Go Ahead

Go Ahead and give it a try

Seeing so many positive reviews and comparisons to the Reply series, I was very intrigued but also very hesitate to start because I already knew about the sibling love triangle, which i will touch upon the in a little bit because that is not the main story. This is both a heart warming and heart wrenching story of how those who we call family show their love and how they can also hurt us the most.

If this world had more people like Li Ba (LJJ's dad), oh how this world would be such a better place. He is the glue that holds this family together and the epitome of the perfect parent that one can only hope to have. We have our two brothers, who at a very young age must face many hardships that will forever shape them. HZQ who is abandoned by his single mother who made the difficult but cruel decision to do what was best for her child. LX who is abandoned by his mother who suffers mentally from their family's tragic history. At the center of their universe is LJJ, who Li Ba describes as a 'oddly optimistic child'. We see LJJ go from an unruly teenager to a young adult. They talked about the light bulb moment when you realize you are an adult and I know both LX and LJJ specially mentioned their moment. Oddly enough, I can't seem to remember how or when that moment was for LJJ maybe because I did not think moment was that impactful but maybe also thats just how life is. Slowly but surely, even without you realizing, one day you find that you are no longer the kid you used to be.

The first 10 episodes, who many believe including me, is the best part of the drama. We slowly learn the story of how this little family is created and the dynamics of this family. Ep 5, Li Ba's drunken monologue sealed the deal for me to continue watching. The next 10 episodes we see how the brothers go separate ways, each for their own justifiable [but sad] reasons and eventually come back 9 years later, bringing us to the point where our beloved trio must learn to be siblings once again... and also something beyond sibling love. I truly believe the story could've been just fine without the love line but i'll let it slide. I really liked the way that they handled the HZQ and LJJ love line because we have a fragile HZQ who is cutely mistaken and believed that only love love is the way to make this little family of theirs a real legal family. However like Li Ba and LJJ have said time and time again, the definition of a family is not restricted to blood ties nor legal titles. The LX and LJJ love line, I can understand how that could happen but at the same time also not too convinced. I am honestly not too sure at what point they even officially became a thing but it somehow happened...

The remainder of the drama, we start to dive into the stories of our side characters... maybe even a little too much. I love the dynamic that LJJ has going on with her girlfriends but spending too much time on the side stories, we lost precious time on how to deal with the main issue, which is the relationship between LX and his mentally unstable mother. We are literally at the very last episode, waiting for the point in which the mom will finally own up to her mistakes and try to make amends but to me, the mom still has not reached that point yet. Her choice was once again avoidance and the abandonment of yet another one of her children but somehow it was portrayed as her redefining moment worthy of forgiveness.... I don't know what the perfect storyline should've been but i only wish both she and LX truly seek the medical attention that they need.

There is one character that I have yet to mention because he is important and at the same time, sadly not. We have Ling Ba (LX's dad) who almost always shows up to all important events but leaves quickly for work reasons again and again. I was truly hoping we got to learn more about his character because he is still an important figure in this little family. He mentions the police station so many times that I was expecting that we would get a little glimpse into his life at work (not that it is justifiable for him to simply push off his parental duties to Li Ba) but we never do.

Overall, despite the few hiccups, it is definitely a solid drama and if i were to give you just one reason to watch this, it would be Li Ba.

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Good family drama, subpar romance

OVERALL
My opinion may be unpopular, but I find this drama a bit (just a bit) overrated. Still, it definitely feels different from other C-dramas I have seen so far, and the first half is REALLY nice. Watch it if 1) you're looking for a story with great friendship/family ties, 2) you like dramas that follow characters from childhood to adulthood, 3) you don't mind shedding a few tears. Think twice if 1) you are craving a well-developed love story, 2) you have low tolerance for annoying characters, 3) you like mature female leads.

