After the strong impression “Pursuit of Jade” left on me along with actor Zhang Linghe, I decided to check a few more of his productions. One of the most recommended was “The Best Thing” (爱你). Honestly, it sounded a bit cheesier than I would normally choose but it was the complete opposite of the historical drama character I’d already seen, so I was curious. IQIYI was my platform of choice – easy to subscribe, English language options available. They offer a couple of free episodes before you commit, so I went for the AI voiceover version as a starter.
I have a front row seat to what AI does to language and how these technologies are leveraged nowadays, so I am very aware what AI could do to a performance. But honestly, I wasn’t expecting that.
Me watching that particular version of “The Best Thing” ended up right after 4 (four) minutes.
The funny thing with those 4 min is that I can name exactly the four different things that failed at the same time in order to ruin a perfectly romantic heartfelt and wonderful series for me.
No emotion. No intrigue. No connection to the characters on screen and those 3 made me lose the plot entirely.
You remember that first scene where Xi Fan talks with her parents – honestly I couldn’t even comprehend what was going on as there was this metallic sounding voice, which rattled out words with a cadence that wasn’t even reaching my ears. My brain actually didn’t manage to adapt to follow a single sentence from the conversation and I promise you I tried.
I must confess I’ve watched some KDramas with AI-voice over and it wasn’t bad at all. It’s like, you know you’ll suffer from the lack of acting etc but it is bearable, understandable and the voices are matching the people on screen and so is the conversation. So obviously even with a very low budget you can still produce a decent output to be watchable.
The thing is the family of Xi Fan is so warm and caring, and this voice couldn’t even transmit the environment so you could start engaging with the characters.
And Xi Fan has a very quiet personality with so much going on under the surface, actually the whole series is like this and everyone who watched it knows that.
I stopped there and then with the AI voiceover option and started looking for a subtitled version. I still decided not to give up on the series but to look for a different option. After all, subtitles, even automatically generated ones, at least don’t make your ears bleed out.
I found a version with those and decided to watch all free episodes before I decided if a subscription to IQiYi was worth it. I wanted to see if I will be able to get the story, enjoy the plot and actually watch the series.
The thing is, eventually it will be available somewhere and I am willing to pay for it, if they actually deliver what I am up for (and I can compromise if the story is good).
What I actually found is something I didn’t expect at all after the start I had.
The series totally enveloped me in sweetness. Unhurried, genuine wonderful sweetness. Warmth that makes you smile throughout every scene you watch, subtle music over nice slow burn emotions and a discreet unobtrusive build up of emotions that go through your senses and make you live with the series itself.
The unconventional way Traditional Medicine is woven into the plot made the series more interesting with the additional knowledge you gain in a modern way without actually preaching about it.
The warm personality of doctor He Su Ye – amazing character built by Zhang Linghe I must say. I couldn’t imagine this character – human, sweet, intelligent and so emotional – to be built by any voiceover actor other than the actual actor that plays the role.
Honestly, I am not sure if usually that series will be on my watchlist but I have to say I watched every single episode of “The Best Thing” with a smile on my face. It took me back to those warm Sunday evenings around Christmas when you just happen to watch on the main channel “Nothing Hill” or “Pretty Woman”. It doesn’t have anything to do with the plot, just the emotions they evoke in me are the same. Warm, light, uncomplicated in the best possible way. I love this kind of vibe coming out of a movie or a series, where you just blend into the story and you come out of it feeling better than you started. It makes you dream…
I didn’t expect this in a Chinese drama. I know I am coming to this genre later than most but perhaps that’s exactly why it hit me the way it did. The thing is the actual series was what hooked me in even with the worst start I ever had with the AI voiceover.
I subscribed… and watched the full series until the very end, enveloped in warmth, genuine emotion and a smile I couldn’t quite get rid of.