Go Ahead

Go Ahead Will Always Make Me Cry No Matter How Many Times I Watch

I’m just going to say it—Go Ahead is hands down my favorite C-drama of all time. And honestly, I don’t think anything will ever top it. No matter how many times I rewatch it, I always end up crying like it’s the first time. There’s something about this drama that just hits every time. It’s like no matter how many times I know what’s coming, the emotional impact never fades.

The story is so beautifully crafted. It follows three main characters who, though not related by blood, form this incredible bond and become a family of their own. What makes this drama so special to me is how it captures the complexities of familial love, both the pain and the joy that come with it. I don’t think there’s ever been a drama that made me feel more deeply about the idea of chosen family. Watching these three characters support each other through everything, from their personal struggles to their relationship with their parents, just broke me in the best way.

Li Jianjian (played by Eleanor Lee) is such a relatable character, and her growth throughout the drama is so beautiful. She starts off with so much uncertainty about her place in the world, especially after growing up in a broken family, but watching her find her confidence and her own sense of family is a ride that will leave you in tears. And He Ziqiu (played by Zhao Zhiwei) and Ling Xiao (played by Song Weilong)? Their bond with Jianjian is something so rare to see. I love how their friendship evolves into something so much more, and you feel every moment of their emotional journey together.

But honestly, the one character that really struck me the most was the father, Mr. Li. His relationship with Jianjian is everything I’ve ever wanted in a parent-child bond. It’s so filled with love, care, and patience, and watching their relationship grow made me realize how much I long for that kind of connection with my own father. The way he always puts her first, how he encourages her to find her own way while constantly being there for her—it made me rethink the kind of relationship I hope to have with my dad. I think Mr. Li’s love for Jianjian is so pure and genuine, and it honestly made me wish my own relationship with my dad were more like that. His character is a reminder of how important emotional availability and unconditional love are in family, and it left a lasting impact on me.

The performances in this drama are just phenomenal. Every single actor gives their heart and soul into their roles, making the characters feel so real. You can really feel the pain, the joy, the heartbreak, and the healing through every scene. The chemistry between the leads is so strong, it’s impossible not to get emotionally invested in their relationships. And the way the drama handles the dynamics of the family—whether it’s the pain of parental love or the joy of chosen family—it's so honest and raw. It’s one of those dramas where you’re watching the characters grow, and you grow with them.

I can’t not mention the soundtrack—chef’s kiss. The music in this drama is so fitting and enhances the emotional beats in such a subtle way. There were so many times when a song would play, and it would just pull me deeper into the feelings of the scene. The music isn’t just background noise; it becomes part of the experience.

If you haven’t seen Go Ahead, please do yourself a favor and watch it. Even if you’re not usually a fan of crying while watching a drama, trust me, you’ll want to experience the emotional rollercoaster this show takes you on. I know it’s my all-time favorite, and I will keep rewatching it no matter how many tears it brings. It’s the kind of drama that stays with you long after it’s over, and I’m forever grateful I found it.

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A bunch of strangers who were brought together to become of the most loving family.

Excellent cast, script and production. One of the best Chinese dramas this year. A drama that teaches one to reflect on the concept of family and family love. Character development is very well written, how each of the 3 siblings backgrounds, childhood experiences and parents moulded how they became as adults.. The child actors were awesome and I was drawn deeply from the start. I was afraid the adult actors would ruin the show later but no, they continued to shine in their roles, bringing each character further. The female lead character Li Jian Jian, played by the child actress and then Seven Tan, was awesome. She's such a joy to watch. There isn't really a bad person in the show, other than the mother who was so annoying. Even the side characters are pretty strong and great to watch. I shall not reveal too much. If you've got some time for a feel good family drama, you should watch this!

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Heartwarming, the romance was a bonus.

I did not expect to like this as much as I did. Seven Tan, Steven Zhang and Song Wei Long performed their roles wonderfully. I also really loved Daddy Ling and Daddy Li. Daddy Li was like the mother of their family. The storytelling was perfect. It portrayed how the three kids became so close when they were children and HS students, that there was awkwardness when they met again in their mid20s but still was able to overcome that and became close again. The actions of all characters were pretty understandable, even that of Xiao's mother and Ziqui's father, characters I did not like. I also understand the resolution of the love triangle since Ziqui's anchor was Daddy Li while Xiao's was Jianjian.

