Heartstrings Pulled: A Journey Through Life's Ups and Downs
Just finished binging "Remembrance of Things Past" and OMG, the feels! This show went from "casual watch" to "full-blown obsession" faster than you can say "Beijing hustle." ️First episode? BAM! Tears before bedtime, all thanks to a gut punch that sets the tone for the whole series. But hold on, there's more to it than just sadness. This show weaves a beautiful thread of hope throughout, reminding us to appreciate the little moments and the people who matter most.
The characters? Squad goals, for real. Qiao Xi Chen is basically all of us trying to adult in the corporate world. #RelatableAF Then there's Jia Nan Jia, the seemingly perfect boss lady with her own relationship struggles. (Girl, we feel you!) And Xu Yan? She's the queen of living life to the fullest, even if her taste in men is a bit questionable.
Shoutout to Hu Jing Jing! Though her time is short, her story is a powerful reminder about mental health and the importance of seeking help when you need it. This show doesn't shy away from tough topics, and that's what makes it so real.
Speaking of real, the acting is phenomenal! Zhou Yu Tong deserves all the awards for her raw emotions. And Kido Ma as Ou Yang? Seriously stole my heart. Big props to Bai Yu Fan and Ren Su Xi too, their chemistry with the cast is .
Okay, maybe the pacing is a little slow at times. But hey, that just gives you more time to soak in the characters and their journeys. Plus, each episode delivers a healthy dose of life lessons that hit you right in the feels.
Overall, "Remembrance of Things Past" is more than just a drama, it's an experience. It's laughter, tears, friendship, and everything in between. If you're looking for a show that feels real, relatable, and leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling, this is your jam
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Before that person became your confidant, remember, that they were your friends first.
In a variety of cliché modern Chinese dramas, there are very few that seek to tell the story of real individuals, one of them is this drama. Though not all of the events could be labeled as "realistic", most of them are. Remembrance of Things Past tries to remind us to become better humans, and to become considerate of those who are around us.For a 12-episode drama, I admit it is quite slow-paced. It focuses on three different individuals and their daily lives. The first episode hits you like a truck, the remaining 11 weren't that engaging. Still, each episode rewards you with a valuable lesson, mainly about loving your parents, and the ups and downs of life. Plot-development-wise, I do think there are moments where the story goes off-road, focusing on things that aren't necessarily important and disregarding scenes I, as a viewer, would love to see. Admittedly, if it weren't for the shroud of mystery given to Jing Jing's character, I wouldn't be so eager to finish the series.
There is nothing special about the film, cinematography-wise, I would consider this to be one of the dramas that are "okay-ish" in terms of production. In fact, this is one of the better-quality films produced by Mango TV. A few splicing mistakes here and there, but, I believe they don't ruin the experience for the viewers. A few things could be polished as well, a few decisions I don't agree with is splicing two different sub-plots, with the intent of showing "despite having different situations they're experiencing the same issue/emotion", it just didn't sit right with me, I believe it doesn't give the viewers enough time to bask in the emotions of the characters. I can't comment much on the soundtrack, as the version I watched had such terrible audio, therefore, including it in the rating of this drama would be unfair.
Acting-wise, I had never doubted Zhou Yu Tong's acting skills, in fact, she was the main reason I watched Remembrance of Things Past. As for the other actors, I'm genuinely in love with the personality Kido Ma gave to Ou Yang. An honorable mention would be Bai Yu Fan and Ren Su Xi, they fell short in a few aspects, but nonetheless, their acting managed to deliver good characters. I believe the two of them could improve their acting, and I am looking forward to watching more of their films.
Another aspect I would love to point out is the consistency of their personalities, Jian Yi Fan was introduced as a kind character, someone who is fair and just, and tends to be reliant on his own personal decisions. As the story progresses, he remains the same person throughout, in fact, the decisions he takes and his opinions were some of the most naturally-occurring ones in Chinese Dramas. There were a lot of criticisms with regard to Xu Yan and Zi Chang's characters, but realistically speaking, don't we have a few friends who act like them? They were annoying, of course, but I believe their characters did exist for a reason, it just wasn't as well-executed as I would have wanted it to be.
What I loved most about it is that the drama heavily emphasizes no matter how small or big your problem is, it still is a problem and emotions are still valid. Overall, I would say the drama is a good watch, it is both comforting and manages to deliver a good message across. There are a lot of improvements to be made, but I believe it is something that is worth a shot, especially if you're someone who's exposed to corporate life and is struggling to cope.
