About Youth (2022)

cute little story that felt a a bit shallow and rushed

About Youth was a relatively short story (8 episodes with each about 22 minutes long) with a lot of cute factor. Specifically the main couple Ye Guang and Xu Qi Zhang were great. This show was really shining in the first few episodes but like most shorter BLs it had too many plot points that felt either rushed or were dropped once the series progressed (e.g. Qi Zhang's uncle, Ye Guang's rival? bully? whatever-his-role-was?). The acting was okay, nothing outstanding, but not bad at all. 3 out of 4 of the main cast are still teenagers after all. I really loved Qi Zhang's mother and how she was so supportive of her son's passion. She also brought such a good vibe into every scene she was in. There is not much intimate scenes between Qi Zhang and Ye Guang but that's fine by me, since it is realistic for both characters to be inexperienced and move at a slower pace (also given the young age of the actors on top of that) their kiss was quite sweet and so was their whole journey; really loved them.

My main problem was with the second couple. I wish the script allowed them a little more screen time to develop them a little more or at least give some context and maybe explain their actions a bit better. There was this whole plot point where Ray kissed Jian and the latter said he needed time and Ray stormed off. We never know why, if he was just a little overwhelmed by the sudden kiss, if he was questioning his sexuality, if he was not sure if he felt the same way for Ray, etcetera. Jian just decides that he now is ready to be with him out of the blue and starts following Ray around and keeps sending him messages, Ray is not willing to hear him out and it seems like he is not interested to be with him anymore, which makes their dynamic a little...icky (also given the age gap in real life and I assume in this show as well?) So, in the end they never talk about it again and just get together. Which felt very abrupt and not like a well deserved pay-off.

The music was great. We got two bangers and whenever I could hear the piano version playing in the background of a sad or happy scene it felt really natural and beautiful.

The ending was fine on page but let me feeling like there was something missing. Like I said, the second couple doesn't get any big moment after their get-together, so they are just hanging out and chilling without talking about anything. And Ye Guang's parents just magically realise that they should treat their son better after he sent them a little video. We never find out how that will look like or if they will actually change. The show ends with Ye Guang and Qi Zhang getting together and having their first kiss, this also means that we never see them do much as an official couple. We don't know what will happen once they finish high school, since one has plans to go to a fancy school and the other one just started finding himself. We also don't know if the parents would be accepting of their children if they ever found out about their relationship. So many unanswered questions. But I guess this show was never really about these things to begin with. Just a cute little show about four friends finding themselves and their boyfriends. Which is fine, just not what I expected and therefore it felt a little lackluster to me.

But there are many cute moments to make up for most of it. So, if you are looking for a cute little show without having to thinking too much and great music this is it for you.

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Lovely casting, story and production ?

The production was not poorly budgeted. It felt like a movie for me. The music used was so good, the OSTs ahhh it’s one of my top faves about this drama.

Not only the main four leads but also the supporting characters, like the parents and friends acted well and really contributed for the series to come out this good. I feel like they were there for a reason, they roles were added factors.

I love Qi Zhang’s mother, she did her role a justice as an understanding single mom to his only son, she felt natural (A mom everyone would wish to have). I also like the character of Iris she seems to be that girl bestie that is fun to be with and will always have your back. Qi Zhang’s besties look cool and fun I hope they get to have their side of stories too. I obviously got invested to this casting lol.

It feels light and heartwarming, but there was this moment I also felt Ye Guang’s pressure and had my anxiety up becasue of his story. From that moment I assumed that this series would hurt me but THANKFULLY it’s not yet on this season lol.

I hope they’d do Season 2 (You know a drama was worth it if a viewer would wish for another season) there’s still a lot that could happen and I’m scared lol but I still would want a Season 2. I’ll prepare my heart for it.

