When I Fly Towards You (2023)

If you want lots of drama, love triangles or misunderstandings that drag too long... look elsewhere.

If I had to use three words to describe this drama they would be soft, fluffy and heartwarming. It falls into a very well known category, which is Coming Of Age School Drama, but unlike so many others before it, it does not care to create unnecessary plots where our leads suffer too much in their relationship (by breaking up out of nowhere, for example) or act stupidly for the sake of creating conflict; one of its greatest strengths is that characters trust each other and as a result, they won't blindly believe what outside forces try to convince them of when it comes to one another, which is something that happens way too often in dramas like this one.

Are there misunderstandings? Of course, but misunderstandings *are* a part of life and having them in small quantities in dramas and done realistically adds to them, and When I Fly Towards you manages to sprinkle them in a way that feels organic enough that you believe it could easily happen in real life.

This drama is something to watch when you need something cute and uplifting with the certainty that good things will keep happening as you watch and problems will be solved. It's comforting and wholesome, and manages to be those things without its characters leaning too much into being cheesy, corny or cringeworthy. An amazing feat, without a doubt.

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when i fly towards yearning (for more episodes)

honestly, i only watched this because i saw on tiktok that *that* guy from falling into your smile was the main lead (i didn't know his name prior to this show, only his dimples xD), i didn't have many expectations - mostly, due to the romance (i am aromantic, which, often makes me unable to love romcoms, because it makes me cringe, and remind me of the things i will never be able to feel) but almost immediately, i knew that it wouldn't be the case for this show.

this show was extremely cliché, i will say that - and i did encounter second-hand embarrassment every now and then - but not in the 'i want to throw my ipad across the room' instead it was bearable - and even made sense at times. because this is about youth, it's about the first experiences and those aren't always glorious. i loved the awkwardness and the realness of the show, i loved all the characters and the ways they completed each other. normally, i never like both the main and second lead couples an equal amount - i'll ALWAYS favor one of them, and yet, i loved everyone the same in this show.

another thing i loved was that there weren't any unnecessary miscommunications, even when that girl went after zhang lurang, i loved how instead of siding with the "wrong" side (mainly, for unnecessary drama, that can drag the show out) instead he believed in zai, and even played along with her, whenever the other girl tried to make a move. and as they grew they supported each other in every way they could.

thank you for giving us a healthy show, with a healthy relationship that contained beautiful growth. as well, as beautiful character development of kids finding themselves in the midst of this hectic world.

definitely rewatching this later.

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'that special one mark will always be saved for you'

Ok just going to start by saying I was really hung over after watching hidden love and then when i discovered this drama was from the same author, i dived in
In the end, i loved it more than hidden love

This was perfect. The friend group's dynamic, ml transformation from an insecure person to one so passionate, the second lead couple, fl so bubly and energetic and ofcourse their relationship with Grandma

the ml and fl's relationship was a perfect example of 'she fell first, he fell harder' and boy did he fall
He was soooo loyal,like really there was no one else for any of them. They never wavered.

The second leads relation was kinda ' enemies to friends to lovers' and i loved it too. GR was soo sweet

This drama had no misunderstandings that dragged on, no love triangles, just pure fluff
Like it was sweet but haf problems at the same time but you didn't really care because the leads ACTUALLY communicated with each other, yeah another reason why it was one of the best dramas like in ever

The fl was just soo wonderful.
She loved him and was pursuing him without seeming like a desperate, clingy damsel in distress.

It has all the tropes i loved and never knew i needed

Perfect 10 on 10

Please watch, u won't regret it

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Echoes of Emotion..

5 Friends.. 2 Love Stories.. Both as good as the other in their own way.. Beautiful friendship.. Well written story and executed even better.. From the beginning to end there's absolutely no nonsense in this one.. Just pure love and friendship.. This is what you get when the writers/directors/producers dont force include an annoying SML/SFL, Annoying misunderstandings, forced feminism, Unnecessary breakups for absolutely stupid reasons.. The ending was well paced and I think that this is one of the most acceptable happy endings.. I hope other producers and everyone watch this and take notes..

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An epitome of 'healthy mains relationship'!

This is my first time writing a review for any show, so please bear with me. I have loved this show so much that I just couldn't help myself but write a review on how good this show is! And also, I am not a native English speaker, so please ignore grammar mistakes if I've made any.

Often times when I watch any show, I just care about the main couple and don't give a damn about whatever happens to the side couple/character(s), but here, it's a completely different story. I had the same amount of interest in every character's storyline, if not more. There were no major misunderstandings between the main couple, no draggy plot, no bad or forced acting, no dubbing of their voices either, they were all using their real voices, which is very rare in cdramas. I am writing only good things about this drama because, in my eyes, this show doesn't have any flaws.

