In Youth (2019)

Beyond Expectations

The longest post is ahead, so there are some key thoughts that might be useful for you if you're guessing whether to watch a drama or not. Then I’ll go praising every single aspect of this brilliant series. And probably only those who, just like me, have watched the whole drama and now strive to stay (if only one more hour) with the story, will read the post till the end. We’ll see.

Topics: quite modern and universal, dealing with females’ rights, working ethics, balance between work and love, friendship, family issues, unhappy childhood and rivalry.

Characters: adorable, likeable and very alive. Even supporting roles have got some bright and believable personalities you enjoy watching. The main characters are well-thought and portrayed really well. All of them are possible to be someone’s favs.

Plot: logical, well-written, at times dramatical and doesn’t contain too many cliches (if they look like ones, they at least have good reasoning and don’t happen just for the sake of a genre).

Music: nice and cozy, in the process of watching you grow into loving it and smiling broadly whenever hearing the familiar tunes.

Pace: not really fast, since every case needs some episodes to be solved. Relationships also make progress very gradually but it’s worth it. There’s no rush and everything looks realistic.

Rewatch value: I’ve watched the drama twice in a row and don’t feel like parting with it now. I must translate it into my native language just to stay with this story a bit longer!

Ending: some little things were unexpected, some unexplained, but mostly I’m satisfied. All the main storylines have logical and happy endings.

Well, it’s been already a lot of words said here. I don’t have to justify a reason why I’m writing all this. This series just deserves some estimation. If you’re not afraid of long reads, come along!

***

This is the best drama about modern times I’ve seen so far. Like many others, it sticks to a narration about the main couple and their friends who also have some relationships. The characters mostly solve their working or romantic problems. But unlike many others, the drama seems very real and suggests very live issues for any person: protecting the people one loves, telling good from evil, following professional ethics, working responsibly, facing deception, treating people around with kindness and respect, learning to trust or distrust the close ones, standing against injustice and keeping one’s heart pure and tender even in an imperfect world.

Even if the story weren’t flawless, it would be interesting to watch due to the characters. Fan Shu Chen is the main character and he’s probably one of my most loved male heroes by now. He combines a great professionalism, luck, charm, energy with such less seen traits as honesty, idealism, being true to his dreams and beliefs no matter what it would cost him. From the very beginning it’s obvious that his company ‘Feilin’ owes him its flourishing state – and yet we may feel a foreshadowing of an upcoming misfortune. The higher you rise, the harder you fall. The scenes when Shu Chen realizes how quick his company is to turn on him are really heartbreaking. Even love hardships don’t compare with the thought that his life principles are so vulnerable before the world of dishonest and manipulative people. Shu Chen isn’t perfect (he has some shortcomings as well) but he’s too pure and softhearted for this cold world. The way he faces problems, professional and personal, shows his unbreakable spirit, though. He may suffer and even receive a setback but he won’t lose himself remaining a good people’s protector and a star-catcher he’s always wanted to be. Now let us combine all said above with Zhang Yun Long’s fascinating attractiveness, especially his sincere and altogether worth his salt smile; calm, cute and gentle manliness; a perfect depiction of the character… and all girls’ hearts are sure to melt. I wonder if there’s just one woman watching this drama who hasn’t asked herself where to find such a hero in a real life.

Lin Zi Yu, who is the main female character, is very cute and makes us sympathize her a lot. She’s mostly naïve but is not either clumsy, shallow, stupid or weird (we’ve had enough of such cliches by now). She’s just young and still learns her way through this world of adults. She gets some life lessons and proves herself a good friend, sister and lover. For a person who’s been an outcast for who knows how many years she’s very sociable, kind and innocent, although sometimes she seems isolated from the others. She reminds me a lot about Pollyanna and I wonder if the author’s got some inspiration from this character. She’s a poor girl without parents and money who is just good enough herself to bring light and support around. She’s like an angel she’s carrying around as a guardian. Ironically, she believes herself to be a person who brings misfortune to those who surround her. Finally, she has to choose sides between her relative and a loved one – and what a cruel choice it may be for a person who truly loves and cherishes both of them!

Although there weren’t many romantic moments between Shu Chen and Zi Yu, they make a very harmonious couple which is pleasurable to watch. They have a sweet and calm kind of romance followed by the shadow of conflicts around them. They have been compared to Romeo and Juliet more than ones and actually arise more sympathy since they are more mature and yet more pure and innocent. They seem to be in love for the first time and would sacrifice all they have for each other’s sake. That’s totally classical but, while situated in a real-life environment, it’s much better.

Shi Wei Cong appears as a stupid, clumsy and immature person at the beginning but then he realizes his limitations and learns from his mistakes. He’s a rare person who’s more than that he seems to be. He protects his friends in the ways he can think of, he’s not afraid to leave home, the place where he’s spoiled and treasured in any ways, to find his true self. He doesn’t care about property and money and he is eager to help and share even if he won’t get anything in return. What’s more, he puts up with the way others treat him (playing tricks, comparing him to an almost perfect friend, not trusting with any serious problems, teasing and using him). He’s the one who errs the most but then unites all friends. The most touching moment is when the three friends find his belongings that he’s been keeping to save the good memories of all his friends.

