Found family and friendship matter far more than blood ties, series brought up a lot of emotions
This is simply a great family drama. A story where found family and friendship matter far more than blood ties. I loved-to-bits the relationship between the three youngsters as they grow up, between themselves and with their father figure. The various arcs of the series were well-built and developed, with maybe a less inspired last act which could have been better balanced than a succession of misfortunes.I loved the main characters and the actors and actress really brought likeability into their roles. They had a good chemistry together and you felt the change and shift in their relationships over time. It was very pure and satisfying with a lot of looks and attentions from both boys toward the girl. The cast playing the older generation did also a good job, I really disliked some of their characters which mean they did a good job portraying them. The "villain(s)" of the series are really enemies you hate, I could not manage to gather an ounce of sympathy for them as they were (or at least one of the "antagonist") unredeemable in my eyes and not worth of any redemption. Some of the secondary roles were more averagely played but it was ok in overall.
I enjoyed a lot the production value. There are a lot of cooking scenes that are very appealing as well as some striking and memorable moments for many of the relationships. The OST is beautiful: it is sad and nostalgic but very pretty at the same time, it is tugging your heart strings. The opening and ending generics are great and un-skippable but you really need to listen to it without watching the images in order to avoid spoiling yourself (which I managed to avoid fortunately).
I would recommend this to people looking for a great family drama. There are quite a lot of characters and they take their time to develop each of them. It is a very satisfying watch which can brought a lot of emotions. The ending was a bit tiring in terms of scenario for the last arc and a bit too quick at the same time. I would have loved a smoother landing but I was not disappointed in any case.
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The Story Line and the acting
This drama tells the story of 3 children from different families who meet as a child and become a family. And as adults they realize that there are different feelings that make them want to belong to each other.Seven Tan, She already stole my heart. She is deeply immersed in her role as a girl who lost her mother when she was a child. Her character as Lie Jian Jian was so deep. I couldn't imagine if this role was played by other people. I think Seven Tan feels the feelings of Lie Jian Jian who have lost his mother. I love her so much. ^_^
Song Weilong, He played the role of the oldest and wisest brother. Although compared to other main actors, he is the youngest actor but he succeeded in playing the role.
Steven Zhang, As a child who is abandoned by his parents and entrusted to someone's family. In contrast to his two brothers, Steven has succeeded in delving into his character, which makes an emotion in every story.
This drama seems to explain that adult life is very complicated and the role of family is very important in life.
Where people who are always there will always steal your whole heart and mind compared to people who are not with you in your difficult times.
This drama has become the first Chinese drama that I can't miss a second of the story.
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Two Boys and a Girl
10 out of 10! It's a really good drama and for me it's the best Chinese Drama I have ever watched! It perfectly portrayed the sadness, happiness, warmth and healing of the families (major and supporting characters). It also showed that not only blood ties can form a loving and supporting family. I also love how great is the friendship of the three (Mingyue, Jianjian and Tang Can). There are instances in their life that one is successful and others are not doing great, thus having jealousy with one another but they were still supportive of each other and pushed each other's dreams. All of the characters were great but I really love Hai Chao. The adoptive father of the 2 boys and biological father of the girl. His love for his kids is immeasurable and truly one of a kind. There was a scene when his adoptive kid was getting scolded and then he got drunk and voiced out his thoughts. It's such an unforgettable scene in this drama for me. His love for his children is so sincere and so true that you can feel the love of a father thru the screen. I also applaud the main characters (2 boys and 1 girl) JianJian, Ling Xiao and Zuqi. They are the best main characters you could ever imagine in this kind of drama and they fit their roles so well. I really recommend this drama, specially for those who are living in Asia and knows how Asian families are, its traditions and culture because you will really connect with this drama. There is humor, love, sadness and other emotions you can feel while watching this drama. I hope there is a season 2, I'd like to see who they end up with and their journeys to their dreams and also how they start their own families as well. Great job for the director and writer. I hope they make more drama's like this.Was this review helpful to you?
Good beginning but slows down
I genuinely loved this drama in the beginning. I like that it was different from other romance dramas and it was more family oriented about a non traditional family. However, it quickly turned into other C-dramas half way through and it just got too awkward! I managed to finish but by the last few episodes, I was starting to fall asleep from boredom. The story just dragged on and on even though we all knew what was going to happen anyway. The overall acting is great especially from the father character. His character was very well written and I love that it was very non traditional from other C-drama characters. The children were also brilliantly cast.Was this review helpful to you?
This may not be a popular opinion
I’m sorry to say this to all the fans of this drama but there has to be at least one person who agrees.What i liked about this drama:
1. Only the begging ( manly their childhood story and how close they where with each other) it was nice seeing them so close and protective with each other.
