Drama Digest
Adapted from Huo He’s manhua Bo He Zhi Xia, Summer Again follows the journey of a ballet dancer Tong Xi, who comes back to her hometown from the city after her mother gets a job transfer. Tong Xi decides to conceal her tough-girl persona at her new school, but her plans fall through when her childhood friend, Li Nan Yi, sees through her ruse. Tong Xi’s life gets significantly more complicated when Nan Yi makes up his mind to expose her real nature. The story portrays how misunderstandings between the duo develop into an unspoken understanding and the way they find out more about themselves and the people around them. Coming of age has never been sweeter.
The Feel-Good Part
Summer Again is a little gem glimmering in the assortment of the already-existing coming of age dramas. The show utilizes old tropes and familiar backdrops refreshingly, while not drifting away from the original objective of being as realistic as possible. The series showcases the struggles of fitting in, finding the right aspiration to dedicate oneself to, self-love and self-acceptance, and the like. If you are older than seventeen, the nostalgia and romance of being so young hit you like a truck.
The series does not fall back on the clichés of female leads who do not know how to dress or do their hair and male leads who are the stereotypical jocks or bad boys. The earnestness of the show shines through, and Tong Xi and Nan Yi, despite their respective pasts, are genuine. They do not react like pretentious characters from young adult novels. Instead, we find them acting and talking the way we would in a situation.
The OST is beautifully written and fits the content on screen.
The Disappointing Factor
The actors are a little wooden at some point in time. Their chemistry can get slightly stiff in places, but it is a forgivable offense because all of them are newcomers. The second half of the series struggles more than usual to meet the drama’s conclusion. It becomes evident that the writers had the ending built up in their minds but did not know how to take the characters there.
In-Depth Analysis
Summer Again is a beautiful series that focuses on misunderstandings and budding friendships and even romance. However, one of the most pleasant things about this drama is that it focuses on platonic relationships more than romance. It works to the benefit of the show because there is a lot of room for plot development without the pressure of developing a romance as quick as possible. The second half dragging is a flaw, but the rest of the show deserves applause. The characters are mostly likable, and even the antagonists are given backstories that explain the reason for their behavior instead of immediately villainizing them.
The decent production value, casting, and melodious OST add to the show’s charm.
Star Power
Ni Ye Kin and Chen He Yi are delightful in their performances that leave you smiling ear to ear.
Overall Opinion
An almost-perfect portrayal of the romance of being seventeen and the experience of coming of age, this series should be on every streaming platform.
