Our Generation

Soft, but heavy

A beautiful and moving series. Perhaps it generates a little too much frustration. The story is beautiful, the acting even more so. It has a soft atmosphere, but at the same time it is heavy and at times painful. It shows various aspects of life, in particular how we can change, succeed, fail, feel lonely and inadequate in a world that demands so much, when in the end the problem is that WE don't accept ourselves.
It shows the importance of presence, both in family life and in friendships and relationships. I was disappointed that the relationship with the protagonist's family was not explored in more depth at the end, given that it played a fundamental role in the first half of the series.

Read More

Youth to adulthood romance

If I had kept reading these low ratings review, I wouldnt have given this a chance. I watched it and its a solid 8/10 for me. It was good. It's one of those coming of age drama with friends that you grew up with and still remained friends throughout high school, uni and adulthood.
Jiang Qiao Xi and his family had their issues which lead to more problems and it took a toll on him mentally. And when a man feels like he is not enough nor can he provide, he will want to distant himself until he can rise again. (just to summarize).
And that didnt matter to Lin Ying Tao, she loves him regardless of what he life was like after everything happened.
All I can say is that they loved each other so much, it was so cute and emotional to see them.
Lin Ying Tao is a smart young girl and Jiang Qiao Xi finally opened to her and as their lives progressed, we all know that they made it through.
Why it wasnt a 9 or 10/10 - I think they spent too much time on the childhood journey of their lives, I was hoping they would skip and go to uni and uni was a little bit too long.... I just thought it would have been better if maybe the last 3-5 episodes were focused on them and their new lives....I wanted to see the successful friends and his parents and their wedding. I wanted to see them start their family and maybe progressed to another 5yrs later... you know?
But that is just my opinion.

Read More

Beautiful story about different kinds of love

I have no idea why this does have better reviews. It’s a story about life and family and how different types of love are intertwined. Family is not always given but can be made of those you find yourself surrounded by and friendships can transcend selfish desires to truly become selfless. It’s beautiful and the chemistry is everywhere, between lovers, friends, family and even unrequited loves. It is definitely slower paced but that makes for well fleshed out characters and truly believable relationships. I’ve seen some say it was supposed to be longer, however I don’t know if this would have added to the plot in a positive way.

Read More

Come on, it could’ve been way better than this!

Disclaimer: This review is based solely on the aired version of the drama—no behind-the-scenes tea included.

After weeks of following this show... it’s finally over. And if you ask me whether I’d recommend it to others—my honest answer is: yes... but also, not really. Because this drama? It had so much potential—but also made some frustrating choices that held it back.

Let’s start with the good stuff:
The premise? Solid. Friends to lovers? Childhood friends? Total comfort food for the soul. It had all the ingredients to be a warm, relatable, slice-of-life drama with depth. Heck, it could’ve even become a quiet exploration of mental health... if it had been handled better.

But here's the thing: what kept this drama afloat wasn’t the script, wasn’t the direction, wasn’t even the editing (we’ll get there in a second). It was the cast. Every single actor—yes, even the child actors—gave it their all and practically carried this drama on their backs.

Because the script? Felt choppy. Scenes jumped around. Focus was inconsistent. And at some point, I genuinely wondered if the producers themselves were confused about how to build the Qushan gang’s dynamics.

The friendship within the Qushan gang lacked emotional glue. Their bond didn’t feel lived-in. It felt… rotational. Like, okay—who’s gonna check in on Ying Tao this episode?

Early on, she was glued to Yu Qiao. Every. Single. Episode. The amount of screen time they took up together could’ve easily been used to deepen other plots. Then, mid-season, bam! suddenly Fang Yuan becomes her emotional anchor. He’s calling her, updating her, checking in like it’s his full-time job. Meanwhile, Dushang? Still missing in action.

And don’t get me started on Dushang’s storyline. They hinted at domestic violence in his family early on. It was serious. But fast forward, and suddenly his dad just shows up like nothing ever happened? Zero closure. Zero emotional follow-up. Just swept under the rug.

Then—plot twist—right near the end, Dushang finally gets more scenes... and becomes Ying Tao’s main contact out of nowhere. After being sidelined for the entire show, he’s suddenly relevant? It felt like a punchline.

