Skoobs

Too less and Too much

Too less of angst, and too much slow-paced. Starting of the story actually made me feel so much confusion especially that it didn't explain much about how they actually knew each other from the start, it felt complicated. And so, it made me feel pause-stop-rewatch situation during the first few episodes of the show. However, ending it also made me feel like it lacked something - more moments of them together.

Story-wise, it is quite boring at the first few episodes, and it only got me hooked by around the 5th one. Ever since then, I slowly kept up with the story - until the separation arc. To be honest, it felt quite good that there's a part of the show that they inserted it, but then, it also didn't move me much. As for Sang Yan, I can see how his character yearned so much. Yi Fan, however, it made me felt too cold since there is not much really showing how she yearned for him during their separation, or how much she tried to check him out or something - unlike Sang Yan who would literally scavenge the whole world for her. I believe that it's one of the downsides of the story, and it made me feel that the scriptwriter only added that for the sake of the viewers to miss them being together. Yi Fan clearly has an avoidant attachment issue, but they also missed out of her actually reassuring Sang Yan that she won't do it again. She did tell Sang Yan to never disappear again when they dated, but it happened for the second time, what's the possibility of actually her not doing it for the third time? I hope they would've added a scene where another issue arise and she did not leave again, that at least would be a very good reassurance. I felt kind of bad for Sang Yan at that point, 'cause it honestly felt that he is only there whenever it's convenient for Yi Fan, and I don't think anyone is as patient as Sang Yan regarding that. Yi Fan may have been some traumas regarding her past, but her realization during the separation, did not once even come to her mind how she can show a strong reassurance towards Sang Yan to never ever leave again, especially that he is her only family other than her best friend? Which is why, it felt off for me on this part. Another lacking part of the story is the less justice towards women like Yi Fan, I think they deserve more limelight, like at least a little revenge for what generally happen, so it gives the viewers a little satisfaction too. For instance, how that uncle suffered after, and such.

Character-wise, Sang Yan is not a very complicated one, he loves Yi Fan - that is very straightforward right at the beginning. He has some moment where he felt confused and a bit impatient of his feelings towards her, but it somehow is understandable knowing he has always felt that way ever since before. However, I see Sang Yan as somewhat of a static character, other than knowing Yi Fan's past, I don't really see no major changes about him. He has always been caring towards her, soft, gentle, and a lover boy - which what everybody wants as a male lead, but it would have been nice to see him being vulnerable too (except for the separation arc ofc). But then, it is also understandable if there's not really showing off much story about him as a person since the show is basically not his to tell, but Yi Fan's - as the show's title is the meaning of her name. It would have been much better if we can see a different side of Sang Yan though, other than his good ones. On the other hand, Yi Fan as a character is actually very well rounded and dynamic, she slowly changed from being a silent one who loves to keep her feelings to herself, into someone who is brave enough to make changes for her future. And I think, this is part of the reason why both Sang Yan and Yi Fan worked good together, since one person is changing the other one for goodness.

As per the acting, both actors do actually have the chemistry, and are pretty good at showing empathetic emotion, especially Zhang Rou Nan. This is the first drama of her that I've ever watched, and this is convincing me to try her other dramas in the future as well. As per the OSTs, it did not really give much impression towards me, so I can't really say that it's good or bad, it just depends on the preference of who listens to it.

Overall, this drama is pretty good if you are into light dark romances. It too less angst, since I think the villains could've gotten more karma for what they did, but also too much of a slow-paced that there's some plot holes that could've added more to the story. Both the actor's chemistry is undeniable, and the supporting characters story are pretty much interesting as well and didn't bore me out unlike the other dramas. This drama is not generally one of my top modern ones, but it could work out for some.

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A change of heart - absolutely engaging

One of the dramas I have dropped halfway of airing, for the reason that I got bored and actually forgot about it. But then, it made me realize, "Dang, Bai Lu never miss out good dramas, why am I dropping this?" So, I gave it a chance, rewatched it from the beginning and not a single second wasted my time.

Imagine driving a car just to go to a restaurant that's only 1km away from you when you could've just walked. Not only did you waste your gas, added air pollution, but also have to take the effort now of reverse parking your vehicle going home. That's basically what Xue Ning did to her previous life as an empress, she did the quick way of grabbing the throne that negatively affected the people around her, and now she's trying to get back to the good points of her life exerting more effort when she could've done it right on the first try. Then, she realized, I could've just done it way easier? I could've just cooked at home, or I could've just ordered take-out. This is one of the best things I love about this drama, a change of heart after uncovering a deep realization of mistakes - and it made Xue Ning's character a jade.

