Go Ahead... and Lose Me
I really liked Go Ahead at the start. The found-family dynamic was super warm and believable, and the relationship between Li Jian Jian and Ling Xiao was one of the highlights early on. They felt close in a way that was comforting but also layered—you could tell there was more going on beneath the surface.When the show started shifting toward romance, I know a lot of people felt like it came out of nowhere because of the sibling-like dynamic. But honestly, I didn’t think it was that sudden. It was pretty clear that Ling Xiao liked Li Jian Jian from early on—there’s even a scene where they talk about a childhood betrothal, which hints at deeper feelings. And while Li Jian Jian didn’t show her feelings as openly, I don’t think she saw him purely as a brother either. Her feelings felt more under the surface, like she hadn’t fully realized them yet. That’s probably why she seemed so awkward around him once the dynamic started to shift—it wasn’t that she didn’t like him, just that she wasn’t ready to confront it.
That said, the pacing started to drag for me after a while, and I ended up dropping it at episode 15—not because it got bad, but because it lost some of the momentum that made the beginning so engaging.
I did watch the Korean remake, Family by Choice, all the way through, and based on what I saw from both versions, they each have their own flaws. In Family by Choice, the pacing was way too fast when the two guys came back from abroad—it felt like things jumped ahead without enough emotional buildup. In Go Ahead, the comeback was a little rushed too, but then the story slowed down a lot, and it lost some of its energy.
Both dramas have their strong points, especially when it comes to the emotional moments and family bonds, but I think they both struggled a bit once the focus shifted toward romance.
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Interesting storyline
The storyline was very interesting regarding the subject "Abandonment". How the screenwriters portrayed abandonment can also be real for some children that are going through the same horrific truths. I'm glad the screenwriters told this story and how it all came about and how it ends. Except for me, it didn't end. I wanted to see more and felt cheated. You will see why at the end. The other topic was "Forgiveness". We all need to learn how to forgive because if you don't, you only hurt yourself in the long run.Tan Song Yun who played the character Li Jian Jian: Excellent
Song Wei Long who played the character Ling Xiao: Outstanding... cute too.
Zhang Xin Cheng who played the character He Zi Qiu: Excellent
Tu Song Yan who played the character Li Hai Chao father of Li Jian Jian: Outstanding
Zhang Xi Lin who played the character Ling He Ping father of Ling Xiao: Excellent
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Absolutely the best Family Melodrama Romance series I've watched!
Absolutely the best Family Melodrama Romance series I've watched! Really enjoyed and loved every moment even though I cried numerous times, as there were laughs and happy moments too.Many different life experiences seen through multiple families which just shows us that we, the viewer are not the only ones going through hardships, life, family 'drama', love experiences, friendship, work life, etcetera etcetera. So many things were covered in this series which also showed how wounds can heal or how life can become better if we work towards it or try to make things work and not just ignore the problems that do exist.
The story was really compelling and the writer clearly put in a lot of effort to bring everything together. Can't fault anything and also won't change anything as everything was necessary in each arc, which is interlinked in some way. The writer really did well with character building and all the intricate relationships which made everything so believable and let us, the viewer, be drawn in and routing for the character and be sad, happy, frustrated, depressed with them . I will definitely look for other series's with same writer, director and or scriptwriter.
The actors really did very well portraying their respective characters. I honestly enjoyed each and everyone's acting as they brought the characters to life. And that is exactly what actors should do as it really gets the viewer drawn into 'their' lives. I will miss all the actors but not all the characters!
Production and Visual FX were also great and all the more brought everything to life and brought everything together in the best possible way.
Ost was very good, not that good that I want to download each and every song but were played at the right time. Sound effects were not overly used and were appropriate at the right time.
Rewatch value is very high, will definitely Rewatch in future.
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This review may contain spoilers
Keep tissues on hand!
This one tugs on the heartstrings .. hard!The romance you can see blooming from day one, so there's no real surprise there.
It felt awkward when the adopted brother tried to have feelings for her.
I think that was just more of a comfort thing, not actual romantic feelings he had.
The dad .. ah man .. the dad.
What a gem of a character.
He truly was the core of it all.
His insight and wisdom at times was breathtaking.
Often the floodgates would open on up after one of his scenes.