THE STORY
It took me ages to give Go Ahead a try because I felt like it would just make me cry a lot. It didn't. It actually made me laugh a lot more. There is a lot to like about this drama:
- The first half is glorious, of the best I've seen in a C-drama; especially the first five episodes when the main leads are still very young. Serious, dark stuff happen, but it's beautiful and emotional. I just loved it. As the trio begins to age, the drama starts to feel a bit bipolar, like it doesn't know if to have melodrama vibes or comedy vibes and it bothered me sometimes, but it was still fine until about episode 20.
- The parents that take care of the main leads are fabulous. They break all stereotypes and are just so endearing. Definitely my favorite characters of the drama!
- Of course, the dynamic between the three main leads is gold, especially in the first half of the drama. They are family/friends goals!

My problem with Go Ahead is the second half, which feels so sloppy in comparison to the first half. The drama tries to tackle too many storylines at once so it doesn't go deep enough with anything and makes you feel dissatisfied with everything. The romance? Goes from zero to 100. Messed up characters? Also go from bad to good in the blink of an eye. It just doesn't make sense. I also have to say, Female lead is a bit problematic for me. She's just so childish. I'm fine with cute female characters, but mature cute. Age-appropriate cute. Jianjian acts her age like 25% of the time, and the rest feels like she's 10 years younger than the boys. It just...doesn't feel right.

Definitely a good drama, but not as great as it looked like it was going to be.

THE ACTING
Pretty good. I like Seven Tan's acting (regardless of her character) and the older actors were fab. Lil bro was impressive too, but in comparison, Big Bro kind of fell short. Still, nothing to distract you from the plot. I must say though, I felt no chemistry between the leads. Romantic scenes are nothing special too, so really, don't come into this drama for the love story.

THE MUSIC
In general, quite fine. I just like that background instrumental music wasn't super loud and cheap. It was actually fitting. The drama is really a nice production, it's only the script that could be a bit better.

REWATCH VALUE
Not very high. I think it's one of those one-timers.

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BRILLIANT FAMILY DRAMA, for only the first 10 eps

The first two episodes really hooked me right away. The acting, the plot, the characters develeopment, the heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes are just top notch. It was one of the best family drama! Just until episode 10 that is.

After that. It was basic mediocre romantic drama A loves B, C loves B, B loves C eventually, but the chemistry is better for A and B to be together, D loves C, E loves D, F loves E, and so on.. oh god. And Filled the conflict by A B C D E’s secret and dark past through out the story, and the conflict was just lazy writing IMO, and that was for another 30 episodes!

I totally recommend to watch it just for the first 10 episodes. The rests are not so worth the time to watch.

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Uncomfortable most of the times but heartfelt sometimes

This show just felt wrong, the romance felt off because the guy was totally crazy about her (kinda creepy) and it felt like she didn't care about him at all (rude af).
Honestly, I couldn't stand the female lead, I've never seen a more immature character in my entire life. And the guy did absolutely everything but was constantly belittled by her . If she didn't spend every second calling them "brother", maybe there wouldn't be scene with an incest kind of vibe - their chemistry was kinda weird.
It was so hard finishing this because I was really bothered but almost everything, but Idk why I felt like it would get better and I would like it. I'm a sucker for Character Development and since there were plenty of insufferable leads I was expecting for them to improve so I couldn't drop because of the last bit of hope. Well, none of them got better instead they just showed us the wrong people apologizing, others not being held accountable for their actions and that they were right all along bla bla bla, absolute bulls*t.

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What makes family?
*This show has trigger warnings for anyone who has experienced abuse or struggles with suicidal ideation*

There are two mysteries to the plot focusing around blood ties v care/happiness ties. The second mystery led me to give a 1.0 for plot.

One, will the younger generation reunite in adulthood and be able to carry on a healthy lifestyle and relationships despite their struggles growing up (*yes* and resolved easily).

Two, what about the adults who traumatized and abused them growing up and to the 'bystander' parents who didn't fully intervene? (resolved horribly and rushed at the end).

This drama perpetuates the myth of 'rock bottom' that someone can have a magical realisation that they have become someone who hurts the people who love them and magically turn around and be safe to take care of a teenager.

It is well established that Ling Xiao's mother has always priortized her dramas and her issues over the well-being of anyone else for decades (perhaps even before the trauma of losing a child - given the story about the card game, and the 'aunt's' own commentary that Ling Xiao's mother has always been this way).

