A River Runs Through It is the first Chinese youth drama I've watched, hence, I can't compare it to any other previous Chinese dramas in this genre. However, this is easily one of the best, if not the best, youth drama I've ever watched. It is also right up there in the list of my most favourite Chinese dramas ever.
Chinese dramas are often hit or miss for me, korean dramas usually work out better for my taste. I have dropped many popular titles and I was able to finish only a handful of c-dramas. Hidden gems like these make my watching experience worthwhile and I am really grateful I found this drama. This is my first review on MDL, buckle up...... This is going to be a long one, folks, because I have a lot of thoughts about this drama.
ARRTI is a drama that tells the coming of age story of a group of friends who are classmates since high school. Our main leads, Xia Xiaoju, Lu Shi Yi and Cheng Lang are close friends who live in the same neighbourhood. This is a story of their friendship, struggles, evolving relationships and the general trials and tribulations of their youth. There are some things this drama does really well but it also has its flaws. I was really surprised that this drama was able to deal with so many themes in its runtime. It talks about friendship, family, school and exams, parental expectations, first love, false hope, unrequited love, feeling directionless in terms of a career, economic struggles of a family, romantic relationships and many more such themes. I think it does a really good job narrating a well rounded story about what we normally face in our young adult life.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS DRAMA:
I) Characters: I fell in love with these characters. Everyone in the original pack of friends won my heart. All of them seem real and have been backed by solid writing and even better acting. Our main characters fulfill the 3 Fs of what makes a character great for me. They are Fun, Flawed and Fleshed out. It's really impressive how multidimensional these characters are.
• Xiaoju is the timid new girl who generally lacks courage and is portrayed as hesitant and insecure most of the time, but she turns fierce and determined when it comes to defending or helping her friends. She is the kind of friend you want at your back in a fight. She suffers setback after setback throughout the drama and has to face a lot of challenges. I have to say the author of the novel upon which this drama is based is really not kind to Xiaoju, no wonder the title literally translates to 'Upstream of Tears'. Overall, I love how fleshed out her character is. Her character development does wobble a bit in the last couple of episodes, but her thoughts, actions and interactions with other characters from the beginning are enough to set her up as a realistic character with whom you can relate on many levels. She is pretty naive when it comes to love as well. I could relate to her struggles with the parental expectations, her legendary walkouts and sulks (which were also my signature in my adolescence), issues about her education and career, her indecisiveness and insecurity and her propensity to second guess everything (in many instances, she is like a crab who, if not moving backwards, will move sideways but will never step forward). I am very much like her, hence, I can perhaps be a bit kinder to her than other average viewers. She is also given to bursts of temper but is pretty prompt in admitting her mistakes and apologizing. She also makes sure her friends know of her appreciation for their good qualities (especially Shi Yi) and is always rooting for her friends. Overall, a very humane character.
• Lu Shi Yi is probably the best male lead I've seen in chinese dramas. He has set the bar really high for male lovers depicted in Chinese romance stories. He is also a very well written character and goes through his own share of trials and triumphs. He is a tall, good looking and smart guy who does have his character flaws of being hot tempered, mean mouthed and aggressive. But he is also patient, sincere, loyal and helpful. He doesn't do anything by halves, is very stubborn (they both are stubborn) and always exudes a very alpha male energy in his every scene. In fact, he is the most realistically portrayed alpha male character, who instead of coming across as a douchebag, is actually quite loveable. He dominates the room with his strong and pushy personality but also comes across as solid, dependable, generous and loveable. He is very attached to his friends and is quick to help them out of any fix. He also shows his maturity and patience in subtle ways.
All the other pack characters are also well written and well performed. Cheng Lang is the super smart, handsome, all around perfect guy who also likes to play video games and sports and has the penchant for teasing his close friends. Qiu Le Tao is again the best friend you want, one who is always on your team and is always rooting for you. She goes through many challenges too and emerges stronger because of them. I also liked Huang Jun's character, inspite of his character arc but I would really attribute that to the actor. Bao Bao is the icing on the cake when it comes to the character list, a very memorable and lovely character who made quite a big impression in the first few episodes. In conclusion, this is more a character driven story rather than plot driven.
