Ji Zhi De Shang Ban Chang (2021)

SWEET AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND

This drama is my FAVOURITE now, it deals with friendship, family, college, career, love and everything. Every episode is bitter sweet with a lesson at the end and it makes you want to do better and live better.
The 4 girls are absolutely different in every aspects yet they stick together and solve every problem they come across even though they constantly get discouraged, fail at the end they make it or take it as an experience.
Fan Xiaoyu is the glamorous rich one among the lot but you can see her struggling with life and trying to be independent, she have too much confidence in herself its both her advantage and disadvantage and she's hella loyal and supportive of her friends but she's self-willed resulting in chaos. Xia Langlang is the tomboy and she have another outlook towards life, it seems like she's the one with more knowledge about society and knows what to do in situations since she was forced to grow up too soon, though she herself is stuck too sometimes but she don't quit either.
Yang Jiaqian aka big sister is the nerdy one with idealistic views and righteous attitude, she never steps out of the line of her morals no matter who is at the receiving end. She prevents fights from breaking out and keep everyone together. She may seem meek with her protective attitude and shyness at times. Huang Fu Shumin is the little princess of the group and she really live upto that, born in an overprotective family, she don't quite know to fend for herself and she may annoy you during the beginning but she is the one with more character development. She's kinda childish, dramatic yet pure at heart, do the best for people around and the blunt one.
All of the main leads have some sort of family issues and none of them is more serious than other and them dealing with it gives us an insight about their lives and others who go through same.

OST- All the songs in this drama are so touching and the songs itself have a sweet emotional feeling and 10/10 for that.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND, YOU ABSOLUTELY WON'T REGRET WATCHING THIS.

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Couldn't hold my interest

Being a fan of Shen Yue's works and down-to-earth portrayals, I decided to give this show a shot. While not a hard-core fan of coming of age/slice of life dramas, I'd seen some recently that were fantastic, and the trailer for this one looked good. The first few episodes were okay, but the plot soon flatlined into a dull buzz, and I found myself fast-forwarding through a good bit towards the end.

Great acting from pretty much all involved. That's about it for me, honestly, in terms of good points.

As for cons, the biggest is the script. At times it wants to take itself very seriously and tries to set up moments of intense realism/realistic issues but then uses the most ridiculous and fantastical scenarios to "solve" them. The conflicts are repetitive and (without revealing any spoilers) don't really show much growth in the characters - just a dull acceptance from the characters themselves or those around them, which I don't believe was the intended takeaway.

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Be yourself - 机智的上半场

When i first started watching this Chinese drama i didn't really have high expectations but after watching a few epsiodes it's clear to say that this cdrama has a lot of positive things about it! The story focuses on the journey of four college students were they go trough the struggles of being an adult. At first glance this cdrama might not be that special however it has a a lot of valuable lessons! At the end of every episode "Fan Xiao Yu" one of the girls in this story will enlighten her toughts and knowledge, this is truly what made this cdrama so wise and special. Furthermore a lot of the episodes were moving and melancholic even so the writers still made it heartwarming and light so it wouldn't be to heavy. Besides the plot every character was especially intresting and had different backrounds were a lot of the viewers could connect and sympathize with. I realise that at the end of this cdrama how important sisterhood and friendship really is, this makes me think that you can't do everything alone! In conclusion i really recommand it to everyone who is going trough a hard time, you will find warmth and comfort in this cdrama! :)

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Slice of College Life Drama - Life's decisions and lessons

Completed - 12/27/2021

"Be Yourself" is a college drama that focuses on the life of four students who live in the same dorm room. They all come from different family backgrounds and have different personalities. This is a slice-of-life drama and the romance is only a subplot, quite different from the popular "Put Your Head on my Shoulder". This is quite a stress-free watch.