The friend group — I adore the strong bond that they have among their group. They are the type of friends who are so silly yet so pure, who will pull your leg at any given chance but will not hesitate to stand by your side in the times of crisis. What makes this friend group so special is that it feels real and you can relate to them in so many ways.

Guan Fang & Grandma — Though his character doesn't have any direct affect on the storyline, I still enjoyed his part too. He's just your normal side character who's there just to add a little element of comedy to the storyline. What I liked about him is his relationship with his grandma, grandma Guan. They had an amazing grandson-grandma relationship. Moreover, I loved that part where they are all gathered in Guan Fang's house and they practise their play in front of grandma.

Gu Ran & Jiang Jia — I admit that during the first few episodes I was not vibing with their storyline, but as the show continued, I became more and more interested in their story too. Although they had a very typical, not so unique storyline, I enjoyed every bit of their story because of the way they presented it. You already know what will happen but you still don't get bored of them or their storyline.

Zang Lu Rang & Su Zai Zai — Finally, our main couple, if you still haven't guessed it, yes, this is my favourite pairing of 2023. Zang Lu Rang is shy, kind of introverted and burdened by his mother's expectations - a somewhat lost kid. On the other hand, Su Zai Zai is straightforward, free-minded, carefree and bubbly. Su Zai Zai helps him open up and makes him believe in himself. Their growth from complete strangers to friends to lovers felt so natural and real. Their relationship development was neither rushed nor too slow-paced. The highlight of their relationship is that there were no major misunderstandings or big fights over meaningless topics. One thing I loved about Su Zai Zai is she was so straightforward and at times sassy in handling issues and would solve things out with Zang Lu Rang before it becomes bigger issue. Furthermore, their scenes together were filled with all the cuteness and my face would light up with happiness every time I'd see them together!

So, if you love a good romantic youth/idol drama with a good storyline and great acting or you're feeling down and want to lighten up the mood or you're just looking for a good light hearted rom-com drama that you can binge on, then this drama is definitely for you!

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Made me cry happy tears!

I have watched a lot of cdramas... But this I got to say, is the BEST. And I know.. will forever be the BEST for me. No matter how many new dramas get released.
It's refreshing to watch a love story that is soooo pure! A friendship so strong! A bond so genuine... It honestly feels like a super duper better version of A LOVE SO BEAUTIFUL. Everything I hated from that cdrama was fixed in this one.
The male lead doesn't act HARD TO GET. The female lead is NOT an idiot and NOT a push over. No 3rd wheel among friends. Just genuine friendship.

Just to show how much I adore this drama... let me tell you something.. I have read Hidden Love novel and have long awaited its drama release. As I kept watching that ongoing drama, I like pretty much every post related to it on Instagram.
And then When I fly Towards You snippet caught my eye. I decided to watch it cause its a 3 day wait till the next episode of Hidden Love. And boy oh boy... I am addicted! It made me cry many times. Like tears fall down my cheeks cause I am soo touched by the friendship.. By their love for each other.. Their loyalty! I can just keep on gushing about this for a long long time!
Soo... Monday came, and Hidden Love just released 2 new episodes. Instead of watching it.. Here I am watching WIFTY for the 5th time!!!

All the other dramas now seem so lame to me. I used to feel butterflies in my stomach whenever I see DJX of HiddenLove. Now, I dont feel a thing! All I want is ZLR! I dont even care about new episodes anymore.. I just want to repeat this drama over and over. This has made my heart so happy! To the writer/director of WIFTY, this is such a well made CDRAMA that will forever hold a place in my heart.. THANK YOU!!!

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"Becoming better together is the coolest thing"

There are so many high school dramas about a bubbly, extroverted girl crushing on a quiet, aloof smart boy. Usually, the girl in these dramas are portrayed as quite dumb and needs tutoring or something from the guy. "When I Fly Towards You" does not stray too far from that. However, Zai Zai has has a good head on her shoulder and actually not dumb when it comes to the important things. Everyone has something they are good at and weak at, and this series shows that realistically. She's not someone who will gamble her life to pursue a guy and I absolutely loved that. I also adore the friends in this series. Every character has their own story and their own struggles and I enjoyed the friends being there for one another. Lots of fun and cute moments.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- Love the dynamics of the friends and how they cared for each other
-- Female lead has her strength academically and not some low ranking student. She also planned her future carefully and not just around her boyfriend
-- Misunderstandings are not dragged out and female is quick to clear things up when she realizes there may be something up
-- I enjoy the little clips at the end of each episode where she is documenting her life


DISLIKES:
-- Strict mom who puts pressure on Lu Rang to be perfect academically
-- Issue with mom mostly resolved off-screen and just brushed off
-- Would've love to spend more time in their life during college and after.
-- Jealous girl in high school and a devious female character in college trying to create misunderstanding for the couple (whereas the male character who was interested in Zai Zai was respectful and gave up as soon as he realizes she had a girlfriend.)

