A River Runs Through It (2021)

Spectacular Start, Awful Ending

The show started off truly amazingly. They captured the cozy small town family vibes, the casting is close to perfect, the production value and sound editing is top notch, and the story set up attracts you from the start. It's about a group of friends who essentially grow up together through the 90s and 00s, and they really take you down nostalgia avenue. The acting is subtle and nuanced, gives you the warm fuzzies all around. Wang Ruichang played the perfect attractive asshole, Hu Yixuan played the perfect adorable heroine, and I was so in love with the whole package that I didn't notice the trainwreck happening until it was too late to jump off...

So the first 20 episodes are extremely enjoyable. The main point of the story is the evolution of the relationship between Xia Xiaoju and Lu Shiyi, from when they first meet as teens who can't stand each other, to the best of friends in university, with hints of perhaps something more in the future. The teen arc is hilarious and lovely and we're introduced to their personalities, their virtues and all their flaws. Xiaoju is an academically average girl with a very caring, kind heart, headstrong in most aspects except when it comes to love - she botches so many opportunities to confess to Cheng Lang that we expect that part of her character to be the main focus of her character development. Lu Shiyi, on the other hand, is a bit of a jerk, can't say a sweet word to save his own life, is instinctively rebellious, but has a very tender, caring heart. The way he's shown, we expect his inability to express his love properly the focus of his character development.

The set up for their character developments are so cleanly and clearly executed. Xiaoju lost a lot of time and energy being unable to draw up the courage to confess to her first love, and Shiyi couldn't make Xiaoju see him as anything other than a somewhat irritating best friend because of his sharp tongue. In a perfect world, this drama should have been written in a way where once Shiyi begins sanding down his sharp edges in order to win over Xiaoju, and Xiaoju begins realizing her feelings for him, she should have taken lessons from her experience with Cheng Lang, overcome her cowardly tendencies and decidedly confessed to him. Shiyi should also go through a character development arc where he mellows out a little, or at least is less afraid to show his sincere love towards Xiaoju. With so much angst and bickering, 3 or 4 episodes in the end where we get to see them as a real couple, where Xiaoju truly realizes who's been good to her and Shiyi finally experiences the joy of having his love requited, would be the greatest payoff and reward for the audience.

Instead, there is no character arc for Xiaoju, and the little character arc they gave Shiyi is completely nuked in the latter half of the story. She is just as cowardly as she was in the beginning, but this time she actually loses the man who loves her back, when before with Cheng Lang she just lost an unrequited love. Then she's in her late twenties and she starts acting more like a jealous child than she was as a teen! Shiyi is still a complete jerk, unable to stop himself from figuratively pulling her pigtails even in his late-twenties! In the last two episodes, the guy goes to Zurich for a few years, does not contact Xiaoju at ALL, leaves her with the impression that he got himself a girlfriend, and then he comes back without a notice, acts like a grade A twat, and then he proposes... and then... she... agrees? They kiss and the end??

I was left dumbfounded. And then I was actually pretty mad, because they ruined what could have been a really perfect love story. They had such a good cast and premise, and then they wrote it THIS way. Why? My dissatisfaction is unbearable. And don't get me started on all the side characters - it's like the writers just love the idea of angst and break ups, like they want to shoehorn in as much of those as they can regardless of how out of character or illogical the situations are.

My recommendation for how to watch this show is to stop at the point where Lu Shiyi officially confesses. Then let your own imagination play out how the rest of the story goes because I can guarantee whatever you imagine will still be better than what they made. You can skip through the rest of the episodes if you want, and consider them the happenings of an alternate universe.

