Sunshine by My Side (2023)

Typical story about older woman younger man love, nothing special.

Sunshine by My Side is a melodramatic Cdrama about an older woman and younger man's relationship. The story wraps around Jian Bing, a well-known divorced advertising director, and her relationship with Sheng Yang, a newcomer in the industry.

Sheng Yang met Jian Bing 10 years ago when he was in high school. He admired her and has secretly had a crush on her since. However, challenges in life are inevitable. Faced with their differences in identities and experiences, objections towards their relationship within their families, and rumors in the workplace escalating, Jian Bing and Sheng Yang finally decided to let their future play out over time. Three years passed, allowing them to grow and change for the better. Many of their firsts were spent with each other, and this trust they held and the experiences they shared back then went around and finally found them, making them gravitate towards each other again.

The story is nothing special, but I like the comedy aspect of this drama, especially the supporting cast, particularly Sheng Yang's parents, played by Yang Hao Yu and Wang Lin. This dynamic duo did a great job as supported parents who frequently bickered at each other but had a deep love for one another.

Xiao Zhan and Bai Bai He did a decent job playing the main CP; however, the plot is nothing special, and I think Xiao Zhan's acting ability was underutilized. I didn't like the ending of this drama, so I gave it a 7.5 rating.

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Good original screenplay with XZ

Story:
Not your typical older sister and older brother love and romance. Very real, natural and adult drama like it is real life.

Casts:
The ml and fl are great and the chemistry between them are good too. You will love xz more as his fan or will become his fan after watching any of his dramas. He can act in many different roles and always take it to the top notch. In here, he plays a poor, sunshine character in an ordinary loving parents/family and with an aspirational spirit who has secretly love an older woman he met 10 yrs ago. He is hard working, determined and responsible.

Other than the little sister and her bf, all other supporting casts are great and they complement the leads and the story.

Dislike about the drama:
I dislike the little sister and her boyfriend characters. They should not be included and took up too much screen time and really unnecessary to add them in the drama. From the beginning episodes to episode 20, these 2 unnecessary casts took up and had more screen time than the main characters. It almost feels like the drama is promoting them. I don’t mind supporting the new comers but not when they are annoying, unnecessary and taking up more screen time than main leads. After all, most people watched because of XZ.

I’m also very disappointed with the ending as it was rush (kinda predicted because it went from 40 to 36), but again these 2 unnecessary casts took up half the screen time for the last episode. It was very annoying and hard to finish the first 25 mins. The last episode should mainly focus on completing the happy ending story for the main leads, instead of sharing half the screen time with the 2 unnecessary characters in the drama.

Overall, it is still a good drama and XZ doesn’t disappoint!

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the title suggests blazing sunshine, it's actually refreshing.

This show is completely against clichés and predictable plots.
Let's talk about the supporting characters first:
The second female lead isn't crafty or a green tea type (Chinese slang for a girl pretending to be innocent).
The male lead's mother isn't bound by feudal thinking and is enlightened.
The main female character doesn't walk down a dark path even when facing adversity.
Even in a divorce, there's no infighting between the wife and the mistress, nor does the mistress arrogantly challenge the wife.

Now, about the main characters:
Shengyang, needless to say, is a very well-rounded character. He has strengths and flaws, very down-to-earth, and is universally likable.

It's hard to judge the character Jianbing. She's quite unique. The way she supports her sister in love left my jaw dropped.
Don't compare melodramatic shows with this one. Society needs positive energy. Major TV stations and online platforms have the responsibility and need to help the masses establish the correct views on love and values.

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What's with the coffee looking stained shirt? And other gripes

Seriously, what is with the coffee stained long sleeved white shirt that Xiao Zhan wore over and over again? It was very distracting and would be considerable unprofessional in an office setting if the shirt indeed was stained. I have no idea what the budget was for wardrobe, but the ML essentially cycled through the same 4-5 set of clothes for half the series. Just borrow a few items from Xiao Zhan's own closet, I'm sure he has plenty to spare.

What worked well:
1. Xiao Zhan's acting is very natural in this drama. And he always excels at playing positive, energetic, motivated characters
2. Only a few annoying side characters (ML''s greasy boss and FL's mumbling younger sister)

What didn't work well:
1. Styling including wardrobe, hair, and make up. The styling aged several characters including the FL. FL and her sister had the worst hairstyles. The way FL was dressed was just unattractive. I think I spotted FL wearing dated mom jeans a few times.
2. Soundtrack was forgettable.
3. Too many romantic pairings that added little value to drama. There were ML's parents, ML's coworker, FL's business partner and ex husband, FL's younger sister and her hockey playing friend/love interest, and uncle of hockey playing friend/love interest
4. There was a storyline involving FL's lead sister. I couldn't care less about this character and her romantic interest
5. This is a rom-com so there was no depth to ML and no growth for him at all. His entire motivation was to get into a relationship with FL
6. It was a bit strange for the lower paired romantic couples to kiss before the main couple
7. And lastly, the award acceptance speech given by ML and FL was awkward, cringey, and out of character. Both were super adverse to even sharing the news of their relationship so it's not believable that they give love confessions on national tv and shared an offstage kiss

Overall, I would give the drama 7.5 stars as it is a decent rom com. Worth watching if you're a fan of Xiao Zhan but nothing spectacular

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A rollercoaster of emotions that's both fun and bewildering.