II) Acting: The best thing about this drama is definitely the acting of all the cast members. The crew member who has done the best work in this production is definitely the casting director for me. Each character comes to life due to the amazingly detailed acting of the cast members, especially the main leads. Meaning can be attached to each of their micro expressions and it just completely immerses you in their story. I was really impressed by the leads, Hu Yi Xuan and Wang Rui Chang. This drama has soldified Hu Yi Xuan as my favourite Chinese actress. She injects a lot of natural warmth in her character which makes Xiaoju palatable even when her flaws are exposed. This is her best performance for me and she made me smile, laugh and cry with her throughout the drama. Her natural acting was such a joy to watch, she made her relationships with her friends and family really convincing and believable. Wang Rui Chang was such a pleasant surprise. Lu Shi Yi is his ultimate triumph, there can be no Lu Shi Yi without Wang Rui Chang. He completely made this character his own, to the point where it didn't even seem like he was 'acting'. He plays this strong and abrasive personality character really well and makes you fall in love with Lu Shi Yi as the drama progresses. I love his interactions with his family and friends, especially his friendship with Cheng Lang, Huang Jun and Bao Bao. I have to say all the emotional scenes were delivered exceptionally well by both HYX and WRC, (which is something a lot of other actors in their age range struggle with) their crying scenes were so convincing and they both added unique idiosyncrasies to their characters.
Chen Bo Hao's Cheng Lang, Jiang Zhuo Jun's Qiu Le Tao and Tan Quan's Huang Jun were a treat to watch and a pleasant surprise since this is the first time I'm seeing these actors. They were very convincing in the portrayal of their characters and made me fall in love with their realistic acting. Bao Bao also made a lasting impression on me and the actor is mostly responsible for that.
III) Chemistry: The chemistry between all the characters is outstanding, especially our main lead pair. You always get the sense that Xiao ju and Shi Yi belong together throughout the drama, despite many ups and downs in their relationship. Even when their relationship takes a dramatic turn, you're never left in doubt of their close bond. Their friendship, trust and dependence on each other is the crux of this drama. I don't know how the actors managed to showcase this almost soulmate like chemistry; they seem like a unit instead of two individuals whenever they're in the same frame, even though they're both very different from each other. Many a times, they don't even need words to communicate with each other, they just talk with their eyes (again something that happens irl, my sister and I are also like that)
HYX also has excellent chemistry with JZJ and the friendship between XXJ and QLT is one of the highlights of this drama for me. Similarly, the male actors also have great chemistry and I love the bromance between LSY, CL, HJ and BB. They definitely sell the friendship aspect of this drama really well.
IV) Details in the plot and acting: The drama sets a very easy pace which is reminiscent of many slice of life dramas. It does suffer from the recurrent curse seen in chinese drama i.e. a rushed ending. However, there are many details embedded in its plot, character development, props, dream sequences, callbacks to past moments, etc which captured my attention throughout. If a character, who is shown to be frugal in nature, wins a bag in a competition in high school, you can be sure that they use that bag throughout their college years. From props and sound effects that communicate 90s nostalgia (like gameboy, nintendo, vintage computers and play station, walkmans, discmans, old bus stops, buses and sound effects like the old train engine, plastic balls and animal sounds) to props which are very character oriented like basketball keychain, slice of orange keychain, shell hairpin, diasies, etc; these details make for a very interesting and engaging storyline. We see similar details in the micro expressions and voice modulation of the actors, which communicate their emotions and feelings at different points in the story really well. Also, there are many twists and turns across the entire plot progression which makes things interesting and nerve wracking.
