The Best of You in My Mind

Pretty Much Everything I want a Coming of Age, friends to lovers romance to be

My rating: 9.75/10
This is an outstanding friends-to-lovers coming-of-age drama that beautifully captures the essence of growing up, navigating insecurities, and building meaningful relationships. Blending heartfelt slice-of-life moments with elements of archery and university life, it feels authentic and emotionally resonant throughout. The characters are exceptionally well-developed, each with their own depth, flaws, and growth arcs that make them feel real and relatable. The central romance(s) are incredibly heartwarming, evolving naturally from longstanding friendship into something deeper and more supportive, with tender moments that linger long after watching. Supporting relationships add warmth and realism, showcasing friendship, family dynamics, and personal aspirations in a way that's both touching and grounded. The pacing keeps things engaging without feeling rushed or dragged out, and the overall tone strikes a perfect balance between lighthearted fun and poignant emotional beats. I highly recommend this drama to anyone who enjoys wholesome, character-driven stories with genuine chemistry and a satisfying payoff. It's one I'll happily rewatch for its comforting vibe and uplifting message.

Spoilers

I was really glad that Lin Xi Chi didn't fully forgive her mother right away—she never forgave here. Instead she accepted the situation and eventually allowed some reconnection, but she never pretended the abandonment was okay or excusable. Xu Fang stood firm on this too, directly confronting the mother about the deep pain she caused her daughter, which felt so validating and protective.

Lin Xi Chi's father was wonderful throughout, and it was rewarding to see her finally fully appreciate his steady love and support. One minor gap in the story was the lack of clarity on what happened with her mother and the new husband/stepfamily dynamics after everything—it felt like a missing piece that could have added more closure.

Xu Fang's parents were fantastic; they already adored Lin Xi Chi and openly welcomed her as family, which warmed my heart.

The second guy, Ye Shaowen (the senior vet), was cute and genuinely nice, but it was clear he wasn't the right match. It was realistic that Lin Xi Chi explored the option, but she definitely dodged a bullet—especially with his mother's overbearing personality, which would have made for a nightmare mother-in-law situation.

Xu Fang had that sundere vibe (a restrained, cool-on-the-surface type—similar to "gaoling zhihua" in Chinese tropes or a milder tsundere/sundere archetype where someone appears aloof or emotionless but harbors intense feelings). After confessing and them getting together, he would sometimes act a little cold or indifferent toward her, shutting her out at times. It stemmed from him grappling with his target blindness issue and the immense pressure/self-doubt tied to archery (and uncertainty if it was truly his path), but it still hurt to see him withdraw emotionally instead of leaning on her more openly. That said, it added realism to his character struggles. But I did feel, at times, like hey dude don't act like that remember you wanted her to like you so much.

Xu Fang's "target blindness" issue was intriguing but underexplored. It seemed tied to overwhelming pressure, self-doubt about whether archery was truly his passion, and internal conflict rather than a deep dive into causes, which left me wanting more explanation. The post-graduation loneliness she expressed—missing friends while he was recovering abroad—felt a bit unclear; presumably everyone was busy with their own paths, but it wasn't explicitly addressed. It felt like if Lin Xi Chi had embraced her friendships more, his withdrawal would have hurt her less. It seemed like the perfect time to lean on friendships.

Her internship struggles made sense, though trying pet stores seemed odd since she already worked in one. I suspected there was a cooling of her friendship with Ye Shaowen after she rejected him and especially after Xu Fang did not seem open to her having a male friend, particularly one that was a former romantic rival. So, I guessed that made her continuing to work at that vet shop uncomfortable for both. But they never really said. What made more sense to me is she needed to level up with an internship in vet clinics or hospitals but some of the call back refusals were from pet stores which was a little confusing.

Side couples were delightful: He Li Yang (her best friend) and Jiang Zheng Xu made such a cute, sensible pair with great chemistry. Lin Xi Qiu (her brother) and the motorcycle girl were adorable—his devotion shone through, especially in sweet moments like caring for her when sick. He

Lin Xi Chi's brother, Lin Xi Qui, was an awesome brother overall, always protective and loving. I was always happy for scenes with her and him. It made for emotional relief after tough scenes with her parents.

