My Youth (2019)

Good story

I very much like the idea of the story but I think there could have been a little bit more conflict. and my honest opinion and lead male could have a little bit more of a character but it does build as The Story Goes On.

I feel like there could have been a big Crescendo of a fight between the two best friends and then a resolve. And I honestly would have loved to see a wedding but not all dramas will give you that wedding you are looking for.

I do like the chemistry of those two together and the growth between the male and female lead both together and apart. Overall I give this about a 9.3 .

Leggi di Più

This drama is amazing. It's touching and cute...it has it all. I love the fact that it isn't just about romance, but it also has beautiful friendships. And another great part is that two people who played supporting roles in two other great dramas (Accidentally in Love and Meteor Garden 2018) play the main leads in this. It was fun to see them again. This drama is definitely worth watching. It's great because it seems serious and touching, but it's also light-hearted and funny at times. The story has all the C-drama cliches, but it also branches out into other things that make it unique.

Leggi di Più

I really love youth dramas and this one really hit the spot. Although the plot was pretty predictable, Su Cancan and Lan Tianye's chemistry was great. I enjoyed how Cancan worked hard to achieve her dreams and it's not some drama where the male lead uses his status to help the female lead. But sometimes I felt the female lead was too dense and her acting was kind of mediocre. The best actor in this drama would have to be Lan Tianye. Xu Meili was hilarious and I loved her a lot. I think Lin Jiaze and Tao Yating deserved a happier ending than what they got. Overall, this drama is an 8.5/10 for me.

Leggi di Più

Chinese dramas tend to have long episodes per season and I'm glad that this is not one of them. I've seen Li Jaqui act in the Chinese remake of Meteor Garden and I just had to watch this since I was curious.

This is a coming of age drama that spans seasons of a youth's life. Spanning from highschool-college-and work, this is how people handle the transformation in their life. I liked how they candidly expressed how young people cope with things around them as they grow older and I also liked the part that they had realized that as they grow older the people that mattered will always stay despite everything being different. This is probably one of this coming of age dramas that you would want to see to pass the time.

Leggi di Più

Esse drama estava na minha lista há algum tempo, eu sempre me interessei pela sinopse só não estava tão animada para ver pois achei que teria um enredo totalmente chicle com a historia de estudantes esnobes, triângulos amorosos não muito desenvolvidos e envolvimento das famílias nas decisões dos personagens.
Mas pelo contrario do que esperava não teve nada disso, ele realmente me surpreendeu! Eu me senti totalmente presa desde o primeiro episodio, o jeito que eu fui cativada pelos personagens e pelas historias individuais de cada um era algo que eu não esperava mesmo.
Eu enrolei um pouco para assistir pois queria aproveitar cada precioso minuto, as Osts são ótimas e eu amei o jeito como elas se encaixaram na historia.
Sendo sincera eu chorei bastante nesse drama, principalmente no ultimo episodio. Eu começava a chorar quando percebia que os personagens estavam conseguindo o que queriam para o futuro deles e ao perceber o tanto que a amizade deles se intensificou ao longo do tempo.
Eu recomendo muito para você que adora um clichê mas sem muitas reviravoltas, um clichê de triangulo amoroso super fofinho para passar o tempo e acompanhar a historia de vida desse amigos!❤✨

Leggi di Più

Si sos de la época 90's 00's este drama por algún lado te pega. La historia no es original pero no quita que haya estado buena. Los capítulos cortos hicieron que la historia sea más fluida y amigable con el tiempo. Que bello rememorar esas épocas de las cartitas de amor, la juventud, el colegio, nuestros amigos, dónde te juntabas hablar con ellos, sin distracciones, sin redes sociales de por medio.

Pros:
- Realidad en la historia, no todo es tan blanco y negro como en otras clásicas del género.
- Perfecta para esta cuarentena. Es una serie llevadera.
- La calidez y ternura de la historia y los personajes.
- Destacable el uso de proverbios relacionados al capítulo. Dejan una agradable enseñanza.

Contras:
- Cuestionable la actuación de la protagonista.

Leggi di Più

character

this is surpisingly super good, i love the story, love how they were told to us, love the cast act, love their friendship and i love how their character development. its simle story that woth seeing for.
i especially likehow there is no moment to drag, like couple episode for their highschool, then moving on to their college life and then almost immedietly moving on to their work life. iam so glad they didnt drag everyting to long.
the femalelead just too cute, she is too adorable, her chemy with the male lead also good, i saw their other drama, buti still like this one better bcs of the story. what i like about the fl is, she didnt put hope to the second male, she know she only like the ML, and try her best to make hers and thesecond lead only friends. love it.

Leggi di Più

To Youth!

Overbreak and the course of quarantine, I ran out of reasons to not watch this Chinese drama. I am writing this review for myself and for all the people that might be hesitant to watch this in the present or possible future.

