It took me a little over two and a half hours to finish watching episode 16 because (1) To be very honest, I didn’t want it to finish ! And, (2) I was rewinding almost each and every scene cause all of them - they were so cute !
I have loved Kim Hye Woon’s acting since Sky Castle and loved Byeon Woo Seok since Record of Youth - but both of them acted so well in this one - at times I forgot whether I was watching a “drama” or a couple just being themselves - they were that much believable in portraying their respective characters !
With the beautiful OSTs, the talented supporting cast and the engaging storyline - lovely runner won my heart like never before !
I know it will take a lot of time for me to get over with this drama but tbh I don’t ever want to be done with this drama - like NEVER !
It gave me so many happy memories while I was watching it over the past 8 weeks, I loved how I went back to my high school days - kicking my feet every now and then ! hehe !
All the very best wishes for each and every cast and crew members of this beautiful drama for their upcoming projects - may you be happy always !
And, thank you, thank you so much !
I came to know about this drama on a random day from one of the Instagram reels by tvn’s official Instagram handle which had Sun-jae and Im Sol in it, Hye Woon was standing and Woo Seok was slowly standing up from a sitting posture to show us their height difference ! It was hilarious - it really was ! So much that I landed on watching and eventually ended up loving this drama so so so much that now it practically aches in my heart realising that the drama has actually ended !
Also, I have been trying to find the outro of this drama (The one in Ep 1 and Ep 30; There were 2/3 versions of outros for different episodes) but sadly, couldn't find it as of yet !
Most people watch such dramas seeking entertainment only and I don't blame them but apart from the entertainment…
In real life it's not always that you end up with the very same people once you used to hangout with - life happens, people grow-up, we move on and it's okay to grow apart - that's life cause not all of us had the same dream and even if we did, not everyone can work diligently for it. Sure the memories are there, but that's what makes us "US OF TODAY" - all the memories we had of our childhood - good or bad, better or worse - shaped us for out future and it's okay to accept that/learn to live like that ! :)
Everyone were looking for the typical happy ending, doesn't matter who Qi Qi ends up with - ZJ or XB or even Chen Jin, they'd be happier to see her ending up with someone rather than to see her grow as a person and keep all her memories/reminiscing them. I understand where it comes from though - just because we can accept that "life happens and it's okay" - we don't always do that and move-on with our life, do we?
Also, a lot of the commenters here are stuck with the original idea from the novel, forgetting that there was actually a separate "screenwriter" for the drama itself even though it's based on Tong Hua's novel. It's completely alright to change a few scenes/the ending/the characters !
I guess you can say it's because of our individual taste/preferences ! :)
Loved the ending even though it was open ended. None of the characters reunited with Luo Qiqi but im really glad…
Most people watch such dramas seeking entertainment only and I don't blame them but apart from the entertainment value, I happen to love movies/dramas where the story makes me think and the acting makes me aspire ! Story and acting being the top two elements for me and production being the third, my most favorite movie so far was "Happy Old Year (2019), directed by: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit" and I used to consider "Our Beloved Summer" quite a decent drama containing all other aspects such as music/entertainment etc. But, "Stand By Me (2023)" has surpassed these above mentioned two for me even though it might seem 'slow' to a lot of the other viewers. The storyline had more "actuality" in it for me. Great acting done by each of the cast members too, loved them ! Yes, this whole series was about self realization & personal growth and it was indeed the best of 2023 if not the best of all time (for me) ! :D
It is indeed, one of the best series, and certainly the best CN series of 2023. It was different high-school story,…
That's what I've been telling everyone since day 1 ! Not only it was different, it was actually totally completely entirely different from the typical high school romance/coming of age/romance/teenage dramas we have seen so far ! It was a 10 on 10 for me as soon as I finished the first 5 episodes !
