A Journey of Discovery
Growing up is a process of discovery. You discover what you like and what you don't, who you are, who you love….. A million questions asked. Some answered, some not. Hopefully with the few answered, you’re prepared to face the world. You may still be searching for answers throughout your life. And that’s how life goes. This is a story about three best friends growing up together in the same neighborhood, their friendship through high school, college and working life. This is one of the best youth dramas I have ever watched.The Chinese title Shàng Yóu means upstream, depicting also growing up is not easy, having to face challenges and making the right choices. The story is so well written, directed and acted - funny, cute, nostalgic - with characters elaborated with depth, from the main to the supporting leads. The attention to details is immaculate, capturing all the nuances of the era (Gameboy, concern of Y2K for computer systems, flip phones, huge bulky computers with floppy disks etc). The story has a span of 10 years from 1997 to 2007, starting from the characters’ final year in high school, throughout all 4 years of their life in college, and the final 2 episodes on their adult working life, marriages, relationship, each living a separate life. Nostalgic? This is life.
Xia Xiaoju (Hu Yixuan) has just moved into the neighborhood. She has no friends and hates her new home as she has to share a room and a bed with her little brother. She always feels her mother being unfair and always loves her little brother more (many Chinese families prefer boys to girls). Two boys from the same street quickly become her best friends as they help her adapt to her new environment and catch up with school work. One is gentle and kind, the other is rough and childish. Naturally Xia Xiaoju falls in love with the ‘nice’ boy. Little does she know that the other boy standing behind her, quietly doing everything for her, is the rightful one for her. Xia Xiaoju may be naïve and has overly low self-esteem at times, but she is determined and is always a friend one can count on.
I have liked Hu Yixuan’s acting. I find her very genuine and natural without having to try too hard. Her acting as a teenager in this drama is so impressive. I have always thought Tan Songyun (Seven Tan) the best actor who can look and act like a teenager. Here, Hu Yixuan is equally good if not better. As teenagers, Tan Songyun is tomboyish, whereas Hu Yixuan is a very convincing timid teenage girl who is not confident of herself and fearful of showing her inner feelings. I love her interactions with her friends and her family. Hu Yixuan has absolutely nailed the role.
Lu Shiyi (Richard Zhang), an aspiring doctor who is hemophobic (fear of blood), tall, good looking and intelligent, is playful when it comes to his childhood friends. He doesn’t miss an opportunity in teasing Xia Xiaoju whom he has a penchant in getting his satisfaction out of her misery by pulling her ponytail, palm-turning her head (watch this https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1hP4y1a7Uc), bear-hugging her under his giant armpit, bickering with her and calling her names (like Pig); he simply ‘roughs’ her up all the time like treating a boy and the bickering is non-stop. How Lu Shiyi treats Xia Xiaoju would have been called out in today's cancel culture, but here, his actions are cute, innocent and heart-warming. To me, that's how people, especially good friends, should interact with each other, sincerely and lovingly.
Richard Zhang has a very unique look with almond shaped eyes. He may not even be considered as good looking by many viewers but he embodies youthfulness, energy, mischiefs, rebellion that fit perfectly into the Lu Shiyi character; he brings the character alive.
Cheng Lang (Chen Bo Hao) is the gentle boy with straight ‘A’s in class. He is kind to everyone especially to his best friends to whom he would give up anything for. He always tries to mitigate between Xia Xiaoju and Lu Shiyi when they brawl, and Xia Xiaoju has a crush on him since she first meets him. I have never watched any of Chen Bo Hao’s work, but here, he aces his role making the Cheng Lang character so lovable, a perfect white horse prince for any girls.
Even though the romance is not the focus, the dynamics of the main leads are remarkable. I love how the main leads are smart and caring for each other. Their utmost trust between each other throughout the drama does not falter. Having said that, there are some slight misunderstandings between Xia Xiaoju and Lu Shiyi that lead to their separation for a rather long period of time after college.
Official Soundtracks (OSTs)
Despite this drama produces a number of new soundtracks, none as memorable as the two oldies:
“Do You Know I’m Thinking of You?” (你知道我在想你吗) by Taiwanese singer/composer Chang Hung-Liang (张洪量) in 1997. This song stirs up a lot of memories for many viewers. It also captures our lead characters’ feelings during those growing up years, from teenage to adulthood. It’s fun to watch how our character struggles to learn singing the song so that she can perform it to the one she loves.
“Love You”(喜歡妳) by Hong Kong musician Wong Ka Kui (黄家驹) / Beyond in 1988. Sung in Cantonese throughout, this is another well-loved song that took Asia-Pacific by storm during the era. It appropriately expresses the adoration of our characters for each other and the moments they have together.
The use of harmonica and guitar to play the background music, simple and nostalgic, further captures the mood and conjures up memories of the time by-gone.
My Verdict
Growing up means changes. Things may not always turn out the way we plan, and our plans may not be as perfect as we have hoped them to be. We all need to learn to adapt to changes. Our characters change over time as they begin to understand life better. Not only they become stronger, they also become better for themselves and others.
Everyone can relate to this story one way or another. If you're a youth, you'd love this drama because you can relate to almost all the characters here - they can be your friends, your family, even yourself. Whoever you may be, you'd love this story too because it helps bring back all those memories of youth. Superb acting and captivating writing bring you back to those by-gone years of innocence.
I don’t usually watch youth dramas, but this one is a gem. Everything is so natural. It is so funny that I laugh so hard, and yet, I cry when I see my characters struggle. However, I have to point out that, like in most other Chinese dramas, lazy writing towards the ending spoils the whole otherwise wonderful drama. I wish the writers have been more thoughtful towards this end. It's such a pity because the whole drama has been so good. The last 2 episodes are just not keeping up with the initial momentum and quality. There are so many lost opportunities that the production team could have made this drama so stand out.
Despite from the "less than perfect" writing for the last 2 episodes, I still love this drama nonetheless. All the scenes are tastefully shot. I particularly love the scenes when Lu Shiyi rides a creaky bike taking Xia Xiaoju at the backseat. That beautiful screen shot encapsulates the whole story, Shàng Yóu.
Must watch! TWO THUMBS UP! BRAVO!
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Exceeds Expectations.
Generally, if there is one genre that has been reused too many times to the point that nobody really watches them anymore, Youth dramas take one of the top spots. A River Runs Through It is no different. Dealing with the regular issues of teenagers growing up and their relationship with their parents, it can be compared to the vibes of Lovely Us and Reply 1988 during its initial episodes and proceeds to follow an almost slice of life like plot with the daily on going life of the characters at college and their relationship with their friends and 'person of interest'.(It's also very loosely based on a novel "Yan Lei De Shang You" (眼泪的上游) by Ming Qian Yu Hou (明前雨后) which is literally translated to 'Upstream of Tears.' It dealt with the ignorance of youth and had a realistic portrayal of the 'One that Got Away', if you are curious.)
