I tend to get frustrated with the length of Chinese shows. This one has 28 episodes of between 30-40 minutes each, but there is about five minutes of credits at the beginning and end of each episode, so ultimately, this one didn’t drag on for me.
I loved this drama, for multiple reasons: Very low angst, no evil parents, no evil ex trying to break the couple up, no break up for stupid reasons, no misunderstandings/miscommunication. There is a lot going on in this show. Not only do you have the main couple, you have friends, other students, teachers, and family. There was a time gap, but they were together during that time – that was SO refreshing!
STORY: The story of the main couple was very refreshing. They were supportive of each other’s dreams, they listened to one another, they enjoyed each other’s company – the way a real couple should be.
The friendships were excellent. The story is about a young man with social anxiety and how debilitating it can be. The underlying moral was that we are all different, we each have things that we struggle with, but with good friends beside you, you can not only overcome but grow as a result of those friendships.
The pacing was pretty good. Some of the scenes could have been shortened for those of us with attention difficulties, but there wasn’t any time that I thought “why did they stick that in there?”
CAST: The entire cast was very good, and I felt that each person was perfect for their part. I have to expound on the main couple, though. Fiction Guo as Nan Xi was perfect. I’ve never seen him in anything before, so I don’t know if the paleness of his skin was natural or if they made him up that way. Either way, it was brilliant. That, along with his mannerisms of someone suffering with a disability, I was immediately drawn to him and felt empathy for him. Not wanting to be touched, not making eye contact, stooped posture as if trying to be invisible, it was heartbreaking to watch, but it was absolutely lovely to see him bloom and come out of his shell as a result of the friends he made. He had to put himself out there to a certain degree, which was hard for him, but there was a definite reward at the end. Guo has a beautiful voice that was especially effective in the voice over work that he did in certain parts of the show. Wan Peng as Xia Rui – first of all, she was cute as a button (though her hair hanging in her face all the time was irritating me!). Xia Rui was where the writers of this really shone – she was very talkative and talked very fast, so she probably had more lines than everyone else. And she had some wonderful lines! She was the kind of person that you would just want to be friends with, bubbly, supportive, standing up for the underdog.
CHEMISTRY: The friendship/love chemistry was strong with the main couple. I honestly was able to understand why they loved one another. Everything made sense. There were a couple of okay kisses, but honestly, the way they spoke to one another, I sometimes felt like a voyeur.
The music was pretty non-descript. I could watch this one again, though I may not because there’s so much other stuff I need to get to! If I were to watch it again, I’m sure I’d feel like I was visiting old friends.