Go Ahead (2020)

Most Endearing Drama of All Time

This is one of the very few dramas that explores our human nature, our interpersonal relationship and its intricacies, in great depth. It is happy and enjoyable, and yet every episode makes me cry. I cry not because of any tragic events but because of the moments, the actions, the relationships and dialogues of the characters that are so moving, and they touch every chord in my heart. Right after I cry, I’m given a candy that makes me laugh out loud. The brilliant story telling has made this one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched.

This is a story about family and what it takes to be a family – not wealth, not blood, not even just love alone. It takes, including love, patience, sharing, compassion, understanding, empathy, courage, among others, to build a truly tightly knitted family and home, going through life and living together. It is beautifully written and acted. The characters are realistic, relatable and inspiring. In the journey, the story explores compassion and indifference, self-esteem and fear, abandonment and adoption, cheerfulness and depression. It shows us the things we may have neglected in our own lives ourselves and things that we have taken for granted. It helps us see deeper into ourselves and reflect. It captures almost all human elements that we may have encountered, one way or another, in our own lives. We can definitely identify ourselves with at least one of the characters here.

Go Ahead is a story about a widower who single-handedly raises his own daughter and two other boys who are entrusted to him. All of them have one thing in common: they do not have mothers. The children grow up together; the boys become the big brothers for his daughter, pampering and protecting her. She is their sun and the center of their universe. Everything they do, they do it together, and they do it for her (with a lesser extent, for their adoptive father). Their relationship is heartwarming and enviable. Their love for each other is pure and not tainted by anything.

Li Haichao (Tu Song Yan), an owner of a small noodle shop, has a very different view in parenting. He is very open minded and compassionate. He teaches the children to critical think for themselves, and how to stand up when fallen. His love is unconditional and his favorite thing to do is to cook meals for his 3 children. Tu Song Yan’s acting is one of the best – natural, believable and lovable. He has a calm and compassionate demeanor that would attract anyone, never assuming nor judgmental. He’s one of the most loved characters in the story.

Li Jianjian (Tan Song Yun aka Seven Tan) is a tomboy who enjoys the love and pampering from her 2 adopted brothers, growing up and doing everything together with them including sleeping on the same bed. Li Jianjian, like her father Li Haichao, is kind, tactful and compassionate with a sharp wit and mouth. The period of them living together as teenagers attending high school is perhaps my fondest moments watching this drama. Tan Song Yun’s acting renders me speechless. She is so versatile that she can take on any roles and ace them. At her actual age of 30, she is so convincing, transforming into an innocent 15 year-old teenager and then growing up into a 25 year-old sculptor. Tan Song Yun’s acting simply awes the viewers.

Ling Xiao (Song Weilong) is a deeply broken and tormented boy who goes through unthinkable tragedies and sadness. The only times he beams up and smiles are when he sees Li Jianjian, that's when the sun comes out, everything seems to become normal again. Ling Xiao is a neighbor living with a divorced father above Li Jianjian’s apartment. Song Weilong always has that look of sadness with a heavy burden locked between his brows. With few words, he gives the feeling that he has thousands words that are hidden and cannot be spoken. Song Weilong fits the Ling Xiao character to perfection. Every sad gaze from him conveys those unspoken words and sadness, and digs deep into the viewers’ hearts.

He Ziqiu (Zhang Xincheng aka Steven Zhang) starts calling Li Haichao “father” when he first meets him because he (He Ziqiu) thinks his single mother is going to marry him (Li Haichao). The marriage falls through and He Ziqiu is left in the rural area with no proper education and no prospect of a better life. He’s unofficially adopted by Li Haichao with the consent of Ziqiu’s relatives. Being abandoned, He Ziqiu always has a hole in his heart, and he has always wanted a complete family. At the same time, he’s been taught by his adoptive father to maintain a positive view as everything is a blessing in disguise. This attitude has made him resilient and optimistic. Zhang Xincheng has the look of a person who would take anything that’s thrown to him and he’s the person who gets ignored all the time. Zhang Xincheng has given one of his most impressive performance in this drama, making his character well-loved and jerk tears from all viewers.

Chen Ting (Ling Xiao’s mother) is perhaps the most abhorred mother. As much as I’m tormented by her, I sympathize with her because I have seen many such characters like her in my life, carrying a dark disease that is too stigmatized for anyone to talk about. Mingyue’s mother is a typical Asian Tiger mother and many viewers may carry some or all of her traits; she can be us without us even realizing it ourselves. I see myself in many of the characters at different stages of my life; all my flaws are portrayed vividly in them. It’s disheartening to see that many parents are abusive in certain ways, physically or mentally, just like how the drama is depicting. Such abuses are unfortunately widespread, in particular, in the developed world.