The biggest tragedy? These characters had so much potential. The actors were more than capable. But the direction failed them. Their interactions didn’t flow naturally, and so much of the emotional weight felt unearned.

Now, let’s talk about the one thing that made me stay:
Ying Tao and Qiao Xi’s chemistry.
Thank god for them.

Despite limited scenes together and barely-there exposition, the emotional connection between them still hit. Zhao Jinmai and Zhang Linghe deserve serious credit. They fought for that chemistry, and it showed.

Jinmai brought every emotion to life—grief, frustration, hope, love—all so authentically. And Linghe? He portrayed Qiao Xi’s silent battles and quiet despair with heartbreaking nuance, even when the script gave him so little.

And honestly? Qiao Xi’s character could’ve been legendary with better writing. He’s the perfect embodiment of a kid growing up with an empty love tank. His parents were present physically, but never emotionally. The emotional neglect? Gut-wrenching. So when someone like Ying Tao loves him fully—without condition—it scares him. He runs. Because love feels foreign. Like danger.

That’s the core of his character. And it works. It’s raw, it’s real, and it speaks to so many people.

Meanwhile, Ying Tao grew up surrounded by love. Her emotional cup is full—and that’s why she has the capacity to love others deeply. The contrast between the two? Brilliant. And it makes you root for them so hard.

One of the most important truths this drama quietly delivers is:
Not every parent deserves the title of ‘parent.’
Qiao Xi’s parents? Prime example of that.

And I loved that in the end, his mom didn’t magically change or chase him down. She stayed the same. No guilt, no awareness. Just the same self-centered, emotionally unavailable woman who thinks the world revolves around her. People like that? Their ears are decorative. Period. 😂

You can shower them with kindness and understanding—but it’ll never be enough. Because they don’t see you. And honestly? The healthiest thing to do is to leave. Before they break you more than they already have.

Now. We need to talk about the elephant in the room:
THE EDITING.

It was… chaotic. Especially in the early episodes. Transitions were jarring. Scenes ended abruptly. Filters changed without warning. Like—remember the Hong Kong scenes? Suddenly the whole vibe turned cinematic, like we were watching a completely different show. The first and last episodes felt like they came from different universes. Not sure if the editor just leveled up halfway through… or if it was just pure inconsistency.

So yeah. This drama wasn’t perfect. Far from it.

But do I regret watching it? Not at all. The story had charm. The characters were endearing. And thank goodness the leads weren’t another comic artist or programmer (I am SO over those tropes, lmao). The roles felt fresh, the conflicts were compelling, and the ending? Surprisingly satisfying.

So yeah. A bumpy ride—but not a wasted one.

Read More

I really liked the drama, despite the dramatic plot. It's all about childhood friendships, school years, and growing up.
Cherry suffered a lot while chasing after Jiang Qiao, but despite everything, they still found their way to each other. Ling He perfectly portrayed Jiang Qiao's difficult period in life. His character had his own reasons for doing what he did, and his childhood was challenging, so it's understandable that he didn't want to involve Cherry in all of this. But it was so hard for Cherry during this period, she was completely in the dark.
The ending is beautiful and happy, but it would have been nice to have one more episode to show more happy moments.
I really enjoyed the friendship between the characters, they always stuck together and supported each other!

Read More

Good but could've been better

I'm not new to watching coming-of-age/romance dramas like this. The first 10 episodes up to the last bit of the high school arc, were pretty solid, good, and are rather enjoyable. I loved the dynamic of the Qunshan squad. I also liked how they got to highlight the struggles of each character (maybe not too much on Cai Fangyuan's though). I really thought it deserved a higher rating than what it currently has.

HOWEVER, the romance in this drama fell flat. First off, I understand the review of most people here regarding the FL being the constant "chaser". I honestly didn't mind it at first. Considering that I also watched The First Frost, I just thought that a reversed role of the girl being the chaser shouldn't be that bad as long as it's portrayed well. But I think one of the main points why TFF was such a hit is that it isn't common in real life to have somebody like Sangyan -- e.g. a guy who's willing to go through all hell for a girl regardless of how long it may be. People put Sangyan's character on a pedestal because of this. In reality, it's always women who chase after problematic and emotionally unavailable men because of our so-called "maternal instinct". I get Qiaoxi's struggles and I believe nobody should struggle the same way as he did, but our homegirl didn't look like she has any self-respect and really acted like a martyr all the way til the end. Perhaps the most self-respect she showed to herself was during her first reunion with QX when she initially tried pushing him away.

