This holds a special place in my heart
"The story began in the summer of 2012, but it will never end."
I've always been a fan of coming-of-age/school life stories because they make my heart ache with nostalgia from events that I've never experienced.
In the summer before starting high school, Su Zaizai sees someone walking slowly in the rain. She calls him an idiot for not walking faster, and maybe it was from this moment on that the wheels of fate began to turn. She got a glimpse of his face and fell in love at first sight. He remembered the face of the girl who randomly scolded him.
Zhang Lurang may look cold and aloof on the outside, but this is just a shell to hide his low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It was only through meeting Su Zaizai that, for the first time, he learned that someone could unapologetically love him just for being himself. It was her genuine warmth that thawed his frozen heart, and he began smiling more and more for her. They both wanted to improve for the other and become better versions of themselves.
I also love how Zhang Lurang wasn't portrayed as a top student who excelled in every subject and how Su Zaizai wasn't portrayed as someone who failed in every subject. This made them seem more human to me. She taught him English; He taught her maths and physics.
I loved all 5 of the characters in the main friend group and how even though they split up for university (well not all), they still remained good friends even after they've started working.
I liked the second couple a lot, but not as much as the first. Some other viewers prefer the second couple more because their relationship is more realistic. However, I still prefer Su Zaizai and Zhang Lurang's relationship more because I'm someone who watches c-dramas to escape from real life - and their relationship was the perfect antidote for all my negative emotions. Although there were some misunderstandings sprinkled here and there, they weren't excessive and were quickly resolved.
Another aspect of this drama that I especially loved was how we got to see the clips Su Zaizai took with her camcorder at the end of each episode, it really makes me want to buy one too.
The only negative aspects of this drama for me were that:
- the ending was quite rushed; I would of preferred if we got more detail of their university and adult lives (especially as I binge-watched the second half of the drama within a day so their lives literally flew by so fast, I regret it so much TwT) + plus some of the side plots were skimmed over
- the awkward acting in some of the scenes e.g. some of Su Zaizai's smiles looked really fake and strained + the amount of times the actors cleared their throats whenever they were nervous was a bit unnecessary
I definitely preferred the first half of the story over the second half, because it was just teenagers having fun and doing dumb things together. It makes me wish for those kind an forever friends, where we run together on the beach and watch many sunrise and sunsets. Although the second half was good too, I'll definitely reminicise about the first half more fondly.
I teared up at the ending of the drama when they started playing the flashbacks because it made me fully realise just how long I was with the characters for: from teenage youth to university life to employment.
During the first couple of episodes, I only thought that this drama was cute and heartwarming and nothing more. But it's funny isn't it? How some stories can slowly etch themselves into our hearts without us even realising it. This story will stay with me for a long time.
I've always been a fan of coming-of-age/school life stories because they make my heart ache with nostalgia from events that I've never experienced.
In the summer before starting high school, Su Zaizai sees someone walking slowly in the rain. She calls him an idiot for not walking faster, and maybe it was from this moment on that the wheels of fate began to turn. She got a glimpse of his face and fell in love at first sight. He remembered the face of the girl who randomly scolded him.
Zhang Lurang may look cold and aloof on the outside, but this is just a shell to hide his low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It was only through meeting Su Zaizai that, for the first time, he learned that someone could unapologetically love him just for being himself. It was her genuine warmth that thawed his frozen heart, and he began smiling more and more for her. They both wanted to improve for the other and become better versions of themselves.
I also love how Zhang Lurang wasn't portrayed as a top student who excelled in every subject and how Su Zaizai wasn't portrayed as someone who failed in every subject. This made them seem more human to me. She taught him English; He taught her maths and physics.
I loved all 5 of the characters in the main friend group and how even though they split up for university (well not all), they still remained good friends even after they've started working.
I liked the second couple a lot, but not as much as the first. Some other viewers prefer the second couple more because their relationship is more realistic. However, I still prefer Su Zaizai and Zhang Lurang's relationship more because I'm someone who watches c-dramas to escape from real life - and their relationship was the perfect antidote for all my negative emotions. Although there were some misunderstandings sprinkled here and there, they weren't excessive and were quickly resolved.
Another aspect of this drama that I especially loved was how we got to see the clips Su Zaizai took with her camcorder at the end of each episode, it really makes me want to buy one too.
The only negative aspects of this drama for me were that:
- the ending was quite rushed; I would of preferred if we got more detail of their university and adult lives (especially as I binge-watched the second half of the drama within a day so their lives literally flew by so fast, I regret it so much TwT) + plus some of the side plots were skimmed over
- the awkward acting in some of the scenes e.g. some of Su Zaizai's smiles looked really fake and strained + the amount of times the actors cleared their throats whenever they were nervous was a bit unnecessary
I definitely preferred the first half of the story over the second half, because it was just teenagers having fun and doing dumb things together. It makes me wish for those kind an forever friends, where we run together on the beach and watch many sunrise and sunsets. Although the second half was good too, I'll definitely reminicise about the first half more fondly.
I teared up at the ending of the drama when they started playing the flashbacks because it made me fully realise just how long I was with the characters for: from teenage youth to university life to employment.
During the first couple of episodes, I only thought that this drama was cute and heartwarming and nothing more. But it's funny isn't it? How some stories can slowly etch themselves into our hearts without us even realising it. This story will stay with me for a long time.
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