I Don't Want to Be Friends with You (2020)

Cute, Meaningful, and Heartwarming

Omg I love this show, and why shouldn’t I love such a cute show?
Here is a very short review:
This show is like Back to 1989(Taiwan show) female version with similar concept but better executed. As a huge fan of time-travel and youth(high school) dramas, this show was definitely my type. Things I enjoy most are mother/daughter relationship and main characters’ development. FL can be annoying at times but it is not unreasonably annoying and she has her own reasons for that.
Casts are not super well known, but acting is quality, especially our two female leads; Amy Chen and Zhaung Da Fei. Though male characters aren’t as important, Chen Jun He and Duan Xiao totally captured my hearts
High School part is well done and I’d rate it highly for nostalgia.
But again, it is not a perfect drama, and it has some flaws; some parts should be explained more clearly and Wu Zhi Xun character development is a little disappointing
But it is understandable...
Overall, I love it!
If you are a fan of time travel or high school dramas, I highly recommend it
And watch it for nostalgia, it is worth your time.

Read More

Pretty heartwarming & cute drama~

Saw the posters and heard about the plot of this drama before it released and brushed it off thinking it'd another one of those time traveling youth dramas BUT then I heard about its high ratings on Douban (8.6 the last time I checked which is very good compared to other dramas' scores) and decided to give this drama a go. And I am so so glad I did!

Plot:
You may think it is pretty cliche after reading the synopsis on here but it was very unique in its own way. First time seeing a drama where the daughter goes back to when her mom is in high school and then befriending her mom from then until college graduation. Li Jin Bu was pretty immature, doing whatever she wished, before "time traveling" but after spending time with her 17-year-old mom and mom's family and friends and seeing how her mom grew up, as a viewer, I could see her change. The writer wrote this drama well to show the youthfulness of the gang of friends and the adding in comedy, romance, and family. It wasn't draggy at all and went by at a good pace. There were some scenes that had me burst out into laughter and some touching scenes that made me tear up.

Acting/Cast:
Never seen any of the cast before except the actress who played Li Jing Bu but I am glad to say they all did very very well. Everyone embodied their characters perfectly, drawing me into their roles respectively. I especially love how well they cast young and the older Li Qing Tong because the actresses conveyed their emotions beautifully as if they actually are one person who grew up. The way they carried out their lines and showed their character's feeling in their eyes deserves to be applauded. The male leads (or whatever you shall call them) were not only very handsome/cute but they acted beyond my expectations too- will definitely follow these blossoming actors.

Music:
Loved almost all the tracks but my all time favorite has to be the ending song-六七月 by 赵贝尔. The opening song was good too and I love how the leads sang it together in the drama too. So talented! The actors who played Duan Xiao and Chen Jun He respectively also sang a solo song each which both sound good too. Do check the OST out~

Rewatch Value:
I don't usually rewatch dramas since I remember what happened halfway into the drama but this one is pretty worth if it ever comes down to a rewatch session of something sweet, funny, and youthful. 24 episodes isn't too much to rewatch too so that's why I gave the score I did.

All in all, quite worth the watch over this summer. Some people didn't like how they ended it but I think it was a nice way to tie everything off since how else can you explain the "time traveling?" I do wish they'd add maybe an epilogue so we can see Li Jin Bu meeting Chen Jun He in present time? Wishful thinking but yeah, please don't hesitate to try if you like youth dramas with comedy, romance, and family!

Read More

Back To The Future

This drama is similar to Michael Fox's Back to the Future movie in the 80s whereby he returns to his parents' teenage years and tries to fix his parents' meeting of each other. In this drama, Li Jinbu (Sabrina Zhuang) is also trying to fix her mother's choices so that she (her mother) could turn out to be a more achievement oriented person, and eventually chooses the right partner who doesn't abandon her when she has a child (Li Jinbu).

Li Jinbu's mother, Li Qingtong (Amy Chen), is a single parent. As a 17 year old high school girl, Li Jinbu (Sabrina Zhuang) is angry at her mother for messing up her own life by not working hard enough while at school and for going out with an irresponsible man who impregnates and abandons her. For unexplained reason, Li Jinbu returns to the time when her mother was also a 17 year old teenager in high school. She determines to fix her mother's life which she figures will eventually translate to the betterment of her own life in future.

However, things are not what she thinks and don't work out how she plans. Through spending time with her teenage mother, Li Jinbu comes to understand the experiences her mother has gone through that has made her what she is today. In the end, she learns to appreciate her mother for her determination to provide a better life for her.

The story is heart-warming and delightful. It depicts school days and youth, family and dreams, friendship and puppy love, growing up and, overall, life. The acting by the whole cast is fabulous, especially Amy Chen, and the cinematography is excellent. The character building is one of the best I've seen. The story telling is simply marvelous. This is a wonderful drama that makes one feel good and helps us to look deeper into ourselves. It deserves our time. Don't miss it.

Read More

Strong start, mediocre second half.

This is a relatively well written drama, with a meaningful storyline. However, I do not think the timetravel aspect added much to this drama. The story is also extremely mediocre after they entered college. This would be a 9/10 drama if the drama ended around ep. 16.