Lire davantage

growing up brings both pain & joy

i put off watching this for a while and tbh idk why, maybe cuz i saw the main couple dont get together until the final ep however, im so glad i finally caved and watched it. i wasnt even that bothered by the insanely slow burn of the romance because its REALISTIC.
the drama shows the beauty of friendship, as well as the difficulties friendships can face when met with the struggles of growing up and finding yourself. having to make important decisions but making them too late that consequences follow, is again part of growing up. this drama isnt just a typical high school romance, it is about making friends and working hard, studying well and achieving your goals , as well as exploring romance and relationships, having one sided crushes and all the other typical parts of being a teen / young adult.

the pain that the ML lu shiyi went through.. he acted so well, having to watch the one you love be blind to your acts because of someone else is painful, but the FML also was realistic in that it takes time to move on from your first crush/love & her not instantly moving onto the ML as annoying as it is when ur watching, wouldnt be realistic.

the only downside is the ending is kinda meh, its very rushed imo.. suddenly there is marriage and a proposal and it just comes out of no where , although despite this i enjoyed the rest of the drama so much that it isnt a huge deal cuz imo romance isnt the focus of this drama, growing up & having good friends is.

10/10 recommend it, id defo rewatch if i get bored & i wish i had a bf like lu shiyi LMAO

Lire davantage

Kept me on my toes with all the right tropes

This drama was slightly torture to watch and made me wonder at times if this drama will end up being renamed unrequited love, friendzoned or most men suck... Yet still had me guessing (pretty predictable guesses), laughing and enjoying some seemingly endless bickering and teasing between the main couple. Some of the characters are just to "good" to be human and that can get to be a bit to much but otherwise all the character serve their purpose well and are a delight for both the eye and mind.

To be honest it is hard to put my finger on exactly what made me give this 9,5 stars seeing it did torture me at times and make me want to tell the characters come on get your act together.Maybe just maybe the lack of having ones act together made it a bit more real in between all the perfect people in the drama. The female leads mom and brother top my list of people who bring out my inner anger. ​I must also say that allot of "bad behaviour" did get called out and even if it could be interpreted as romantic it did not just pass by like in many other c-dramas. It could also just be that this drama has high entertainment value and high emotional value making you feel a whole lot of anger, love, hate and happienesss all in one drama.


All in all a very enjoyable drama to watch that I recommend to any C-drama lover out there

Lire davantage

Nostalgia feeling, Heartbroken youth

The setting in a year where spending time together and the need to rely on each other. The story start from end of high school until adults . But somehow it relatable every journey they had. The farewell in every journey will happened as we moving forward in our life as the river. Never look back therefore there is no bad people in this story. No one need to be blame because as a human we tend to make mistake and sometimes the choice we made doesn’t seem to work as we want. Misunderstanding? It just happened in our youth.

Most people will be frustrated with the FL but there are a lot of people like her and her reasoning is valid at that point of time. Nobody is perfect an sometime we don’t get what we want especially to make others love us back.

The only flaw in this story is that they rush the ending and most of the misunderstandings seem to solve because of time.

Great rewatch value as the story is interesting .Kudos to Richard wang for perfectly play Lu Shi Yi. Because of this role probably will watch his other show and Hu Yi Xian also perfectly played as someone stubborn just like other youth out there.
Thank you for this slow burn drama that is healing and make us remember our journey

Lire davantage

We need a S2

Wow, this is my first ever review here after lurking on MDL for years. Chinese people honestly make the best youth/school shows and I felt so so nostalgic watching this. I went to school in Bangkok and the school and classes in this show just brought me back to 2010. The group of friends here was so wholesome and they made me laugh and cry and squeal all throughout. Now, this show did have its flaws but the reason why it's now one of my favorite youth shows is because of its characters aka SHIYI. This man, ugh what I'd do to find a man like him. He loved so wholeheartedly and it just, it made my heart so warm. I loved how realistic the show was toward the end.

Now I few things I wish they did better was show us more of those cuties together, I felt like I only got those butterflies in the last two episodes so I wish we got to see more of them being dorks together. I also want to see how Chang Leng got through, it feels like his story was left incomplete so I'm really hoping they do a S2. Regardless, I know this review is all over the place but this is a definite must-watch. I felt so empty after finishing the last episode and just wanted more.