In relation to that, Yingtao's character lacks depth. The show made it look like she only lives and breathes for Qiaoxi (which I believe she mentioned in one scene). They didn't even highlight her dreams, her aspirations, and her inner struggles. It's hard to connect with her on an emotional level because all she really utters is "Qiaoxi Qiaoxi Qiaoxi". Heck there wasn't even a scene where she finally realizes that her feelings for QX are more than just caring for a friend. No scene for self-reflection at all.

Ok, now to Qiaoxi. The guy didn't even have a redemption arc! That time skip left out a lot of loose ends. How did he do during college? How did he get that finance job in the first place? How did he and Yingtao ended up living under the same roof? Did he ever make it up to Yingtao? And on top of that, the show ended with him...JOBLESS! And, when did he even realize he's developed a romantic feeling for Yingtao? Was he just going with the surge of emotions? He was in a very unstable emotional state so how was he so sure that he actually loves Yingtao? Coz she was the one who's always there for her and that nobody else could probably tolerate him the way Yingtao does? They may have shown that he feels bad for ghosting YT but his remorse didn't leave a huge impact to the viewers.

Overall, ZJM and ZLH did so well with their roles. It's just that the plot could've been better. I've read that the novel was so much better in so many ways so it's such a shame to see the drama being portrayed like this. I honestly thought the elementary/high school arc and the college/adult arc were written by different writers because there's so much disconnect with the feels. Not to mention the unnecessary fillers that could've been used to establish the characters' story well.

Read More

The romanticization of the self-sacrificial heroine must stop !!!

This drama is a real danger for young women who seek inspiration through dramas. Here, the show normalizes and glamorizes the fact that a woman decides not to choose herself, not to prioritize herself, for the sake of a man's well-being.
If QiaoXi had truly loved YingTao with a pure and strong love, he would never have held her hostage. He would not have fueled YingTao's perseverance to continue waiting for him and finding him.
QiaoXi is a coward and a hypocrite, his character is really realistic tho, don't get me wrong, most people would have behave like he did. He had legitimate reasons for being so, but that doesn't change the nature of his actions and choices.
He tried to make her understand why he gave up on her, saying it was because he was too ashamed of what he had become, that leaving her was for her own good blablabla ...
But in reality, he's a very self-centered person, who displayed ambiguity that was detrimental to YingTao's well-being simply so that he could keep two options open for his very own well-being: keeping her in his life or abandoning her for good AKA breaking his heart or hers.
Yintao has such a strong love for QiaoXi that she couldn't bear to leave him behind (the taxi scene, episode 21), to see him destroyed because of her decision. QiaoXi couldn't do what she did. Why? Because that's what we expect from women, not men ...
YingTao acted like the mother he didn't have lmao, and it was cruel to watch, making sure he felt secure and loved in her presence no matter what ... But she wanted to be a lover, his lover and his insecurities even stole this dream of hers for so many years, having her instead chasing and showing a devotion for a man who didn't actually do the same.
It was so unfair. And most people actually focussed on how QiaoXi was feeling.
Of course, his life was very sad but you shouldn't mislead people to think because of how sad your life is, you can have the right to misbehave with someone who always had pure intentions for you. This is not fair. We all have to face our responsabilities and the consequences of our actions.

Please, women, don't sacrifice your time for a man who hesitates to keep you in his life. You deserve more than a man incapable of confronting his pride to preserve your love. You deserve someone who is determined to choose you no matter what !!!

The directing was pretty good (lovely shots especially in the beginning), the writing was bad, the editing and pacing were awful and probably the worst things about the drama.
They wasted a lovely chemistry. The acting wasn't bad but I wasn't impressed at all, they did the job I guess.
Barely anything was realistic and meaningful in the storytelling... youth, poverty, separations, friendships, the love story, the adult life... nothing looked real or even actually made through the spectrum of the age of the characters which was truly disappointing.

Was it a waste of time? Yes. I finished it cause I felt the need to have a closure.

