The story was very simple at the same time very heartwarming. You’ll be able to see the characters grow and develop which will make you know so much about them. Watching what they’ve been through, I couldn’t help but cry, laugh, and smile whenever certain events occur that make the character feel certain emotions. The plot may not be that unique, but I still like they gave so many refreshing vibes when it comes to college and their field of work. I also liked that they gave it a realistic touch to it. Comparing it to other Chinese dramas that gave me simply fluff, this drama actually made me root for the characters. The supporting characters were also very heartwarming to watch and I wasn’t expecting to cry over other supporting couples. Maybe I just like to cry. I was touched by how drama highlighted on family and friendship.
The cast was really lovable. It’s been such a very long time wherein I got to feel fluff or butterflies in my stomach when it comes to the leads of a Chinese drama and this drama gave it to me again! I was literally rooting for Zeyi and Yezi the whole time. Kris Fan and Cecilia Boey were definitely cute together. I liked how they were mature when it comes to serious topics but playful on the side. However, when they grew up... I can say that the outcome of their characters was pretty reasonable. It was obvious that so much had changed, but I was glad that they stuck to their characters' change in order for it to be realistic. The supporting cast was super cute as well! I loved how the drama didn’t neglect its supporting characters and gave each of them a story of their own. The acting was pretty simple and I think that it’s enough to execute the characters’ feelings.
The OST from the introduction and end of the drama was really beautiful but there are some songs that don’t really fit into some scenes. I was having a hard time getting emotionally immersed in some scenes because of the music.
Overall, if you want a drama that can make you get immersed with the simplicity of its plot and characters, this is the right one for you. I was slightly confused if the ending was real, but it somehow gave an open end for the viewers to think of. This drama will definitely make you reflect on life and what can possibly happen and change in the future.
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I accidentally came across this and really loving it. It reminds me of my college days, makes me wanna be 18 again and fall in love again, reminds me of my first love, reminds me of what he has become then and now.
One of the best romance drama i've watched .
I like the two main couple, love their chemistry, love the boy sense of humour, the whole thing was cute and lovey dovey,
im so smitten by it.
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I just finished this drama and its officially one of my favorites! This drama has a lot to do with college life school work, relationships, dealing with future worries and then there's abandonment, self-growth, plagiarism consequences to both sides, etc. I am in love with the quotes each episode had. This drama touches upon topics that makes you thinking deeply about your life. Its very meaningful and deep. The main story is a focused on a happy, college campus couple. We going through a period of happiness, to heartbroken and angst and back to unsure of future between the two. It also focuses on the other supporting actors/actress whcih were quite funny so they gave us the comedic relief but was being realistic as well. Main actress was a JYP trainee but I think she made a great decision to go into acting. She acted very natural, and I did not feel irritated like I do with actors/actress that exaggerate or obviously terrible at acting. I was in love with her clothing style - its something I would wear - well not the business part of it but the casual style. Her character was more mature and serious compare to the male. As for the male lead actor, he acted natural and great as well. I loved his character's personality - was very opstimistic and positive all the time. May be annoying at first but you'd get use to it and call him CUUUUUUTE! cause of his loving smile. Okay. The one thing I dislike is the second male lead being persistent with the ring and all. I mean its great he doesn't give up, but there's a fine line between not giving up and when to give up. And he already crossed it after the third try... Anyways, all in all I recommend this drama if you want something natural and meaningful to watch. Definitely read the quotes and pay attention to t he monologues.
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One of the best drama of all times. Like the Taiwanese movie APPLE OF MY EYE, this really give me chills and can't really move-on. For Chinese drama, I honestly did not expect much ( don't get me wrong) like when compared to Korean drama, perhaps this drama change my resentment and my expectations.
The male lead is like the playing 2 different character on this, from mischievous, puppy handsome guy, and boy next door role to badboy and mature character. He brought his character into real life.
Its gives me goosebumps when he turned into mature guy with his disaster past. The OST is really awesome, it actually made me cry and go back to '90's vibe.
Overall its JJANG! Its really different feeling when you watch. It actually some kind realistic.
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The best drama ever
I have never thought of writing a review but this one made me to do so .This drama is everything . Emotions from all episodes will attack you . You will never be the same again after watching this. Because this drama will make you cry in every episode and second lead syndrome is hard
But about the romance when they were younger they had the sweetest memories but when he left everything became dark again and the girl had to suffer a lot
My favorite quote about this drama is " there are things in your heart kept for so long that you only have the strength to tell them out for only once"
" we think growing up can solve everything , but problem occurs when you grow up"
" you can never leave your shadow"
This drama taught me sometimes you need to endure
at the last scene when he told her that think if we were always together things would be so much different from now
A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED DRAMA FOR ALL AGES
and at your worst time those who are by your side are your friends
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The cast portrays each character goodly esp Kris Fan ?.? he's so great from the college days to the present and his chemistry with Cc Boey is perfect!
