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The main thing that makes me want to rip my hair out is...THE ENDING. UGHHHH. The ending could be definitely seen as realistic and bittersweet, but to me, it just left me upset and unsatisfied. My heart hurts because of it and it will hurt forever.
Overall, the entire vibe of this drama was so wholesome and cozy; it was refreshing to watch something a little less modern and a little softer.
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A story that all of us lived once!!
NO SPOILERThis is a truth, all of us at least once lived the life portrait by YangXi. I really feel that this story is really different from any other rom-com I have watched. This one is more realistic. It's not just another fairly tale love story where you fall in love at your school days; then go to college together and you finally get married with anyone problem. And actually this is the thing I personally liked about this drama. Along with beauty of being young and cheerful, it also shows the hardships that someone among us is going though. Even though they don't show us how hard and tiring their life are. They just hide their pain in their smile may be because they don't wanna bother anyone else with the sadness they are facing.
School life is something when you fall in love with someone for the very first time. You feel that special connection with someone which feels amazing. You are afraid to confess it because you are not sure if that person loves you back or not. And somewhere you are not ready for a 'NO'. Sometimes.. you go to school just to see that one single person.
Overall review : I feel that the cast is really amazing. The characters and the people who are portraying it really matches well. YangXi's mom is just like any other mom. She works hard and really tensed about her daughter who is not so good in her studies. At the same time her dad is a keeper. You know...to maintain the balance of the family one need to be calm and cool. The scene, the school campus.. these things really added much value to the scene. The plot is written in such a way that anyone who is in high school or completed their high school can instantly related to everything that has been showcased.
**MAY CONTAIN SPOILER A LITTLE BIT**
Characters:
HUA BIAO (by NEO HOU) : He is a top notch student who always comes first in the class. Top in everything starting from studies to sports. He is someone who can help a person in any problem. A lighthearted boy who lives with his only family i.e., his grandmother. At the beginning we see a really cheerful boy, full of energy and happiness and slowly as the story goes forward we get to know the hardships that is going on behind his bright smile.
YANGXI (by WAN PENG) : A totally mediocre girls in case of studies. Leader of the class and her friend group. A outspoken girl, really expressive in everything she do. Not afraid of anyone not matter what. A marathon runner. Dear daughter of her family and also the tension of her family because of her studies. Who makes her mom worry for her all the time. But as the time passes on she learns to be responsible. Work really hard with help from her friends to make her way to her dream college after the High School Exam.
LI YI (by GALA ZHANG) : Childhood best friend of YanXi... and actually a twins to her from another mother. Born in same day, same time, same year actually same in everything 🤣. But is really intelligent in studies. Always by the side of YangXi in any given situation. Helps her in studies, basically do her homework. Mostly stays in YangXi's house as his mom stay in abroad and dad keeps on working hard to earn a comfortable living.
SI TU ER TIAO (by MARCUS LI) : A general student who is not at all interested in his studies. One of the friend from the group. Really rich as compared to the other four of them. Is always helpful especially with money as he have a lot of it. Stay with his dad who is more like a friend than a dad. Both of them gets bitten by his mom every now and then 🤣.
YANG XIAO HEMEI (by PAN MEI YE) : The only other girl from the group. She really struggles a lot with her studies. She really can't focus or even if she does...she still screw it up in the exam hall. Also she is the most beautiful member of the group and gets compliment about her looks from time to time. Actually she and YangXi was kinda same in case of studies but later on YangXi was able to improve herself and HeMein couldn't.
OST: The ost of the drama actually conveys the meaning the drama was trying to convey. Its really soothing to ears.
At last, I feel that this drama is really something anyone can enjoy as it kinda show you your life again on screen. I really really love it❤️❤️❤️.
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Hua Biao- the best hero of all the Chinese dramas I ever watched.
This is going to be my first review. It was beyond my expectations. I thought it is an overrated drama so despite having it in my to watch list for a very long time, I didn't start it until now. I cried many times watching this drama.I loved Hua Biao's character the most. He is the best hero of all the Chinese dramas I ever watched.
He is not the usual perfect, rich and egoistic hero. He is humble, VERY mature at such a young age, caring, loyal, friendly and brave who has a long way ahead to success. The last decision he took for his grandma left me heartbroken. I loved everything including the climax of this drama.
It's definitely worth watching. I didn't waste my 20+ hours for nothing.
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(A little spoiler)Amazing, one of the best!
