About Youth (2022)

a sweet slice of life

Overall: this was a really enjoyable high school setting BL, but the writers needed to narrow the plot/remove some characters. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings: grief, hit, parental abuse/slap

What I Liked
- beginning grabbed my attention, and the umbrella with About Youth written on it was an excellent prop
- nice intro/OST and music
- sweet/caring moments
- cameo in episode 2 from MODC actor, Wilson Liu
- balance of lighter moments with heavier moments, felt like a realistic high school romance
- production value

Room For Improvement
- there was just too much plot and characters for the short run time which led to dropped plot threads (like the election), characters who vanished (uncle, that bully) and led to choppiness where a scene would suddenly jump to another scene at an unknown time later
- too many repetitive scenes, 5 accidental fall and catches, 3 teach him scenes, time could have been better spent elsewhere
- there were quite a few characters introduced and I was confused who the two friends were wondering who they should tell when they saw the boyfriend in episode 1
- end of ep 1, I was confused about where that water came from, apparently some people do throw water onto the street (per the comment on this review)

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A warm, comforting hug on a rainy day

This drama is pure comfort in its sweetest, most nostalgic form and I absolutely loved it for that.

Each episode had me smiling like an idiot while watching, desperately wanting more yet feeling so fulfilled and satisfied with each piece of the story. The two main leads, Jyun and Zhen Hao, have astounding chemistry. I was especially impressed to learn this is Zhen Hao's debut as an actor! His performance at times did not have the most depth, but he did great with the script he received. Jyun on the other hand, perfectly embodied the character of Qi Zhang. He is just such a beautifully open, warm and comforting person - watching him just made me want to give him the biggest hug. I loved that their characters were so different, and by interacting and getting to know each other, they both learned and grew in wonderful ways. Their interactions and the build of their relationship were so endearing!

The side ship, Ray and Ah Jian, was such a well-written contrast to the main couple. The two actors also had fantastic chemistry and their scenes, while at times feeling a little disjointed from the main story, were so well done that you can't help but root for them and enjoy their story. I don't feel it happens very often that I love all the ships in a drama but this one really hit it on the mark. The other additional characters all had depth and personalities that were great to see - I particularly loved Qi Zhang's band/friend group. The love and care they have for each other was just so good.

The story is nothing wild or crazy, but it isn't trying to be anything other than warm. That's the best way I can describe it - like getting a warm, comforting hug on a rainy day, when everything around you feels like it's falling apart, but the hug helps warm you up and keep you stitched together. There is fluff, there is angst, there is a lot of hurt and comfort. It portrays toxicity in family and relationship dynamics and promotes healing, learning who you are, what you want and how to stand up for your ideals. The OST is also fantastic! I've added both the intro and outro to my regular playlist.

This is definitely going to be a comfort series to re-watch for me!

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Simple but adorable.

"About youth" is one of the dramas that after finishing we ask: "Is that all" ? "I want more..."
As many other people, when the drama first started being aired , I did not know about its existence. It appeared out of nowhere and maybe not revolutionised but brought something refreshing and calming to the bl drama world. What is great about "About youth" is that despite being simple and light it was manage to captivate important issues such as abusive parent's behaviour and its huge influence on a child. The chemstry between two leads was really natural and charming without many sophisticated romantic kisses, hugs and NC scenes there were lot of fluffy moments which made me blush when I obsereved how they become friends, brothers , lovers and the biggest supporters for each others. When it comes to the other couple I was not really invested in their story since it was quite typical but still adorable. The most fantastic element of this drama is its OST- I fell in love with the music and since I finished watching the drama I cannot stop humming: "I can't forget your face in slow motion.." Masterpiece !! Deffinitelly worth watching if you search for something light. This drama is so simple yet so endearing. I highly recommend :)

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My Cheeks Hurt From Smiling BECAUSE THIS DRAMA IS ADORABLE!

