With the popularity of "A Love So Beautiful", I see a lot of people hoping to find a similar drama to fill the void now that it has ended. There are similarities in the two dramas in the sense that they are set in high school for a majority of the run time and take place during the same time period. However, outside of those similarities, the two dramas set out to fulfill different purposes. With "A Love So Beautiful," I feel that it is a love story first and foremost and the life of a student is given secondary focus but "With You" focuses more on a student's life and how those formative years in high school set the foundation on who we become as we grow older. Of course, love is one of the things that students first start to experience in high school but that is just one of the many items that preoccupy a student's time.
For instance, this drama also looked at how students are tasked with huge responsibility at a young age to make a choice that can very well affect the rest of their lives, deciding to focus on liberal arts or STEM. However, instead of leaning one way, it is implied that one should do their best to be well versed in both in order to be a well rounded individual. We come across many different characters (students, teachers and parents) throughout this drama, each with their own hopes, desires, fears and dreams. And just like in real life, they will come and go but there will be those that leave an impression on you or impact you in some way.
What I also liked about this drama is how helpful and supportive everyone was to one another whether they were friends or "only" classmates. There was a real sense that high school is just one of many stops in your life and how it prepares you to learn and grow throughout life.
Next, I will speak about the Romance portion of this drama which is what I think most people are curious about. And once again I will speak on this in relation to ALSB. In ALSB there are more displays of physical affection and because in that drama they have known each other since childhood they are more comfortable with one another right from the start of the drama. However, in "With You," I enjoyed seeing Yu Hai and Geng Geng's relationship develop over time especially with the way they got off on the wrong foot in their initial encounter. It's not to say one drama is better than the other in the way they portray love but that they portray different forms of love. In "With You," I feel that the writer wanted to portray how blissful it is to simply be together with the person you like/love. Whether that means being "desk buddies" and helping each other with math/physics problems or playing video games together. No matter what the activity/event was, as long as they were able to do it together, made it all worthwhile. Similarly, both characters had their own strengths and weaknesses and complemented each other well and were each other's pillar of support when they needed it. This drama is not really about the grand gestures (at least in Yu Hai's case) but about the little ones. For instance, risking the chance of incurring a strict teacher's wrath by asking him to repeat his explanation of a problem that you already understand because you notice that the person you like is having a difficult time catching up but is too afraid to ask.
Ultimately, if you're looking for a drama replacement for ALSB, I suggest you look elsewhere. However, if you're looking for a drama that primarily focuses on youth/school and the growing pains associated with that time period of our lives, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better one than this one.
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This series follows Geng Geng, a slightly awkward but adorable first year high schooler who feels like she's not smart enough to be at the prestigious Zhen Hua High School. The first day she happens to meet her future deskmate, the brilliant Yu Huai, and although they bicker at first, they soon form a strong friendship. They all become good friends with their classmates and have a strong bond with their teacher, Zhang Ping. Geng Geng also attracts the attention of the school's resident rebel, Lu Xing He, who quickly falls in love with her and isn't shy about announcing his crush to the world. The show follows Geng Geng, her friends, and even their teacher, through their struggles in both school and life. The show mostly focuses on their first year in high school, but toward the end also looks at the rest of their high school life and a little bit of the future 10 years later.
Like other similar shows, I love how With You develops really deep and complex characters who feel real. No one is flawless and everyone behaves in a very realistic way. I like that the main conflict comes not from villainous characters, but from challenges in life, such as struggling in school, controlling parents, unrequited crushes, and the like.
I LOVED Geng Geng's rapport with both her primary love interest, Yu Huai, and secondary love interest, Lu Xing He. Yu Huai and Geng Geng clearly like each other from day 1, but neither of them admit it. But what makes the show so beautiful is their friendship and the ways in which they support each other and look out for each other. Their relationship doesn't have grand gestures of romance, but has a solid foundation of friendship. On the other hand, Lu Xing He makes it clear from day 1 that he is in love with Geng Geng and his relationship with Geng Geng is full of shameless declarations of love. He is similarly supportive of her, and so selfless in trying to make sure she's happy.
The only reason I wouldn't rate With You a full 10/10 is because I felt like the ending escalated a bit too much in drama and got a bit too convoluted with misunderstandings, tears, and people hurting each other. It felt too much like a traditional romance drama rather than the slice-of-life type drama it had been all along. But overall, With You is definitely a good watch for warm and fuzzy feelings and adorable friendships.
