Drama Digest
This is an account of young men and ladies brought into the world in the ’80s and 90’s who meet in Beijing. Through their battles in the city, they clutch their fantasies and experience different tests in everyday life, profession, and love.
Brilliant and spurred, Qiao Xi Chen has gone as far as possible from a humble community to finish her examinations in Beijing and work steadily in the corporate world. Life is great. Nonetheless, the abrupt demise of Hu Jing comes as a shock. Qiao Xi Chen laments the passing of a dear companion along with her amigos Xu Yan and Hu Jing’s more established cousin Ji Nan Jia as they progress forward with their lives carrying Hu Jing in their hearts.
The Feel-Good Part
Qiao Xi Chen and her friends navigate through adulthood in this beautiful drama. People from different parts of China meet in Beijing to pursue their goals. They fall in love and form friendships that last forever. The best part of the drama is not the realistic portrayal of love but that of the friendships. How the girls of the drama support each other is often missing in a C-drama, where they mostly fall for the same man, or form a love triangle and hate each other. The best part of the drama is its realism. It does not delve into the fairy tale or how we think adulthood will be, but the real story of betrayal, hardships, and happy moments that seem far too less.
The Disappointing Factor
The extensive use of difficult language and Chinese slang makes it difficult for a beginner or non-native to fully enjoy the show. Also, the dialogues, although clever, have extensive wordplay, that might also become confusing and many important details might go over the head of many viewers. Without spoiling the drama, the reviewer would just like to add that do not watch this drama if you are a hardcore fan of cliché romance.
In-depth Analysis
Mere 12 episodes are not enough to capture the beauty of this drama. The plot could’ve progressed a bit slower to make the viewers connect with the characters. But it’s better than being too long and slow. The character growth is good, the storyline simple yet effective, the romance realistically portrayed and the friendships leave a mark in our hearts. The drama hangover is real for this one.
Star Power
Zhou Yu Tong and Ren Su Xi are great performers. They bring the characters to life. Bai Yu Fan is handsome and charming as always. All the actors seem to fit their roles perfectly.
Overall Opinion
If you liked ‘Ode to Joy’ and ‘Because This is My First Life,’ you will love this drama as well. It has sweet romance, great friends, the struggle of the main characters to succeed, basically all the ingredients for a perfect drama.
