Rhea
Malaysia
Great Life Lessons!
Be Yourself is indeed a nice surprise as a youth drama. I think it is underrated and certainly deserves more viewership and attention. However, be aware that it is not a college romance drama. There is an element of romance but it is not the central theme. Love matters is just one of the many issues facing the protagonists. So, if you are expecting a full-blown romance like in The Love Equations, this would not satisfy that craving.
Instead, Be Yourself has a slice-of-life feel as the drama depicts the university life of 4 young women. It doesn’t have a solid main plot with a continuous story to follow but simply problems or crises that befall the girls during their 4 years in university. So, a problem may crop up affecting one of the girls and this will take an episode or two to resolve before the attention shifts to another character. It may seem like an overly simple drama but this is also precisely where its greatest strength lies.
A Story That Will Resonate With Students
Be Yourself is a drama that most students will be able to relate to. If you have gone to university, this might also bring you down memory lane to the times when you are still young and absorbing life lessons. Through the different personalities of the 4 protagonists who are thrown together as dorm mates, the screenwriter manages to weave together a story that teaches us valuable lessons that we can’t get from text books. These lessons are briefly narrated by Xiao Yu at the end of each episode as a summary.
Hence, there is a heavy dose of realism in the drama and you can feel for the girls. This is because what they face is typical of what a girl will encounter at that stage of her life. Having a crush, being envious, respecting privacy and boundaries, conflicts with parents, losing a loved one, and being yourself are some of the issues explored in the drama. As the plot progresses, it also shows a deepening friendship among the girls which is heartwarming.
This is not a long-winded drama. Problems get resolved pretty quickly rather than get dragged out as the main point is to show the lesson learned. The first few episodes may seem like a bore as you are introduced to the different personalities. But as the story moves along, you will start to get used to them with each being unique and lovable in their own way.
Good Contrast Of Characters
Not many dramas will give equal attention to 4 characters, with all being females too. This one is done rather well as it successfully projects the uniqueness of each character and the title Be Yourself sums it up perfectly. Just like in your group of friends whereby everyone is different from appearance to life experiences, the same goes for the girls in the drama. The contrasts in the characters’ personality and family background is cleverly depicted in the drama to give us a very natural feel of 4 strangers being forced to live together by chance.
All the characters are certainly well-written and styled differently. They don’t appear as one-dimensional despite the shorter screen time for each with the attention being divided among the 4 of them. There is growth for each one of them by the end of the drama. It should be since they spent 4 years going though ups and downs while in university and thinking about their uncertain future once they graduate. That is part of the satisfaction after following the girls’ journey over the 24 episodes.
Natural Depiction Of Friendship
I have to commend all the 4 ladies for their great acting. They manage to bring out the personalities of the characters that they are playing. Perhaps the casting was done right in the first place. Each one of them looks natural in their role and the contrasting characters as mentioned above become even more enjoyable to watch as a result.
The group also has great chemistry as friends. I don’t know if they are fond of each other off-cam but the way they laugh and cry together as on-screen friends look really heartwarming to a viewer. There is no awkwardness detected but pure friendship that looks convincing. The last time I watched Shen Yue and Zhang Ruo Nan is in Use For My Talent and Everyone Wants To Meet You respectively. I think they are the more experienced actresses compared to Vivienne Tien and Zhang Xin Yi. Nevertheless, there is no noticeable difference that I can see. It is indeed better this way rather than having one’s performance overshadowing another which will mar the enjoyability of the drama.
As for the guys, they do take a backseat in Be Yourself. They are relegated to supporting characters. So, if you want to watch more of Leon Leong, you can catch him in My Love, Enlighten Me instead.
My Verdict – Better Than Expected
Be Yourself is really better than expected where I’m concerned. As mentioned, I’m not one who is too fond of youth dramas. But this one really strikes a different chord in me. If you like friendship and coming of age stories, then this should be a good fit. The story is told in a very realistic way as you follow the girls’ lives through college. It will hook you until you would feel a sense of longing when it ends. You will find yourself wanting the drama to continue on as the protagonists leave you with the feeling that they have more to tell about their lives.
The drama will evoke certain emotions in you. There are touching and sad moments that might bring you a few tears. There are also happy and heartwarming moments. It is not depressing or a melodrama like Crush but neither is it a sweet college romance drama like Forever Love. It is simply the very ordinary lives of 4 university students being depicted in a way that is easily relatable especially among the younger viewers.
For this Be Yourself review, I would give it a score of 8/10. Don’t watch this for the romance. Instead, watch it for the friendship and life lessons. Some may find it boring as there is no strong plot to carry the drama. It is more of a mix and match of the different characters’ college life experiences bound together into a story. Therefore, you need to like this kind of storytelling to enjoy the drama. Otherwise, you will be wishing for more happenings and excitement after watching the first few episodes.