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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

I've seen quite a few high dramas about a cute girl chasing after a smart guy, and this series is not all that different. But honestly, I don't watch high school dramas for a unique take. The important part is how well they do the characters and how natural the story progresses. And also, the friendships. I think this series does all that pretty well. I will talk more in-dept about each of the main characters later, but I loved that I ended up caring about all the characters and their stories. There really isn't much for me to say about the plot/story as it's a very slice of life high school drama. If there was something I could change, it would just be that we spend a little less time in high school. I would have loved to see more time spent in their university life and even their lives after.

[ --THOUGHTS ON CHARACTERS-- ]

Su Zai Zai - In these kind of dramas, the female is usually portray as very clingy, Zai Zai is very social and straight forward, which I feel can make some viewers see her as clingy/stalkerish at times in the beginning but I never really felt that way about her. I'm not sure exactly but if I had to guess, it would be because our lead Lu Rang never seemed to mind her presense. To me, I feel like she would've left him alone if she felt like she wasn't welcomed. In fact, there was a part where she misunderstood that he was annoyed with her and stopped following/talking to him. So if he had set boundaries, I think she would have left him alone. Mostly, she was just trying to get to know him and I think that's fine.

I think one thing that is most definitely different from some of the other series I've seen is that Su Zai Zai is shown to have strengths of her own compared to our male lead Lu Rang. I loved that she wasn't one of the girls who is at the bottom of her class in rank. She has stuff she is good at like English and stuff that she is bad at like Math/Physics. That's realistic. And likewise, Lu Rang wasn't perfect. He needed tutoring in English and Zai Zai was able to help him with that. Another thing I loved about her is that she tries to make things clear when she realizes there are misunderstandings. She is good at communicating compared to our male lead. The example that pop to mind is when he misunderstood that she wrote a love letter to someone else. Another example was when she realized another boy was interested in her so she make it known she has a boyfriend. She doesn't let things drag on. She is very aware of the people around her. There is a lot of good qualities about her that I like. She's brave, she tries to take initiatives to do things, and most importantly, she takes her future seriously. Episode 18 was one of episode that stood out to me because she told Lu Rang she is making backup plans in case she doesn't end up at the same school as him. She was carefully planning her future and not just blindly following some guy. And I loved that.

Zhang Lu Rang - Our male lead is smart and quiet, nothing new there. He is living in the shadow of his younger brother Zhang Lu Li, who is an academic prodigy. And because of that, their mother puts a lot of pressure on Lu Rang to be more like Lu Li. And I hated that, but it's such a relatable and realistic thing for a parent to compare one kid to another, especially in an academic household. I felt so bad for Lu Rang. Even his brother Lu Li felt bad that their mom is always comparing them. Due to always being compared and pressured, I can understand why Lu Rang is reserved and somewhat distant. And I like that I could understand because it shows that the character isn't just some arrogant, cold guy who thinks he's too cool for others. In fact, I never felt like Lu Rang was ever annoyed by our female lead Zai Zai who just kind of forced her friendship on him. Maybe there was a bit of tolerating at first, but he becomes amused by her energy and presence. People grow on you and Su Zai Zai's personality complements his introverted nature.

Lu Rang is also shown to care about the people around him. Sometimes, when you grew in a household where people only take about accomplishments and not emotions, it's hard to show affection. However, simple little actions can say a lot. Like visiting your friend while they are sick and keeping them company. Lu Rang could be cozy in his own bed but instead, spends the night on the floor cramped up with his guy friends. He comforts his friend Gu Ran when Gu Ran is feeling neglected by his parents. There are lots of moments like this amongst the friend group that I adore. Also, very cute that he rubs his neck whenever he lies. And love that Zai Zai teases him about it whenever he tries to lie.

Gu Ran - One of Lu Rang's best friends and often shown to be carefree, proud, playful, and just your stereotypical boy. As the series goes on, we start to see how selfless and caring he is also. None of the characters in this series are one dimensional and there is some depth to them. Gu Ran's character development was one I enjoyed. We get a glimpse into his home life where his parents are occasionally away due to being doctors. He plays it off and doesn't seem to complain to his parents as he understands that what they do is important. And it's not even that he doesn't get love. His parents love him and we can see that. However, it's still natural to feel lonely and neglected sometimes, especially during the holidays. Gu Ran however just silently endures it instead of voicing his sadness. This is a trait we see again when it comes to his love interest Jiang Jia, the female lead's best friend. He grows to like her but never works up the courage to tell her. In fact, he even helps her pursue her crush. He is shown to be someone who loves selflessly, whether it comes to his family or romantic interest.