Ji Xuan Li is the person who has the most difficult set of personal traits. She’s a nice girl but poses like a queen. The three friends are used to it and tease her when treating her like a royalty. But her lover has a difficult time with her; no wonder they end up constantly quarrelling and breaking up. At the same time, friends are the people that just can’t leave her. Who’s there to comfort her, to protect her, to take her, drunk and crazy, home from the clubs? She’s really lucky to have them by her side. At the same time, she’s tender hearted, passionate and brave. She makes the most radical decisions and demonstrates the free will of the woman who is not afraid of letting go, perfecting herself and changing stereotypes.

Li Yang Yang is a sweet workaholic whose image is very familiar to many working women and feminists. The drama has a very vivid topic of defending woman’s rights and is very up-to-date with this question. She’s a quiet soul preferring to suffer secretly, reserved and kind. At the same time, she’s quick to act when there’s injustice. She’s also very professional and energetic which makes her in a good balance with Shu Chen. She selflessly works to give her parents a better life but eventually learns that life can give her something in return. Sometimes you don’t have to hide from relationships just because of work or fears. What’s great is that people in this series get what they deserve: if not by the laws of our real life then just by rights.

What I loved most of all, was the feeling I got from the relations between all the four friends (later – main female character included). We mostly cannot claim we have even one true friend – by saying this I mean someone bigger than a polite and friendly acquaintance but the friend to whom one’s true self can be revealed. For one, any inmost dream or fear, any suspicion or obvious nonsense. This friend seems to read minds and knows your greatest talents and shortcomings. They may have different ideas and estimations of the life’s situations but eventually share your mindset. This is what we see in these characters. They are a combination of talent, childishness, diligence, vulnerability, righteousness and willingness to protect each other. The characters in this series mostly have unhappy family background but make their own family which is united not by blood but by spirit and shared memories from the saddest to the most joyful ones. I couldn’t help smiling when watching these four’s interactions. They give such a warm and cute vibe of care and belonging that you also start seeing friends in them. Friendship in this drama is not a cliché and isn’t shallow: it’s an almost palpable representation of the souls’ unity.

The plot is quite good, too. It is mostly predictable but you are enjoying all way through. The comparably low rating may be explained by the slow burn relationship between the main couple on the one hand and by the number of business-related situations at work. Personally, I loved both. I’m really a fan of well-written love story and the accurate depiction of working relationship in two teams. The motivations of all characters are very logical and psychologically believable. Neither love, required by the genre, comes unmotivated nor misunderstandings appear from nowhere. I also love the way the creators of this series combined hilarious and almost tragic moments. The comic reliefs and very tense moments are interwoven well. The flashbacks are also given logically when they are really needed to remind the viewer of some facts or explain one’s background. No teary fillers or repetitive memories are there to annoy the audience. Till the end there is a question of how Shu Chen will deal with his rival. Forgiving, letting go, doing right by and revenging seem possible options. If not pay too much attention to the credits there is one more intrigue: Yang Yang’s choice. By the way, I’ve noticed a great thing about the ending credits: the scenes are mixed up so well that you don’t get the actual events of the story in the sequence you expect. There are also a few moments when the credits have even deceived the viewer about the things that would come (I’m really impressed by them not being the ever-spoiling ending credits).

Shooting is nice as well. The office of ‘Feilin’ is quite colourful, the sea is lovely, the contrast of light and darkness is so alive. Flashbacks are shown in a slightly different technique and yet give the feel of really important scenes of one’s past. Opening and ending are dramatic, and the actual drama is interesting to watch. There are only few dramas you can watch without fast-forwarding. I also like how the symbols and other artistic devices are used. I really adore the metaphor of being a star catcher and how Zi Yu then paints the starry picture when parting with Shu Chen. Stars are the most romantic, tempting, distant and everlasting things we can find in the universe. No wonder an idealistic Shu Chen associates his beliefs with stars and Zi Yu eternizes her love this way.

Music matches the drama well. Initially I thought the ending titles’ mood was strange but not until I realized the story to be more dramatic and complex than it seemed in the beginning. The opening song is really motivating and is as pleasant as a sunny day. I never had heart to skip it because it’s so nice. Zhang Yun Long’s voice is very likeable. He’s done a great job in this drama. There’s nothing the audience could wish to be improved about his performance. Thanks to him and all other people who made this drama come out.

I keep finding more things to analyze in order to not part with the characters and a wonderful story that happened to be beyond any expectations. The morals, obvious and not, (such as taking care of parents or children, forgiving mistakes and treating others with respect, living a full life every single moment of your existence, protecting nature, accepting oneselves the way they are) teach us how to build a better society. True, this drama might seem a bit too idealistic but we do need such heartwarming and positive lessons to keep going on in a more complex and often crueler world. If even a few people fight for a harmonious community, they might change the world for the better. How can they not be heroes? We all are, so let us protect the lights in our hearts and around us just as the characters have suggested.

If you’ve read everything till the last word, you’re my hero as well. Thank you! ?

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