The characters are quite awesome, even though I think the acting was sometimes weak. Each character has its own beliefs and quirks that make them standout, without being overly obnoxious. The dynamic of the friend group is the highlight. Some character actions and development is really questionable....

Overall this drama has obvious flaws, but I would still recommend it to you. Especially if you like dramas like Lovely Us, where the emphasis is on youth and friendships with a side touch of family issues.

Read More

A precious journey through youth

Plot:
Have you thought how it would be to meet your mum in her youth? This is a precious opportunity the daughter who was miserable and lonely growing up with a single mom..gets to experience.

And through this she gets to experience the beauty of friendship and young love. And the important lesson that life in the end is made up of experiences good and bad. And that sometimes to live is to savor the moment, the now, the journey and not so much the ending.

This drama was a rare precious gem. That instead of the usual travel back time plot, the writer had a clear message to deliver. It manages to be warm amd endearing, sweet and touching, realistic if not poignant.

Acting:
The leads were all new to me. But a good script and in the hands of a good PD, they were all believable in their role. Amy Chen in particular was really good.

Verdict:
Dont sleep on this drama. It deserves to be watched. It had that nostalgic touch and the time spend with the teen mom- daughter duo Qin Tong and Jin Bu and their friends plus love interests was really worth it.

Read More

Do Not Hesitate. Jump Right In and Watch!

I deadass created this account for the sake of this drama. So bear with me, I'm just that typical girl who's longing for something to binge-on that won't risk my heart and mind feeling anxious and troubled. This one right here caught my senses. Very light, heartwarming and script was well written, like something to ponder on. Hella cute too, especially the break-up scene. So matured mindset! I've seen a lot of school and youth cdramas, but this must be the only series I dared watching till the end. I hope this will gain a lot of viewers, and this will convince you to add this on your list :---)

P.S. KIDO MA, or Chen Jen He!! I adore you so much! Wishing you the best and more main lead roles in the future. (You could have gotten that (Weightlifting Fairy Remake/ So It's you) because I felt like you suit the role as Nam Joo Hyuk. You have this silly, cool with warmth vibe in your eyes. I can't explain it. I just adore you so much that it hurts.

Read More

Impressive story & acting but disappointed on how they unfold last ep.

My gosh... it's been all really really good and then dropped a lot in the last episode. A lot of loopholes appeared right in the last episode. A lot of previous knots couldn't solve well in the last episode. I wanted to give a lower score for this drama because of this last ep, but the process coming through till this last point has been really impressive, so I can't help but add a little more points than what it actually deserves.

The cast is great. Love the acting of all the main characters.

The story is heart-warming and tearfully touching during the last 2 ep.

P.S.1
Though how disappointing the last ep was, I still think they did it neater than what they did in Someday or One Day. Someday or One Day's last ep was a lot messier. The story's crucial rules and logic were annihilated. Lots of contradiction there.

P.S.2
I want to leave a note on a few points I really don't like in the last ep below but it's a bit of a spoiler, so beware to proceed on.

1. How the hell the FL traveled back through time right in front of the ML??

2. How the ML had a new identity to completely fit in the present world??

3. If the storyline in the past would change as much as the real ML's identity changed while his love interest was the girl in the next class who transferred during high school, the whole story in the previous 23 ep would totally be ruined. Lots of loopholes become apparent just by this irresponsible, reckless, unthoughtful story unfolding. As to how messy the end has become, it makes shown that the writer desperately wrote all the knots to make the story interesting but he went too far to finally tightly trap himself without a way out. This eventually ruined the world he tried hard to create in the first place. It's very disappointing and annoying how they couldn't think the story through to unfold it properly.

~
P.S.3 is added after I had a constructive discussion with another viewer on the comment section :)
~

P.S.3
What is important in 'every' show is the logic of its own universe. This show finally contradicts itself = it ruins its own rules = it ruins its own world.

A time-traveling story is especially hard to unfold. Most of the time they fail because of the rules and logic they set up themselves. It doesn't surprise me that this show also fails at the end when it tries to unfold as it's expectable. The only time-traveling show that impresses me is Dark, the German series of 3 seasons in total.

Read More

if you decide to watch this drama, then you must watch it until the end!!

This drama is surprisingly good enough, but i would have given a lower rating if the ending wasn't like this (I was quite satisfied with the ending), I love how the story ends beautifully.

why would I give a lower rating? because I don't like her mother's character when she was still in school. She is very dumb, her 'kind' character is very annoying, and she is not brave in fact she's a cowards in my opinion. and I really don't like the relationship between her mother and Wu Zhixun, their relationship is very toxic.

for story during school, the relationship between students and teachers is not as touching as other school dramas. but for the friendship relationship is good enough, although I feel there is a character that is not needed.
then for family relationship, it's pretty good especially with her mother. and I love Duan Xiao's family story which is so beautiful! Like father like son sobs

honestly i watched this drama only because of Li Jinbu and Duan Xiao, then Chen Junhe. I really like the relationship between LJB and DX, they are very cute together and their chemistry is very good! I really hope they both get paired again in another drama.

btw DX is a male lead that I want to be my soulmate in the real life because he is too kind and perfect lol. CJH also has a very beautiful character, a bad boy but sincere and kind. I would be doomed if it turned out that they were the main male lead who looked after the same girl, because I couldn't choose one of them bye.

