Reviews

I really enjoyed this drama. I wanted to keep watching it and complete it quickly, but at the same time I didn't want it to end. That's because I was sucked in by the atmosphere - this drama is simple, down-to-earth and heartwarmimg. I wanted to squeal "kawaii!!" on more than one occasion. For me, that's a winning point.

The story was perfectly solid, although there was nothing remarkable, and it had some weak points overall.

The main plot is simple enough: Are they going to save the restaurant in the end, or not? Then there's also the question of how they're going to learn to get along with the new head chef Ezaki (Eguchi Yosuke). I’ve recently read a book about group dynamics and leadership and some things in this drama sort of illustrate really well the things I’ve read about. It could be argued that the story is predictable in both respects, but that wasn't a problem for me as I felt that it was always interesting, and there was character growth and development in the way the characters related to each other.

The characters in this drama are easy to like. They all have flaws and personal issues, but there are no annoying characters in Dinner! Most of the supporting characters got to be the main focus of an episode, and I liked that as it made me get to know everybody and care about them all. I felt that the story was very good for a drama in this genre - it's about people and the food they love to eat and cook.

There wasn't any romance in the main story arch of this drama but Tatsumi Saori (Kurashina Kana), the manager of the restaurant is sort of the cute princess to Ezaki's knight in shining armor. He’s grumpy, and a no-nonsense kind of person. He's very strict and extremely serious about food, a perfectionist, and doesn’t care if people think he’s scary as long as they do their work well. But he’s not mean, prejudiced or vain, he’s a really good guy under a rough surface. Ezaki's passion for food boils down to the fact that he loves to make people happy with his cooking. That makes him happy, and it motivates him to keep growing as a professional. This makes a lot of sense to me and personally I find this kind of character appealing.

What I liked less was that it felt like the story was dragging a bit with some of the episodes. It wasn't always interesting, so this drama was a bit uneven and not quite as amazing as the first few episodes led me to believe. Still, it was far from disappointing; I consider this my favourite of the dramas I watched during the late autumn of this year! (I didn't watch it while it aired.)

Also, while it's super cute, the enthusiastic "Let's all do our best and smile because we're like one happy family!" attitude can be a little bit tiring sometimes.

The acting was convincing overall, but I found it to be a little bit over the top at times. I really liked Eguchi Yosuke most of the time, but when he became too wild-eyed with excitement, I felt that the drama was bordering on cartoon-ish, which felt out of place.

Most of the time, this drama was well-balanced between humour and serious themes, but although definitely enjoyable, this drama was not as perfectly composed as one of Ezaki's dishes. Oh, and speaking of Ezaki's dishes - the cooking scenes in this drama were good. I wouldn't have minded even more closeups on the food, but I'm not disappointed with what I got. This is not a drama about people who just happen to work at a restaurant, the drama is about the restaurant, so food is definitely an important part of it.

In the comments, some people have mentioned the ending. Well, in my opinion, nothing else would have made sense to wrap up this story in a good way, and that's that. I liked it.

I never have a lot to say about music in my reviews, and this time is no different. I really liked the ending song, and the music overall was nice... but I don't feel that this has any significance for my overall rating of the drama.

While I enjoyed this drama a lot, I don't think I would rewatch it. I've never rewatched any drama so far, and there are very few that I could see myself rewatching in the future.

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The best version of Boys Over Flowers

I usually don't write reviews but I had to this time. I have watched all the versions of BOF and for me, this Thailand version is the best. I loved how the story was modernized and effortless. Compared to the other versions I liked how the ML was humanized in this version. I also loved the pace of the story and how well it progressed. The chemistry between Thyme and Gorya was amazing. The friendship between F4 members was strong and we could feel a strong connection between them which I felt was lacking in other versions. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this version and also its amazing OST's.

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Great Acting, Pacing with Unexpected Twists

Completed - 5/19/2022 - 8.75

When it's announced that Chen Kun and Bai Yu were going to be in a drama together, one could assume you don't have to worry about the quality of acting in "The Wind Blows From Longxi". This is a very heavy, political drama involving spies and schemes. If you had a bad experience with boring and dragged out political dramas in the past, and are still interested in this genre, DO NOT miss out on this drama.