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“With You,” invokes nostalgia for whoever watches it. We see the squad of friends, the “this isn’t just friends, but this isn’t dating either” relationship, the teachers we love and the teachers we....weren’t quite fond of. This is hands down my favorite school drama of all time.
The character developement is exquisite, and each character is perfectly imperfect. Our male lead, Yu Huai, is an intelligeng out going guy that exudes best friend turned boyfriend vibes. It’s hard to find anything negative to dislike his character. Despite how he excels in Physics, his character struggles with subjects unrelated to the pure sciences and chooses to neglect them all together to focus on honing his skills in Physics. A choice that will later prove to have consequences.
Geng Geng is a sweet goof ball of a female lead. Initially she can come off as the typical unintelligent female lead, but she’s actually quite normal with a hint of raw talent in the arts. She’s a little clumsy, and Yu Huai finds almost everything she does funny, but she has a heart of gold and builds great relationships with those around her.
This story isn’t about romance, it’s about the lives of two characters and their friends as they navigate their way through adolescence. This naturally includes romance, and this story DOES tell quite a beautiful relationship between the two leads, but it’s their faith, reliance, and natural actions between the two that is what attracts the viewers to them.
“With You,” masterfully tackles common issues amongst teenagers like finding a place you belong, learning to voice your own opinions, stress from the vast unknown future and much more.
The acting was amazing and I’ve fallen in love with the actors/actresses that have portrayed these characters. The story didn’t recieve a 10 from me mainly because I personally believe the ending was somewhat rushed, but I still loved it.
A side note about Lu Xing He (second male lead), I didn’t dislike his character. He is somewhat of a typical second male lead with his contrasting straight forwardness about his interest in the FL, however this drama did a great job at showing regardless of his “perfect,” one may appear, feelings can not be controlled. People are not obligated to reciprocate someone’s feelings, no matter how great said person may be.
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And what makes it really stood out is that the characters are so relatable. The characters in this drama are not one-dimensional; they are very realistic .
Yu Huai, in particular, is not a typical tsundere perfect male lead who is good at everything. He is smart but he focuses his studies only in Physics and neglects other subjects - so he is not top in the class. He is mischievous, playful and likes basketball. He is a caring and good friend towards his friends. His relationship with his mother may not be too good but he cares for his mother. He is not just a genius but someone who studies so hard to achieve his dream. He is not perfect and he is as vulnerable to distractions and setbacks as anyone else. Liu Hao Ran made this character very convincing and very real. I particularly fell in love with his performance in the last few episodes, I could feel his inner struggles and disappointments.
And Geng Geng is not a typical annoying naive girl. She may not be as intelligent as others, but she also has her strong suits and she also tries really hard. She is also strong and very understanding, I would say (not easily disappointed by small things). I loved that she was persistent and did not give up their love until the end.
These two leads compliments each other very well. Their relationship is based on friendship as desk buddies and so they know each other very well - strengths and weaknesses, good and bad. I think that's what makes their romance lovely.
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can't move on
i would like to start with saying that i'm absolutely in love with this drama , from the first ep till the last one . it gave this type of nostalgic feeling from the first episodes . i watched four eps in one day . i loved the characters , every one of them did their job perfectly , the students , the teachers the parents EVERYONE . this drama is just too realistic , isn't cliche at all . the dating-friendship relatonship between the lead actors is really interesting and i have seeing people when i was still in school , be like that lol. the ending was a bit chaos . i would have loved if they added more episodes to see what will happen between them .UGHH I CANT MOVE ON ////
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Im writing this review way past midnight and I have so much to say.
I will begin not necessary traditionally with the ending.
Let's just say the last episode was chaos. Upsetting, happy, sad, unsure, desperate.
I have to right here give a big compliment to the actor of Yu hai who did an amazing job with this complicated and layered role.
I think looking back the ending makes light of all that happened before.
It seems not quite fitting for a school drama or not "standard" to have such a very mature and quite dark moment in the last episode.
It's almost a whole genre turn.
But now that I think of it you could almost watch the ending first.
Because after all the episodes I think the end makes more sense.
The very emotional acting the very dark streak you don't expect in a typical highschool MLs life and the very raw way of delivering the struggle of not achieving your dreams and losing your former confidence and happiness.
After watching the end you will appreciate the earlier events more and more and the youthful days will shine more brightly.
Geng geng makes light of this in the very first episode without me even understanding it until the very end.
"When I recalled my highschool life after many years, I've always remembered that night when we were holding hands and running under the moonlight.
The "him" back then was the most "perfect him."
But the me after many, many years is the best me.
Between the best of us, there was a whole youthful years.