What I disliked :
1. Why would they make the so like brothers of this girl like her romantically ( it made me cringe a lot that I couldn’t continue, they literally grew up together shared their secrets and knew everything about each other and this guy just liked his (not blood related sister), he said “ yup ima fall in love with her at 6~8 years old and ima keep loving her till the end of my life”. Umm, excuse me are u in ur right mind, you’ve known her since you were a toddler and liked her your whole life while also playing the role of the elder brother? That a no for me)
2. The actors (specially the tall guy that likes the girl first aka Ling Xiao aka Song WeiLong) did not like his acting (sorry) he was so bad to the point where i had to skip his parts. But I'm sure he can improve ( i know that he didn’t receive any acting learning )
3. It’s way to long for such a basic story.
Again I'm sorry if someone got offended but i felt like someone had to say something , because there are way better Chinese drama without that much of cringe, great acting and a good quality drama.
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This is a must see drama!
This is a drama about family, and all families are comprised of the good, the bad and yes, the ugly. It shows the consequences and damage of those who have been left selfishly behind and the jarring reality of children growing into adults who are left the task of putting the missing emotional jigsaw pieces back together.To start with, let's talk actors. I adore the three main leads: Seven Tan, Song Wei Long and Steven Zhang and they very much embody their characters to the point I can't tell acting from the real person. Tu Song Yan and Zhang Xi Lin as the two father's defy description; they are just that masterful at acting and this cast together with the script and direction has become my favorite drama to date. They pull off the impossible and that's to portray true life in the most engaged way. They are a real reflection of people, which is a rare quality in any script.
My favorite couple of all time are also the two dads and thank you, thank you! screenwriter for showing us the dynamics of being a part of a family of mistakes and courage blended. Although they are not a romantic couple, they are the classic narrative of what a parent is: loving and unknowingly flawed.
I'm at episode 31 and already mourning the loss of the story after the next 9 episodes. I dread and also look forward to the end to see how the major and minor characters travel towards resolution but this will be watched and re-watched many, many times. It's just that good.
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A happy ending is not mandatory... It's okay to leave behind the people who hurt you !
The first 20 eps were truly incredible, all the themes around family and what this word truly means were very inspiring.I love how the fathers (mainly thanks to Hai Chao) built for their children the best they could a family, and a stable and warm home.
The casting was very well chosen but I think the acting of Song Wei Long was bellow in comparison of the rest of the main cast tho. He did a better job during the last part.
After ep21, the drama was ok but not as good.
It was too much of that fake triangle insinuations and many scenes with 3rd characters I didn't care about.
The development of the lovestory between Jianjian & Ling Xiao didn't get me interested as I was in the beginning of the drama, probably because their chemistry was good, cute but not that deep ...
Yang Tong Shu, Tu Song Yan and Zhang Xin Cheng put the best acting performances imo.
Tan Song Yun's perf on the 1st part was great, I wasn't that impressed in the 2nd part.
I was expecting "a masterpiece" as many people stated, it was not, it was a good drama with more flaws that people let us believe...
It was tiring and triggering to watch the writers try to force us to accept the excuses of the toxic parents who chose to abandon their children and having to see those same children becoming adults still having to "compromise" for those awful parents, just for the sake of pleasing a certain chinese moral standpoint, and for it to please the censorship... and to also please the idea that in the end of a story, we need things to get better at any expense, even against common sense, that we need an answer to every situation even those dark and complexe ones ...
I think the drama needed a more mature dimension in the writing to deliver a real, honest raw ending to truly respect the representation of what dysfonctionnal family and toxic parents are and what they lead to.
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I am DISGUSTED!!! they turned a beautiful family drama into incest!!!
This drama started off as a 8.5-9/10. I was extremely surprised at how a cdrama can be this heartfelt and depict family relationships this beautifully. HOWEVER, around episode 12 it gets weird. The "siblings" scenes started to make me feel uncomfortable! The music, eye contacts and everything between Ling Xiao and his "sister" got too awkward and creepy for me!!! I simply could not believe how they could suddenly ruin the sibling dynamics and start romance between brothers and sister!!!!!! I literally had to look away from the screen cz it was just too disgusting watching ROMANCE between SIBLINGS!!!In my opinion, they were raised as siblings and had the same parents (dads) raising them. It truly creeped me out and felt like I was watching incest which was very disappointing. Especially when in Ep 20, Ling Xiao tries to KISS HER IN HER SLEEP! It just could not get any creepier and weird!