Most parents love their children. But love can be enlightening (as in Li Haichao with his children) or suffocating (as in Ling Xiao with his mother, Qi Mingyue with her mother, Tan Can with her mother) or even painful (as in He Ziqiu with his mother). This is a very precious human drama and the writers have not dragged on any misunderstanding for long; everything is resolved rather quickly without giving viewers the frustration. Funny moments are injected brilliantly throughout the story to subdue the pains that some of the characters are suffering from.

All the other cast members are equally fabulous in their respective performances, especially the child actors who play the juveniles Li Jianjian, Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu. Their acting is so natural, lovable and believable. The children capture the viewers’ hearts from the start of the first episode. All the main characters are well developed and three dimensional, including some of the supporting characters who seem to be just a part of our own lives.

Many viewers begin to dislike the drama when the platonic relationship turns romantic. For me, I love the romance and have been waiting for it because the writers have hinted this (the romance) right from the beginning, expressed in many subtle actions, dialogues and moments. Some viewers even totally drop the drama when they perceive a love triangle. And for me, I was pretty clear that there's none because, again through various hints dropped by the writers that the other relationship is plain platonic. I hope new viewers are more prepared and not being influenced by some negative remarks.

The official sound tracks are some of the best, with touching lyrics speaking out the words of our hearts - for parent and for child alike. The voice which sings the sound track “Fearless” sounds like the voice of Ling Xiao, singing his despairs and agony, and the soundtrack “I Will Be Here” expresses the hidden voice of a parent. All the songs make me cry.

Time passes us quickly. We grow up, become parents, and grow old, and the circle of life continues. This drama touches our soul, for all cultures and walks of life.

This is one of my all-time favorites and is a must-watch. Two thumbs up!

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*BEST OF 2020* *JUST GIVE IT A TRY*

*IT JUST ENDED* T_T T_T T_T
This drama shows a side of Life which we don't see much on TV, the struggle of life.
I think there will be at least one character to which you will feel relatable...
*ASIDE FROM*: usual Action, Thriller, Rom-Com drama
THIS is a lot different and Great Show

~IN MY OPINION "THE BEST FAMILY SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN."
~All the different characters and their issues and how each of their issues are solved throughout the drama is so satisfying, I Haven't seen it in a long time...
~ It Helps u gain confidence in your-self and convey advice about growing up, a life of adulthood, psychological issues, what life is in Reality...
YOU CRY even if you don't want too
YOU LAUGH even IF you don't want too
that's just how lighthearted this drama is...
~GONNA MISS IT BADLY how I Bought IQIYI VIP PASS for it and how I used to wait daily for the episodes air... T_T T_T

~I felt so relatable to Ling Xiao and Qi Ming Yue.....
~The Bond of the sibling shown is so Touching.
~A person like Li Ba should exist in our life as well
Father so supportive
Caring neighbor
Loving Friend
~Its been So long since I have watched such a heartwarming drama
~A Drama which made me cry so hard AT ITS LAST EPISODE Tear OF Happiness... TvT

~this drama contains so many feelings...
hats off to the writer who wrote such a beautiful story and so many touching dialogues.
~I hope whoever reads this Review will Watches this Drama
~*JUST WATCH* it till EP3 and if you liked it, then continue after EP3
~I PROMISE YOU, YOU WON'T REGRET IT ;)

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Heart-warming drama about family and love

"Go Ahead" is one of the "talk-about" dramas this season, and though I am not a big fan of modern drama, I went ahead with it. I really like it.

First, let me share what I like about this drama.
Firstly, there are a lot of relatable family dramas to cry about. The story about three unrelated children growing up with two dads is extremely bitter-sweet. It shows in a heartwarming way how family love can look like despite not connected by blood. Particularly the start of the show had so many beautiful scenes between Li Hai Chao and the children that made me cry a river. At the same time, it shows the naked and honest of how relationships between parents and their own children could be like if one becomes self-centric, especially when the cruel reality called "life" hits you. I appreciate that the drama depicts many of these realities: single-parenthood, loss of own children, adoption and relationships between own and adopted children, depression of children, grow apart due to physical distance, relationships between parents and children when children are young vs. when they grow up, re-marriage of own parents... and the list goes on. Though you might not agree with how characters have dealt with each situation, this is one version that you can take away and learn.