***THE WARM FUZZIES:
☆ Set during the late 90s and early 2000s, what makes ARRTI stand out from regular youth dramas is the absolutely vibrant portrayal of the various characters, the real nostalgic vibe that it brought along, and the absolutely relatable incidents and events that anyone can relate to. There's always a constant feeling of warmth throughout our journey with characters
☆ Right from the first episode, we come across Xia Xiao Ju, a timid but hardworking girl, who accidentally has an unceremonious first meeting with the naughty Lu Shi Yi. We meet their neighbour Cheng Lang, a compassionate and sincere boy, the fluffy Bao Xiang Xiang and the empathetic Qiu Le Tao. The journey with the five characters from high school to gaokao and their moments of happiness and sadness were deeply touching. Characters, even with less screen time, managed to flesh themselves out as realistic ones, breathing life into the drama. We fall for them, laugh and feel their sorrow with them. One of the most memorable scenes I would pick during their highschool days is the one where the gang chases after the departing train. What I initially thought to be a funny moment was painful. And I related a lot to the 'bidding farewell' scenes. For a coming of age drama, this is one of the best I've seen.
☆ None of the characters were cookie cutters. Everyone were multi dimensional with their own strengths and weakness. Cheng Lang, the studious sweet boy, does have his own share of naughty stuff with Lu Shiyi. Shiyi often plays around, but proves to be one of the best friends that one could wish to have. It was absolutely funny watching this drama on Youtube and each new episode had people saying how much Shiyi was starting to grow on them. Bao Bao comes off as lazy and funny, but is more understanding and his own share of difficulities to face. Tao Tao might be confused, but has more grit and resolve in her. Xiaoju is shaky when it comes to her own internal struggles, but recognizes her faults and attempts to correct them. The variety of characters, each with their own uniqueness and the brilliant portrayal by the actors was one of it's highlights. In terms of acting alone, this drama deserves a better rating than many of the hyped up ones.
☆ I was particularly impressed by Jiang Zhuo Jun's Qiu Letao. I'd found her role in Just an Encore almost forgettable, but from here, I could tell that she deserves characters with more depth and intensity. It was also a treat to see Wang Rui Chang as Lu Shi Yi. The last few episodes were some of the best moments of his and showcased his talent. Hu Yi Xuan never disappoints and this was no exception. Chen Bo Hao was another surprise - his character never annoyed me, even though he was set up as a someone who was supposed to rival Lu Shiyi. In fact, now that I think about it, none of the characters were annoying.
☆ The strong friendships are really well depicted with a hint of realism to it, emanating a lambent ambience that is bouyed by compelling performance by the cast. I couldn't find a single scene where I felt that anyone was trying too hard to make it seem natural. Nothing was forced. It was really heartwarming and relatable. Particularly the original gang: Xia Xiaoju, Cheng Lang, Lu Shiyi, Tao Tao and Bao Bao. Then later, at college, the bromance between Shiyi, Huang Jun and Cheng Lang. Not to mention Xiaoju and her roommates, including Tao Tao. The comedy element was never lost until some of the final few episodes.
Shiyi and Xiaoju's friendship is perhaps the highlight and backbone of the story. Their support, banter and care for each other was what kept us waiting for new episodes each day. In a way, we see them realize where their hearts lie and it was heart warming to watch. (Also a bit frustrating.)
Lu Shiyi just raised the bar up when it comes to best friend standards. Although annoying at times, he is often ruthless with his words and desperately attempts to help his friends when they are at their worst, may it be Cheng Lang or Xiaoju. His character was a standout for me among many leads I've seen - he is usually the kind of guy who is set up as a second lead whereas Cheng Lang would be the leading man. But, all the five of them (six including Huang Jun) had distinct personalities and worries that made each of them interesting in their own right. Their journey along the bumpy road of life was 100% worth my time.
☆ Another aspect that I love about this drama are the parental relationships. I'm sorry to say that I was at the opposite end of the Xiaoju - Mother arc, but some of the way that Xiaoju reacted reminded me exactly of my sister. Her conversations with her father were beautifully portrayed. I also found Cheng Lang's relationship with his mother really touching. Shi Yi's banter and arguments with his parents were absolutely funny. The parents' continued to make their appearance even towards the very end, which was something I've not seen much in many Chinese youth dramas and found it relatable and realistic.
Those moments with the family never failed to make me emotional and kudos to everyone involved.
☆ In terms of relationships, I personally feel that ARRTI covered some of them in a rather realistic/bittersweet manner that was much closer to reality. The last half of the drama particularly has a lot of focus on relationships, but never seemed too mushy and romance focussed. I never disliked any couple or ship, however boring they might be.
☆ The soundtrack was perfect; not flashy or over the top, but nostalgia inducing and warm. I was unable to understand a single word, but nevertheless, they made me feel the exact emotions that I was supposed to be feeling. My favourite ones:
▪Still Singing (依然歌唱) by Liu Xin (刘心).
▪Between the Lines That Year (那年的字里行间) by Guo Jing/Claire Kuo (郭靜).
The ending theme 'Dear Journey' (亲爱的远行) by Cao Xuan Bin (曹轩宾) was pleasant to listen to. I particularly liked the instrumental renditions of various songs. None felt out of place and complimented the scenes perfectly.
The BGM only added to the effects of ARRTI. Some of them were really memorable:
1. A flock of birds flying away.
2. A top toppling. (I read a YT comment pointing it out to be a tennis ball.)
3. A goat braying.
4. A chicken and duck crowing and quacking.
5. A train wooshing.
6. A cat meowing and dog barking - particularly when there was some humorous conversation between Tao Tao and Xiaoju.
***THE COLD PRICKLIES: [Mild spoilers.]
---- Xiao Ju's one-sided crush on Cheng Lang dragged waay too long, about 25+ episodes. It should've wrapped up right around EP24 or 25 so that the story could focus on Xiao Ju's growth and relationship with her family, but it didn't and so much time was unnecessarily wasted on the arc. On the positive side, none of the side characters were affected by this, so there was smooth development from their side. (Plus, I was unable to connect to her character as I had never experienced this. It looked like she was imagining a lot of stuff.)
---- As a result of the above point, the final few episodes are the weakest, particularly from EP32. They were a total rush as expected from a show destined to squeeze everything into 36 episodes. Not to mention, the warm quality and realistic character growth got totally thrown in the bin to give way for a really cliché and uninspired script that could be a part of any drama. We already have an excess of such Youth dramas with the same tropes, so it was extremely disappointing to see such a promising show take the exact same route. I, for one, was dissatisfied by the way everything got wrapped up with a bow as it almost seemed more like fanservice than actual content.
---What makes this more obvious is how closely the writers stuck to the novel upto episode 34. Possibly the most fatal flaw they had made. Had they wanted to give a more fulfilling and realistic end, they should've steered clear off the book's influence. Slow burn romance needs a lot of depth and time to construct; Xiao Ju and Shi Yi's friendship was more memorable than the push and pull crap that kept happening past EP30, completely failing to bring justice to their "romance". It just wasn't a convincing slowburn with only five episodes to stuff everything in. The last two episodes, albeit being beautiful, is plain mediocre; it was clearly a deus ex machina. It was forced and banal, completely forgetting it's realistic slice-of-life storyline in favour of a flamboyant end to satisfy viewers.
---- The character Xiaoju, never really got a chance to face the repercussions of her actions and her realization and growth were stuffed behind several dream sequences or time skips that was unfavourable for her.
