XiaoXiao

The basic premise is kinda similar to the filipino drama wildflower. Did this drama took inspiration from wildflower?

The first 2 episodes were promising, but halfway through, I was pretty much hate watching. The innocent slife-of-life romance, turned into melodrama mess. And they chose to end it the worst way possible. Not happy, bittersweet or tragic, but an open ending. It's rare for me to not want the main couple to be together. But this time, I was wishing they say goodbye for good. I dont think the FL is the worst human being there is. Not perfect but not a bad person either. But it just didnt feel right for them to get back together again. They didnt seem suited for each other. ML should have just dated the 2FL and move on, that would have made me feel less pissed off.

Well that's a strong reaction for an episode about two highschoolers just studying together.

Even with good writing, slow-paced dramas like this just tend to be less popular. You have to be on the right mindset to watch a show that starts off as basically a slice of life. I think the first 2 episodes were pretty good, but even with that, the ratings were low. Now that the story is becoming messy, the ratings will just get lower.

Im getting the feeling that Im A sol and Tae Seo will be the end game in this drama. Because her role is too small in these past 8 episodes for a main character. Right now, she's basically just on the side interacting with Tae Seo from time to time like some kind of foreshadowing. It's probably a bittersweet ending between ML and FL. The healing tag might be about them moving on from each other. Well that's just my guess. Let's see.

There first time trying to sleep with each other was so awkward I got second hand embrassment lol. The synopsis pretty much spoiled already that they will break up, seem like it will be next ep based on the preview. I think I'll wait until more episodes are out before I continue. This seem like the type of drama that's better if you marathon.

This drama is far from romanticizing it. People at the time were forced to believe it was a good thing. If anything else, there were subtle hints criticizing it. Like the FL getting in very serious trouble for simply reading an "intellectual" or western book, how she sublty supports individualism through her thoughts and actions, and how the ML's parents were sent to reeducation camps as punishment for simply being intellectuals. Most modern chinese think the cultural revolution was a huge setback to china's progress. But they do believe the other things Mao Zedong did was good. 70% good 30% bad.

When the cultural revolution happened, you cant get into university through gaokao anymore (entrance exam), you can only go there through recommendation by people in position like if they see your loyalty to the party.

There are definitely well-received series where the main couple get together early and the story is basically about how they navigate their relationship. Some of my favorite dramas are written like this. But it's harder to pull-off so writers often just opt for the safer route.

You will rarely see dramas where they get together early because there's a saying between romance writers which is "When the main characters gets into a relationship the story is already 90% done" viewership goes down based on statistics. I think what they could have done better here is that the sml confessing earlier so he could get rejected earlier so we dont get more scenes with him.

I know everyone hates the sml, but fl suddenly not liking him and forgetting about him would not be believable. He is her first love and they pretty much almost dated. The writers are just prepping the big event which makes the fl realize her true feelings. That's probably gonna happend in the next 2 ep likely after the 3rd date.

She had jaw reduction surgery. It's pretty obvious since she used to have a round face. No need to glaze over it. We all know how common cosmetic surgery is in korea.

Oof

I've read chinese and korean transmigration/regression/reincarnation novels where the main protagonist is pretty much the main villain. Ruthless, manipulative and cunning. Not afraid to kill innocent people. It's probably based on this trope.

Is xie yong er gonna die? that farewell scene seem more like a tropey death flag.

It did start off a little boring and it was missing a good "hook" to keep viewers watching. The recent episodes are getting more interesting though, and with what happened in the last episode, it's the first time Im actually looking forward to the next episode.

They are played by the same child actor but different characters. Because they are supposed to be father and son, or at least related.

It is. They take roles that fit their image

Every trope imaginable have been explored already at this point lol

ML is more of the good guy type while the SML is the bad boy type. It's just a matter of preference.