This drama was by far one of the best. It displays friendship, and has all those tiny moments you would remember in your youth. The ones you'll look back on and thing of it as 'the good ol' days' The characters are complex, everything they do has a reason and logic behind it. Oh why doesn't Hua Biao talk about his finance situation? Because he doesn't want to worry anyone and he's quite content and grateful for everything he has. The story-line was amazing and executed well.The cast was amazing! They showcased the spirit of youth well and their expressions were on point! And to top it all of the music was good, upon originally listening to it I had a small heartache it gave me a small dose of nostalgia for NO REASON. How that works I don't know. And after the ending I couldn't help feeling like I was going to burst into tears. The ending is on point, some people walk out of your life, some you walked out of theirs.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drama was ten out of ten
Its been a year and I still am heartbroken
Cast: 10/10
Storyline: 10/10
Plot: 9.5 (thinking back now idek wut the plot was)
Music: 10/10
Rewatch: 10/10
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One of the Best CDramas I've Ever Watched
Story - 10/10This is a very beautiful and nuanced piece on the joys and trials of adolescence and life in general. At first glance, it seems like a typical dumb girl, genius boy high school romance but it's so much more than that. You'll feel every moment of friendship, heartache, young love, angst, and more. You'll feel it when Yang Xi gets berated by her parents yet'll you also feel heartache for her parents. You'll absolutely feel Hua Biao's heart break when his grandmother starts to get sick. You'll feel everything these kids feel. Maybe you're going through similar things now, maybe you've experienced them before and if you're from an Asian family, you can definitely relate.
I kinda thought the ending was bittersweet and realistic. It left things open. If it were like any other school romance, the male lead and female lead would end up together.
Cast - 10/10
Everyone was cast perfectly from the 6 main kids to the parents and family members to the teachers.
This is one of Hou Minghao's early roles and he's absolutely lovable and charming and so charismatic. And you will absolutely love his performance as he charms his way and bonds with classmates and gangsters alike.
Wan Peng is super funny and relatable. As the brash tomboy obsessed with wuxia novels, she's sharp and witty and angsty all at once. She's got a chip on her shoulder about not being smart enough and her struggles with her parents, especially her mom, are absolutely relatable.
Zhang Yao (Li Yu), Li Ming De (Situ Ertiao), Pan Mei Ye (Yangxiao Hemei), Dai Lu Wa (Huang Dengdeng) all delivered brilliant performances. They were perfectly cast.
Music - 10/10
Absolutely absolutely absolutely love it! Love the choice of the Beyond songs and Leon Lai's songs. I also love the main themesong, 北区楼四 。 It encapsulates the nostalgia the characters feel towards their youth and the nostalgia we as the audience feel for our youth and the 1990s.
Rewatch Value
100% would rewatch!
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(spoilers are at the end of this review)Story:
This is a combination of "A Love so beautiful" and "Reply 1988". If you haven't watched these I highly recommend them! The plot is about a group of 18 year old bonding and supporting one another. Absolutely beautiful friendship. The film tells us about the struggles of an 18 year old life, one of the main struggle is college entrance exams and studying for it.
Music:
I watched this through YouTube and huge sections of the film had their audio replaced with some random instrumental because the OST was copyrighted. Such a bummer :(( The only OST I could listen to was the opening which sounds nice!
Acting/ Cast:
The male and female leads are eye candy, both so beautiful. Hua Biao smile lights up your day. Yang Xi hair cut, eyes and the way she looks at Hua Biao gives me vibes from Weightlifting Kim Bok Joo. All the cast did an amazing job portraying their character.
Rewatch:
Absolutely! This was so funny, sad and heartwarming to watch!
Spoilers/rant:
The ending is not enough!! I want a season 2, I need to know if they all reunite again and at least one of them ends up together. Why isn't a single character together?!
Hua Biao - Yang Xi
Li Yu- Huang Deng Deng
Yang Xiao He Mei - Yang Xi brother
I'm satisfied that it's a logical ending, how they need to go their own ways, but I just hope that in the future they will be able to encounter each other again and actually be with each other as in bf and gf.
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and i wish some actors can get their major role soon
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Must watch
Honestly when I first started this series I didn't think it would be SO GOOD. I like every character in this series, there are no villains just relatable obstacles in our daily life. We can learn so much in this story personally I love each episode which is filled with meaning. If you didn't watch it then you are missing something really good story. I can relate myself in some scenes.I really REALLY have huge crush on male lead which is Hua Biao. I love his character soo much and when you watch it, you will definitely fall in love with him. When I first started the episode I really thought it is weird to see him smile all the time(even though it is cute) but after the story continues on you will realise that you have misunderstood him. He always stays optimistic which is really lacking in me. He helps his friends, and never turns his back on those who are in need, even though he is going through so much in his life he never complains . Everyone need a person like him in there life (personally I want him as my husband). His acting is on point. Even though second male lead is lovable , I never felt second lead syndrome because you will always will be rooting for the main leads. All the actors did a great job.
