michelleoc
This review may contain spoilers
Very pleasantly surprised
I watched this in two days, if that tells you anything. If you are looking for something fluffy and easy to watch, give this a try. There's nothing new and groundbreaking here, other than the fact that this show bypasses so many of the tropes that I hate. I do have to say that the tendency to make the FL a bad student is overused. The dubbing was terrible in places (their mouths weren't even moving with the words), but other than that, this show had me smiling, laughing, and I even cried a little.
Actors - Jun as Ling Chao. He was pretty one-note, as I've come to expect from most of the MLs in these types of dramas. There wasn't much acting required, really, since his character was pretty much the same throughout. His characterization was a terrific foil for the ebullient Xiao Tu (played by Zhang Miao Yi). She was outgoing and friendly, with a ready smile that absolutely lights up the screen. She is made for these school dramas, she's so tiny and youthful.
Enjoyed:
1) Main actors and their chemistry. I love that they'd known each other for years, more like brother and sister. It was fun to watch their relationship and watch them try to navigate the uncharted territory of their newly discovered feelings for one another. There was a lot of handholding and there were quite a few kisses, which started out as the eyes-wide-open fish kisses, but they definitely got better. I loved how well he knew her - giving her a bouquet of snacks rather than flowers, because she was constantly eating.
2) I thought the constant snacking of the FL was cute, I don't know why.
3) Second couple. Here's where things usually fall apart for me. They tend to have a second couple that is extremely irritating. I loved this couple. Granted, their breakup was pretty ridiculous, but their scenes were touching and made me cry. Again, their relationship grew from friendship. The relationships of both couples felt very organic to me and made sense.
4) No triangle to speak of. There was a girl that liked him throughout, but I think even she knew she was deluding herself. I appreciated that they had her be caught up in the fantasy of liking him, yet she wasn't trying to break them up all the time.
5) Parents that didn't disapprove of their relationship. Her dad had a hard time of letting her go, but other than that, they were supportive.
6) Friendships. The friendships of these characters, from birth all the way through school and into their careers, was special. I was just caught up in the fact that there were no overly irritating characters!
7) A surprising antagonist (that didn't go on too long).
8) We got to see a bit of marriage and kids.
9) I thought the scenes at the end on the carousel, from children through to their wedding, was lovely.
10) The music, that stayed in the background for the most part, went with the show well. Every so often you'd hear Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or some other music reminiscent of childhood.
11) The time skip. It was used just to move the storyline at all, and there was no drama associated with it.
12) No stupid breakups for the main couple.
I liked this show for all the things it DIDN'T have, I guess. It's one of those shows where there's not a lot of drama, and really not a lot going on at all, we are just privileged to be able to watch them in their daily lives. An easy watch.
Actors - Jun as Ling Chao. He was pretty one-note, as I've come to expect from most of the MLs in these types of dramas. There wasn't much acting required, really, since his character was pretty much the same throughout. His characterization was a terrific foil for the ebullient Xiao Tu (played by Zhang Miao Yi). She was outgoing and friendly, with a ready smile that absolutely lights up the screen. She is made for these school dramas, she's so tiny and youthful.
Enjoyed:
1) Main actors and their chemistry. I love that they'd known each other for years, more like brother and sister. It was fun to watch their relationship and watch them try to navigate the uncharted territory of their newly discovered feelings for one another. There was a lot of handholding and there were quite a few kisses, which started out as the eyes-wide-open fish kisses, but they definitely got better. I loved how well he knew her - giving her a bouquet of snacks rather than flowers, because she was constantly eating.
2) I thought the constant snacking of the FL was cute, I don't know why.
3) Second couple. Here's where things usually fall apart for me. They tend to have a second couple that is extremely irritating. I loved this couple. Granted, their breakup was pretty ridiculous, but their scenes were touching and made me cry. Again, their relationship grew from friendship. The relationships of both couples felt very organic to me and made sense.
4) No triangle to speak of. There was a girl that liked him throughout, but I think even she knew she was deluding herself. I appreciated that they had her be caught up in the fantasy of liking him, yet she wasn't trying to break them up all the time.
5) Parents that didn't disapprove of their relationship. Her dad had a hard time of letting her go, but other than that, they were supportive.
6) Friendships. The friendships of these characters, from birth all the way through school and into their careers, was special. I was just caught up in the fact that there were no overly irritating characters!
7) A surprising antagonist (that didn't go on too long).
8) We got to see a bit of marriage and kids.
9) I thought the scenes at the end on the carousel, from children through to their wedding, was lovely.
10) The music, that stayed in the background for the most part, went with the show well. Every so often you'd hear Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or some other music reminiscent of childhood.
11) The time skip. It was used just to move the storyline at all, and there was no drama associated with it.
12) No stupid breakups for the main couple.
I liked this show for all the things it DIDN'T have, I guess. It's one of those shows where there's not a lot of drama, and really not a lot going on at all, we are just privileged to be able to watch them in their daily lives. An easy watch.
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