Sugar Baby’s Review Corner: Memory of Encaustic Tile

Memory of Encaustic Tile

Shao Xue, Zheng Su Nian, and Zhang Qi are childhood friends who have grown up together. Their parents all work (or have worked) in the antique and museum trade, dedicating their lives to conserving priceless cultural artifacts. But as they get older, the friends’ lives start to take different turns, and their feeling toward one another start to change.

Zheng Su Nian’s mother, who has a great influence on both her son and Shao Xue, becomes dangerously ill. While for Zheng Su Nian, the loss of his mother will mean that he must take up her mantle, for Shao Xue, it inspires her to broaden her horizons, even if that means moving away from the neighborhood and friends she is so familiar with. She has secret feelings for Zheng Su Nian, who has also secretly been in love with her for some time. But Zhang Qi – whose true talent lies not with antiques but mathematics – also has feelings for Shao Xue. When he gets the chance to pursue his studies abroad, the trio comes to a crossroads in their young lives. Can love really be shunted to the sidelines so easily? Or will Cupid have something to say about the matter?

mydramalist

You know how some shows are just like eating a bowl of ramen in the winter? It keeps you warm and feels like a comfort? That’s the best way that I can describe this drama. There was literally nothing that was done differently here, but I couldn’t help smiling every episode because this was a cast worth rooting for all the way.

I think in general the story was simple and easy to follow. There are no surprises along the way as this is primo cliche drama. Think of your Reply series and Go Ahead. I know there are people who say the first half was better than the second which I do not necessarily disagree with. However, I also found that I just enjoyed it throughout for what it was. I think that the romance worked even if it wasn’t anything too special and I especially love that this triangle didn’t evolve into something nasty. I appreciated the family moments so much and tbqh those were the best parts of the show. I especially loved the adults relationships with their children and the sense of community that this drama brought. I loved how much food meant to Shao Xue and how much of a love language you can clearly see it was.

In the romance specific portion, I really cannot complain. I thought that Lin Yi and Yukee had a very comfortable chemistry. I think that Lin Yi often brings the same to his acting no matter the role and this role didn’t require a lot except for the intense emotional scenes and that’s where you saw the cracks. This was the first time I have seen Yukee play in a modern drama and I use that loosely since this is based in the early 2000s, but I’ll be damned if I don’t think I need to see her in a full contemporary drama now. Shao Xue would probably be a character that is hard for people to like at first, but idk I thought she was fine right off the bat. My MVPs are Wu Huan and Zhang Qi because DUH. DUH. DUH.

Of course this drama is not without its flaws, but imo, I didn’t find them to be horrendous enough that they cannot be overlooked. Maybe I am getting too soft or maybe I am just biased, but I had a good time. I would definitely recommend this to others if you’re into slice of life stuff.

---