Plot : The series is about five modern women who live on the 22nd floor of an apartment complex called "Ode to Joy" in Shanghai. Each with their unique personality and lifestyle, the five women have different backgrounds, including their age, social status, personality and careers. Their relationships were initially rocky, but eventually they became good friends and neighbours. Together, they navigate their career and love lives, solving problems and growing more resilient.
To be honest, when I first saw the plot, I did not bother watching it or even adding it to my watch list. The story plot seems really normal and fake , but oh my I was wrong ! Terribly wrong !
One fine day, when my last exam ( of the term ) finally ended , I was scrolling through some websites and read about the great response Ode to Joy 2 had and since I had nothing else to watch, I thought ' why not just give it a shot' . And boy, it was the best decision I made this year !
1st Season :
As it is a drama containing 42 episodes, the start was rather slow. The first episode was a brief introduction of the characters and their families with little interaction. At that time, to be honest, I thought that the narration was overdone and rather annoying, but episode after episode, it grew onto me and I realised this method was actually a great method to let the viewers understand the characters better
This drama started off with Guan Guan, Sheng Mei and Ying Ying despising their new neighbours , Andy and Xiao Qu. However, after an incident, they changed their opinions of each other and soon enough they became really good friends who are closer than sisters.
The highlight of this drama is that the growth of the individual characters are really obvious and allows the viewers to feel as if they are growing with them
Xiao Qu -- played by Olivia Wang, is a heiress and a spoiled brat . Since young, she has lived a life of luxury and do not take things seriously. She just came back from abroad and is trying to vie for her father's inheritance, wanting to prove to her father she is the one worthy of the estate and company .
Thus she moves into Ode To Joy and meets the rest of the cast. To be honest, I did not really like her character at first and I found her quite annoying at times. However, I really respect her courage to change and move out of her comfort zone where she founded her own company and used her abilities to run the company well ( with the help of Andy hahahaha ) . What is more admirable is that she is the ' friend in need is a friend indeed ' person. When one of the members is in trouble, she will have her own methods to solve the problem. She is able to totally get rid of the problem using her own ways, and only she can do it
Ying Ying -- played by Yang Zi is also another character who was annoying in the beginning but became adorable in the end. In fact she was my most hated character at first but is now my favourite character.
She is 1/3 of the trio and lives together with Sheng Mei and Guan Guan . She is not well to do and she hopes to have a stable and fulfilling career in Shanghai. She is the 'maknae' of 22 floor and encounters many relationship problems through which helps her grow and mature. At first, she is your usual crybaby and self-centered person where she only cares about her problems and not the feelings of others, but through some tough times and advices from her 'sisters' she becomes a brave, optimistic person who is ready to tackle future challenges .
In my opinion, she is the one who matures the most and *spoilers* has the best ending HAHA
Sheng Mei -- played by Jiang Xin, is the mother out of the 5. She used to be a very materialistic person and only dates the rich as she hopes to have a steady income and steady life in Shanghai. At first I despised her a little, thinking she was those who only cares about money. However, as her family was revealed I felt nothing but sympathy for her. Her family is extremely -- and I mean extremely reliant on her when she does not even earn much, thus she has to rely on her 'extra income' to sustain her family.
However, after meeting her true love, she realises money is not necessarily everything and she learnt how to say no when her family asks for money. Although she is probably the most pitiable character, she is a very motherly figure and is always there for everyone.
Guan Guan -- played by Qiao Xin, is the most lucky one probably out of all. She is from a well-to-do family however, she is too dependent on her family's decisions and finds it hard to reject her mother. She works in a very well-known company, but being the only one who does not have good qualifications, she finds it hard to catch up with her colleagues and is scared to be fired
She used to be my favourite character ( but became 2nd now after Ying Ying ) because I can really relate to her . She is an introvert and does not really mix with guys, but longs to date. Through some determination and encouragement from her 'sisters', she was finally able to make decisions on her own and change her 'goody-two-shoes' image which helped her grow.
Andy -- played by Liu Tao, is the main lead . She is a mysterious lady who just came back from the States to work as a CFO in one of the best companies in China. She is an introvert who prefers being on her own and finds friends nothing but a burden. She never wanted to date and initially planned on staying single forever.
At first, it took sometime for her to open up to her neighbours, however, after spending time with the she finally finds them a joy to have. She loves their company and is willing to help them with whatever she can (usually its money). After finding the secret of her past however, she was more reluctant to find true love and refused to come clean with her 'sisters' as she does not want to trouble them. With regards to love, her character will undergo more changes in season 2
Other characters include, Wang Kai (Zhao Qi Ping) , Jin Dong ( Tan ZongMing ), Yang Shuo ( Bao YiFan)
Okay that is quite alot. HAHAHA This drama is indeed a very interesting and different drama. It has gotten over 15 BILLION views in China, due to its realism and relevance in today's society.
Storyline: 4.5/5 -- real and intriguing
Acting : 4/5 -- the acting of all the 22 floos 'sisters' and their boyfriends can all act except for Andy's 1st boyfriend which I though was a little cringe
OST : - isnt a fan
Overall : 4/5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!
LETS WELCOME THE FINALE OF SEASON 2 NEXT WEEK !!
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