I'm only on the sad ep 18 but I did read your comments even though I am not where you are in the show.. Extremly…
Fenghua really is the best character of the show! She's a badass and so compassionate. Wanghe is a brat with her when they're young, but she knows how to handle him! I'd even say she's the only one who knows how to handle him, even when they're adult (there's a scene in episode episode 24 that clearly shows you that). Enjoy the show!!! It's excellent!
Here are my thoughts after seeing the first 28 episodes of the drama. Be ready, it's going to be long, but I need to share my analysis.
If there's anything excellent about this drama, it's how deep and complex the characters are. I feel like most people who watch the drama (or at least, who comment it), misunderstand the characters a lot. While watching this show, you musn't take everything at face value, you have to analyze their actions and dialogues to actually know the truth. A lot of people hate on the present's wanghe, saying he doesn't deserve Fenghua, or even that he doesn't like Fenghua. I even read a few people stating he looked down on her and thought he deserved more. The last episodes have showed how wrong they were : he, in fact, thinks she deserves better than him and what he can offer. While I agree that Wanghe is not perfect, you have to remember that it's not a romance drama, it's a life drama. He's flawed and realistic. The only characters with little to no flaws is Fenghua, hence the feeling that she deserves better than him. But what you guys forget is that Fenghua is a smart girl ; she knows what she wants. There's a reason why she loves Wanghe and wants to be with him ; who are we to question that and think we know better what she deserves? She deserves to get what she wants, and what she wants is Wanghe. I'm really fascinated at how the show is showing women struggles in a very subtle way (through Fenghua's mother, who always has to be the "bad one" because her husband is a coward who doesn't know how to speak up ; or Wanghe's mother, who has been through a lot without her husband noticing anything, just because he was obsessed with his own broken dreams ; or Xingchi's mother, who is hit by her husband, yet he's still a loved man in the community ; or Haikuo's mother, who had to settle and give up on her dreams when she got pregnant). I saw a lot of people saying that the drama didn't write its female characters well, and that it showed that the director was a man. I totally disagree. Every man in this show (except Wanghe) is convinced that Fenghua went to Beijing for him and him only ; that she has no ambition, except getting him. Haikuo says the sole reason why she doesn't want to work with him is because she knows it would break her chances at going out with him. Wanghe's father tells him that she's there only for him. Overall, most men think that, but that's not the drama miswriting women characters. That's just the drama being realistic. Yes, in reality, most men will think that women have no ambitions. Most men, especially if they know a woman loves a man, will think that her whole life's decisions are about him. This week's episodes show that every male character who said that about Fenghua were, in fact, wrong. They misunderstood her exactly how most men will misunderstand women. You need to analyze the drama to notice that what the men say about the women in this show isn't representative of what the women actually are. And I need to hightlight here that the only male character who hasn't mistaken Fenghua is Wanghe. He never thought she came to Beijing only for him, and he has always known she had her own ambitions. That's also why he doesn't pity her like the other male characters do. Sure, it wouldn't hurt if he were more soft to her, but he's also the only male character of the show who doesn't underestimate her. He does offer his help sometimes, but she's the one refusing it. I'm also fascinated by how complex Wanghe is. He has always been very ambitous but lacked self-confidence. He can be both very foolish and very smart, very attentionate and very harsh. I know that most people and the characters themselves are convinced that Wanghe liked Siyi when they were children, but I disagree with that. Wanghe had definitely a soft spot for her, and it's understandable. She was "everything a girl should be" (soft, vulnerable, quite, kind) and Wanghe, as a very protective character, had what I call the savior syndrome. Don't forget how his father is, always saving everyone and being there for everyone. He grew up seeing that and obviously thought it was his role to do that too. I think that's what made him so soft and attentive to Siyi, while Fenghua didn't had that vulnerable side to her. That's not love, but I understand why every character has mistaken that for love, and I wouldn't be surprised if Wanghe himself mistook that as such ; as a teenager, it's easy to misunderstand your own feelings. In today's episodes, he said he fell in love with Fenghua three years ago. Well, I've