Read More

Nobody is flawless

People these days can't handle flawed characters, and that's why they hated this drama. From the moment it aired, people kept bashing it, so of course I was discouraged from watching it.

What a mistake would that be if I didn't give it a chance because I enjoyed it and absolutely loved it!

Both Qian xi, and Ying Tao are flawed characters. Qian Xi is selfish. Ying Tao is unhealthily obsessive.

The highschool years showed us how immature and childish they still were. They lived in this bubble, where they thought everything would went well after the grow up. But the college years showed us their development. Ying Tao found out that love isn't easy like in fairytales. Her roommate was a great example of that.

Qian Xi went from the highest top, to the lowest one. His was selfish for telling Ying Tao "Don't forget me." when he knew, he wouldn't see her again. But I believe he wanted at least one person to think of him in his hardest time. I understand that he had a pride, that he didn't want her to see him like this. His mother always wanted him to be perfect, and when you spend years in this illusion, you cannot simply get out of it.

You'll always think, you have to be perfect in order for people to like you, to love you. Otherwise, you're not worthy of them.

Their relationship is toxic, but beautiful. This drama is the proof of it.

Their love surpassed everything bad, and left only the good in their relationship.

Read More

long long ago in a galaxy far away ... it had potential

Our Generation was one of the most anticipated dramas of Zhang Ling He and Zhao Jin Mai (I'm looking at YOU fans of ZLH, ZJM, or The Princess Royal). Yes, YOU includes me, I am you and you are me. Oh man ... if it isn't the dream to get the couple you loved in a period/historical drama to work together again in a modern romance setting. To preface, I did watch the princess royal, and yes I loved their dynamic there, was I super into the politics? well, no, but I was into the romance and I thought their comeback was great. We love a short-lived enemies to reluctant friends to old married couple trope, classic. In this essay, I will

joking, this is not an essay, but it's quite a long review for the 6 episodes I've watched so far. I just have some thoughts I need to get out.

Our Generation starts off as a slice of life + romance drama that revolves around a group of friends from a little town in the rural areas called Qunshan, but more specifically around the journey of Zhao Jin Mai's character, Lin Yingtao, and Zhang Ling He's character, Jiang Qiaoxi, as they spend more than half of their life knowing each other as kids to adults. Their story begins as kids with Lin Yingtao as a bright and eccentric girl who loves living in Qunshan, and more than anything, loves her friends and her family. They essentially define her purpose and meaning in life, and without them, she doesn't feel whole. Then one day she meets a boy who just moved to Qunshan, foreign and dressed in all black, she was determined to become his friend. Jiang Xiaoqi lives his whole life in the shadow of his late brother—someone his parents will never forget, never let him forget, and is someone he has never even met. Treating him as if he was his older bother, his mother cruelly invades every aspect of his life, whether it's where he goes to school, who he gets to be friends with, what food he gets to eat, what colour he gets to wear, she always has the final say. For a fleeting moment of time, he is free from his mother's grasp when he moves to Qunshan with his father, and this marks one of the most significant time in his life where he meets Lin Yingtao, who carries the torch that brings the light to a life that is spent living in the dark. However, very soon, he's forced to move back to the city and continue his studies there. One by one, Yingtao's friends leave her and transfer to the same school as Qiaoxi in the city, and it isn't until quite a few years later that the Qunshan gang all reunite again when she herself transfers. From this point on, begins Yingtao and Xiaoqi's journey to healing each other's unspoken wounds, and what was once a childhood crush, starts looking a lot like true love. (At least I dunno, that's what Netflix has aired so far). If you don't like watching family issues, typical second female lead mean girl, forced to separate multiple times tropes, LOOK AWAY!! This is not for you queen.

