Written and Directed by Teng Congcong ‘Angels Fall Sometimes (谢谢你温暖我)’ stars Lin Yi and Lin Landi in the lead roles. This is a slice-of-life story with a strong emotional core. The story is grounded in reality. Real life is not a fairy world, where we’ll simply cast magic and everything will be alright. It’s a perfect mixture of happiness- sorrows, failure, success, pain, challenges, hope, and so many unimaginable things. Whether one can find positivity, or the strength to move on in this mess or tangled web is another thing to explore here.
For those unversed; ‘Angels Fall Sometimes’ is the remake of the popular Japanese drama ‘Boku no Ita Jikan’ released in 2014. The original version was highly acclaimed and praised by wide audiences and critics including Chinese mainland viewers. It has solid 8.4 DB ratings.
- My Ratings: 8/10
- Episodes: 24
- Genre: Life, Drama, Romance
- Starring: Lin Yi, Li Landi
- Original Platform: Tencent Video
- Broadcast Details: May 2024
Angels Fall Sometimes – Synopsis
During the interview for junior summer internship recruitment, Lin Tou (played by Lin Yi) crosses a path with another intern An Zhi Que (played by Li Landi).
They fall in love at first sight. It doesn’t take them long to go from friends to partners. Together, they plan their future – juggling part-time jobs to always having each other’s backs.
After graduation, Lin Tou landed his dream job and An Zhi Que started her own business. Everything was going well, just like how they planned. Then, out of the blue, Lin Tuo asks for a breakup with An Zi Que.
Unexpectedly, Lin Tou was diagnosed with ALS. This harsh reality hit him so hard. As he couldn’t handle it, he decided to hide it from everyone. But, his condition was getting worse day by day.
Finally, he had no choice but to tell the truth to his family. With his family, friends, and loved ones, all rallied around him, he simply found a new way of looking at life. He decides to face this awful reality, head-on.
Characters
Lin Tuo: His dream is to become an influential designer. From Childhood, he has been close to his Grandpa rather than his parents. Slowly, he was making a way into his dream world, but everything changed when he was diagnosed with ALS.
An Zhi Que: is an optimistic, tough, and positive minded girl. She is raised in a single-parent family. That’s why, for Que, her father is more like her best friend. In order to support her family, she works hard. Later knowing that Lin Tou is terminally ill, she resolutely chooses to fight the disease together with him.
Chen Guan Pu: He is a good friend of Lin Tuo and comes from a wealthy family. He’s the kind of person who’s never serious. Even though the personalities of the two buddies, Lin Tuo and him are completely different, their relationship is surprisingly good. Once he finds out that Lin Tuo is ill, he becomes one of the reliable backers.
He Xin Di: She is a friend of An Zhi Que. She is tall and beautiful but her temper is hard to deal with. Her parents divorced when she was 4 and has been making a living on her own since 16. She started to become an internet celebrity when she was in college and became a full-time live streamer to sell goods when she graduated.
Lin Ye: He is the younger brother of Lin Tuo. His nature is kind of introverted and rebellious but he’s talented both in arts and academics.
Jiang Chu Cheng: He is the senior of Lin Tuo and An Zhi Que and works as a desinger at JiaJia company.
Angels Fall Sometimes – Review
The drama kicks off with a curious and mysterious opening. The male protagonist Lin Tuo is shown lying on the hospital bed sheet with a pale and sickly appearance with both eyes closed. And slowly, like his shadow or another healthy version of him standing beside the lying body starts to tell his story.
Well, as this is a short drama, there are not so many characters. The story is centered on Lin Tuo and his journey, each character does not have their own motivation, goal, or background story. But they serve as someone important in Lin Tuo’s life. Considering, what this series is about, it’s not an issue here.
Meanwhile, I had a hard time getting into the first five episodes after that intriguing opening. I just got a vibe like I was watching normal modern romance, as it heavily focused on the relationship between Lin Tuo and An Zhi Que. It could have been better if they wrapped up the initial 5 Ep into 3. However, after episode six, the drama picked up as it tuned more into daily life with personal issues and family conflicts.
Life Is Not Always About What You Plan
Angels Fall Sometimes makes you wonder, what is life actually? Why are there so many uncertainties in our lives? Does life always turn out according to our plan? Absolutely not, right? Yes, that’s exactly what happens to our protagonist, Lin Tuo. He was slowly adjusting to the adult world. Experiencing its joys, struggles, and everything in between. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with An Zhi Que in peace and harmony. But everything crumbles when he discovers he has only 3 to 5 years left to live.