Lire davantage

One of the better teen romance stories

Unforgettable characters. I hope it's one of the shows that I remember and not one that after 2 years, I stumble on YouTube again and watch and keep wondering... 'have I seen this already?' and not remember.

BTW, if anyone likes this, you will LOVE "Go Ahead" another series on youTube.

Anyways back to my review. what I love most is the female lead. She is absolutely perfect for this role. Just captures everything perfectly. And she's intelligent and smart. Even when she does the stupidest things, I don't hate her like other shows with similar stupid characters.

This show focuses a lot during their college years. And developing romance. I liked the supporting characters as well but definitely it's the female and male leads that I really care most about in this particular series.

It's authentic story and feelings and dialogues. Just fantastic and amazing.

Lire davantage

wholesome friendships and bittersweet partings

I started watching this drama solely for the main cp, happened to come across it as a random rec and decided to give it a chance. From the very beginning, the story had me hooked, the characters had me invested and the sense of humor and marvelous acting had me smiling like a fool at my screen. I love most of this drama EXCEPT a few ending episodes. a look @ the review section will really point out the fact as to why I feel this way. This drama would be a 10/10 from me was it not for the rushed and albeit happy but (as someone who was really invested in the main cp) unsatisfying ending. Add to the fact that the ending episodes have a lot of unexplained occurrences that make you feel frustrated and lost. The dissatisfaction comes solely from the fact that the misunderstandings weren't cleared and the five-year separation period just seemed TOO long to be realistic... (5 years? No communication? Oh man...)

What I mean is, the 5 years /would/ be justifiable if a little more effort was put into portraying the romantic aspect of the main cp (which I understand the drama might not be going for but STILL? There are many ways to tie the story together and still successfully time jump!) If I could just get a pov of Shiyi's life abroad maybe? If I could know what the whole thing with Shen Duo was? Heck if Xiaoju and Shiyi even had a ONE MINUTE talk about it when they met? Just one mature conversation put in between whatever that banter at the beach was about, and it would have been enough for a 10/10 because I love the beginning and the middle parts so much. I cherish the friendship aspect of this drama and even if there aren’t many moments that can be dubbed as “romantic” for the main cp, they still have a lot of sweet and heartwarming moments together and their chemistry is truly remarkable. I know expecting something to be perfect is just not sensible but this drama had so much potential to be a way bigger hit was it not for the ending.

However, the way these characters have made an impression on me in the most positive way possible in the journey of life they went through, I am still standing by the fact that it is an amazing drama... and just for the sake of the way their friendships and hardships and happy moments are portrayed, this deserves a watch and maybe a rewatch. What I would like to suggest is to dive into this without expecting too much from the ending... I did that too. We get a happy ending... that's nice, but a satisfactory one? In my honest opinion I doubt it.

CHARACTERS

All of them have their strengths and weaknesses. Nobody is perfect and I love the drama for this. We see all of them struggling and fighting their way through it, we see all of them achieving things and being proud of what they have become. They are very relatable and the actors are to be appreciated for their performance on cam. Ruichang as Shiyi leaves a strong impression. He is one of my favorite leads so far and is one of those characters who truly make you love the drama. Another one of such actors is Yixuan as Xiaoju. Both of them have their own strengths and weaknesses and accept themselves for who they are. Shiyi doesn't change his attitude to make himself Xiaoju’s “type”. Xiaoju ends up falling for him nevertheless. Xiaoju, despite being uncomfortable when the idea of having a romantic relationship with Shiyi is first introduced to her, still manages to preserve the “friendship’ aspect of their relationship and tries her best to sort out her feelings lest she should end up giving Shiyi false hope.

