When We Were Young (2018)

The first maybe 4 episodes led me to think that this was going to be your typical romance highschool drama but after persevering through the first 4, the drama left the romance to become more of a side plot and the main focus shifted to the very friendship of the characters and the development and the maturing of them and I think that it's what we all end up experiencing when we're teenagers.
One of my favourite aspects is how every major character has some sort of a background that comes with them there's an entire spectrum of home lives shown through the screen which was fresh as dramas usually only explore the two main characters. Everyone had different interests, different talents, different aims and that's what made this drama so enjoyable. The development allowed you to properly emphasise with everyone and they began to feel more 3D than 2D.
When We Were Young also checked off mentioning exams which is probably one of my stranger and more niche checkboxes that I have when it comes to high-school genres but nonetheless, I think it's a key one. Most dramas usually downplay the effects exams have on students when in actual fact, these exams are the most important ones in the their entire highschool career so they arguably play a pretty major role in student's lives . It was interesting to see a variation of attitudes towards exams, some approaching them without any care, some taking them seriously, some completely getting battered by the pressure. The exploration even extended to the parents and how their attitudes to exams could be the catalyst to the absolute destruction of their child or the motivation.
Many people say that the ending is unsatisfactory or sad but I honestly beg to differ because I felt the ending portrayed the inevitable closure to everyone's highschool life well and rather than sad, I'd go for poignant.
Everyone's character was well acted and no one lost their colour from beginning till the end and it was realistic in the sense that it's not romance which drives us through teenage years, it's our friendships and yourself which you develop and improve as you go which gets you through it.

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this drama was so good. I'm still can't move on with this drama. this drama not really a love story but more into friendship but i like how the director insert a little bit romance but the sweetness is really strong. every character have their own story and can be related with each other. such an light drama to watch because no fight scene even sometime one of them make mistake and others will help and support each other. not only a friendship, it's also about family and obedient with teacher. overall this drama was so freaking good and i never bored watching many times. that's all

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A meaningful Drama

This is a school drama set in the 90's. I really liked this drama but I am not quite happy with the ending. I am the kind of person who loves happy endings with the leads being together. But this drama is reality. They all go their seperate ways after graduating highschool. It's sad but that's how life works. I am not saying that it's a sad ending. It depends on how you take it. This drama reminded me of my time in the last year of my school life. The friendships, teachers, exams etc... The drama gives you a lot of good thoughts about friendship and life. That is why I call this a "meaningful" drama. Talking about the cast, they did really well. Wang Peng was really cute as Yangxi. Acting was really good. I wouldn't watch it again but you can get a lot of insights from this drama.

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One of the best Chinese dramas I know...

All the characters were well-developed and lovable, especially the main leads. The ML is so refreshing because he's not rude or ignorant, he's actually very kind and funny. The FL is hilarious and I love her. There's romance but its also a lot more about friendship and high school. I'm keeping this short because it's been a while since I've watched it, but I'll definitely watch it again to refresh my memories. It's realistic and sweet in its own way, unlike most dramas these days. I'll always remember this drama when I refer to amazing dramas that I have watched.

Go watch it now, you won't regret it.

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Best youth drama, EVER!

I'm not going to pretend that I'm an expert on dramas as I'm sure many of you out there have certainly watched more shows than I have but as someone who's casually watched Korean dramas and Chinese dramas for the past few years, I can confidently say that this is indeed the BEST YOUTH DRAMA I HAVE EVER WATCHED. EVER.

The casting is spot on and each character plays their part PERFECTLY. I think they're mostly rookie actors but they did their best and the acting, though certainly not Oscar worthy, fit the drama extremely well.

As the synopsis says, this is a drama that tells the stories of five very different friends as they navigate their last year of high school in China. And it did it very well. There's the stress of the gaokao, the burden of financial problems, the loyalty amongst friends, the bond between teacher and students, family issues, and of course, some good ol' romance.

What was especially refreshing was the male lead. He's, surprise surprise, not some cold and arrogant CEO, not a bully to the girl he likes, and not a shitty guy to his friends or classmates. I really liked seeing a wholesome male lead for once in these dramas. The female lead was the most relatable character for me and I admired her so much. She's genuinely a positive role model for a lot of young kids out there. Not to mention their other three friends.

Maybe you've yet to experience what they have as 17 and 18 year olds or maybe you've already experienced that or maybe you're experiencing that right now. But I'm sure you'll end up seeing your youth in a positive light-- whether you're reminiscing it, anticipating it, or living through it right now.

You'll smile, you'll laugh, and you'll cry. But you're going to love every single moment of it. I can swear on it.