Okay so I didn’t know this drama existed. I got a Viki notification recommending this drama and at first I was going to pass on it because the premise didn’t jump out at me. But, I’m so glad I gave it a chance. It’s SOOOO FREAKING ADORABLE. It’s very classic in a comforting way. I’m not quite sure how to explain what I mean but I will give it a go. You have this popular, rich, and handsome high schooler who is surrounded by so many people but despite that he is lonely. All he wants is to be loved SOB! He reaches a low point and his carefully crafted composure breaks. As expected in dramas, it is in this moment he falls into the arms of this cute and dorky classmate he locks eyes with who trades his glasses for eyeliner when he becomes this charismatic, caring, and super baddie singer at night. Ah….yes….very ridiculous and dramatic but I freaking love it. So yes bring on all the tropes!!!! This is what I needed right now. Super fluffy! The music in this is excellent. I’ve been listening to it on repeat. I love that we have another character who is seemingly gender fluid in this drama. It is implied that his boyfriend buys and expects him to wear feminine clothes and I assume that he agrees to it because he enjoys it. We’ll see as more episodes come out. I know it’s only 2 episodes so far but I love it so far! It’s just cute and it makes me happy.

Update: I just finished watching episodes 3 and 4 and I cannot stop smiling!!!!! My gosh this drama is soooooo sweet and cute. The two leads play these characters soo perfectly. They are so pure and I love that they find a bit of happiness in each other even when the world around them is so set on pushing them down. Even the supporting characters are great. You briefly get introduced to Xu Qi Zhang’s friends and in the mere seconds they are on camera you know their personalities instantly and you can feel how much love and support they have for each other. I’m obsessed!!!! This is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and I eagerly await each week for new episodes. I’m sad that it’ll be soo short as we are already halfway through the series.

Final Update: So I absolutely adored the final episodes. But, the series was way too short. If I didn’t already know that there were only 8 episodes, I would’ve assumed I had to wait for more to come out next week with how it ended. At the same time it stopped at a point where I’m not mad at it. It was a sweet and optimistic close to the series with ample amount of room for more if that ever happens. I hope this series gets more attention so that the actors come back to do a second season, because it really needs more time and deservedly so. It was nice to watch a drama that portrayed healthy relationships and not just romantic but this includes friendships and especially the relationship between Xu Qi Zhang and his mom. The most memorable scene to me in the entire series is that scene in the rain with Xu Qi Zhang and Ye Guang. Words were tossed around. They are both hurting. But Xu Qi Zhang responds with a hug despite how hurt he is. Its memorable to me because in any other BL, I could easily see an argument in a moment like this with characters refusing to talk to each other. But nope that doesn’t happen here. The instantaneous regret and hurt is apparent and they first respond by comforting each other because that’s what they really need at that moment. They wait till they are calm and settled and then oh my gosh they talk lol. The level of maturity and the amount of patience argh!!!! Sooo good!!! These two characters have my heart!!!! Did I mention how many times I could not stop smiling watching this drama?

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The title fits perfectly, cause it's really about youth

This series is filled with rare authenticity.
Because About Youth gives you back the feeling of first love with all its insecurities, but also with all its happiness, which is not least due to the great young actors who really master the subject. Every shy smile is spot on, as is every intense look. Add to that a beautiful soundtrack and an atmosphere of melancholy and lightheartedness.

But this series also has some weaknesses, because the story is neither exceptional nor unique. In addition, a lot of interesting twists and plotlines are simply not followed up on. This may also be due to the length of the series which, at 8 episodes, is over far too quickly.
Therefore, I hope very much for a second season, because the characters are giving it and we would have more time to dive into the story.

Nevertheless About Youth is more than worth watching, because the whole series is an overkill of endorphins and leaves a smile, like a fresh breeze on a summer night.
So if you want to forget your everyday worries and enter a sweet world of fun, you should definitely give this series a chance.

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about literally nothing…

Going to be honest, this drama was clearly trying to get by on pretty privilege.

Because About Youth was practically plotless, it makes sense that the synopsis is unhelpful and does not capture the drama at all (the student president election literally takes up like five minutes of the entire drama). This drama is essentially a school/youth drama plus an attempt at a profound themes of suffering under parental expectations and other sad life issues. Not only are these issues overdone in dramas, but they’re also horribly executed in About Youth with 1) no complexity or nuance and 2) no conclusion or ending message at the very least.