Plot - I would not classify myself as a huge fan of this genre, as I often get bored in the middle of such politics heavy drama, e.g. "The Longest Day in Chang'an". However, with only 24 episodes, we have a very tight plot with amazing twists and turns. The pacing is the best I've seen in a historical political drama. There are schemes over schemes, lies after lies, spies everywhere trying to outsmart each other. The whole drama is very dark and serious, as it should be during war times. However, I did think to myself wishing there were a few more lighter moments (not comedy). I wanted to see more flashbacks of Chen Gong, Xun Xu and Di Yue, before they became spies. Those were the times when we saw smiles on their faces. On the other hand, yes, there are legitimate criticisms about the introduction of so many characters in the first few episodes. And yes, the summary at the end of each episode does help viewers in understanding what exactly happened. However, my biggest criticism of the drama is that, if the writing of the drama is better, do we really need to have the episode-end summary in the first place? Can't the story be written in a way that's less confusing for the audience, who has no prior knowledge of those historic times, and not be confused by the barrage of characters?

Acting - As I mentioned earlier, you really don't need to question the quality of acting in this drama. Not just because of Chen Kun and Bai Yu, but also all of the supporting cast. No matter how small or big the part is, everyone was excellent. And yes, Angelbaby wasn't bad either, though her part is small. In the last episode when Cheng Gong (Chen Kun) and Xun Xu (Bai Yu) had the confrontation heart-to-heart talk, I couldn't help but cry with Xun Xu.

Friendships/Relationships - The friendship between Cheng Gong and Xun Xu is on a different level. They understand and trust each other. There are many times in this drama where each could have questioned the motive and sincerity of actions. They could not be honest due to the nature of the business, but deep down they trust each other and use their brains to arrive at the correct conclusion. I wish we have more scenes with the two of them together. On the other hand, even though General Li and Prime Minister Zhuge seem like enemies, they are both loyal servants to the emperor. They just have different ideologies, motivations and strategies on what's best for the kingdom.

Production Quality - This is not a palace drama so we don't have beautiful set designs and costumes. These are turbulent times and everything felt so realistic. The lighting, sets, props, houses - everything looks so real. Others commented that this drama is very dark (not enough lighting), but I personally enjoy the use of natural light from candles and lanterns. They could probably use an extra candle or two here and there. This drama may not have the beautiful cinematography as in "Luoyang" or "The Longest Day in Chang'an", but it just feels right. I also greatly enjoy the gritty fight scene towards the end between Chen Gong and Huang Yu. That was very physical but with a lot of emotions. I would have loved to see more.

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Wow, after two years of this drama being on my plan to watch list, I finally watched it. It took so long because I was too lazy to find a place to watch it. I loved this drama so much because it was so fun, hilarious and addicting. I can honestly say I never got bored watching it because it didn't drag at all and it was so unpredictable that my eyes were glued to the screen. The plot was very unique because it wasn't a cliche romance drama, a revenge or something that made me want to rip my hair out of my scalp.

The love in this drama between each of the characters especially my baby Ha Seon was so sincere that I never got tired of the situation life threw at each of them. The best thing about this drama was it made me laugh or warmed my heart through each episode. The chemistry was there for each of the characters even though the show was not like your regular romcom because it didn't focus on sexual desire but pure love. Also the male actors were so handsome that I wish I was Eugene throughout the show. I definetly recommended it for all to watch.

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Started out SO good, but left me disappointed in the end

Final edit now that I finished the show.

A couple things ruined it for me:

- The moment Nan Chu became famous. It changed the whole show, I didn't like it, and I felt like her character changed all of a sudden. We knew her as a rational, level-headed girl, and suddenly she was oh so willing to go against everyone's advice to enjoy her dating life. What do you mean you didn't expect the papps to follow you to the funeral, girly you're a star now (though even that felt weird)

- Da Gang's death?? It felt unnecessary and weird, I don't know why they added that

- The ambiguous ending. You can try to reason with me all you want, but unfortunately, and against my own best wishes, I also believe that the male lead died, and I HATE it. Don't watch the last 15 minutes, they're confusing lol.

Overall, the show was good, although the last 14 episodes felt like a completely different story to be honest. Some episodes felt tedious to finish, and I felt weirdly disconnected to it, which is a shame because I loved the first 26 episodes. Certain plots were either brought back (the annoying senior actor and the starlet), or introduced (Nan Chu's parent's love story) that I simply didn't care for. I found myself skipping half episodes to get to the point simply because they felt like fillers. From the beginning, I was "eh" about the 40 episodes total, and after finishing the show I can say that it dragged in the last episodes. It did not need that many, and I would have preferred a clearer ending. Either he is dead, or not. Not something that can be both or just the one, based on your own interpretation, especially in a show like this where it's literally between either life or death. A clear cut would have been better.