I know a lot of people dislike Xiaoju for not “realizing” her feelings earlier. But imho it is understandable. There is a particular scene when, after they ended up arriving late at night by bicycle, Xiaoju is lying in her bed thinking of what Shiyi told her (the “what if I like you?" part) She then suddenly remembers all the occurrences when Shiyi told her he didn’t like her (DESPITE the fact that he did like her. That is one of the flaws on Shiyi’s part) If a male friend tells you he doesn't like you, you wouldn't like to entertain the idea of liking him any further, let's be honest. Despite this, Xiaoju /is/ dense. But aren't we all? Shiyi is also impulsive in the end, but isn’t it understandable that he was frustrated after trying for so long and getting nowhere (still, makes me a little sad that he knew Xiaoju was falling for him (the bench scene) but still let his anger get the best of him. But that too is a normal human reaction.)

Despite their flaws, I love these characters and it is solely the fault of the writers as to why there are a few questionable and nonsensical decisions made by them that are done mainly to propel the story further instead of propelling THEIR relationship further. The actors though, Ruichang and Yixuan are PHENOMENAL and have found a permanent fan in me. I just wish their chemistry could be utilized in some other drama where they play a romantic cp (but that’s on me and my obsession with this ship)

I just wanted to talk about the main leads, other characters too had their moments and I'm sure they were as essential a part of it as the leads. (Shen Duo still makes me mad though, and ever since I saw the forced kiss she gave to Shiyi, I’m madder but HEY)

ps: the five-year separation, the lack of communication, and the fact that Shiyi did not contact her and left her hanging helped me sympathize with Xiaoju's character more. In the beginning, I was annoyed by her obliviousness but by the end, I felt like she too suffered and was wronged. If you put yourself in Xiaoju's shoes, you realize her character is very real (and well performed!) ALSO if we could get a few more scenes between them after the proposal my bittersweet heart for Shiyi could be satiated a little but oh well. Gotta accept it for what it is. At least the extra clip of them as parents is still there.

Lire davantage

bittersweet.

What makes this series different is that the plot isn’t cliché (imo), because the ML isn’t the one the FL has a crush on. He’s not the typical cool, smart, rich guy we see in most c/kdramas. He has his own imperfections and he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. He can be sassy and mean sometimes, but as time goes on, he starts embracing his vulnerable side and he’s not ashamed of it whatsoever. The FL is pretty immature and silly, but she’s a loyal friend. They have an interesting relationship. I liked how they went from enemies, to best friends and then later lovers. I just wish it hadn’t taken them so long to make it official, because for that reason the end felt a bit rushed. It definitely left the viewers with some questions unanswered, but nothing major, so Ig it’s alright. Another thing I wasn’t very fond of was when the ML had s3x with the FL when she was drunk in the last ep (I know it was consensual, but it still felt wrong). Overall, this drama wasn’t bad. It has everything, first loves, friendships, breakups, misunderstandings and it also teaches us that sometimes we have to let go of things and move foward. I liked the actors’ performance a lot, especially the main characters’. Watching their lives unfold throughout their high school and university years made me feel like I was growing up with them. I’ve watched this drama twice (only watched it up until the 17 ep the first time though), so I probably won’t rewatch, but it’s definitely worth a watch. :)

Lire davantage

Hard to move on from!

Story:
Beautiful story! I especially loved how all the characters are from similar family backgrounds. The story progresses in a realistic pace, there's no rushing at all. The story feels complete, even though you'd crave to know more about the lives of the characters after the drama ends.
Acting:
Absolutely love the casting! I cannot imagine anybody else playing the roles of the characters. You can feel their emotions even through their silence. The great acting is definitely one of the reasons i find it hard to move on.
OST:
I'm obsessed! They helped to perfectly carry every scene. Now that I've finished the drama, listening to the tracks makes me cry knowing I will never experience the feeling of watching it for the first time again. My favorite song is "Do you know I'm waiting for you"
Rewatch value:
This is one of my comfort dramas now, and I would love to rewatch it when I'm feeling down.