We see Lin Tuo’s struggle to accept this devastating reality at first including others. Like, Really… who could have imagined such a promising, young talent would face such a terrible fate one day? It strongly reminds us that life is always unpredictable, neither the past nor the future is in our control. So, one should learn to take the present as a gift and cherish it properly. That way, one won’t have regrets. The production team perfectly portrays these complexities, both in Lin Tuo and those around him.
Unique & Heart Warming Perspective Of Life
The show is relatable to real life in many ways. Like, how we are born into this world with dreams and aspirations. As we chase them, some are achieved, some are abandoned, some are shattered, and some fade away. Even so, we press on relentlessly, driven by the hope of a brighter future. If not, we learn to live for others, like Lin Tuo.
The beautiful part of this series is that even though his journey was cut short, Lin Tuo lives his life to the fullest and makes his short trip worthwhile. It is truly inspiring how Lin Tou managed to pick himself up in the darkest period of his life. How he became a source of inspiration and support for other ALS patients like him. Thanks to the support, love, and encouragement of his family, loved ones, friends, and coworkers, who never gave up on him and always stood by his side.
The show tells us love, warmth, friendship, and unity have the power to change anything. It was evident when each individual helped Lin Tuo realize that even with limited time and a failing body, there are still many things he can achieve.
Also, It strongly conveys a message, that if a person’s willpower is strong then, nothing can stop them from getting what they desire. One prime example in our real world is Stephen Hawking who also battled the same terminal illness as Lin Tou.
Redemption Part
No matter how skilled someone is in their field, they can still struggle in other aspects of life. This theme is powerfully explored through the characters of Lin Tuo’s parents in the series. Despite being distinguished experts in their respective professions, they failed to grasp their children’s fundamental needs, desires, and freedom while raising them.
They prioritized work and viewed their children solely as vessels for success, always demanding compliance with their rigid standards. In case, children fail to meet their expectations, they are nothing but just a loser.
And, the sad part is, there are still parents out there in our societies today, who will think and behave this way despite being educated or skilled individuals.
It vividly portrays how arrogance, societal expectations, and misguided pride can overshadow family responsibility and love. Only after Lin Tuo’s diagnosis do his parents confront their shortcomings and the depth of their failings.
It was heartwarming to witness, how Lin Tou’s parents went transformation after learning the Lin Tou’s truth. They not only regretted their past, but also learned, changed, and evolved. They were able to look at things from different angles and comprehend the value of family and their responsibilities as parents.
Chemistry & Acting
I won’t say it’s the best, but Lin Yi as Lin Tou fits the character. In other words, he played the character well. From an ordinary young boy who had countless dreams and wishes to a sickly frail patient who’s unable to move, or speak, Lin Yi simply portrayed all these different stages of emotions well.
Li Landi has been always an actress with great acting skills. Even though she did not have much exposure in the series as compared to Lin Yi, her performance was still remarkable.
While talking about the lead’s onscreen chemistry it was simple, sweet, and beautiful.
I enjoyed almost everyone’s performance in the series except for the actor Jiang Chao who played the female lead (FL)’s dad. This role was very crucial in the series. But from the very first episode, I can’t help but notice this actor’s unnatural acting. Even if he was acting the father’s role, his gestures including his exaggerated facial expressions and line delivery, make it look like instead he was someone distant or relative rather than FL’s father. There was no closeness, or warmth in his portrayal to be precise. You can just look at the acting of the veteran actor who played Grandfather and his interaction with every actor in the play, how effortless and natural it looks.
Even so, it does not greatly affect the overall quality of the drama, because the plotline is engaging and there are many other interesting characters.
My Verdict – Emotional Rollercoaster
Even though I tried so hard not to cry while watching the series, the tears just flowed freely. There are many heartbreaking moments and conversations as well as soulful and life-affirming lessons. I would rate this show 8 out of 10 for its unique perspective on life and its beautiful cast. If you enjoy life dramas with strong emotional impact, then you can add this to your watch list. But if you prefer lighthearted romances or dislike tearjerkers, this might not be the best pick.
There are a total of 24 episodes of this series, each episode spanning 45 minutes. Even though I felt like the pacing in the first five episodes was quite slow or could have been shortened, afterward, it gets better. So, overall, it was okay.
On Douban, the drama has been rated with an impressive score of 7.9, suggesting that the audiences loved the show.
So, if you’re wondering where you can watch this drama, it is available on its original platform Tencent Video or We TV app.
