Stand by Me

The road to the Top of the mountain is a very lonely journey

First of all, “Stand by Me” is not a typical, cute and fluffy high school romance drama. It gives off a vibe similar to that of “The Bond”. The drama talks of life as a high schooler back in the 90s and how they endure hardships and challenges. All the main characters come from broken families and most have lower socio-economic status. There are definitely some fun and lighter moments, but for the most part, this is not a very happy drama. But it’s a great drama nonetheless, if you know what you are getting yourself into.

There are many references to classic Chinese wuxia novels, Hong Kong dramas, movies, music and stars. If you are unfamiliar, you don’t miss much of the important plot. But if you are familiar (which I am), it feels very nostalgic in a good way. It’s similar to watching the very popular K-drama Reply 1988.

“Stand By Me” focuses on the journey of female lead Luo Qi Qi. We follow her from when she was an adorable and super smart young girl, living with her grandfather in the village. As she moved to the city to live with her parents, she was forced to grow up and it’s heartbreaking to see the outgoing and innocent young girl disappear. The drama spends the rest of the time telling the story of Qi Qi’s learning and discovering herself, identifying her goals and her dedication to achieving her dreams. Along the way, she met friends who supported her and encouraged her. But the road to the top of the mountain is a very lonely journey. Is she able to achieve her dreams with her friends?

A few quick bullet points on what I like:
1. Zhang Xi Wei who played the young Luo Qi Qi is fantastic.
2. I love the scenes of young Qi Qi and her grandfather. I wish I could see more flashbacks of them together.
3. Top notch acting by Zhao Jin Mai. She carries the show on her shoulder and runs with it.
4. The rest of the cast is just as good. I initially thought Wu Jia Kai (who played Zhang Jun) might be the weaker of the cast. But he grew on me and I think his acting improved throughout the drama.
5. I don’t question Bai Yu Fan’s acting, but I do question him playing a high schooler. He looks a little too old to be an 18 year old.
6. Love that the actors use their own voice. Big plus with live recording. This really adds to my viewing pleasure as there are many emotional scenes.
7. It’s nice to see a drama where the main characters are not geniuses or Mary Sues. They are all flawed and interesting.
8. It’s nice to see teachers who are decent and act like teachers.
9. It’s also nice to see parents who are real and not overly-bearing (just a little) or overly protective. They are not perfect, but the female lead’s mother actually communicates and wants to have honest conversations, after fiery emotions died down.
10. This drama is so real.

A few quick bullet points on what I have mixed feelings of:
1. This drama is so real. At times it was very difficult to watch, especially to binge. I do not recommend binge-watching this straight.
2. 30 episodes focusing primarily in high school is a little much. I lost focus and felt the pace slow down in the middle.
3. If Luo Qi Qi and Zhang Jun actually communicate honestly and openly, they would not have that many arguments. They make up and break up quite a bit (as friends).
4. I do hate Qi Qi a little bit sometimes for her stubborn and prideful personality. It’s OK to back down once in a while and be considerate of others’ feelings. She’s an interesting character. I love her and I hate her.
5. The drama can seem a little preachy.
6. Romance is light, even for a high school drama. So, don't go in looking for romance.


Overall, this is a great drama. I can see why it has a high Douban rating (currently at 8.3,) as the local Chinese audience can definitely relate to what the characters are going through. But I am not sure the international audience will feel the same way, esp. if they are looking for typical teen high school C-dramas. I recommend this drama to all for its excellent acting and realistic portrayal of life in the 90s as a Chinese high schooler. I definitely do not recommend binge-watching this in 3 days. I tried and was watching this along with “My Dearest” (K-drama), and the cruelty of reality and life's challenges really got to me and I was very stressed out.



Completed: 11/20/2023 - Review #378

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"The Youth That We Can't Go Back To" - rightfully said ! :)

I came across this drama by accident and I'm so happy that I did ! I loved watching it so much, it reminded me of my youthful days every other second - full of emotions, vulnerability, confusion, mistake, hopeful wishes, goals, stresses, efforts, friendships, lifelong attachments etc. ! I loved the actor portraying the character "ZHANG JUN" the most. Actor 'WU JIA KAI's acting as 'Zhang Jun' was a true delight to watch - so fresh yet very mature and full of brilliance ! Loved the storyline as well, it wasn't slow paced or boring to me unlike many others according to this comment section ! Being an Asian and an actual 90's baby myself, I felt the portrayal of the storyline was actually quite good and infact, so relatable ! And loved the background score of the whole drama - the intro, the outro and the OSTs - all of them ! Kudos to each and every actor - all of them performed so well in portraying each of their characters ! Great job done by the whole production team ! "STAND BY ME (2023)" is a solid 10/10 from/for me ! :)

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