Out of all the characters, she had the potential to have a really well portrayed storyline, but I failed to see any significant change in the way she was written. At some points after EP31, I could feel the inconsistency in her behaviour, which might be the result of trying to serve justice to her character, who in the book was a rather depressing one. Some of her actions suddenly seemed indecisive and stupid, often slow with her responses, thanks to the awful pacing and a timeskip that crowded the plotline of several characters together. I couldn't sympathize with her actions as somehow I glimpsed the shadow of the novel's end. It's such a shame when she could've been right up there with characters like Duk Soon and Chengzi, yet the drama failed to live upto it's potential. Time was what she needed, but it wasn't done convincingly. It's also understandable as the original novel wasn't as fleshed out as the live action. I could feel that the writers kept the book in mind and it somehow got unintentionally hinted for a minority of viewers, including myself.
--- There were more scenes of the leads getting support from their friends that I really liked, but when it came to themselves, the communication about their troubles and fears regarding their relationship was almost zero. Shiyi got no better than her - there are still questions and misunderstanding remaining from his side. It didn't help that we see his character's efforts for the first 30 episodes, but get little to no actual response from Xiaoju during the final episodes, where multiple character arcs come to a close, and the story took a very generic turn that was a stark contrast to its original tone. Which is a shame since more than half of the drama was spent on strengthening their relationship, but hits a rocky road after a time skip. It felt off and did both Shiyi and Xiaoju a disservice. Had the scriptwriters chosen a more slow and convincing progress, it would have been much better.
---- The timeskips worked excellently for the evolution of supporting characters. But, the slice-of-life like balance got lost during the last bit. The main leads disappeared offscreen in what seemed like an attempt to give other characters a proper closure. It didn't help that unnecessary misunderstandings were stuffed at the very end, sucking away the uniqueness of the drama. Also, a few scenes that could provide some credibility and continuity to the story were completely cut off, or clipped and locked behind a paywall. Which just might be one of the worst decisions I've ever seen a streaming platform make - many of us waited for crumbs and finding out that minor scenes that could develop the plot got cut off was iffy.
But, I enjoyed the story of each of the original gang members, hence my rating.
***FROM THE BANK OF THE RIVER:
Overall, the cast and crew attempted their best to bring the story to life.
Personally, the drama portrayed the bitterness of youth and the dilemma one faces during those times excellently.
My rating is an 8, minus the enjoyment factor, for which I'd gladly give this one a 9, even if the last few episodes were unnecessary for the leads. The characters and execution made this watching experience a really memorable one. But, for a drama that could've followed it's slice-of-life plot, it fell far off the mark and now I only can lament about its wasted potential.
In a way, I can understand why the Chinese Title of the drama is Shang You/Upstream.
Going upstream is never easy. There is the gravity constantly pulling you down and the river itself that stops your smooth passage. Time and river have two things in common: they pass by and if we are lucky, we find what we want at the right time or realize what we missed out on too late. But, in the end, they are all bittersweet and nostalgic memories that we will forever cherish. And if that was what " A River Flows Through It" wanted to pass on to us audience, they did it really well.
Do I think it's perfect? No way. Did it make me mad at times? Yes, definitely.
But the fact that it riles up such intense emotions within the viewers itself is a win for ARRTI.
And I do not plan to erase this small, flawed story of two lovable idiots and their friends anytime soon.
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This review may contain spoilers
Strong start, lackluster finish
* Editing this because I focused SO much on the negative so I would just like to add that I love Lu Shiyi. He is a very passionate and loyal person. He was dedicated to sports but that didn't stop him from improving his studies and he never lost sight of his dream of becoming a doctor. He went out of his way to comfort, love, and protect his friends and family. He wasn't afraid to apologize when he hurt someone and he never stopped giving his all. I just wish the writers didn't throw the Lu Shiyi we loved out the window in the last few episodes and replace him with an overly jealous and obsessive jerk*The show started off pretty strong. With interesting characters and funny moments that led to beautiful friendships forming it was building up to be one of the best school love/friendship stories I have watched. The only qualms I had in the beginning were that they rushed the high-school portion and sending BaoBao off was way too random + I almost thought they were going to make it the cliche "cold, rude boy bullies the girl and she falls for it" but they didn’t. Shiyi teased Xiaoju and they bickered a lot after getting off in the wrong foot BUT Shiyi quickly changed his ways and they became great friends. They both stuck their necks out for each other and grew close. Once they became friends and before Shiyi even realized his feelings he still went above and beyond for Xiaoju.
Everything seemed great and despite the looming love triangle and every day struggles the group's friendship was the one strong standing thing. However for some reason the writers decided to scrap that and ruin practically every character.
The thing I liked the most about Shiyi was that even after he found out how he felt about Xiaoju, he didn’t want to force his feelings on her or lose her and decided that he would be happy if she was happy and wished she wouldn't get hurt in her own one-sided love. He was always there for her and did whatever he could to make her happy. Even after he found out that Xiaoju liked Cheng Lang, he was upset but he didn’t take it out on her and instead helped keep her secret and do his best to comfort her and protect her heart. He tried to muster up the courage to confess quite a few times but Xiaoju was always wrapped up in her feelings for Cheng Lang so he pushed it off to comfort her instead. Unfortunately the writers through all of this out the window by introducing Chang Le or whatever the class monitor's name was. They made Shiyi turn super jealous and obsessive. Then after he confessed his feelings he kept practically harassing her, tricking her, and using tricks to make her pretend to date him (the entire fake dating thing was ridiculous, if they were gonna use that extremely overused trope they at least could have done it right). Suddenly all he cared about was chasing her around. On top of that out of nowhere he returned to his high school self and started insulting Xiaoju nealry everu time he interacted with her because of his jealousy.
As for Xiaoju, she was a good headstrong character. She worked hard in her studies and was a loyal friend. However the writers ruined her character after Shiyi's confession. Suddenly the Xiaoju we knew who was kind and got upset at Shiyi for always being mean turned downright nasty to Shiyi. She called him crazy for confessing and just kept hurting his feelings despite explicitly saying that she was turning him down so he wouldn't get hurt. I get being confused about her feelings but she would fully disregard his feelings in general. At first she said it was because she didn't like him like that but then she switched up and just insisted that it isnt right and that they should ONLY be friends. She kept switching up one moment she would be rude to Shiyi but then realize she was too mean and would apologize and give in and basically confess her feelings but then when he would say she likes him and they are together she would shove him away and run off. She did this a MILLION times until one day she decides she is confused and MIGHT like him. Literally everyone in the world could tell she actually liked him now EXCEPT HER. It takes her bag being stolen and Cheng Lang pointing out to her (for the 100th time) that she likes Shiyi and then she FINALLY admits it and confesses her love for Shiyi...TO CHENG LANG
Cheng Lang who was kind and very down to earth just grew boring and I felt almost zero chemistry between him and Lin You. He became a side character and I couldn't care less about his love story with Lin You until they had such a ridiculous ending. Personally Lin You had the personality of a piece of paper and they ruined her character even more by her breaking Cheng Lang's heart not once but THREE TIMES. Cheng Lang was clearly very interested in her and they stayed up late together and he did lots of chivalrous things for her but not once did she mention she had a boyfriend until he confessed. Then her bf dumps her and Cheng Lang helps her heal and before he can confess SHE makes the first step towards him. She then becomes the jokingly clingy gf telling him not to flirt with other girls. They date and are in love for almost 3 yrs then the writers decide to bring her bf back and have him beg to get back together. Then they reveal that oops! It was a misunderstanding and he got in an accident and lost everything and thats why he dumped her. But still she cries and says she loves Cheng Lang. But then its revealed that her mom forced him to lie and break up with her for no reason and then that leads to a whole mess of her defending her ex in front of Cheng Lang and then eventually choosing him and going to study abroad. The writers then decide its a great choice to make Cheng Lang become successful but still make him heartbroken and long for Lin You and then end it with him seeing her back in China and excited to talk to her only to see her with her boyfriend that ISN'T the man she left him for. Thus rubbing it in his face that not only did she leave you and run back into her ex's arms, she dumped that guy too and STILL didn't come back to you.