Lire davantage

A Bittersweet Journey of Growing Up!

I'd like start writing this review by telling y'all that I am following the guidelines and won't summarize the show for you nor I'll give you a lot of major spoilers. (At least I'll try not to :) )

•Plot:-

This show actually reminded me of one of my favourite shows, Reply 1988 especially for the initial 10-12 Episodes. I loved the Main Gang and their journey of Growing Up. Their interactions with each other and their parents as well. You will actually laugh and cry with our Lovely Leads and their friends.

The way they grow up, the way they learn what growing up actually means is what makes this show a good watch. The plot although is your typical youth drama so nothing really outstanding there but it's a good show.
A show that'll take you through the memories of your school or college time.

• Characters + Acting:
(I won't give character descriptions here since I want you to watch the show yourself.)

My favourite character has to be Lu Shiyi although he ain't a perfecf person, he might appear naughty and not serious about his life but he genuinely likes and cares about Xiaoju. He doesn't actually force himself onto her which is commendable since you rarely see such ML. His interaction and chemistry with Xiaoju is the highlight of this show IMO.

Xia Xiaoju started off as a clumsy and "not so bright" girl who got transferred to a new school in a new city and is gradually shown as a Kind, Loyal and Warm girl who genuinely likes Cheng Lang and wants his happiness. The way she wrote those "secret letters" as Mango Pudding to support Cheng Lang showed that.
Though cuz her character was not given proper chance by the writers.... she took too long to understand herself, Shiyi's feelings and to not ponder over Cheng Lang continuously.

I wish if writers wrote Xiaoju a lil different.

Qiu Le Tao is the character which I didn't hate but neither loved. Le Tao while not being able to handle her own relationship gave advices to Xiaoju on "Love". She kept pestering Xiaoju to chase after Cheng Lang which actually didn't do any better for Xiaoju.

Lin You's character was meh :-\
While I liked Cheng Lang, he was a good BF, a good Friend and good son. I wish he had a different ending as well.

I liked the parents too, although they don't standout that much unlike Reply Series but they did a good job in their parts.

Now coming to the "Acting" part,
Each and every actor actually did a good job in portraying their respective characters. The Leads as well as the supporting cast did well in living their characters. Richard Wang has become one of my favourite C-Actors and Hu Yuxian is so Good. Having watched her before in "Unforgettable Love" she did a good job here too.

• The OST:-
I liked all the songs although I didn't know the back story of those old songs which they featured, it was still good and will make you feel the warmth of Friendship and Love.

• Things that I didn't like:-

erhhhhh.... The Writing

The writers actually wrote well till I'd say Episode 20 and captured the immaturity, the lessons you learn after committing mistakes or failing. But then the show started dragging unnecessarily with Xia Xiaoju chasing after Cheng Lang despite knowing that he doesn't like her but Lin You.
While ignoring the affection shown by Lu Shiyi to her. This chasing and failing again and again kept going till E32 when finally the story moved away from this arc but by that time it was too late and chaotic which made the writers to rush and grab the clutter they made in which they didn't do a "Good Job" I'd say.

This whole clutter actually kinda ruined the ending and stole the time away from our Lead Characters, their relationship and the time that they could've spent together as a couple who are still learning 'What being a Grown-up means?'

Left a lotta things unexplained like why Shiyi pretended to have a girlfriend.
Besides it left me wanting more.
I wanted to see the parents' reaction when they would've found out about Xiaoju and Shiyi. The whole mess they created in last 2 Eps ahhhhhhh >.<

There were some unnecessary plotlines and characters which could've been missed but were given focus like Xiaoju's classmate "Cheng Le" (Played by the Bad Guy from Skate into Love), that whole story arc was unnecessary.

•Conclusion:-

Despite not being satisfied with that ending (it's happy ending don't worry!) it's still a good watch. If you love Youth Dramas then definitely watch it but be prepared to have that "wanting more" feeling at the end.
If you'd ask me 'If I'd rewatch this?'
then Yes! totally but perhaps skipping some parts after E20 and not watching the ending.

