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About Youth taiwanese drama review
Completed
About Youth
2 people found this review helpful
by labcat
Sep 22, 2022
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Cute and sweet without being frivolous

I was at first a little put off by Ye Guang's schoolmates fangirling over him in the first episode, but I was quickly hooked. There is a lot to love about this series. Yes, the story isn't very strong, but it manages to rise above fluff enough to be quite moving. The people behind it manage to do a rather good job when things could have gone quite wrong.

The scenes of the main couple are often beautifully shot. The tenderness between them and the developing romance is effectively conveyed without resorting to the exaggerations that mar many other series. In the scene where Ye Guang unbuttons Qizhang's shirt because the latter has been scalded, the scene could have been overly sexualized and Qizhang's shyness and fluttering heart could have been exaggerated, but the scene is suitably understated. It brings out the growing intimacy between the leads and their concern for each other without exaggerating the sexual undertones or the characters' emotions.

In another scene where Ye Guang falls asleep while getting a motorcycle ride from Qizhang, I can think of countless other series where Qizhang would just secretly plant a kiss on Ye Guang. However, we see him gently supporting Ye Guang's head and then placing Ye Guang's hands around his waist. This is one of those shows where the emotional intensity is powerful without resorting to sex scenes or non-consensual kisses, and the romance is so much cuter this way. The characters' behaviors are also very much in line with their personalities and the different "stages" of their romance.

I also love the part where Ye Guang says something insensitive to Qizhang when he agitated by his parents. While it could have easily degenerated into some childish quarrel, Qizhang looks fleetingly hurt but continues to try to console Ye Guang. Ye Guang also soon apologizes for what he has said.

Despite all the strengths, there are parts of the series where scenes seem to have been skipped and things are left unexplained. I think there is a lack of explanation of why Ray dresses up as a girl at the start but stops doing so: is he into cross-dressing, doing it to please a man or doing it because he identifies as a woman? The portrayal of Ye Guang's parents, particularly his father, is also a weak aspect of the series. I can take it that the father is rather awful in the sense that he is more concerned about the son's grades and achievements more than anything else and is guilty of rather appalling class discrimination. Yet, his awful behavior is glossed over as being motivated by concern that his son might do down the wrong path. Additionally, it is not clear why, after installing an app on Ye Guang's phone to track Ye Guang's location, Ye Guang still roams around without being tracked down.

There are also some logical inconsistencies in the series. For example, when Qizhang is taken by Jian to meet his boyfriend (Ray), Qizhang seems surprised to see Ray and Ye Guang together. However, Qizhang should already by then know about Jian and Ray's relationship, having helped Jian convey a message to Ray earlier on. And Qizhang also knows that Ye Guang and Ray are close friends, so there is no reason for him to be so surprised.

Had the series been twelve episodes instead, some of the problems could perhaps have been avoided. It feels like certain things had to be left out or rewritten to fit the story into eight episodes. There is potential for a second season because there are still things left hanging. Despite the flaws, I love the main couple and side couple enough to want a second season.

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