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Best CDrama I've watched
Definitely one of the best dramas I've watched for year 2021I am more of a Kdrama fan so it is unexpected to see the different charms of CDrama
Definitely cried more than expected
It had touched my heart several times all throughout the series
I also relate a lot in the aspects of work, single life, living alone, wanting to have a family, friends, and many more
I also love the performance of my gurl Zhou Yutong and the rest of the cast
Their chemistry of the pairs is also great
I will definitely watch this again when it have better subs
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Actual realistic slice-of-life masterpiece
I can not truly put in words how much I enjoyed this drama. This drama is as the plot summary suggests about characters in their 20/30's that deal with various life problems. However, with this drama, these problems actually feel relatable and not just made up for the sake of it. It even touches on topics that you don't often see about in other dramas.The story writing is phenomenal: all the plot points are intriguing and the pacing is really on-point. You get to experience so many emotions within a single episode. The conversations felt so organic and filled with adlibs from the actors. There are no overly annoying, dramatic characters, or big plot twists, but instead, we got a cohesive story with a lot of "mundane" conversations. There are also multiple couples, but romance is not at all the focus of this drama.
The casting is also great. Zhou Yutong as always was amazing. Ren Su Xi is with a 10/10 performance imo. There is nothing to critize her for, and i felt like she kinda freestyled most of here lines, so amazing to watch. Overall the cast is super solid, even the "weaker" actors were well above average.
There is so much more to say about this drama, but for that i suggest you to watch this drama, you wont regret it. I do not rewatch dramas, but i feel like i will rewatch this drama in the future, as it is really a one-of-a-kind.
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The best female centric drama
This is everything I've ever wanted in a female centric show/-Healthy friendship between women
-Working women in love w/o giving up their values in life
-Communication!!!!!
-Personalities outside relationships
-Conversations that reveal personality, characteristics, traits
-Emotions so raw that you feel them
-Writing so real you forget you are watching a show
As someone who generally dislikes the modern Cdrama genre, I've tried a lot of modern shows cus I love watching "women in the city". But a lot of these shows pin their female characters against each other for no reason and don't give them a story outside of finding love. From ep 1 of ROTP you can tell this is not the case. This show gives you such a nice realistic look at the characters that you can't help but fall into the rhythm of the story.
I'm also someone who avoids Melo or dramas that hinge on sadness. But again, ROTP is great at showcasing grief in such a real way that the sadness is neither a gimmick nor a plot point. Just happening in the characters' lives, realistic and raw. From the acting to the writing to the music score. ROTP is the best modern female-centered drama I've watched ever. The writing was so good that throughout the climax of the show my heart was in my throat as if I were watching a thriller.
If you like mature shows that are based in conversation, talk about work, life in the city, dreams, and sadness I recommend this show. Some may find the low-stakes scenes of characters talking boring. But they really do give you such good insight into how everyone thinks, reacts, and communicates. The chemistry between the cast is fantastic. And all the relationships make sense and give you butterflies. It's been a while since I've felt something so strong for a drama. A gem of a show and I'm so glad I watched it.
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First of all, please be aware that in the first episode (including the opening scene), a character dies by suicide. Throughout the drama, there are many scenes of grief and where the characters try to understand why. This drama is a beautiful reminder that sometimes you will have no idea about the struggles of those closest to you, that depression is an illness, and that life is precious.
The main characters are close friends who are from a small town in the northeast, and now live in Beijing. They work, struggle with money, have phone calls with their parents (honestly the things that some of the mothers said have been things my mom has said, almost word for word!), fall in love... Since this drama is only 12 episodes (they're each a little over an hour long), it really feels like there's no filler. There are heartbreaking moments and frustrating moments, but also warmth and humor. Even if Xu Yan was my least favorite character, she felt very realistic and she did experience growth. I admit that I adored Jian Yi Fan. His voice is so soothing and I can't believe I hadn't seen Bai Yu Fan (the actor) in anything before. Even though I dropped Begin Again, I do really like Zhou Yu Tong. Ren Su Xi is a new face for me but she was so great at portraying Nan Jia.
Lastly, I really enjoyed watching the deleted scenes because it's interesting to see what didn't make the final cut. It seems like a lot of them focused on supporting characters and I understood that their scenes were cut to focus more on the main characters. I do wish they'd kept some of Jing Jing's ex's scenes in though because the drama made their relationship seem so inconsequential.