As for TaoTao and Huang Jun the writers ruined their cute relationship. They randomly through in Menglu who purposely tried to break them up. Huang Jun faltered and lied to Tao Tao even after she gave him another chance. Then when she fully breaks it off he goes on to date Menglu only to still fawn over TaoTao and complain about Menglu not understanding (which serves her right because how is she gonna break them up and then complain because he still cares about her and act like he wouldn't cheat on her). 2 years pass since their breakup and only then after seeing TaoTao happy Huang Jun decides to become possessive & pathetic and never leaves Tao Tao alone despite now being with Menglu. He even begins ignoring her calls without breaking up her. He harasses TaoTao until the end until finally he sings a last song for her and she agrees that one day they can be friends and that she doesnt want to be enemies even though she still hates what he did. He cries, and holds onto her hand and she takes it away and he wishes her happiness. I'm glad Tao Tao got a happy ending and I'm glad Huang Jun suffered and BaoBao came back but everything was too random and thrown together. Why did Tao Tao keep their relationship a secret from Xiaoju for YEARS. We were led to believe she was just chatting with a stranger and thats why she was so secretive. Then years later she announces her marriage. I started suspecting it was BaoBao but it seemed so far fetched and laughable. BaoBao appears and apparently Shiyi knew this entire time. Nothing is explained on what he has been doing or how he and TaoTao got together. A random party is thrown and they get married.
The entire last 2 episodes were ridiculously rushed and made no sense. It was clear that Shiyi's "girlfriend" was going to be Xiaoju and that he was just playing a dumb trick on her. When she finally does realized she goes to the beach to wait for him and we are led to believe he is going to do the confession he planned for his "girlfriend" but nope he gets a work emergency and Xiaoju doesn't believe him. She then ignores him at the party and they both act childish to each other all the way up until the ceremony (but not before a drunk kiss initiated by wasted Xiaoju followed by a hinted possible hookup). Then once the ceremony ends and Xiaoju catches the bouquet, Shiyi confesses (IN THE MIDDLE OF TAOTAO AND BAO BAO'S WEDDING) and Xiaoju ask about his gf and he says she is the only one ? then he PROPOSES and they kiss and boom The End.
Yep thats it. We get a random time skip and zero explanation of why Shiyi never contacted her but suddenly everything is okay and they are ready to marry each other. We also get zero explanation on TaoTao and BaoBao's relationship and Cheng Lang and Lin You's relationship is resolved with Cheng Lang never stopping loving her and having to see her on the street with ANOTHER guy.
36 episodes ended randomly and rushed as if the writers just threw darts at a wheel and went with it. 36 episodes and we never get to see Shiyi and Xiaoju as an actual couple and the only kisses we get are all within the span of the last 10 mins of the show. So many things built only to be thrown away completely. I wished the show would have stayed focus on the groups friendship but by the end the bond didnt feel as strong.
I would say give it a watch if you are bored but 36 episodes is A LOT and no amount of skipping would make it more bearable. Super bummed it turned out this way.
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The way he looks at her is reason enough to watch this drama.
A River Runs Through It is the first Chinese youth drama I've watched, hence, I can't compare it to any other previous Chinese dramas in this genre. However, this is easily one of the best, if not the best, youth drama I've ever watched. It is also right up there in the list of my most favourite Chinese dramas ever.Chinese dramas are often hit or miss for me, korean dramas usually work out better for my taste. I have dropped many popular titles and I was able to finish only a handful of c-dramas. Hidden gems like these make my watching experience worthwhile and I am really grateful I found this drama. This is my first review on MDL, buckle up...... This is going to be a long one, folks, because I have a lot of thoughts about this drama.
ARRTI is a drama that tells the coming of age story of a group of friends who are classmates since high school. Our main leads, Xia Xiaoju, Lu Shi Yi and Cheng Lang are close friends who live in the same neighbourhood. This is a story of their friendship, struggles, evolving relationships and the general trials and tribulations of their youth. There are some things this drama does really well but it also has its flaws. I was really surprised that this drama was able to deal with so many themes in its runtime. It talks about friendship, family, school and exams, parental expectations, first love, false hope, unrequited love, feeling directionless in terms of a career, economic struggles of a family, romantic relationships and many more such themes. I think it does a really good job narrating a well rounded story about what we normally face in our young adult life.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS DRAMA:
I) Characters: I fell in love with these characters. Everyone in the original pack of friends won my heart. All of them seem real and have been backed by solid writing and even better acting. Our main characters fulfill the 3 Fs of what makes a character great for me. They are Fun, Flawed and Fleshed out. It's really impressive how multidimensional these characters are.
• Xiaoju is the timid new girl who generally lacks courage and is portrayed as hesitant and insecure most of the time, but she turns fierce and determined when it comes to defending or helping her friends. She is the kind of friend you want at your back in a fight. She suffers setback after setback throughout the drama and has to face a lot of challenges. I have to say the author of the novel upon which this drama is based is really not kind to Xiaoju, no wonder the title literally translates to 'Upstream of Tears'. Overall, I love how fleshed out her character is. Her character development does wobble a bit in the last couple of episodes, but her thoughts, actions and interactions with other characters from the beginning are enough to set her up as a realistic character with whom you can relate on many levels. She is pretty naive when it comes to love as well. I could relate to her struggles with the parental expectations, her legendary walkouts and sulks (which were also my signature in my adolescence), issues about her education and career, her indecisiveness and insecurity and her propensity to second guess everything (in many instances, she is like a crab who, if not moving backwards, will move sideways but will never step forward). I am very much like her, hence, I can perhaps be a bit kinder to her than other average viewers. She is also given to bursts of temper but is pretty prompt in admitting her mistakes and apologizing. She also makes sure her friends know of her appreciation for their good qualities (especially Shi Yi) and is always rooting for her friends. Overall, a very humane character.
• Lu Shi Yi is probably the best male lead I've seen in chinese dramas. He has set the bar really high for male lovers depicted in Chinese romance stories. He is also a very well written character and goes through his own share of trials and triumphs. He is a tall, good looking and smart guy who does have his character flaws of being hot tempered, mean mouthed and aggressive. But he is also patient, sincere, loyal and helpful. He doesn't do anything by halves, is very stubborn (they both are stubborn) and always exudes a very alpha male energy in his every scene. In fact, he is the most realistically portrayed alpha male character, who instead of coming across as a douchebag, is actually quite loveable. He dominates the room with his strong and pushy personality but also comes across as solid, dependable, generous and loveable. He is very attached to his friends and is quick to help them out of any fix. He also shows his maturity and patience in subtle ways.