I was about to give the show 7/7.5 stars to be honest because of the things I didn't like that ruined it for me. Sudden stardom and a weird character development, unnecessary plotlines and the ending just kinda left me disappointed. The actors did such a good job, and I will definitely pick up another Huang Jing Yu drama because his acting was especially great in emotional scenes. The romance was perfect for me when Nan Chu and Lin Lu Xiao just started getting to know each other and slowly developed a mature relationship. I also really liked the comradeship between the firefighters, they really felt like family. The last two episodes and the episode with the banquet fire (30, I believe) sort of made me give the drama very weak 8/10 stars - it did manage to pull my heartstrings one final time.

(edit: changed the rating to 9/10 because I am in L O V E).
(edit updated to episode 26: I still love everything about the leads and their relationship. It's mature and sweet, both are very confident in their partner and support each other wonderfully (be it emotionally or regarding their careers). This has to be one of my favorite romances in a while, it brings me so much joy to watch Nan Chu and Lin Lu Xiao together, the way he softens when she's around him is just absolute madness! Now, we have gotten a lot of conflict within the station in the last couple of episodes, and I'm excited to see where this will be going, and how this will be resolved, since we have 15 episodes left. Overall, this show makes me incredibly happy, and waiting for new episodes is both exciting and excruciating. I'll be going away for a little while, can't wait to find weird ways to download the episodes so that I can still catch up with everyone because reading your comments is really fun! 🥹👍🏻 AnywhO, I hope those who abandoned the show too early, or who were unsure whether or not they should start it, give it a second thought. Under all the firefighting (propaganda), you do get a mature romance and nice bromance and relationships between the characters; it's a very heartwarming show so far!).

I'm giving this an 8/10 for now but I am in love with this show. The first episode was already extremely impressive for me, the cinematography did not disappoint. I don't quite know how they filmed these burning buildings etc., but it looks so real!

I already love the female lead and male lead; their chemistry is so good despite them not having too many scenes with each other just yet. I like how they are both very mature and serious without being boring. You can see in the female lead that she is a strong-willed and hardworking young woman, and I love the actress so much for that. She was already really great in >Lighter and Princess<, and she proves herself as a capable actress again. Zhang Jing Yi is such a natural actress, she becomes the character with ease and makes me believe every single word she says! Huang Jing Yu plays his character very well as well. The way he is able to have a gentle, dreamy expression when he looks at the female lead (not always, but sometimes homeboy is entranced by her, can't blame him!) compared to the other two actresses (within the show, actresses playing actresses ha!) is just *chef's kiss*. But then, he is also the capable firefighter, who saves lives and lectures his disciples! Yet you can see that he cares deeply about his people and job.


I like the music a lot too, it's very fitting in every scene and emphasizes the emotions of the characters very well.

So far, the romance is very little, but very good. We get sweet little moments between the leads that got me kicking my feet and giggling, but I'm excited to see it develop into something more serious and solidified.

Now, this is a firefighter drama, so it does feel like propaganda.... but they kinda got me here. The comradeship and bromances between the firemen are actually really cute lowkey lmao.

I'm excited to continue the show, but for now it's a yes and thumbs up for me🥹👍🏻

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This drama was so disappointing I'm writing my first review (spoilers ahead).

First of all, it didn't hook me in like most other dramas do, I couldn't watch more than one episode at a time (which is saying something). The first half was decent, but then I got really impatient and would watch half an episode and finish the next day because I got bored (and slightly annoyed at the lead's breathing, feels like he breathes more than he talks - yes, it can be effective, but it was over used).

Cast is fine, acting on the whole is pretty good, music is fantastic (have yet to watch a drama with bad music). The story has an interesting premise, but it lacks/fails in the delivery.

(Spoilers!)
I have issues with the premise that people who commit suicide never make it to heaven (which could just be the 'religion' of the show but that stems from very real stigma) and dissipate. And if that means they never get reborn, how is Kang Pil Sung meeting Hong Seo Jung at the end? (Cheesy.) I thought the souls Hwang Dae Du absorbed wouldn't go to heaven either? Did that change?