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The best family drama I have seen lately,

Interesting & flowing story, great acting . It took me 3 days (after finishing working & into late night hours) to watch al 40 ep, I was hooked from the very first episode and was not disappointed throw all way until the end.
Ling Xiao, second brother He Ziqiu, and youngest sister Li Jianjian played their roll so well, but my most praised was papa Li. He was the one who was the glue and the guide for all. I loved the way that many stories where connected and created a full picture,
I will probably watch it all again or at least the favorite parts.
highly recommended
:)

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A MUST WATCH DRAMA - SO FAR THE BEST CDRAMA I HAVE WATCHED

Go Ahead is so far the best cdrama I have watched. I cannot count how many times this drama made me cry and laugh at the same time. The moments especially with their parents are making me emotional. It shows us how parents have different ways to take care of their kids. Tbh, this drama made me realize a lot of things esp with Ming Yue's mom which we can all agree that it's the most realistic one. JJ's dad made me cry a lot of times and reminded me of my dad so much. Kudos to the team and casts!! The chemistry between the leads are superb, even the child actors are amazing, they did so well. I hope to see more dramas like this that touches everyone's heart 💞

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Thumbs up all round - intense emotions, humour, lessons in relationships, portrayal of personalities

Three kids lost their mothers through three different circumstances - deaths, abandonment, divorce. The two fathers combined their efforts to be both mothers and fathers to the three. They grew up in the solace of each other and became closer than real brothers and sister. Unfortunately, their biological father and mother came back to claim them when they were teenagers and tore them apart. They re-united nine years laters but became strangers with their own careers and interest. How were they to deal with their new relationship? Watch the drama to find out.

This drama takes you through a lot of heart rending moments, especially when the little He Ziqiu (acted by Li Zhen Zhen) looked so adorable and so pitiful when the mother left him. I literally wished I could give him a hug and tell him everything was going to be alright. When one of the fathers started pouring out his grief that outsiders kept reminding him he was not the real father, it was so heart-breaking. I don't cry easily but find myself wiping off tears at a number of moments. And how the siblings and fathers were there for each other at times of trials were heart-warming.

But there were also a lot of short comic relief and hilarious moments like the sister gave each brother a red underwear to wear to their university entrance exams and insisted they showed her they were wearing it for good luck. When the brothers started fighting for the affection of their sister and became jealous when she dated someone else, it was quite hilarious.

This drama was outstanding in portraying different characters and personalities. You also get to see the mums and dads in modern China and their different characters. There was the tiger mum who plans everything for their daughter only to have her daughter secretly defying her plans. There was the scheming mother who wanted to win back her son only to harm him further. There was the self-sacrificing mother who kept her secret from him so that he could have a good upbringing. There was the pair of parents who wanted their daughter to become a celebrity actress only to end up sabotaging her career.

I could see shadows of Chinese mothers I had encountered in these characters.

Then there were the fathers - a motherly loving one, a busy policeman with no time for his family, a selfish money-minded father who turned out to better than expected, a seemingly loving father who actually was a conflict avoidance personality. Of course, there were the minor characters - the nosy and gossipy neighbours.

Aside from the portrayal of different characters and personalities in modern day China, there was also the portrayal of its culture. Money was quite openly discussed - unlike the Anglo-Saxon culture which avoid talking about money. There was also that filial piety culture which made it really difficult for children to shake off the domination of disastrous and troublesome parents - in a western culture, the children likely leave home after 18 and ignore their parents if they are tiresome, or parents might just chase their children out once they become adults.

This drama was also quite philosophical. In the conversations and discussions, there were also lessons of parenting - when to be there for the kids and when to cut some slack, as well as advice for interpersonal relations such as friends, siblings and lovers.

All the actors and actresses portrayed their characters perfectly and the story is very realistic.

For all these, I give this a perfect 10, one of very few dramas that I awarded this.

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Highly recommended!

This drama is very refreshing because it is not your typical Chinese romance that you've always watched.

This drama surrounded a loving family, showing three kids from different household and their personal difficulties, and showing how they overcome their pasts and create a better future for themselves.

In this drama, FAMILY is the most important factor, but that doesn't mean there will be no romance, you'll get a bit of both.

It's a rollercoaster, you will laugh, cry, mad, and properly throw your whole tissue box at the screen, but it is totally worth it. Each and every episode, I didn't even skip once.

OSTS are on point, clothings, costumes, speech actings = 10+

HAVE FUN & ENJOY WATCHING

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MY BEST C-DRAMA TO DATE!

What I love about this drama is how they consistently tell us that a family need not be defined merely by blood relations. The characters were not perfect but really relatable.

Acting

I’m so amazed by all of the actors though Steven Zhang shined the most for me. He really can act! I know him from My Huckleberry Friends and Skate into Love, but Go Ahead really cemented him as one of my favorite Chinese actors. Tan Songyun, I love her so much! I watch her in five series and I can say she’s really a versatile actress having the best chemistry with her co-stars. Song Weilong, the youngest, not just a pretty face but a good actor who has a lot of potential. He really can pull off those deep and loving stares, I can’t imagine how good he’ll be after 5 years or so. Tu Song Yan, Li Pa! The best father out of all the cdrama I’ve watched so far! I can’t remember how many times I cried whenever he’s on the screen.

