Unbreakable Bonds and Unexpected Twists...
Uff, this drama is a rollercoaster of emotions, just like the title suggests. It’s all about the bond between siblings, parents, and relationships in general. Honestly, it hooked me from the very first episode. The plot is well-directed, and the actors give stellar performances. Every character really lived in their role, and you can feel their emotions so strongly. Each episode has its own tension and emotional depth, making you care about what happens next. The leads are fantastic, and their chemistry is on point. You can really sense the weight of their pasts and the hard choices they have to make.And those twists! OMG, they had me hooked. Some scenes literally had me holding my breath, wondering what was coming next. Visually, the drama is gorgeous. The settings and costumes are so well thought out, and they really add to the vibe. When the tension builds, the visuals make everything feel so much more intense.
Overall, this drama is a great mix of emotions, suspense, and family drama. It’s not a quick watch, but if you like shows that dive deep into relationships and keep you on edge, this is definitely worth your time. It might leave you emotionally drained at times, but it’s a ride you won’t want to miss.
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QIAO SIBLINGS GET BEHIND ME
story of five siblings beginning from their childhood spanning their entire adult life well into starting their own families.shows with strong family themes have always been one of my fav genres.
I LOVED THIS SHOW, the music was great imo, the transition scene from their childhood to their adult self was iconic.
the bond the four siblings shared was beautiful but you can't help but feel this pain for qiqi and him being kind of left out the frame his whole life. but honestly this just one the reasons why this show was SO good.
every character was clearly flawed, you would get angry at them but you also couldn't hep but feel bad for them at the same time.
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This review may contain spoilers
don't have second thoughts about watching this ...
honestly one of the best dramas I have seen in a while . if ur having second thoughts about watching this ..just give it a try ... there are moments u'll be really fed up like when the youngest sister keeps going bad to her lover who's nothing but a cheater...tho I really like how all the bad parents realised their mistakes and actually did something good for their kids like sanli 's mother in law saying sorry in her deathbed and leaving her property to them instead of her favoured son(sanli's brother in law) . also their dad he was a asshole but never really pretended to be a good dad either... and I loved how he actually did something good for his kids before he was gone ..he gave them his house
there are moments u'll be fustrated about but honestly for me personally I could understand each of their actions I could understand why they did what they did
tho in Chengcheng's case (the youngest sister's ex)
idk how those women have like no self esteem how can u be with someone knowing he's married and has a daughter like seriously
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Serious vibes, superficial writing
OVERALLWatch this drama if you 1) are looking for mature, serious vibes, 2) you dig family drama, 3) you want to have a look at Chinese daily life in the 70s-90s. If you 1) are looking for well-developed love stories, 2) have low tolerance for lousy characters, 3) are craving fun scenes, then definitely skip.
THE STORY
The beginning of The Bond totally gripped me. Not in a "wow so innovative!" way, but in a "gosh I really want to see these poor kids happy" way. The problem is, I went over more than half of the drama, and you never quite see them happy. Not even close. It's just one depressing moment after another. After 20 episodes, it got old. One particular issue I have is the fact that there isn't any character growth, from any character, and the kids fail to change the way they deal with some situations (the biggest one being their lousy dad). Another major issue I have is with the fact that the drama keeps omitting major stuff. I don't care if a show doesn't have lots of skinship, but romance needs to flow naturally. Love stories can't go from "we're friends" to "she's pregnant" without any on-screen development. Also, if someone has a trauma, you can't go from "oh I can't do any of this" to "I'm over it" in the blink of an eye.
It's sad, the beginning of the drama was really promising, but all of these problems got the best of it. I lost my interest and ended up dropping the series.
THE ACTING
Quite good, from what I could tell. I was especially impressed by the child actors. They were so amazing! It's a zero in the chemistry department, though.
THE MUSIC
Quite good! I just love that it's not the typical pop stuff we hear in dramas, but it was to be expected given how the drama is set in the late 20th century.
REWATCH VALUE
Very low.
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With love they thrived in the darkest of their times!
First two episodes, had me in tears - the five siblings, carrying the burden of poverty, negligence and loss of their mother, with unhinged and gambling father… the eldest took everything on his thin and lean shoulders."When you hit rock bottom hard, there is no way but to go up!"
He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, hid his pain and put a poker face to make a better fate for him and his four little siblings, who look up to him, every time - when they were hungry, when they needed clothes, when they needed washing, when they needed feeding, and when they needed to be saved by the cruel face of poverty.
He did it all, and he did so without complaining. To whom he could complain? No one.
I was looking forward to this series, and worried it wouldn’t be subbed on time, but thanks to the effort of subbers, VIKi and other people, who made this gem be able to watch. I am so glad I am watching it. Though much of it is yet to come to screen, but I know from the start that it is not going to be an easy journey as a viewer but will be a profound experience of storytelling extremely close to heart, and family oriented.
The Bond that these five siblings shares, or the one who grew apart from them, is unbelievable.
A must watch series for all!
