eebaboya
After watching Meteor Garden and seeing rave review of this drama, i decided to give it a go (the trailer on Netflix also gave me a push). The plot started off cute and relatable. Now, we have all been through the ups and downs of having our first crush. The uncertainty, excitement, frustration.. Xiao Xi was just a naive little school girl who had a crush on the most popular guy in school - a good-looking, tall, studious but aloof, Jiang Chen. Though she might be a little dumb and frustrating at times, she has her own merits. She's extremely persistent and isn't afraid to show it.
Acting performances by the entire cast was spot on. This drama did convert me into a Shen Yue fan. I definitely understand now why she's the next big thing in China. For a cast with little to no acting experiences, Sun Ning (Lu Yang), Zhi Ting (Bo Song) and Zi Wei ( Jing Xiao) did a stellar performance. Hu Yi Tian (Jiang Chen) was pretty stiff but it works for his character.
I love that the drama is pretty funny and light (most of the time). The witty endings of each episodes were a major plus. I also thoroughly enjoyed the second couple's story-line. I could relate to their frustrations and joy and appreciated their growth more than the leads'; an unfortunate truth that leads to my next point.
I did not like the main couple at all. Jiang Chen is a character i do not understand. He adds nothing to the story but his good looks (and brains at times). He's just too cold, even to their group of friends. I struggle to like him and especially hated the way he treats Xiao Xi (both in school and adult days). Their relationship seems extremely loop-sided. Xiao Xi totally lost her backbone when it comes to Jiang Chen and he just rejects her or orders her around for his own amusement. He seems very manipulative, controlling and is only showing affection to her because there is someone else trying to woo her, which is NOT what the story set it out to be.They did however, attempt to explain his love for Xiao Xi at the very end.Maybe it was a little too late, as it did nothing for me.
The drama is draggy. 16/17 episodes of high school life and 7 episodes of adulthood. It felt a little disproportionate. I wished they showed more depth on the struggles of adulthood, how they maintain their friendship, overcome their differences, the disappointment of not getting a job, etc. I thought it was going to be similar to Reply 1997 (a wrongful thinking on my part), but this drama fails to deliver in that aspect.
The funny thing is I can see the teenage me really loving this drama. But for someone who is now leading an adult life, i wish for a more in-depth story-line as love comes in many forms and especially since it is afterall titled "A love so beautiful".
Acting performances by the entire cast was spot on. This drama did convert me into a Shen Yue fan. I definitely understand now why she's the next big thing in China. For a cast with little to no acting experiences, Sun Ning (Lu Yang), Zhi Ting (Bo Song) and Zi Wei ( Jing Xiao) did a stellar performance. Hu Yi Tian (Jiang Chen) was pretty stiff but it works for his character.
I love that the drama is pretty funny and light (most of the time). The witty endings of each episodes were a major plus. I also thoroughly enjoyed the second couple's story-line. I could relate to their frustrations and joy and appreciated their growth more than the leads'; an unfortunate truth that leads to my next point.
I did not like the main couple at all. Jiang Chen is a character i do not understand. He adds nothing to the story but his good looks (and brains at times). He's just too cold, even to their group of friends. I struggle to like him and especially hated the way he treats Xiao Xi (both in school and adult days). Their relationship seems extremely loop-sided. Xiao Xi totally lost her backbone when it comes to Jiang Chen and he just rejects her or orders her around for his own amusement. He seems very manipulative, controlling and is only showing affection to her because there is someone else trying to woo her, which is NOT what the story set it out to be.They did however, attempt to explain his love for Xiao Xi at the very end.Maybe it was a little too late, as it did nothing for me.
The drama is draggy. 16/17 episodes of high school life and 7 episodes of adulthood. It felt a little disproportionate. I wished they showed more depth on the struggles of adulthood, how they maintain their friendship, overcome their differences, the disappointment of not getting a job, etc. I thought it was going to be similar to Reply 1997 (a wrongful thinking on my part), but this drama fails to deliver in that aspect.
The funny thing is I can see the teenage me really loving this drama. But for someone who is now leading an adult life, i wish for a more in-depth story-line as love comes in many forms and especially since it is afterall titled "A love so beautiful".
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