V) Romance: As mentioned before, this drama deals with many themes and portrays different forms of love. Romance does not really take a backseat nor is it central to the plot really. However, whatever sweet moments of the lead couple we do get are very memorable and tastefully shot. I had never imagined hugs and piggyback ride could be so romantic. The lighting and bgm in these scenes make them really enhance these scenes. Their hugs, eye contact, physical skinship and their constant presence in each other's life made me get deeply invested in their story. I kept rooting for them to get together because no other eventuality was acceptable to me, for these characters. I would credit that mainly to the amazing chemistry between the leads.
Also, I have to say, HYX and WRC make for a really aesthetically pleasant looking couple. Their height and size difference makes them look particularly cute when they're in the same frame together. His sharp and chiselled features coupled with her round and soft cuteness makes them a really beautiful looking couple. And as I said before, the way he looks at her was enough to make my viewing experience of this drama worthwhile. Nothing seems artificial or over dramatised between them ( no twirling in slow motion, slipping and falling or obvious prolonged eye contact here). Every moment between them has genuine warmth, sweetness and comfort which makes it more romantic than those overused tropes. (I also like the detail of her giving him a nickname which only she calls him in the end, again something that has happened in my case too)
VI) Sports and Singing scenes: the entire team's commitment towards detailed portrayal of sports and singing scenes is really commendable. Some sports related scenes have very anime like quality to them and you can't help but root for the characters during these scenes. It was a joy to watch them play on screen, especially Lu Shi Yi. Even the scenes related to singing show the commitment of the actors towards it which makes us feel the importance of these moments, for the character and plot. Singing and guitar playing scenes excellently delivered by the concerned cast members, especially Hu Yi Xuan and Tan Quan. They did such a good job of using music to communicate their feelings and emotions. Many powerful and important scenes revolve around sports and singing and their exceptional delivery is what makes them impactful. None of these scenes are half hearted, in stead they effectively communicate the sincerity of both the characters and the actors

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE DRAMA
I) Rushed ending: The easy pace of the drama takes a dramatic turn in the last couple of episodes. Although I still enjoyed many moments in these episodes (especially the flashbacks), the questionable decisions taken by the writers exposes the flaws of both Xiaoju and Shiyi's characters. The love for misunderstandings, which is quite common in chinese dramas, is visible here as well towards the end. They do a good job of setting up conflicts and resolving them throughout the drama. But that's not maintained in the last couple of episodes which gives rise to many plot holes and unanswered questions. I like the slow burn aspect of the story quite a bit, just not fond of them using the cop out method of creating misunderstandings to increase dramatic tension. It's not a disappointing end by any means; as I said,no other possibility was acceptable to me for this couple. However, this aspect made this drama only close to perfection for me, instead of perfection itself. It had the potential to be perfect but that was not fully realised by the end.
II) Dream Sequences: I love that they maintain Xiaoju's flights of fantasies as her characteristic feature throughout the drama. I personally am given to daydream and fantasize quite a lot so it was very relatable for me. It also does a good job of communicating that reality seldom meets our expectations. However, I feel like they could've cut back on them a little bit, especially towards the end, in favour of real conversations between the characters which would've gone a long way in completing their character arcs.
III) Lin You's character: I couldn't get invested in her character nor her rather melodramatic life. She is easily the weakest and the most forgettable character for me. I dont know if it is because of the way she is written or the way she is performed. In contrast, I actually liked Huang Jun's character even though he has a similarly questionable character arc.

In conclusion, I will never forget this drama nor its characters. As someone who relates to the main character so much, not only through her personality but also because of her experience with first love and unrequited love, many moments in the drama hit differently for me. This drama does an amazing job of communicating its central message of how we are always moving through life like the upstream of river. In this process, many things are missed or get left behind. I love how it is articulated in one of the dialogues, "maybe if we could look back, we'd have a different happiness". I think this powerful philosophy has been executed really well by this drama and that, along with all the points mentioned above, sets it apart from many other dramas in this genre. Kudos to the teams for bringing us this wonderful gem of a drama. Will forever miss my TuJu CP.