Hwang Dae Du apparently has OCD because it's convenient to the story line (except when it's not). If he truly had OCD, you would see his "compulsions [as] repetitive behaviors that [he] feel[s] driven to perform." But you don't. He's kind of 'obsessed' with Kang Pil Sung, and the answer as to why in the last episode is pretty unsatisfying/lame. His whole 'theory' he's out to prove that demons are made, not born, isn't showing at all. He taunts Kang Pil Sung "look at what you've become" and I just "???" I don't see it, until the last episode (briefly), which is too little too late.

There's no telling how or why Hwang Dae Du attains the powers that he does. Yes he swallows a few souls at the beginning (yes the shaman has powers), but after that? On top of getting a few psychic glimpses he can now move & break things? Immobilize & control people? Huh?? There's no explanation for any of his powers, they just show up, 'cause I guess that's cool?

Not to mention, if the whole world is going to hell (because the door is open), how the hell is that not sensed from the island? I can accept Hong Seo Jung doesn't feel Hwang Dae Du because of salt or whatever, but HELL itself? Engulfing the world? A few episodes ago it was made clear the effects were worldwide, so why would this tiny island be exempt??

Towards the end... well, I was surprised (at first) when people got killed, but when new characters were introduced I had an idea of what would happen, and then it did, no surprise. Was there a point to all the deaths? Meh. Later, the girl's rushed to the hospital, "any later and she could've died" from WHAT? Being knocked out? Poisoned? We'll never know! And to top it off, Kang Pil Sung is the suspect of SEVEN murders?? HOW? They literally have video of the other dude TWICE? Details, I guess, but as a writer, I can't let those slide. I don't mind dark/bittersweet/unhappy endings but they have to be done well, and it wasn't. :|

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Just when detective dramas seem to have grown stale, stuck in that that episodic rut so many fall prey to, Japan manages to produce something fresh in a favorite genre. The Long Goodbye, based on the famous Raymond Chandler novel of the same name, might be just this aforementioned something. Part period piece, film noir, and clever adaptation, this miniseries may leave you more satisfied than its five hours might suggest.

The Long Goodbye covers just one case in full, taking place in the early 1950’s. We swap the original location of Los Angeles in the United States for Japan in the same era. This injection of the downtrodden post-war atmosphere throws its shades on the theme and plot. What results is a wholly unique spin on a drama otherwise reminiscent of classic detective noirs popular so long ago in Hollywood. “Shiritsu tantai (private detective)” Masuzawa Banji replaces iconic Phillip Marlowe in this short and sweet adaptation; just like Marlowe did, Masuzawa encounters an unforgettable friend he feels he must protect—then eventually vindicate in the eyes of the public. Our mystery is one fraught with murder, twisted love, and poisonous wealth, filled to the brim with refreshing twists and turns, strewn with clues for the viewer to notice. Nothing is what it seems, and most things are more complicated than first glance.

Something else of note is the excellent narrator, doubtlessly kept over from the source material: he has a wonderfully cheeky style, and often brings much-needed humor to The Long Goodbye when heard.

Asano Tadanobu is a consummate actor, best known for his excellent work in film. Being able to see him on screen for any extended amount of time has been a rare pleasure. As Masuzawa, Asano-san brings an excellent physical performance to the table, using body language to tell what the character cannot. He is a silent type as these detectives tend to be, yet also displays a wonderfully amusing attitude from time to type. Whenever Masuzawa would become fed up with a situation, that scene was golden. Other honorable mentions go to Kato Koyuki, our resident sultry enigma played with style and pathos, and Ayano Go as friend-in-need Tamotsu. His tears won’t soon be forgotten; what a wonderful display of vulnerability in such a relatively short appearance.

Musically, The Long Goodbye offers nothing I would listen to again. But for its purpose, building the atmosphere and tone of the drama, it’s perfect. Like the narrative style and cinematography, a classic approach is taken with the soundtrack. Everything gushes with dark, jazzy color—just like an old-timey film. Of everything one can hear in this drama, the theme song will be most memorable. As I type this out, I can still hear it playing in the back of my mind.

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this is one of those slow burners, and they just talk, there's no action or thriller (totally different from what I thought it'd be)... but still I was never bored, their dialog was smooth and natural that I enjoyed listening to them.. overall, it was a feel good movie about humanity and trust?

Kim Hyang Gi was really amazing, she acted with her whole body, there was a scene where she had her feet tilted and her toes were moving, I mean, it was not the focus in your face "oh look she's being autistic" but like she was deep in her role just unconscionably moving?...

