Go Ahead (2020)

Acting couldve been better, otherwise its nearly perfect in my book

Great great great family/romance Chinese drama, very relatable and believable plot (hard to find in C-drama universe). I found myself crying and nodding along with the series.... and hating/loving/forgiving each character as they were so real, have their due weaknesses and strengths i found endearing and annoying at times. The three siblings are gold... their personalities compliment each other so well it hurts me physically when they grew apart - again, very relatable; you can't fool distance and time differences after all. The gap silently grew and grew even if we try our best to prevent it.

Writing is good; I can see the character developments - from the main leads and also their close circle of friends like MingYue. Not so much with LingXiao's mom - i find her personality changed too abruptly toward the final episodes. My only complain is: why ChenTing got SO much plot share compared to Daddy Ling? He was always on the screen but was not given any personal story whatsoever; he was either eating, nagged by Daddy Li, or away at work. He was the one on the main poster, not her mental ex-wife, duh. Need to applaud writer for his/her effort to touch mental health issues :D I wish more and more modern dramas would broach these subjects in the future, as it is the reality we young people do face.

Casting was on point; the kid and adult versions matched perfectly! the child actors were very very very good at their roles I wished the childhood scenes would go on forever :( So sad to part with mini Jian-jian. The dads chemistry were good, they were so natural with each other its insane. Lady who played LingXiao's mom was pretty great - she played the mental role perfectly well. I do agree with some people comment on Song Wei Long's acting - he was too... stiff. May need more acting experience to balance his sculpted look (no kidding his face profile is like roman-statue-perfect) but no worries - time is definitely on his side :D. My first time seeing Xiao Ge (Steven Zhang) on screen... and am satisfied with his acting (thumbs up!) his teary eyes were heartbreaking (watch out for some of his scenes with Daddy Li - prepare tissues).

Soundtracks and BGM are very good. Especially love the closing song. 10/10.

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I loved Go Ahead and its focus on family and friendship. This show is so emotional, and frequently had me laughing out loud and tearing up in the same episode. Every episode was so good and I liked the pace of this show, until the very last episode, which offered a rushed and tidy conclusion. I generally like that c-dramas don't have multiple seasons, but would absolutely watch a second season of this show!

Jianjian, Ling Xiao, and Ziqiu's bond is sweet and moving. Normally I'm eager for the characters to age up, but the childhood and high school episodes are so impactful and well-paced. I love Jianjian's silliness, her love of sweets, and her career as an artist! It's so rare to see a main character who is happily living as an artist. Despite her silliness she's not naive, she's used to diffusing tension and easing pain with humor, and she's a loyal friend who stands up to bullies. I'm a big fan of Tan Songyun, and even more so after this drama, because she excelled at both the humor and the emotional moments. Everyone's favorite character is Jianjian's dad, Li Haichao, who is a big-hearted softie, possibly the most patient, supportive, and understanding parent I've ever seen in a c-drama. Ling Xiao and Ziqiu both suffer from emotional trauma (it'll break your heart), but are able to find joy and love from growing up with Jianjian and her dad. Song Weilong and Steven Zhang both played their roles so well. (I've seen other dramas in which they played the leads, but they had me totally absorbed in their characters here.) I loved the supporting characters, too: Jianjian's friends, Ziqiu's friend, Jianjian's colleague.

Before I started this drama, I was worried about a love triangle, but I was relieved—although there are some unrequited feelings and some misplaced feelings, there's nothing truly frustrating here. The characters are human, so of course there are some emotional outbursts and awkwardness, but everyone reflects over their feelings and actions and faces them maturely. (Definitely no annoying I-won't-give-up/evil-schemer second leads here!) There isn't a strong focus on the romance, but I appreciate that they talked about mental health. I actually would've liked to see more of that storyline, to dig deeper into their relationship. (I am being intentionally vague so as not to spoil who the relationship is between, but I personally think it is pretty obvious from early on in the show.)

The most frustrating aspect of this show? The moms. It's the moms either abandon their children or are too controlling or are never satisfied. This is such a stark contrast to Li Haichao, who, like I said before, is so kind and supportive. Ling Xiao's dad is a workaholic who isn't around but he's upbeat when he's around, so it gets downplayed. (I am skeptical about him unable to take ANY time off during those nine years.) Fortunately, I did feel like some nuance with the moms was explored towards the end. One of the moms has a really heartbreaking character arc and I would've loved to see more of her scenes at the end. There's also a storyline towards the end about another mom that offers a layered, thoughtful reflection. But there's one mom who is truly self-centered and emotionally manipulative, and she was allowed to continue with her behavior for far too long. I can absolutely believe that there are people like her in the world, but it's tough to watch and I dreaded her scenes.

