I already watch the movie version, so i thought this drama would just be a draggy version of it.
But i was wrong! It got me hooked from the 1st episode.
The siblings fight, funny side kick, unique classmates, and the monologue at the end are the most memorable part for me.
Shi Fen and Shi Miao are the usual quarreling siblings. Meanwhile the Wan brothers are unrealistic dramatic siblings, but they're just refreshing to see.
Even though i dont really like dramas with school setting, this one is an exception. I love how the classmates and teachers weren't just one dimensional characters. They had their own story and good development.
Sun Qian and Joseph Zeng had great chemistry playing as siblings. The side characters did really well too. However Mark Ma, who portrayed Wan Xing stole my attention. It's amazing how well he play the character of a matured 12 years old.
The drama itself is full of hilarious scenes, but i find a lot of unnecessary fillers in it.
I would've give it a 10 if ending were much better. After 29 episodes of adventure, it ended rushed and bland when it could've been more impactful.
The intro song were funny, meanwhile the outro were more mellow which suits the mood
However this is truly my type of drama, no romance just siblings hood and friendship. They keeps the comedy coming and you'll laugh all the way from the beginning to the end. So for me I'd definitely be rewatching it
I recommend it to people who wants a light hearted comedy watch to pass the time
Was this review helpful to you?
First of all, while the series mainly revolves around comedy, it's also very heavy on drama. Most series have a hard time juggling between both aspects, but Take My Brother Away does so almost flawlessly. It's amazing how they managed to handle both genres in such a fluid manner.
Acting is easily the best thing this series has to offer after the main plot. Both the main leads do a great job. Joseph Zheng as Shi Fen is particularly outstanding. Sun Qian also does a good job as Shi Miao. Secondary actors are not too far behind. All of them do a great work portraying their respective characters and imbuing some depth to them.
What I like the most about this drama is the heavy focus on sibling / family relationships instead of romance. Both Joseph Zheng and Sun Qian successfully manage to portray a brother-sister relationship that feels natural (and definitely non-romantic. God bless). That's very hard to achieve. Similarly, Hu Yong Tao (Wan Sui) and Ma Bai Quan (Wan Xing) offer a different and more fantastical, yet still valid, sibling relationship. Compared to Shi Feb and Shi Miao's more down to earth relationship, the interactions between the Wan brothers are a breath of fresh air.
Of course, Take My Brother Away isn't without some problems. The most critical is the odd episode structure. Most episodes are very unfocused and mix various plots in weird ways. Some sub plots serve little to no purpose to the main one. Some episodes have 2 consecutive main plots that have no relation to each other. It feels weird sometimes.
Would I recommend this series? Yeah, definitely. It's sort of a hidden gem amongst Netflix's catalogue of Asian dramas. I haven't heard much discussion about it. Go ahead and watch it. You won't regret it.
Was this review helpful to you?
also, the characters are good looking too so thats really great thooo ;))
Was this review helpful to you?
A heartwarming tear-jerker that makes for a good watch when you have some extra time on your hands.
Storyline: Let's face it, it is a story about siblings based on a manhua, the setting revolves around high school teenagers, it will not be Shakespeare. Having said that, it did not bore me as much as many others do. Everyone who has ever had a sibling or have siblings will find this series very relatable. It has its comedic moments (although I would say a lot of that is overused), but the sad moments in this drama is what makes it memorable.Cast: I have seen Zheng ShunXi in other roles (Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre) where he really sucked. He had zero chemistry with the leading ladies of other dramas he has been in. In this drama, I was extremely surprised to see how well he performed. He is an amazing fit for this role. Although I agree with previous reviewers that the two leads portrayed a very classic sibling relationship, I found Sun Qian's character to be extremely irritating and immature. This obviously may not be the fault of the actress, but I could not help wondering if it would come across as less annoying if the part was played by someone else. The real highlight is that the supporting roles were played very well and the majority of the cast were likeable, which made it a very feel-good sort of drama.
Music: Not a big fan of the songs but they were not extremely awful either.
Conclusion: It is not a 'must' watch, I would only recommend watching it if you have some extra time on your hands. There are better shows out there.
Was this review helpful to you?
1Can a comedy be serious? (Tl;dr below)
When it first aired on Netflix, I had barely watched any C-Dramas before and wasn't familiar with the culture at all, so I dropped it rather quickly. Years and many C-Dramas later, I found an entirely different perspective.Take my Brother Away is based on the movie Go, Brother! and while I think the general message in the movie was a lot clearer, I like the drama's execution more.