And, about Zhang Jun, that's what I felt that a lot of people here didn't understood/felt/realized about him ! He too was a genius, maybe not the most hard-working one like Luo Qi Qi but he actually loved and understood math well and even performed better when he was together with Qi Qi. For a teenager to go through all that emotions he had gone through since his childhood days and the maturity he had shown as a human to let go his most loved one to whom he once said "I don't want to fight with you, are we good? Let's be good, please" (ep 24) to the heart-wrenching words in his letter like "I will treasure your starfish, bless you forever, I wish you can always hold your head high. Stride forward" (ep 26) - I couldn't stop crying when I realized that the one who needed 'love' the most - actually let his most loved one go in the most selfless way possible (considering his age) as soon as he understood that loving can also mean 'letting go' ! :)
I don't think a lot of people remembers this scene but in Episode 5 when Zhang Jun and Chen Jin met at Miss Gao's place, it was Zhang Jun who asked the favor to Chen Jin to trigger Luo Qi Qi in some way when they meet next so that Luo Qi Qi considers staying instead of moving to Xian considering that Qi Qi actually responds like that the times she's angry (ZJ: "Could you do me a favor?" in Ep5, and in the immediate next scene we see Chen Jin and Luo Qi Qi in the library solving the math in the board and we all know what happens next) ! So, it was actually ZHANG JUN who made the real effort and with the help of Chen Jin, he helped Qi Qi start her studies again !
Also, remember the train scene in Ep 4? Where Zhang Jun chased Qi Qi all the way from the movie-store to the train station and even hopped the train only to ask her "Aren't you going back to school? Why?" - He cared for her so much that in the end, even when he knew Qi Qi is his one true happiness - he let her go so that she could achieve her dream ! :)
I actually fell in love with the way the actor portrayed the character 'Zhang Jun' ! And I wholeheartedly wish "Wu Jia Kai" to be given more such main roles where he can act his true potential out ! He was absolutely brilliant in 'stand by me' !
Gave it a 8.5. Wasn't a fan of the ending. Wasting character time imo like why did it show Qiqi hanging out at…
ikr ! From the start to the end, it was all about 'Zhang Jun' for me, I couldn't care less for anyone else ! Also, actor 'Wu Jia Kai' portrayed the emotions of the character 'Zhang Jun' so well, it was beyond 'brilliant' !
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 ! :)
I put the 15th heart in his profile, could have been the 3rd commenter in here instead of now being the 8th one if I hadn't procrastinated and had opened my "My Drama List" profile a few days ago ! Yes, I literally signed up for MDL a few minutes ago so that I could comment here on Wu Jia Kai's brilliance as an actor !
I haven't read the novel 那些回不去的年少时光 (The Youth That We Can't Go Back To) by Tong Hua but I have read parts of it from here & there and even though they changed a few things about the character 'Zhang Jun' - it still is my favorite character from the entire drama although the drama is mainly about the growth of 'Luo Qi Qi' as a human being.
When I saw MDL listed "Wu Jia Kai" as a support role in the cast and credits of "Stand By Me (2023)" - I immediately knew I had to take matters on my own hand and make things clearer (lol) ! I can see they've now listed him as one of the three main roles which again, I strongly refuse to accept because if there is one more character that should be credited as the main role other than the character of "Luo Qi Qi", it should only and only be "Zhang Jun". Xiao Bo was there as a literal 'support' character from the very beginning, be it for Qi Qi or for "other side of water" - he was there to support, not to be the main character (if I got both the gist of the novel and the drama right).
Now coming back to Wu Jia Kai's brilliance as an actor - this was my first ever drama of him, I've never heard of him or known him as an actor before but I wish I knew him earlier ! I mean he is only 24, but the depth in his acting made me question his age as in I was awestruck in that level where I was like "wait, how did he do that?! He's still so young but he's acting with such immense maturity that even the most seasoned actors can't put out to work on screen !" - And I swear I'm not exaggerating a bit and certainly not because I've been swayed by his handsomeness which he possess, a solid 100% by the way !