You can definitely feel a character development on everyone, each person learn something from someone. Our OTP is perfect and have great chemistry and their interactions are soo cute even I felt butterfly sometimes.
When you watch this show you must keep in mind that the story is in 96's and thay are 18yrs old. Parents are superficial and always pressure their children but as the story goes on you will realise the parents pressure and it has very realistic issue. DON'T FORGET THE GRANDMOTHER, she seriously nailed the character in this series and her relationship with Hua Biao is very heartwarming to see. Seriously I loved all the characters like teachers, friends, parents all of them.
The friendship between our group is VERY precious and whenever they are together I always felt warm like they always had each other . This story is a GEM , you must watch it or else you will definitely miss something. This is my top cdrama and I will definitely re-watch it. Really hope there is second season.
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Not Just a Cute School Drama
I went in expecting a cute school drama, but got so much more. When We Were Young is a coming of age drama that follows a group of five friends through their last year of high school. Together, they share many experiences, both positive and negative. The show is set in the late 1990s. This, despite growing up across the world, resonated with me. The show does an excellent job at portraying adolescence and issues teenagers go through. While watching, I was reminded of the antics I used to get up to as a teen. It was both nostalgic and, to be honest, a bit embarrassing. But fun nonetheless.There were scenes that were so funny I cried tears of laughter. These were so much fun. However, there were also scenes with serious undertones which tackled more profound issues, like taking care of an elderly family member. I was invested in both equally. Some of the characters were annoying, but I focused on the main ones and their stories. The acting was really good, the story was good, accompanied by excellent cinematography, and the ending was realistically bittersweet, evoking a feeling of nostalgia and unfinished business. And I wouldn’t change it for anything, even if it left me contemplating my life and my own choices as a teenager. As a bonus, Neo Hou sings two OST tracks for the show which fit really well with the theme and further drives home the feeling of nostalgia. I hope these friends find their way to each other unlike many of us.
Thank you to dusty for being my drama partner and Ari for keeping us company. You made the experience that much more enriching and enjoyable.
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Selfless and Generous friendships
8/17/2021I've watched quite a few slice-of-life type high school dramas and I find that they all a few things in common. You will end up loving the friendships and the relationships storylines. However, I also find it increasingly difficult to distinguish and separate these high school dramas from each other. They all seem to focus on studies, exams and esp. college entrance exams in all of them. The romance storylines might be a little different, but they are all very sweet and innocent in their own ways. However, this might be the only one (but I might be wrong) that they discussed a little bit about the physical changes of these teens - development of breasts, hair on their legs and even one wet dream.
The young actors did quite a good job considering considering this is the first drama for several of the leads. I've seen Neo Hao in "A Girl like Me" and I find his acting in this drama SOOO much better, even though this is a 2018 drama. I enjoy the selfless friendship of these teenagers. There isn't anyone that is jealous of others - school or love life. Even though we have a love triangle/square, the characters never hate each other out of jealousy. The bromance between the male leads is endearing and supportive. I especially love the grandmother/grandson relationship. I love grandma as she's so cute and also heartbreaking when she's battling Alzheimer's. Personally, I enjoy all the HK references, esp. music (The 4 Gods), having grown up listening to the same types of music and loving Leon Lai as well. If I am correct, there's a lot of live recording instead of dubbing in this drama. If there's dubbing, it will be the actor's own voice. What a breath of fresh air, after watching so many dubbed historical drama. I also enjoy the songs sung by our male leads.
On another note, I do find that the pacing is a little slow in the middle of the drama (I do have a tendency to think slice-of-life drama a little slow). I find myself being distracted by other things and lost my attention. I would like to see more development on the minor characters storylines - Class teacher's crush (what happened?), Yang Xiao He Mei and the brother's ambiguous friendship, Li Yu and Huang Deng Deng's friendship. I can see how many find this drama similar to Reply 1988. But I never doubt who the FL is going to end up with, unlike Reply 1988 which kept me thinking. I want more of the romance as there's a lot of back-and-forth without much going on.
Overall, this is a nice and sweet drama, but I don't think I will remember much of it later on. I also enjoy the songs in this drama very much. It's a good palette cleanser for me after watching "The Wolf".
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