What's worse, is that she aggressively harms and lashes out at people, wanting them to be as miserable as she is, including her own child. Not only does she do this spontaneously, but she premeditates and coldly seeks revenge when Ling Xiao tries to seek independence repeatedly. Even in the end she attempts suicide after thinking about it all night again switching the focus on to her.

This is not a safe person to parent a teenager, and I can't believe they all just waive off Ling Xiao's little sister back to Singapore with her mother and admonish her to study hard.

I just couldn't get over that this was the BIG MYSTERY and the last issue to be resolved - what to do about Ling Xiao's mother, and then it was all just chalked up to PTSD (for what it's worth- PTSD does not at all appear to be what this woman has) and lessons learned and sending her back to Singapore.

I did like that the show insinuated subtly that the younger generation was very clear on who were there 'true' care/love family and who had earned that and who didn't. BUT I can't get over the explicit message: to tolerate, tolerate, tolerate, and maybe one day they will come to a magical realisation.

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So Disappointed

This drama, to be perfectly honest, made me feel disgusting after I watched it. The best words I can use to describe are maybe ... incestuous? This could have been good. It really did have so much potential. I loved the first couple episodes. I loved the Dads, I loved the dynamic between the kids, I even loved the depressing backstories and painful scenes. When the kids grew up and were in high school I still enjoyed it. I felt like they did a good job of portraying teenagers who were figuring themselves out and trying to plan their futures and being shitty at it. I love coming of age stories. I thought this would be like A Love So Beautiful or Reply 1988.

Boy was I wrong.

This drama goes from being an emotional, heart-warming family drama to being emotionally manipulative and rancid so quickly. Logic flies out the window, as do relatable emotions, as does self-respect from ANY of the characters (or basic human decency), and suddenly what was a sweet story becomes a bunch of patriarchal, tropey bullshit.

WHY would the two boys leave home for that long? It doesn't make logical sense and it makes their return feel like it's being built on lies. You're asking me to believe that they left home for almost a decade, didn't see their Dads (adopted or otherwise) for that ENTIRE time, never came home for a visit, nothing ... for no good reason? Because they were ashamed? Because they were busy? It felt like the writers were slapping me in the face for believing in the family dynamic they'd established with the first few episodes. What the hell was this?

Then, upon the two boys' return, I realize that they've both become controlling, immature, creepy, dickheads. They both have this fixation on the female lead, and seem convinced that they're both in love with her. In fact, they've both separately made these elaborate schemes to try to win her over in the future (for example, one 'brother's' career is baking, which he only got into because, apparently, she loves sweets? what the fuck??). The only positive with their meeting was that she didn't really want anything to do with them and found them both incredibly awkward. That was enjoyable. Them stalking her and pressuring her and guilting her... was not.

Things only went downhill from there. Both boys became more possessive, the drama got weirder, and I felt like I was watching two siblings kiss. The chemistry could have been there between the leads, but the complete bullshit story and creepy vibes just ruined everything for me. I couldn't even thirst after the hot main lead in peace!

So, yeah. I don't know why the hell everyone loves this one so much. In my opinion, you'd better off watching other coming of age dramas (literally ANYTHING else) instead of this one. At least they won't make you want to bash your head into a wall.

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I'm a little surprised about all the 10/10 reviews. Some folks wrote overwhelmingly positive reviews to the point that I've expected that this drama would be even better than Reply 88. For the first 10~ episodes it's pretty close to that level, but at the same time unique and perhaps even more endearing. The problem is that this is a 40 episode long drama and episodes 11 to 18~ are straight up boring. There is nothing much there, none of that wholesome family vibe, or much character or plot progression. After wasting 5 hours on filler like that it cannot possibly be a 10/10.

Around episode 20 the drama slowly becomes interesting again, but it never reaches the initial heights.
I for one am okay with the sister dating the stepbrother thing, I can even begrudgingly accept the blackmail with mental illness issue. What is difficult to gloss over though is that they had very few sweet scenes together after they've properly gotten together. I mean there was so much time for that in 40 episodes..