I actually finished the whole drama at one go and then re-watched all the moments this guy was in - not less than 10 times per scene/episode. I can't put proper words to describe the way he acted in certain scenes - like for example, when Luo Qi Qi was mad (several times) and then she would ask a question but then not say anything but just stare at Zhang Jun angrily and then Zhang Jun would take a deeper breath after looking at angry Qi Qi and continue to explain the situation by himself (quite funny, if you think) but I have actually monitored his acting closely (through the screen ofcourse) - it was truly so polished in those scenes !
And, the way he would act cute infront of Qi Qi & express his happiness around her in the cutest possible way at one moment (like for example, when he was giving his starfish to Qi Qi in his home and then eating cup-noodles in Ep 21 or, the one scene where he's answering why he joined Overdose to Qi Qi infront of her home in Ep 24 or, when he woke up & met Qi Qi in his home wearing his pjs in Ep 25 saying he was sick so he skipped school the other day & that he thought they had a fight & so he didn't inform her about his sickness and many more such cute moments) and then suddenly with a subtle change in his gaze he would turn the most fierce boy in the room the next moment !
This guy would just change his green colored 'good boy' T-shirt and wear a black n white Hawaii shirt instead and have his hair waxed & backbrushed and have that sharp gaze on and VOILA - he has turned into a badass from the cutie patootie he was a moment ago !
Also the times when he got emotional with Qi Qi about giving him a timeline for how long she would stay mad at him in Ep 24 or, the devastatingly emotional scenes in Ep 26 where his trembling lips and voice, his sad blank stare actually shattered my heart into pieces. He was THAT good as 'Zhang Jun' - FOR REAL !
It's not just the change in his appearance that makes him more noticeable in those scenes but his sheer brilliance in acting ! The way he can put any emotion out just by his expressions/eye-expressions alone or with the change in his voice/speaking tone in certain scenes just proves that he really knows "acting" (His MDL profile says that he finished first in his acting major and now I know how, 100% deserved).
How can you differentiate a great actor from the average ones? When you were watching the series but you totally forgot that he was actually acting there and he's not the character "Zhang Jun" but a real person named "Wu Jia Kai", an actor putting the performance only ! I was so mesmerized by his acting that there were countless times when I completely forgot that he isn't "Zhang Jun", I mean I had to constantly remind myself that - "it's okay, he's actually acting, he is just so into his character that you kept mistaking him as Zhang Jun which he is not so you don't necessarily need to cry over a character written for book/tv drama, you can stop feeling bad for him now, it's okay, he's just acting" !
Well, I'm actually 5 years older than him ("Almost" 6 to be exact) and believe me I've seen myriad numbers of Korean/Thai/Japanese/Taiwanese/Chinese/Hongkong/English/Canadian/Spanish/French/Turkish/Swedish made/produced dramas/series/movies in the past 15+ years and "performance art" being my favorite subject, I feel like I actually know a thing about good acting/actors/actresses or two and I love it when I see a fresh face being at par/passing other already-established industry-toppers with their unique skills !
He's still very young, only acted in a few dramas/movies so far and has a long way to go but trust me on this, he has it all to achieve it all !
WU JIA KAI, loved your performance in "STAND BY ME (2023)". Waiting for more & more such brilliant performances from you in coming times. You already shine bright like a diamond and I know, you'll shine even brighter in future - GODSPEED !
I have loved Kim Hye Woon’s acting since Sky Castle and loved Byeon Woo Seok since Record of Youth - but both of them acted so well in this one - at times I forgot whether I was watching a “drama” or a couple just being themselves - they were that much believable in portraying their respective characters !
With the beautiful OSTs, the talented supporting cast and the engaging storyline - lovely runner won my heart like never before !
I know it will take a lot of time for me to get over with this drama but tbh I don’t ever want to be done with this drama - like NEVER !
It gave me so many happy memories while I was watching it over the past 8 weeks, I loved how I went back to my high school days - kicking my feet every now and then ! hehe !
All the very best wishes for each and every cast and crew members of this beautiful drama for their upcoming projects - may you be happy always !
And, thank you, thank you so much !
