screens. Le Yi thinks aloud, saying what she would give to have a man as supportive and loving like Zhou Shui. Zhi Hao, on the other hand, realizes his protective instincts towards Le Yi have grown strong. Le Yi, after viewing Da Ji and Zhou Shui’s love story, though moved, regards them as pitiful. What she really means is, if this couple and their relationship was unable to withstand challenges, then whose relationship can?
So, where do these two couples with their differing expectations of relationships go from here? Da Ji and Zhou Shui are far from perfect. If Da Ji is overtly ambitious, Zhou Shui is willing to compromise for her. And Le Yi is headstrong but vulnerable, while Zhi Hao comes across as more grounded. However, despite the generation gap and differing mindset, it is clear that all we need is a little bit of love.
The raw and realistic love story of Da Ji and Zhou Shui is cleverly juxtaposed with the practical, no-strings-attached relationship between Le Yi and Zhi Hao. Though the show’s treatment and its documentary-style narrative are very different, it still feels refreshing compared to what viewers are used to seeing in Chinese dramas.
The wild love shared between Da Ji and Zhou Shui makes you root for the couple, while Le Yi and Zhi Hao are more focused on chasing their individual dreams—love, for them, can wait another day.
A tale of two timelines and friendships
Friends like family is something Da Ji and Zhou Shui nurture during their life together in Beijing. Da Ji’s best friend is Jing Shu (Huang Zi Qi), who stays in the same cramped dorm with her and three others. Though Jing Shu is an impoverished student and struggling to make ends meet, she is generous when it comes to helping those in need. Along with her, the rest who share the small flat with Da Ji and Zhou Shui also share a strong bond with each other. A heartfelt moment is when Zhou Shui is desperate to source funds for Da Ji’s treatment and asks them for help. And each one of them pool in all their savings to help the couple. Their friendship is for keeps as they support and stand by each other against all odds.
But we also see Le Yi’s colleague and friend at work wanting to take advantage on the pretext of helping her. Both she and Zhi Hao have come to accept that in their world and space, friendships like relationships are transactional.
The show cleverly blends two distinct timelines together. As Da Ji and Zhou Shui’s life and love unfolds in Beijing, we also get an insight into the changing socioeconomic fabric of the country. For Da Ji and Zhou Shui, the city of Beijing seems like a maze to navigate, while for Le Yi and Zhi Hao, it has shrunk in size thanks to social media, but the chasm between people has only grown. For Da Ji and Zhou Shui, what was just a dream is a reality for Le Yi and Zhi Hao’s generation. Even though opportunities and the world may have opened up, one thing remains unchanged: to survive you need to keep the faith in yourself.
“Such a Good Love” blends in nostalgia and romance seamlessly. Wang An Yu and Wang Yu Wen have a scorching chemistry and complement each other, playing their parts to perfection. And the cinematography and treatment is raw and unfiltered, which further adds dimension to the narrative.
Start watching “Such a Good Love”:
Those in Southeast Asia can watch here!
Hey Soompiers, have you watched “Such a Good Love”? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.