Effie_Joon

Same! I’m not exactly his defender, but I can understand and sympathize with "drama" Lu Feng.

Ah, I forgot to mention this. The series is actually set in Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City in the late 1980s. More specifically, the story starts in 1989, and by the final episode it's roughly 1991 or 1992.

Wow, I loved your review 💛
Reading it honestly reminded me why I fell so hard for Sammy's Children's Day in the first place.You spend the entire series falling in love with it, only for it to leave you staring at the screen at the end wondering whether you should be applauding or throwing something at the wall 😅

As someone who also absolutely hates unresolved endings, I completely understand the frustration. There is something uniquely cruel about getting deeply attached to a story, its characters, and their relationships, only to reach the final episode and realize that the journey is far from over. The worst part is not even the cliffhanger itself. It is the uncertainty. Waiting for a second season is one thing. Not knowing when it will come, or whether it will come at all, is another.
And yet, despite all of that, I would still recommend this series without hesitation.

What really stood out to me is that despite how frustrated I was with the ending, my love for the series still shines through in every paragraph. The ending drives me absolutely insane, not because it's bad, but because it leaves me wanting so much more. I remember finishing it and just sitting there thinking, "That's it? You're really going to leave me like this?" 😭
The thing is, if the show hadn't made me care so much, the cliffhanger wouldn't have hurt nearly as much. The fact that it still bothers me is proof of how attached I became to the story and the characters.

I also completely agree that there is something beautiful about the way it balances lighthearted moments with the heavier themes. A lot of shows struggle with that. They either become too serious and lose their charm, or they lean too heavily into comedy and undermine their emotional moments. SCD somehow manages to walk that line perfectly.

And then there are my lovely boys, Chusan and Liuyi.
I am not exaggerating when I say that they have become one of my favourite BL couples in years. Not because they are flashy or because their relationship is built around dramatic romantic moments, but because every interaction between them feels meaningful. Watching them slowly learn each other, trust each other, and become such an important part of each other's lives was honestly one of the most rewarding viewing experiences I've had in a long time.
What surprised me most was how attached I became to the entire cast. Usually there are side characters I tolerate because I have to get back to the main couple. Here, I genuinely cared about almost everyone. Papa He, Dong Dong, Xiao Ma, all of them added something special to the story. The world felt alive because of them.

And maybe this sounds dramatic, but Sammy's Children's Day is one of those shows that feels like it was made with love. There are technically bigger productions out there. There are certainly more popular ones. But very few have stayed with me the way this one has.
So while part of me is still angry about that ending, I'm so grateful that I watched it!

Because every now and then a series comes along that reminds you why you fell in love with watching dramas in the first place.
For me, Sammy's Children's Day was one of those series.

Now that's how you sell a series 😂 It's already been added to my ridiculously long watchlist 😂

So, I actually started with the series first, but I finished the novel when the show was about halfway through, around episodes 5 or 6 if I remember correctly. I'd known about the series long before it aired. In fact, I clearly remember coming across TikTok videos from the filming set sometime around October or November. The student×gangster dynamic immediately caught my attention, so I started looking into it more. If you go all the way back to the very first comments here on MDL, you'll find my name among the earliest comments 😅

Of course, that's when I found out it was adapted from a novel too. But at the time I was completely obsessed with TMS and had no interest in reading or watching anything else. Later, before the series came out, I found a machine translated version of the novel and tried reading it. I couldn't get through more than a chapter and a half, and honestly, I barely understood what was going on 😅 So I dropped it again.

Then the series started airing. Besides the fact that I personally loved it from the very first episode, I somehow managed to be patient for an entire week before I started searching for a better translation of the novel. But once I watched episode 3, that was it! I couldn't wait any longer.

I found a good translation somewhere, though I can't remember where now, but they had only translated up to chapter 25. After that, I found a decent translation on Wattpad. Then someone here mentioned that it was also being translated elsewhere, (Futile Devices), so I checked that out as well. I ended up liking their translation better, so I continued reading there.

I basically finished the novel alongside their translation updates. Every day I'd log in and read whatever chapters they had translated that day 😅
Thankfully, they were incredibly fast. If I remember correctly, they were uploading around seven or eight chapters a day.