No matter how we ran we couldn't see a result
(We couldn't keep up no matter how hard we tried.)
I myself interpreted it as the happy never seemingly ending days of highschool seemingly chasing an end that does not come closer between the happiest of our friends.
Yu hai being someone Geng geng was close friends with and even admired him shining so brightly back then but her not seemingly not good (smart) enough but only catching up after a long time and missing him.
As you may or may not have guessed by now this is going to be long because there is much to be said.
Let's dive into characters.
First the character which occupied my mind the most. Yu huai:
Yu huai differs from the usual smart Highschool protagonist in the sense that he "isn't" perfect.
He does not have the aloof and distanced air about him. His smartness does have boundaries and he is actually quite social and also has a temper.
I was actually very impressed because they all seemed more like typical teenager's then "characters".
Yu huai is ambitious and studious but also very playful and naughty or "playful".
He likes physics and you can see how much pride and effort he takes in that subject. But he also helps Geng geng out plays basketball, and throws a fit occasionally.
As the series progresses you do see his difficult relationship with his mother (no further spoilers) and his bad relationship with pressure.
He does very much see his limits but is so very focused on his goal that sometimes things can slip out of place.
Geng geng is the very extroverted bubbly girl next door that isn't the smartest but successfully slips past all the stereotypes that come with ditsy stupid fmls.
She doesn't have a hard time making friends and is in a sense what glues the whole oack together. She is the one friend that definitely is not the loudest but you would immediately notice if she's missing.
She has an avid love for photography and plays the photographer on multiple occasions making the littlest moments a picture to remember.
Liu xinghue is the artsy kid. Naughty in the beginning very don't care attitude.
He gets preferential treatment because of his rich parent but he is in no way snobbish.
He us talented in drawing and has a almost rebellious love for freedom and a hate for the school system. He does poetry flirts uncontrollably and almost cheesily but non in the less creatively with Geng geng that you almost have to afmire his devoted demeanor.
For a second lead I do have to say he had not enough screentime. I read alot about people having secondlead syndrome but surprisingly I didn't care about him half as much as Yu huai. His acting wasn't bad at all but also he definitely lost in portraying the character so vividly compared to the Ml.
He did make kind of annoyed towards the end. Running after Geng geng meanwhile him getting hurt or taking the hits.
Some may find that very admirable but I don't.
Know when to let go and free yourself. Value yourself and the other person and start anew.
Well that is not as easy as it sounds and definitely wouldn't make the poor 2ndml trope complete wouldn't it? *Wink wink.
So for the support Im not.going to pick every single person but just the 4 closest friends.
Zhou mo. Yu huais close friend since middle school and also a very smart but definitely ladylover student. He is also quite naughty but definitely a good friend with a big heart. He did make me appreciate him more as the series went on.
Liu qi heng. Also called fatty by most of the class. *Rolls eyes yeah they make fun of his weight but more in a loving way than a mean one.
He's also the class representative of class 5 and reminds me of a devoted dachshund for some reason? Maybe it's his smile.
He does fade out more and more towards the end of the series.
He's a "good" class leader but definitely doesn't always follow rules and always tries to protect Beta even though he gets rudely rejected all of the series.
Jian Dan the girly girl the one always having the same crush quite mild tempered and sensitive.
Honestly more I can't really say about her besides the fact that she really got hung up on her love.
Beta. Honestly I do have to say the actress did a great job but also annoyed the heck out of me XD.
I think that's who beta is almost. Good natured but way to loud and high energy plus very quick tempered and overly emotional.
She was the mood maker and breaker. The clown and the drama queen.
Han xu: So why ? How did it come to be that one of the more foreground supports became almost invisible?
I swear I can count the amount of lines he had on one hand.
He was almost completely silent most of the series and it was IMPOSSIBLE to get a deeper look into his character.
There is a difference between quiet and reserved and straight up easter island statue.
You only get one episode with a more deeper look into his character and life and that's it.
So from what I could see: " Quiet and reserved top student very socially distant? But almost always there for group activities. Ignores Jian Dan most of the time wich makes ger seem like some weird sidekick?
So that's it for characters. I hope that's a deeper inlook if you even read till here.
Special mention for Zhang Ping the class teacher and the only drama teacher I know who chugs his olive water daily. *Cheers!
What I think this drama gives you is not necessary the greatest romance of the century but a deeper look into a seemingly normal highschool life wich looking back makes every little moment more meaningful and filled with fond memories.
Even Geng geng or Fml doesn't know many of them all these years later and also people change and live through things. But this doesn't mean the memories lose in value it makes them almost even more precious. Having this little box of happiness from your youth wich is a little treasure on it's own.
