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Good but could've been better

I'm not new to watching coming-of-age/romance dramas like this. The first 10 episodes up to the last bit of the high school arc, were pretty solid, good, and are rather enjoyable. I loved the dynamic of the Qunshan squad. I also liked how they got to highlight the struggles of each character (maybe not too much on Cai Fangyuan's though). I really thought it deserved a higher rating than what it currently has.

HOWEVER, the romance in this drama fell flat. First off, I understand the review of most people here regarding the FL being the constant "chaser". I honestly didn't mind it at first. Considering that I also watched The First Frost, I just thought that a reversed role of the girl being the chaser shouldn't be that bad as long as it's portrayed well. But I think one of the main points why TFF was such a hit is that it isn't common in real life to have somebody like Sangyan -- e.g. a guy who's willing to go through all hell for a girl regardless of how long it may be. People put Sangyan's character on a pedestal because of this. In reality, it's always women who chase after problematic and emotionally unavailable men because of our so-called "maternal instinct". I get Qiaoxi's struggles and I believe nobody should struggle the same way as he did, but our homegirl didn't look like she has any self-respect and really acted like a martyr all the way til the end. Perhaps the most self-respect she showed to herself was during her first reunion with QX when she initially tried pushing him away.

In relation to that, Yingtao's character lacks depth. The show made it look like she only lives and breathes for Qiaoxi (which I believe she mentioned in one scene). They didn't even highlight her dreams, her aspirations, and her inner struggles. It's hard to connect with her on an emotional level because all she really utters is "Qiaoxi Qiaoxi Qiaoxi". Heck there wasn't even a scene where she finally realizes that her feelings for QX are more than just caring for a friend. No scene for self-reflection at all.

Ok, now to Qiaoxi. The guy didn't even have a redemption arc! That time skip left out a lot of loose ends. How did he do during college? How did he get that finance job in the first place? How did he and Yingtao ended up living under the same roof? Did he ever make it up to Yingtao? And on top of that, the show ended with him...JOBLESS! And, when did he even realize he's developed a romantic feeling for Yingtao? Was he just going with the surge of emotions? He was in a very unstable emotional state so how was he so sure that he actually loves Yingtao? Coz she was the one who's always there for her and that nobody else could probably tolerate him the way Yingtao does? They may have shown that he feels bad for ghosting YT but his remorse didn't leave a huge impact to the viewers.

Overall, ZJM and ZLH did so well with their roles. It's just that the plot could've been better. I've read that the novel was so much better in so many ways so it's such a shame to see the drama being portrayed like this. I honestly thought the elementary/high school arc and the college/adult arc were written by different writers because there's so much disconnect with the feels. Not to mention the unnecessary fillers that could've been used to establish the characters' story well.

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Writing this review to get things off of my chest like Miaomiao did

First things first: THIS DRAMA IS INCREDIBLE!

I've been in a drama rut both for K-dramas and C-dramas. I don't see anything worth the watch anymore. Then I saw AvenueX recommending this, and of course, I gave it a shot. The pilot episode sealed the deal for me. I loved the humor, and the story was really interesting. It's the first time I've seen Esther Yu and Ding Yuxi's pairing, and at first, I was skeptical about their chemistry. But the more I watched it, the more I understood and liked their dynamics. All of the characters, both leads, supporting leads, and extras, are also well-written, and they all act very well. My personal fave was the actress playing Mu Yao. They don't have a lot of the OSTs, but the opening and the ending ones definitely sufficed.

Now here's the catch. I would've given it a perfect 10 if the context about Zi Qi being Fu Zhou was established in the earlier episodes. The moment Miaomiao and Zi Qi met, I knew that he's probably the same as Miamiao who's also "teleported" to a fantasy world. They've shown scenes where ZQ was questioning the origins of MM and I think that could've been a good tool to establish the said context. I just felt like the ending was a bit rushed and there was too much information divulged in one setting. I just found it funny because the last episode was straight-up a fantasy in a fantasy drama. There are just so much unrealistic things that happened in one setting that I just couldn't bear but laugh.

I never would've minded if the ending ended like that as long as they didn't end it abruptly. Although I know that the operation was successful and that they ended up seeing each other in the end...but why in the world would they not show FZ face? They even showed Cuicui and his grandpa but not the main lead? But then again, I guess their tactic worked because now I'm here complaining about it, making a commotion about the ending, while adding into the engagement that they wanted.

Nevertheless, I'm just glad I finally found a good watch after all this time. I definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a light and refreshing watch.

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