Instead, Be Yourself has a slice-of-life feel as the drama depicts the university life of 4 young women. It doesn’t have a solid main plot with a continuous story to follow but simply problems or crises that befall the girls during their 4 years in university. So, a problem may crop up affecting one of the girls and this will take an episode or two to resolve before the attention shifts to another character. It may seem like an overly simple drama but this is also precisely where its greatest strength lies.
A Story That Will Resonate With Students
Be Yourself is a drama that most students will be able to relate to. If you have gone to university, this might also bring you down memory lane to the times when you are still young and absorbing life lessons. Through the different personalities of the 4 protagonists who are thrown together as dorm mates, the screenwriter manages to weave together a story that teaches us valuable lessons that we can’t get from text books. These lessons are briefly narrated by Xiao Yu at the end of each episode as a summary.
Hence, there is a heavy dose of realism in the drama and you can feel for the girls. This is because what they face is typical of what a girl will encounter at that stage of her life. Having a crush, being envious, respecting privacy and boundaries, conflicts with parents, losing a loved one, and being yourself are some of the issues explored in the drama. As the plot progresses, it also shows a deepening friendship among the girls which is heartwarming.
This is not a long-winded drama. Problems get resolved pretty quickly rather than get dragged out as the main point is to show the lesson learned. The first few episodes may seem like a bore as you are introduced to the different personalities. But as the story moves along, you will start to get used to them with each being unique and lovable in their own way.
Good Contrast Of Characters
Not many dramas will give equal attention to 4 characters, with all being females too. This one is done rather well as it successfully projects the uniqueness of each character and the title Be Yourself sums it up perfectly. Just like in your group of friends whereby everyone is different from appearance to life experiences, the same goes for the girls in the drama. The contrasts in the characters’ personality and family background is cleverly depicted in the drama to give us a very natural feel of 4 strangers being forced to live together by chance.
All the characters are certainly well-written and styled differently. They don’t appear as one-dimensional despite the shorter screen time for each with the attention being divided among the 4 of them. There is growth for each one of them by the end of the drama. It should be since they spent 4 years going though ups and downs while in university and thinking about their uncertain future once they graduate. That is part of the satisfaction after following the girls’ journey over the 24 episodes.
Natural Depiction Of Friendship
I have to commend all the 4 ladies for their great acting. They manage to bring out the personalities of the characters that they are playing. Perhaps the casting was done right in the first place. Each one of them looks natural in their role and the contrasting characters as mentioned above become even more enjoyable to watch as a result.
The group also has great chemistry as friends. I don’t know if they are fond of each other off-cam but the way they laugh and cry together as on-screen friends look really heartwarming to a viewer. There is no awkwardness detected but pure friendship that looks convincing. The last time I watched Shen Yue and Zhang Ruo Nan is in Use For My Talent and Everyone Wants To Meet You respectively. I think they are the more experienced actresses compared to Vivienne Tien and Zhang Xin Yi. Nevertheless, there is no noticeable difference that I can see. It is indeed better this way rather than having one’s performance overshadowing another which will mar the enjoyability of the drama.
As for the guys, they do take a backseat in Be Yourself. They are relegated to supporting characters. So, if you want to watch more of Leon Leong, you can catch him in My Love, Enlighten Me instead.
My Verdict – Better Than Expected
Be Yourself is really better than expected where I’m concerned. As mentioned, I’m not one who is too fond of youth dramas. But this one really strikes a different chord in me. If you like friendship and coming of age stories, then this should be a good fit. The story is told in a very realistic way as you follow the girls’ lives through college. It will hook you until you would feel a sense of longing when it ends. You will find yourself wanting the drama to continue on as the protagonists leave you with the feeling that they have more to tell about their lives.
The drama will evoke certain emotions in you. There are touching and sad moments that might bring you a few tears. There are also happy and heartwarming moments. It is not depressing or a melodrama like Crush but neither is it a sweet college romance drama like Forever Love. It is simply the very ordinary lives of 4 university students being depicted in a way that is easily relatable especially among the younger viewers.
For this Be Yourself review, I would give it a score of 8/10. Don’t watch this for the romance. Instead, watch it for the friendship and life lessons. Some may find it boring as there is no strong plot to carry the drama. It is more of a mix and match of the different characters’ college life experiences bound together into a story. Therefore, you need to like this kind of storytelling to enjoy the drama. Otherwise, you will be wishing for more happenings and excitement after watching the first few episodes.
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