Found Families Forever
I love a good found families drama, which this does exceptionally well. The two fathers navigating raising their respective families and leaning on each other is absolutely adorable. You can feel the love and friendship they build over the years. Quite frankly, it's their relationship and the relationship they build with the kids that resonate with me the most. That, and the overall love of food that is intrinsically tied to the story. Some of the best food cinematography I've ever seen, even in cooking shows.The relationships between the three main leads, particularly their romance(s), was less interesting to me. I didn't dislike the characters themselves and I liked the moments of connection between them, but I felt the various romantic entanglements derailed parts of the story. The side characters also took up too much screen time (although I do have a special place in my heart for Tang Can). That said, the parts that didn't work for me never detracted from the heart of the story. All of the actors did an amazing job with their role and I overall enjoyed all of their performances.
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A great family story that ended a little weak
This drama started out strong. It was new and refreshing. The story of two (three?) broken families that come together to raise their children and provide them with a happy home.The family dynamics were amazing, the actors were able to convey great familial love in a very realistic way. We saw how families are not always perfect, but we are always there for each other when needed.
Honestly the relationship the two dads had was one that made us think they were romantically involved, and that was ok. It was honestly sweet and very heartwarming all around.
It also dealt with mental health issues, even if how that was addressed wasn't fully satisfactory.
Where this drama started to fail is when it rushed to the finish line. Things were glossed over. The relationship with the mother, how she reacted to not getting her way, all the harm that was caused to several parties, it was all just glossed over, like a switch had been flipped and now everything was ok.
Also the dad ending up with a woman all of a sudden just felt like they were trying to make sure there was no gay triggers to pass censorship.
It all felt rushed, unnatural, and kind of a WTF ending. I wish they had taken the time to resolve things in a less dramatic and abrupt way. Even the side stories were left hanging with no resolution.
Lastly something that bothered me quite a bit was how blood ties are glorified here. Maybe it is a cultural thing, but a mother that abandons her child does not have the right to come back when the child has grown and demand that he be her caretaker when she is going through some rough times. Much less does she have the right to ask from anything from that child after severely abusing him. But in this drama it is made to seem like as her child he should give up everything he dreams for to take care of his mother. No one seriously intervened and tried to make this situation stop and in the end no one made sure this lady faced some serious consequences for her actions. It was a bit upsetting.
Even the side stories had a recurring theme of the child having to yield to the parent even when the parent was being unreasonable and causing strife. As a mother this seemed wrong, we shouldn't teach our children that they should always bow to our requests, we are humans and make mistakes also.
Anyways that is my little rant and why this drama didn't score a 10 for me.
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Should've dropped it
This drama is a draag. The family by choice argument is nice and I believe it, I was totally into this siblings linked by heart plot (that's beautiful) and then they made it into a love story?? They were not siblings, but childhood sweethearts?? Unnecesary. And then trauma after trauma, accident after accident, awful mother after another. Not for me.Was this review helpful to you?
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A family of choice, abandoned by their mothers, raised by devoted fathers.
Relationship between the three friends who grew up together:===============================================
From the get go, it was easy to see that Jian Jian clearly favored Ling Xiao over He Zi Qiu. She made Zi Qiu's life quite difficult and it made me a bit worried about what kind of man Zi Qiu would grow up to be, to always have to beg for affection. But thankfully, he turned out all right. Overtime, she outgrew the little jealously she felt about him becoming her brother and Zi Qiu's mother becoming her step-mother. But we could see that she took him for granted because he agreed to everything she wanted. And maybe that allowed him to have fun along with her, be a little naughty and forget that his mother left him to a stranger who could have treated him badly. Next, we have Ling Xiao, who was treated cruelly by his own mother, then later abandoned without much care. He had to grow up too early, compared to Jian Jian and Zi Qiu who were always lost in their own mischief. He was the mother of their friend group, who had look after both of them once he decided that they were his family. It was painful to see how life split the three apart, and for a moment I wondered if they would ever be the same.
The Best Fathers :
=============
Li Hai Chao: The best parent I have ever seen in any stories. Just how generous can a person be? There is nothing you can hate about him. He is made of all the good stuff in the world. Seeing that he lost his wife to childbirth, he could have become just as vile as Chen Ting and mistreated his child. But he was never that kind of person, he raised a daughter who was maybe a bit mischievous but all in all had a happy soul. He took in Zi Qiu and always treated ling Xiao well. He was both a mother and father to all three children who grew up to become the decent human beings they were. It was easy to see his genuine care for the children. He just eluded warmth. I was glad we had a character like that to balanced out the selfish mothers.
