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 💞Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
Dad of the Year
This drama explores the best of the best of human nature but also the disgusting side. I just started this drama and already hooked. I did have to skip all the long dialogue of the nagging neighbors & relatives that feel the need to judge. Whole reason why I don't watch many modern C-dramas.The dad who opens the noodle shop is a saint who end up taking care of 3 kids. Then there's the godfather cop who is also a great character as well.
I wish they spent a little more time on the little kids versions as they are all so adorable.
Its so sad that adult issues impacted the kids early on and as the kids grow you can see the personalities develop still overshadowed by the abandonment. I love how the 2nd brother helps the dad so much knowing how lucky he is to be raised by him.
The older brother is much more introverted that loves taking care of Jian Jian, the carefree hyperactive girl.
I love the personality dynamics of the three as they navigate through life and the changed feelings.
However I do wish the drama is more realistic in that none of them really went through relationships. The older brother is almost 30 and still zero relationship history.
Must skip characters:
ML 1 : Grandma
ML 1: CRAZY mom. TOXIC
ML 2 Little Older Bro: Biological butt dad
ML 2 Little Older Bro: Aunt <---- same lines every time
FL's smart GF: MOM <--- What's w/ these redic parents?
FL's pretty GF: MOM <---- not as many lines but not less annoying
As the story develops, you'll see the impact and hurt each person faces. There are so many great outstanding performances.
However the ending felt rushed. Side characters didn't wrap up their stories really. Could've used a few more episodes. This is where 40 episodes felt not enough for a change.
Was this review helpful to you?
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
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Ok ngl this was a lot better than I expected it to be. My first thoughts: The romance between Li Jianjian (Tan Songyun) and Ling Xiao (Song Weilong) was a little disappointing, I was expecting it to be more centered on them and not having the time being split across everyone's family issues. So going on to the families: 1, Jianjian, Ling Xiao and He Ziqiu's (Zhang Xincheng) "dads" Li Haichao (Tu Songyan) and Ling Heping (Zhang Xilin) are both100% green flag dads, extreme support. 2, Tang Can (He Ruixian)'s parents: dad is too weak, mom is a controlling hypocrite. 3, Qi Mingyue (Sun Yi)'s parents - dad is ok, but he should've taken more responsibility as a father and not push his wife's anger onto Mingyue. Her mom? Disgusting woman, when Mingyue finally stood up to her the pure amount of satisfaction I felt was palpable. Finally. Got a reality check. Ur not the commander of the universe my guy. There are other ppl who don't give a fck what you want so stop pressurizing ur own child. 4, He Ziqiu's parents, fisrst the mom He Mei (Yuan Ran) is ok. I get why she left and at least she wasnt being such a hypocrite like almost all the mothers were in this show. Then the dad, Zhao Huaguang (Liu Jinlong) is lowkey a bad character. He was purely unreasonable and did not deserve the forgiveness. And at last then, moving on to the elephant in the room: Ling Xiao's mom. That hypocritical despicable mdfker (pardon me) but literally. I knew she was suffering from mental illness or something but tf is my guy thinking. You literally tortured your son on purpose, gaslighted so much that you literally made your own mistakes crash onto your child's shoulders, thinking you could manipulate your physical weakness to lie to your child to stay just because you can't let him go, brainwashing your other innocent child (Xiao Chengzi), literally cutting up his family pictures and acting like the definition of ungrateful. That rat should be happy Ling Xiao came to take care of her for so long and even moved for her. She should be grateful for the help he gave and acknowledge the mental stress she has been inflicting on him the whole time. She knew he had anxiety and depression and insomnia all because of her being such a rat and yet just tortured him further. No regard for his feelings, everything you do is right. If she had real mental problems and I was Ling Xiao she would've been in an asylum long ago. Idc if ur my mom. If someone did that to me I would not even wait for her to unalive herself I might actually do it myself (pardon x2). Her suicide was so deserved. That revival was not deserved. (pardon x3) ANYWAYS, putting that aside, I'm happy they all got a good ending, a tad disappointed with the lack of Ling Xiao and Jianjian's romance, I feel like some parents didn't deserve forgiveness (not just Chen Ting (Yang Tongshu)) but overall Go Ahead is a really great drama. You should watch it. (p.s. after watching this I realized Song Weilong is so fine) Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
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!
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the top dramas of all time
If you like slice-of-life shows with characters that you really care about, you can't miss this show. It's one of the rare shows that I rate a perfect 10 because I can't see how it could be better. The music - OMG - is so good. Probably one of the best OSTs I've ever heard next to The Untamed. The story is so moving, full of humor, sadness, and inspiration. I generally rate shows lower than most on kisskh so when I rate this a 10, you know it's good. The only other shows I rate as a 10 are Nirvana in Fire, Someday or Oneday, and the Untamed.Was this review helpful to you?
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 <3Was this review helpful to you?
Please give this drama a shot :)
Go AheadContext:
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
Beautiful......
This drama had everything. An overall family oriented drama with its fair share of comedy,romance,suspense,and drama. It also explores the process of healing as well as mental health. Probably my favorite Chinese drama. The story was beautiful and it gets you sucked in, in a good way. Only problem I have is that this site said 46 episodes but it’s only 40😂Each actor played their part perfectly and I am just so in love with Tan Songyun as JianJian I love every drama she is in and she was pretty much the glue that held the family together. The character was always optimistic during what ever situation arose.
Xiao was very stoic which resonated with me a lot because I’m the same way as he is in that I hold in a lot of my pain but also give a helping hand to whoever needs it no matter what I’m going through, which is why he was my favorite character.
HQ(Little big bro) was also similar to Xiao in that aspect as well but his scars weren’t as deep as Xiao’s. But he was very prideful in his way of dealing with his issues and not wanting to be a nusience to those around him because of a deep rooted fear from his past.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Best real life drama
Very enotional , both father did great role 👏 all actors same . This drama show real life how people good and bad and how honest people take advantage . Specialy dentist mother is so selfish thinking only for own , despite huband a police men work hard to build his family it has been acomplish by 2 fathers . Mostly recomending to watch no waste of your time lots of moral and lesson . Well play every one cry lautgh enotional , loved , support 👏 💙 hope you all get the best award you all deserv and rhe writter .Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
