Absolute Banger till first 19 episodes.
The first arc of the drama is really amazing and deserves all ten stars. I'd recommend this show just for those 19 ep. The second arc though? Bah 🥴I'm not saying this because I dislike complications or tragedy but because the writing in the second half is genuinely awful. It seemed like the characters had no development in the span of three years and were just stuck being shadows of their past selves. The consequences of their actions do not seem to inspire any change in their outlook. The story seems to be in a state of complete limbo, it does not move forward but just keeps referencing the past. This kind of lazy writing is what makes the second part feels like a less charming reenactment of the first part with nothing new to add. The ML's character was also really inconsistent in the second half, like they weren't sure what they wanted to do with him.
Moreover, there's no satisfactory resolution of the conflicts that are set up, both in the terms of the romance and revenge arcs. As the audience we are baited into watching these episodes for the epic downfall of their enemies WHICH NEVER HAPPENS. Instead we are fed some sloppy shit about how everyone makes mistakes and all that like!!? That Gao dude is literally a wife beater what do you mean he gets a redemption arc? What was the point of setting up the stage for their battle then? In terms of romance the conflict between the two characters never gets the kind of treatment it deserves. They just sort of brush it under the table with one measly apology from ML. The show would have been much more meaningful if the whole revenge fiasco had made both ML and FL reflect on themselves and grow as people. Especially the ML, the lack of a proper grovel from his side really makes the second part feel so superficial and makes the FL seem like a doormat.
I'd suggest you to stop watching after their graduation party scene in ep 19 and give them a happy ending in your mind.
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