I love how majority of the times, SoKP showed cruelty towards Ning'er, especially because of the people surrounding her like her mother. It's like a payback from the cruelty she did to other people before while taking chance of the throne. But she did not take it by heart negatively, rather accepted the fact that it was a karma from her past doings. It built the angst towards the viewers, but by the end, they showed acceptance, especially with Xue Ning's mother's confession before she travelled away.

The only downside about it is the pacing of romance. To be honest, Ning'er and Xie Wei did not have much chemistry at the start since all I can see is Ning'er being afraid by Xie Wei's dominance, but that is played on purpose and is perfect for the story build up. However, as soon as Zheng Zhe appeared, I rooted more for them than I do for Xie Wei. It just feels like they have more connection than what Ning'er and Xie Wei have. And the romance pace did not show much until the last 10 episodes of the drama, which is very lacking for me.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS:
(I will only include the ones who emotionally impacted me most)

1. Ning'er/Jiang Xue Ning - her character during the first few episodes of the drama shows how little her temperament is and cunning she can be. As a queen, she was ruthless when climbing the ladder, not minding how many stones she trampled just to reach the peak. However, in just a few episode, she was already shown as a round and dynamic character, and change was very much evident. From a selfish person into someone who built their empathy for the people around her. Ning'er has a great character building, from the beginning until the end, showed how someone can adaptably change their life after encountering the burden of guilt. In fact, she was pretty strong and dedicated to actually manage to change her fate and loved ones despite them not knowing what happened before she went back to the past, and I believe that itself shows how much selfless she actually is. It did not only stop there, as she used to be not caring other people's emotions as long as she gains something in the end, but by the time she changed, she even did her best just to help Shen Zhi Yi, which really shows how attached she became regarding their friendship. It takes a brave person to fix their mistakes, but Ning'er was courageous enough to even swallow the risks.

2. Xie Wei - starting off, he was viewed as someone who do not care about other people unless it gives him value, and he is that good of a pretender. Xie Wei is the type of person who always manage to hide the softness inside him through his cold appearance and demeanor. "Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield." - Lao Tzu. And I see Xie Wei playing a role of the rock here, as Ning'er softens him that slowly showed the side how he does care about people. Xie Wei is definitely the 'red flag' type of guy who is willing to burn the world for Ning'er, and it is honestly one of the things I love about him. After all, in a drama full of good guys, we still do want some bad for us, don't we?

3. Zhang Zhe - his character emotionally captivated me. He is too strong of a character that no wonder he only appeared halfway of the show. In fact, I rooted for him first before I did to Xie Wei. I don't blame Ning'er to actually see the different in him, as Zhang Zhe's characteristic is the type that every woman would want to live for - he has a heart of a servant. He loved Ning'er but not selfish enough to take the risk of it, and I don't think anything is wrong with that. Even after devoting himself for the goodness of people, which took something of value from him, he was emotionally well-checked enough to not blame his anger unto others.

4. Xue Shu - the first time knowing her character, it immediately reminded me of the old Ning'er, and made me question, "was this how cruel Ning'er actually used to be?" She is too selfish and cruel to actually push the people who messes with her off the cliff. However, if I put myself in her situation, I would not want to be married with a someone that would possibly harm me when war comes either. And I think as what she did at that time of desperation, I would very much do the same to save myself despite being called 'shameless.' In fact, I would rather be called shameless than lying dead on the ground. The only wrong thing about her was that she takes too much advantage with her position, that even her own action has betrayed her at the end. I see Xue Shu as a misunderstood villain, with the exceptions of the bad deeds she has done to achieve the higher position, but if she was given another chance like Ning'er, I can actually see her do much better. Xue Shu is basically the old Ning'er.

5. Xue Hui - I honestly felt Xue Ning's anger towards her at the beginning. Xue Hui didn't show much remorse towards the death of her original birth mother, despite receiving letters from her. However, same as Xie Wei, she was a great pretender, and actually just hid her feelings. I have a love-hate relationship towards her character, as Ning'er mentioned that she was not the biological daughter, but her getting all the good things in the family is kind of unfair for Ning'er. I expected her to atleast console or defend Ning'er at some point, but she never did. Along the way, it was Ning'er who tried patching their relationship, and not the other way around. But then, Xue Hui actually do plan for Ning'er to just stomp on her as a way of atleast Ning'er to have a 'payback' for all the missing experiences - and I think that's kind of selfish of Xue Hui still. Even though, the intention was good, the effect is clearly not good for Ning'er, and I thought Xue Hui is smart enough to actually think of that, but she is not. If she wanted for Ning'er to have a payback for all the missing experiences, she would've atleast defended her whenever her mother looks down on Ning'er, or atleast try approaching Ning'er first to atleast fix their broken relationship. But at the end, it was Ning'er who tried to put effort on it, which I think is kind of unfair. Xue Hui is told to be smart as the first daughter, but it shows the opposite. She knew the old Ning'er is selfish, yet she just let her take the empress role, knowing that being selfish enough to attain the throne will be the cause of her losing her life in the end.

