a very wholesome school drama
The entire drama depicts their life in high school. There is no university life for this drama take note! Hence that being said the drama focuses more on families and friendship compared to romance. The bonds between the classmates, them and their homeroom teacher as well as their families.Through the lives of different students we get to see different types of families. Some parents who are pressuring their kids, some who are not giving them attention, and in some cases the students have to survive on their own.
Hua Biao is a student who transferred from another nearby school. He has amazing grades and is a really lively character. Yang Xi is an aspiring long distance runner who is not very strong academically. Li Yu is Yang Zi neighbour since birth and they practically do everything together. There is kinda a love triangle between them but no its not toxic. All of them are respectful to each other and very loyal. Li Yu realises quite early that Yang Xi like Hua Biao and HB also likes her, so he already knew his chances were low but still stayed as their friend and helped them when required.
The drama goes through each characters difficulties and how they work to resolve it. It is set in the late 90s. Very similar vibes to Reply 1988! It has a very realistic ending which is not exactly happy.
This is one of HMH's early pieces so you can enjoy seeing his more cute and energetic character!
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The romance really comes third in this drama as it focuses primarily on family and friendships. Being such a romance geek, this actually did not bore me in the slightest. It was heart warming and I feel like every character had the developments necessary to make this a great drama.
Of course it's not without flaws. There was a few times the FL annoyed the hell out of me but in the next scene she would melt my heart so it balanced it out I guess. The ML in my opinion came off as wayyyyy to perfect in the first couple of episodes and slowly but surely he mellowed out and his human side started to show.
I really liked how the ML prioritized his life. His Nana always came first so despite the criticism about the ending, I think it perfect. What made this drama great was the distinctive 90's humor that they incorporated so effortlessly along with the true struggles and heartbreak of that era. The tropes were all spot on and the acting honestly top notch. Every single lead did extremely well in their portrayals of the character they played. They made me laugh, cry, frustrated and shared their sense of accomplishments with me along the way.
Rooting for a second season but quite satisfied right now with the ending of this drama. Would definitely re-watch when I need to be reminded about the true value of family and friendship.
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Some parts of drama is really bore ..Ithis drama can be better if they shows their 2nd parts of life after they get separated...What they achieve in their career .So I don't like the ending parts of the drama .The characters I like the most are Huang Deng Deng and Li ue.
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One of my favourite aspects is how every major character has some sort of a background that comes with them there's an entire spectrum of home lives shown through the screen which was fresh as dramas usually only explore the two main characters. Everyone had different interests, different talents, different aims and that's what made this drama so enjoyable. The development allowed you to properly emphasise with everyone and they began to feel more 3D than 2D.
When We Were Young also checked off mentioning exams which is probably one of my stranger and more niche checkboxes that I have when it comes to high-school genres but nonetheless, I think it's a key one. Most dramas usually downplay the effects exams have on students when in actual fact, these exams are the most important ones in the their entire highschool career so they arguably play a pretty major role in student's lives . It was interesting to see a variation of attitudes towards exams, some approaching them without any care, some taking them seriously, some completely getting battered by the pressure. The exploration even extended to the parents and how their attitudes to exams could be the catalyst to the absolute destruction of their child or the motivation.
Many people say that the ending is unsatisfactory or sad but I honestly beg to differ because I felt the ending portrayed the inevitable closure to everyone's highschool life well and rather than sad, I'd go for poignant.
Everyone's character was well acted and no one lost their colour from beginning till the end and it was realistic in the sense that it's not romance which drives us through teenage years, it's our friendships and yourself which you develop and improve as you go which gets you through it.
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This review may contain spoilers
A meaningful Drama
This is a school drama set in the 90's. I really liked this drama but I am not quite happy with the ending. I am the kind of person who loves happy endings with the leads being together. But this drama is reality. They all go their seperate ways after graduating highschool. It's sad but that's how life works. I am not saying that it's a sad ending. It depends on how you take it. This drama reminded me of my time in the last year of my school life. The friendships, teachers, exams etc... The drama gives you a lot of good thoughts about friendship and life. That is why I call this a "meaningful" drama. Talking about the cast, they did really well. Wang Peng was really cute as Yangxi. Acting was really good. I wouldn't watch it again but you can get a lot of insights from this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Slice of life, adolescence POV
So this is a rather sweet and innocent slice-of-life drama from the adolescence POV.That it is sweet and innocent doesn't mean it is void of seriousness: The story also contains some hardships.
We follow a group of friends growing up in the late 90's – I was around their age at that time, so even if I grew up in a different part of the world, there was some nostalgia moments here for me.
The story contains the taste of young love, the breaking point between being young and carefree and having responsibilities and consequences of your choices, appreciating your parents and family and finding your self, and the importance of friendship.