The only debts of this drama for me are the some twist and turns? And the ending is just lacking lol i need more!
Well overall this is one my best of best chinese drama, to perfection. It will make you realize that time changes everything. There are things you think are unchanged but later it will also confused you because it actually change and you need to do something with it and dont let it be as it is. That even tho you hold for a love for so long, it didn't mean it's still the same love you had back then.
I will absolutely recommend this drama if you want romance, comedy with a touch of heavy drama
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I loved it, it's really realistic and at the beginning its a fresh youth romance without big problems, but its getting deeper with daily problems after a few episodes, when they are grown up.
I have heard from many people that its confusing to them, because of the time switches, but i don´t think so, because I think you can clearly see the difference in the past/when they were younger it´s more bright colors and a very fresh/happy theme and on the other hand in present/when they are grown up it´s much darker/more mature, so there shouldn't be a big problem. To the overall story: In my opinion its a really beautiful story, if you are getting into it. It has funny scenes, some really sad scenes(I think I cried two times), but also some scenes that gets you kind of angry BUT only when you are really feeling the drama (and I was).
Characters
The male lead is at the beginning a character you are most likely tho love, but when they got older you are going slowly liking him less.
The clothes the female lead is wearing is sooo pretty, she is also very kind to everyone and tries not to bother the other characters with her problems.
I liked the second female lead the most, because she was in my opinion the funniest funny.
The second male lead/boyfriend of the second lead was SOOO nice, he always does some kind things without the other one knowing it and he doesn't mention it.
And the third couple is the most easygoing relationship because the male character is a very easy and kind of childish character and the female character is someone who doesn't talk about her problems (but that is going to be a little problem later).
Music
The music was beautiful, I really liked the song "where the love is". It fits with the drama perfectly!
Acting
They aren't the biggest actors but I think every actor/actress fits their character like it's made for them.
So overall I really liked it and I think its worth and I also really recommend to watch it.
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STORY
The start for me was so great, from episode 1 I was captured by the scene playout and acting. The first episodes shift between past and present, so the audience could make the subtle comparisons between past and present and slowly piece together the love story. A lot of other people said it was difficult to tell apart past and present, but for me I thought it was very clear. Just watch for the tone and lighting. The past has a beautiful golden haze and rosy colour, full of sunlight. Whilst the present was done in a colder, darker almost blue tone and colouring. The interconnectedness of the past and present flowed together so nicely, I was eager to watch both sides e.g. how the youthful couple were going vs how the couple would restart their relationship.
THEN… then it just went pear shaped and I got so confused. After the climax, where we find out what happened with our male lead all those years ago, the female lead still wants to be with our male lead, so I was like great it’s all worked out. Let’s move on from this and start growing as a couple. But then the next episodes were a bunch of unnecessary filler and weird characterisation and behaviour. Without spoiling too much, I just felt the main couple lost its chemistry (after so much pining and longing) and they just started acting really awkwardly and out of character. I get the director was trying to portray that minute and in the moment decisions in our past greatly affect our future, and that we change with time and can’t go back to the past anymore. But the whole growing and changing with time message just fell short and was swept up in all the angst, emotion and back and forth between the two, I just wasn’t really sure what they were trying to say.
I appreciate the ending scene when they’re on the steps (you’ll get it when you get there), the scene placement was quite powerful and done nicely. But the message itself felt hollow and actually left me thinking, are you saying that because of time, they don’t need each other anymore? It was trying to say something, but left me thinking about something else.
ACTING/CAST
Kris Fan’s acting was on point, I commend him for his ability to transform into two completely different and polar opposite characters on the spot. His young self was immature, cheeky, fun loving and so light – he did it brilliantly, I felt myself drawn into to his character. Then on the flip slide, we’ve got someone carrying this great weight and struggling to find self-worth. By far, this is the most I’ve seen a male lead tear up and he did it so well, I was crying along with him. My only point was that you may find his older self slightly frustrating (but I think this is more due to the characterisation rather than his acting). His character often acted in confusing and contradicting ways that made it hard for me to understand what exactly he was thinking.
Cecilia Boey was an interesting choice for me. I just wasn’t able to vibe with her in her young self, she had a sullen and quite rigid expression and didn’t capture the youthfulness of first love for me. However, I grew to like her in her older self and felt her maturation. Again, her character actions were off and not consistent e.g. running away from the main lead but then initiating hugs.
MUSIC
Music was gorgeous, fell in love with the OST. The music was perfectly suited to each scene. My only critique would be why is the music on so loud that it covers the character’s dialogue and I struggled to hear the conversations. The music was very fitting and mood-setting, and captured the emotional heartache, angst and loss.