Yeah, like I said, Addicted was my first danmei too, and I think that's a big part of why I'm so emotionally attached to it. Objectively, I'd say there are better ones out there and I've definitely read better novels, but personally, it's my baby!

This is actually the second time in two days that someone here on MDL has mentioned Case File Compendium to me. I'd heard about it before, of course, but is it really that good? I know it's toxic, which honestly doesn't bother me at all. If anything, that's a plus for me.

Right now I'm reading Gold Class Fighter. It's also about triads and is set in China in the early 1990s. I'm still at the beginning. It's interesting and it's keeping me engaged so far, but unfortunately I keep comparing it to SCD, and it falls pretty short in comparison...

Silent Reading is quite slow paced, not just when it comes to the romance, but in general. It'smature, intelligent, and character driven, but it's absolutely worth reading. It's a crime and psychological mystery novel that follows a series of interconnected cases, but the real strength of the story lies in its characters and themes. The relationship between Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou develops very gradually, but that's part of what makes it so satisfying. Their bond is built on trust, understanding, and emotional growth rather than instant attraction. Fei Du is one of the most fascinating protagonists in danmei, highly intelligent, charismatic, and emotionally damaged in ways that slowly unfold throughout the story. Watching Luo Wenzhou patiently break through his defenses is incredibly rewarding.

Haha! That was hilarious, Actor He at his absolute best 😂
God, there are so many scenes I’d love to see in the series! I’d also really love to see the scene where Liuyi returns from Thailand the first time he goes there and visits Chusan at his father’s house. The one where Papa He almost catches them messing around on bed, with Liuyi almost naked and hiding outside the window 😂

I think that's actually what makes the drama work for me too. Not because I agree with what the characters do, but because I rarely felt like they were acting purely for the sake of creating drama. Most of the time I could follow the emotional logic behind their choices, even when I was sitting there thinking, "Please don't do this, this is a terrible idea."

A lot of stories give characters problems that could be solved with one honest conversation, but the characters themselves don't feel believable. Here it's almost the opposite. The problems are often self inflicted, but they come from insecurities, fear, pride, guilt, or assumptions that feel very human. That doesn't make the decisions good, but it makes them somehow understandable. Unlike the novel, and maybe that's one of the reasons I like the drama more.

And yes, I can understand drama Lu Feng much more than I expected to at the beginning. Not agree with him, definitely not approve of him, but understand him. That's an important difference.

As for Yi Chen, I'm afraid your defense case has one very serious weakness: the "I'll pair my crush with my brother" strategy may genuinely be one of the worst plans ever conceived by mankind 😂 Even his lawyer would struggle with that one.

It really is a great drama! Don't mind me criticizing the characters, or rather, the way they handle certain situations. I'm enjoying it too, I've already told you that. It's my favorite drama at the moment. For me, I don't need to like a character in order to enjoy a series. I can easily enjoy stories with morally gray, messy, unbalanced characters. In fact, I usually prefer them!

Yeah I haven’t read or watched Word of Honor, and honestly what you said doesn’t really convince me to 😅
And in general I’m not really a big fan of wuxia /xianxia, that’s probably why I haven’t checked it out either.

That’s exactly it, it’s impressive how they managed to turn the novel into such a good adaptation even though they changed so much. To be honest, even though I enjoyed those scenes with Liuyi grabbing Chusan by the chin to force his attention (that slightly irritating expression on his face, lips half open, still brushing his teeth... 💦), I think I prefer the shameless version of Chusan from the novel a bit more 🤭

The second CP situation is interesting because the drama kind of treats them like they are part of the same ecosystem but doesn’t really give them enough connective tissue to the main emotional core, so it can feel a bit like you are switching channels mid stream. When it clicks at the end it helps, but getting there is a bit messy.

Haha, Honestly Chai Jidan is basically responsible for emotional damage and blush attacks in multiple generations of BL readers 😅 Advance Bravely is one of those novels where you go in thinking “oh this is fun” and suddenly you’re like why am I sweating and avoiding eye contact with my own phone.