Of course this drama isn't perfect and it wouldn't be me if I wasn't critical. The drama begins very well and creatively. Around the middle I would say things start to get a little muddled. We do get some plot holes/ unanswered questions. 2 minor characters just "appear" without really immerging before?
It does get unclearer and harder to understand towards the end and aome things do feel very unfinished especially with the friends.
The ending is of course for many not satisfactory wich you probaly read already.
I still cannot make my mind up about it.
I do prefer a more happy ever after 90s soap opera ending lol.
But it definitely gibes you to think about and it isn't necessarily bad or anything. Just a more mature darker tone gets set wich does last a bit after finishing the drama and makes you ponder, even a little anxious? In my case at least.
I hope I didn't sound like I was writing a thesis or anything and at least somebody stayed until the end.
Thanks for reading this very lengthy review!
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This review may contain spoilers
A poignant and realistic tale about growing up
There are so many thoughts I have after finishing this drama. One of them is that it’s been hard to move on. This drama brought out so many emotions in me. It felt like being in high school again, but it was also a reminder that life does not always turn out the way we want it to be. We just have to hold on to hope that one day we will be the best versions of ourselves.With You (I prefer the other title- The Best of Us) follows the story of the not-so-academically-capable Geng Geng and her deskmate, the very smart (but in physics and maths) Yu Huai. From day one of their meeting, they strike up a special bond that survives not only the entirety of their high-school years, but also beyond that. Apart from their characters, we also have the sweet but quick-to-declare-love Lu Xiang He, Geng Geng’s girl friends Beta and Jiang Dan, as well as a host of interesting side characters, including their adorable form tutor Zhang Ping.
Other than characters we meet at Zhenhua school, we mainly see family dynamics in Geng Geng‘s family. We see her negotiate her way through her parents’ divorce, her father’s remarriage. It takes her time to warm up to her step brother and step mother, but this progression is natural and beautiful.
Most the drama draws on slice of life moments that high school is all about. What is realistic (and what I love so much) is how romance isn’t the central aspect of this high school experience. We get a glimpse into how difficult it really is, how stressful it becomes for the kids, and how pressures from family and peers can move some people to the brink. Of course there are also first loves, heartbreaks, unrequited love- everything that happens in school.
It’s surprising how this lovely drama has such a low rating on MDL when it’s so highly rated on Douban. I attribute that to two complaints most people seem to have on MDL about this drama- lack of communication between Geng Geng and Yu Huai when Yu Huai goes off to study camp and the ending.
Here are my thoughts about these two aspects.
When Yu Huai went off to study camp towards the end of the show, he did not tell Geng Geng that they couldn’t keep phones near them. This resulted in both of them not getting a chance to speak to each other, and for Geng Geng to feel like Yu Huai hadn’t contacted her. However, I interpreted this as a sign that Yu Huai was already falling into some kind of depression he wasn’t aware of. He was extremely distracted during the camp. His panicked reaction after he fixed the broken phone only for it to end up broken again, is an indication of this. In his mind, he needed to contact Geng Geng because they had promised that to each other. However, his desperation to call her seems more like he needed her at that point because it was a cry for help. He doesn’t ever acknowledge this to himself because even he doesn’t know what he’s experiencing. Hence he didn’t tell her, because the desperation was actually from his side.
Once he is back from the camp, we see how he changes. He was already under this immense pressure to be the best of himself, but he falters at the first step. Geng Geng then tells him that if he gives up, what will people like her do (she means this in a supportive way, but its impact is different). That adds even more pressure to him where he feels that he cannot fail.
This brings us to the end. Many people cannot understand why he cut all communication and disappeared without informing any of his friends. Not only did Yu Huai not do well because of pressures and family circumstances, but he sank lower into depression. It’s not uncommon for people to retreat into a shell and distance themselves from others when they are under these circumstances. He was unhappy with himself. He (to himself) was now a failure who could not be the strength he thought Geng Geng wished him to be. He could not even pick himself up. Throughout these ten years, Yu Huai may not have appeared as a failure to others (he did eventually go to a local university and then got a scholarship to do a PhD at the USA, which he had to leave), but he was ashamed of not doing as well as everyone else. He was not where he wanted to be- and that’s the part most people don’t understand. It wasn’t about how others saw him but how he saw himself.
It was all this, coupled with the stress of having to take care of his sick parents. It wasn’t his pride that stopped him from asking for support- it was his low opinion of himself and his inability to find a solution to his ongoing problems. It’s very natural he did not reach out to even Geng Geng during this period of time. We only accept the love we think we deserve- and he thought he did not deserve her love. He thought he had nothing to offer her.