I came to know about this drama on a random day from one of the Instagram reels by tvn’s official Instagram handle which had Sun-jae and Im Sol in it, Hye Woon was standing and Woo Seok was slowly standing up from a sitting posture to show us their height difference ! It was hilarious - it really was ! So much that I landed on watching and eventually ended up loving this drama so so so much that now it practically aches in my heart realising that the drama has actually ended !
So - I will keep rewatching this drama ! hehe !
I found a playlist containing some of the bgm from this drama but please note that it's not the 'complete' one: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nL1nxMvwB-BHvXzvCVpcN8Orl-s4IQFxE&si=arF9rKJ4-VNtMcW5
Also, I have been trying to find the outro of this drama (The one in Ep 1 and Ep 30; There were 2/3 versions of outros for different episodes) but sadly, couldn't find it as of yet !
Hope this helps ! :)
Everyone were looking for the typical happy ending, doesn't matter who Qi Qi ends up with - ZJ or XB or even Chen Jin, they'd be happier to see her ending up with someone rather than to see her grow as a person and keep all her memories/reminiscing them. I understand where it comes from though - just because we can accept that "life happens and it's okay" - we don't always do that and move-on with our life, do we?
Also, a lot of the commenters here are stuck with the original idea from the novel, forgetting that there was actually a separate "screenwriter" for the drama itself even though it's based on Tong Hua's novel. It's completely alright to change a few scenes/the ending/the characters !
I guess you can say it's because of our individual taste/preferences ! :)
And, about Zhang Jun, that's what I felt that a lot of people here didn't understood/felt/realized about him ! He too was a genius, maybe not the most hard-working one like Luo Qi Qi but he actually loved and understood math well and even performed better when he was together with Qi Qi. For a teenager to go through all that emotions he had gone through since his childhood days and the maturity he had shown as a human to let go his most loved one to whom he once said "I don't want to fight with you, are we good? Let's be good, please" (ep 24) to the heart-wrenching words in his letter like "I will treasure your starfish, bless you forever, I wish you can always hold your head high. Stride forward" (ep 26) - I couldn't stop crying when I realized that the one who needed 'love' the most - actually let his most loved one go in the most selfless way possible (considering his age) as soon as he understood that loving can also mean 'letting go' ! :)
I don't think a lot of people remembers this scene but in Episode 5 when Zhang Jun and Chen Jin met at Miss Gao's place, it was Zhang Jun who asked the favor to Chen Jin to trigger Luo Qi Qi in some way when they meet next so that Luo Qi Qi considers staying instead of moving to Xian considering that Qi Qi actually responds like that the times she's angry (ZJ: "Could you do me a favor?" in Ep5, and in the immediate next scene we see Chen Jin and Luo Qi Qi in the library solving the math in the board and we all know what happens next) ! So, it was actually ZHANG JUN who made the real effort and with the help of Chen Jin, he helped Qi Qi start her studies again !
Also, remember the train scene in Ep 4? Where Zhang Jun chased Qi Qi all the way from the movie-store to the train station and even hopped the train only to ask her "Aren't you going back to school? Why?" - He cared for her so much that in the end, even when he knew Qi Qi is his one true happiness - he let her go so that she could achieve her dream ! :)
I actually fell in love with the way the actor portrayed the character 'Zhang Jun' ! And I wholeheartedly wish "Wu Jia Kai" to be given more such main roles where he can act his true potential out ! He was absolutely brilliant in 'stand by me' !
I haven't read the novel 那些回不去的年少时光 (The Youth That We Can't Go Back To) by Tong Hua but I have read parts of it from here & there and even though they changed a few things about the character 'Zhang Jun' - it still is my favorite character from the entire drama although the drama is mainly about the growth of 'Luo Qi Qi' as a human being.
When I saw MDL listed "Wu Jia Kai" as a support role in the cast and credits of "Stand By Me (2023)" - I immediately knew I had to take matters on my own hand and make things clearer (lol) ! I can see they've now listed him as one of the three main roles which again, I strongly refuse to accept because if there is one more character that should be credited as the main role other than the character of "Luo Qi Qi", it should only and only be "Zhang Jun". Xiao Bo was there as a literal 'support' character from the very beginning, be it for Qi Qi or for "other side of water" - he was there to support, not to be the main character (if I got both the gist of the novel and the drama right).