I could go on and on how much I hated mom A and biological dad B, but It's not necessarily a bad thing for a drama to have hated characters. Human garbage can be portrayed on television too, right? But the redemption arc for mom A in the final episode felt completely unnatural and unnecessary. I would have preferred either a more gradual process involving some mutual healing over the course of like 5 episodes, or they could have just had a clean break. So yeah, the plot had some problems here and there, like how every tragic thing happened simultaneously at ep10ish and how not only did He Mei go to P, but her friend also did 16? years later. Those could've been handled much more naturally.

The ending is not that great either. It's way too open ended for my liking. The potential side couple's story is unfinished and as I said earlier, there was just such a long time available to wrap things up.

I love how they resolved the triangle fast and relatively peacefully.

Overall the drama is worth watching, there are some incredibly touching scenes, really unique family dynamics and it's unlike any other cdrama that I've seen so far, but it's not even close to a 10, lets be real people!

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Family yes, love.. nope.

The show revolve around 1 sister and 2 brothers that are siblings by name but not blood related (i'm not gonna elaborate on how they met). I actually enjoyed myself a lot as i get to explore the background stories of the 3 siblings and also how they became a family together. The show did well on showing how they bonded and also the different personalities of everyone.

However, this show will only be getting a 7/10 from me (highest) and i will probably not be rewatching.

(1) The show went downhill when romance is involved. I am not against the plot of any love involved between the siblings but I don't felt it in any way throughout the show as brother-sister love is being prompted more than actual romance. I guess it hitted me badly when it kind of change to romance direction. It didn't seem like the brothers actually "fall in love" with Li Jian Jian but more like overprotective brothers that can't bear to see her with anyone else. I was thinking the show would be better if it ended with Li Jian Jian not choosing anyone. I just CANNOT watch the kissing scene at the end... it's just awkward.

(2) I cannot stand Song Wei Long's acting.
This is not the first show i have watched with SWL and it's actually third one already - and one thing for sure, his acting didn't improve since then. The stiff facial expression, "act cool" vibes, and how he expresses himself is just not there. It's just not enjoyable to watch him act or relate to his character in the show.

Nonetheless, Tan Song Yun (Li JJ), Zhang Xin Cheng (He Zi Qiu) and Tu Song Yan (the dad) steals the show for me!

FINAL VERDICT: it's worth it to watch if you want something heartwarming, simple and explores family relationships.

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Endearingly Beautiful

**Let me preface this by proudly stating that I’m a big fan of both this original Chinese version & the Korean remake, “Family of Our Own”. They both have their strengths & weaknesses. I like some aspects of “Go Ahead” better, while also preferring other parts from the Korean version instead. I like the cast of both versions & the characters they bring to life. Yes, there are tons of similarities - that’s to be expected when they’re made from the same story. If that bothers you then my advice is simply this - don’t watch one version right after the other. 🤷🏻‍♀️😉**

This is a truly wholesome family drama. The widowed father of a little girl takes in a young abandoned boy. When their neighbor’s wife leaves him & their son behind, the two dads form a new family unit for the three children in their care. And the bond of friendship they develop along the way makes them the most non-gay, “married couple” of the ages, haha. They’re so great!!

Where once these kids used to be alone, now they’re being raised as siblings. The studious brother, the sporty brother, & the mischievous sister. So vastly different, but yet similar in many ways. Their bond is perfection at all ages - kids, teens, & adults. I laughed so much at their antics. Plus, the depth of their loyalty, protection, & love for each other is beautiful. I just adore them 💕

Watching them as youths is a delight. Seeing their pain when they’re separated is brutal. Experiencing their distance upon reuniting after 10yrs is bittersweet. Witnessing them each finally get their happy ending (2 of them together! 💍) is everything 🩵💜💙

Note: my only complaint is that the ML’s mom got off way too easily. I understand forgiveness & familial ties, but she was so toxic & evil to him that I wasn’t happy with the ending the writer(s) gave her. Being blood isn’t a free pass for abuse 😠.