Ling He Ping: I wasn't a fan of him since he was more of an absentee father. Normally, it would have been understandable as he was the primary breadwinner of the family. But his absence resulted in the psychological trauma faced by his only living son who was neglected and mistreated by his mother. For far too long, He Ping humored Chen Ting at the cost of his child's mental health. I'm usually someone who is against violence and don't even tolerate excuses for slaps. But I didn't feel sorry when Chen Ting was slapped. What a poor excuse for a mother. Once she was out of the picture, Ling He Ping was finally focused on his child and became a decent father who started looking after his son.
Mothers who abandoned their sons:
===========================
Chen Ting: What a horrible character. I wonder where the ideas for this character came from. I do hope people who have mothers like these have grown up at least as well adjusted as Ling Xiao or are holding on and trying their best to live their life. She first mistreats her son, then abandons him without looking back, she then goes on to marry someone else and have another child (wth was going on in her mind to have another one. She is not a mother material), has an injury so now all the adults in her life don't want to take care of her so Xiao has to, when he has no obligations to do so. But he is guilt tripped into doing so. Even after he has fulfilled his duty as her "son", she then forces him to stay with them for more years. When is able to get rid of her tentacles and come back to a place where he was happy, she finds it in herself to come play with his head. She is mad at the woman he loves, hates her because that woman cared more for Xiao than her selfish ass ever did, then she tries to set her son up on a date with another woman, as if that's not enough she tries to kill herself leaving behind a letter for Xiao to find. She never had any mercy on her son. (One of the ickiest characters I have come across)
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Easy breezy slice of life family drama full of warmth
No wonder this is such a hit, an easy breezy slice of life family drama, Go Ahead is the happy pill for gloomy 2020. Whatever you're going through right now, or missing your family so damn much, this is the perfect comfort watch, complete with comfort food porn.Such a charming ensemble cast oozing with chemistry helmed by Seven Tan, who is such a natural actress and comedic talent, Song Wei Long who is drop dead gorgeous, relatively greener but held his own, and Steven Zhang who really shone in this drama. I love his Zi Qi! Sun Yi as bff Ming Yue also did well. And the most adorable dad ever Hai Chao played by Tu Song Yan.
I'm not a fan of the Ling Xiao-Jian Jian romance, maybe it's second lead syndrome, their feelings are deep-rooted since childhood, but I'd prefer a more gradual transition from adopted siblings to romance, than stolen kisses as confession of feelings. I appreciate though there's no overwrought love triangle. But this drama is not about romance anyway, its strength lies in tackling relatable family matters and great friendships.
With a 40 episode drama, there is a slight drag in the middle. The probably only stressful stuff in this drama is the 'mother' issue, but the drama balances that with warm scenes. Thank you for the endless warmth, Go Ahead, and the reminder to push forward whatever hardships we're going through, there's always someone to hold your hand, as there are bonds even stronger than those tied by blood.
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Lovely slice of life
Such a comforting drama about found families and the strength of their love for one another. I really enjoyed how they teased out the generational conflicts between children and parents and came to a refreshing resolution that resonated with real life and was both believable but not cruel.I loved the first half of the show before the romance storyline was introduced, but once it was the story didn’t linger on it (but you will need to suspend disbelief and just run with the premise). As another review said, I wish the drama transitioned that plot line better will and explored how Jian Jian felt, how Ziqiu and the parents felt with this development. It’s clear why Ling Xiao is in love with Jian Jian but I wish they did more to convince the audience - the abruptness added to the discomfort a bit for me. Thankfully they also didn’t linger on the love triangle that is hinted. Ziqiu’s love for Jian Jian was different than the love Ling Xiao had for her and eventually it’s clear there isn’t really a love triangle. The romantic elements felt a bit forced as was all the love triangles between the friends, but I think those elements aside it was really refreshing to see the story focus on the characters’ growth, struggles with their careers, self-esteem, self-loathing, mental health issues, coming to terms with their values even when in conflict with their parents’, and the selflessness of Li ba’s love for his three children in contrast with the selfishness of some of the mothers in the show.
Many of the moments of resolution and moments of love between the characters and the siblings were so endearing and lovely to watch. Those moments made the length of the show worth it and it felt as peaceful as sitting in a bright warm sun-lit room.
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I Cried A Lot But It Was Worth It
Go Ahead is a seriously wonderful drama about family, friendship, suffering, and forgiveness. Reflecting on the series I’m overcome thinking about how much they love and support one another. The acting and chemistry between all the characters is done so perfectly. Even the “evil” characters are done perfectly.At first glance 40 episodes seemed like a lot but by the end I felt it could have had more. In fact my only criticisms of the show is that I wanted to know more about where some people ended up in the future.