Silent Reading is a very different kind of ride though. It’s less “chaotic spicy chaos energy” and more “why is this so psychologically intense I need to lie down and process this” energy. You follow this super cold, smart cop and a rich guy with way too many secrets, and the cases just keep getting darker and more twisted
What I like is that Priest doesn’t rush anything. The romance feels like it’s happening in the background while your brain is still trying to solve the crime in front of you. Very slow burn, very controlled, very “I’m fine” while you are absolutely not fine
So yeah, if Chai Jidan is like emotional caffeine overdose, Priest is like a slow emotional pressure cooker that you forget is on until it whistles 😭

Okay, for a moment I was hoping there would be something more official 😩
Yeah, I’ve also read and seen all those hints about a second season, but without an official confirmation from the production, I don’t really feel that “secure” about it. Still, one can only hope 🙏

Haha exactly 😭 Honestly, I don’t even want to think about the possibility that we might not get a second season. But this waiting is unbearable… I’d honestly rather they just make an official announcement that it’s happening and then let us wait a year or two. That would be way better than this constant uncertainty and all these “almost confirmations” are slowly killing me 😩

And you’re right, even if they go that route and just make Qin Hao a handsome newcomer who suddenly becomes one of Liu Yi’s closest people, they could easily still give us the “jealous best actor He” 😅
Just the scene where Chu San shows up at Liu Yi’s place after not seeing him for days and finds Qin Hao coming out of the bathroom half dressed is more than enough 🤣

The first one was the very first danmei I ever read and it will always have a special place in my heart. It's "Are You Addicted?" by Chai Jidan (I know, cliché choice and it's one of almost everyone's favorites 😅). The other one is "Silent Reading" by Priest. Those two, along with Chusan's Liuyi Children's Day, are the only danmei I've reread multiple times and enjoyed just as much every single time.
There have been many other danmei that completely pulled me in and kept me up all night because I couldn't stop reading until I finished them, but it's very rare for me to go back and reread them.

May I ask where you found this information? Is it from fans, or was it shared by someone from the production team? I haven't seen any official confirmation yet, and I haven't come across any news about filming starting either.

Oh, honey, don’t apologise.
It’s literally one of my best reads too. I can only think of two other danmeis that make me feel that way, and I read A LOT. Well, not in the same way, each story brings me different emotions, but I’ve definitely ranked it in my top 3 danmeis. So I completely share your love 💛

You're right, and those are actually some of the reasons why I'm curious and looking forward to seeing how they'll handle it in the series.
So far, the changes they've made haven't bothered me, so they might find a way to change this part as well without it bothering me either. But yeah, honestly, I really liked the whole plotline with Qin Hao.

Wow, I don't even know where to start!
I want to reply to everything you wrote and add even more 😅

I'll start by saying that I completely understand blaming TMS 🤣 Personally though, I live for angst and suffering. There is nothing I enjoy more than watching or reading characters torment themselves all the way to the end. Of course, there has to be catharsis, healing, and a happy ending afterwards. Otherwise, what was all that pain for? So yes, I might be a little bit of a masochist 😅

That particular confrontation scene in the novel might actually be my favorite scene in the entire novel. Not just the scene itself, but the whole buildup leading to it. I still cry every time I reach that part. And I agree with everything you said, but for me a big part of it is that Chusan spent so long feeling inferior within their relationship, and Liuyi definitely played a role in that. Chusan's outburst just makes me feel so many things. So when Liuyi basically begged him and said all those things to him, the emotional payoff was incredible. The intensity of that scene and everything that led up to it was just perfect.
That is why I really want to see it in the drama. And of course, for the reasons you mentioned too, because Yanzhao is unbearably beautiful in scenes like that 😩 As I've already said, I can practically see him acting out that scene in my head and it drives me insane.

As for the changes, this is actually the first time in my life that I genuinely cannot say which version I prefer. The novel or the drama. Maybe the novel, but that is probably because it is complete while the drama isn't.
I can confidently say that I think the novel is better structured, more raw, and therefore more in line with my personal tastes. It also has slightly stronger character development, although that's pretty normal and tends to be the case in most adaptations anyway. But the drama has won me over so completely that I honestly don't think any of the changes will bother me that much. I've never experienced an adaptation of a novel I loved making so many changes and still managing to win me over.

