As someone that has grown up watching a junkyard full of dramas, I'm definitely saying this was amazing. It may be because I'm getting older but I'm starting to appreciate more of the slow-burn, realistic and more mature dramas instead of the usual fluff pieces. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a wholesome love story but I find they create a lot of unrealistic situations that don't make sense in the moment. I think when people are calling this a fluff piece and to instead watch "A love so beautiful", I think they're missing out on all the charming moments this drama has. The themes that play out in this drama are about cherishing every adolescent moment we have and not having any regrets on love. This show manages to show a lot of growth in each characters, even the supporting cast. And to the people saying this is a fluff piece, no way did we just watch the same drama. Yes, there were the cutesy moments but there were so many mature themes that most other dramas don't necessarily explore. Every scenario of events felt like they had a purpose in getting characters to grow and not remain stagnant. One of most fascinating things about the story is that it takes place in the mid-2000's where technology wasn't as crazy as it is now. I always wondered why this decision was made or if this was when the novel came out (the novel it's based on).

Main lead: There's a reason everyone is talking about how great a character she is. She has more emotional maturity and sensibility then most people I know. I and a lot of people love how her character doesn't fit the archetype of many female leads. She's strong, blunt but is able to comfort someone by always knowing what to say. She never chases or goes after anyone and lets fate run it's course. (sidenote- I love how the show made sure that her sensibility was a good quality trait but also bad which brought her a lot of heartache).The interesting thing is that even though she loves him, she never acts on her feelings, not only because she feels afraid but doesn't know how to. I think her character is so relatable in that the male lead has never noticed her until he the finds her later in life.

Male lead: I think he was a pretty average lead for a drama. He's handsome, smart and all the girls like him. But I think he stands out because the show does tell his flaws to his face, (literally, there's a scene where Lui Xhi tells him, directly to his face, everything he did wrong for her to be angry at him. We stan a blunt QUEEN). You can tell that as you keep watching, he becomes more normal and I love how the show expresses his fears of people discovering that he isn't as shiny and perfect as people think he is.

Story: This story may seem stalker-ish at first but the thing I love about this show is that it explains all her feelings and how she came to feel them. Some dramas don't that and it irks the hell out of me. And her actions are never immoral, she just has a diary. I can rest assure you that it is not a stalker story in the slightest.

Supporting cast + side stories: I love pretty much most of the side characters or friends that the main leads had. I know people have certain things to feel about certain characters but I pretty much loved all the friendships. One of the best things in this drama is the pure bromance between Sheng Huainan and Zhang Mingrui. Can I just point out that Mingrui is a true homeboi for never getting mad at him or at least irritated by him even with all the unrequited love scenarios. I also love all the side stories. But I want to point out the one story people are the most irritated by which is the love triangle with Ding ShuiJing. I understand why people don't like it but I think it was a good side-story just because of the themes it dealt with. It really added in something different. The whole plot-line is about how Luo Yang and Ding ShuiJing meet in a class and start spending time together. They seem like a good match at first, but it turns out he has a girlfriend of 8 years. It kind of explores deeper into emotional cheating because even if they were never intimate, you knew they liked each other. His girlfriend is also given a lot of character and you end up sympathizing with her a lot.

Cinematography: Can we just talk about some of the camera shots and angles. Like, dang, they really tried with this drama. Personally, I don't have a film major or understand it on an expert level, but the shots, in my opinion, have a wide range. I find that in a lot of chinese fluff dramas, that the camera shots are very basic. Shot on one person, shot on the other. But in this one, they try to incorporate a lot of the area around them and more dynamic movement. One of my favourite scenes is when we're kind of taken a tour of the dorm of Sheng Huainan and his roommates. I kind of love how the camera kept moving from one room to another, making the shots more lively with so many boys living in one room. Besides the couple of bad green screen moments, they really did well.

I actually created an account just so I could say how good this was and how more people need to watch it. I'm not saying this was absolutely perfect, but I honestly think nothing is perfect and deserving of a full 10/10. But seriously, WATCH THIS. I find that if you give a show a chance, no matter what anyone else thinks, you may find a hidden gem.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED





SIDENOTE:
I love when we got into the family arch, it wasn't all about the parents disapproving but something that brought more emotional turmoil. I still think that was a crazy thing to do for a plot-line but it wasn't the generic, your family is poor and therefore, I can't associate with them kind of thing. I also appreciate how they didn't make Sheng Huainan's mother blame Lui Xhi's mother for being in the lawsuit. She just felt disappointed in herself for causing so much pain.

Also, did not want to mention this in the beginning because it would definitely be a spoiler. But, can I just say how happy I was when he ended up staying. I mean it was obvious that they were going to end up together because they both seemed very regretful, but it still tugged at my heartstrings.

The entire decision of making Sheng Huainan cheat and get caught was NOT AT ALL something I thought they were going to do. Mainly because not many shows are willing to put out plots where the male lead goes through something but doesn't bounce back. I thought they were going to do something completely unrealisitic and make him find a way to get unexpelled but thank god, they didn't go that route. I think the ending really helps build the male lead into something more than what his archetype is. He went through something devastating and he understands how he was living a life of privilege which gave him a lot of advantages. And feels insecure about how he isn't at all perfect.

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