The dog was an absolute bonus—pure cuteness!

Nie Yue (step-sister) was a pain at first. I was a little angry for Lin Xi Chi when the step took some things our on her. Totally uncalled for. But Lin Xi Chi handled it so maturely, maybe realizing the girl had some hurt herself and created a nice relationship with her. So what could have been adversarial turned into a surprisingly kind and supportive relationship, which was refreshing given the family history; I appreciated how Lin Xi Chi didn't hold resentment there.

Minor quibbles aside, these elements made the story feel lived-in and real, and the happy ending with marriage and pregnancy felt earned.

Overall it was a near-perfect watch for me!

Read More

Him + Her = 4ever

They were childhood best friends until a misunderstanding tore them apart. Now reunited at college, can their bond be repaired or will they forever remain apart?

The ML’s an avid archer & national defense student. Seen as aloof & prickly, he’s different with the FL. His feelings for her run deep but he’s never had the courage to confess.
The FL’s majoring in veterinary medicine. She’s well-liked & cheerful, seeming very happy with life. But no one sees how much she’s hurting from her family falling apart. Nobody but the ML.

This is a sweet story that shows how much of an impact divorce can have on a child, as well as how healing support & love can be. The bond between the Leads ( + FL & her bro) is truly precious. Having someone to catch you when you fall is powerful!

It’s not all heavy though. There’s humor too. Plus great friends & bitter rivals. Crushed hopes & new dreams. And Leads with a bond that can’t ever be broken.

Childhood besties turned strangers turned frenemies turned friends turned lovers - their journey is full of ups & downs with twists along the way. But that’s just life in all it’s beautiful messiness 💝

_________\\__________//________


-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


.


…


….


……

The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.16💋
- Together : ep.15 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp: Nope 💖

Read More

I am tired...

This was okay kind of for me...but as of the 6th ep, I am taking a break from this. Its just that at start I liked it when FL showed more interest in herself and worked on herself, but as of 6th, she just don't care of anything and start hanging out with archery team and doing your typical 'cute' things to make them laugh...like meh...I was just disappointed at point even though I would continue this but I don't like FL being needless nosy here and there.
I literally find it too boring when we see one FL with a whole bunch of male members, it kind of irritates me...why there needs to be only one female and with like 10 men? Atleast give 3-4 female...like seriously another school drama where there's a 'cute' FL doing 'cute' things to appease male characters...haish...they don't have that quality in their characters apart from doing 'cute' things for handsome men.
I am really looking forward for some change of norms in school drama with females playing other role than just doing cute things for never ending male characters...

Read More

The story to this drama started off with quite a bit of potential but as it unfolded I found myself liking it less and less. Mainly due to the way the FL went about dealing with her family situation. It just seemed very unrealistic that at her age and after seeing her father with someone else in an obvious romantic encounter, that she would still do all that she did to basically force her family back together again. Not only that but the FL’s personality was hard for me to get behind. Her mannerisms and over the top actions just made me really distracted as I was watching this drama, which ended up making me drop it. I’ve seen Irene in the drama Flavor it’s yours, which I did finish but only because I Fast forwarded A LOT. I’d say both characters are pretty similar so she must be drawn to this type of Tom boyish character but the way she portrays them just seems a bit over the top to me. I’ve seen other drama’s with similar types of characters like in Skate into love but I really loved that drama and the main female lead. I guess me and this actress just aren’t vibing, so I’ll probably not watch another of her dramas. Overall i think it’s an okay watch.

Read More

Annoying as hell!