Simple thoughts from a simple man who loved his family.
It's not one I would re-watch; I feel it's one of those shows that will shine best the first time around.
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Recommended for Good Reasons!
At first I watched solely knowing SWL was in it but after finishing, wow it became one of my favourite dramas of all time.The storyline is insanely realistic, it portrays interpersonal conflicts phenomenally. The stories built on the main trio are amazing enough on their own, but the added details for the supporting female characters was a great touch - personally one of my favorite aspects of the show as its a common occurence in asian households.
The 40 episodes (online ver) was amazingly paced. The actors/actresses did fantastic job showcasing the emotion for each climatic scene ; with SWL and ZXC doing phenomenal for their character.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the Best!
I just finished my 2nd watch of this show and it was just as good as I remember it. The acting is incredible.All of the actors are amazing but I particularly want to mention probably my two very favourite in this drama. Now usually I only have eyes for Song Wei Long, however in this case, Steven Zhang absolutely killed his role. I was 100% sold on every emotional nuance he gave. He was sensational in this role. This doesn’t mean I was rooting for him to be ML. He was perfect just as he was and clearly the brother role of the two of them.
And my favourite character of this whole show: The Dad. Omg. He was incredible. I was bawling so many times because of his amazing acting. He was just so disarming, so sweet, the love and kindness he exuded for his children was amazing to watch. I loved every scene with him. He was so cute like a mother hen with those kids. And his cooking! OMG the food porn. This director is absolutely magic with the food scenes. I noticed he also directed Meet Yourself which had a ton of similar food vibes in it. Being able to express the care and love he was feeling for his family thru attentive cooking was masterfully done.
As a mom myself I was dismayed that basically every mother in this show is an absolute witch. In terms of acting, they really sold that. So again, kudos for making me hate a character with a fiery passion. 😆😆
This is a show I will come back to again and again.
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Go Ahead and watch and be filled with love and warmyh
Go Ahead is a tricky drama to review because i felt i need a million adjectives to describe it. Warm, thats how i feel when watching every episode. And Special, special cause it touches a special place in my heart. It is perhaps one of the best multi-facetted story I have the pleasure to watch in awhile. The ability to achieve such a balance of poignant but heart-warming, painful yet sweet, serious issues yet funny moments is really kudos to great writing and directing.PLOT/STORY
The plot centres on 3 families, 2 more broken then the core (FL and her dad) coming together and bonded through love that had nothing to do with blood in their veins but rather the openness of heart to accept, cherish and protect. Theres that juxtaposition of an unusual family from the norm. Theres that interesting difference and similarities between both elder brothers in character and treatment of their lil sister. Social pressures, parental pressure, trauma from loss, abandonment and depression were all touched upon but the story is delivered in a measurably soothingly acceptable way that pains you but does not suffocate you. Hence viewers who usually steer clear of heavy dramas could still be able to watch and digest this. Many scenes were presented in a well thought out manner in such ways I appreciate nuances and subtlety they convey.
CAST/ACTING
Casting team deserves a medal. I cant imagine another actress as Li Jian Jian. Tan Song Yun really shines in bringing the youth and brightness into her character as well as the ability to create believable atmosphere and great chemistry with the male leads and the rest of the casts. JianJian is optimistic and bright illuminating the darkness in her brothers’ lives. Shes really the family’s fuel station. Ling Xiao is the quieter elder brother but observant, intelligent and thoughtful. Hes closed off emotionally with the exception of the trusted realm he allows. He only truly shares with JianJian, the beacon in his life. Song Wei Long delivered his personal best and gave us a Ling Xiao that appears perfect and mature but have hidden cracks and scars from his trauma. He Zi Qiu is the most sensitive, and insecure from having been abandon and constantly thinking of his self worth and afraid to be pitied. He holds Li ba and Jiajian as the people he is most grateful for and promised to love and protect them with his whole being for the rest of his life.
Li Ba is one of the best characters ever created and he’s the core of the family. He represents the exemplary parent that gives unconditionally and only expects his loved ones to be happy. He provides shelter and pure love but never smothering. There are many other parents depicted in these drama that provided many contrast and real struggles in thwir parenting style and relationships with their children and how they affected the child’s disposition and attitude in life.