I personally think that this drama did a wonderful job of capturing the youth and a more realistic representation of relationships (though it is still drama so there will be some unrealistic standards). The story touches on all the worries students have regarding the future and the possible hurdles in a relationship. In that sense, the story is amazing. I do think there were some storylines or scenes that should have been added in or cut from the drama as it sometimes made no sense. They did a great job of showcasing the change in relationships, bonds, and emotions that humans are bound to go through. The idea that all good things must come to an end (broadcast/radio club ;-;) really shined throughout.

The acting was interesting. Everyone did a good job in my opinion. I didn't really mind the acting aside from the occasionally forced emotions and awkward interactions the female lead has. Other than that, I never really had a problem with the acting. Of course, that also means I wasn't particularly amazed by any of it either. Though, I do think the two main male leads did a great job of bringing their characters to life.

As for the OST, I liked a few but most of the others didn't really stick. I actually liked the piano pieces more than the actual tracks playing at times. Regardless, I think the OST was pleasant and I would look it up to independent from the drama to listen again. This is actually one of the first times that I didn't particularly enjoy the entire OST soundtrack but rather a select few. I do enjoy the throwback to amazing artists of the 2000s though. :)

As for rewatching, this was a 10. I think the refreshing storyline (while being a bit generic) was also new. The main female lead went through that confusing love experience and her feelings were more realistic than I thought. Her feelings weren't forever either, they changed and often stood independent from the story. It was a very lighthearted drama that is a good mood changer when you just want something light and not watches dramatic car accidents every other episode.
So far, there have been no spoilers...so you can stop reading now because I am moving on to spoiler territory which is basically my way of coping with the plot.

----SPOILER BELOW----
I actually found out after finishing that most preferred the main ship. I learned at that moment that second lead syndrome will always exist and that the terrible lesson of timing in love is still very relevant/true. I actually really liked Lin Jia Ze and was rooting for him. Maybe it was because I had this gut feeling that it wouldn't be the endgame but my heart was continuously on his side. I have been watching more Korean dramas and in most dramas in general, the second lead is always mean or does some evil thing when trying to win the individual's love. Lin Jia Ze was just too nice. I don't know how else to say it. He didn't give her up, stayed friends with both of them, took chances while still knowing that it wouldn't work, and truly accepted the ending. The Harry Potter Obliviate moments :/ His eyes just become so sad sometimes AHHH. If I was to reason his downfall, it is because he was too cautious and cared too much about his relationship with others. The timing really sucked :( The main lead is great too but lmao it kind of just sucks you know. You can't explain these kinds of things.
Like reply, timing is important and time wasn't on his side. I sometimes get frustrated when I watch because if the character had just done this sooner or known this sooner, things would be different but life isn't like that. Sometimes I forget that I would do the same thing as them and as unfortunate as it is, it happens. I don't blame him for not knowing because Lin Jia Ze thought she liked his friend all that time and he was his best friend so I don't see him doing anything about it. I think the main lead choose correctly and according to her heart. You can't expect every kind person to get the girl, sadly not how love works. They missed each other and it is a shame. Actually kinda reminds me of Boys over Flower. The plot kinda flowed in a similar way.

Well, I am going to end it there. Happy everyone got an ending of sorts and glad I finally ran out of excuses to not watch this. This is to hoping that this did the same for you and got you started.

Leggi di Più

Ashley Wilkes & Rhett Butler Vie For a Pixie Urchin °8.4° °Excellent°

“When I was a little girl, I wished I could grow up faster… become the lead actress and save the world... But when I grew up, I realized I'm just an ordinary girl. But being ordinary doesn't cause youths to lose their brilliance… if you compare youths to a song, some songs are fast. Some are slow. Some are pop songs. Some are classical songs. Some are at the top of the list. Some are not cared for... But I believe no matter what kind of song and melody they are… when sung, someone will be touched and gain a lot of strength from it. We are racing against time in our lives. How many times have we clenched our teeth wanting to sprint forward? …Wait for a while. Please wait for a while more. Let us cherish it more, embrace it, and shine once again.”

Thus concludes WMY. So what happens before the end?

First of all, Su Cancan just adores Lin Jiaze. It's been about 6 years. Why can't she get near him? She's always running into his prickly misanthropic friend, Lan Tianye. He's nothing like the cheerful, fresh-faced Lin Jiaze. Lan Tianye is downright mean.

WMY is a 2019 release that is rated 82 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 24 adorable 45-minute episodes.

We meet them in middle school. Su Cancan & Lan Tianye are deskmates for 6 years. We go to college with them. Some go abroad for a stint. Grad school. Career. Some of the romances work out, some don't. Some are tested to the max.