Although this drama is more slice-of-life and relatable, the pivotal moments are really dramatic. A lot occurs in rapid succession and it truly felt like an emotional rollercoaster during those episodes—but Jianjian, Ziqiu, and Ling Xiao are so likable and relatable that I felt invested in their lives. Despite some flaws and missed opportunities (if only there were MORE episodes), I truly loved this show, the cast, characters, and the melancholy but soothing OST.

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Dad of the Year

This drama explores the best of the best of human nature but also the disgusting side. I just started this drama and already hooked. I did have to skip all the long dialogue of the nagging neighbors & relatives that feel the need to judge. Whole reason why I don't watch many modern C-dramas.

The dad who opens the noodle shop is a saint who end up taking care of 3 kids. Then there's the godfather cop who is also a great character as well.
I wish they spent a little more time on the little kids versions as they are all so adorable.

Its so sad that adult issues impacted the kids early on and as the kids grow you can see the personalities develop still overshadowed by the abandonment. I love how the 2nd brother helps the dad so much knowing how lucky he is to be raised by him.
The older brother is much more introverted that loves taking care of Jian Jian, the carefree hyperactive girl.
I love the personality dynamics of the three as they navigate through life and the changed feelings.
However I do wish the drama is more realistic in that none of them really went through relationships. The older brother is almost 30 and still zero relationship history.

Must skip characters:
ML 1 : Grandma
ML 1: CRAZY mom. TOXIC
ML 2 Little Older Bro: Biological butt dad
ML 2 Little Older Bro: Aunt <---- same lines every time
FL's smart GF: MOM <--- What's w/ these redic parents?
FL's pretty GF: MOM <---- not as many lines but not less annoying

As the story develops, you'll see the impact and hurt each person faces. There are so many great outstanding performances.
However the ending felt rushed. Side characters didn't wrap up their stories really. Could've used a few more episodes. This is where 40 episodes felt not enough for a change.

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Great family story with good climax! He Zi Qiu &Li Hai Cao perfect bond!

I am very eager to waiting each episode and lucky this is a perfect choice! The brotherhood and parents relationship is good to watch.
The story start bright in the beginning, sad in the middle and ending with unexpected situations!
Through this drama make me understand the reason for what all is happen and the decision should be make. The real love is make the one you love is happy with his/her life even it's will not belong to you.
The total episode is too long for me, some parts is seems slow and bored when the conflict between brother rise, even the results is good.
For me the real best part is in the beginning, and after episode 35 .

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Must watch

This story captured my heart. They did so many things right. Each character felt like they had substance and made me interested in their story. It’s a story about Family, Trauma, and Love. The pain each character faces is so real and powerful. I’m a sucker for romance and though the main romance here didn’t take center stage rather was woven into the story seamlessly along with everyone else’s story it still managed to be one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever come across. Ling Xiao and Jian Jian’s story was so mature, the way they dealt with their problems was amazing to behold. They didn’t gloss over the fact that he had psychological problems and once in a relationship those problems didn’t just magically disappear, rather we were able to see the slow progression towards healing and how much they supported each other through these difficulties. As the episodes flew by and I got closer and closer to the end, I found myself not wanting it to end. It felt like we were a part of all these characters life journey and I wanted to witness the rest of their lives. Usually for chinese dramas I’d say around 24 episodes is the sweet spot. Once that number starts getting to the 30’s and 40’s things start dragging. However this drama was an exception, I honestly cannot imagine it being shorter. Each part of the story deserved the time it received, I wouldn’t have minded a few more episodes , that’s how much I loved this show. Right down to the music which was a perfect match to the vibe of the story. I know I’ll be rewatching this in the future, and it’ll go down as one of my all time favorites

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Right from the start I was hit by the complications from the two families, and I found the conflicts very realistically displayed. As someone who grew up seeing my parents fight, I immediately connected with young Ling Xiao. I enjoyed watching the three children grow up and grow closer. The progression of their growth was very logical and relatable, as I recognized some of the milestones that children usually hit (the rebel phase, childhood drama and shenanigans, etc). At the same time, the drama also wove in a lot of adult relationship conflict that I also was able to recognize. Overall, the depiction of relationships in this drama was very well done. I could clearly sense what the characters felt for one another. Very well executed by the cast.