They are just my special mentions, but believe me all of the casts did a great job!

Romance

Though many of you may disagree but I’m really convinced by the romance part in this drama. Some may argue that they should not be together because they grew up as siblings and I’ll always counteract with they’re not blood related and Ling Xiao has always been in love with Jianjian. I think, Song Weilong really did a great job in acting as smitten Ling Xiao. Been always a fan of his deep and loving stares.

Halfway through, when Ling Xiao’s sufferings were revealed, I was a bit hesitant about the romance. I’m worried that he’s becoming super dependent to Jianjian. He badly needs medical attention. I waited for him to stand up against his mother. He suffered for so long and I think the only way to cure him is to have his closure with his mother. Thankfully, this was addressed at the finale. Though, I wanted to see them get married, I kind of understand as Ling Xiao needs more time, after all this is a healing drama.

About the almost love triangle between the siblings, I never thought of it seriously. Because it was easy to differentiate Ziqui’s feelings to Jianjian. It was really a pure sibling love. He just wants to make sure Jianjian will be taken care of in the future. While Ling Xiao, he’s aware that he loves Jianjian (romantically) since they’re young. Those hints given were so easy to decipher. The most obvious one is when he told Jianjian that they’ll be together forever when they grow up. Though Jianjian didn’t take that seriously, I believe Ling Xiao was super serious about that. And regarding Jianjian’s feelings, though I must say that it’s not explored enough I’m also convinced that she’s in love (romantically) with Ling Xiao but she needed a trigger to confirm it (in the drama’s case, it’s Ling Xiao confession).

Music

10/10 Perfect! Downloaded the playlist because the songs are too fitting for this drama. Very nostalgic, and will really captures your heart. I don’t know how many times I laughed and cried because of their super spot on BGMs.

The last time I felt this way was when I finished Reply 1988. It’s a happy ending, I’m happy that they’re happy but at the same time I’m sad that it ended. Another memorable line from the drama... WE'LL ALL GET BETTER.


So if you’re hesitant to watch this, I hope this review will encourage you. Give this gem a try!

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BEST DRAMA OF 2020

I've been watch a lot of cdrama last year (2020), When I first see this drama (The summary and episodes, I mean) I actually don't want to watch this drama because it has lot of episodes (most drama I watched just have 24 or 30 episodes) but this drama is always on my recommendation, in yt, fb group and from my friends. All I could say is that I would never regret watching this, I still feel happiness and pain every time I remember some scene in this drama. You'll love those who had main roles (specially the one playing the young version of He ziqui, he's a child actor but his acting is on point) I know future viewers will like this drama too like how much I like it, you'll rewatch it again just like what I did because I really like this drama. As much as I want to put some spoilers I can't because i want you to try this drama. For me, this drama is one of my top list. That's all, enjoy watching this drama. :) <3 <3

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Please give this drama a shot :)

Go Ahead

Context:
1. Watched this with low expectations (I didn’t know what to expect from the synopsis)
2. I love a good family/friendship slice of life drama
3. Chinese dramas always give me nostalgia even if I didn’t grow up in China (I’m ethnically Chinese but I was born and raised in the Phils)

Plot – As expected of a slice-of-life drama, the story starts out quite slow as they slowly reveal the background of the characters and their relationships over the next few episodes. The development of their 5-member family quite interesting, as it was also the foundation for the many issues they would face throughout the story. I like to break down the story parts: 1 - 10 eps were their HS life, 11 - 20 eps were about their university and post university life, 21 - 30 eps were focused on the romance and 31 - 40 eps were their struggles and how they resolved them. I enjoyed most of the story, but it was the 3rd 10 eps where I started to lose interest. I would skip this if I were to rewatch. More than the romance, it was the story of family, friendship and growing up that kept me interested.

Character – The characters have such distinct personalities from each other I loved to see how different character pairings produce a different relationship. As a family, we see how they deal with their unique family dynamic and the problems that arise from them. In their lives as 20-somethings, we see each character’s personal struggles, and how they overcome their problems. Most importantly, how they support each other throughout it all. There were moments in each character’s story that I felt like I could relate.

Actors – The acting was quite satisfactory. They weren’t perfect but not terrible or awkward either. I think there were scenes where they weren’t completely convincing in portraying the emotions of the characters but they did good enough to make me appreciate and love each of the characters. My favorite is the 2ML both the actor and the character.

Music – I felt that the OST list was not so wide but I like that every time I listed to the songs, I recalled the emotions when I watched the show. I liked to replay the sad songs because they made me feel nostalgic.

It’s a typical slice of life story about family, friendship, and growing up. But it’s the story of each character that makes you stay till the end. It’s not the most exciting drama but if you can push through the boring parts, the story ends on a really good note.

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