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Foi maravilhoso de assistir. Finalmente achei um Drama Chinês escolar bem feito onde todos os personagens são interessantes.

O drama me fez voltar aos meus tempos de escola nos anos 90, que nostalgia! O enredo se desenvolve muito bem e não te cansa, o desenrolar é bem realista, a trama foi muito bem construída. Dá gosto de ver o desenvolvimento da amizade deste grupo de adolescentes, suas histórias pessoais com suas famílias, a descoberta de seu primeiro amor e a loucura que é o pré-vestibular.

Hua Biao tem um lugar cativo na minha lista de melhores protagonistas!

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I've been putting this drama on hold for quite some time because I'm not a fan of youth dramas. however, i was running out of dramas to watch because of the lockdown ? and now i regret that i didn't watch this sooner!!!

i just finished watching this an hour ago and im telling you, i cried buckets of tears. this drama is so realistic and will tug your heart, make you laugh, and will make you look back on your younger years. it has a touch of everything: romance, family, friendship and what have you. this is so nostalgic (even the music) and made me reminisce my student life.

this drama is about the lives of five students, but hui biao's is the one that really caught me. he lost his parents at a such a young age and only got his grandma with him. despite that, he remains a happy kid and was always there for his friends whenever they need him. he remains optimistic and lively.

it has an open ending. and i think it was perfect because they are still too young to figure out their lives yet.

a must watch definitely *wink*

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Relatable! Highly addictive, touching, enjoyable!

I watched A Girl Like Me starring Neo Hou as Rong Xia and I wanted to see more of this handsome lad. He’s very cute! So good-looking! So, I decided to watch this drama. A bonus point was that the reviews for this drama were very good.

What I loved/ Watch because:
-Casting is good and all the actors and actresses acted their parts well.
-Many scenes tugged at heartstrings.
-This drama has many meaningful quotable quotes / lines. I liked what they said about persevering, about believing in miracles, about accepting unfairness in life, about the need to work hard …
-I genuinely liked the characters in the drama. There wasn’t a single villain or awful schemer which was pleasantly refreshing and relaxing.
-The characters are, in general, well-developed and relatable. The parents weren’t perfect people but simply people who were trying their best to raise their kids. The kids weren’t perfect kids but youths trying to find their way at 18 years of age.
-The drama featured a time I knew and was nostalgic.
-The puppy love featured was sincere and tingly sweet.
-I liked that the characters in the show were genuine friends who looked out for one another and stayed steadfast in their friendship. I’d love to get myself a gang/ clique that’s loyal and tight like that!
-I found Yang Xi adorable in her silly way. She wasn’t the brightest of sparks and she had a temper but she’d a good heart. She showed a lot of growth in the drama as the female lead. Of course, I liked Hua Biao. He was very cute! I’d have loved to sit beside this monitor. I felt for this plight and his relationship with his grandma tugged at heartstrings.
-Music is good and fits.
-Rewatch value is good.

I just completed this drama in a short period of time as it’s addictive and easy to watch! I highly recommend this drama. It’s a gem. I miss it already. It has Reply1988 vibes and I loved Reply1988. But, this drama is its own drama in its own right.
Enjoy the ride with these youngsters. I did!

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I would typically love this kind of drama but I find the pace was very slow. Storyline of some secondary characters are drawn out unnecessarily but those of the main cast were interesting enough to let me hold out till the last episode.

The ML’s character was very endearing, I can’t imagine anyone not love him. I just want to hug and assure him that he is doing such a good job with life at his age, I actually wouldn’t mind adopting him, lol! The FL is the epitome of immaturity in the most naive and innocent way possible. It was refreshing to see the actress nailed the job flawlessly. The other ML on the other hand (neighbor) could use some expression, I find him flat most of the time. The big winner of this drama is the grandma! Such a natural, I have seen really good older actresses in similar roles but my oh my Wu Yan Shu is a league of her own.

The cinematography of this drama can’t be beat, very nicely done. Music is so-so. Overall, I would say watch if you are feeling nostalgic and have no particular drama to watch on your list at the moment.

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It's said that close friends will be close forever, young people will be the same. We all have no regret from youth. After years, hope you can remember -- when we were young (WWWY, 2018)

Its a lighthearted, refreshing and nostalgic film about friendship .

They kept the over all tone at the same phase all throughout the film. The story was weaved perfectly, its simple but it tackled so much--- friendship, family and issues we face in normal life. The execution was superb, no exaggeration whatsoever.

The ending was bitter and sweet --- yet perfect.
Its a definitely a must watch if you want that tug in your heart.

Also, the main lead is eye candy. ??

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