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How do i go about describing this movie. Well the first reason why i started watching it was because it was about soccer and unfortunately there aren't many soccer movies or dramas out there. What i got in return was a package deal. This movie has both drama and soccer in it. Now the story isn't the best but it did make me laugh, and it did make me cry. The cast was pretty good(and hey, it has a bunch of East Timorian kids in it!). The music wasn't anything special, but it served it's purpose. As for rewatch value, not much in my opinion. Overall though, this is a decent soccer and drama flick that'll make you laugh and cry at points of the movie.

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Oh look, it's review time!

I don't usually watch dramas like this anymore, but I found myself without an internet connection for a few days and this lingered on my external harddrive. Guess that's how life works, eyh?

I plowed through this in three days. It's a really light watch. There's no rocket science involved in any way, and to be quite honest - the story line is rather predictable. However, it did have some good points.

The story is decent enough. It's nothing extremely original, but it gets away with being charming and light hearted. The title would give you the impression (or at least it did to me) that this is gonna be hardcore ramen cooking from start to finish. I was surprised to see exactly how little focus there was on the actual ramen. I'd like to throw in a comparison to emphasize my point; In Baker King Kim Tak Goo, which is a drama about baking bread, you get to learn a bit about the process of making bread and how one should proceed. As for this one, we learned nothing about the ramen, which is a rather complex skill. I guess I was a little disappointed by that.
I know some of you are gonna go "Yeah but this is a romantic comedy, it's supposed to be about relationships and silly acting". I get that, and Baker King is a completely different genre.

I'm just saying.

Moving on!
I have the impression that romantic comedy is a very "silly" genre in Korea. It's all about overacting in front of the camera in what is supposed to come across as cute and funny (apart from the boy meets girl part of course).
Weeeell this drama, for me, takes it to a whole other level. The camera closeups on Yang Eun Bis face and the awkward hand movements, which were topped off with sound effects, were just extremely hit and miss. They could have gotten away with way less and made it easier on the eyes in the process. However, for it's genre it does hold some comedic value. I just don't feel like it served it's purpose the way it could have.
Other than that, I don't really have any complaints. Some rookie actors made their characters rather bland (*cough* Yoon So Yi *cough* Woo Hyun Woo *cough*) but what can one really expect. The main leads did their job fairly, and all in all it was an enjoyable watch.

The music is rather bland in my opinion. It never really stuck. If someone played a song from the soundtrack for me right now, I wouldn't have been able to tell where it was from. I don't feel like it emphasised the drama the way it should have.

I'm not one to re-watch dramas often. In fact, with a few exceptions, I never do it. However, 6 is a rather high rewatch score for me. This is because the drama, despite my concerns above, is a lighthearted and silly (but not ridiculous) drama.

The good things about this that I would like to underline, is that it's fast paced. The episodes are short for a korean drama (45 minutes), and time really flies by while watching . The episodes are never really dull, and never at any point did it become a hassle or a duty to keep watching. However, it really depends on what mood you're in while watching. Don't expect a life changing drama. If you're after a drama where you can turn your brain off and just lay back and enjoy, this is the drama for you.

And for that reason, I rate this a 8/10.

PS: For those who are interested, you are welcome to join my "We who want to high five Yoon So Yo in the face with a hammer" club. We meet every wednesday at 6pm. I bring cake every two weeks.

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I thought that I would really like this drama, because it had this super girly, rom-com type feel to it at first, slightly reminiscent of Boys Over Flowers, with the two new hot guys instantly gaining popularity at school, however, I found that the plot was unsatisfying, and the dialouge and acting were a bit overdone, and over dramatic. It was quite obnoxious. The female lead can't make up her mind between two guys, and then she goes after one, then changes her mind over and over. Her fickleness was probably what started the flame in the burning runaway bus that I call this drama.

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He is Psychometric was not a drama that was on my radar, but I saw an OST video and decided that I needed to watch it. It was a rather impulsive watch and I have absolutely no regrets. I did a true binge-watch of it and ate it up in 3 evenings.

The tragic beginning to the story and then the slowly unraveled tragic history/background really grabbed me. The drama had me wanting to know what happened next as well as wanting to uncover their pasts with all the details as quickly as possible.

The drama was relatively predictable for me, but it was so fast paced and heartbreaking that I didn't care.

