Ray of light
this was an unexpected surprise for me. the storyline is good. a story where the teacher builds his relationship with his students and want them to succeed. there is no overdrama and change from the usual plots which is watch. there is sweetness and bitterness in the story. it also brings out a bit of sadness in you when u see how they are struggling for some recognition. everyone has played their role very well. it has a freshness which I never expected. I patiently wait for the episodes to be aired. I hope it ends in a good noteWas this review helpful to you?
Ray Of Light short review
Okay, so to be honest, I didn't expect this drama to be so good, from the plot, genre, to the cinematography, to the characters and their execution and everything. I don't know how to express my love for this drama. It's so good that I was always awed while watching it on Youku.I can't wait to watch the upcoming episodes.
reasons why y'all have to watch this:
• Great plot
• Slice of Life drama would never disappoint
• Relatable characters
• Great acting skills from the leads
• Cinematography
• Dialogues and the monologues
• Realistic
• The angst is so good
If you're into romance, please leave this one alone. It isn't romance, this is for those who loves slice of life.
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This review may contain spoilers
the right teacher can change multiple students' lifes.
teacher hao used to be a teacher, then gangster until a second chance was given to him with him taking class 14, the school's worst class.however, later did he know that each student has their own struggles from oneself, their parents. their playfulness, silence could be a effect from their parents. (p.s: i feel like all the parents at the start are trash but ok) all these students just needed a push, someone reliable to talk to, someone reliable to help to speak up their thoughts to their parents and that someone is teacher hao.
what i like about this show is that the class was not bonded at first, but was able to get together because of their teacher, supporting him and ensure that he will not leave them. this is how much impact a teacher can make to one's life.
teacher hao does not lookdown on his students because they are the worst class but instead, he seek justice for them. from extra studying materials to having the same lunchtime with other classes. he is a great teacher.
one scene that was the most memorable to me was ep 29. wang fang called xiaoxiao for help and heard her crying. despite the big rain, he ran immediately to her and provided her with money that he lent from his dad. the fact that he always tried to be independent and does not like to ask his father to lend him money. and when she cried, he cried with her while slapping himself.
this precious relationship warms my heart. i know in this review, i keep saying that how teacher hao impacts class 14 but i believe that class 14 also impacted teacher hao one way or another. we learnt from each other, teacher to student and student to teacher.
the fact that when they heard that one of the classmates is getting bullied, some decided to report it to the teacher while some would run into the situation without knowing anything but he is getting bullied. this warms my heart <3 having classmates that are this protective of you and have your back just makes me happy~!
one thing i would like to bring out is that one failure does not mean anything. one failure means there is room for improvement, a space to grow, a setback, a fall but as long as you are able to get out of it, pull yourself out and allow yourself to stand up again. this mean that you are growing. never bow down to one failure.
+ hardwork will never betray you.
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Making our youth counts with the right guidance
Ray of Light is like your typical coming of age, school drama - with a crucial additional pillar, Hao Nan Lao Shi. Indeed, great teachers do make students care more for their studies.What is enjoyable about Ray of Light is being able to see this story from Hao Nan Lao Shi perspectives, on how he believes his students’ potential, on how he advises them as a friend / peer, on how he spend the time with them to get through their current largest hurdle.
On the students end, I particularly like one of the students arc, Jia Kun, who wants to go Shanghai because his first love is there. Through Hao Nan Lao Shi’s words, he comes to realise that the most reliable support to protect their love is through getting a stable job which education can provide. That’s the kind of adult’s perspective, influence and guidance a lot of teenagers need in crucial juncture of their lives - and it‘s nice to see this play out well on screen.
Ren Zhen’s and Gao Yuan’s relationship dynamic is also cute. They share a side with each other that they don’t show to others, they listen to each other’s worries and support each other, they study together and know to prioritise the practical things first - it’s the kind of high school romance I ship. The romantic buff in me is interested to see more of their development as working adults.
Hao Nan Lao Shi’s backstory is a little dramatic, but I guess it grounds the character, knowing his what, his when and his why. Special mention to his mum visiting his workplace - cool mum.
Despite the aforementioned highlights, I only rated Ray of Light at 7.0 because I wasn’t pulled in by all of Qingyun Class 14. What makes high school time highly reminiscent is because of the shared camaraderie of going through the same intensive public exam that seemingly make / break everyone’s future and a celebratory graduation trip that symbolically marks the start of adulthood. While there were these in Ray of Light, I don’t feel that camaraderie bond between Class 14, which is a key ingredient for school dramas. They can’t seem to evoke that mixed feeling of anxiousness and anticipation which I once felt about graduating high school / university.
(Oops, looks like you guys could probably guess my age range now. :P)
Maybe it’s the pacing of the stories, maybe it’s the execution, maybe it’s the cast, or maybe I have past that stage in life. Regardless, Ray of Light is still worth to check out, especially if you are into coming of age stories. If it’s not for Class 14, for Hao Nan Lao Shi, who’s that ray in this story.