I think the drama stands extremely well on its own, assuming we get a second season.
What I mean is that I wasn't bothered by them not showing Liuyi's feelings for Qing Long. It just made me curious about how they plan to handle certain future plot points, like the one we were talking about. But if they handle it the way you suggested, I think I would still be completely satisfied.
The same goes for Qin Hao. Are they going to leave him out? I don't think so, because he plays such an important role in the story. They could easily remove the part about him looking like a replica of Qing Long, though, and maybe also remove Chusan's jealousy. Who knows. I'm mostly just thinking out loud here. It's not like any of the changes so far have actually bothered me. Quite the opposite, really. Like you, I enjoy both versions of the story and the way they have chosen to portray the characters.

In general, I think drama Liuyi is quite different from novel Liuyi. And yet I can still see the Liuyi from the novel in him. Honestly, I think that is entirely thanks to Yanzhao. That boy is unbelievably talented.
As for drama Chusan, I don't have nearly as much to say. I actually think the drama has preserved his character better than it has Liuyi's. There is only one scene that made me think, "That doesn't really feel like Chusan."
The scene in episode 5, the morning after the wet dream. When he started avoiding Liuyi and then told him, "Maybe we should keep our distance." That whole scene felt a little out of character to me. I feel like novel Chusan, if he had a dream like that, would not have been embarrassed at all. If anything, he would have been even more shameless the next day 🤭

And as for the whole cat versus dog comparison, I actually prefer the drama's version here. I absolutely love the way Chusan compares Liuyi to a dog. Though honestly, both comparisons work perfectly.
Novel Liuyi really does feel like a stray cat that Chusan somehow managed to tame, whereas drama Liuyi feels much more like a dog. He barks, but he doesn't bite, and above all else, he's loyal.

I got the same impression too. It never really felt like he had those kinds of feelings for Qing Long in the drama. To be honest, that part has been bothering me a little, because you know how important Liuyi's "past feelings" are to the development of his relationship with Chusan. I honestly don't know how they're going to handle that part of the story later on in the series.
At the same time, I can't wait to see what they do with it and whether they'll include some of my favorite scenes from the novel. I'm dying to see the entire Chapters 73 + 74 on screen. I really hope they don't leave them out. Just thinking about seeing Yanzhao perform that scene is enough to destroy me...

"His eyes glistened as he looked at He Chu San, trembling as he pleaded, 'A'San, I like you. I love you. I don't love him. I only love you. Please don't say we should separate. I can't bear it. I'm begging you...'"
😭😭😭

I wouldn't say I've found a particularly good translation. I read it on Wattpad a couple of years ago and it was okay. It had some mistakes here and there, but overall it was easy enough to read. I'll send you the link in a bit.

Maybe my opinion is influenced a little by how he's portrayed in the novel. In the series, they've kind of softened all the characters, but I still dislike him there too. I'm not saying he's a bad person, it's just that he's a huge hypocrite, and his actions don't really match the "love" he claims to have for his brother. Right from the start, instead of trying to understand his brother, he lied to him about Lu Feng. Then he pressured the man who liked him into dating his brother! How messed up is that?
Anyway, I think the main reason I dislike him is because he's such a hypocrite. Especially after accepting that he's gay himself, he should have shown a lot more understanding toward his brother's relationship with Lu Feng.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I like Lu Feng or excuse his behavior in any way. Honestly, as I already said, they're all pretty problematic. The only character in the series I actually find likable is Qin Lang 😅

See?! All the clues were there from the very first episode! Girl, you should trust your gut more! 🤣🤣🤣

Haha, you actually got the story with the second couple pretty well, for someone who didn't pay attention to them. There’s a lot more to their story than that, but yeah, season one basically just introduced them to us. That said, the "good" guy has a few other reasons for wanting to find out what happened to the "bad" guy's brother.

We all need a second season! Honestly, having read the novel, I'd say we actually need two more seasons with the show's current pacing 😅
Their chemistry feels so fresh compared to the usual dynamics we see. I'm completely obsessed with these two! As for who's the top and who's the bottom... I think it's pretty obvious 😁