Brilliant Class 8 (2022)

Brilliant Class 8 of Comedy & Youth

Was watching this drama for 3 people I follow; WRC, ZFX, and Zhang Li. Wanted to see all three in completely different characters then what I've seen from them before. And I have to say, all three gave me great performances. Let's get into it, shall we?

Pros: This was only the 2nd youth drama I've seen and the first one also had WRC in it. What stood out was the actual plot; it wasn't just the usual trials and tribulations of students but threw an idol and the entertainment world into the mix. I enjoyed all of the nuances of combining these two totally different worlds together.

By far my two favorite characters were Lin Sheng and Su Man played by WRC and Zhang Li respectively. They also were the perfect example of a work in progress couple; a nice and steady evolution of their relationship. Their moments together on screen were just too cute. They were literally the perfect match from day one. I actually preferred them over the main leads relationship (more on that one later). It was my first time seeing WRC in a role where his character wasn't in some shape or form arrogant. He needs more of these kick ass take names but do it with a genuine heart types of roles because I am fearful he'll get typecast. Zhang Li, I first saw in Luoyang and loved her sociopath serial killer character and when I saw she was going to be in this drama, I wanted to see more of her. She did great; Iron Lady with a soft interior and fiercely loyal and caring about those in her life.

ZFX played the adorable nerdy math teacher Chen Liu San and did it so well that you just wanted to hug him no matter how many math equations he spouted out in a fraction of a microsecond. I think this role was perfect for him considering his age. Whenever he was on screen, it made you smile.

Who could forget the kids? They were truly an amazing and hysterical bunch. This series wouldn't have the same charm if they weren't exactly who they were. Their antics and fierce protection of their teachers and each other was heartwarming. Everything was resolved no matter how large the problem was. That cast of kids was truly diverse in age as the youngest was 15 years old at the time of filming and the oldest was 30.

The comedy was spot on almost every time; I liked the slice of life aspects very much. From fighting over idols to learning about what mattered most and caring about family. The ML was like a piece of music himself; started off as an arrogant ass but then gradually evolved into a mature man who took responsibility for stuff. I think when it comes to real character development and evolvement, his did the most.

Cons: This series could have done with only 35 episodes. It had a lot of inconsistencies that were never quite explained including why on earth did the FL break up with the ML over some BS public opinion when she spent the first at least 10 episodes yelling and kicking his and anyone else's ass that pissed her off? It made no sense whatsoever.

I have to say this is the first drama where I had to ffw the FL because of her complete lack of communication and understanding; resorting to violence when she didn't get her way. They tried to make it come across as comedic but it was abusive. You don't just start beating on someone if you're upset with them. I legit laughed when in a later episode she mentioned she might be bipolar because that would definitely explain the extreme mood swings. They never followed up on that, but I wish they did because she needed anger management at least if not medication and therapy, pure and simple. Yet around her sister she acted meek and powerless; it made zilch sense.

The series started to drag in the breakup episodes and lost a lot of its cohesion which also knocked down my rating of it. Instead of creating angst with an in-cohesive break up, the plagiarism plot could have been introduced. It's such an important aspect and needed to be pursued and developed more instead in like literally the last 4 or 5 episodes. Mu Chen was literally a useless character until episode 36. And where did Wei Lei go? She's on a set somewhere and that's it? No rounding out her ending.

The ending could have been done better with XDN releasing his album and the students being proud of their special song; instead it just ends with Mu Chen leaving the industry to clean pianos somewhere and XDN's blurry figure returning the following year to teach the students again. It deserved a way better and more complete ending for all involved.

Would I recommend it? I actually would despite the many flaws. Especially if you're a fan of any of the actors. The plot, acting, comedy, friendships, and relationships (for some) were all great. Definitely give it a go.