noticed hints of him being in love with Fenghua way before that. When they were teenagers already, despite him being harsh to her sometimes and speaking as if she annoyed him, he was very protective of her and included her in every single of his future plans. Don't forget he's the one who went straight to hit the photographer when Fenghua's photos were out, and how he didn't care missing the Gaokao and staying in prison if it meant avenging her. He even scolded his parents for accepting to give him money, all because he hated that man's guts so much he'd rather stay in prison for weeks/months than give him what he wants. As ambitious and cocky as he was, he was ready to sacrifice his future for her. Also, what makes me question Wanghe's feelings toward Siyi is that scene when Fenghua directly asks him if Siyi is also part of the future he imagines. He doesn't even understand what she implies there, and tells her that Siyi isn't made for business. Only when Fenghua asks him if he imagines himself in a relationship with Siyi later does he actually understand what she means, and look at his reaction there : he laughs as if it's absurd. Now, if we look into that... Wanghe has always said he only regarded Fenghua as a brother. If that was true, why would he deny having feelings for Siyi in front of her? Why would he tell her she watches too much soap operas and dismiss the idea? To me, either he knew he didn't love Siyi that way and actually thought that was absurd, or he thought he loved Siyi that way, but having Fenghua ask it directly to him made him uncomfortable because he unconsciously already had romantic feeling for Fenghua. I know that every character in this drama takes for granted Wanghe's feelings for Siyi, but I feel like we have a lot of clues that his feelings toward her were only those of a man who wants to save her. I wonder if the drama will adress it at some point, or if they'll keep saying he did love Siyi. I don't buy it anyway. I also want to point out that, even if Wanghe seems quite arrogant and bossy in this week's episodes (especially in episodes 23 & 24), he's the one who still blames himself for Siyi's grandma & little brother's deads. He may give the impression that he's very confident, but he blames himself very easily and often needs someone to remind him he's a capable person. I was also (and still am) quite annoyed by his capitalistic point of views in episodes 23 & 24, but given how ambitious he's always been, I thought it made sense for him to think like that. That's exactly what Fenghua tells him. Discovering in episode 25 that the reason why he's so obsessed with money is not because he's greedy but because he wants to make Fenghua happy actually touched me so much. It makes sense to believe that a couple needs to be rich to be happy ; he has seen his parents arguing about money over and over again. It's so coherent with his character to think like that and to be crazy about money not for himself, but for the one he loves. It also proves wrong to anyone who thinks that Fenghua deserves better than him. While he's not perfect and needs to mature, he's very much deserving of Fenghua's love and he does his best to live up to it. Another point that makes this show exceptionally good is how the children unwillingly take some of their parents traits. Xingchi is the best exemple of that : he despises his father, but his violent demeanor when he feels inferior to Wanghe or Fenghua is exactly like his father's. Wanghe also look like his father : he literally wants his friends to work with him, like his father worked with Fenghua's father. He wants to make them rich, like his father wanted to make the whole neighbourhood rich. Haikuo, too, took his father's romantic behaviors. His father definitely is the most romantic and soft dad of the show, and Haikuo is like that too. Chenrui and his father also have a lot of common points, both being passionate about their job and romantic. Of course, they're not *exactly* like their parents, and that's exactly why I say it's beautifully done. It's subtle. Willingly or not, the children are influenced by how their parents behave, and they need to work on themselves to not reproduce their mistakes. I think I've never seen a drama that showed how children can reproduce their parent's behaviors without realizing it (and I've seen a lot of dramas, lol). Anyway, I feel like Northward is one of the best dramas I've ever seen so far. The writing is just so subtle, complex and deep. The characters are realistic and easy to misunderstand if you don't analyze their behaviors. Not only does it show everyday life's struggles, but it emphasizes women's struggles in a very subtle way. I hope the remaining episodes will be as excellent as the first 28 episodes have been.
to be fair i think the drama will change quite a lot of things because the novel is wayyyy too dark to be a casual drama, and the romance is almost inexistent (though important for the show). the drama will probably lighten things up a little!