It's a light slice of life drama that was easy to breeze through without feeling empty. The siblings' relationship was acutally wholesome, the side characters more than just plot devices. They actually not only had relationships with the main characters but also had their own dynamics with everyone around them.
Despite appearing to be a generic comedy show, the exaggerations held a lot of room for interpretation and deeper meaning, not shying away from occasionally bringing said meaning to surface. The tonal shifts were actually impressive.
Being based on a comic, exaggeration and lack of true realism were omnipresent. It took me a while to get used to seeing it in a live action drama, but once you're able to accept that things won't be realistic on the surface, it becomes even more apparent just how realistic the underlying issues and messages are.
While I struggled relating to the characters' school drama, I deeply felt for ML in his role as an older brother trying to solve everyone's problems while making it seem easy. As much as I could relate, I also wished to have an older sibling like him. I could learn a lot from his ability to improvise on the spot and face problems head-on.
What I found the most challenging was FL, who sometimes just acted too spoiled and whose character growth came way too late. Admittedly, I also had a hard time with the supposed comedy and overexaggeration of literally everything and despite being able to overlook it never truly got to like it.
Tl;dr:
Don't watch this if you:
- don't like comedy
- don't like overexaggeration/overacting
- don't relate to sibling's relationships or school drama
- are new to Chinese dramas or the Chinese culture
Do watch if you:
- want to see some good sibling chemistry
- want something easy to watch (i.e for dinner or when you need to pass some time)
- enjoy comedy employing a lot of overexaggeration
I will miss seeing the siblings' home, their bickering as well as the other side characters.
Was this review helpful to you?
I was iffy to start the drama because it’s not the typical romance drama I’m into, but boy watching this has been one of the greatest decisions in my life. Literally not an exaggeration, but this slice of life drama has made me cry from laughter and sadness all in the same episode. When I first watched it I was sooo hooked!!! It’s hilarious and just so, so refreshing to watch!!!! Every character is so perfect and Joseph Zeng as gege really brought life to the drama. We meet him as an immature, carefree guy that only makes trouble, just to understand that he’s such a considerate, admirable and warm guy...! Yet he’s so funny!!! 10/10 would watch, and would recommend!!
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
I gave all of it 10/10
Story 10/10
Because it talks about friendships and brotherhood, now I want to have a big bro.
Cast 10/10
Perfect casts and their acting skills, excellent, Joseph Zeng is perfect for being Shifen, his acting skills was excellent, it suits him to be Shifen and for Sun Qian, she also was perfect for her role. all of the cast was great, I honestly enjoyed the whole series because all the casts we're great actors
Music 10/10
I don't know why I love their opening song, it's kinda weird but I surely loved it because i'm a weird guy lol. Their OST was very good for me.
Rewatch Value 10/10
Of course who would not want to watch such remarkable casts and their good execution of their roles, and for the sad and happy scenes, who would not want to go back to watch such a wonderful and awesome cinematography and editing skills, I surely will love to watch it all over and over and over again, I LOVED IT!!!
OVERALL PERFECT 10/10 FOR ME!!!
So for those who wants to watch this, YOU MUST WATCH IT and be prepared for your tissues.
YOU ALSO WILL SURELY LOVE THIS!!!
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Great slice of life drama
So entertaining! I really applaud the direction of this show. In the beginning, they use some panels from the manhua I believe to supplement the action and it was cool. The first 20 episodes were non stop entertainment, chaos, and laughs. The last 10 or so try to deal with more serious matters but do so poorly. Their dad drunk driving, being on antidepressants, and in debt to mobsters gets glossed over with no resolution. I don't think they should've went that far if they weren't going to address it a little bit. The meimei also treats her friends and family terribly at several points and doesn't learn her lesson. The supporting cast was great.Was this review helpful to you?
Cheerful and full of heart
My biggest criticism is its unnecessary length. It is too long for such a simple story and some chapters become ruminative and repetitive. But it's still a charming series. I appreciate the joviality, and how it explores adolescence as a period to make mistakes, suffer disappointments but most of all, to find our way to happiness by being ourselves. I like the performances, especially Joseph Zeng. He has a seductive bad-boy demeanor but with a heart of gold both to his sister (very ungrateful and annoying, by the way) and his friends.Was this review helpful to you?