Li Jia Qi (Liars in Love) is Su Cancan. What an adorable little urchin she is. Zhao Yi Qin (Butterflied Lover, Hard to Find) portrays Lan Tianye. His voice is delish. It's like warm butterscotch sauce over chocolate cake. I've only seen him in Accidentally in Love-6.5, a very cute show with B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but it is still fun/strangely relaxing to watch. He is one of the best things in the show. This guy is a superb romantic ML and the reason WMY is so good.

Li Ge Yang In (Blossom) Lin Jiaze, our Ashley Wilkes. He's wholesome and handsome and perhaps lacking in sex-appeal compared to our ML. Wu Shuang Yi (Run for Young) is Tao Ya Ting, the gorgeous top student & top musician. She's perfect. So perfect her female classmates loathe her. Xu Meng Yuan (Love in Between) is Su's BFF, the irrepressible and vivacious Xu Mei Li. She's loyal and true. Leo Dong (Immortality) plays Tang Xing Yi who shares a hate-to-love relationship with Mei Li. The director is Shen Qin Yuan of The Eyas.

The Romance is well above average including the kissing scenes. The ML sells this one. Su is no Scarlett O'Hara, but the two guys remind me of Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind. Ashley may hang around, but he doesn't really have a chance if the exciting Rhett Butler's around.

I find it difficult to not compare this show to other Chinese teen-to-adult romances that I've seen recently. The first 10 or so modern-day Cdramas I saw were of very low quality, with stunted scripts, wooden acting, and subpar filming. (They still have their charm and are oddly relaxing, so I kept tuning in). At the same time, Chinese historical and fantasy works were superior - some of the world's best. It was almost like China, a country that lags well behind in the area of freedom of expression, didn't know how people should behave in the current day. They seem to have gotten the feedback. All of a sudden, their modern-day features have improved dramatically. Cdrama or otherwise, WMY is one of the best youthful romances I've seen, along with A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5. Both of them don't have alot of room for improvement. They are the full package with likable characters, good scripting, directing and acting, solid romance and plenty of flutters in the stomach. They feature tension and drama. Two other excellent romances are When I Fly Towards You-7.8 and Hidden Love-7.8. Both of them are as cute as cute gets, yet they both lack complexity and tension. That can be a good thing for times when the anxiety is up: Such shows can be better than Valium. But these shows have a lower degree of difficulty. They are flatter road than WMY and ALTCFL which have higher highs and lower lows. Regardless, all 4 features are worth a romantiphile's time. For the even more devoted romantiholic, some other shows that might resonate are: You Are My Destiny 6.8 (cute, sweet and 1/2 padding); Put Your Head on My Shoulder-7.3 (with the first half at 8+ and then a big drop off in the second half which is a 6); Meteor Garden-7.4 (70% flowing 30% dragging, and Boys Over Flowers is better); and I Hear You-7.3 (so cute but with many flaws).

One reason the romance works so well is that, regardless of how oblivious Su Cancan is, Lan Tianye is focused on her. He is very attentive and patient. He's thoughtful & kind. He's very attracted to her. And he's gorgeous every moment he's doing all of that. It's all swoonworthy. Su Cancan may not be the most beautiful girl, but she's the cutest cutie. She has a comfortable warmth that draws a person in. It feels authentic that boys would be attracted to her.

The music is quite good. Find Your Way Home was the one title I caught. Most had no English titles available.

Another recent change in Cdramas is the shout outs to Kdramas, which must be huge in China. Shows from 2019 forward frequently make reference to watching Kdramas. WMY is no different. A couple characters mention Kdramas with affection. It seems to me that China is tipping its hat to the party that motivated their improvement the most.

In WMY, we all benefit from that!

〰🖍 IMHO

📣8.3 📝8 🎭8.4 💓7.5 🦋7 🎨6.5 🎵/🔊8 🔚8 ▪ 🌞6 ⚡3 😅3.5 😭4 😱1 😯3.5 🤢1 🤔3.5 💤0


Age 13+
Language: rare PG-13 words- @$$, $h!+

Re-📺? For sure!

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

♥️ -
C: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K:
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

Period-
C: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9

Fantasy-
C: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10


RATINGS
Directing 8.3
Writing 8
Acting 8.4
Romance 7.5
Flutters 7
Art 6.5
Sound & music 8
Ending 8

LEVELS
Warmth 6
Action 3
Laughs 3.5
Tears 4
Fright 1
Tension & Anxiety 3.5
Gore 1
Thought provocation 3.5
Snores 0

Leggi di Più

please, this is only enjoyable if you enjoy cheesey romanic male leads

peronally i love cheesy romances and main men. the main male lead is so "bad boy with a soft stop" and thats about it. The mfl is incredibly bland but shes just deep enough so you can project yourself onto her, and imagine yourseld with the main guy instead of the two mains being together. the sml while being one of the better ones in cdramas, still kinda bothered me but it was personal. theres two other couples. the first is genunily a cute little enemies to lovers moment. its not special but its entertaining a cute, the third couple though...i personally hate age gap/ teacherxstudent relationships. they make me uncomfortable so. i skip their parts. over all its just a silly little FICTIONAL romance.