Anyhow, this is a favorite of 2021 and probably an all-time favorite for me as well. Highly recommend!
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is simply about life. The reality that is hard to accept in real life. Really Jingjing made me really cry. The cast was perfect, Loved Yutong as always. The plot is great wasnt bored even a second. 100% recommended! I loved the relationship they had with each other's families. That just tells us sometimes a little gesture is all a person want. A little slice of life drama that reminds us even with hardships we should embrace it all and continue our life. Well prepare some tissues in advance. Was this review helpful to you?
Good slice of life but less of romance
My favorite part was the acting of all the cast, the director showed very well their emotions. It's like only a part of their life were shown to us, not everything was really detailed. But still everyone will somehow grow into you. Idk if this is how a slice of life show should be but I just feel like there's still something missing especially with the progression of Qiao Xi Chen and Jian Yi Fan's relationship. Or probably it's just really focused on the friendship of the four and just a little on the romance part. This was a good slice of life show but personally I think it's a bit overrated.Was this review helpful to you?
Worthy of the Title. Love love love it to bits!
I just love how this very short drama was able to cover almost every sensitive issue or taboos that the society face at the moment. And they did it in such a natural way that everything just doesn't feel forced or overly dramatic. This drama has given so much meaning to life, living, fighting for your dreams, and appreciate love, friends and family.12 episodes. It was really hard to move on from this drama. Until they release the next drama under this series, I might not be able to comparr it to anything else. I do commend the actors a lot, too. That was some real acting! Very well directed. And the songs used are just perfect.
In each episode, I believe there will be moments when you'll find yourself sobbing. Maybe different times for different people. As we have different experiences that we can relate to. You might also need a breather after every episode. It is really very nostalgic. Never the one that drags unnecessarily though. It's just pure art. Go check it yourself and stock a lot of tissues 😊
PS. subs for Ep 4 onwards are messy but if you have watched way too many cdramas, you'll understand what they were saying.
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You can never really know a person, even though you're really close friends and the drama says that when you have a friend like Jing Jing, one that you go to when you're feeling sad and happy, you have to understand that she has the same needs.
Anyway, you have to watch it to really appreciate this drama. This is a unique drama that's different from your usual modern chinese drama, but in a good way.
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my favorite modern cdrama to date
I am so glad I randomly stumbled upon this hidden gem. It is short and sweet and heart wrenching and real and relatable and honestly just perfection.The story follows the life of 3 friends and their life after the death of one of their own and how they all cope with grief and guilt. The raw emotion of the first episode is so heart wrenching and yet so beautifully portrayed. This show shines a light on depression and shows just how dangerous and sad it can be, for the person themselves and those around them. It may seem like a very serious show and it is but it also the perfect mixture of romance and light hearted ness.
It touches upon important and relatable topics like the definition of success, suicide, the aging of our parents, the definition of a home, and relationships with such ease almost as if it didn’t even mean to make the viewer cry or relate. My heart aches and relates to each perfectly flawed character in different ways.
This is a must watch for everyone, especially those who may be going through quarter life/midlife crisis or those who act as the happy-go-lucky friend like Jing Jing. Just remember, as Jing Jing said, no matter how long the night, the sun will rise again, no matter how far the journey, your destination will arrive. This is definitely one of those shows that will linger in my mind for a long time.
Rest In Peace Jing Jing
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An ODE to the city... a place of human genius
This serial is first and foremost an ode to the City of Beijing or to any other major city around the world.... Cities are beautiful, they attract us from afar, make us want to get there and be part of the dream, of the creative genius that make them what they are. Then, the glitz starts to wear off and we become confronted with the reality of being a human in all its aspects... we can find ourselves amongst those who cannot cope, those who quit, those who put up a fight both through hard work or through deceit and those who create their oyster in the city...This serial strikes the balance perfectly. It is quiet in its story-telling and powerful in its lyrics and emotions it generates from the viewer. It does not require the usual bling nor the costly productions seen usually in Chinese dramas to strike a chord and to leave a lasting nostalgic feeling. The title perfectly captures these sentiments.
The cast of course did an amazing job in supporting the whole project. The director does seem young (not many works directed to far) but is able to maintain the integrity of the remembrances of our encounters with cities.
In cities, we are confronted with ourselves and we find ourselves. Cities reflect, as a mirror, who we are or want to be fundamentally.
I remember walking the Seine river during my time in Paris or the streets of Kuala Lumpur... I found myself there.
Now, I seem to have lost myself again.
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