FYI, I badly wanted to watch this drama since the first time I scrolled through Xin Yunlai’s profile. Then, suddenly I realized that the platform is MangoTV (very well-known for their so-called atrocious subs) and that’s why I delay for a very, very long time. After completing Dashing Youth at mid-August, I have nothing else to watch since most of the platforms air mediocre dramas which are not my cup of tea (exception for Are You the One, though). So, I just blast through this show without any expectation, but wow – it’s a very underrated gem buried beneath those so-called highly-rated dramas.

Set in the countryside city of Tieyuan, the story revolves around the rebellious Gao Yang alongside his best friends – the introvert Ye Xiaowen, the energetic and lovely Jin Beibei, the nerdy Tian Meng, the athletic Mi Jia, and the straightforward Zhao Jiabao. Together, they become faithful friends and experience ups and downs in their lives.

If I must say, the story is nothing new, but what matters the most is the EXECUTION! Every scene delivers a depth of layered emotions and you can feel the emotions of the characters there. I also like the dynamic between Gao Yang and his father Gao Bin – they always seem to have something to bicker about. Special commence to the Jin family too – can’t stop laughing when Jin Doudou pulls up some tricks to his hot-tempered sister and also when Principal Jin starts yapping at Beibei’s grades. The comedy scene doesn’t feel forced and everything is quite natural – which is a refreshing breath for me (I’ve seen too many crappy shows which loves to force a slapstick comedy despite nothing funny happens).

Kudos to the whole assemble of the casts and production team for creating such an underrated gem. This is my first time watching Xin Yunlai and he really NAILS the role of Gao Yang very well (an unruly and carefree boy he is). Previously, I’ve seen Chen Youwei in Tiger & Crane and A Journey to Love (this show is one of his earlier works). Considering that he was still a rookie actor at that time, he had already captured the gist of Ye Xiaowen’s character – a quality in which most of the rookie actors lack. Both actors also have high-octane bromance within their relationship too (perfect for bromance lovers since BL love is now banned).

OSTs and BGMs are overshadowed by the audio that MangoTV attached. I can only hear the dialogues but not the music lol.

Overall, a ten out of ten from me. However, I must apologize that I skip from ep 22 straight to the final episode because of my very cruel schedule plus I’m hearing that Xin Yunlai’s other drama (In Between) will tentatively air at September. So, you see how busy I am :<

Don’t be disheartened by the rating and just give it a go if you love high-school drama with family bickering, slice-of-life vibes, and of course without the usual romance trope. Good luck and happy watching!!!