All the other pack characters are also well written and well performed. Cheng Lang is the super smart, handsome, all around perfect guy who also likes to play video games and sports and has the penchant for teasing his close friends. Qiu Le Tao is again the best friend you want, one who is always on your team and is always rooting for you. She goes through many challenges too and emerges stronger because of them. I also liked Huang Jun's character, inspite of his character arc but I would really attribute that to the actor. Bao Bao is the icing on the cake when it comes to the character list, a very memorable and lovely character who made quite a big impression in the first few episodes. In conclusion, this is more a character driven story rather than plot driven.
II) Acting: The best thing about this drama is definitely the acting of all the cast members. The crew member who has done the best work in this production is definitely the casting director for me. Each character comes to life due to the amazingly detailed acting of the cast members, especially the main leads. Meaning can be attached to each of their micro expressions and it just completely immerses you in their story. I was really impressed by the leads, Hu Yi Xuan and Wang Rui Chang. This drama has soldified Hu Yi Xuan as my favourite Chinese actress. She injects a lot of natural warmth in her character which makes Xiaoju palatable even when her flaws are exposed. This is her best performance for me and she made me smile, laugh and cry with her throughout the drama. Her natural acting was such a joy to watch, she made her relationships with her friends and family really convincing and believable. Wang Rui Chang was such a pleasant surprise. Lu Shi Yi is his ultimate triumph, there can be no Lu Shi Yi without Wang Rui Chang. He completely made this character his own, to the point where it didn't even seem like he was 'acting'. He plays this strong and abrasive personality character really well and makes you fall in love with Lu Shi Yi as the drama progresses. I love his interactions with his family and friends, especially his friendship with Cheng Lang, Huang Jun and Bao Bao. I have to say all the emotional scenes were delivered exceptionally well by both HYX and WRC, (which is something a lot of other actors in their age range struggle with) their crying scenes were so convincing and they both added unique idiosyncrasies to their characters.
Chen Bo Hao's Cheng Lang, Jiang Zhuo Jun's Qiu Le Tao and Tan Quan's Huang Jun were a treat to watch and a pleasant surprise since this is the first time I'm seeing these actors. They were very convincing in the portrayal of their characters and made me fall in love with their realistic acting. Bao Bao also made a lasting impression on me and the actor is mostly responsible for that.
III) Chemistry: The chemistry between all the characters is outstanding, especially our main lead pair. You always get the sense that Xiao ju and Shi Yi belong together throughout the drama, despite many ups and downs in their relationship. Even when their relationship takes a dramatic turn, you're never left in doubt of their close bond. Their friendship, trust and dependence on each other is the crux of this drama. I don't know how the actors managed to showcase this almost soulmate like chemistry; they seem like a unit instead of two individuals whenever they're in the same frame, even though they're both very different from each other. Many a times, they don't even need words to communicate with each other, they just talk with their eyes (again something that happens irl, my sister and I are also like that)
HYX also has excellent chemistry with JZJ and the friendship between XXJ and QLT is one of the highlights of this drama for me. Similarly, the male actors also have great chemistry and I love the bromance between LSY, CL, HJ and BB. They definitely sell the friendship aspect of this drama really well.
IV) Details in the plot and acting: The drama sets a very easy pace which is reminiscent of many slice of life dramas. It does suffer from the recurrent curse seen in chinese drama i.e. a rushed ending. However, there are many details embedded in its plot, character development, props, dream sequences, callbacks to past moments, etc which captured my attention throughout. If a character, who is shown to be frugal in nature, wins a bag in a competition in high school, you can be sure that they use that bag throughout their college years. From props and sound effects that communicate 90s nostalgia (like gameboy, nintendo, vintage computers and play station, walkmans, discmans, old bus stops, buses and sound effects like the old train engine, plastic balls and animal sounds) to props which are very character oriented like basketball keychain, slice of orange keychain, shell hairpin, diasies, etc; these details make for a very interesting and engaging storyline. We see similar details in the micro expressions and voice modulation of the actors, which communicate their emotions and feelings at different points in the story really well. Also, there are many twists and turns across the entire plot progression which makes things interesting and nerve wracking.
V) Romance: As mentioned before, this drama deals with many themes and portrays different forms of love. Romance does not really take a backseat nor is it central to the plot really. However, whatever sweet moments of the lead couple we do get are very memorable and tastefully shot. I had never imagined hugs and piggyback ride could be so romantic. The lighting and bgm in these scenes make them really enhance these scenes. Their hugs, eye contact, physical skinship and their constant presence in each other's life made me get deeply invested in their story. I kept rooting for them to get together because no other eventuality was acceptable to me, for these characters. I would credit that mainly to the amazing chemistry between the leads.
Also, I have to say, HYX and WRC make for a really aesthetically pleasant looking couple. Their height and size difference makes them look particularly cute when they're in the same frame together. His sharp and chiselled features coupled with her round and soft cuteness makes them a really beautiful looking couple. And as I said before, the way he looks at her was enough to make my viewing experience of this drama worthwhile. Nothing seems artificial or over dramatised between them ( no twirling in slow motion, slipping and falling or obvious prolonged eye contact here). Every moment between them has genuine warmth, sweetness and comfort which makes it more romantic than those overused tropes. (I also like the detail of her giving him a nickname which only she calls him in the end, again something that has happened in my case too)
VI) Sports and Singing scenes: the entire team's commitment towards detailed portrayal of sports and singing scenes is really commendable. Some sports related scenes have very anime like quality to them and you can't help but root for the characters during these scenes. It was a joy to watch them play on screen, especially Lu Shi Yi. Even the scenes related to singing show the commitment of the actors towards it which makes us feel the importance of these moments, for the character and plot. Singing and guitar playing scenes excellently delivered by the concerned cast members, especially Hu Yi Xuan and Tan Quan. They did such a good job of using music to communicate their feelings and emotions. Many powerful and important scenes revolve around sports and singing and their exceptional delivery is what makes them impactful. None of these scenes are half hearted, in stead they effectively communicate the sincerity of both the characters and the actors
WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE DRAMA
I) Rushed ending: The easy pace of the drama takes a dramatic turn in the last couple of episodes. Although I still enjoyed many moments in these episodes (especially the flashbacks), the questionable decisions taken by the writers exposes the flaws of both Xiaoju and Shiyi's characters. The love for misunderstandings, which is quite common in chinese dramas, is visible here as well towards the end. They do a good job of setting up conflicts and resolving them throughout the drama. But that's not maintained in the last couple of episodes which gives rise to many plot holes and unanswered questions. I like the slow burn aspect of the story quite a bit, just not fond of them using the cop out method of creating misunderstandings to increase dramatic tension. It's not a disappointing end by any means; as I said,no other possibility was acceptable to me for this couple. However, this aspect made this drama only close to perfection for me, instead of perfection itself. It had the potential to be perfect but that was not fully realised by the end.
II) Dream Sequences: I love that they maintain Xiaoju's flights of fantasies as her characteristic feature throughout the drama. I personally am given to daydream and fantasize quite a lot so it was very relatable for me. It also does a good job of communicating that reality seldom meets our expectations. However, I feel like they could've cut back on them a little bit, especially towards the end, in favour of real conversations between the characters which would've gone a long way in completing their character arcs.
