marshmellowparfait
This drama is supposed to be an adaptation of a Korean drama. I never watched the Korean drama, so my review won't be influenced by it and I won't try to compare the two. I'm just reviewing "Closer to you" on its own as a standalone drama. I will add that it is unfortunate I can't seem to find English subtitles for this drama - I had to watch it all raw.
Story: This a high school drama that doesn't shy away from societal problems, unlike other Chinese dramas of this genre (e.g. A Love So Beautiful). At it's core, it's about a group of high school students during their last year of high school having to form friendships, learn life lessons, and think about what dreams they have for their future. There was some unexpected growth and maturity from some characters that I found so endearing. It's going to make you look back on your high school days as well and remember the times you shared with friends, all those lunches at the cafeteria, the times you walked home together after school. It's nostalgia without nostalgia being thrown in your face. Anyways, here's a couple points I thought really shone:
- Facing thoughts of suicide and depression head on. The female lead's whole journey is about walking away from the abyss of death and trying to find some sort of light to hold onto so that she has strength to continue on living her life.
- Supportive male lead. The female lead throughout the drama is like a mystery novel that the male lead is desperately reading, trying to unravel. He gets frustrated, angry, and jealous at times. But the friendship that develops between the two of them is so beautiful, it's just two people who find each other in this world and go, "Hey, I think I can go on living this life if it's with you." Their bond is really what keeps this drama going. Is there romance? Yes, there's romance. But their bond kind of transcends romance. It's just two lost souls that really need each other.
- High school! This drama isn't just depression and sad thoughts. In fact, most of this drama isn't depression and sad thoughts. There's a lot of comedic points and laughter throughout the episodes as the two leads navigate their last year of high school and pick up unlikely friends along the way. The group cast energy was amazing. I loved the bonds that formed between everyone as the year progressed.
- Supportive female friendships. The female lead gets drawn into a quasi-love triangle with, surprise surprise, the second male lead (and not the male lead). But this isn't your typical love triangle. I would say that the female lead and the other female in this triangle actually have a deeper and stronger bond with each other than the second male lead. Their friendship withstands hell and high water, and they always put each other first, regardless of the men that enter their life. That's some true sisterhood.
Anyways, I made it halfway through the drama in one go and realized I hadn't skipped a single scene. That's when you know a drama is crack.
Acting/cast: 10/10. The female lead is a bit green, but she really grew into her character and brought it to life. Even though she's a bit of a mystery in the beginning, the female lead's acting made her character grow from this image in the male lead's mind to a living, breathing, hurting human girl. The male lead is spot on - the drama is mainly from his point of view and the actor has such personal charisma that he fully brought his character is life, perfectly depicting the character at 18 years old and 28 years old.
Music: You'll hear a single song over and over again in this drama, it's almost like brainwashing. It's actually a really good song, but I got so sick of it by the end of the drama.
Rewatch value: There aren't any super cute or fluffy scenes that I would go back to over and over again. I really, really enjoyed my first watch through of the drama (I watched it all at once, barely skipping scenes) but I wouldn't necessarily rewatch it over and over again. Still, during the period when I watched this drama, I laughed, I cried, I thought about life, and I fell in love with all of the characters. This drama will always have a special place in my heart.
Story: This a high school drama that doesn't shy away from societal problems, unlike other Chinese dramas of this genre (e.g. A Love So Beautiful). At it's core, it's about a group of high school students during their last year of high school having to form friendships, learn life lessons, and think about what dreams they have for their future. There was some unexpected growth and maturity from some characters that I found so endearing. It's going to make you look back on your high school days as well and remember the times you shared with friends, all those lunches at the cafeteria, the times you walked home together after school. It's nostalgia without nostalgia being thrown in your face. Anyways, here's a couple points I thought really shone:
- Facing thoughts of suicide and depression head on. The female lead's whole journey is about walking away from the abyss of death and trying to find some sort of light to hold onto so that she has strength to continue on living her life.
- Supportive male lead. The female lead throughout the drama is like a mystery novel that the male lead is desperately reading, trying to unravel. He gets frustrated, angry, and jealous at times. But the friendship that develops between the two of them is so beautiful, it's just two people who find each other in this world and go, "Hey, I think I can go on living this life if it's with you." Their bond is really what keeps this drama going. Is there romance? Yes, there's romance. But their bond kind of transcends romance. It's just two lost souls that really need each other.
- High school! This drama isn't just depression and sad thoughts. In fact, most of this drama isn't depression and sad thoughts. There's a lot of comedic points and laughter throughout the episodes as the two leads navigate their last year of high school and pick up unlikely friends along the way. The group cast energy was amazing. I loved the bonds that formed between everyone as the year progressed.
- Supportive female friendships. The female lead gets drawn into a quasi-love triangle with, surprise surprise, the second male lead (and not the male lead). But this isn't your typical love triangle. I would say that the female lead and the other female in this triangle actually have a deeper and stronger bond with each other than the second male lead. Their friendship withstands hell and high water, and they always put each other first, regardless of the men that enter their life. That's some true sisterhood.
Anyways, I made it halfway through the drama in one go and realized I hadn't skipped a single scene. That's when you know a drama is crack.
Acting/cast: 10/10. The female lead is a bit green, but she really grew into her character and brought it to life. Even though she's a bit of a mystery in the beginning, the female lead's acting made her character grow from this image in the male lead's mind to a living, breathing, hurting human girl. The male lead is spot on - the drama is mainly from his point of view and the actor has such personal charisma that he fully brought his character is life, perfectly depicting the character at 18 years old and 28 years old.
Music: You'll hear a single song over and over again in this drama, it's almost like brainwashing. It's actually a really good song, but I got so sick of it by the end of the drama.
Rewatch value: There aren't any super cute or fluffy scenes that I would go back to over and over again. I really, really enjoyed my first watch through of the drama (I watched it all at once, barely skipping scenes) but I wouldn't necessarily rewatch it over and over again. Still, during the period when I watched this drama, I laughed, I cried, I thought about life, and I fell in love with all of the characters. This drama will always have a special place in my heart.
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