Now coming back to Wu Jia Kai's brilliance as an actor - this was my first ever drama of him, I've never heard of him or known him as an actor before but I wish I knew him earlier ! I mean he is only 24, but the depth in his acting made me question his age as in I was awestruck in that level where I was like "wait, how did he do that?! He's still so young but he's acting with such immense maturity that even the most seasoned actors can't put out to work on screen !" - And I swear I'm not exaggerating a bit and certainly not because I've been swayed by his handsomeness which he possess, a solid 100% by the way !
I actually finished the whole drama at one go and then re-watched all the moments this guy was in - not less than 10 times per scene/episode. I can't put proper words to describe the way he acted in certain scenes - like for example, when Luo Qi Qi was mad (several times) and then she would ask a question but then not say anything but just stare at Zhang Jun angrily and then Zhang Jun would take a deeper breath after looking at angry Qi Qi and continue to explain the situation by himself (quite funny, if you think) but I have actually monitored his acting closely (through the screen ofcourse) - it was truly so polished in those scenes !
And, the way he would act cute infront of Qi Qi & express his happiness around her in the cutest possible way at one moment (like for example, when he was giving his starfish to Qi Qi in his home and then eating cup-noodles in Ep 21 or, the one scene where he's answering why he joined Overdose to Qi Qi infront of her home in Ep 24 or, when he woke up & met Qi Qi in his home wearing his pjs in Ep 25 saying he was sick so he skipped school the other day & that he thought they had a fight & so he didn't inform her about his sickness and many more such cute moments) and then suddenly with a subtle change in his gaze he would turn the most fierce boy in the room the next moment !
This guy would just change his green colored 'good boy' T-shirt and wear a black n white Hawaii shirt instead and have his hair waxed & backbrushed and have that sharp gaze on and VOILA - he has turned into a badass from the cutie patootie he was a moment ago !
Also the times when he got emotional with Qi Qi about giving him a timeline for how long she would stay mad at him in Ep 24 or, the devastatingly emotional scenes in Ep 26 where his trembling lips and voice, his sad blank stare actually shattered my heart into pieces. He was THAT good as 'Zhang Jun' - FOR REAL !
It's not just the change in his appearance that makes him more noticeable in those scenes but his sheer brilliance in acting ! The way he can put any emotion out just by his expressions/eye-expressions alone or with the change in his voice/speaking tone in certain scenes just proves that he really knows "acting" (His MDL profile says that he finished first in his acting major and now I know how, 100% deserved).
How can you differentiate a great actor from the average ones? When you were watching the series but you totally forgot that he was actually acting there and he's not the character "Zhang Jun" but a real person named "Wu Jia Kai", an actor putting the performance only ! I was so mesmerized by his acting that there were countless times when I completely forgot that he isn't "Zhang Jun", I mean I had to constantly remind myself that - "it's okay, he's actually acting, he is just so into his character that you kept mistaking him as Zhang Jun which he is not so you don't necessarily need to cry over a character written for book/tv drama, you can stop feeling bad for him now, it's okay, he's just acting" !
Well, I'm actually 5 years older than him ("Almost" 6 to be exact) and believe me I've seen myriad numbers of Korean/Thai/Japanese/Taiwanese/Chinese/Hongkong/English/Canadian/Spanish/French/Turkish/Swedish made/produced dramas/series/movies in the past 15+ years and "performance art" being my favorite subject, I feel like I actually know a thing about good acting/actors/actresses or two and I love it when I see a fresh face being at par/passing other already-established industry-toppers with their unique skills !
He's still very young, only acted in a few dramas/movies so far and has a long way to go but trust me on this, he has it all to achieve it all !
WU JIA KAI, loved your performance in "STAND BY ME (2023)". Waiting for more & more such brilliant performances from you in coming times. You already shine bright like a diamond and I know, you'll shine even brighter in future - GODSPEED !
(Sylvia, 20231007)