REWATCH VALUE
I can’t rate this too high because the ending fell apart for me. But I’d definitely rewatch the first 10ish episodes when we’re flitting between past and present and seeing first love develop between the two.
Overall, a beautiful drama that captured youth, first love, mistakes, dark shadows that haunt you, second chances and how each decision impacts you in unexpected ways. I would recommend giving it a go, I feel like you’ll be hooked from the start because it is a killer start. But just be warned about the ending few episodes, you may be put off, but keep going and power through to the end. I feel like everyone will get a different moral or message out of it, just depends on how you interpret it. But I think it’s a drama worth your time and who knows, might get you to think about your past, present and future self. Keen to hear your thoughts! xx
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As it starts to drag on and the story unfolds more it starts to loose more and more of its luster by the time it ends.
Not a bad drama it just doesn't have that wow i really wanna watch this again after its over feeling i don't know how to say it
The support cast is really decent and makes you want to keep on watching when the main plot starts to sag a little bit
Now for the **ending** i readed reviews and it seems to have confused alot of people here is my personal take on it.
When they have the talk going down the stairs they acknowledge that the love they add when they were in college is no more both persons grew and changed because of the "accident" and not because of it cause love naturally matures as you grow older and becomes something else and both of them were hanging on to those lost memories walking in a circle being stuck in place narrowing there vision of what love was.
When he re introduces himself to her to me that signals that it became full circle for them and they wanted to start again anew without the old memory baggage.
They really wanted to be together but they wanted to figure things out and get married " the right way" if it can be called that not cause of guilt/circumstances etc..
It isn't as open ended as some think cause the next scene is the scene of there wedding no matter how you slice it its not your typical "happy ending" it just took them more time to discover what that is for them but there happy ending is there it just took a long way to get there cause they got lost in the process of eyeing the destination.
I thinkt he director wanted a open ending feels to it and left some blanks to fill in until the 30 second wedding scene to nail in that in the end it does have a ending that is happy
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This review may contain spoilers
Draggy... Angsty... Mediocre acting...
This drama was on my list for a long time - years, in fact, considering that it was released in 2017. I wanted to watch it but just never got down to it because other dramas got in the way... After watching the epic "Love like Galaxy Parts 1 and 2" which I loved dearly, I wanted to find something lovely to indulge in once more. I decided to go back to this "old" drama on my KIV list.At first, I thought that the drama was quite "healing" because of the slow-ish pacing. The actors and actresses were all new faces to me and I thought they were fairly refreshing. However, as the episodes continued, I found the acting rather mediocre and stilted. Later, I read FGV (iykyk) and I agreed with the C+ review for this drama. The points mentioned in FGV's review were the thoughts that I had too.
What I liked:
- Started off quite okay...
- The cinematography is (erm) pleasant.
- The songs are actually nice.
What I didn't like:
- The green actors and actresses in that the acting was mediocre and stilted.
- The lack of nuanced expressions of the actors and actresses. e.g.: The female lead just looked sullen.
- I could not understand the way the female lead behaved. Did she like him? Did she want him? Why did she keep on playing push-pull? I understand that the male lead also appeared like a playboy but he sincerely confessed to her and showed that he wanted to be with her but there was still this push-pull from the female lead which I found rather odd.
- The angst really got to me. I was patiently waiting for the "big revelation" as to why male lead disappeared from female lead's life and why, as adults, she was searching for him. I got to episode 7, going on 8, and realised that drama was "getting nowhere" despite building up so much angst. I could not take it anymore.
- The second male lead just did not have guts to confess until episode 7 and it was, again, very angsty for me.
- The transition from 2007 to 2017 (past to present day) was very abrupt and often, I did not know that they had changed time frame until they started speaking and such. It would have been better if there was "fading in and fading out" or just a small date to indicate the time frame clearly for viewers.
As an impatient viewer, I wanted things to hurry along just a bit more. I guess this drama did not work out for me.
[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life. It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only.]
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This review may contain spoilers
Paralelismo de tiempo intrigante
Tiene un paralelismo de tiempo: te narra el presente y el pasado intercaladamente. Es una serie conmovedora, romántica y díficil. Puede parecer el típico cliché adolescente, al inicio. Pero hay una conexión en su arte. La mutua admiración que se tienen hace que su amor perdure después de mucho tiempo. La química es inmediata desde el primer instante. Son inmaduros al inicio y hay malentendidos. Pero el protagonista es noble y de buen corazón. Confíen en ello y mantengan la mente abierta. No juzguen a los personajes sin terminar la serie. Nada es lo que parece cuando todo se torna difícil. Ellos sabrán entenderse, al final.Was this review helpful to you?
