Story: The story ist very good. I like dramas and movies with a historical background. This drama is about a family in Changsha, an important city when it comes to the 2nd World War in China. The family consists of the twins Xiang Xiang and Xiaoman, their older sister and her husband with their son, the grandmother, the parents and two cousins. The drama tells about the twins and their lives during the war against the Japanese between 1937 and 1945. Both of them are more troublemakers than everything else and their brother-in-law Junshan wants to marry of Xiang Xiang most likely to the serious and cold soldier Gu Qingming. There are a few funny scenes in the drama, most of the time when Qingming and Junshan are together. I like their bromance *-*.
Cast: This drama is my second one woth Wallace Huo. But I didn't watched it only because of him. I am a fan of him, but he wasn't the one who made me speechless. I know he is a good actor (even though there are many people who think otherwise), so I concentrated me of the other Actors and Actresses.
But I will begin with Wallace. His character Gu Qingming is known as officer Gu, who isn't allowed to go to the battlefield. But Qingming is a soldier who wants to protect his fellow people. So he is waiting for a chance to help the soldiers who are fighting against the japanese. Wallace Huo plays his role excellent. I love how his character changed within the progress of the drama.
Yang Zi, who plays XiangXiang, is 13 years younger than Wallace, but this isn't a bad thing. It was my first drama with her and I think she did a very good job. Her character grows with the years which are passing by. At the beginning XX is a childish girl, who likes to make trouble. So she drives her brother-in-law crazy. But after she realizes her love for GM, she is more serious.
Jungshan (played by Ren Cheng Wei) is an officer who is serious and married the older sister of the twins. RCW played his role authentic. I think he did a very very good job. At first I didn't like his character, but after more episodes I hoped that he will be happy. The chemistry with Zuo Xiao Qing was very very good. I could talk about all the other characters, but I have to finsh my review^^.
The supporting Characters (and Actors/Actresses) played very well, too. All in all the cast was amazing and all of them did make a very good job.
Music: The Title Song "I remember you" by Wallace Huo and Yang Zi is a sad ballad, which suits the drama very well. I wished there was a live version because both of them are good singers.
Rewatch value: It's a 9 out of 10 because it have 32 episodes and my 'plan to watch'-list is so long that I don't have time, otherwise there would be a 10^^.
If you like melodramas and if you aren't scared if you have to cry then I would recommend this drama to you. I think it is the time worth *-*
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Wallace huo is a great actor. and I cannot bear to watch his other movies. 100% recomended. really!!!
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Even if you're not a fan of period dramas this will make you love it...
I have been overlooking this drama for a long time because I am not a fan of period dramas. I just came here because of Yang Zi and since the Oath of Love kept being postponed i needed to satisfy my "Yang Zi craving" and what a delectable take away it has been.The romance may not be fluffy but it's so heartwarming. The story is poignant and not for the weak sentimental people, i had shed some tears but who cares, the amount of smile, grins and laughs will make you forget the tragedy of war. Not to mention a satisfying ending as well.
This is really an underrated drama. A gem waiting to be discovered.
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This review may contain spoilers
A year later and I can't stop thinking about it...
*MAYBE SPOILERS*10/10, 5 STARS ALL ACROSS THE BOARD
I first watched this drama over a year ago, and I still frequently think about it. Honestly, if someone were to ask me what my favorite drama is, this will always be the top.
Every single character and story line was written beautifully, some tragic. I have to skip through the one part of the child, if you know what I'm talking about then you know. It breaks my heart every single time, but as a mother with a small child, it effects me greatly.
This drama is one that I believe will continue being top tier throughout the decades. It serves as a great reminder of the costs of war, not only on those fighting, but how everyday people are effected as well. The character development was also *chefs kiss* Anyway, if you haven't caught the drift from my rambling, I AM VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF YOU WATCHING IT AND THEN REWATCHING IT!
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Masterpiece!
I wondered for a long time if I should watch this series. It didn’t seem interesting, but since it was rated highly, I finally got started. That was my best decision! This is a brilliant, unforgettable series! One of the best I ever seen.It is really an underrated masterpiece! The characters are very lovable. The story is slow, but never boring. The story focuses on a family, whose try their best during the war.
But keep in mind, it takes place during a period of war, so everyone have to prepare that not only cheerful things will happen in the story.
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Amazing drama!
To sum up this drama in one word, extraordinary! This is far and away the absolute best Chinese drama I have ever seen. I'll go a step further and say that this drama ranks among the best I have ever seen from any country. First, let me say that I don't watch period dramas and only made this exception after reading the glowing reviews. My tastes run more to romantic dramas, both light hearted and the more serious types. I am so glad that I decided to give this drama a chance to expand into the period/historical drama realm.The story is riveting! The multitude of characters in this drama are so well written. The acting is phenomenal! It's rare to see such high quality cinematography, along with countless elaborate settings. This is no doubt a high budget production. By all means, treat yourself to this emotion and action packed gem.
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I wanted to point that out because it covers the female and her family and those individuals that are involved with her family. The writers did an amazing job with the roles of the supporting cast and chemistry among them all. I just find it absolutely amazing that everyone in the series had great chemistry in terms of relationships either family or romantic in nature. The old family feud and commitment to unity are revealed here as well. This is not just about war and fighting it is about so much more. I will say that what I took away from this was an individuals strength during hardship and also their ability to overcome hardships.
