This review may contain spoilers
Masterpiece drama
Where do I even start?First off, Esther Yu absolutely blew me away. I’m not usually her biggest fan—I watch her dramas, but she’s never been one of my favorite actresses. That said, this is easily the best performance I’ve seen from her. She was absolutely perfect in this role.
Chen Jingke was also phenomenal. I’ve only seen him in two other dramas, but I believe this is his strongest performance so far. And I always love seeing Victor Ma in a drama. He has a way of bringing just the right amount of comedy to lighten the mood without taking away from the emotional moments.
I’ll share more of my thoughts below for anyone who doesn’t mind spoilers!
⚠️ Spoilers Ahead
This drama was a little triggering for me, as it deals with topics such as suicide, child abuse and neglect, mental illness, and trauma. Because of that, I had to watch it in smaller increments.
Wang Fa is the biggest green flag. I absolutely adored his character. He honestly reminded me of my own husband in the way he treated Lin Wan Xing. He protected and cared for her without trying to “fix” her. He knew when to encourage her forward and when to simply step back and let her process things on her own. As someone living with CPTSD, that kind of patience and understanding is exactly what we need from a partner. He was incredibly patient, compassionate, and supportive, and I loved every minute of it.
Lin Wan Xing… I saw so much of myself in her. I admired how she refused to let her trauma define her or keep her from moving forward. Watching her, Wang Fa, and the children slowly heal together was one of the most beautiful parts of this story. The storyline involving her grandparents absolutely broke my heart. I also found myself relating to both what her parents put her through and to several of the children’s experiences for personal reasons.
Wen Cheng Ye was my favorite student in the entire show. He was just a young boy who had been deeply misunderstood and mistreated. I completely understood why he behaved the way he did at the beginning. Watching his father treat him like he was Harry Potter—locking him in that tiny room—was devastating and brought back some painful memories of my own. Seeing him finally stand up to his father, with the rest of the group standing beside him, was one of the most satisfying moments in the drama.
Fu Xin Shu was another favorite of mine. I loved the bromance between him and Wen Cheng Ye, even though they had their rough patch. His mother was absolutely awful, and my heart broke for everything he endured.
I absolutely loved the rest of the team as well. Every one of the students was wonderfully written and had meaningful character development. I simply found myself resonating more deeply with Wen Cheng Ye and Fu Xin Shu because parts of their stories hit especially close to home. That didn’t make me care about the others any less—I was rooting for every single one of them by the end.
Overall, I think Road to Success is a beautiful healing drama, but it’s also one that can be deeply triggering. It explores trauma, grief, and recovery with a great deal of heart. I mention my own experience only to encourage others with psychological trauma to approach this show with care. Despite the difficult subject matter, I truly believe it’s a masterpiece and one of the most emotionally rewarding dramas I’ve watched. Will 1000% rewatch this drama!
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