Secondly, it is the acting and the characters. My favorite characters in this story: the dad Li Hai Chao, played by Tu Song Yan, the daughter Li Jian Jian, acted by Seven Tan, and finally, He Zi Qiu, starred by Steven Zhang. Let's first talk about Li Hai Chao. He is the type of loving father that every child would want: always supportive and loves his children unconditionally. The most important aspect of all, he understands his children and treats them like an equal. Tu Song Yan depicts Li Hai Chao flawlessly and shows what veteran actors have in their arsenal.
Then there is Li Jian Jian, the tomboy who grew up among four men. Righteous, down to earth and speaks openly about everything. Seven Tan fits Li Jian Jian's character perfectly. Despite being the oldest among all three actors, she plays the middle school girl or the young adult without effort. I really liked Seven Tan's performance in Under the Power, but her achievements in Go Ahead make me respect her even more.
Finally, there is He Zi Qiu, the adopted son, and the audience's favorite 2nd male lead. Abandoned by his own mother at a young age, he hides his hurt, insecurities, and longing for motherly love by always carrying a smiling poker face around everyone. In shadow, he does whatever he can to pay back the Li Family. He Zi Qiu probably the biggest tear dripper in the whole show. It is not easy to act out such a three-dimensional character, but Stephen Zhang absolutely did it. This is probably one of the most impressive performances I have observed among young Chinese actors. My top 5 best actors of China drama land just found a place for him, and if you don't believe me, you just have to watch it.
This drama also has many other interesting characters, one that is for all kinds of taste.

Let me quickly speak about what this drama could have done better.
I have no problem with this drama being too "dramatic" or, as they say in Chinese, "dog-blooded," but I have a problem when actions become unlogic as a result of this. Some examples would be Ling Xiao's mother's abandoning her son in the first place and then coming back for him no matter what. Or the reason for Zi Qiu's mother abandoning Zi Qiu for more than nine years and realizing her mistakes at the end of the show. And let's not even go there why the two brothers were not even able to come back for even once during the nine years. I appreciate the drama trying its best to show the diversity of life and some of the real struggles people have to go through, but I wish the makers have come up with a better script for this drama's essential storylines.

Another weak point is this drama's 2nd half. I agree with most audiences that the makers made a too strong turn after the two brothers' return towards the loveline. The drama gained popularity with the strong start of the family-line and should have shown more of that: How did Jian Jian and her two brothers grow up? How was it for Jian Jian to leave home and live alone? How did Zi Qiu live his life in the UK all by himself? How was it Ling Dad not seeing his own son for nine years? How did Li Dad live all the years without his two sons by his side? How were Ling Dad and Cheng Ting's relationship before the passing of their daughter? .... All these could have been great material for this drama, even if they only show snip bits of that in retro-perspective.
Though I have no problem with this drama showing a loveline (who does not like it!) It is not well thought through. Two people grew up together but had to leave each other due to some unfortunate events. After returning, the brother-like character suddenly confesses to his sister-like character though the girl only looked at him as a family member. They quickly got together; the only person who was "in the way" is the mean mother-in-law who does not like the girl her son has brought home. How is this different than any other melodrama's loveline? No difference at all! Where is the struggle to overcome the fear of losing your sister if this does not go well? Where is the development of "brotherly" love to something else for Jian Jian? Where is the awkwardness for the rest of the family members? These are some of the points which the makers could have detailed to make this special.
Apart from that, I did not see much of the chemistry between the two leads, but that might also be only a preference thing. I found Song Wei Long's characters really out of the league with the rest of the cast though I am sure he did his best.

All in all, despite the shortcoming, I still think this is one of the most heartwarming family dramas of 2020 with a lot of laughter and tears. I would recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of genre.

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"I will go outside to see the world. I will fail and I will suffer!...

...I want to see what I can achieve in the end!"

There is so much to love about this drama. There is also surprisingly a lot I did not, and it only hit me when I got closer to the end.

It’s safe to say this is a perfect drama for all found family trope fans. Watching Li Jian Jian, Ling Xiao and He Zi Qiu support each other under the caring watch of Li Hai Chao was beautifully heartwarming. What amazed me the most was the fact these relationships were not idealized. All characters struggled with many internal and external issues that were well developed and presented. Themes like being scared of being abandoned, or being forced to abandon people you love. The constant feeling you need to act perfect, be perfect, never complain to be worth the support you are getting. That uncomfortable feeling when people who were close to you in the past feel distant in the present. All of these affected their interactions with each other and made the bond that much more meaningful and strong.

Li Jian Jian was such a force of positivity. I know some people disliked her as a teenager, but personally I loved her in all 3 stages of her life. She was adorable as a kid, fun and expressive as a teenager and mature, but still exciting to watch as an adult. She was the person that could be called “home” by many characters and the bond that kept them together.

Ling Xiao was the one who kept his scars hidden the most and it was painful to watch. At times it truly felt as if he gave up on himself - whatever happens, as long as people he cares about are safe. The most passive in response to trauma, the one that kept it all inside. Finding his salvation in Li Jian Jian.

He Zi Qiu who smiled, even if he was crying inside. Fighting his battles alone, not wanting anyone to help, not wanting anyone to pity him. Trying his best not to be a burden, wanting to protect people around him. So caring, so good, so well-natured with such a bright and radiant personality. He became an older brother to all the characters.