"Sunshine by My Side" takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the highs of Xiao Zhan's stellar performance and the lows of a plot that seems to have lost its GPS along the way.

First off, let's talk about Xiao Zhan, the shining star in this constellation of characters. His charisma lights up the screen, making you forgive a multitude of sins in the script. Seriously, he's like the Beyoncé of this drama – you're just happy to be in the same room.

Now, enter the lead female character, a breath of fresh air with her 'take-no-prisoners' attitude towards life. However, when it comes to chemistry with Xiao Zhan, it's like watching two parallel universes trying to intersect but ending up on separate orbits. Maybe the writers misplaced their romantic compass somewhere around episode 10?

Then, we've got Pan Rou and Song Chen – characters who pull a 180-degree turn from 'meh' to 'aww' as the drama unfolds. It's almost like watching your least favorite sitcom character suddenly hit a character development jackpot.

Hold on tight, though, because the annoying sister character barrels into the scene like a hurricane. Her mission? Force her sister into a relationship with a professor, and you're left scratching your head, wondering if you accidentally switched to a romantic comedy you didn't sign up for.

Haojun, the cute sidekick, adds some sweet moments, but his storyline with the sister feels like a detour down a dead-end alley. You start wondering if the scriptwriters needed a GPS themselves.

And then there's the mother character – part emotional manipulator, part enigma. While not everyone's cup of tea, she's the spice that keeps you sipping even when you're not sure about the flavor.

"Sunshine by My Side" is like a messy potluck dinner – a mix of delightful surprises (Xiao Zhan's brilliance) and questionable dishes (the sister's plot). Despite the flaws, it's a quirky, unpredictable ride that'll make you appreciate the buffet of emotions it serves up, even if you're left wondering why certain dishes made it to the table. It's the kind of drama that makes you laugh, scratch your head, and ponder the mysteries of life – all in one sitting.

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It was a wonderful, purposeful drama that holds a lot of meaning for me (except for the hockey teenagers, who are really some of the worst characters I have ever seen. It is clear that they are very, very secondary characters, but the focus is on them too much and their actions incite anger😫). Well, I like the drama, but if it weren’t for the presence of these two, I swear it would have been It would be a perfect drama. All the other characters were great, meaningful, and very realistic. Anyway, I'll ignore everything and say thank you Xiao Zhan and Bai Bai He , you made a very wonderful couple. I wish I had seen more of your scenes together🥲♥️♥️

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Slow burn romance , light- hearted

I'm a big fan of age gap romance.
The main lead actors in this drama not only
they have a big age gap in this story but also have a big age difference in real life, but still
their looks and chemistry blended really well.

If you are a big fan of age gap romance
And love to see a handsome 26 yrs. Old ml
completely sweeping his feet off to a divorced but very capable 36 yrs old woman, that no matter his parents opposition, he is consistent, firmed and strong for what he believed in, that no matter what challenges and difficulties in life, he is strong, hardworking and without any hesitation he is willing to take any risks
to step in , in a world of an advertising competitve industry whether he become successful or not but to prove to those people who undermined him just because he is just young and inexperienced,
but more so, to prove to the woman he love that he is a reliable guy, that he can do it, not only physically he can be a good help for her, but also confidently to become a finacially stable guy someday , i can catch up with the level of your status and can be a man that you can rely on in everything in life------That's the kind of ML he is in this drama.

If you like that kind of ml in a drama, this drama is really for you. If you love Xiao Zhan in The Oath of Love , you will also fall in love with XiAoZhan as Shen Yang's character in this story. He is really a truly sunshine in this story.

I like Bai Bai He , of course she is a good actress too( watched most of her dramas). I think she also portrayed her character well , as at first hesitant 36 yrs old divorced woman who enter a relationship with a 10 yrs younger guy than her. Then , after she ended her 10 yrs marriage to her cheating husband, she seems to have this emotional witholding character that it sometimes hard for me to read. But then the past of her childhood memory , a cheating husband, an overbearing sister and unwanted suitor,
That's probably explained why she's kind of not too much engaging . Until she slowly bit by bit gradually opening up her emotion, herself to SY and then later when the episode progress you can see her starting to became comfortble to the company of SY. I think those projection of her characterin this drama was well acted by her.