Originally, I put off watching this drama not only because of the number of episodes but I thought it may not fit with the romance dramas I usually go for. However this series delivered. There’s a healthy sprinkle of romance mixed in throughout the series. Not that it is necessarily heavy in romance but heavy in love and sort of intimacy/closeness amongst the family and couple/s that is just so satisfy to see play out.
If you’re debating watching this drama, don’t debate anymore. Watch it.
Would 100% Recommend
Would Re-Watch (with tissues)
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Beautiful Storyline
One word to describe Go Ahead“BEAUTIFUL”
This is the most beautiful drama I have ever watched.. I’ve watched so many dramas and Go Ahead really has a perfect, well written, touching, meaningful storyline!!
The flow is just perfect, not draggy and not too fast you won’t feel bored with the story
it gets interesting before you start to feel bored..
This drama will teach you so many things, from how to love a family, how to treat your parents, until how to forgive someone
but what I love is that it tells that “Family love is something that cannot be replaced and we should cherish” ~
The characters Li Ba and Ling Ba also tell the way parents think about their children and something that parents cannot tell us (their true feelings)
I feel like I gained a lot of knowledge when watching this drama, not like what I usually feel (watching something just to get rid of boredom)
I know that there are a lot of spoilers about the kiss scenes
Hence, I am telling you guys
The romance is 💯 !
Even though main leads love story wasn’t exposed that much as this is a family drama not pure romance drama but I can feel their sweetness for each other without them showing it
Also LJJ LX HZQ relationship is amazing too!
Oh God they were successfully make me laugh and cry so badly hahaha
Tips:
Prepare tissues!! hahaha
Not because there are many sad scences but you won’t able to hold your tears due to the beautiful and touching story...~~
I really need second season :(
and more drama like this !!
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MASTERPIECE OF 2020
The best drama ever. Huhu. They put all realistic family problems in just 40 episodes. I have cried and laugh because of this drama! The story plot is really good and I really hope they will have another season!!! Whenever I see their old pictures, I feel nostalgia. (Am not crying). The actors/actress are really goood! They are so natural and exceptional! Personally, I love Tan Songyun and I love her even more! Plus, Steven and Weilong. Though, Weilong is her partner in the drama, I want her to be partnered with Steven❤️. Rewatch value is surely 10 and I've recommended it to my fam and friends, they really loved it a lot! Kudos to the Team and actors of this drama. They really done well!!!Was this review helpful to you?
Best C drama
Loved this drama and each one acted beautifully especially Seven Tan. She is actually a versatile actress. Loved her natural acting and was looking very beating in this drama. Have watched it more than 3 times. Never get bored watching it again and again. The dram focuses on the daily life of people who are not related to by blood but still stay together facing challenges of life. The love and support for each other even after getting separated for some time show that one does not require to be related by blood to love, protect and support one’s family.Wish this drama had some more episodes or a sequel in future with same cast members it would be a another hit drama I guarantee.
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best family drama who leaves me crying ...
It turned out one of my fav drama. Acting skills , cast , and all are perfect.? The song also beautiful ,melts my heart?. This drama is too relatable to us and heart touching. There is a lot funny moments ,it rememberes us of our childhood. I really liked this drama. You can watch this without any doubt .Their childhood days are really memorable and enjoyable .
I started watching this drama because of my fav actor steven zhang, now i'm in love with this drama. I don't want this to end , but all good things has to come an end .
this drama tells us how the small incidents in family leaves a great significance in childs psycology ...
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Laughter, tears, heartache, heartwarming smiles….
Just finished this drama 3 years late with my partner who doesn’t watch any Chinese dramas and the both of us are still reeling from this.We don’t know how to move on from this drama. It almost felt like we were in it with them, watching them grow up, go through everything.
While there’s underlying ‘big’ issues in the drama, it’s not overly dramatised and it felt like it could kind of happen to any of us.
When the drama ended, we both discussed if there was anything we wanted to change about it and the conclusion was that while it left us slightly bitter that the biggest baddy didn’t get her just desserts, there really wasn’t any other way around it because that’s probably how it would have been in the real world. Maybe we would like to see them all happy together for another episode!
I loved the pace of the drama, loved that they had support in their helpless moments and loved that they loved each other through it all. The friendships, the weird, loving blended family, the bond between the siblings.
Be warned! Prepare tissues!! We teared at the simplest moments just because we felt like we were in it with them.
l usually can’t wait for dramas to end so I can move on to the next, especially for long dramas like this. But I desperately didn’t want this to end.
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