And you know what’s the best? The main characters were not the only ones with depth. All the supporting characters had well-defined personalities and individual struggles that were separate from their connections to the main cast. Ming Yue who was limited by her low self-esteem and overbearing mother, Tang Can who felt like she was stuck in place when everyone around her lived their best and successful lives. I loved how Zhuang Bei did not disappear after the high school timeline, how he truly became part of the friend group. Or how Qin Mei Ying was not just a plot device and accessory to Chen Ting.

And then we have the best father in all drama history: Li Hai Chao. He could be used as a gold standard on how to well-integrate adopted children into an already existing family. He made sure everyone felt welcomed without neglecting his own daughter. Being patient was his biggest strength that made all the kids trust him. Putting happiness and well-being over, often meaningless achievements. Purest form of support we all dream about.

Sadly, that’s the end of the short list of the good parents this drama presented, and one of the main issues I had with the show.

Yes, I did like Ling He Ping, but it’s also true that he was a rather neglectful father. Working a lot, not being at home knowing how bad the situation is. Later putting his son in the care of a neighbor.

Not going into details, at some point I found the level and the number of dysfunctional families in this show exhausting and unrealistic. All families have their problems, that’s true. The thing is, Go Ahead does not present your typical issues, it’s all on the level of: you need therapy, these are not disagreement, this is an abuse.

Then we have the issue of vilification of mothers. This one abandoned her child, another did the same. This one is overcontrolling to the point of abuse, this one uses her child to get money. There was literally only one mother without any major issues, who did not mentally torture her child, and she was a mom of the side character. It’s not like the dads were perfect, but their faults were never highlighted as much.

At the same time, the drama gives a rather painful and unhealthy message - no matter what, you cannot give up on your mother, you have to try and make the relationship work, no matter the abuse and how much you are suffering, because it is your mother. Abandoning your child is “a mistake”, but not helping your mother when she struggles is the biggest sin one can commit. Some scenes just made me feel uncomfortable. I know there are some cultural differences and China puts a lot of importance on family bonds and family relations, but there is a big difference between doing your best to fix a relationship with your parents and just accepting abuse for years.

I also feel like the drama unintentionally stigmatizes mental health issues. In some aspects they did a good job, showing how serious are the consequences of emotional abuse, trauma, neglect, stress, pressure etc. The fact it’s not just - I feel sad. How it can affect your daily life, how it will only get worse if you won’t seek help and try to change the situation you are in. On the other hand though, they did blame a lot of toxic and awful behavior on psychological issues. The sad truth is - some people are simply dicks, and they will act like one whenever they struggle with something or not. Some people are just egocentric and selfish and them getting help won’t change that.

My “favorite” part about mental health presentation? Two characters talking about how you cannot get better in just a few months when you struggle with serious psychological issues, while also showing how serious issues were solved in a short period of time without getting into any details on how. All I could do was laugh.

Going back to the good - PERFORMANCES! Personally I believe Zhang Xin Chen and Tu Song Yan stole the show. The strong and beautiful father-son bond these two were able to present was one of the best aspects of the drama. They also had the best overall chemistry with all their co-stars. Whatever these two characters were going through always hit harder and made me feel more compared to when I watched the other characters.

While I enjoyed Tan Song Yun and Song Wei Long for their individual roles, somehow I did not click with their scenes together as their characters became adults. I feel like they had more chemistry playing teenagers. When the three siblings were together, when they had their separate scenes with Zhang Xin Chen, the on-screen chemistry was great, but when it was just the two of them… something was missing.

I don’t really have that much to say about the production value. It was great, but great is kind of a standard now in the industry.

On the other hand, there is a lot to compliment about the soundtrack! There is not one bad song, not one mismatched track - every tune is in perfect harmony with their corresponding scenes. Every song enhances the moments I witnessed, amplifying the emotions.

Overall, I binge watched the whole drama in 6 days, I think that is a greatest proof Go Ahead is an amazing show. It makes you like and care for the characters from episode one, and with each minute you get more and more attached to them and their journey.

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An emotional roller coaster ride!

It's a heartwarming story that revolves around real life struggles, emotions, relations, family and friendship. It's one the most realistic dramas I have ever seen, there wasn't anything exaggerated. You can feel every emotion and every sentiment. It's just not only entertain but also teaches a lot. It does not have heavy romance but there are many cute and heart fluttering moments. No one is perfect, everyone has flaws and everyone can make mistakes and make wrong decisions sometimes but even if we cannot change them but we can improve ourselves to not make same choice again.

I liked the fact that there were no silly misunderstandings, unnecessary breakups and some typical cliches in it. The story was well written and well executed. There were many heartwarming scenes that you'll feel flooded by emotions, I cried a lot not just in one or two scenes but many times I felt their pain, emotions. I love the relationship between father and daughter, the bromance, their trio, there friends. Even if you won't like some character in the beginning but eventually you won't hate them even there decisions were wrong but they had there reasons. I felt the ending was rush but it's only fact I don't like it overall it was a great experience. It is a cute drama that definitely bring a smile on your face.