Ost
The opening theme is one of the most hauntingfly beautiful song. Written in very simple lyrics but delivered so powerfully. Mamy of the ost were awesome and they added the oomph everytime its played on eventful scenes.
Conclusion
Watch this drama and be filled with warmth, be touched by the spirit of family, love and friendship. Laugh and cry with our leads. Its a drama that has that something special and returns you to the thing that matters most- being with the people you love. I treasure all the days watching Go ahead and sad to have reached the finale. But the image of our 3 leads happily going ahead towards their future and the familiarity of family togetherness makes me really satisfied. And i will rewatch this series again. I will also look forward to future works from this scriptwriter, this director and of course, more dramas from Tan Song Yun and Steven Zhang.
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One of the Best Dramad
I have watched this drama 3 times since it aired. It never fails to make me LOL and bawls my eyes out. I put it in the category of all time greatest. From the smallest and youngest actors all the way up to the eldest actors, it's just a magical piece. It's a rare episode that nothing good or bad happens. You will love it from beginning to end. It made me wish I had "brothers of another mother" in my life. You just can't go wrong watching this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN
This drama will have you pulled into its own world. (This will only be a brief review yet I can assure you that it is from my heart)•Would recommend this to people who likes heartwarming, simple, touching, soft, and chill dramas.
STORY/PLOT:
Though simple, it can still surely captivate one's heart, and somehow melt it in a lovely way. It is not a unique drama when it comes to the story, since it was just all about youth, hardships and family, but it is indeed unique in delivering emotions to the viewers— it did really well especially because it has the ability to touch one's heart, and to feel relatable with the relationships of characters and what their going through, it also has its messages clear on the way. Everything was just perfect
ACTING/CASTING:
All actors were great. I'ma just put a highlight on the young versions of the leads— they were so good in their own characters and harmonizes well with others. Everything was on point— everyone did good at making the characters's personality known, it's just like as you watch further in the drama you just get to know them more and more and understand everything about them, which is exactly how you'll know that they have good actors. (The two leads could probably enhance their chemistry more in the drama, since I think it kinda lacks a little)
MUSIC:
It was alright, and I think I'll add some to my OST playlist.
REWATCH VALUE:
Would watch it again if I have time, and everytime I remember it I'll probably smile in awe with how beautifully made it was.
OVERALL:
It was on top— everything was. This will probably be my favourite Chinese Drama.
You know it's good when you just can't stop waiting for the next episode with excitement and thrill.
P.S. I actually want to watch more of it eeeeeeehsjajanwjwjabnajajahabajauahva....
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WOW! JUST WOW!
This drama is a slice of life, family type of drama and I've never watched a story like this, it really is so unique and touching. Even they go on their separate ways during their teenage years when their own families have troubles, they look forward to go home. To Li Haichao and Li Jianjian. It just shows that your status in life does not indicate how happy you are and you'll go back to the place that makes you feel like home.I've also had a crush for Song Weilong since 2020 and I must say, he nailed his role here. The emotions that his character must portray is deep and wanting to come back desperately for Jianjian since he likes her even before they got separated.
Ziqiu and He Mei's story is really so good as well, you can see he is secretly longing for his mother and he wants to ask her why did she abandoned him, and the story of her past comes out.
All scenes are so good and there's no part that you'll get bored. I would rewatch this again for sure!!! 💕💕
LING XIAO AND JIANJIAN🥰🫶🏼
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Simply beautiful
I've seen many C-dramas by now. Some of them were really impressive, some of them just all right. But Go ahead made me feel I was watching one of the most beautiful dramas so far. It's just a story about people, but the kind you can't stop watching and go to be... you just need to see another episode to know...if they are okay.Please see for yourself...I'll know what I mean.
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What A Masterpiece ಥ‿ಥ
I love this drama so much. Every aspect of this drama is truly extraordinary. From the story, production, acting, even music, everything is amazing. I was initially put off watching it because of the family genre and too many episodes. But it turns out this is the first family drama that really touched my life. It's as if after I watched this drama, there was a part of me that wasn't the same anymore.The first episodes in this drama is very heart-wrenching, but you will want to continue. Then the next episodes is medicine for your heart❤️❤️❤️😭😭😭
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