Don't expect much romance – but you will get a lot of love.
As for the characters, I found the FL Yang Xi a bit too immature. I can seriously not remember any of my friends at that age acting as childish as she did in several instances. Wang Peng did portray her well, though.
The character I liked the most was definitely Hua Biao played by Neo Huo: His story was just tugging at my heartstrings, and it was rather impossible not to like his character. Brilliant performance by Neo Huo!
The ending kind of left you wanting more, but at the same time it felt natural to end it like it did.
I was wavering between scoring this 8 or 7,5, but I ended up on 7,5 as I don't think it was very original or memorable, even though it is a nice story.
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One of the best Chinese dramas I know...
All the characters were well-developed and lovable, especially the main leads. The ML is so refreshing because he's not rude or ignorant, he's actually very kind and funny. The FL is hilarious and I love her. There's romance but its also a lot more about friendship and high school. I'm keeping this short because it's been a while since I've watched it, but I'll definitely watch it again to refresh my memories. It's realistic and sweet in its own way, unlike most dramas these days. I'll always remember this drama when I refer to amazing dramas that I have watched.Go watch it now, you won't regret it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Chinese productions know the secret in making nostalgic, school dramas. This one is actually one of the best I've watched so far. However, there is a trop that they even couldn't escape: the open ending. Why, really why!, can't they give us a satisfying ending?! Anyway, other than slice of life - realistic ending, the story was sweet and full of the innocence of youth. The leads were especially adorable and everyone gave a good performance. The execution, moreover, was good overall. So, seven out of ten. Was this review helpful to you?
Best youth drama, EVER!
I'm not going to pretend that I'm an expert on dramas as I'm sure many of you out there have certainly watched more shows than I have but as someone who's casually watched Korean dramas and Chinese dramas for the past few years, I can confidently say that this is indeed the BEST YOUTH DRAMA I HAVE EVER WATCHED. EVER.The casting is spot on and each character plays their part PERFECTLY. I think they're mostly rookie actors but they did their best and the acting, though certainly not Oscar worthy, fit the drama extremely well.
As the synopsis says, this is a drama that tells the stories of five very different friends as they navigate their last year of high school in China. And it did it very well. There's the stress of the gaokao, the burden of financial problems, the loyalty amongst friends, the bond between teacher and students, family issues, and of course, some good ol' romance.
What was especially refreshing was the male lead. He's, surprise surprise, not some cold and arrogant CEO, not a bully to the girl he likes, and not a shitty guy to his friends or classmates. I really liked seeing a wholesome male lead for once in these dramas. The female lead was the most relatable character for me and I admired her so much. She's genuinely a positive role model for a lot of young kids out there. Not to mention their other three friends.
Maybe you've yet to experience what they have as 17 and 18 year olds or maybe you've already experienced that or maybe you're experiencing that right now. But I'm sure you'll end up seeing your youth in a positive light-- whether you're reminiscing it, anticipating it, or living through it right now.
You'll smile, you'll laugh, and you'll cry. But you're going to love every single moment of it. I can swear on it.
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I’m sorry… but this was a hard Watch
This was honestly a hard watch. The show had potential—I usually love slice-of-life, found-family dramas like Go Ahead, Always Home, etc. so I went in expecting something warm, nostalgic, and comforting (which it did give). But instead, I found myself constantly putting it down because something just didn’t click.The biggest issue for me was the female lead. I’m not sure if it was the way she was written or the performance itself, but she came across as genuinely insufferable at times. It felt like the show wanted her to be this strong, determined girl, but she often ended up feeling , loud, very annoying and whiny, just exhausting.
Both leads’ voices really didn’t really work for me. It became a real effort to sit through scenes.
Even though the plot had the bones of something nostalgic and heartfelt, it never fully delivered. I kept waiting to feel connected to the story or to the friend group, but no. The show kind of dragged in places, too, so I found myself dropping it multiple times. Honestly, the only reason I finished it was because I hate leaving dramas unfinished.
Overall, this drama wasn’t for me. It had the elements of something I should have loved, but the execution made it a really tough watch
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i just finished watching this an hour ago and im telling you, i cried buckets of tears. this drama is so realistic and will tug your heart, make you laugh, and will make you look back on your younger years. it has a touch of everything: romance, family, friendship and what have you. this is so nostalgic (even the music) and made me reminisce my student life.
this drama is about the lives of five students, but hui biao's is the one that really caught me. he lost his parents at a such a young age and only got his grandma with him. despite that, he remains a happy kid and was always there for his friends whenever they need him. he remains optimistic and lively.
it has an open ending. and i think it was perfect because they are still too young to figure out their lives yet.
a must watch definitely *wink*
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