The only reason I kept watching was Steven Zhang. I truly enjoyed his acting he was amazing in every scene <3
The writers should have just stuck with the family scenes and this drama would have been an easy 10/10. I guess Korean dramas are the only ones who can depict sibling relationships masterfully, keeping it extremely beautiful and emotional and yet NOT turn it into incest!
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Light hearted(ish) Drama
Better than i expected. Exception acting from all actors, marvellus moral lesson, nostalgic upbringing. Just didn't like the FL.I loved Ling Xiao and Hei Ziqui, both had such amazing character arcs and all the family and relationships they bonded with. Especially Ling's sister should've been a main character, I loved her acting and her character. His mom however deserves to go rot herself in hell :)
I didn't like the FL and her bratty judgemental pettiness, her father is what every child deserves and Ling's father, sir. Please take a damn break.
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Wtf???
Never like the concept of siblings turned lovers like I know they r not real siblings but didn't they consider themself as brothers and sister besides her calling him brother 24/7 and now they like each other romantically wtf?? Don't know why people love it this doesn't feel good dammnnSomeone one pls tell me why this is soo good. Didn't i understand anything like someone explain the plot like whyy
Pros:
To be Frank I enjoyed and binged the first 15 eps it's heartwarming slice of life that I adored it's literally so good but the last 10 eps i can't accept it
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Brilliant family-oriented drama sprinkled with a tiny bit of romance
This drama was on its way to becoming my favourite romance drama of the year, but the director / screenwriter was trying to do too much in too little time in the later episodes, which led to a rather unsatisfying ending. Am I wrong to want to watch more of my favourite main characters, rather than the side characters?However, if you would put aside the small mess in plot in the later episodes, this drama is definitely the best Chinese drama I have watched recently. I have never watched a drama whose characterisation of all characters were so in depth and on point. I couldn’t even bring myself to hate the antagonist, as frustrating as she was, because I understand and pity her. That was how good the director and screenwriter was. (Though the ending they gave her is something that I would rather forget.)
The dialogues were also very brilliantly written. During the scenes between family members, the happy scenes gave you the most heartwarming lines ever; the sad scenes gave you the most tearjerking dialogues; and the quarrelling scenes tears your heart apart with the sharp words exchanged. There were so many memorable lines throughout the drama, so thoughtfully written, that I’m sure can be compiled into a book. Also, all the 梗 (probably translated to jokes / dry humour?) were so cleverly woven into the plot, and they never fail to make me laugh out loud. This is no spoiler since it’s everywhere during the first round of promotions for the drama - He Zi Qiu’s “confession” to Li Jian Jian is by far a classic. I don’t know how many times I laughed till I cried in that episode.
I started this drama thinking that it would be a romance drama sprinkled with a bit of family. Turns out it’s the exact opposite, though I’m not complaining. I followed this drama while it aired, and the emotional rollercoaster MangoTV / HunanTV put me through because of how they cut the episodes was insane. I was even tempted to drop this drama, though I suppose that goes to say how good the actress was.
One point docked off for the most unsatisfying ending ever to probably the best character in the entire drama (in terms of characterisation and portrayal), and another point docked off for the mess of a plot in the later episodes. However, do not let this put you off - this is a drama that will stay with you for days even after you’ve completed it. Though I keep “complaining” about it, deep in my heart, I am 101% invested in this drama.
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Starts strong, Falls flat in the end
Ok, so I am convinced that this drama was written by someone with severe mommy issues. Seriously every mum on this show was a piece of work!!The dads on the other hand (the 2 main ones) are everything a Drama parent should be! Especially the Female Leads dad: Parent Goals!!
If I were to score this show based on the episodes 1-11 then it would have been a perfect 10. Never I have I ever fell for characters so quickly or understood their actions more than here. Unfortunately for this drama there were 29 episodes after that… Once we came to present day and everyone returned from abroad, the story started to drag, the love triangles, rectangles, pentagons showed up and the show lost its spark and uniqueness.
Although in all fairness they tried to resolve everything quickly and without much angst. The story dragged so much at some point that it took me over a week to finish the last 5 episodes and on the last 3 the show was on mute playing in the background!
For me the weakest part of the story was the ML. From the actor, whose acting left a lot to be desired (I am sorry but all I saw was a pretty face and nothing more) to the character himself whose feelings towards the Fl were those of obsession and not love. Also there was no romantic chemistry between him and the FL and their interactions were just awkward!
Apart from him, everyone else’s acting was exceptional, very raw and realistic. The side characters were likable and relatable.
Another thing I din not like was that they gave “closure” to characters the audience did not really care for and kind of left us wondering as to what happened to our favourites.
All in all this is certainly one of the best modern day dramas out there that for the most part touches on issues that many young people might go through.
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