'When the Phone Rings' takes Netflix by storm, scores new personal-best ratings
Hello! I’m Bri, your typical gal who got sucked into the vortex that is Asian dramas and never really found her way out… ;P
Anyway, this is my very first article for MDL, so I hope you’ll enjoy it!
I wanted to talk about a Chinese drama I watched (not-so) recently that left a deep impression on me.
It's titled: A Little Reunion, AKA 小欢喜.
*I'm adding in a TW for sexual harassment, cancer, depression, suicidal thoughts, suicide and attempted suicide as these topics do surface in the drama*
The exam is a critical point in your life, but compared to your life itself, it is nothing - Ms Li (Xu Fan Xi)
A Little Introduction
A Little Reunion is about 3 teens, their families and their lives leading up to their college entrance exam. Known as the Gaokao (高考), China’s college entrance exam is notorious for being one of the most stressful and tough years in a students’ life. It’s the age-old belief of ‘your scores determine your path and your future’.
Now, I know some of you must be thinking, ‘What? Why would I watch a drama about family troubles?’ But trust me, this drama is worth a shot. I myself was hesitant diving into this show, but after completing it I honestly regret not watching it sooner. I genuinely enjoyed everything about the drama. The script, the acting, the music all made for one very enjoyable ride.
A peep at some of the situations our teens find themselves in
"Children need to live their own lives, we can't do it for them. All the turns and bends they need to take, all the walls they're required to bump into, not one can be avoided." - Tong Wen Jie (Hai Qing)
A Little Revisit
Let me start with, perhaps my favourite bit, the friendship between our 4 main teenagers, Qiao Ying Zi (Li Geng Xi), Fang Yi Fan (Zhou Qi), Lin Lei'er (Liu Jia Yi) and Ji Yang Yang (Guo Zi Fan). While they may not all have started best friends, the character development and the experiences that draw them together are easily some of the best parts of the show. I love how even though they tease and poke fun at each other, at the end of the day they’ve still got each other’s backs.
Our four main musketeers
Cousins Yi Fan and Lei'er
Each of our 4 main teens come from different backgrounds and lifestyles, which I think is a big part of why the show is so attractive. We have the hilarious, loving and warm Fang family, the Ji family who've spent many years apart because of the father's job and finally, the Qiao family whose child is in the middle of parents who are divorced and always at loggerheads.
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From L-R: The Fang family, Ji family & Qiao family
The audience who watches the story unfold can themselves relate to these characters’ situations. Even if we’ve never faced the same things as them, the storytelling and actor portrayals allow us to empathise with them. Big props to all the actors who brought this show to life with their raw and heartfelt emotions.
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Each of our families has its own stories to tell
~ Can you feel the love tonight? ~
Another aspect of this series is the friendship between our teenagers’ parents. This show not only depicts the ups and downs of the children but their parents too. It’s a great parallel to real life - our parents go through struggles too. They may not always inform us, but parents are human too and have their own set of problems we as teenagers/young adults may only understand later in life. And most of all, they’re definitely not perfect as can be seen in A Little Reunion.
 Our womenfolk |  Our menfolk |
Parents' Chinese New Year gathering
The last point I want to bring up is the show’s theme song, also titled A Little Reunion. I've included it here, so do give it a listen! It’s a beautifully written and composed song that will tug at our heartstrings. The song reads like a love letter from a parent to their child,
"I've been by your side through all the roads you've walked",
"Little by little you walk out of my sight, yet never my thoughts",
"You have nothing to fear, I'll be right by your side",
"My love belongs to you but you belong to tomorrow",
"Wishing you have a joyous and resplendent life"
A Little Wrap-Up
This series has written itself onto my heart and has no plans of leaving. It’s a story about friendship, family and growing up. The journey to adulthood (and even adulthood itself) is never easy, but we grow. And we have people who will come alongside us and rally for us, even when we can’t see or feel it.
A Little Reunion portrays the beauty and the pain that comes with growing up so wonderfully, I really cannot give it enough compliments. I’m thankful for being able to journey along with each of the characters in this series and I can’t wait to see them again in A Little Reunion 2022.
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Yes, you read that right! The studio that produced this drama has just announced a sequel estimated to be coming out in 2022. So if you’re interested, do check out A Little Reunion and be on the lookout for A Little Reunion 2022!
*I'm not sure what countries they've let watch the series on YT, I'll link the Dailymotion site as well but take note that it's not subbed :(*
We've come to the end of my drama recap, thank you all so much for giving it a read! I hope I've been able to add one more drama into some of your watchlists :)
See you all again!
Credits: 1st poster taken from Linmon Productions website, all water-marked pictures/posters taken from Weibo and all gifs are made by me