It's one the best dramas I've seen so far so I totally recommend it to you, you'll definitely enjoy and love it as I did.

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This is not what I expected

(This is for ep1-22 as it was written when I was watching)
I am not dropping this drama but it really disappoints me with the way the plot is going, so I am gonna do a short review.
Story- I’d give first 11 episodes 10/10, but ep 12 onwards 3/10. If you are currently watching, you can understand why. First 10 or 11 eps are brilliantly done, capturing our hearts with heart-warming family scenes, but ep 12 onwards, I didn’t enjoy that much anymore.

First reason : I don’t understand why they are using the same logic again. I don’t believe both of the non-biological brothers like a girl whom they sincerely treated as a sister before. It creeps me out though Song Wei Long and Zhang XinCheng are good-looking.I still feel awkward when Ling Xiao tried to kiss Jian Jian in her sleep, it was so sudden and it is really creepy.

Second Reason : Something’s wrong with Script writers, They should just go with family scenes and it’d be a very good drama but now what did they do? They put all secondary characters in a loop relationship. Tang Can likes ZiQiu’s friend but ZiQiu’s friend likes Qi Ming Yue. Qi Ming Yue likes Ling Xiao but Ling Xiao likes Jian Jian.It is so messy.
So why didn’t I drop this and still watching?
Reason : Because of spectacular acting and I am curious how they will solve such messy relationships.

Edited (After Watching Final ep) -the story picked up again at ep 29 or 30. I really like Zhang Xin Cheng’s acting here, he did a very good job expressing his emotions.I really love certain scenes, such as family and friendship moments. But again, I still don’t feel right with Romance aspect. I still feel awkward with Ling Xiao x Jian Jian couple moments, she was still calling him “brother” and I still can’t imagine them as “Lovers”, as their interactions are sometimes like brother & sister. I had to fast-forward those couple moments and watch other scenes, which I still find interesting.
It wasn’t that bad for me to drop it but I surely didn’t enjoy as much as others. I still think it could be done a lot better if they mainly focus on family moments.

This is only my opinion and I mean no offense to all of Go Ahead’s fans
Just because I didn’t like it, doesn’t mean you won’t like it. There are still a lot of people who love it but I won’t recommend this drama if you expected a heart- warming family drama like I did.

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The reality of broken families and the impact on mental health.

An incredible representation of how a family environment can impact a child’s mental health. Perhaps it was because I could relate so well to this drama that made me love it so much. My first review ever because of this 11/10 show. Warning: long & a lot of spoilers.

Main Characters:

It’s without a doubt that each family will go through their own troubles. Let’s talk about Ling Xiao first. The entire time I was just hoping that he truly receives proper therapy and releases his repressed feelings that he’s been harbouring since childhood. Firstly, he had to live through the trauma of seeing his younger sister die. Then he was blamed for it by his mother. (God, seeing how much blame he put on himself for his sister’s death…heartbreaking. You see it in his eyes. And she also throws out all of their photos together… I wonder if he still remembers how his little sister looks like.. ) Then he had to witness his parents go through a terrible relationship following it…. and then HE GETS ABANDONED BY HIS MOTHER.

You would think that’s all he would go through. His heart and emotional stability gets stomped on again when the mother comes back, then is injured and he is expected to take care of her… and then suddenly he is needed again. And then she hates the people who truly gave him the love that he so desperately needed to fill the gap of being abandoned.

Although calling Xian Xian his “heart medicine” demonstrates some unhealthy reliance for someone to “fix him”, putting a lot of pressure on her, anyone can understand that. She was the positive light in his life ever since he met her. Her and Li father gave him so much warmth from the get-go, knowing that his family was broken. She accepted him at all costs, irregardless of his stoic and reserved attitude.

Jian jian and her father’s healthy relationship is truly the backbone of this entire drama. Time after time, you see the dependence on Jian jian from her friends and from her brothers for that love, positivity, and support. Same goes for the father - people go back to that restaurant and that home again and again to feel that love, to feel that care that he so generously gives. These two were the epitome of genuine, healthy, healing from their trauma.

Moving forward to Zi Qiu.. my baby. Oh, my sweet baby. The number of times I cried because of him. You can see that he takes a different approach to his anger - he regularly releases it, does things impulsively, and voices when he’s in pain. Tbh, I appreciated this a bit more.. I just wanted to hold him tight and close whenever I witnessed his breakdown. I knew from the beginning that his mother would never just leave without a proper reason.. and when the truth was revealed. Wow. Damn. I just wish she knew that her son would have forgiven her. How could he blame her? What could she have done? She did the right thing back then, but I wish Zi Qiu had known the truth. I believe that Zi Qiu would have a healthy recovery and that he would truly live life to the fullest again.