Leggi di Più

Let me start this review with a few of my favourite quotes from the drama that has left an impression on me
"Everytime I cried, I run again with a smile
I keep searching while losing ~milk coffee 'Hello Tomorrow '"
"I wish to fly up to the sky,stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun
The world is waiting for me to change~ Rodger yang 'I believe'"
"My dear,no matter what moment you are in, when you look back it has come to pass,
So be brave and take a leap forward."
"Perhaps, what fascinates you is not youth itself,but everything that has appeared in a short time and the glittering memory that will remain in our hearts forever."

This show has so many life lessons to offer, it shows struggles faced by the youth,perfectly. The first maybe 16 or 17 episodes this show really really had the potential to be a whole 10.

It shows the life of these 5 friends all the way from 10th grade to 28 year olds. The story of thier friendship is so touching, I loved all the characters and especially that there are no antagonists in this show, no bad characters at all,they all have depth and are well written, the dialogues for the most are extremely well written, the story upto a certain part was also really really good. The female lead is a linguistics student which gave the writer an opportunity to include so many deep thoughts and quotes of different people. The lyrics the female lead writes and everything she reads out and thinks about are deep and extremely beautiful which makes the story so nostalgic, you'll start to miss your school days or College days and definitely will bring a smile to your face!
A few episodes towards the end started to get a little annoying, still you could say it had a realness towards it.The last few episodes was a bit too much though,there were many cliches and I was a little frustrated! I still enjoyed the show very much. It deserves more views! Definitely a story many will enjoy.

Acting was lacking in some places, I couldn't feel many emotions and didn't even cry (I tend to cry alot haha)! All actors were mediocre nothing stood out to make me connect super well.

The music that was played in the show was really good,i mean the ones that the leads perform or the female lead wrote had extremely beautiful meaning and catchy tune to it! The osts were really good too!
The bgm of the piano which was put in all scenes was so annoying I wanted to mute it, like no matter what the emotions, they used the piano or wierd orchestra sounds...it was bad.

If you're looking for a light show with a burst of nostalgia this show is definitely for you!

Leggi di Più

Realistic drama about friendship and love!

As someone who prefers realistic drama, this drama certainly meet my expectations and I have to say that it is by far one of the best drama about friendship and love I have watched in a long time! I wish I chanced upon this drama earlier when it was released 5 years ago...

The drama centers around 5 high schoolmates who later became close friends when they joined the school's radio club.

For once, I like that both female and male leads are able to pursue their passion for music, and not go the conventional career paths of becoming lawyers, doctors. engineers etc.

The friendship between the female lead, her friend and cousin are admirable and built up over the years, they are what friends should be which reminds me of my close friends as well, just being there for one another, and giving life advice when you need it.

The plot is pretty realistic. It is centered in the early 2000s with many throwback to the pop and rock music of that time, that was my favourite era and seeing the Beyond, Leslie Cheung, Jay Chou, and Linkin Park posters already got me curious to explore this drama more!

For me, the ML and FL stories already kept me hooked throughout the series that I did not really care much about the supporting characters so I will just share more on the leads' story.

ML and FL started off as purely frenemies who got on each other's nerves all the time although they have the same interest in music and listened to the same type of music. FL admired the SML since junior high but always miss the opportunity or did not have the courage to confess her feelings until graduation day when she finally slot in the love letter between the SML's book. SML has always liked FL but did not have the courage to confess as well and ML is always one step ahead of him to the FL. I especially like the scenes whereby the FL had to choose between watching the concert with the ML or watching the SML's piano performance as that was the defining moment that the FL realised that after hanging out with the ML more and experiencing his thoughtfulness, she already slowly and unknowingly fell for him. On the other hand, the ML's love for the FL was a slow burn as he started finding her adorable and interesting, complimenting his cold and blunt character. He was very mature as he knew the FL does not like him the romantic way yet and worse, like his best friend, but was still always there for her and never once forcing things between them. It was until the night they spent together at the beach and when the FL returned the kiss, then the ML realised that the FL must have felt something that she returned the kiss, and he had to confess his feelings. Moving forward to their college years, I respect how the FL encouraged the ML to pursue his education in US despite knowing that it will be a long-distance relationship, and it may not work out, yet she did not want to be an obstacle to the ML's passion and dream. Although, the FL chose to break up with the ML and encouraged the ML to return to the US. Despite the sadness, I felt that this separation was necessary for them to realise that both of them still love each other when they reunited back in their hometown years later as working adults.

The journey for them to love, separate and get back together was beautiful and realistic and portrays the true meaning of love, no matter the distance and time apart, will still find their way back to one another!

Leggi di Più