It's a good 8 ⭐ for me.

Lire davantage

Exactly like a river.

071922

I've been eyeing for this drama for so long. I still remember the first time I saw it and if I'm going to be honest, my first impression wasn't really impressive as it seems. I had these thoughts "Why do I feel like it won't exceed my expectations?" "Do they really have a good chemistry?" For someone who's fond or a sucker of the youth genre, I kept on questioning myself whether I should continue or not anymore (even though I only have watched a few of the episodes, around two to three or three to four). I don't know exactly why I felt that way, it's like I couldn't feel the drama at all but couldn't find the sole reason for it. However, one thing's for sure, I know for a fact that having those thoughts made me feel negative about it and yes, I was right. I immediately dropped it without giving it a chance and seriously, that was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever done. As months passed by, I started forgetting about it, and really, if I can go back in time, I think I would call myself out for being hypercritical and off. Now that I had the opportunity (which is already too late i guess?) I took it and I did not hesitate to start it all over again.

Stepping into the drama, I wouldn't say much because a lot of people here already voiced out what I had to share and I definitely agree with most of them. It's a 9 out of 10 for me because there were a lot of strong points which made it different than the usual such as the gradual formation of different relationships, a sensible slice-of-life plot, and the flamboyant portrayal of the characters. Not to mention, it wasn't a pain in the neck or problematic compared to other dramas that I've watched, to the point that I could just honestly count how many times I felt mad, sad, or disappointed whenever I put myself in the shoes of the different characters. In short, little to no issues. I've watched a couple of youth dramas but this has to be one of the best. The only thing that caught me off guard was the last few episodes. Just like others, I still have a lot of questions in my mind. It was too sudden or rushed, and wasn't able to give justice to most of them. It felt as if they gave that positive ending (Shi Yi and Xiaoju as well as Le Tao and Bao Bao) just to satisfy the viewers, you know, to make us happy. Of course, I would also be glad if I could get a good ending but that wasn't what I've expected it to be. The sudden jumps really threw me off that even the natural side of it became unrealistic in a way. It's such a pity because it felt like the whole drama turned into waste but then, by all means, I wouldn't let that as a reason to say that it was exceptionally good. Despite all these, I love(d) the characters and the actors and actresses who portrayed them. I enjoyed the acting, the music, the scenes (especially Shi Yi and Xiaoju's slow-motion scenes), and most importantly, the lessons in life. Who would've thought that with the many dramas that I've watched, I could still find realizations for this? Let alone that I'm picky towards dramas (even movies, series, shows or whatever it is)

Nonetheless, I would certainly recommend this. If you wanted to kill your time, this is a good thing to spend it with. Although I would like to add, please don't be dismayed by the episodes. I think it's normal since 1 episode for them is like 30-40 minutes so 2 episodes for them can be just one episode for other dramas.

Anyway, hoping for more dramas with these actors and actresses.

"Everyone is running towards each other without realizing someone's running behind them too." A comment I found in YT that I would commend because it is exactly how the drama was, which explains or explained why the title is a river runs through it.

Lire davantage

Perfect heart ranching drama!

It's such a beautiful drama. Not only depicts how girls are often treated but also how much difficulties girls could face. Also the romance part was so tangling .It was like a chain. Starting from Shen duo and ending with Yuan Ancheng. Although Lin You did not marry Yuan Ancheng at the end but I wish she would chose Cheng Lang that time. Cz I always rooted for Shiyi. Who wouldn't want to be loved secretly like him. This kind of love hardly exists now. The way he cared for Xiaoju is beyond anything else.And not to mention LeTao. She won my heart honestly. Every one needs a friend like her. That's it. Half I cut for rewatch value..cz I personally don't usually repeat watching a drama.

Lire davantage