Ok overall this drama is worth to watch, just give it a try!! —>> and I will remind you:
if you decide to watch this drama then you must watch it until the end!! because the last episode is the key to how this drama deserves 8/10 rating from me.

Read More

honestly, I really really enjoyed this drama! typically, I'm not a fan of time traveling dramas but this surprised me. The plot premise is super cute where the main female lead ends up going back in time to witness her mother's growth and learn about the choices she made and how she became the person she is today. I thought it was super heartwarming that she got to experience it first hand and also get to experience some of the youth that she missed on out growing up!

Loved all of the characters, all unique and special in their own way! Honestly, for quite new-ish actors they were able to display the characteristics of their characters super well. Both female leads did a super good job!!! *For all those Idol Producer fans out there, Zhou YanChen was amazing in this <3 loved him in it. His storyline was so cute, so touching and loved his unconditional devotion to Li Jin Bu. Additionally, Chen Jun He, oh a character that will secretly always be the "underdog" in these types of dramas but actually shoulda and deserved to be the main male lead. Who gives a heck care about Wu Zhi Xun? His character kinda had logic that went in circles, like you wanted to understand but at the same time you didn't!!

However, the show wasn't just about the love storylines, I think it was a great reminder that growing up is hard but also all of the choices you make help shape and define you. From youth to their adult life, the drama really depicted it well and strung it all together. There were no misunderstandings or confusing parts in this drama! Loved it, rewatch value 10/10!!

Read More

Dark Past, An effort to make the present bright, Life Lessons ‼️

"I don't want to friends with you" title is the first thing that attracted me and also made me curious but one thing is sure that you would definately get to know how much this title suits this drama

Talking about the ML(Main leads), every character in this drama has its own importance. Significantly, this drama catches up all those precious genres like Highschool, friendship, family, food, romance, bromance, comedy, melodrama , love triangle and many more.

I love everyone, I seriously loved every characters in this drama even though I've not seen any of them in any other popular dramas. The choice of place, the acting skills, music, the clothes, locations everything was just Amazing. The one thing I liked the most about this drama was FRIENDSHIP!!!

Since not everything is perfect, there was small moment I was'nt satisfied. The thing is why didn't the future change even after the visit of
Li Jin Bu. It would have been better if the future had changed. For example: Tong became hard working and rich and the guy stayed. ( Not exactly a spoiler but I am sure the readers who haven't watched this drama didn't understand a thing.)

It was still great. I highly recommend you this drama because it would definately not waste you time. PS: My Mom doesn't want to be friends me too....

Read More

A Bittersweet Twist.

Slice of life genres are rarely everyone's cup of tea. The realistic portrayal of life and relatable characters are what makes one fall in love with them. When dramas like Go Ahead peaked back in 2020, no one paid much attention to silly kids' genres dramas such as I Don't Want To Be Friends With You. MangoTV never bothered to subtitle it and it wasn't until six months later that Kukan Drama Channel decided to pick it up. And then the magic began...
-- The Plot:
Li Jin Bu, a 17 year old who is sick of her single mother's neglectful and careless antics decides to stay overnight at a Public Bathhouse as a sign of her displeasure and finds herself transported 20 years back to her mother's cold North Eastern hometown. Lost and confused, she has no choice but to track down the last person she had wanted to see: Li Qing Tong, her mother... who is completely unaware of who she is. Cooking up lies and jumping through hoops, guided by a mysterious man, Jin Bu takes it upon herself to change her mother once and for all.
--- The Duo:
Li Jin Bu is no angel. She is lonely, stoic and often ruthless with her words. She is perhaps, one of the most realest characters I've seen in a High school drama to date. Her mother, Li Qing Tong is not a bright one either. Slightly dumb with low IQ and high EQ, she tries her best and doing things the right way. As time goes, Jin Bu starts to grow up along with her mother and gets to know her from a different angle. The show explored the depth of their relationship perfectly. They go from mother-daughter to realizing that they are each others' best friends.
--- The Brotherhood:
Honestly, Chen Jun He, Duan Xiao and Ba Dan were characters that made me laugh and cry at the same time. Particularly Chen Jun He. His antics with his friends, his family and Qing Tong were the highlights of the show.
-- Romance:
I rarely ship ships. But, I'd die for Jin Bu and Duan Xiao. Subtle romance without words are my top weaknesses and this couple managed to hit all the feels the right way. Jin Bu never confessed outright to Xiao. And I understand why. But, she always put forward what he wants and tried to be her very best to him. Her sincerity and his trust were beyond heartwarming. Their every moment together was like a piece of treasure.
-- Overall:
I have no words to describe how much this drama means to me. It was in no way a perfect production, but it made me lose interest in other dramas for two months straight. The characters, the lessons, the sweet memories that it left for me can never be put down in words. But, I sincerely implore you to give this little gem a try. :)

Read More