Not gonna sugar coat, the acting was just okay, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, but I know that they could do better, I can see everyone’s potential. Correct me if I’m wrong but these artists are kind of newbies, or just debuted in acting or series through this show? Well lemme tell you, it didn’t feel that way, I didn’t notice it to that point, but yes there’s really a room for improvement and I could just imagine how big they could still be. Overall, I’m highly satisfied. I enjoyed the series in one sitting, didn’t notice the time and was so surprise that it ended already at Ep. 8 🤧

They left me wanting more — that’s the magic word. 😅

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Adored this BL

Before the drama came out, I was expecting the story to be an enemies to lover type story based on the synopsis. But my expectations were way off. This drama is a short and sweet watch and honestly you won't get really frustrated with the main characters. The cast fitted perfectly into their roles and with first time actors, the whole cast did really well especially Li Zhenhao who played "Ye Guang." Also another thing about the cast, is the visuals of the four main actors, all so handsome. I loved how throughout the whole drama we got to see Ye Guang and Xu Qi Zhang's chemistry grow from the first episode to the finale. Speaking of Qi Zhang's character, a huge green flag who was so supportive and a comfort for Ye Guang whenever Ye Guang was down. As much as I adored the main couple, the second couple I also adored as well. Even though I wished that Jian and Ray had more screentime together, but the last two episodes showcased them really well on giving them more screentime. As for the soundtrack of this drama, probably one of the best soundtracks ever. Both songs in the drama are really good from the opening song to the ending song. Yeah this drama may seem a bit cliche, but I mean what do you expect it's a BL drama, but overall this drama is a good start for first time BL watchers because of how simple and short the story is. I know that people may have other opinions on this drama but I really enjoyed this one. I know my ratings are a bit much, but make sure to watch it first before you read any reviews lol. And would I recommend this drama, yes definitely I would recommend it because it's so sweet and adorable. And if they pitch in for a season 2, I hope that all four main actors are down on doing another season of About Youth. So am I going to be expecting a season 2, probably not, but I am hoping for one if all four main actors say yes on doing another season.

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I LOVE THIS LIKE IT IS MY FIRST BORN CHILD (WHICH IS NOT A THING I HAVE, BUT I ASSUME).

It's so cute, the music slaps so hard, the story is chefs mothereffing kiss, the only gripe I have is that I thought it was ten episodes, so I went through five stages of grief when there was no 'next episode' button after ep.8. ALL THE SAME:

REWATCH THIS YOU MISERABLE LANDLUBBER.
It's cute and nothing hurts, which is the antithesis of what I typically enjoy, but dear god is it cute and heaven help me does nothing hurt here in the best of ways. All of my pessimistic predictions were met with MORE CUTE and MORE LOVE until my shriveled soul had to just give in and enjoy the show.

I giggled at parts. Not *laughed*, not *chuckled*, I GIGGLED. Like a schoolgirl, kicking my feet and shit. This is so unfathomably cute (but not toothrottingly, I still have my pride, thank you very much) and I love it. The acting was great, the characters were all likeable, and for 8 episodes at less than 30 mins each, everything was decently fleshed out. I have no complaints. **I have no complains** it's breaking my brain, I ALWAYS complain.

Anyway watch this when some other show inevitably makes you consider the worth of continued existence.

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Good Lightweight Series

Due to the heavy subject matters of parental death, and neglectful, abusive parents, I thought there would be more depth to this series. Since this is a mini series, I think my expectations were too high.

The acoustics the band played in were horrible, so I couldn't get into the music numbers either. The only reason I enjoyed this series, was the relationship development between the two couples, Xu Qi Zhang/Ye Guang, and Ray/Jian. Both couples had different paths to love, and I thought the relationship progression was really well done. What I found a little interesting was, Ray allowed the first guy to mistreat him multiple times, yet he made a nice guy like Jian pay for his one mistake. Yet Ray did not try to use his previous relationship as an explanation to Jian, he just decided what was no longer acceptable to him, and acted on it.

Overall this is a light series, that does have moments of emotional abuse and one incident of a parent slapping a child across the face. This is not resolved in the end, so it's really disturbing to think that Ye Guang will be living in that environment for at 2 more years until he can go to university. Hopefully he can get stronger against his parents (father is the abuser, mother the enabler) with the support of Xu Qi Zhang and his mother.

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Beautiful, fulfilling love story between two innocent high school boys

I have a lot of conflicting views about this story. In a way, it was just another rookie high school bl about one kid who’s poor with amazing and relatable parents (Xuqizhang), and another kid who’s rich with strict and ignorant parents (Yeguang). But the characters carried such chemistry between them that falling in love with them is inevitable.

MAIN CP:
The two leads, Xuqizhang and Yeguang were absolutely adorable! I would describe their relationship as two innocent puppies falling in love. Their story was executed well enough to really touch my heart yk. However, throughout the drama, there were quite a few scenes that were cut short and I feel like they could’ve been further explored. Then again, I feel like the episode count was the perfect amount to keep me invested because there’s only so much that can be done about these basic high school bls. There aren’t exactly plot holes, but I feel like it kinda ended in the middle of a lot things happening.