ACTING ANALYSIS:
1. Bai Lu as Ning'er - No one could ever play the same character with the same impact as Bai Lu did to Ning'er. She basically embraced the character as her own, showing her pure emotions as if she really was the one in situation, especially at the part when she tried to save Zhi Yi. I don't understand how she gets too much criticism for bad acting, 'cause this show is clearly turning the tables for that. Her chemistry with Zhang Ling He was also top notch, but I think it was way better with Xing Yue. Whenever they are together, honestly makes me root for them more.

2. Zhang Ling He as Xie Wei - His glares and angry face is the best ones i've seen among all the chinese actors i've seen so far. He honestly does make me scared of him, whenever he is on screen and makes me feel like the character is already too cruel without even him saying anything yet. I could feel the desperation of keeping Ning'er from his acting (especially the kissing scenes), and I don't think no one can top his solemn facial expressions.

3. Xing Yue as Zhang Zhe- I have already seen multiple of his dramas, and how I wish that he could've used this drama as his stepping stone for actually improving. I think he is playing too safe of giving that same "bored out" expression again and again. However, he did pretty good when the mother scene happened, I seriously did cry watching it, and I thought "I didn't know he can act like this?" which I don't think he does to his other lines. He is definitely above average, but he can do better.


Overall, if you do not mind a very slow-paced romance with lots of political influence, this drama is suitable for you. Story-wise, it has a good build-up, but romantically, it's very slow for me. In terms of acting, you could never ask for more, as they exerted it very well on this one - no disappointment, especially for Bai Lu. Character-wise, if you are into smart female lead who are emotionally mature, this is one of the good dramas you can watch. As per the male counterpart, it's a struggle for me as I have deep love with Zhang Zhe than I do with Xie Wei. Just a head up though, there's not much of martial arts in this drama, but there will be lots of political strategies involved.

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Eye-opener for hopeless romantics

I have rewatched this show multiple times that it's cruel for me to not give a proper review about it. Obsessive, patient, and usefulness - three types of love this show has shown me. Each major lovers of Sheng clearly have different ways of expressing their love, which is part of the reason why I love this show cause it's usually the reality of people, some of us are not strong enough to express and only manage to watch on the sideline, while some are brave enough to admit despite the risk of rejection. Hence, why it is an eye-opener for hopeless romantics, as it shows how love can be expressed in a variety of form, and it always doesn't end up the way we want from the movies.

Character-wise, Lou Zhi is a very sensitive woman, enough to make her realize how Huai Nan is not responsible of making her feel that way, and I think that itself is very beautiful characteristic of a person. She did not break nor take advantage of Huai Nan's previous relationship nor do anything harmful about it - she just observed. In reality, most of us who have strong desire towards a person who we know we can't reach, exactly feel the same way - which is why, her character is very realistic and relatable. Huai Nan's character also feels the same way, 'cause to be honest, none of us really remember the people who we do not value in our life before, and that's how he viewed Lou Zhi in the past. But now, as they progressed their friendship, he was knowing every bit about her. Both their characters hold realistic value with how we see and feel things in real life. However, the only downside towards Lou Zhi's character is how she already quotes things whenever she has a conversation with Huai Nan, for instance, he asks her why she only steps on the cross, and she literally has a whole lore of her childhood about it. I wish some things can be just like, "just because I like it." As for Huai Nan, I actually can't blame him for not fully letting go regarding his previous lover's situation, since at some point, some of us do feel guilty when they suffer, especially that both partners have been through tough situations before - it's like a best friend bond that was broken.

Acting-wise, both actors have very good chemistry, it shows gentleness and sophisticated way of romance, which I don't think is very common for modern romances nowadays. I feel the heartbreak of Lou Zhi's character whenever "those situations" happen. For Hu Yi Tian, however, he has good acting, but can still be improved, I can barely feel his expressions at some scenes. As for the OSTs, one of the best OSTs, I have it all listed on Spotify, especially "A Long Confession."

In conclusion, this drama can make you feel different depending on your perspective towards love. As I watched it on different times, and the last rewatched made me realized how Lou Zhi's love can be so patient. Acting is pretty good, and OST is totally above average. If you are into slow-paced romances, this is definitely for you. But if you are more into angst, please be patient with this one as there's a possibility that you might get irritated by the FL's character, as she is the type who is good at hiding her feelings.

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this show is a heartfelt letter of family struggles

(Would add more or change as episode progresses)

This show is a tear-jerker, and I definitely know that by the end of the drama, I will cry in some parts. It showed not only one side of family struggles but also covered some of what it's like: we have a perfect family like Qi Le's whose parents have deep-rooted relationship with their daughter, a single father like Ye Yun's who still works despite his broken leg, an abusive partner like Du Shang's father, and a family with a broken bond like Qiao Xi. It covered not only one scenario of a family but also showed how different situation of parenting affects their child's growth, and I think that it's part of the reason why it's entitled 'Our generation.'