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This is a horror story from HELL, a masterpiece documentary of why China is so messed up
This is masterfully filmed and you can watch it on youtube, for example this site has all episodes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28hUI7HS-0o==================
Written after ep 5:
So this is a MASTERFUL DOCUMENTARY OF HELL, this is what hell looks like.
If you have bad karma, you get born in China - people living on top of each other in super crowded conditions and MEAN
and esp in a family like this - this is HELL
to get out of this is almost mission impossible
In poverty, everyone becomes vicious
The father is a lost case anyways
but then we have the mom's sister, etc who is consistently a greedy shark
and the little girl going for the money
and even good guys like oldest brother trying to elbow forward and ditch his sister, and letting QiQi die
Letting Qiqi die is ... wow... how can this cdrama be even called "the bond" and "heartfelt family drama" when nobody cares for Qiqi... ???? the 4 siblings and the aunt are all ditching Qiqi.... only aunt's son cares for him.
QIQI WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD!!!!!! so how can this be a "heartfelt family drama"??? about a strong family bond??? gees...
IT IS A HORROR STORY OF THE LOWEST UGLIEST PARTS OF HUMAN BEINGS
THIS IS HORRIFYING, this is actually a horror story, straight from HELL.
where people are starving, not helping each other, destroying each other, etc.
THE STORY OF UTMOST POVERTY AND IGNORANCE
THERE IS VERY VERY LITTLE THAT IS KIND OR LOVING
IT IS LIKE LIVING IN A VERY VERY VERY CROWDED JUNGLE FULL OF MONSTERS
My stomach is turning upside down and I am just about to puke.
This is all real, unfortunately, and China has a LOT MORE bad stuff due to sheer poverty, nasty customs, creepy politics and government, and complete chaos and corruption in the country.
Like, heroin epidemics that lasted for hundreds of years,
etc
>>>>> Basically, Chinese lived as SLAVES in a cruel system for thousands and thousands of years!!!!! AND STILL LIVE LIKE THAT. And it shows!!!
China is too complex and too.... hellish
it is all about SUFFERING
literally LIVING IN HELL
I dont need to watch to the end
I am not sure I could watch to the end, this is making me feel really really sick
I know that these things exist and I see some of it and I try to fight to prevent things like this
but to see a whole country living in HELL like this is just too much
I PRAY THAT ALL THESE PEOPLE FIND PEACE JOY AND HAPPINESS AFTER LIVING IN *** H E L L *** AND *** S L A V E R Y *** FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND STILL SO
This is a masterpiece documentary that captures why China is so messed up
THEY LIVE IN HELL
This drama is not on Viki. Why?
The recent cdramas that fake afluent Western lifestyle are soooooo FAKE IMITATION and just a cheap cover up
yeah there are wealthy ppl in China but the reality is, China comes from THIS and also the heroin epidemics, and thousands of years of HELL, and there is no way to overcome that with the current hell that China is today
China just has too complex history of SUFFERING that keeps going on bc it is doggy eat doggy there, it is just very harsh elbowing forward
and seems like it will never change. Too much wounding over thousands of years. The feeling is just too heavy...
And I finally can state why kdramas are more fine and sophisticated - Koreans still have creativity and a wicked sense of humor. That permeates kdramas, even when cheap or trashy. Koreans are somehow FINER AND LIGHTER. I think their Buddhist past makes it so.
Koreans are being americanized really fast so they might lose it all real fast if they are not careful....
Also, this drama, The Bond, is a masterpiece in acting and certain messages, and it is very deep. It doesnt have humor.... That is what makes it heavy and sad. The episodes about children are horror and there is no place for humor there, but episodes with adults SHOULD have some humor and they don't.
Seems like China suffered so much that they lost sense of humor.
Also they lost sense of accountability, ppl make mistakes but have to stick together, so all kinds of violations are "forgiven".... so standards for human behavior are lesser...
And seems like the suffering made them go deeper.
When Chinese make something masterful, it often surpases the Korean masterful. For example, I cannot think of anything that Koreans produced that could even compare to Chinese 2016 movie "Xuan Zhang" about the Buddhist monk who walked to India.
Or Journey to the West about that monk conquering his inner demons before he started.
Korea perhaps has the pressure of capitalism and selling their dramas and movies, and maybe some Chinese are more likely to forget the money and do the art, and do it DEEP, bc of all the oppression they experience.
I don't know.
But I do know that China has a lot to offer
and to offer that, it must stop the cruelty inherent in the politics and daily life.
And I am not sure if that will happen :)
China is currently colonizing Africa and stealing African resources,
China is genociding Tibet,
China is censoring their own ppl
I am not sure how it can be resolved ... soon enough :)
Meanwhile cdrams will be mostly fake / crude / cheapo trash and then occassionally a GEM like this drama....
====
Written after ep 14:
As for acting:
Now I understand why ErQiang is not on screen a lot, that actor is not so good, he has "poker face" and "smiley face" but not much else. He is actually one of the weakest actors in the drama. Pretty face :) when he smiles but ... not too much skill yet. He is new.
The Oldest Brother actor is a masterful actor and gets most scenes
====
As for the story, my opinion after ep 14:
I kept watching this drama bc when the kids grow up, it gets lighter - but not really light. It stays heavy..... That is the signature of cdramas.. they are so heavy.