Xiao Zhan's acting and his portrayal of Shen Yang 's character really sticking out to me here! My most loved character in this drama. After i watched The Oath Of Love which my introduction to him and watching this latest drama of him which is my favorite genre , curioused how he gonna pull off himself as an actor portraying a head over heels younger man - older woman romance. After i completed this series, he really didn't disappoint me. HE NAILED IT! Now i can put him in my favorite category noona romance actors like Lee Jong - Suk of RIABB, Jung Hae- in of SITR, Park Seo Joon of WR, Wang Ziyi of WWL, Song Wei Lo of FY, Wang Anyu of FIY and the list goes on.There were times that my heart was so heavy for him , sad when he is sad and happy when he is happy in this drama.

I love the characters of Shen Yang's parents.
Their beckering is cute, reminds me of my parents in law who are like cat and dog beckering most of their entire marriage life but they truly love and cannot live without each other. I'm glad SY's mother turned out not to be really a hardcore disagreeable mother. For a while I thought, she will be one of those typical character villain mother( like the mother in Something In the Rain) in most asian dramas , but Im glad she softened up later in the episodes once she saw how determined SY and proved to her that he is not backing down even if it means that he will be on his own.

I also love the friendship between SY , Song Chen and Pan Rou. Song Chen as a best friend of Sy is very admirable. He is very supportive and always there for SY no matter what his goal in life , even that means to resigned his job just to show him his support. A kind of friendship like that is just rare but also reminds you and appreciate the beauty of friendship you have with few people you know in life.
I love also the love story of Song Chen and Pan Rou, it tooks a while for Song Chen to have a courage to confess his feelings for Pan Rou but when he finally did it and was accepted, they' re inseparable. They're the side couple characters i liked in this drama .
There are some annoying side characters but most of the time i just skipped their scenes.

There is no skinship in this drama, here more of hugging and forehead kissing. Although i can live with it because of the overpoweringly great acting or portrayal of Xiao Zhan , but I would be lying if i said i dont need a lips kissing or some tender loving moment scenes.
Im not saying really deep but it would be nice to see a little vibes of like ROMANCE IS A BONUS BOOK drama( it's a perfect example to me)--- which is also a slow burn romance , writer really takes her time to emphasized the viewers throughout the series that love cannot only be measured by physical touch but by showing how much you care that person in so many loving and caring ways , it was really demonstrated well in that drama and the same thing here in SBMS, the only difference is that in RIABB ep 13-16) near towards the end of the series, writer really gave the viewers a many eye candy scenes. A physical interactions that it's not so over the top but it's just right in the middle, still maintaining the wholesome and decency of the drama but at the same time it is so satisfying to the eyes of the viewers.

Overall the story and the acting is really good specially XZ. He is mainly the reason
Why I endure the slow moving plot of this drama. I enjoy and i frustrated sometimes but all in all am very happy and satisfied the ending specially in the award ceremony scene( minus the given enough time of the hockey couple in the last episode).

There is no break-up, no heavy misunderstanding, no love triangle
No ex - girlfriend come back ( our hero is just so pure in this drama), no evil parents , no accident or any amnesia plot , not complicated and It is really easy to follow drama .
I highly recommend it for those viewers who like to watch this kind of genre!

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Underrated jewel

Has been sometime since I had the urge to write a review, but this series deserves one.
To me the plot itself wasn’t anything new or way above , but the actors did such a wonderful job.
Because in this age gape stories, the ML is usually super jealous, or too immature, and always have that bunch of stupid and annoying superficial “misunderstandings “ that makes me feel sick, but this show doesn’t have that.
The ML has a good character, seems like down to earth but of course does some noise things but I like his acting.
The FL to me was the real gem of this serie. Always steady, calm, racional, passionate and logic.
Even her way of speaking and demeanor made the scenes realistic.
Themes like poverty, family and many aspects of life were well explored to me and the support roles also did a pretty good job.

My evaluation is high because I really could feel many of the emotions that they wanted to convert, so If you’re in doubt, I suggest you give this serie a chance.

