Beautiful Story Sets a New Bar

Thoughtfully written, masterfully acted, and beautifully shot. The amount of detail and effort found in each episode, from color palettes with symbolic meaning to small gestures that reveal character development, really showcases the right way to make a poignant youth love story. Each episode, there were multiple times I had to pause the show to take in a beautiful view - the purposeful scenery, lighting, or mood of the scene was truly cinematic.
The actors absolutely could bring heart breaking emotions to the screen, along with lighthearted fun and cute emotions. They really weren’t afraid to give it their all, and the audience can feel genuine emotion without the need for a single word.
Side characters are much more than just ‘on the side’ because they actually develop and enrich the plot without falling into typical tropes (the villainous girl getting in the way, the goofball comedic relief character, etc.). Each character is realistic and has flaws, and although they may act in ways we don’t like at first, we can understand why they do.
The OST is not just great for listening, but plays an integral part in the story, intermingling as a kind of meta-commentary on what goes on in the screen. There is none of that goofy ‘you-should-laugh-now’ music or cheesy sound effects that many shows include today, further pulling you in to take this show seriously.
I thoroughly enjoyed this show; it starts wonderfully and keeps its energy all the way until the end (unlike some other dramas which fizzle out to a disappointing end). Please watch I Told Sunset About You, you will not be disappointed.

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A Beautiful Story of Love, Loss, and Family

What a ride it's been through this whole season... They did such a wonderful and beautiful job showing the relationship of the boys, as well as to their mixed, complicated family.

I really appreciate the production and writers who understand that the audience is smart and can understand nuance and subtle nods (and some obvious hints) throughout. Without having to dumb things down, be overtly sexual, or just in-your-face about things, they can show rather than tell in this adaptation. [yeah, I think it really was lube :0] It really makes the show more fun to watch - when you think to yourself "ah, I see what they did here hehe" or "wow that was pretty funny and creative how they showed that" in spite of their social/legal limitations and restrictions for Chinese crew and actors.

Of course it wasn't perfect, with some questionable dubbing or awkward timings of some scenes. And no one will forget the green screen "beach" scene. Hope their popularity will give them enough budget to be able to transport the cast and crew to a real beach in season 2.

I get the reason for ending season 1 on an open cliffhanger - cuz that's what many shows do to drum up excitement for the next season. But in this case, the production is really gambling on the fact that they'll be able to come back without interference. I really hope they'll be able to come back full forced and finish the story that deserves to be told, but if not, it was great while it lasted!

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