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This review may contain spoilers
Immature spoiled rich 16 year old being bratty during a war
I have never in my life encountered a more immature 16 year old. By the way they wrote the script, she doesn't sound or think like a teen, she sounds like a kindergartner.Exhibit 1: she bribes kids to steal military cement because she's so QuIRkY and wanted attention from a guy who she has a crush on. Remember, this girl is 16 and essentially bullies a military officer because she's like "well, if I show him how annoying I can be, maybe he will notice me." What are you? 5? Ewww and he is like an officer so like 20's or 30's. That's nasty y'all.
Exhibit 2: she jumps into the military car just to find her brother, demanding Gu dude to find her brother. Sweetie, there's a war going on. Literally millions of people are dying and missing and you force the military to look for YOUR brother who just wants to join the war and support the military??? Lmao ok why dont they go looking for every single missing person then, see how efficient that would be for war efforts.
Also, the entire family is a bunch of spoiled brats???
The brother consistently asks this nurse out over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. Like dude, did you ever learn the meaning of harassment or bounderies? Oh right, you didn't because your family is too rich to deal with that shit. How spoiled do you have to be to want to pressure a poor girl that just lost her entire family in a war to marry you just for your personal pleasure? URG and can we even talk about how every single family member guilt tripped the girl for not wanting to go out with Xiaoman? Tell me again about how this family isn't just toxic as shit.
And then there's the grandmother. She doesn't ever want to leave Chansha even though she KNOWS that they plan on burning it down literally putting the entire family in danger. How selfish do you have to be? How petty and immature are you that you hold a grudge for 40 years and put your entire family at risk for the sake of being petty?
And can we also talk about how XiangXiang repeatedly rejected Gu dude from the start and used him like half the drama and then when he even just talks to another girl (even though it's literally his sister), her whole family throws shit at him for being "awful". Like damn y'all, this family is sooo toxic, can i just spend one day without the elders assuming shit.
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Update: just finished it. The drama did a good job at portraying the events that happened even though they didn't show a lot of gore. After about episode 23, all character become somewhat decent and bearable. After that, the story improves a lot as they die one by one. So all in all, decent overall story with incredibly frustrating characters for the first half. They get better as they "mature" and do what seems like a complete 180 in terms of character. I do feel bad for that chick that ended up with Xiaoman tho coz she was essentially always second and the only reason Xiaoman settled was because his first choice died. Lmao women deserve better but still, thank god for that, I was worried he would harass her forever. It's kinda sad when you think about women's rights back then. Their only job was to breed and that's all they cared about even in a war when food was scarce and realistically the child would have died.
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My June 2025 recommendations challenge
Watch this for my June 2025 recommendations challenge by 𝑷𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒍. So happy I can put this into my finished list after such a long time just sitting in my PTW ^^.As usual, let's start with the story…
Story about the Hu family, centered on Hu Xiang Xiang (XX) and Hu Xiang Jiang (XJ). The story begins with XX trying to escape an arranged marriage set up by her brother-in-law, Xue Jun Shan (JS). Unexpectedly, the groom turns out to be Gu Qing Ming (QM).
Both XX and QM are reluctant to attend the arranged meeting, but they leave quite an impression on each other. From that day on, they often clash, yet with each exchange, their opinions of one another gradually improve. XX comes to admire QM’s sense of responsibility and patriotism, while QM is increasingly charmed by XX’s intelligence and wit.
Meanwhile, XJ’s love life is far less smooth. He has long been in love with a girl named Jin Feng (JF), but she has never returned his feelings and consistently rejects him. On the other hand, XJ also has a childhood fiancée, Xiu Xiu (XiXi), to whom he’s been betrothed since birth. The Hu family already treats XiXi as one of their own, and she even lives with them. XiXi genuinely loves XJ, even though he does not reciprocate her feelings. So how will this love triangle unfold?
As for the Hu family itself—though it’s technically their household, they mostly rely on JS, both financially and supports. JS is not a bad person. Despite his flaws, he sincerely cares for the Hu family and takes his responsibilities seriously.
Everything changes when war breaks out in China, especially in their city, which Japan aggressively targets.
Both QM and JS serve as military officers defending the city on the front lines, while the rest of the Hu family struggles to survive during wartime.
That's pretty much the story without giving the spoiler. Now what I like and don't.
What I liked:
+ It’s not solely focused on the war.
+ Yang Zi and Niu Jun Feng’s acting was pretty good, especially considering how young they were at the time.
+ The development of XX and QM’s relationship — in the end, their bond is built on mutual trust and support.
+ I appreciate that the story didn’t complicate things with disapproval from QM’s family.
What I didn’t like:
How childish XJ can be. I get that he’s a bit of a spoiled brat, but I really wish he showed more growth throughout the story.
I don't know whether to say I like it or not, but seeing how everyone had become so used to hearing about their friends’ deaths—and how their faces remained unmoved when receiving or delivering the news—added a new, bitter layer to the story.
Overall, I’m just really happy to have watched this story—it struck a good balance between romance, family dynamics, and historical backdrop.
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When tragedy strikes (and it does, often, since this is a war drama) you just want to curl up and shake your head in denial. I would never watch this again for the sheer fact that it hurt too much, but oh god, the ride was worth it.
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