Nelly
Canada
Good family drama, subpar romance
OVERALL
My opinion may be unpopular, but I find this drama a bit (just a bit) overrated. Still, it definitely feels different from other C-dramas I have seen so far, and the first half is REALLY nice. Watch it if 1) you're looking for a story with great friendship/family ties, 2) you like dramas that follow characters from childhood to adulthood, 3) you don't mind shedding a few tears. Think twice if 1) you are craving a well-developed love story, 2) you have low tolerance for annoying characters, 3) you like mature female leads.
THE STORY
It took me ages to give Go Ahead a try because I felt like it would just make me cry a lot. It didn't. It actually made me laugh a lot more. There is a lot to like about this drama:
- The first half is glorious, of the best I've seen in a C-drama; especially the first five episodes when the main leads are still very young. Serious, dark stuff happen, but it's beautiful and emotional. I just loved it. As the trio begins to age, the drama starts to feel a bit bipolar, like it doesn't know if to have melodrama vibes or comedy vibes and it bothered me sometimes, but it was still fine until about episode 20.
- The parents that take care of the main leads are fabulous. They break all stereotypes and are just so endearing. Definitely my favorite characters of the drama!
- Of course, the dynamic between the three main leads is gold, especially in the first half of the drama. They are family/friends goals!
My problem with Go Ahead is the second half, which feels so sloppy in comparison to the first half. The drama tries to tackle too many storylines at once so it doesn't go deep enough with anything and makes you feel dissatisfied with everything. The romance? Goes from zero to 100. Messed up characters? Also go from bad to good in the blink of an eye. It just doesn't make sense. I also have to say, Female lead is a bit problematic for me. She's just so childish. I'm fine with cute female characters, but mature cute. Age-appropriate cute. Jianjian acts her age like 25% of the time, and the rest feels like she's 10 years younger than the boys. It just...doesn't feel right.
Definitely a good drama, but not as great as it looked like it was going to be.
THE ACTING
Pretty good. I like Seven Tan's acting (regardless of her character) and the older actors were fab. Lil bro was impressive too, but in comparison, Big Bro kind of fell short. Still, nothing to distract you from the plot. I must say though, I felt no chemistry between the leads. Romantic scenes are nothing special too, so really, don't come into this drama for the love story.
THE MUSIC
In general, quite fine. I just like that background instrumental music wasn't super loud and cheap. It was actually fitting. The drama is really a nice production, it's only the script that could be a bit better.
REWATCH VALUE
Not very high. I think it's one of those one-timers.
My opinion may be unpopular, but I find this drama a bit (just a bit) overrated. Still, it definitely feels different from other C-dramas I have seen so far, and the first half is REALLY nice. Watch it if 1) you're looking for a story with great friendship/family ties, 2) you like dramas that follow characters from childhood to adulthood, 3) you don't mind shedding a few tears. Think twice if 1) you are craving a well-developed love story, 2) you have low tolerance for annoying characters, 3) you like mature female leads.
THE STORY
It took me ages to give Go Ahead a try because I felt like it would just make me cry a lot. It didn't. It actually made me laugh a lot more. There is a lot to like about this drama:
- The first half is glorious, of the best I've seen in a C-drama; especially the first five episodes when the main leads are still very young. Serious, dark stuff happen, but it's beautiful and emotional. I just loved it. As the trio begins to age, the drama starts to feel a bit bipolar, like it doesn't know if to have melodrama vibes or comedy vibes and it bothered me sometimes, but it was still fine until about episode 20.
- The parents that take care of the main leads are fabulous. They break all stereotypes and are just so endearing. Definitely my favorite characters of the drama!
- Of course, the dynamic between the three main leads is gold, especially in the first half of the drama. They are family/friends goals!
My problem with Go Ahead is the second half, which feels so sloppy in comparison to the first half. The drama tries to tackle too many storylines at once so it doesn't go deep enough with anything and makes you feel dissatisfied with everything. The romance? Goes from zero to 100. Messed up characters? Also go from bad to good in the blink of an eye. It just doesn't make sense. I also have to say, Female lead is a bit problematic for me. She's just so childish. I'm fine with cute female characters, but mature cute. Age-appropriate cute. Jianjian acts her age like 25% of the time, and the rest feels like she's 10 years younger than the boys. It just...doesn't feel right.
Definitely a good drama, but not as great as it looked like it was going to be.
THE ACTING
Pretty good. I like Seven Tan's acting (regardless of her character) and the older actors were fab. Lil bro was impressive too, but in comparison, Big Bro kind of fell short. Still, nothing to distract you from the plot. I must say though, I felt no chemistry between the leads. Romantic scenes are nothing special too, so really, don't come into this drama for the love story.
THE MUSIC
In general, quite fine. I just like that background instrumental music wasn't super loud and cheap. It was actually fitting. The drama is really a nice production, it's only the script that could be a bit better.
REWATCH VALUE
Not very high. I think it's one of those one-timers.
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