I also had a huge liking for the side characters, especially Jian jian’s besties. Ming Yue’s mother is that “tiger mom” that all us asians know of. The need to control her daughter’s life, “for her benefit” - man, we’d be dead drunk if we took a shot every time we heard “wei ta hao!”. Although they ended up with a warmer relationship at the end, I still don’t know if Ming Yue’s mother learned from the divorce and saw how much she put Ming Yue through. I think the releasing of the fishies in the trapped little tank had something to do with Ming Yue’s freedom though.

Tang Can’s mother was a bit like that too, but not so bad I would say. I liked that the primary focus for this character was her genuine, hardworking, and relentless desire to pursue her dream. She knew exactly what she wanted for herself, and struggled for so long to convince her mother (and all her friends) that this was what she was always meant to do. What she needed was that push. That trust and belief in her dream - and I am so glad that Zhuang Bei discovered how her eyes simply lit up as she talked about acting, and took that extra step to help her fulfill her dream. Incredible. I was rooting for her like crazy and was SO sad when she took up that museum job :(.

Another one I truly felt for was Little Orange. Xiao cheng zi, gah. She’s definitely lived through some brutal trauma... having her father die and then witnessing her mother’s crippling mental health, constant suicide attempts, and seeing how badly she treated her older brother. I genuinely hope she finds her way back to this loving bunch, and lives off their love. I could tell that she really enjoyed her time with them, and that she found a sense of security. I can also tell that she built a genuine relationship with Ling Xiao, despite all of the hurt that he was going through. During their time in Singapore and the reality of their mother’s situation… they needed one another.

I am so thankful for Li Ba. Tbh, Ling Ba was aight - I felt that there could have been more appearances of him in this drama or that he showed a bit more warmth. He always seem to appear ‘from work’. Towards the end he definitely showed more care towards Ling Xiao, but I think he just didn’t believe in himself as a father. Cue the self-deprecating comparisons to Li Ba and how he just isn’t the best father to talk to. Well… if you say it so candidly like that, then you simply won’t be the best father to talk to. I wish the conversation that they had in the last episode was like that for all of their previous conversations. But, I guess it shows how much character development Ling Ba went through and his epiphanies of how much damage the relationship he had with Ling Xiao’s mother caused Ling Xiao.

OK real talk though wow Chen Ting was so messed. She needed serious help. Her manipulation tactics were seriously on point. Threatening suicide and constantly flipping into victim mentality to get her son to stay. Yes, it is evident that she was suicidal and had little hope for life. But it’s one thing to get help and ask for support.. but it’s a whole different story if you are using it to blackmail someone to stay. Her loss of her child and her husband - she really did blame herself. But she took it out on others. I wish that she could have forgiven herself. I’m so glad that her final attempt didn’t go through. I know that she will eventually be okay.

Oh my. The amount of tears I shed in this drama. The chemistry between the characters, the love in these families, wow. I kinda was hoping for a wedding, but I guess the little family portrait was good too. Perfectly wrapped up.

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Heartwarming perhaps but lacks depth and consistency

I started watching this drama long before it shot up in ratings on mydramalist, so when I saw it on the top drama page I have to say I was quite surprised. I have always been in agreement with the dramas that make it to the page and have found so many gems as a result, but this time I was shocked. I felt that if I had gone to watch this drama after seeing it have such a high rating I would be quite disappointed, especially with the comparisons I’m seeing to Reply 1988, and reviews calling it the best Cdrama of the year. I watch a lot of Cdrama, and it my option this drama is far from that title.

I will say good Cdramas sometimes seem far and few between compared to Kdramas. So when a seemingly good one comes out, there’s often a lot of superlatives involved. So it’s not completely inconceivable why this drama is receiving such praise and hype. I just think it’s not quite deserved in this case, especially when dramas like 隐秘的角落 （The bad kids) and 摩天大楼 (horizon tower) have come out this year as well. And maybe crime dramas aren’t your cup of tea and that’s fine, I love a good family drama as well, but in my eyes this drama lacks so much depth in terms of it’s storytelling that it seems artificial and shallow at the end. This is a far cry from the Reply series and even other Chinese family dramas I've seen (such as 小欢喜 A little reunion).

So what exactly about this drama is disappointing?
There are three major things:
1. The ending plot
2. The one-sided characterizations
3. Sub-par acting that can’t live up to the character

I have to admit, I’m a sucker for family dramas with some good angst and heartwarming relationships. So I did enjoy the beginning of this drama. So what’s the problem? Simply speaking, this drama stops being about family. Without giving too much away, this drama goes from being about families of choice to a forced love story that was poorly executed and unbelievable. Needless to say, I did not like the main couple. But unlike other dramas, it’s not because I hope she ended up with someone else. In fact, I think it would be better if there was no love story at all. It was that uncomfortable. This is a pretty big issue because it encompasses at least half the drama.