SIDE CP:
Tbh, they were kinda confusing. Once again, you have another seriously cliche cp, with a guy who doesn’t want to get hurt (that’s how I interpret Ray at least) and a guy who’s willing to do anything to gain the other guy’s trust (Jian). Their relationship wasn’t as deeply explored (obviously) but it moved pretty fast. Overall, I didn’t really understand them, but they were cute enough so I just went with the flow.

OVERALL:
It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re into HeartLiming or TinnGun (I feel like they kinda all had that cliche high school trope) and also in general! I feel very content after finishing it :)

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Simple Love Story

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Student): Ye Guang
T (Student): Xu Qi Zhang

- Beginning: B and T are students at the same high school and meet by accident. Because B helped T in his moment of need, they quickly become friends.

- Middle: Despite both of them having family issues, they find solace in each other’s company and slowly fall in love.

- End: In the last episode, they finally confess their feelings for each other by kissing on the basketball field. But before that confession, there are numerous little moment that suggests what they feel towards each other is not mere friendship.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- I liked how their relationship grew because they found solace in each other's company.
- I like how B is much more confident by the end of the show thanks to T’s help. I’m glad T’s parents also seem to have changed.
- The main couple is cute together.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- Very simple and predictable storyline with no plot twists or especially notable moments.
- The romance part is short and sweet with no intimate scenes to speak of.
- Family drama takes up a big part of the show.

**Conclusion**
This is an okay watch.

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It leaves you wanting for more

With the onslaught of multiple BL series coming out of South Korea, Japan and Thailand, I was delighted to find this gem from Taiwan. I watched this one right after finishing My School President and the plot is more or less the same with the roles a bit reversed.

In this series, we have Xu Qi Zhang, a member of a band who is supporting and caring towards Ye Guang, a studious school student. The series attempts to highlight multiple issues faced by students and youth of today. First we have the overbearing parents of Ye Guang who takes control of his life in order to see his son succeed academically. They are so focussed on their son’s success in every field that they don’t realise that he has lost all freedom and feels trapped and unloved. Then we have the story of Ray, who is ill-treated by his boyfriend. He is shown with female attire and a wig while he is with his ex-boyfriend but loses the wig when he meets Ah Jian. There is a hint that may be his ex is making him wear it but that could just be my speculation. They have also added a dead father and an abusive uncle for good measure.

There isn’t much romance as the story focuses more on the relationship between Ye Guang and his parents and how he feels more like himself when he is with Xu Qi Zhang. There are multiple plots that the series introduces and then we don’t get to see any resolution there. There is certainly an attempt to give more depth to these characters but due to limited episodes we don’t get a satisfactory ending to those plots. We get to meet Xu’s abusive uncle but then no follow-up on that story. There is also Jun Wei who dislikes Ye Guang for some reason that isn’t explained but you can hazard a guess. He wants to see Ye Guang fail and takes active steps to do so but then he is forgotten. Then we have the whole plot of a school election where Xu Qi Zhang, Ye Guang and Jun Wei apply for. There is also a stake for Xu Qi Zhang to win this election but there is no conclusion to that plotline. There is also a professor that is supporting Xu Qi Zhang but she leaves the series by ep 2. I can chalk all this down to lack to time to flesh these plots out but not much would be lost if these plots were not brought up to begin with.

In conclusion, the story is simple and the relationship between the main characters is sweet. The OST is good and wouldn’t mind listening to it over and over. The acting has been satisfactory from all the 4 main leads although I would have liked to see more of Ray as his character had a lot of potential and there is a good story there waiting to be explored.

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Short and Sweet!

This Taiwan BL I watched on GagaooLala a couple weeks ago.
Short and easy to watch. I've really love most of what has been coming from Taiwan in the past couple of years. This could have been longer with more to the story.
This drama is a romantic comedy at times. Seemed many scenes felt the same. Lacked scene creativity at times.
There were some hard things to watch between Main lead and his father. Hope this isn't too spoiling.
Loved the side couple. Wish there was more time to develop this relationship more.
I soooo loved the cameo from Wilson Liu as Sun Bo Xiang.
Theme song is addicting for sure.
All the actors were handsome and talented wish we could have had more development to see more.
Here's to hoping they give us more later on.

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