I want to watch this drama because of Xiao Zhan but can someone tell me how good this series is in terms of story…
My reply is a bit late, but if you haven't watched it : the story is really good, one of the best of its genre for me because you really see the characters growing up and become adults. Sadly, it's quite low-budget so the screenplay isn't amazing, but I've seen way worse and it was still pleasant to watch
i'm currently watching this and enjoying it a lot, but i saw a few comments saying that the FL kept betraying the ML and she didn't "deserve" him ; is it true? i'm only at episode 7 and for now i feel like the FL is pretty loyal to him (even if she also protects him because her mission is not letting him die). is it true that she will betray him? a lot? i'm okay with angst and i know the ML is going to suffer a lot but i wished they would at least have each other to trust
Snowfall has officially been added to my short special list of cdramas I recommend to non cdrama watchers to get…
would you tell me what are the others cdramas on that list? i have a hard time watching cdramas, even the popular ones. only hidden love & lighter and princess are the exception, with snowfall... but i wish i liked cdramas more
i've watched this a few weeks ago and i'm still not over this drama omg :(( can anyone recommend me a BL drama with a similar dynamic? with two men very close to each other (either as friends or brothers), and one of them is very affectionate while the other one lets him be clingy without knowing he loves him? a drama where they're so used to being close and touching each other that one of them doesn't realize it may imply something? i just loved how zhiyuan could cuddle & sleep with qian way before qian knew it was romantic :(
If there's anything excellent about this drama, it's how deep and complex the characters are. I feel like most people who watch the drama (or at least, who comment it), misunderstand the characters a lot. While watching this show, you musn't take everything at face value, you have to analyze their actions and dialogues to actually know the truth.
A lot of people hate on the present's wanghe, saying he doesn't deserve Fenghua, or even that he doesn't like Fenghua. I even read a few people stating he looked down on her and thought he deserved more. The last episodes have showed how wrong they were : he, in fact, thinks she deserves better than him and what he can offer.
While I agree that Wanghe is not perfect, you have to remember that it's not a romance drama, it's a life drama. He's flawed and realistic. The only characters with little to no flaws is Fenghua, hence the feeling that she deserves better than him. But what you guys forget is that Fenghua is a smart girl ; she knows what she wants. There's a reason why she loves Wanghe and wants to be with him ; who are we to question that and think we know better what she deserves? She deserves to get what she wants, and what she wants is Wanghe.
I'm really fascinated at how the show is showing women struggles in a very subtle way (through Fenghua's mother, who always has to be the "bad one" because her husband is a coward who doesn't know how to speak up ; or Wanghe's mother, who has been through a lot without her husband noticing anything, just because he was obsessed with his own broken dreams ; or Xingchi's mother, who is hit by her husband, yet he's still a loved man in the community ; or Haikuo's mother, who had to settle and give up on her dreams when she got pregnant).
I saw a lot of people saying that the drama didn't write its female characters well, and that it showed that the director was a man. I totally disagree. Every man in this show (except Wanghe) is convinced that Fenghua went to Beijing for him and him only ; that she has no ambition, except getting him. Haikuo says the sole reason why she doesn't want to work with him is because she knows it would break her chances at going out with him. Wanghe's father tells him that she's there only for him. Overall, most men think that, but that's not the drama miswriting women characters. That's just the drama being realistic. Yes, in reality, most men will think that women have no ambitions. Most men, especially if they know a woman loves a man, will think that her whole life's decisions are about him.
This week's episodes show that every male character who said that about Fenghua were, in fact, wrong. They misunderstood her exactly how most men will misunderstand women. You need to analyze the drama to notice that what the men say about the women in this show isn't representative of what the women actually are. And I need to hightlight here that the only male character who hasn't mistaken Fenghua is Wanghe. He never thought she came to Beijing only for him, and he has always known she had her own ambitions. That's also why he doesn't pity her like the other male characters do. Sure, it wouldn't hurt if he were more soft to her, but he's also the only male character of the show who doesn't underestimate her. He does offer his help sometimes, but she's the one refusing it.
I'm also fascinated by how complex Wanghe is. He has always been very ambitous but lacked self-confidence. He can be both very foolish and very smart, very attentionate and very harsh. I know that most people and the characters themselves are convinced that Wanghe liked Siyi when they were children, but I disagree with that. Wanghe had definitely a soft spot for her, and it's understandable. She was "everything a girl should be" (soft, vulnerable, quite, kind) and Wanghe, as a very protective character, had what I call the savior syndrome. Don't forget how his father is, always saving everyone and being there for everyone. He grew up seeing that and obviously thought it was his role to do that too. I think that's what made him so soft and attentive to Siyi, while Fenghua didn't had that vulnerable side to her. That's not love, but I understand why every character has mistaken that for love, and I wouldn't be surprised if Wanghe himself mistook that as such ; as a teenager, it's easy to misunderstand your own feelings.