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-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.24 💋
- Together : ep.23 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp: Nope 💖

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One of the most well-rounded C-Drama of all time

I am five years late to this amazing drama which my friends kept recommending me to watch when it was released back in 2020. I hesitated due to too many episodes, and family drama is not my genre. However, recently, I decided to give this drama a try for SWL (one of the MLs in this drama) as I have watched his other dramas and films and find him quite a pleasant actor whose eyes can speak and bring so much depth and emotions to the roles he portrayed despite his young age. And, this drama really did not disappoint, it is probably one of the best C-Drama I have ever watched, I cried quite a bit during certain scenes because it portrayed very well about how sometimes love between people who are not your blood parents and siblings can run even deeper than your blood family members.

The OSTs for these dramas are very nice as well. I am so hooked into this drama that I kept re-watching, especially certain episodes with very heartwarming and meaningful scenes. Listing them below for reference.

Here are some scenes that I find meaningful and got me into an emotional wreck:

1. The two fathers coming together to raise these three children - two (2) of their own children Ling Xiao (played by SWL), and Jian Jian (played by Seven Tan) due to their wives passing away or divorced, and one (1) adopted child, Zi Qiu (played by Steven Zhang). This is the 1st time I have seen such concept in this C-Drama, very refreshing to see in a conservative society in an Asian context.
2. The "sibling dynamics" between the 3 leads even though they are not blood siblings, but their kinship is so much deeper than blood ties.
3. Ling Xiao being tormented by his crazy Mum and him gradually opened up to Jian Jian about his hardship and mental disorder even though he was very introverted.
4. Zi Qiu seeking out truth and slowly redeeming his relationship with his parents, ultimately reuniting with his Mum and having a closure with his Dad.
5. The slow burn romance between Ling Xiao and Jian Jian that I would say is pretty obvious that it has already started since their childhood days, even before they realized their feelings for each other when they are older. I like how C-Drama has the ability to portray romantic relationship in a pure yet deep manner that is not overly intimate.
6. Even though Jian Jian did not realize she had romantic feelings for Ling Xiao until he confessed to her but in the later episodes, there were some very heartwarming scenes of how she was really there to support him to help him improve his mental situation, these scenes itself have portrayed deeply on her love for him as well, the mutual love they have for one another and that it was not one-sided from Ling Xiao only.
7. The scenes with the supporting roles, Ming Yue and Tang Can, are ones to look at as well. They are the best examples of how in an Asian society, most parents forced us to the brink to live the life they want us to live and not let us live the life we want to live. Despite their crazy and controlling Mums, they still fought very hard to live their own lives and follow their passions even though they had to endure all the nonsense and criticisms from their family members.
8. The scenes where the two crazy Mums (Ling Xiao's Mum, and Ming Yue's Mum) finally realized how bad they are and started redeeming themselves.

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Definitely worth your precious time !

Go ahead is by far my most favorite Chinese drama, I have ever seen .

… you will be touched by the sibling bond, when they’re hardly even related by blood

… it deals with toxic parents as well

…You will be happy to see the strong friendships throughout the whole story

…The story starts of when they were kids, proceeds to high school than their adult days, so you feel nostalgic and you will feel like you’ve watched them grow up somehow.

The acting was on point I give it a solid 10/10
The actors were able to show the character development smoothly without any difficulties. Also the writers kept the leads in character without any breakage throughout the whole story.

The ending was all good I won’t spoil anything but it’s safe to say that everyone is happy at the end and that’s all that matters.

(Just to clear this up there is in no way any incest , as you can read from the plot they’r not related by blood nor where they legally adopted by the same parents, this you will understand when you see it.)

I cried at the ending even though it was happy and a good one , I thought I’d miss them so much, maybe since it’s like a high school to grown up story I feel like iv been watching them for a long time. Anyways I’m so grateful for this drama.
please do watch it if your interested

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the best cdrama for 2020 !

i really like this cdrama, its beyond my expectation for real , the story is really touching also the acting are really natural n good , every episode is so enjoyable to watch , i even can feel the saddness when he zi qiu meet her mother after that long time ... and when li hai chao drunk n let out all of his heart want to say , thats really touching , alos i really like he mei that still look so pretty in her age n funny when she n hai chao started to date but sadly only for few episodes only , n the worst part is why its only 40 episodes ? i think there are going to be season 2 with zi qiu story ... without doubt i would say that this is so far the best crama for 2020 ! must watch !

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