So what about the characters? Well, I did enjoy some of them. I think Jian Jian was a good character. He Ziqiu was absolutely one of the best characters in the show. And the two dads were heartwarming and some great moments to the drama. He Ziqiu’s birthday episode was my favorite in the entire series (it’s also ep. 4 so I think that says something about how the drama progressed) because I think it showcases everything good about the drama. My problem is so many of the characters don’t seem real. For how much I loved Jian Jian’s father, he was too perfect. The two mothers offered some great angst, but had so little redeeming qualities. In fact with the exception of Jian Jian, the women in this drama are stereotyped and vilified to the extreme to the point where Chen Ting for example does not even seem real. Compare this to the Reply series. The characters of the parents were each unique in their personalities. They were all good heartwarming characters, but what was so amazing is they seemed real. They were good parents, but weren’t faultless. The parents all had different parenting styles and family dynamics, but none of them were worse than the other. This drama goes the opposite route: the bad parents are so bad, and the good parents are basically Mother Teresa type characters.

My last complaint is some of the acting was not good enough to meet the requirements of the character. You might be able to guess already who I’m referring to: Song Weilong. His acting wasn’t awful, but the character was pretty awful. And I think part of that is his acting and part of it is the writing. But I think with a better actor, the character would have been much more well-rounded and less creepy and stiff. I don’t think Song Weilong is a good actor, but I see why he was cast. The problem is, his character was pretty complex. He has some issues, and Song Weilong just couldn’t bring those to life in a compelling way. And the way he approaches his relationship in the drama? Ummm, in a word: creepy.

If you’d made it to the end of this rambling review, thank you. And if there’s one thing I would say to end this, it would be: this is not a terrible drama. In fact the beginning is quite lovely. But go in prepared to be disappointed as the drama progresses. And I would not go in expecting to find the same quality and depth as Reply 1988.

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A Warm, Simple Family Everyone Asked For!

This is the very first drama I'd write a review even before the drama has pass it half.
This is also the very first drama I gave 10 ratings for it's flawless and perfect storyline, cast, ost, editing, all!

Everyone in this drama really makes me want to hug each of them.

I do find it's quite interesting because the lead ages are reverse from their actual age.
But they nailed so perfectly. The child actors also do their roles perfectly.

Usually, I find the childhood times are boring so mostly I skipped the timeline, but, I never skip a single part of it!
The young Jian Jian is such a cutie. She is like a sunshine around Ling Xiao and Zi Qiu- who has difficult childhood.
I love how the young version grows to be a teenager, who is there for each other.

The three of them really have different charm and personality, but the sync between the three is really beautiful.

< Characters >

+ Ling Xiao; a boy yet a man.
Even tho his character is like usual main lead in other dramas, experienced awful incident that makes him have nightmares like everynight, but he always make a reasonable decisions. He grow faster than child at his age, but doesn't make him act like old man in such young age. He can be mischevious, naughty, yet an elder brother you can depend on.

As the youngest of three, Song Wei Long potrays the oldest; handsome, gentle, and lacks nothing.
But as the story goes on, you can see how weak, hurt and broken Ling Xiao is.
Song Wei Long do awesome job to potray this one.
Like, you always seeing him shining; suddenly you are afraid you'd broke him just by touching him.
I would said that, Ling Xiao were made to him..
and it's his best character yet so far.

+ He Zi Qiu; forever a baby.
He long for loves from his family since young age. He also devoted child especially to his foster dad. He is Jian Jian's shield yet her partner in crime. He has the most difficult childhood between the three. He is sensible, yet insensible to other feelings. So sometime his acts or words can hurt others; but no one can hurt his family. He is definitely a brother you are wished for.

Xin Cheng is given to act as Zi Qiu with most funny yet most sad scenes.
You feel like want to protect him and make him smile most of time, since his smile is so precious.
He may be hot-headed and act harsh sometimes, but you can't stop him.
But despite all his misfortune, he always give us good laugh with his innocent and pure soul.
Xin Cheng really touch our heart with his acting. Bravo.

+ Lin Jian Jian; rays of sunshine.
She is the purest soul I've ever meet. She looks like a troublemaker, but she is actually the one that care her family the most. She always be true herself, show what her likes or dislikes and never hidden her own feelings.
I love how Jian Jian's character is growing, especially when she was apart with her brothers.

Honestly, I love how Jian Jian can be a child yet mature to her given situation.
Song Yun really gives us the positive vibe from Jian Jian and make everyone love her (even in bts, she is as cheerful as JJ).
I like how the fact Song Yun can play the 16 and 25 yo JJ with perfection.