BORE we read the synopsis, yea yea I know im sorry. A summary is like a mandatory thing, bear with me. I heard about the first episode being about when they were children, and then the next episode is them as teens. This type of beginning usually makes me hyped! Who doesn't love a good backstory? Well, unfortunately, I felt it lacked some emotional depth from what we would expect to be Yingtao's most cherished moments in life. I mean, she carried these memories into the city when she transferred, and never seemed to forget about Qiaoxi for a single day since he left. I was waiting for just a single moment in all of their childhood memories that screamed, YOU!! oh I'll definitely never forget you. It was kind of a typical kid experience, they played together, she shows him a bit of kindness, shares her pet with him, shares food, sure but WHEREE WAS THE DEFINING MOMENT GUYS. missing the it factor here man. In that sense, showing their childhood story to me was kind of useless aside from the fact that Qiaoxi never came back for her. We could've started from there and I wouldn't have minded. Then we very quickly see the gang back together as teens (with the actual actors) and I again, expected more. Maybe I'm picky, but when I watch a supposed group of childhood friends, I expect them to have this sort of chemistry that makes me believe they're truly best friends and one another's found family. In this drama, it was definitely lacking this bond. Something about it just felt a little ... ingenuine? I can't pinpoint if it's the script, or the directing, but I know part of the reason is Zhao jinmai's acting. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she's a bad actor, but I think something about her acting as a teenager was a little off. You can say it's the awkwardness a teen is supposed to have, but no, I think some teenagers can be normal guys. She's the glue of the group, all her friends love and protect her, but somehow their entire friend group chemistry falls flat. Storywise, this is a great typical set up to be fair, I like the setting of this, it's just poor execution in my opinion.

Romance-wise, yes I will mention Zhang Ling He now. Idk what to say but just looking at him makes me happy. I don't know if it's the overdo edits right now or what, but he's literally handsome in everything. I don't think ZLH or ZJM are qualified to play so called 'teenagers' but I'll endure it because I'm really just waiting for their story as adults. Acting wise, I think ZLH does a good job portraying miserable, brooding, misunderstood boy stuck under the control of his mom. Am I getting a little tired of these terrible mother tropes? VERY. I am SO VERY TIRED GUYS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. After the korean remake of go ahead, be passionately in love, and the accumulation of evil stepmoms in historical cdramas, A GIRL NEEDS A BREAK. Tell me why this woman is threatening to move Yingtao's family to another province if Qiaoxi continues being friends with her. AND THEY AREN'T EVEN MILLIONAIRES OR SUPER RICH.. make it make sense. ykwim?? It gets to a point. Anyways, very obviously Qiaoxi is in love with Yingtao. He was shy as hell as a kid and suddenly he's cheeky, playful, and good at flirting in their high school era?? I will say though, he makes everything a lot more interesting when he's trying to win over Yingtao, and I'm enjoying their scenes together. ZLH's charm is enough chemistry for the both of them, but thank god they still kept the chemistry they had in the princess royal. Despite their lacklustre past, I don't think it's unreasonable for Yingtao to place a lot of importance on Qiaoxi even though they were apart for so many years (ok maybe a little unreasonable for her to think about him every day compared to the friends she actually grew up with), I mean, think about seeing your first crush again (who looks like ZLH), there's bound to be some sort of unresolved feelings right? Ep 6 ends with their big misunderstanding resolved and some other problems a-brewing, but I'm excited to see what else is in store because I think I'm solely here for the romance.

Edit: beware, these are full spoilers of the ending. after finishing this drama, I can conclude that this was definitely a frustrating watch. Qiaoxi hurts her again and again, disappearing without a trace every time, when he knows that's what she's most afraid of. What is your goal boy. Because if it's to give her a broken heart indefinitely, he's really good at doing that. I liked Yingtao maturing once she started university, and I liked her friendship with her seniors, it showed that yes she could live just fine on her own, and yet she always has this void in her heart that has yet to be filled. I salute Yu Qiao for being such an understanding friend, he was the mvp in this couple pairing when he himself wanted the girl. What I disliked, was actually the fact that we don't get to see Qiaoxi's friendship with the Qunshan group ever get as deep as Yingtao's. I know that they're the OG Qunshan group, but Qiaoxi was also an important part of their lives, and they all consider him their friend. This truly gets downplayed in this drama, which I guess also plays into why Qiaoxi feels the only thing he can go back to is Yingtao. It just makes it feel like Qiaoxi is part of their group solely because of Yingtao and for being a pitiful kid. Aside from this, whatever, sure his trauma makes sense, and ignoring her for years makes sense, but I really expected more from this drama. The script isn't as good as you expect it to be with these two as the leads, and certainly pales in comparison to their dialogues in the princess royal. Even the Hong Kong arc, I really expected an explosion of chemistry or something, only to be met with the most stubborn guy ever. And how did it get resolved? A quick I'll stop loving you now, then he 'chases' after her.. hmm nice try buddy, you still didn't catch up though. And to make it worse, he had to be taught what to do in their moment of reconciliation. Talk about disappointing, whatever happened to the cheeky Qiaoxi?? Wasn't satisfied with how they tied up their ending here, love a happy ending but their path to getting there was unreasonably rocky. Don't get me started on Yu Qiao and Qin Yeyun's short open ending, we deserved a proper confession and a confirmation of them ending up tgt and I stand by that. Cai Fangyuan barely got any lines in their last scenes tgt too, why didn't they tell us what he's been up to? This was more a rant than a review, I advise anyone who hasn't watched yet to save their time! Stick to the edits only.