Acting was phenomenal. As I said above, I could easily tell how the characters thought about other characters, especially in the difference for how Li Jianjian treats both her brothers. The drama cleverly wove in some subtle hints from the start and I could easily figure out how she felt about both her brothers. Tan Songyun and Zhang Xincheng acted out the relationship between their characters so well. I cannot imagine their characters being acted by anyone else. Song Weilong's character was very complex, and he did a great job too.

Of course I can't talk about acting without mentioning some of the older actors. Tu Songyan's portrayal of Lin Haichao was so convincing, and he really became the embodiment of his character. His dialogues and behaviors were so smoothly executed it was like he was the character, not acting at all. I love that the drama gave enough attention to the struggles of the parental figures, and the realistic depictions of their conflicts. Chen Ting is a super complicated character and Yang Tongshu portrayed her so well. There were moments where I hated the character, then other moments where I really empathized with her internal struggles. I thought it was a great depiction of mental health struggles that people could be going through in real life.

Despite this being a family style drama with not too many dramatic scenes, it did not fail at all in making me cry. There were times when one episode made me laugh so hard my cheeks hurt and I had tears then the next episode would make me sob. I have to say that part of the middle episodes started to get a little draggy and stagnant, but the plot still was able to move along and picked up near the end. I gotta say I think the ending is perfect and really fits the overall theme of the drama.

Lastly, I wanted to strongly praise the sound effects. I rarely encounter dramas that purposely use comedic sound effects to make the audience laugh, but this drama did, and I greatly appreciated it. The comedic sound effects really added points to the scenes (that were already really funny), but they made the scenes knee-slappingly funny. At one point I was feeling the drama drag a bit, so I watched on 1.5x and oh boy the comedic scenes were 200% funnier.

I'm extremely glad I watched this drama, and I am happy I am venturing out into more genres outside of my typical xianxia/wuxia. Please don't hesitate to give this drama a try!

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Beautiful and touching drama - best of 2020 releases

I love this movie, finished all the episodes on a weekend. The production was excellent, not a dull moment. There are moments where you would cry, moments where you will laugh and moments where you will smile, not a dull moment. The acting from the main casts were all so brilliant. And the OST was a great match to the whole movie. I did not regret watching this at all, kudos to the director and producer for making such a delightful and enjoyable drama to watch.
Not only I found the acting from the younger main casts were good, I enjoyed the acting of the other 2 older main casts. Their relationship in the story and the sacrifices both the fathers made for the children were so relatable. It also drove home the fact that no matter what the make up of a family is, unconditional genuine love for each other’s matters most. There are so many life lessons embedded in the drama, definitely worth the investment in your time watching it.

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Go Ahead is the type of series you can't forget

Caring neighbours and nosy neighbours, there is a difference. But one must carefully draw a line so as not to interfere too much in one’s private affairs. These were my first thoughts when I started watching Go Ahead, a 2020 Chinese television drama series that revolves around three non-blood-related kids who became each other’s family.

I am not saying it was a bad start, okay? It was a very effective introduction that successfully grabbed my attention. Seeing too many telenovelas, K-dramas, J-dramas, and other series on various platforms Go Ahead is the only family drama I was willing to see through.

I give Go Ahead a perfect score because the effort of everyone who made this series radiates. I honestly did not expect the intense quality Go Ahead was going to give when I first saw clips online. The story, actors, music, basically the whole production is wonderful. Go Ahead is the type of series you will not easily forget.

https://clarisays.com/2021/04/26/reelview-thoughts-on-go-ahead-2020/

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Great family drama

This drama isn’t a genre that I generally go for, but I decided to try it out after getting fatigue from other cliched dramas.

It turned out to be really refreshing and strangely gripping! I laughed and cried throughout the drama as the characters went through life and grew up. I was surprised that I could finish all 40 episodes (I generally drop long dramas halfway out of boredom from plots which are too similar). The characters are all well brought out, flawed but lovable (except for Ling Xing’s mom).

The acting and plot are amazing and heartwarming. A great drama to watch to appreciate your loved ones.

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? WOW ?

Quick trigger warning for physical abuse.

This show is pretty special as far as coming of age shows go. I really enjoyed watching this and appreciate the storyline. The show made me feel for the three main characters and it made my heart go through loops and feel happy and sad!

I love coming of age/university/young adult life shows. The family dynamics were really a special part of the show. They story really shows what a “found family” is and that was really touching. There we’re definitely frustrating moments, and there are events that feature physical abuse from a parent. But it’s wasn’t too much and it fit for the story. I think that there were a lot of highs and lows, there were melancholy moments and a lot of happiness too.

I hope you give the show a chance because it was worth it!

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