Starting as a child in the first episode, Qi Le grew up to be a very jolly girl, as having a parent who is always willing to support her gave her the comfort of connecting easily with others. On the other hand, Qiao Xi, having the opposite kind of family, forced him to be a quiet and timid child. As Qi Le shone her personality on him, it wasn't hard to develop some feelings towards her. And I think that this is a very natural feeling to have as a child, since having 'crushes' is something we can't avoid going through the teen phase, especially when you adore someone very much for a specific reason, like Qiao Xi's adoration for Qi Le's positive personality.

One thing that I love about this drama so far is how it shows not only the main character's family struggle but also the other supporting characters, like Du Shang and Ye Yun. Despite the drama only airing halfway, it already built up so many emotions towards the group, and how all of their relationship turned out to be like meeting again.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS:
(will only mention the characters that impacted me most)

1. Lin Qi Le - a very positive character from the start until the updated episode. She is the type that I believe most people would like to have in life, as a friend or as a person. However, character-wise, I don't see many changes about her yet as she seems kind of flat - her attitude as a child is still the same thing now growing up, and I don't see much progress yet. There might be some subtle changes regarding her personality, but it's not very obvious.

2. Qiao Xi - so far, he is a very well-rounded character and has shown huge progress halfway through the show. Starting off as a very timid boy who is scared of going against his parents, he will become someone who can finally stand on his feet. He used Qi Le's positive attitude as a drive to change himself for the better. And I think that his growth is one of the beautiful things I have seen so far. He clearly wasn't happy with what he did, and giving up on something he is not happy to do, but was forced to take action, requires so much courage. It took him years to finally step out of the shadow and tell them how he actually felt during those times they forced an expectation on him that he didn't want to achieve.

3. Qin Ye Yun (Qi Le's female friend) - to be honest, I really thought that she hates Qi Le since the beginning, as Qi Le mentioned having to dislike her, but then at the end, it was them being closer than the others. Growing up, Ye Yun has been with her father, who takes care of her and vice versa. Among all of the characters, she is so far the most emotionally mature that I have seen, very emotionally mature compared to the others. She was able to keep her romantic feelings in check, not blaming others for having the center of attention instead of her, or for putting the responsibility on the guy he liked just because she developed a feeling. Another thing about Ye Yun was her love towards her father, that she is selfless enough to even consider stopping going to school just so she can help provide for her father, and I think that's rare to see someone who is selfless enough willing to risk their future just to provide. And I am not saying that everyone should be this kind of person, but for a daughter who has only been with her father all her life, it is a very tender feeling to know that your child loves you that much.

4. Hong Fei (Qiao Xi's mother) - she loves someone who isn't there anymore and left someone who was there all along. Every mother can definitely relate to the loss of a child they have given birth to, and erasing that memory is so hard to do that it always stays there, no matter how much you try to remove it. Her trauma was too scarred that it affected Qiao Xi, but that's not enough reason to actually force him into something he is not. She may not be a perfect mother, and to be honest, she is too far away from being a perfect mother. But, hopefully, as the story progresses, she will eventually change her mind and become less selfish instead of pushing her expectations towards her son. As Qi Le said, Qiao Xi needs a mother, not mathematics.

ACTING ANALYSIS:
1. Zhao Jin Mai as Qi Le - this is the first time I have ever watched her drama as a main role, and I would say that her acting is astounding. I have tried watching her other dramas before, but could never try to continue the next episode. This one, however, is a different deal. It feels like Qi Le and Jin Mai are just one person, no acting.

2. Zhang Ling He as Qiao Xi - as always, he could never disappoint me. May it be fierce-looking, crying scenes, happy scenes, or even the saddest scenes, his facial expressions would always exceed expectations. He has a very expressive face that makes it hard not to smile when he smiles. Playing as Qiao Xi, however, he does kind of look older than what year 10 is usually like, or that might be because I'm too used to seeing his face in historical roles. But then, even his voice sounds too deep and mature for someone to be underage. Acting-wise, he did it effortlessly well.

Overall, this drama has a great coming-of-age story that encompasses different family bonds. If you are into dramas like 'Go Ahead,' this is a type that you would definitely love. There are no boring scenarios in every episode that won't tempt you to skip some scenes. Character-wise, everyone seems dynamic except for the female lead so far, so it's quite fun to see the build-up of the story. Acting-wise, it's not cringeworthy or underwhelming, as they have outperformed, even with the supporting roles. This is definitely a must-try to watch as a youth drama, and I would love to see you put in a review about it as well.

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