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The melo pacing of this drama is a consistent theme throughout but after the first 6 episodes you get used to it. Sadly the majority of the plot is mix of repeated sad and devastating occurrences for all the characters, no one escapes. And it really can make you frustrated when nothing good happens for your favourite characters. The ending was left open, and after 46 episodes it did not have a satisfying end for the main leads. The cast is strong, and with really good performances. But because there felt like a lack of closure not only for the leads but some side characters also, I could only hope there will be a drama special for it. But if not, I would not recommend this drama for romance fans.
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This is a story about a group of friends who have grown up together, and eventually move onto the next chapter of their lives. It focuses on the nature of life and how it is not as exciting or smooth sailing as we predict it to be. Life is not a math problem that has a formula with steps for us to follow through, there will always be unexpected variables thrown our way and most of the time we will not be prepared to handle it. The drama reveals how true friendship can help people through difficult times, but it also shows how some friendships are not as pure as people think. The world is filled with those that want to help others, but it is also filled with people who want to hurt others. There will always be people with hidden agendas and dark secrets.
Although this drama has "main characters", their status seems to fade towards the end, with the supporting characters having more prominent scenes that practically started overshadowing the leads. The relationship of the lead couple started to get bland and uninteresting, but nevertheless not all love stories in life are as exciting as we imagine it to be. I found this to be a very real reflection of life rather than an unrealistic message to the audience that life and relationships are perfect. On the other end though, I found Lu Zhiang and Yan Mo, and Duan Qiao and Yu Jian's love stories to be so cute and romantic! Their love stories really spiced up the rest of the drama.
This was a long watch, and I admit it was not one I binged watched either. I had to stop for a while after watching about half of it, and picked it back up a few months later. I think having a break halfway through may have changed my opinion of the drama, and lead me to watch it with a different perspective. Overall, I think it is a pretty great drama to watch. It is about youth, life, and love but more so about the love shared in relationships with friends and family.
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Let me start with the story, at the beginning, it would seem like the generic, perfect boy that is always at the top of the class will fall in love with the girl. wow. But, this story does it in a more realistic way. Presenting the idea of perfect in the eye of the public and reality can be different and far removed at times. The characters aren't these perfect people that get top of the class without studying but aren't book worms that can't have fun. The misunderstandings, teacher-student relationships, friendships, family, and a story of first loves are all amazingly done and refreshing to watch. There is nothing super crazy that makes me tired or drained which I really liked and I related to it a lot more. I enjoyed the realistic decisions we have to make in life and school towards something. The realistic portrayal of people and their change after events shake them was just another point of amazement for me. Even after school, it presents the different worries, problems, and joys of being an adult. It is a really good take on youth and the change that comes with adulthood. As for the ending, I actually think the ending was fine but it left a little more to be desired and some of the plots near the end were a bit too extreme. In conclusion, it was a rollercoaster, as life is.
The casting was actually really great. There was no character that I tilted my head at in confusion for a strange casting or any real acting that I found too awkward or overdone. If it was then I saw it as part of the character and didn't mind it. While I was relatively newer to Chinese dramas four years ago and didn't really recognize a lot of the characters, the second time around I did and it was really cool to see some familiar faces.
For the OST, I go by my standard of if it reminds me of the drama and certain scenes, it is a good OST track. This drama did that. Even before I decided on the rewatch, my YouTube autoplay the OST and I thought of the drama right away. It was actually one of the reasons I decided to rewatch it. The OST is cheery in some, moving in others, and really fit an array of emotions. I really enjoyed it.
As a rewatch, I think this will only get better with time. Four years ago, I watched as a young student who knew no fear or setback much like them in high school. Now. I can relate more to the struggles they felt towards the end of high school and into college. As time goes by, I feel I can better understand and relate to different characters in various situations or stages of life. Though the story mainly focuses on the main four, there are many other stories and voices that help build the world they live in and give that sense of reality. Maybe one day, I will look back on the lessons and takeaways the drama gives as a parent or a grandma. With these, I think my understanding and appreciation can only get better with time.
Overall, I think I enjoyed this one. Whether it was for the story, characters, relatability, or even the refreshing youthfulness, I think there is a place for it in my heart that I won't forget. I actually started to draw again and take it more seriously as a child because of this drama. You got to draw inspiration from somewhere. This was also the first time I got second lead syndrome and was still okay with the way it ended. More than the love story and quest for a career, I enjoyed this story's focus on youth and the friends we make in life. I think the friendship between Lu Zhi Ang and Fu Xiao Si is actually my favorite part of the entire thing.
Well anyway, I think it made me think back to my middle and high school days. It was a good rewatch before hitting my spring semester. Time to ride my bike and grab some cola. (if you know, you know.)
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There are episodes that will make you laugh and will also make you cry. I always said that this is the last episode for tonight but i cant stop myself for wanting for more.
You'll never regret watching this.
It will bring back your highschool memories.