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Best chinese school drama ever , Best school drama since korean drama school 2013
I didn't expect to watch such a masterpiece in Chinese school dramait's close to real-life High school and students' Lives Everywhere
It doesn't get into the love lives of the students because they are too busy handling their own social problems and their struggles as high school students,, it shows a generation was mostly interested in schools and their families than their raging hormones,, Yet the drama showcases multiple problems the students face when they wanted to have romantic relationships
It handled many social and psychological issues that many students struggle with anywhere
the drama made us fall in love with the perfect teacher, the mentor, the big brother, and the leader
and also showed that he's human too has a past and has problems of his own
I loved how this drama struck every sense of humanity and responsibility in its stories
not one episode of Bordeom, no toxic people other than some bad people and they were diminished
not everything is in its Ideal state or ever good,, it's life with all its turbulence and peaceful times
I really can't stop talking about How good this drama is
if you watched it you won't ever regret it, ever
it's family drama no kissing scenes no adult scenes, no Too violent scenes
it touches on very sensitive subjects such as suicide and bullying
it doesn't go into deep with very troubled teens,, they are all regular teens with mild to somewhat serious social
issues but not too serious
maybe there were more serious issues to be addressed for high school students but they didn't go there
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This review may contain spoilers
Inspirational drama that will touch every heart
➡️This is an inspirational drama about how a teacher who was considered gangster but exceptional and kind hearted man. He quit teaching due to personal reasons and managed his own billiard shop. One day he met Ren Zhen, a student who failed to enter her target medical school due to 6 points deficit in College Entrance Examination(Gaokao).
➡️The plot seems ordinary but it's beautifully crafted and presented with a wonderful casts that brilliantly portrayed their designated characters.
➡️Guo Jingfei never disappoints but in this drama, he has proven what versatility is all about. He played Hao Nan, a thug but an excellent teacher. At first he is miserable and ridicule by his students and their parents but he never gave up on them. He showed them how brilliant he is when it comes to handling juvenile students.
➡️Ren Zhen, played by Ren Min, a diligent student but failed to enter her school of choice due to her good for nothing father. She became so problematic and untrustful of Hao Nan as her teacher.
➡️Then there was Gao Yuan, a distressed student due the accident that caused his brother's death. He blamed himself for what happened. Another rebellious student Wang Fang who wanted to surpass his dad, then Zhao Xiao Xiao who was taking care of her old and sickly grandmother, Jia Kun, a loner with no life direction, Xiao Fan who was easily manipulated by others and obsessed by her physical features. Then there was Wu Kai who was being bullied in his former school and was forced by his mom to forget his dream.
➡️A good teacher was the one who could help his students fly high to reach their dream and be successful, but what will happen if the teacher himself has some knots in his heart and cannot move on from it.
➡️The backdrop, setting and location is realistic and as viewer you can experience some dejavu, returning to your high school days.
➡️The costume designs are ordinary but relatable. The time frame 2011 is so real through the representation of old cellphones they use plus the constant mention of Wang Fang's idol Kobe Bryant who at that year was still alive.
➡️The music is one factor that made the viewer understand the mode of every scenes. So touching and suit the drama mood well.
➡️The family conflicts, school faculty misunderstandings and the students uncertainty will stir different emotions within the viewers heart. ➡️Personally, I cried a bucket of tears. There's a lot of emotional torment that can make us relate to them. One word to describe, bittersweet drama.
➡️As parent, one reason for my outpour of emotion is the fact that I wasn't with my daughters during the time where they needed me most. I understand that during this period of their life, they're supposed to need my presence but I'm just proud of them on how they handle the pressure of being alone with themselves.
➡️This drama can made parents question themselves whether they are doing the right thing towards their children.
➡️Also, this drama will made us appreciate the teachers more, their dedication, hardwork, patience and perseverance in dealing with our children.
➡️I love the spontaneity of this drama. The approach and the continuity and how every scene is interconnected.
➡️I want to applaud the writers for doing a wonderful job. You wrote the story in a way that it's relatable especially the problems the students encountered. Very realistic and in real life, it really happened.
➡️Thank you for every moral lessons you interject especially decision makings. The bond between classmates and the teacher is applaudable.
➡️It was a well research ending, we all know that not all students can take a college degree and this drama made what I expected, some though took up vocational course, yet they excel in their chosen field. We can say that it's a very nice ending but a sad one because Hao Nan wasn't present to witness the success of his students. He left the task to Miss Bai. After 10 years Ren Zhen and her classmates returned to Qingyun High but Hao Nan is working in a remote village school, still teaching children and how to face the outside world bravely.
➡️Hoping I could encounter another inspirational drama in the the future.