The ending is beautiful and poignant and many people probably see it as strange because there’s no resolution. Yu Huai is still in a terribly distressing situation - we learn that he might donate one of his kidneys to his mother. He still has all the worries. Geng Geng reaches out her hand to him- to support him. This is as realistic as it gets. Yu Huai isn’t just going to run and embrace her, or kiss her. He is depressed, still has a low opinion of himself. At the end when he goes to meet her, it is only a small step he is taking of allowing Geng Geng into his miserable life.
This is a highly underrated and beautiful show which is incredibly realistic. It was easy to cry buckets after watching this, because it leaves one with a lingering sadness. The ending is not happy, but bittersweet. This makes it so relatable.
I have to say that all the actors in this show were amazing. This was my first show with Tan Songyun, but she was so cute and brilliant in this role. There’s nothing that can he said about Liu Haoran - for someone who was around 17 when this show was made, his understanding of sadnesses and depression was just brilliant. His eyes said everything. He is such a promising actor that it’s a shame that he’s only been in such few dramas. The other actors were just as impressive and made this show incredibly special.
I think this is one of those rare gems that you come across that makes you reflect on your own life and gives you different insights. I would totally recommend this drama to everyone.
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By the way, this is my first ever review on this site and I just felt like I have to defend this drama! I hope I can just make everyone listen to me haha
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This review may contain spoilers
I highly recommend this drama to anyone who wants to try something different, maybe a bit more relatable. Compared to other youth dramas, it is not very cliché, yet sometimes I FEEL as if it was based on a true event. It talked about relationships, life, and the success of each individual. Yu Huai was the top of his class science class, he always knew what he wanted in life. He's literally like the typical smart guy you see in almost all asian drama. Yet, he turns out to be the opposite of how people viewed him, which makes the story surprising good because of the unpredictable outcome. He suddenly went missing from everyone one day, and people blamed him for that. In a way, I understand his purpose of doing so, being someone who was top of his class, smart and the cool guy everyone loves, suddenly become a failure in life, it hit pretty hard for a person at a young age.
Geng Geng is your typical cheerful, hardworking, but a little clumsy type of girl. She might not be smart, but she holds justice. She stands up for her friends and family. In the beginning, she might have portrayed to be an annoying girl for disagreeing with her dad's option to remarried someone, and always stick to her mom's side (even though she was the one turn the relationship bad). Later on, the drama did really well developing Geng Geng's attitude, her mindset and makes me realized, yeah I guess at that age anyone would be annoyed to have a new family member (because who doesn't always hope for a reunion), therefore I become more understanding of her character.
Lu Xing He is a good friend to Geng Geng, he's the second lead that everyone would develop a second syndrome for. For me, I did not, because the relationship between Geng Geng and Yu Huai was at the stage for I would not want anyone else to interfere. He might have loved her for a long, waited for a long time, stick by her through high school and after, but I rather she not return those feeling if she does not truly feel them, or it would've hurt Lu Xing He even worst.
Overall, highly recommended drama, life, relationship and youth moments, this drama has it all for you. The actors and actresses did a really good job portraying each of the characters. You will not regret spending time with this drama, I kinda did hope they made the ending a bit longer because it felt a little rush, but either way. ENJOY!
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It revolves on everything happen in the school and in the surround of the leads. The story is simple, well developed and embroidered beautifully. I've already watch My Huckleberry Friends earlier than this drama and they share several differences. I'll be baffled if i have to choose between both of them. But if i need to choose, with you captivates me more than my huckleberry friends because several strengths that i got after i watch it.
Besides a well and a beautiful story, the cast selection is amazing. I do really feel the chemistry between Geng Geng and Yu Huai. They're both amazing. It feels as if i'm one of the characters in the drama. I think, their characterization is the best from all school dramas that i've already watch (well, i've already watch more than 250 k dramas, 165 Dorama and 100 C-Drama. Just estimate how many school dramas that i've already watch). Some months ago, refrain myself to write review after i watch this drama because i think that i'll be biased. But now, i'm sure that i'll not be biased since the characters stuck in my head for months. Support roles play well. There's no exaggeration in the drama.
For the music, this drama surely has good songs to be listened to.
Although this drama is written beautifully, there are several weakness that i need to admit. Since the character development revolves on the leads, support characters are less developed. Furthermore, the ending is a bit rush but it doesn't ruin the drama.
A recommended drama to watch.
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