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It was a good one time watch
Although people have different opinions about this drama and mainly negative, their arguments are quite agreeable to a certain point. I agree that the drama got uninteresting towards the ending and that the ending wasn't satisfactory either. The villain didn't get the karma they deserved. There were a lot of points in this drama that proved to be set backs. But for me, I think this drama was realistic and relatable. It's because things in life don't always go the way you want and the most unexpected things can happen anytime. The backstabbing in this drama was sadly real. The drama didn't reach the target audience who reminisce with the emotions in this drama, but there were still people who appreciated this drama. The plot was unnecessary at point that is why it is acknowledged that it was hard to watch. And 46 episodes are too much to watch with the nonsense it ended up being. Towards the start I really liked it, the second male lead was so joyful and funny. But later onwards it got sadder and sadder. But the main plot was still the same, they were in high school and then parted their ways for college. It really retaliates a lot to reality, parting with the people closest to you with the memories... I won't watch this drama again but if someone is planning to watch this drama be aware of the precautions!Was this review helpful to you?
The first half of the drama is really amazing, the youth is expressed in a really good way. There is also a lot of amazing quotes regarding the events that the characters are going through. It remains a little slow but it's not really a big problem.
The second half on the other side is disappointing. Li Xia, although she's the main lead, became quite useless. The romance between the main leads is boring and the second leads characters are way more interesting. Lu Zhi Ang and Cheng Qi Qi were probably the ones having the best development.
Also there is a loooot of useless flashbacks of things you saw two episodes before, it's too bad.
The ending was quite good, nothing really surprising but it wasn't bad.
The cast is really amazing, I'm a big fan of Chai Bi Yun but all the actors were really good and conveyed emotions perfectly.
So, I would say that this drama is really worth watching, but I wouldn't watch it again personally
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm a sucker for high school / college dramas, but not ones that span a long time. So obviously I had mixed feelings about this before I even started. To be honest, I had gotten it all spoiled for me, and knowing that the ending was unsatisfying, I ended up skimming the entire drama.If you asked me to describe this drama in one phrase, I'd scream "SECOND LEAD SYNDROME." Lu Zhi Ang was undoubtedly my favorite character, and it hurt knowing that he wouldn't get the main girl, when he was SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE MALE LEAD. And as much as I liked Yan Mo, I usually never quite like the second love interest as much, especially for a character I was so invested in. I never really cared about the main ship either—in fact, I've gotten a little tired of the "strong and silent" type of boy being the love interest, and I felt like Zhi Ang was just so much more lovable.
I still really liked the first half of this drama. If I wasn't someone who just HAS to finish everything till the end, I'd have stopped at the episode when they graduated college. Honestly, that's what I'd recommend too. Although the high school parts had some cliche plotlines (ex: cheating on a test), I still liked how pure it was.
The last 6 episodes were the worst. Everything was really random and extreme, and the sort of mellow and slice-of-life drama I'd been watching suddenly became a soap opera where everything went wrong without any good reason other than to make things tragic. I also HATED Qi Qi's character arc—she was another one of my favorite characters and she was completely ruined.
Also, I felt like there were so many unnecessary flashbacks. I swear I watched Yu Jian with Qing Tian's interactions a million times, and it was always the same scenes over and over again. There were also so many flashback montages for the main leads and for Zhi Ang and his mom, and they were always the same scenes. I also was lowkey weirded out by the flashbacks of how Xiao Si's parents fell in love: I wish they had gotten actual young actors instead of just doing things like putting the mom actor in a pink doll dress and giving her pigtails.
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The director/producer sure love their flashbacks. They're uselessly long and worth skipping. This drama could've been shortened to 20 episodes if it weren't for the overly long flashbacks. The final 6 episodes gave this drama a soap-opera tone and I felt like they could've incorporated the support characters a lot better in relation to the 2 main characters. Li Xia and Xiaosi get boring after 30 episodes. While the actors did have chemistry, the plot was just... I watched this drama with its plot in mind but I did not think it would be this terrible. Yan Mo and Lu Zhi Ang had more development than Li Xia and Fu Xiao Si. The ending was terrible. I wanted to get to the ending of this drama because I was so tired of the drama and soap-opera elements. I watched the last 10 episodes on 2x speed and skimmed through. I got the gist of the plot, but it could've been done wayy better. I watched love 020 but I did not like the plot.
Save your time and don't watch this drama. It is bland, a better Chinese romance and coming of age sorta drama is A love so beautiful or Age of Youth.
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I can say that I loved the first part, and it really made me miss the times when I was in high art school myself. I did not think that the story was going slowly, quite the opposite, showing us the day-to-day and how love and hate are developing, just like the values of friendship.
However in a second part I felt that the story itself ceased to exist, becoming a game of popularity, which made me really sad, "Oh i miss the old days"
Act: I do not have much to compare with other dramas, but I really enjoyed Zheng Shuang and all the faces she made. I really thought everyone did a good job.
One point that I enjoyed immensely was the music, always perfect and in the right moments.
I maybe see this again, probably the first part.
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The acting, I would say the Chenny Chen Bai Jing Ting really got me but fl's acting is nah.
Well if Im given the chance, I would not recommend this drama, peace
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