But you know, that’s okay. I can live with that. The problem lies in the fact that without a plot, the characters have to carry more weight in the drama. And carry they did not. I’m not sure what the writer was doing if there’s no plot and no personality in any of the characters. The characters were so flat I thought we were in a 1D world. They were nice, and that was about the extent of their personality.

Of course, with no-personality characters, you couldn’t possibly hope for any good chemistry. So this drama was basically screwed from the start. There is absolutely zero chemistry between any of the characters in this drama to the point where they are all practically inert. The writer seems to try to use forced physical proximity to build up some kind of chemistry and it ends up being SO AWKWARD. Like why are their faces so close if they just met and one of them is just trying to dry the other’s hair? Personal space is clearly dead now. Am I the only one who would be like get out my personal bubble you pervert?? In the end, the “physical chemistry” the writer tries to build especially between the main leads ends up being worse than no chemistry at all – it’s so unnatural.

Warning! You may see some cute gifs or scenes in the trailer with some romantic tension. You may think, oh, they must be a super cute and natural couple. Don't be fooled! It's all fake! It's all a lie! There is no natural chemistry in this drama at all.

And then nothing ends up being cute! It’s just cringy.

I will say the physical chemistry between the second couple is a bit better. Still no romantic chemistry, and whatever dumb conflict/plot they had was absolutely useless, but at least they had like three cute skinship/romance moments. Honestly the only thing keeping me going was how pretty these two actors were. And when that’s your only motivation to keep watching, you know it’s pretty bad.

And it gets worse. Not only is there zero romantic chemistry, there’s also zero platonic friendship chemistry! Between the leads (since I consider this an attempt at friends to lovers), and between like any of the supposed friendships. No. Chemistry. At. All.

On the positive side! The music was lowkey kind of good. That band had some bops.

Other notes:
Acting - not terrible, pretty mediocre. Maybe even less than mediocre. The actor who played Ye Guang wasn’t half-bad during his emotional scenes. Second leads are decidedly worse.
Pacing - honestly, I couldn’t really tell since there was literally no plot and therefore no need to move along a plot. I assume it’s pretty slow since there are so many useless “cute” (read: cringy) scenes
Kiss scenes - kind of awkward. But A+ for effort.

So yeah. I’d skip this one, but apparently that's just me.

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coming of age, self actualization, rich/poor, crush, rescue, friends to lovers

It’s truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst story. I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot.

It featured Taiwan's modern take on AePete: popular but painfully lonely rich kid, Guang (complete with evil pressure-cooker tiger parents) meets and is basically adopted by poor nerdy (secret rockstar) Qizhang. HE EVEN HAS AE’S TOTE!!!

Side dishes are Guang’s adorable bestie, Ray, and even more adorable (also a rockstar) Jian.

Lots of BL tropes but also this is quite queer and very Taiwan with an earnestness depth I haven’t seen since My Ride an almost real world authenticity. Not that I normally like that in my BL, but I’ll forgive Taiwan (and the Philippines) for their sticky almost dirty style if it is this endearing and engaging (see also Gameboys).

I wish it had been given a bit more room to breathe, but all in all a great edition to the Taiwanese BL lexicon which was in dire need of just this kind of content.

RECOMMENDED

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Youth is not always easy but can be really sweet....

A drama that starts off with an umbrella scene is bound to be good... Started off well and kept on with a shimmer of fluff and lip gloss this is an easy to watch easy to fall for drama.

To be honest this drama is not perfect, groundbreaking or particularly good and it probably does not bring anything new to the screen... But there is just something fuzzy about it that takes you in and before you know it you have seen all the episodes and want to see more of these two leads support each other.

The parents in this drama are a guide on how to mom and how not to parent, showing both prejudice agains single parents , some typical rich parents stereotypes but also the importance of trust , respecting kids boundaries and valuing teens as actual human beings. Again as parents we do not own our children, responsible for them yes! But our kids are not there to make us proud or ashamed... They are human beings with their own emotions, dreams and aspirations our job is to support them and make sure they reach 18 without to much damage... And this show had both sides of this story done pretty ok. But this is not the main plot...

The main plot is that of teens, supporting each other with the help of music, bubbles and an umbrella. It is sweet, way to short and not very problematic... just fluff, fluff and more fluff...

