This review may contain spoilers
Navigating the Slow Burn
I don't really like it that much, to be honest. I was pretty curious during the first few minutes of the series. At first, I understood the time jumps or time skips, but then it happens a couple of times—not quite to the point where you get completely confused about what season or month it is, but more in a way that feels rushed.
Because of all the skipping, it felt like we were being hurried through getting to know the characters and understanding what they mean to each other.
Take Chen Ke's situation: at first, I felt bad for the guy who ended up lashing out. Even on his first day, you could feel he wouldn't quite fit in. It wasn't entirely his fault because there were genuine instances where he was left out, but it wasn't really anyone else's fault either that he turned out the way he did. It was his choice, and instead of just speaking up with his roommate about it, he assumed the worst.
Throughout the series, despite being in university, the characters often feel a bit too innocent and naive. Not saying they all have to be completely hardened or mature, though!
For the main couple, the slow-burn really got dragged out. It took them eight whole episodes (or what felt like forever) to finally face what they feel, which resulted in us getting a frustratingly short amount of time seeing them actually together-together.
Given that it's set in an earlier era (around the early 2000s campus vibe), I kind of expected society to be much more constrained regarding same-sex relationships—and historically, it definitely was a massive deal—yet the show sometimes treats it like it wasn't all that earth-shattering.
On the bright side, the second couple had great chemistry with their fun, Tom-and-Jerry-like attitude. So when he initially got a girlfriend, I really thought it would just turn out to be a ghost ship. But then the girl broke up with him, and things happened with Ouyang. Even though their side-romance felt a bit rushed too, I'd say theirs was a lot more stable since they didn't make us circle around in endless miscommunications.
Production-wise, the university lacked a bit of decorum for not stepping in or helping Chen Ke when he clearly wasn't at fault.
The music wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. I don't usually comment too much on Chinese dubbing since I know most CD shows use it as a standard strategy, but there were definitely times when the sound mixing felt a bit odd. I really hope they can just use the actors' actual voices or live recordings instead of dubbing in the future.
Overall, I'd still give this a fair rating because I did enjoy the bickerings and the genuine story of people navigating their way into friendship and eventually love.
Because of all the skipping, it felt like we were being hurried through getting to know the characters and understanding what they mean to each other.
Take Chen Ke's situation: at first, I felt bad for the guy who ended up lashing out. Even on his first day, you could feel he wouldn't quite fit in. It wasn't entirely his fault because there were genuine instances where he was left out, but it wasn't really anyone else's fault either that he turned out the way he did. It was his choice, and instead of just speaking up with his roommate about it, he assumed the worst.
Throughout the series, despite being in university, the characters often feel a bit too innocent and naive. Not saying they all have to be completely hardened or mature, though!
For the main couple, the slow-burn really got dragged out. It took them eight whole episodes (or what felt like forever) to finally face what they feel, which resulted in us getting a frustratingly short amount of time seeing them actually together-together.
Given that it's set in an earlier era (around the early 2000s campus vibe), I kind of expected society to be much more constrained regarding same-sex relationships—and historically, it definitely was a massive deal—yet the show sometimes treats it like it wasn't all that earth-shattering.
On the bright side, the second couple had great chemistry with their fun, Tom-and-Jerry-like attitude. So when he initially got a girlfriend, I really thought it would just turn out to be a ghost ship. But then the girl broke up with him, and things happened with Ouyang. Even though their side-romance felt a bit rushed too, I'd say theirs was a lot more stable since they didn't make us circle around in endless miscommunications.
Production-wise, the university lacked a bit of decorum for not stepping in or helping Chen Ke when he clearly wasn't at fault.
The music wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. I don't usually comment too much on Chinese dubbing since I know most CD shows use it as a standard strategy, but there were definitely times when the sound mixing felt a bit odd. I really hope they can just use the actors' actual voices or live recordings instead of dubbing in the future.
Overall, I'd still give this a fair rating because I did enjoy the bickerings and the genuine story of people navigating their way into friendship and eventually love.
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