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A disappointing remake of the original story "My Dear Boy"

I understand why a couple of people rated a high score on this series, it might be that people didn't know that this was a remake of the original Taiwanese series My Dear Boy. I am basing my review here because I have watched the original version and couldn't help but be frustrated with how a beautiful plot was butchered in this remake. From the production to the added storyline is a big disappointment.
PLOT - This is a noona romance and slice-of-life drama. The ML chasing the FL, divorcee FL, annoying side characters that don't fit the bill,36 episodes with a lot of nonsense conversations, VERY SLOW BURN, and ended very casually with no romantic sizzle.
PRODUCTION - The ML was depicted as a poor character guy however, it doesn't make sense as to why his wardrobe throughout the series is just the same. He has a job and is not a beggar but his clothes are the same throughout. The FL character is a director and has her own company however her clothes aren't classy enough to depict a famous director. Her hairstyle was tied up throughout the series prolly because she looks young if her hair is put down. At the end of the series, both of them went to attend an awarding ceremony however both of them were wearing casual jeans when all the others were in formal wear. This can be overlooked but is annoying since again it is a 36-episode series .
CHEMISTRY - People say they have good chemistry and I also felt the same during the first episodes. I realized there was no real chemistry after several episodes. Prolly the chemistry is because both actors are good-looking. It felt like both of them were in a mentor-business-partner relationship and no real romantic spark even though there were hugs and eye connections.
PACING - The story was butchered from the original version as they added annoying side characters that did not build the
main plot. The sister-boyfriend hockey player was added to the story but did not provide any slice-of-life storyline or build the connection between the ML and FL. The father of the FL probably provided a lesson to the story about forgiveness but still did not build any relation to the plot. This is 36 episode series but the FL and ML just became a couple at episode 30. There was very little screen time for romance and even when there was love between the characters they are shown as just dating and not deep love. The original story depicted that the ML became a successful and famous director however in this remake the FL received an award rather than depicting that the ML was the one who became successful. The ending was a bluff, a very blunt acceptance speech of both of them on stage and just a hug. The end.

If you are looking for noona romance and some comedic feels, please watch my dear boy and pass this one!

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This is not for me...especially the Main Romance

I don’t usually write a review of a dropped drama, but I figured this could be helpful to others who feel the same way. Is this a horrible drama? No, not really. But it’s not enough to keep me wanting to continue on and there are elements I don’t enjoy that are central to the plot.

Disclaimer:
I am a romance lover. Romance (whether it is a main plot or subplot) can make or break a drama for me. If I love the main romance, I can overlook some flaws.
Not always a fan of noona romance (older woman/younger man). I want to give this drama a chance because of Xiao Zhan. The only other noona romance I can think of that’s similar and I liked is “The Rational Life”. But I watched that years ago, and I might not like it as much if I were to watch it today.

Let’s start with what I Like:

Strong Female Leads - Stories about women in their 30s can be inconsistent. Dramas claim they are independent and mature, but their actions tell a different story. However, Jian Bing (FL) and Liang Shan Shan (2FL) prove to be the minority. Through their actions, thoughts and feelings within the first 18 episodes that I watched, they are truly mature and independent. They don’t rely on men to provide them with happiness. They live for themselves and are professional when at work.

Acting - There’s really nothing for me to pick on in terms of acting. From what I’ve seen so far, the main and supporting cast deliver good performances. I was especially impressed with the veteran performance from ML’s parents when they were having a big argument. I bet that sequence was done in one shot as the way they yell at each other seems so real.

Make-up - It’s lovely to see a drama without white filters, strong backlighting or white thick foundation on the actors' faces. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Xiao Zhao look so ‘real’. Everyone just looks normal and in character.


That’s all I can think of. And now with the negatives and why I can’t continue on.

Main Romance - As I mentioned, the main romance can make or break a drama for me. Unfortunately, this romance is giving me similar vibes as “Go Go Squid 2”, another drama I dropped. Sheng Yan (ML) is a mature 26-year old at work. He was professional and knows enough to keep his mouth shut and to Fake It Till he Makes it (<-- a little plug of another drama who has an excellent romance LOL). However, when it comes to love, he is a little puppy, always following FL around. And because FL is such a mature woman, his puppy eyes stop being cute after the first few episodes. I dropped “Go Go Squid 2” for this same reason. I like an unrequited love, but for that to last so long, when ML is a mature adult at work, seems off to me. I like a slow burn romance, but not when I don’t feel any romantic chemistry between the leads and when they are so different in the stages of their lives. They seem more like sister/brother or mentor/mentee to me. Maybe the romance develops into something beautiful in the second half of the drama, but at ep 18, it is not motivating me to continue on.

Plot - The pace is also quite slow. 36 episodes are way too long. There isn’t much happening in the first 18 episodes, and nothing different. I do appreciate the story of a female (and badass) director. Everything that happened is predictable. I don’t think this is supposed to be a slice-of-life drama, thus, I expect more from the plot. Are there touching moments? Yes. Is it well-acted? Yes. Does it make me hit the “play” button next? No. As a binge watcher, this is a big indicator of when the drama is not for me.


This review is super subjective and I am sure many love this drama. To me, I was expecting more and it didn’t deliver. It’s not a bad drama, just not enough for me to continue on when there are too many other dramas waiting for me.


Completed: 9/30/2023 - Review #360

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