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Strength of the drama is the Youth Scenes & Stories

This is a lengthy review, so let me just summarize some important parts one usually would like to know in case you don't want to read the rest:
- There are no love triangles (though there is another girl who likes the ML, but she gets over her crush pretty soon and roots for the ML & FL characters). Only 2 couples officially, but you can see a 3rd couple within the deskmates even though it's never declared
- Focus more on the youth: The classmates were the interesting part of the drama for me. You may think 40 episodes is a lot (and it is in my opinion) but a good chunk focuses on the classmates.
- Typical bickering enemies to falling for each other main leads
- Misunderstandings/lack of communication
- Romance is mediocre: Though there are some sweet moments, it's not as satisfying as other dramas with the romance tag
- Unfortunately, this couldn't avoid the typical C-drama breakup.
- An unclear bad guy that doesn't become obvious until the end
- Ending is just okay, not bad but not an ending I would be completely satisfied with

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What I liked about this drama:
* The youth of this drama: Though this drama does have a set focus on a group of students, I really like how almost all of their classmates got to have a spotlight in a few episodes, so we got to see their side of their stories. I really appreciated this. Even though in my opinion this drama could've been shorten a bit, this is part of the reason that this drama has 40 episodes total.
* I like how the ML character Dong Nan has a liking to Spongebob. I feel like you see some sort of Spongebob often in this drama.
* The steady character development in Dong Nan, going from achildish celebrity to a caring music teacher
* The bonding of Dong Nan and his students
* The funny school security officers. Their scenes are always funny.
* Su Qi's parents being complete opposite of your typical C-drama parents (Examples: Trying to get rid of her to get more alone time with each other, her mom complaining that Su Qi cleans and cooks too much, LOL)
* The nerdy roommate/math teacher: I just find his interactions with the other characters funny.
* Sheng being the true MVP in this drama, taking care of everything for Dong Nan. Best overall character by far.
* Nice steady progress of our second couple relationship from start to finish
* Loved the music osts but it's pretty hard to find some to add to my playlist.

What I didn't liked about this drama:
* The writing for Su Qi isn't that great. She's a FL character so you expect more but the way she was presented was all over the place. Her character is such a roller coaster. In fact, sadly to say, she might be the make it or break it for you when it comes to continuing to watch or drop this drama. There's nothing wrong with a strong FL but what I hate about her character is her act of violence due to her short temper and when things don't go her way. The fact that they want to make it "comedic" when she beats up Dong Nan is not funny to me at all, as I stated in the comments previously, you wouldn't be laughing if the roles were reverse. She jumps to conclusions and forms misunderstandings with Dong Nan, always thinking the worst. I will say, this is the first half of the drama where she has this issue. The second half, she slowly starts to get better. Despite her moments where she does become likable a bit, her character doesn't develop as well as the ML. She pretty much remains the same with a few good changes here and there.
* Lots of misunderstandings and lack of communications
* Vice Principal Du Kai is hecka annoying. Seriously, his character serves no purpose other than to annoying the heck out of the viewers with his remarks on everything.
* No real punishment to that douchebag paparazzi or to the fake friend. They didn't get punish enough, if at all.
* Writers missed the opportunity on an actual villain in this drama. Seeing evil things happen in the last few episodes seemed very random, like there was nothing be built up to it.
* Dong Nan's initial conflict of plagiarism in the beginning never had an official conclusion
* Romance is a disappointment for the main couple: A lot of bickering for the first half of the drama, then you get some sudden flirts, and then enter drama cliches: accidental kiss, get together at Ep 28 only to break up at Ep 35 but get back together at the last episode.
* The make up from a break up is very weak. I expected an apology from Su Qi from the cruel words she said to Dong Nan from the break up but nope, nothing even close. Not even a confession to where she states she still likes him. Like there's not a bit of regret shown from Su Qi from what she did or that she really wants to be with him from the breakup (Ep 35) to the make up (Ep 40).
* Weak ending: It's not bad. How it ended kind of make sense for me but it's not satisfying for me. I felt like a lot was missing in this last episode.

Would I recommend you give it a try? Despite a lot of things I didn't like, I say yes. Like I said, the youth part is the best part of this drama and it's what kept me going. You just gotta overcome the temper of Su Qi in the beginning. Pass that part and I think you may enjoy it if you like dramas with a school setting. I think I would rewatch it but only the youth scenes.

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