Not to mention the Fathers role are so important to the three, especially Papa Lin. I was really touched by how he is brought up the three and always regards Ling Xiao and Zi Qiu as his own child. Even tho Papa Ling doesn't have much roles to the kids, but he is kind and good listener to Papa Lin. They have such great synergy and become each other back. They just like actual husband and wife would be.

The bound between family is so strong that no one can break them apart.

< Storyline >
Neat, cut perfectly, the pace is right.
I really don't like most family drama has draggy pace especially when they are argue, separate, or in an angsty situation. But I don't see any draggy moments in this drama. You can laugh and sad at the same episode.
The portion of each pace is 100! The time jump is also in a right placement!
1999 to 2009 to 2019. the dynamic is good.

Even the characters changed in thru years also relateable. And Jian Jian's narration also make more senses.

In Cdramas, usually we can see how the storyline goes based on opening or ending song, but I got clowned each episodes. This drama really have an unpredicted story with heartwarming story each episode.

< OST >
The OSTs are beautiful and rightly placed. There is no misplaced BGM or sound effect, I would give standing ovation to the music director. Never did I got annoyed by BGM or sound effect.
I also heard the OST like everyday as daily routine.

I also hope everyone who is watching (and reading my review), would have their own happiness and feel warm at heart as our three musketeers strive and chase their own happiness~♡

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One of best Asian drama to come out this year!

I am usually reluctant to Chinese dramas. As rarely any good series in terms of content, writing and acting comes out these days. Plus, their overdramatic love triangles and unnecessary misunderstanding among leads has had me hesitant to touch a series of forty plus episodes.

But what should I say about, Go Ahead, I mean I can criticise on so many things but my heart doesn't allow it because this series touches your heart before it does anything else.

Three young souls, broken deep from their painful pasts comes together to create a new home, new life, and new happiness. Love is the only thing that binds them together. From their loving and caring dads to their evil moms, each harbors a story only they can tell.

Having lived in China, seeing their culture closely, I was stunned by their level of understanding, bonding and the love they showed in this series. Who loved who, who suffered how much and who endured the most pain, is meaningless, as what was important to those three people was their presence for each other and warmth of love they churn in togetherness, and in separation, that keep giving them hope in their cold and dark days.

From ZQ cute face to LX serious expressions and JJ innocent soul, they were never three, they were always one. Their dad, LHC and LHP, gave everything they could to raise those 3 champs, who turned out to be best of the best human beings. It was a first lengthy episodic length drama, I never got bored from. I just loved their bickering, sweet and cozy moments, to their sweet adolescent and matured years.

After every fall, they never hesitated to embrace each other, I guess thats what a family is. You hold the fallen ones and keep them close, not because you won't let them fall, but you will always be there to pick them up, after every fall.

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The first 10 ep were GREAT, the last 30 ep were SUPER DISAPPOINTING

STORY :

Sigh... I really really love the first 10 episodes, it had the potential of becoming my favorite Chinese drama.

In the first 10 episodes, the writer kept EMPHASIZING that the bond of the family members who are unrelated by blood is stronger than their genetic linkage family, which really made me believe that this was going to be the entire drama about. I was sold and was so invested in this drama, I had good laughs and cries.

But everything changed after the brothers return home.
The story became disconnected to the early episodes.
The focus shifted from family into a romantic relationship
Although we know it since the beginning because it's shown in the opening and ending credit, I really there will be a reasonable explanation.
The brothers fell for the sister, and one of the reasons is that the bros want to be REAL family members.
Because of this, there's no romantic development as it is so sudden. the bros confessed after they went back without building any romantic relationship (friendly reminder, before the bro went to study, their relationship was platonic)
Even though LX was interested in JJ before going to Singapore, and JJ to LX without even noticing, but they never built any romantic relationship in early episodes.


ACTING :
Love the main casts' acting (except Song Wei Long).
Steven Zhang & Tu Song Yan (Li Ba) 10/10. I couldn't hold my tears when seeing them on screen.
Seven Tan & Zhang Xi Lin were great as well.

Music: 9.5/10

Rewatch Value :
I kinda regret finishing this series. I totally thought there would be another family bond story like I had seen in earlier ep,
but didn't see it until the end of the series.
If I knew it, I would never finish the series, let alone rewatching it.

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BRILLIANT FAMILY DRAMA, for only the first 10 eps

The first two episodes really hooked me right away. The acting, the plot, the characters develeopment, the heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes are just top notch. It was one of the best family drama! Just until episode 10 that is.

After that. It was basic mediocre romantic drama A loves B, C loves B, B loves C eventually, but the chemistry is better for A and B to be together, D loves C, E loves D, F loves E, and so on.. oh god. And Filled the conflict by A B C D E’s secret and dark past through out the story, and the conflict was just lazy writing IMO, and that was for another 30 episodes!

I totally recommend to watch it just for the first 10 episodes. The rests are not so worth the time to watch.

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