III) Lin You's character: I couldn't get invested in her character nor her rather melodramatic life. She is easily the weakest and the most forgettable character for me. I dont know if it is because of the way she is written or the way she is performed. In contrast, I actually liked Huang Jun's character even though he has a similarly questionable character arc.
In conclusion, I will never forget this drama nor its characters. As someone who relates to the main character so much, not only through her personality but also because of her experience with first love and unrequited love, many moments in the drama hit differently for me. This drama does an amazing job of communicating its central message of how we are always moving through life like the upstream of river. In this process, many things are missed or get left behind. I love how it is articulated in one of the dialogues, "maybe if we could look back, we'd have a different happiness". I think this powerful philosophy has been executed really well by this drama and that, along with all the points mentioned above, sets it apart from many other dramas in this genre. Kudos to the teams for bringing us this wonderful gem of a drama. Will forever miss my TuJu CP.
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This review may contain spoilers
Realistic story line, Cute and interesting interaction between main leads
Hu Yi Xuan is a good actress and i have watched most of her show. However i must say she excelled in this drama and this is her best performance so far in my opinion. Her portrayal of Xiao Ju is super solid armed with on the point expression that is displayed by her facial and body language. She acts exactly the age of the character xiao ju at different phase of her life. I really enjoyed her acting in this drama. Richard wang also acted really well for his character and this is actually the first drama i watched him in and i am impressed by how well he played his playful and naughty character. All other supporting roles also did their part well and i am loving all the cast especially Tao Tao.This is a drama that feels real and not that many cliches you find in most ROMCOM which i really like about. Not all couples ended up together, they fall in love, make mistakes, make up and break up But the friendship is solid among them which keeps me going and wanting to watch more. They also have heart warming family members that can bring tears to your eyes. Xiao Ju and her little brother relationship is so relatable as i also have an older sister and we were exactly that way when we were young LOL(and we love each other too despite all the fights).
There isn't much romantic scene between the main couple but they made it up with tons of sweet lovely moments. Their interaction and relationship is so adorable that you will ship them and fall in love with them unconditionally. Most of the time they are squabbling with each other but they are so cute fighting each other it makes u laugh and smile unknowingly :) You will definitely ship the main couple and understand how they eventually fall in love.
*SPOILER*
There is only 1 thing i dislike about this drama and its that the main couple only got together officially in the final minute of the final episode. LMAO you are going to have angst over it. This drama could have been shorten by another 3-4 episode and it would be perfect. How they keep missing each other over misunderstanding is annoying. (this extended the whole drama by another 3 episode -.-) Lu Shi Yi initial attitude towards Xiao Ju after his returns from oversea is also annoying and does not make sense.(DUDE U CAME BACK FOR HER SO STOP TREATING HER LIKE U DID WHEN U WERE 18). <- this extended the drama by almost an entire episode.
CONCLUSION: i don't regret watching this and i will definitely rewatch it when i am free later on. WORTH the watch and i recommend all of you to give it a try, (Also Hu Yi Xuan is super cute and adorable here(just like she did in all her previous drama), her cute expression itself is enough to make you smile hahaha) SOLID 10/10 rating. LOVE IT
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Decent first 1/3, Draggy second 1/3 and disappointing last 1/3
Completed - 5/20/2022 - 7.25 rounding up to 7.5 because of 《喜欢你》 “I Like You”When “A River Runs Through It” was airing, I heard many good things about it. So, I was looking forward to finally watching it. Unfortunately, I placed this drama on hold twice, before successfully finishing it on the third try. I’ve seen my share of high school/college dramas, I do not agree that it’s the best of the bunch. It’s not bad per se, but the plot and the romance are not interesting enough. A reminder, this is a very subjective review and don’t hate me for the following rants.
As with many teen C-dramas, the focus is on studying for the high school exam, entering college, friendships, love triangles and growing up. These are pretty common themes in this genre. I find the first half of the drama more interesting than the second half as we get to know each character and their dynamics. This drama is very romance-driven and didn’t really tackle a lot of serious student or social issues compared to similar dramas. I am a romance-junkie, so I am fine with looking forward to cute, romantic fluffiness. We have the cute bickering between our leads and feelings developing from friendship to romance. Unfortunately, it took 29 episodes for Shi Yi to finally confess his feelings. I am fine with a slow burn romance if the middle episodes weren’t repetitive and draggy. The unrequited love and love hexagon lasted for way too long. What I disliked the most were the last 5 or so episodes. They are full of coincidental misunderstandings one after another to keep the leads away from each other. If you think that the first half of the drama is a realistic portrayal of student life, you can’t convince me those misunderstanding episodes are realistic. There’s no way that could happen in real life.
Usually, I would be a fan of the ML in such dramas. Unfortunately, it’s not the case here. I am a fan of ML who secretly does a lot behind the girl’s back to support her and Shi Yi should be a prime candidate as one of my favorites. Unfortunately, aside from his adorable looks at FL, I find his character too rough and too mean. He manhandles Xiao Ju quite a bit and there’s a lot of wrist grabbing. It’s rare that I don’t have a favorite character, not the ML, FL or 2ML. Maybe I should applaud the drama for giving us flawed characters but I still want someone to root for. However, I was still very sad when Shi Yi’s feelings weren’t reciprocated and he tried so hard. But why force Xiao Ju to like him, when he himself turned down the affections of Shen Dou? Xiao Ju was also wish-washy for too long.
The overall acting of the cast is decent. I think Wang Rui Chang portrays his role as Shi Yi the best. Female lead, Hu Yi Xuan, isn’t too bad either. But the rest of the cast is below average to average. I find the acting of Judy Qi as Lin You to be one of the weakest cast members. For some reason, her voice dubbing is also the worst. I believe all actors used their real voice, but Lin You’s voice doesn’t sound right.
*SPOILER ENDING*
The last episode is a disappointment to end their marathon romance. They never resolved the misunderstandings from years ago. They had no contact for many years. Now they met, and Shu Yi played the meanie again and probably tried to gauge Shu Yu’s affection and bring back their childhood memories. But why would you propose at your friend’s wedding and steal their thunder? Why would you propose to someone you haven’t seen in years and is still mad at you? And lastly, why would you accept a proposal from someone who you thought had a girlfriend, was mean to you yesterday and had no contact with you for so long? That just doesn’t make sense. On a separate note, how can you not know who your BFF is marrying? What kind of best friend are you?
To end my review on a more positive note, the best thing about this drama is to remind me of the two lovely songs - 《喜欢你》 “I Like You” and《你知道我在等你吗》”Do you know I am waiting for you?” These two songs remind me of my younger years when I used to go to karaoke and sing them, esp. “I Like You” by Beyond (RIP Wong Ka Kui)
Personally, I think there are better high school/college dramas than “A River Runs Through It”. For example,
1. Forever Love (my favorite college romance)
2. Summer Again (sweet and innocent high school romance)
3. Lovely Us4.
4. With You
5. My Huckleberry Friends
6. When We Were Young
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This review may contain spoilers
"But behind us are extremely solid mountains"
"We are like the waters from a river, continuously flowing straight from the upstream and never looking behind to see the scenery......but behind us are extremely solid mountains" - Hu Yixuan (21/09/06).'A River Runs Through It', this Chinese drama is another one of those dramas that revolved around youth, school, romance and comedy. At first, people will have second thoughts and automatically compare it to the other c-dramas of the same genre which they have watched before. Given all the plot tropes, clichés and all the other elements which most of us c-drama fanatics had seen before, it will make us second guess if these 36 episodes are truly worth it, well YES! i'm answering right now, this drama is worth every second of our time as viewers as there is not a single boring episode.