Read More

*I can fix him ahh drama, Li Xun and Zhu Yun of another universe.*

This drama was twisted in so many ways. Loved the acting.
Loved the cast.
Loved the aesthetic and vibe of the drama.
OSTs.. chef's kiss.
The set up was good, from childhood to school to university. Basically a good slice of life drama. But I won't waste my another second on this again.
Loved the mauturity of side characters but the main lead's thought processing failed me. FL YingTao made her entire existence about Jiang QiaoXi, our ML.
In simple words, the FL kept chasing the ML, while ML kept pushing entire crowd away along with FL. Until he gave up and hugged her in hongkong.
(I wish i opened more reviews before watching it, because i kept hoping for good episodes while getting nothing till the end. MDL pushed the reviews that optimistically praised this drama for idk what fact.)
(If you want brutually true details, continue reading--)


"So c'mon superman say your stupid line-", "Don't forget me yingtao, wait for me a bit more yingtao." Uh... Our bro Qiaoxi has found several ways to drag this drama in a way it ragebaited me. There were many scenes which gave me cringe coated in embarrassment, all done by the FL. Her entire goal throughout the series was 'I can fix him.' And yes she was fully unaware of it, thinking it was love. Yes it was, maybe, it aligned with her personality ig. Because a well raised daughter picks up the most ruined guy to love. Make him her project. And our guy qiaoxi didn't fail to be that perfect project. Any guy who needs fixing has endured a trauma in life, which was, by his mother, trying to force maths on him. To keep being the prodigy. Like his brother Jiang mengchu was. I repeat, 'was'. So yea, according to yingtao he deserved immense love. Which he got. From everyone except his parents. But kept pushing everyone away because he f believed 'the current Jiang QiaoXi....me, don't deserve love.' While telling the FL to not give up on him and keep loving him. THE AUDACITY. Until he gave up when FL chased him all the way to Hong Kong till she turned 20, and told him she's tired and giving up on his self loathing bullshit. And he suddenly his senses rang to him and he finally decided to stop pushing her away and love her finally.
'He loved to play and she loved to get play with.' But in a sad, ragebaiting, twisted way which was potrayed like a sakura.

Read More

It had potential but the writting isn't it.

The plot is a mix of The First Frost, Hidden Love and Always Home. However a badly written version of all of them.

The acting was great but the biggest problem is that the drama doesn't care to develop any character aside from YingTao (and even her feels undeveloped sometimes) and they kind of try with the male lead (but they fail quite miserably).

The love story feels off. On the first part of the drama (when they are kids) its sweet and makes sense why they like each other but after the time jump it feels weird YingTao still having a crush on ml after he was basically ghosted her and was rude to her. YingTao's crush borders on unhealthy!NSometimes it feels like she thinks the ml is a god, other times it seems like she can't let go of how he was in the past, And that makes it so hard to root for them! Like why is this girl so forgiving? Why does she making her life based around QiaoXi??

I understand QiaoXi is a character that is hard to write. And I think where the writters fell flat was when they decided to make his actions easly forgiven by fl. His actions aren't unforgivable (expecially when you discover the background behind them) but he only explains when sh*t hit the fan and he needs to say sorry and that doesn't feel chartastic to the audience that mainly saw the fl sufering because it doesn't show him thinking and regretting his decisions. And when it does show him regretting something is to quick.

Read More