In today's episodes, he said he fell in love with Fenghua three years ago. Well, I've noticed hints of him being in love with Fenghua way before that. When they were teenagers already, despite him being harsh to her sometimes and speaking as if she annoyed him, he was very protective of her and included her in every single of his future plans. Don't forget he's the one who went straight to hit the photographer when Fenghua's photos were out, and how he didn't care missing the Gaokao and staying in prison if it meant avenging her. He even scolded his parents for accepting to give him money, all because he hated that man's guts so much he'd rather stay in prison for weeks/months than give him what he wants. As ambitious and cocky as he was, he was ready to sacrifice his future for her.
Also, what makes me question Wanghe's feelings toward Siyi is that scene when Fenghua directly asks him if Siyi is also part of the future he imagines. He doesn't even understand what she implies there, and tells her that Siyi isn't made for business. Only when Fenghua asks him if he imagines himself in a relationship with Siyi later does he actually understand what she means, and look at his reaction there : he laughs as if it's absurd. Now, if we look into that... Wanghe has always said he only regarded Fenghua as a brother. If that was true, why would he deny having feelings for Siyi in front of her? Why would he tell her she watches too much soap operas and dismiss the idea?
To me, either he knew he didn't love Siyi that way and actually thought that was absurd, or he thought he loved Siyi that way, but having Fenghua ask it directly to him made him uncomfortable because he unconsciously already had romantic feeling for Fenghua.
I know that every character in this drama takes for granted Wanghe's feelings for Siyi, but I feel like we have a lot of clues that his feelings toward her were only those of a man who wants to save her. I wonder if the drama will adress it at some point, or if they'll keep saying he did love Siyi. I don't buy it anyway.
I also want to point out that, even if Wanghe seems quite arrogant and bossy in this week's episodes (especially in episodes 23 & 24), he's the one who still blames himself for Siyi's grandma & little brother's deads. He may give the impression that he's very confident, but he blames himself very easily and often needs someone to remind him he's a capable person. I was also (and still am) quite annoyed by his capitalistic point of views in episodes 23 & 24, but given how ambitious he's always been, I thought it made sense for him to think like that. That's exactly what Fenghua tells him. Discovering in episode 25 that the reason why he's so obsessed with money is not because he's greedy but because he wants to make Fenghua happy actually touched me so much. It makes sense to believe that a couple needs to be rich to be happy ; he has seen his parents arguing about money over and over again. It's so coherent with his character to think like that and to be crazy about money not for himself, but for the one he loves. It also proves wrong to anyone who thinks that Fenghua deserves better than him. While he's not perfect and needs to mature, he's very much deserving of Fenghua's love and he does his best to live up to it.
Another point that makes this show exceptionally good is how the children unwillingly take some of their parents traits. Xingchi is the best exemple of that : he despises his father, but his violent demeanor when he feels inferior to Wanghe or Fenghua is exactly like his father's. Wanghe also look like his father : he literally wants his friends to work with him, like his father worked with Fenghua's father. He wants to make them rich, like his father wanted to make the whole neighbourhood rich. Haikuo, too, took his father's romantic behaviors. His father definitely is the most romantic and soft dad of the show, and Haikuo is like that too. Chenrui and his father also have a lot of common points, both being passionate about their job and romantic.
Of course, they're not *exactly* like their parents, and that's exactly why I say it's beautifully done. It's subtle. Willingly or not, the children are influenced by how their parents behave, and they need to work on themselves to not reproduce their mistakes. I think I've never seen a drama that showed how children can reproduce their parent's behaviors without realizing it (and I've seen a lot of dramas, lol).
Anyway, I feel like Northward is one of the best dramas I've ever seen so far. The writing is just so subtle, complex and deep. The characters are realistic and easy to misunderstand if you don't analyze their behaviors. Not only does it show everyday life's struggles, but it emphasizes women's struggles in a very subtle way. I hope the remaining episodes will be as excellent as the first 28 episodes have been.