I honestly don't know where to begin, since I have a lot in mind about this drama. I'll start first with its biggest take and what I think made it so worth spending every single second of time on. The first is the scenery or the setting of the drama, it earned such a big applause for me and i'm extremely glad that the production team of ARRTI managed to pull through every single detail, even the smallest ones to make it really look like the drama is set way before the year 2000s. It took them such huge efforts, I mean even the intro of this drama itself with the miniatures is already so appealing. Each scenes perfectly blended with the setting of the drama, making us feel as if we jumped back through time, so it really helped the viewers be completely immersed into every episode. The second would be about the friendship and bond between our precious five (Xiaoju, Shiyi, Chenglang, Letao and Baobao), I won't go through every single detail but get to the main points since it's too long for that, these five have completely proven that a genuine friendship between a girl and a boy or a man and a woman is possible. Although, the rest were a couple except for Chenglang, but let's go way back first to the early days when Xiaoju and Baobao are just simply competing with each other on who will place last or during their beach trip in order to cheer Chenglang up after their college entrance examinations. The friendship of the five of them is so solid, they were there for each other through ups and downs, even if there are misunderstandings between them that arose at the latter episodes, particularly for Xiaoju, Shiyi and Chenglang because of love, despite that, it was evidently shown to us how strong the bond they have is, like when Xiaoju and Shiyi genuinely cared for Chenglang when he got heartbroken by Lin You and etc. The third would be about family, during the early episodes, we have seen how Xiaoju's relationship is like with her mother. In some ways, she was treated unfairly because she had a younger brother whom her mother used to favor more than her. Most viewers who have siblings could easily relate to this. I just love how the rocky relationship between Xiaoju and her mother was dealt with afterwards, the scene between them at Xiaoju's dormitory made me cry, their reconciliation was so heartwarming and proves how important communication is between parents and children. The other heartwarming moment for me was with Chenglang and his mother. His mother here became a strong woman for her child. When Chenglang had an accident when he was about to take the entrance examination for college, it was so touching that I cried buckets, that touching scene i'm referring to is when Xiaoju and Shiyi's dads including their homeroom teacher was there like a father for Chenglang. Ofcourse, not to forget Shiyi's parents, especially his adorable relationship with his dad (always the best and most hilarious) and his pretty mom the referee for the two.. I love how supportive they are although at first his dad was firmly against him becoming a doctor because of what had happened in his past, but seeing how he supported his son, especially at the time when Shiyi was suffering from a blood phobia, although they only showed us a scene of them eating together and talking, that was the most touching moment between a father and son.
The last would be about love (placed it on a new paragraph since this will be longer it seems). I'm a person who easily relates to Xia Xiaoju the most, an unrequited first love is always the hardest to go through and move on from, despite how there is really nothing to move on from since the relationship was never established to begin with. I honestly get why people got mad or annoyed by Xiaoju at times, since she did became a fool and completely blinded for the love she had for Chenglang. I mean, let's be honest here, Chenglang is the typical male lead that every female lead usually falls for, so even at first I thought he really was the male lead. He had so many good traits in him. Both Shiyi and him are complete opposites but both have their own good and unique qualities so it is useless to keep comparing both. Yes, it took Xiaoju a lot of episodes before she finally realized her true feelings, and yes, such things can happen in real life. In real life, we can be like Xiaoju too (admit it or not, we've all gone through unrequited love or unrequited first love at worst). So, we can't truly put all the blame on Xiaoju for hurting Shiyi at times. Shiyi has some faults too, since no one is perfect. The fate of how Shiyi and Xiaoju first met played such a big role, all thanks to those firecrackers blasting off on Shiyi's butt lol. Anyway, first impressions are just as important as last impressions. During their highschool days, Shiyi and Xiaoju were always bickering with each other, they always bully one another even until they reach college. Their usual bickering became so normal for both of them, most especially for Xiaoju so she regarded Shiyi easily as a bro or friend and nothing more but that. Whereas, Xiaoju and Chenglang always gets along with one another, the big contrast was easily painted and thus, Xiaoju had a more harder time to decipher and realize her real feelings for Shiyi as she had always regarded him as a friend and her love for Chenglang clouded her visions. But, we can't blame Shiyi too since he is who he is. Blame it on the writer lol jk!. Xia Xiaoju in this drama is honestly better than the one on the novel, she was more selfish there and so Shiyi and her never ended up together but here she's a lot different. The realization of her love for Shiyi might have been too late and the times she had disappointed Shiyi might have been a lot, so in my opinion, the time and distance between them is what was completely needed for her love for Shiyi to grow stronger. Although, it could have been a disaster if Shiyi moved on and loved someone else, which thankfully he did not. We can see how Shiyi leaving had impacted Xiaoju a lot, to a point she is unable to be in a relationship as what she had said to Baobao. Her feelings for Shiyi became stronger, it was further shown to us when the word pain was painted on her face when Shiyi told her he was going to propose to his girlfriend, also when she saved Shiyi from the pool or when she kept shouting his name in a burst of tears at the beach, she really fell too deeply. On the other hand, Shiyi might not have been our typical male lead and everyone must have expected him to be just the second lead. To be honest, this was the biggest turn on in the drama for me, because it is so refreshing to see a new male lead who is not the usual-usual that we have seen in majority of the dramas. The sad reality hurts though, because Lu Shiyi is just a fictional character. I really love his relationship with Xia Xiaoju and I love his character the most. At first, he might have been a bully who always picks on Xiaoju, but we saw a lot of colorful and warm scenes where he had proven time and time again how much of a perfect man he is for Xiaoju. He might be quite childish in a lot of times and would easily let out his temper when he gets annoyed or jealous, but every aspect of him is so loveable and adorable. He is a complete embodiment of patience, persistence, warmth, effort, encouragement, and love. He was the one who was always there for Xiaoju from the very start until the end, despite how many times he was let down, he persisted and he was most of all patient, he didn't push his feelings for Xiaoju, when he knew how hurt Xiaoju still is because of Chenglang, he tucked his feelings in and was there to be her biggest comfort. Most importantly, he made Xiaoju realize what her 'real dream' really is at the times when Xiaoju herself was lost. Shiyi was there giving her encouragement in every step of the way, he is one of the biggest factors in Xiaoju's life that turned her into who she was. Ofcourse, Xiaoju was there for him too. At the time he suffered from blood phobia, she spent a great effort in searching for ways to help him overcome it, so in a way she helped him with his dreams too. In conclusion, they both helped each other with their dreams and supported one another every step of the way. I completely love how despite some of their moments might be cliché, but it wasn't over the top, rather it was so refreshing and sweet. Both of them are so perfect for each other and they compliment each other well.