Both MCs were likable, though they felt very young (not in a bad way). They were so full of energy, drive, and motivation. I liked the layout of the story in how they were introduced with the initial tragedy that starts the whole story, then we meet them as seniors in high school, and then the story finally takes off at full speed with them as adults. This built the story and the plot very smoothly because through this, we also met the relevant side characters who played roles in the later plot, whom were also likable and enjoyable too.

I was very sad for Kang Seung Mo's character the most. I became very attached for his character, through I predicted his role from the very beginning. His story was so horrific and there's a romantic part of me that feels like his ending wasn't fair (even though, logically and realistically it was more than fair, especially if this story had occurred in real-life). I desperately wanted him to have a happy ending and live a normal, successful life. This is a personal problem I have though, not something objectively wrong with the drama. His relationship with Lee Ahn was particularly precious, especially when you learn of his past. I also think that he did romantically love Eun Ji Soo and was just pushing her away the whole time in his own way to protect her.

Aside from my tragic love for Kang Seung Mo, I really adored Lee Ahn. I loved him because he wasn't your usual MC. He was kinda dumb and I don't say that to be mean. He just literally doesn't have good sense or book smarts, BUT he was kind and good natured despite his past. It was refreshing to have a MMC who wasn't overly perfect in every way. He was obviously flawed - he was impulsive, reckless, and not smart, but he learned, took criticism well, and always took things in stride. He played to his strengths, wasn't afraid to show weakness/vulnerability, and didn't develop an inferiority complex. What I'm trying to say is that he was particularly lovable.

I would have liked for this drama to be a bit better balanced in tones. It was pretty well balanced with humor and tragic pasts/scary cases throughout, but it got a bit heavy and sad for me toward the end (~last 4 episodes). Honestly, I think this is more an issue with me though, not necessarily objectively with the drama - it only makes sense that the drama got sadder and darker as their tragic pasts were completely revealed toward the end, but I feel like the writers being the experts could have maintained the balance a bit better somehow...

While watching He is Psychometric, it reminded me a lot of some other dramas:
While You Were Sleeping (the beginning of the drama in tone and pacing and fantastical abilities)
You're All Surrounded (throughout the drama somewhat in plot and tone)
Pinocchio (the ending of the drama in plot and tone)
What set He is Psychometric apart from these dramas was the unique fantastical abilities of psychometry and the MC, Lee Ahn.

I would definitely recommend this drama, especially if you like one of the above dramas - it would definitely be worth the invested time. The OST is also enjoyable!

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Stand by Me is a great drama for anyone who enjoys a good slice-of-life, coming-of-age college drama. I really enjoyed it for the way it realistically shows the characters going through struggles with friendship, relationships, family, and leadership. All the characters and conflicts feel real and relatable, and the portrayals of the friendships between all the characters are heartwarming and fun to watch.

This show follows three best friends, two guys (Lu Qiao Chuan and Ren Yi Fan) and a girl (Zhong Bai) as they go to college together and make new friends. Their friendship is put to the test when Lu Qiao Chuan starts liking a new classmate, creating tension between him and Zhong Bai (who has a crush on him) and Ren Yi Fan has to try to mediate between the two. The show also takes a peek into the lives of some of the new friends that the three meet in college.

The characters are real and complex and the show avoids painting anyone as exceptionally perfect or exceptionally villainous. The show pacing can be a bit slow because there isn't a greater overarching plot. Instead, there are a lot of plot arcs that span a few episodes and each deal with different issues that come up in college, friendships, and relationships.

I really enjoyed that the show gets a bit meta with regards to the drama genre as a whole. At various points in the show, our two "second leads" (romantic rivals who aren't really romantic rivals, but are just people who also happen to like our main characters) frequently refer to themselves as "Girl 2" and "Boy 2" and talk about how their lives would play out if they were in a Korean drama. That got a few laughs out of me. And it's great because the show doesn't play out like a Korean drama.

My favorite character in the show is probably Xiao Hai Yang, one of Qiao Chuan and Zhong Bai's classmates who has been held back for two years in a row. He immediately takes a liking to Zhong Bai and is such a sweetheart throughout the show. I definitely liked him way more than Qiao Chuan, who appears to be the main "protagonist" of the show (a lot of the situations revolve around him.) One of my favorite plot arcs/episodes of the show involves Hai Yang and his past.

Overall, Stand by Me is a really great drama for someone who enjoys watching a show that can be a little slow, but feels very real and relatable. You won't really get any of the melodrama or excitement that you would expect from other more plot-driven shows, but you'll still shed a few tears and laugh a few laughs because the friendships are so beautiful.

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