“I want to buy something from you”
“Such as?”
“Your smile for today”
“Deal… What it is this time?”
“Your smile for tomorrow”
“Deal”
“Your future smile! Yes, you should smile more. I still have some coins…
You should smile more often, enough with the long face!
I carry all these coins only to purchase your smile”
I binged Miss Crow with Mr Lizard over the weekend and it was such a good time. I loved all the characters except for 2 dumbasses (who shall not be named) and I absolutely loved the message of the show. It's literally about a man with a mechanical heart who can't be emotional, slowly falling in love with the most optimistic, caring and forgiving ball of joy & hope that could ever exist.
What I loved:
In spite of having a mechanical heart and the restrictions that come with it, Gu Chuan, our male lead, isn't unnecessarily rude or mean. He's just largely unaffected by everything and everyone, because he believes his time is limited and he doesn't want to hurt people when he 'leaves' due to his bad heart.
Jiang Xiao Ning, our female lead, isn't blindly optimistic or stupid. She's been through immense tragedy and chosen to come out of it looking for the bright side. She says she's unlucky but that doesn't stop her from reaching for all her goals. Even if she has to go through a hundred temp jobs on the way. Plus, once she decided she liked Chuan, she wasn't about to make that her entire personality.
Friendship! The friendships in this show are so good. Gu Chuan and his best friend Xu Cheng Ran rely on each other and are affectionate with one another in a way that's usually reserved for female friendships. They often had conversations about life and love and very obviously cared for each other on an equal footing. Xiao Ning also had an amazing relationship with her best friend, Zhao Yan who was an absolute boss in every way.
ZHAO YAN. I loved her. I love her. She was everything. A wonderful friend. A loving girlfriend. A no-nonsense boss in her field. Just a joy to behold, really. Her relationship with Cheng Ran is also a thing of joy.
The themes. Growing through loss. Appreciating the time we have rather than dwelling on what we've lost or what we could lose. Gu Chuan spent so much of his life preparing for his death that one can't really say he was living. It's not brand new, but I liked the lesson of living a life that is fulfilling in every way and not just to mark off items on a checklist. There's also a recurrent message that happiness is an active choice we make.
The relationship between the leads wasn't rushed or forced. You could see the little ways Gu Chuan started to appreciate the light Xiao Ning brings into his life and when he falls in love with her, it's not a surprise because by then we're all in love with her too. You can also understand exactly what Xiao Ning gets out of the relationship both personally and professionally. They come to have a mutual respect for each other that's completely earned and I loved that.
The performances were all top notch.
Xing Fei's smile. My goodness. Talk about a thousand watt smile. I see her smiling and I just want to give her the whole world. Just LOOK AT HER
Xuan Lu in a surprise supporting role that gave me so much life!
This moment in particular cos of course:
Anyway, pls go watch Miss Crow with Mr Lizard if you haven't already cos it deserves so much more love.