Does it actually deserve 9 stars quality and story wise , probably not, but it made me smile and that counts for a lot too...

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A warm hug of a show

I had few expectations going into this show, really just that it would probably be cute since the characters and actors are quite young. But I was blown away by just how delightful the show is and how instantly attached to the characters I was. None of them are a stereotype or stock character, and while some could use a little more development (like Jian) they all still feel like real kids falling love for the first time. Yeguang is popular and confident, but he turns out to not really like all the attention he gets and has extremely demanding parents who make him feel quite insecure. Qizhang is quiet and shy at school, having crushed on Yeguang from afar for a long time, but around his bandmates and on stage he's funny and confident, and that confidence comes out when he's with Yeguang as well.

Their dynamic is so sweet and honest, probably owed to the actors also being kids getting to know each other (they're literally only 5 days apart in age, a refreshing change from finding out that high schooler is actually 30). There's no seme/uke roles, they each have moments of vulnerability and strength and support each other along the way. The 2nd couple as well is very sweet but in a different way, their path is a little more bumpy but their end point is becoming the clingy cheesy couple with matching tshirts and lots of gentle teasing. Ray is fascinating, as we're introduced to him when he's dressing as a girl to meet up with his asshat secret boyfriend. They never really explain why he's cross dressing, he doesn't do it again after they break up so it's likely that he was doing it bc the boyfriend didn't want to be seen with another boy. But Ray does seem to enjoy it, though there's no statement of gender queerness or anything, which at first felt like a plot hole but after a rewatch I think accurately reflects the life of a young queer person experimenting with their gender without wanting to choose a particular label yet. And I love that Jian takes Ray as he is no matter how he chooses to present himself.

Beyond the actors and characters, everything else about the show works so well together to create such a warm, comforting vibe even when there's conflict. Lighting, cinematography, editing, and of course the music. Seriously, I haven't vibed with an OST so much possibly ever. Both main songs will be on repeat along with this show for a very long time for me. Give this show a chance, I promise you'll feel like you've had a warm hug when it's done.

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It's cute but...

I started watching this show because I heard it was pretty cute. Good news? It is. Bad news? It leaves a little more to be desired.

The first half of the show was fairly light and cute. The boys have good chemistry and the acting is decent. If this show was a little shorter, I'd say it could have been enjoyable with no real storyline and just fluff, but at 8 eps it feels like a little more than fluff needed to happen, which it does, but the plot points that were brought up just weren't executed well in the time given. With 8 eps I think they could have covered everything properly if the writing had been better. The fight between Ray/Ah Jian felt rushed especially because it didn't feel like the reason Ray was mad in the first place was fleshed out and the stuff with Ye Guang's parents felt like it was glossed over. A better writer could have made it work with 8 eps, this writer would have needed at leat 12.

I wasn't as interested in the second half as I was in the first half, but overall the series is cute. The guys are cute. They have good chemistry. I liked that the dynamic between the leads was different than your usual BL (the taller one is the soft cute one), loved the supportive mom, and the OST is really nice. Definitely worth a watch if you're just looking for something cute.

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Charming, a little light on plot

This was a very pleasant watch, with a charming cast and good acting.

Points for playing and singing music - I like that in a show that's largely about a band that they actually perform.

What I would say about this is that it takes a threadbare formula and executes it very well. But it was formulaic, and really had nothing to say. College students, demanding parents, typical seme and uke dynamic (although the uke was taller and better built, which is a rarity), and lots of the usual tropes, like umbrella holding, wiping crumbs off the face, lots of tripping and catching. and I'm not really sure what the story was about other than it being a romance.

The parent thing was never really resolved, and Ye Guang's desire to make his own decision was to... turn in a blank test and not run for student body president. Nice ambitions there. Way to prove your dad right.

The first 5 episodes are really wonderful, and then the creativity ran out and it leaned more and more on formulaic elements, but it was never overwhelmed by them.

I enjoyed the series and I recommend it, it you like fluffy romance. It's not overdone or cloying, and it feels more like two boys than usual (as opposed to a boy and a 19th c 12 year old girl).

The technical aspects of this were all quite good, with good directon, camera, and editing.

So I'd rate it "above average", but the lack of plot and themes stopped it from being truly memorable.

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