Jiang Jia - The female's best friend and love interest of Gu Ran. She, however, for most of the series, crushes on and pursues a senior at their school. For the most part, she was very oblivious to Gu Ran's feelings for her, which was a little frustrating to watch since Gu Ran was shown to do little things for her. She does eventually start noticing him in a romantic way, but by then, he was already planning to leave to study abroad. I think the most memorable moment for me was when she took care of Gu Ran when he was sick. Another moment was trying to confess to her crush. However, in the end, she decided not to. These moments vulnerability and softness in her character who is normally very fierce, bold, and brave.

Guan Fang - Guan Fang is probably my favorite character in the series. He takes care of the people around him. A former troubled kid, he turned his life around for the sake of his grandma. Very chill and friendly. A lot of Guan Fang's story revolve around his relationship with his grandma. He is be very upbeat and tries to avoid conflict to avoid making her worry. Aside from taking care of her, he also takes care of his friends. When Guan Fang was unable to reach Gu Ran due to the latter being sick, he goes to check on his friend, even calling Jiang Jia for help. When he finds out Gu Ran is alone, he takes his friend back to his place so he could be taken care of. I love the moment where he was tucking his friends in, making sure they are covered. I like that he was always included in a lot of their activities even though he was not paired with anyone. Not everyone finds their love in high school and it's realistic that Guan Fang didn't end up with anyone. However, I do kind of wish we got to see more into his life outside of grandma and his friend group. He's not a bad looking guy, so I wonder if he was dating or seeing anyone at any point. This is where I wished we saw more of life in university and after for everyone besides the main couple.


[ --FINAL THOUGHTS -- ]

It's hard to find good friends, especially as we grow older. So I'm happy that Lu Rang has several good friends to help him through high school. Building a relationship is hard and it's harder to maintain. So having people who are very extroverted like Su Zai Zai around can help. Her straightforward personality definitely helped Lu Rang come out of his shell and grow as a person. And while this is nothing new in term of high school romance drama, it's the dynamics and moments between the friends during the journey that makes each story unique and fun to watch.


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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews are not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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A good watch in its genre, but not much beyond

This was a good watch but not terribly engaging. A tad too long and missing the high moments. It was like watching a placid lake, its relaxing and spreads contentment, but does it engage? Not really. You could watch it for some time but you wouldnt fight to return to it every day.
Acting is good esp the second leads were pristine and shining in their craft. Is it a surprise that their stories tugged at the heart string? the main couple felt like an old married couple from the third episode onwards. The beauty of young love should not feel like the mature affection of an middle aged much married couple. The story of the second leads had more potential as it veered between heartbreak and elation . I for one was far more invested in their story and watched the episodes 19-25 ffing for thei story

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One of the best I’ve seen :)

OH, MY GOODNESS SO SO SO GOOD (spoilers ahead) when I say I have watched around 200+ dramas and NEVER CRIED during a proposal or wedding scene UNTIL NOW. I was sobbing the entire last episode, this drama makes you feel like you grew up with them and I loved every second of it. The actors are super good at portraying all age ranges of the characters and showing a realistic progression of a loving relationship over time. The supportive, loving friend group showcases amazing side characters and stories that are equally well-written. The music felt warm and the cinematography felt very personal and comforting(I love a good videotape scene!). To me, this show doesn't shy away from accentuating colder tones in the color grading, which doesn't seem like it would make a difference but compared to only emphasizing the warmer tones, it gives it a very 2010s feel that solidifies it as a nostalgic comfort watch. I would consider this a classic, iconic, need-to-watch drama.

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Flying is romantic.

Flying is romantic.
He wanted to fly but, the destination was blurry
She has been flying around but, none felt this certain
He didn't know he's about to take off and fly above the sky
and even higher than her, perhaps
But she knew then, she'll hold him tight
and they will fly among the clouds together, forever.

This is a standard youth drama. Yet, it stands out and feels special because of the leads. Su Zaizai is probably the cutest, bubbliest and cheekiest FL of youth dramaland. She saw Zhang Lurang one time, and upon finding out they attended the same school, she decided to approached him head-on. Zhang Lurang is laidback, sensitive and is a handsome honor student to boot. He might seem aloof on the surface, but he's in fact warm and is the person who appreciates and adores FL the most. Together, they made me scream in room lol >.< And the ending almost made tear up a bit. It's a beautiful conclusion to their story, for us viewers at least.

Go watch this ok!

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