➡️Highly recommended
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This review may contain spoilers
Brave the storm, and light will await you.
This is my first time writing review for any show on mdl because i couldn't help myself but write a review on how good this show is!It started with a strong start, Hao Nan the (supposed to be) gangster met Ren Zhen who just failed getting into university because of her dad. After that the story progress on how Hao Nan is getting back into the right path of teaching, how Ren Zhen work hard to repeat the year, also how the other class 14 students face up their problem and ace their exam (Gao Yuan, Wang Fang, Jia Kun, Xiao Xiao, Wu Kai, Xia Fan and Qiang Qiang).
Guo Jingfei is a veteran actor and you don't need to question his acting, he perfectly potrays a very caring and loving figure of a teacher, i really like Hao Nan personality because he learns from his past mistake, and Guo Jingfei really nailed on his role. When Hao Laoshi encourage his student it feels very touching.
Ren Min, although i know her name but i never actually watch any of her drama before, this is a first one, and i must say i'm really impressed. Her expression andf gesture is on point, and she have a very calm voice (i'm glad the actor of this drama did their own dubbing), when she's mad i can feel it, when she's sad i also feel sad, and when she's happy i also gradually smile together with her, she's the embodiment of Ren Zhen, she really makes her alive and i'm really glad they casted her.
As for Wang Yuan, this is his second drama that i watch. Previously on The Great Ruler, he didn't give me a very good impression and i feel his acting is very lacking, however, this drama showed a lot of his improvement and im very satisfied with his performance. His gesture became much more relaxed, his expression is also great, whenever Gao Yuan cry i just feels like crying together with him huhu, think he still need to improve the way he talk (because sometimes i think he's not opening his mouth wide enough or it is just me?).
I thank the crew for casting such a brilliant actor/actress for this show, all of the other kids in class 14 also did great in potraying their character and make the character alive, even the parents, the teacher, the principal, all is perfect casting for me. The music is also beautiful, from the opening till ending song, all the insert songs, it's all full with emotion.
As for the ending, for me it's very bittersweet. Bitter because our little leads didn't end up together (acceptable since this is not an idol drama, and romance is not the focus of the story) but sweet because all of the kids were able to sucessfuly realize their dreams.
Overall i give this show a perfect score, 10 out of 10. This drama might not have many audience (at first when i started, only about 200 people on mdl watch it, and by the time i write this review it's around 650 people) but i really really wish more people will give this show a try and enjoy it as much as i do. This has become one of my favorite and comfort drama and i'll still rewatch this in the future.
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A WORTHWHILE WATCH
I won't say I didn't expect this to be good, I watched the trailer and it did give off different and realistic vibes in comparison to most highschool dramas but I must say it exceeded my expectations...this drama had a full mark in all the categories that male a good drama for me and those are Dialogue, Plot, acting, cinematography, chemistry and osts.This drama had an amazing and realistic plot..the characters stories were all relatable and that made it interesting to watch..it also had a unique touch to it... definetly something different from most highschool themed dramas.
The dialogue was screen shot worthy, this drama had that really solid dialogue that has you pausing a bit just to digest it fully...the dialogue was relatable, sensible and it actually had some nice lessons to teach the viewers.
The acting was solid from literally every character in the show...they all shined in their respective roles and they all have it their all, the acting moved me emotionally since most scenes were a bit heart breaking...and the comedy was all natural and not forced overall all characters gave off amazing acting.
The chemistry was amazing and natural firstly between the main leads and between the entire cast.
The cinematography was nostalgic and breathtaking.
The osts were cheerful and amazing to listen too.
Overall this drama was a roller coaster of emotions, heart break, youth friendship, teacher student relationships...and many character stories to learn from...the dialogue was absolutely amazing and the plot was solid..I don't regret watching this and I highly recommend it if you want a good and unique drama to watch.
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Bad Case of the Wrong Audience (maybe..)
Maybe it's cos I'm not a young adult anymore or about to write an important exam or was never a teenager or something... I'm not so sure why but this drama didn't resonate with me at all. Infact I found it quite uninteresting. It's sad cos I was really looking forward to enjoying this as it reminded me of a movie I enjoyed, titled Coach Carter, which had the same premise of a teacher taking special interest in a "bad class" and working with them to give them options in life.I respect good teachers and education as a resource for personal growth but I got tired very fast of the preachy way things were said especially by the teacher alllll of the time and unfortunately none of the kids stories struck any cord in me. I dropped by ep 11, skimmed from 12 to 16 to see if it got better and finally couldn't go on.
The acting was not the strongest for me from the students. Especially with Gao Yuan. Was not the worst but no standouts.
I barely remember the music but I remember not hating it so..
I understand that they're trying to encourage the youth to stay in school but it seemed that's all the drama was ultimately about and I don't think this was made for me at all.
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