I never thought that I'd write a review like THIS for a drama written by ZhuYi. I mean seriously this drama is a mess. I couldn't tolerate beyond 3 eps. Lin Xichi is the most annoying species existing, gosh I felt like slapping her every second. The male lead too was dry and boring as hell. There was no depth in his character. Also he didn't have self respect AT ALL! I mean how can you even talk and hang out with a person who ugly shouted at you cuz you tried explaining her the reality of life. That's just intolerable as hell. Also Xichi is obsessed with her mom and was living in the delusion that her mom wanna fix their broken family when in reality, it doesn't work like that (speaking from experience). Xichi is by far the only one who had mommy issues to this level

Read More

La leggerezza quale freschezza di una visione piacevole ma anche molto disimpegnata

Commedia semplice e non particolarmente pretenziosa che propone un romance che si sviluppa da un'amicizia risalente all'infanzia. Conosciamo i protagonisti sul finire del liceo, in una piacevole relazione d'amicizia che li vede molto coinvolti ma sempre alle prese con sfide e scontri reciproci, un legame d'affetto che si esprime anche nella provocazione quotidiana. Sono scorci piacevoli e stimolanti, che si interrompono bruscamente per una frattura nel rapporto (in realtà più conseguenza di altro che causa in sè). La maggior parte della serie si svolge però nel contesto universitario, dove i due si ritrovano: il rapporto riprende, si sviluppa ulteriormente e sfocia infine in una relazione sentimentale.
La coppia principale funziona a dovere, la chimica è buona, quasi più nella naturalezza degli ordinari momenti quotidiani che nelle scene prettamente romantiche. Entrambi i personaggi sono ben caratterizzati: Xi Chi è una protagonista di tutto rispetto, interessante e che conferisce il giusto verve alle dinamiche proposte, pur con qualche sbavatura (; Xu Fang non è il classico ragazzo freddo e arrogante con un fascino da bad boy, bensì un giovane con palesi insicurezze e fragilità. L'averlo comunque saputo rendere interessante - una green flag realistica capace di conquistare - è sicuramente un punto di merito. Altro aspetto apprezzabile della serie è che pur essendo molto incentrata sul pairing, promuove al contempo anche la crescita personale dei due protagonisti: il legame che li porta a sostenersi a vicenda nei momenti difficili va di pari passo con l'acquisizione di una sempre maggior sicurezza e fiducia anche in sè stessi (questa evoluzione si nota soprattutto in Xu Fang).
La trama resta comunque non particolarmente impegnativa, riempie sufficientemente bene i 24 episodi proposti, pur con qualche momento un po' morto qua e là (a maggior ragione va detto che i classici 36 dei drama cinesi sarebbero stati oggettivamente troppi, col rischio di trascinare e allungare la vicenda rendendola facile preda della noia). Un punto a favore è l'assenza di rotture tirate per le lunghe - c'è una frattura ma di breve durata - oltre alla mancanza del triangolo quale classico cliché: c'è una sorta di accenno, ma il vertice che fa da terzo incomodo si eclissa quasi da solo nel corso della vicenda.

Ci sono però anche diversi aspetti negativi, o comunque svariati difetti. Tutta la vicenda famigliare di Xi Chi stride un po', per come posta e per come gestita e, per quanto promotrice di alcune vicende in stile causa-effetto sembra comunque fuori contesto rispetto ai toni volutamente leggeri che caratterizzano complessivamente il drama. Sui personaggi secondari non è stato fatto un grande lavoro, tanto da far risultare alcuni quasi superflui. Qualche dubbio sulla recitazione dell'attrice protagonista: il personaggio interpretato funziona più grazie a come è stato delineato dalla sceneggiatura che per quella che è la prova recitativa in sè. Reduce da altri drama simili l'attrice mostra comunque dei grandi limiti in termini di versatilità. Rispeto al protagonista maschile, mi ha un po' infastidita il doppiaggio, a tratti sembrava avesse le patate in bocca. Musiche pressoché inesistenti, in diversi punti se ne avverte proprio la mancanza (e fa capire quanto il supporto di una colonna sonora - meglio se di qualità - sia davvero rilevante in questo genere di produzioni).

In conclusione, un drama connotato dalla leggerezza in senso positivo - intesa come freschezza - ma anche negativo, già che si tratta complessivamente di una visione disimpegnata che si propone come piacevole ma non aspira volutamente a un maggiore spessore. Può funzionare se vista come una pausa di intermezzo tra drama di maggiore spessore, ma niente di più.

Read More