Both Hu Yixuan and Richard Wang's chemistry in this drama is way over the top. They both acted so naturally that at times their scenes together felt so so real. Both of them deserves to get more recognition as they both are well skilled and very talented actors. Wang Ruichang deserves to have more dramas as a male lead, i'm a fan of his and had always followed all his works ever since I first saw him on the eternal love. I watched almost all his dramas, each time he never fails to amaze me at how perfect he can deliver and bring life to his character. I must say that among the characters/roles he had played, Lu Shiyi is his best and I could never see him the same way again without Lu Shiyi popping in my head. The rest of the actors were amazing too, their parents were wonderful actors and actresses. It's a shame we didn't get to see the reaction of Xiaoju and Shiyi's parents when Shiyi proposed, I was honestly looking forward to seeing Shiyi's mom reaction the most. It is sad that such a good and a rare gem drama has ended. I doubt that i'll be able to find another drama as good as this, so will definitely re-watch again in future.
"but behind us are extremely solid mountains"
That extremely solid mountain for Xia Xiaoju is Shiyi and her friends Chenglang, Le tao, Baobao as well as her parents.
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Beautiful yet bittersweet & youthful love story centered around many aspects of love
I should preface this review by first stating that the majority of c-dramas I get invested in are historical dramas, not many modern or youth dramas. Yet I fell in love with this drama within the first few episodes, much to my own shock. I thought I'd just watch it casually or when I wanted something fluffy rather than angsty and dark. But I soon binged up to all the available episodes, that's how immersed I felt in the story.Now that I've explained my love and attatchment to their story, as it's rare for me to be invested in a drama and main pairing like I was, I can explain why I enjoyed the majority of the story and I reccomened it to anyone with an open mind about this story.
Firstly, the story. I haven't read the orginal book but I could tell that the source material helped the writers create such a fun and exciting story off the bat (with fire crackers giving us the start to the story, literally) Anyways, I was instantly gripped by the dynamic between the leads, Shiyi and Xiaoju, which felt sort of similar to the love story dynamic of Anne and Gilbert (From Anne of Green Gables) which could certianly be a reason as to why I enjoyed watching their story unfold so much, as that book was part of my childhood, along with the mini-movies. The reason I found these two similar is because it delievers that cheeky teasing boy x girl who fights back yet is ultimately quite sensitve to his teasing at times, and they bicker, like a LOT. As well as the fact that Shiyi falls for her first, which makes the way he constantly teased her at first even funnier considering how he falls and has a crush on her before he can even come to terms with it himself.
I thought the side-characters were interesting enough as well (there's a scene with the second leads, Huang Jun and Letao, towards the end that actually led me to tears even though I didn't quite expect it from them, so their story is anything but dull.) I know many viewers were somewhat dissapointed by how Xiaoju was crushing on Chang Leng for so long, but I think that's part of what made me want to keep watching. Her pining after this guy who didn't pay her much attention after he found someone he liked, she became basically an after thought to him, but she was never an after thought to Shiyi. We as the viewers get to see first hand how nice he actually is to her and all that he does for her, even if he likes to tease with his words and deflect his feelings a lot. If this kind of drama sounds like it would intruige you, I'd advise you to watch for characters who all make mistakes in love! ALL of them. No one is perfect.
This is also a c-drama with high quality acting from both mains, and most of the supporting cast. Hu Yixuan did such a great job with the conflicts at the beginning centered around her mother and her, specifically her mother's obvious favorment of her brother over her, which isn't a rare trope, but I thought she portrayed those emotions of an older sister particularlly well. And Richards Wang stood out to me as skilled right away, he pulled off the goofy, comedic relief male lead off successfully, and I've certianly seen other actors be unable to pull this off. Another thing that struck me was their beautiful chemistry together, they had to potray leads with a friendship that dated back to high school full of teasing and that kind of acting can come off as rather fake if the actors aren't comfortable with each other but you could tell they were and understood what seemed natural for their characters in interacting.
Overall, I think if you want a drama that does slowburn well, with only a little big of dragging at the end (in my opinion they should've cut college life off a bit earlier so we could get more of their adult life) but I understand they were following the original book and they made some good adjustments to the story as well. hehe. But the payoff is worth it! The chemistry is worth it! And don't be concerned about the 2nd male lead being in the way too much or anything, Shiyi and Xiaoju become best friends basically in the middle of the drama and this leads to them being together the majority of the time. Lots of fluff and tropes done right! I'll miss this drama and I'd love to rewatch it some day. Give it a try if this review sounds like you'd be in the mood for it!
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Awesome Drama to Watch
This is one of the most awesome drama O have ever watched. It has a very unique concept. And their acting makes characters live. It was an amazing drama. I have watched it all. It is so good that I want season 2 of this drama. Thank you for everyone who made this drama possible and gave us watchers such a unique and amazing concert to watch. I recommend everyone to see this amazing drama. And thank you to yoyo english channel for uploading English subtitles and making it available for us international fans. ♥️♥️❣️❣️??????Was this review helpful to you?
Waste Of Time
I found this drama a waste of my time. We get put thru the high school years and college years of these characters. The lead female can only act as a spoil child with hot temper. At first I thought her character would be strong minded but her temper and tantrums were discouraging. Her liking and obsession with the second lead male was ridicules and un-realistic. The second lead falls for a different girl and she put up with it for years in college and determine to be their friend while she still likes him. No Way!!!!! The lead male as much as he does not understand girls especially the lead female who is a friend from his neighborhood and he is in love with her. He treats her abusive and sarcastic. It's his way of showing his love. As much he helped her and was there for her because he loved her she could only see the second male lead "Cheng Lang". Until the last episode were all of the suddenly they are in love and he proposes to her on her friends wedding. Taking away her friends special day. This was not my kind of drama. Not Romantic. Strange love couples, I hate when they leave everything to the last Episode and 10 minutes before it ends everything becomes perfect. The writers of this drama did not do research to give these characters a better story.Was this review helpful to you?
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Best drama of this year
There was no villain, no toxic ex, just a beautiful realistic story. The leads were so connected. Each character has its own story to say. This drama is not for those who are on the cheesy kiss. But if you're on a good story, this is for you.I love how Shiyi was always there for her. He truly deserves everything in this world for being so honest and kind. His character development will surprise you.
Next, Lin You's character development was so realistic. We did a lot of mistakes, and she showed the same. Huang Jun in the last cried and regret, but I love how he let go of her. Also, the whole series was special because of Cheng Leng. He was the most mature one here.
Le Tao suffered a lot and yes, in the end, she was happy. I'm happy for her.
Xia Xiaoju taught us a lot. Like if you keep waiting, you'll lose your chance. She was special. And hats off to all the actors, they connected us with characters so perfectly.
In the end, this drama had lessons, friendship, pure love, the struggle of each character. It's much better than those cheesy dramas full of kisses. I can say it was the best drama of this year.
You'll cry, laugh, learn and repeat!
10/10 to A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT.
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Realistic and interesting Drama
I really like this drama, it's funny and really interesting. I also love the fact that it's realistic and shows that in life things may not always turn out the way me want but we have to make it work.I also love that it's not a typical love triangle drama where two boys fight for one girl. It's much more than that and it's really good.
My only problem is that the characters get on my nerves sometimes.... like sometimes they make decisions and I'm like "really"?. But then again maybe that just goes to show that we are human and we all make mistakes.
Overall it's a really good drama
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