There is no humor anywhere. There is no spiritual practice anywhere. There is no self reflection.
They just keep SURVIVING by sticking together no matter what mistakes they make.
Truly, surviving hell.
So cdramas are about sheer survival, just to LIVE, so there is no space for humor and it is heavy. The ppl do not have the space for finer things like that. They are gonna DIE. It is that serious.
===
And it is "interesting" how their adult lives are filmed without any reference to the oppressive politics and lifestyle. Clearly it is all censored out.
only once we see a soldier coming from a Tibet post...
I am a student of traditional Chinese medicine and tai chi, and I spread all Chinese videos about healthy movement (kung fu warmups and tai chi) and I make a living from it and use it in my daily life, and so many times when I had medical issues, Chinese traditional doctor helped me, and I always held respect for the Chinese SUPREME KNOWLEDGE about many things
After watching this drama, I felt immense compassion for the people who have survived all these horrible things. I am not sure how to put it in words, but my heart feels for them SURVIVING in spite of the hell they are born into, without any help.
Korea practiced Buddhism and somehow was able to evade some of this? Chinese seem left to their own devices and they coped somehow.
But .... They are killing Tibetan buddhists and are basically cutting down the branch they sit on. People cannot live without a spiritual practice. It is equivalent to food.
And organized Chistianity can never provide it :) bc it is fake and hypocritical and actually teaches dead-end strategies. Christianity is a religion designed to manipulate people. Meditation is forbidden in Christianity. The emphasis is on the suffering on the cross and feeling guilty, instead of extensive effort in self reflection, letting go of preconceived notions, and surrendering to the Great Light. Jesus became an international super star not bc he sat on the cross and shed blood for others - zillions of people sat on the cross and shed blood for others and produced no change.... - but bc he TRANSFORMED INTO LIGHT.... HE DID INNER PROCESS TO RISE UP IN CONSCIOUSNESS.
So forget the organized Christianity. Even Christian archbishop Desmond Tutu in arguments with Dalai Lama claimed that human being / mind cannot be changed. That's total bs, as Jesus himself demonstrated that it IS possible. But Christinity lies about it and says only Jesus can do that and nobody else can bc only Jesus is the son of God. Bologney. So none of us are sons and daughters of God?? Jesus as an older brother demonstrates what all of us CAN do if we keep trying. The story of the cross is a "fast forward story" that takes zillions of years, and meanwhile we have to take small steps.
Jesus was missing for 12 years and he reached enlightment in Tibet, even Indian yogis admit this.
And Tibetan Buddhism is "a cookbook of recipes" a very organized simple-to-understand precise immensely helpful effective instruction how to relatively fast change your being and your mind and keep transforming yourself in a consistent way, until one day... you become like Jesus (that day is NOT going to be soon lol but keep going!!!).
AND THIS TEACHING IS RIGHT THERE NEXT TO CHINA, and China is trying to kill it, because it would totally undermine the oppressive Chinese government.
Chinese are gloomy and heavy, and Tibetans smile.
So I PRAY THAT CHINA TRANSITIONS INTO AN ERA OF MORE LIGHT AND PEACE
and that they allow Tibet to exist as is as Tibetans are the key holders of spiritual knowledge on Earth - plus some yogis etc from India
In the best situation, Tibetan knowledge would spread into China
and we will know when it happens because cdramas will have that feeling, it cannot be fabricated
One thing that cannot be fabricated is that sense of lightness and humor and joy
Watch Dalai Lama or Tibetans for a few seconds and you will know exactly what that feels and looks like - it is SMILES and RADIANT SOFT GLOW
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O reflexo de nossas vidas.
Esse drama tema a história foi muito bem trabalhada, sem abandonar nenhum dos personagens principais. Me emocionei do começo ao fim.Já parou para pensar nas consequência das próprias escolhas?
Esse drama nos mostra muito isso. Nesses 36 episódios acompanhamos a vida de uma família de 5 irmãos e seus conhecidos mostrando a felicidade e tristeza do dia a dia, além de observar quais as consequências das nossas escolhas.
Uma história muito reflexiva, tenho certeza de que você se sentirá na pele de um desses irmãos ao longo da história. Eu mesma me vi parecida com cada um deles. Vale muito a pena assistir esse drama.
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Agradezco infinitamente que el destino me lo permitió ver
Sin duda, uno de los mejores CDRAMAS que he visto en toda mi vida, de hecho, siendo el primero ♥️ lo vi entre el 2021-2022, y a pesar de los años transcurridos, no puedo olvidar lo historia maravillosa que cuentan, lo que me hizo sentir y lo feliz que me hizo ♥️Es una verdadera lástima que no se encuentre disponible, en lo absoluto, en Viki, hasta la fecha no he encontrado alguna otra plataforma donde visualizarlo, espero que algún día traigan de vuelta, e incluso doblen al español excelente joya 🇨🇳 y si ya no lo vuelvo a ver, estará en lo más profundo de mi corazón ❤️
El lazo... ❤️
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