This drama follows the life of these young ladies during their 4 years in college. It covers a variety of topics and each episode ends with an epilogue and a life lesson learned. I think college students or recent grads would enjoy this drama. Nothing too dramatic happens, and some plot lines can be quite predictable and you've probably seen them in other college dramas. There's the cliche princess roommate that annoys the heck out of everyone. There's the love triangle where two roommates fall for the same guy. Of course, we have family members who are disapproving, too controlling or overly protective. Though these storylines are predictable, it's also to be expected in a slice-of-life drama.

We have two very supportive and lovely boyfriends. I find the courtship more entertaining than when they are together. You actually don't see too may cutesy, fluffy romantic scenes. I think our princess doesn't deserve her cute, caring and supportive boyfriend. I'm glad the princess does grow up and become less annoying. We also have romances that didn't go anywhere but that's actually more realistic.

I enjoy watching the journey of these four young ladies, following their individual character development, growing up and entering life after college and into adulthood.

Lire davantage

The highest rating I've ever given?

"Be Yourself" proves once again that slice of life dramas that talk about real life social issues always come up on top compared to the rather cliche and repetitive romcoms.

The four main characters are so witty, lovable, and relatable. I believe they are even better than the characters in Twenty Your Life On. Each has their own personal style, and the actresses' chemistry with one another is incredible. It's good to see characters who are flawed rather than perfect because then their good nature shines even brighter when they mature and grow throughout the story.

I love that each episode centers around one or two of the four girls while still maintaining the others' presence. The stories they tell are so entertaining and engaging to watch especially because of how real everything is.

My only nitpick is that I want to know more about Fan Qinzhou (Leon Leong's character). Although I do love he takes a backseat most of the time to let the girls shine, his character here is really interesting and eccentric that I'd love to see more of him. Fun fact: he has worked with 3/4 of the girls in this drama before already! As love interests too. It's fun to see him work with them again.

But I'm very happy to see Shen Yue take on a role that's more unique compared to her last two ones. Hopefully she stops being typecasted as the "bubbly stubborn" girl soon to have more characters like this.

Overall, this is a must-watch drama, so check it out!

Lire davantage

A Good Chinese University Youth Drama

The series follows the story of four young women who meet in their first year of university and form a close friendship. They learn to be themselves and support each other through their ups and downs.

Among the four women, Shen Yue's character Xia Langlang is my favorite because she is so relatable and likable. She is a bit clumsy and awkward, but she is also kind, funny, and determined. Shen Yue does a great job of bringing Xia Langlang to life, and she makes her a character that viewers can root for.

I also love the chemistry between Zhou Yu and Fan Xiaoyu. The two actors have great chemistry, and their scenes together are some of the most enjoyable in the series. The accurate depiction of college life is another reason to watch "Be Yourself". The series does a great job of capturing the ups and downs of college life, from the excitement of making new friends to the challenges of studying and balancing work and relationships.

I liked that the series showed the characters going through different challenges, both personal and professional. This made the characters more relatable and realistic. I also appreciated that the series didn't shy away from tackling some serious issues, such as bullying and mental health. If you are looking for a drama that will remind you of your own college days, then "Be Yourself" is the perfect choice. I also really like the ending which a season 2 might ruin the series for me.

Overall, "Be Yourself" is a heartwarming and inspiring drama that is sure to leave a lasting impression. It is a reminder that it is okay to be different and that you should never give up on your dreams. I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone who is looking for a feel-good drama with a positive message.

Lire davantage

Pretty good drama !

I started watching this drama just randomly cuz I was bored and ngl I kinda enjoyed it.
It's a slice of life/sisterhood kinda college drama and each episode talks about stuff like friendship, childhood crush, family, loving your parents etc.
As of the acting, it was not bad pretty decent. The plot was nothing interesting but it wasn't that boring too. The drama revolves around 4 main characters and all of em are given pretty much equal screen time. There wasn't any toxic relationship/friendship or irritating characters.

So, in short if you like college/slice of life or just a light hearted drama, give this a shot !

Lire davantage

What was the point?

I'd never seen so many not so good looking guys in one drama and even though I don't consider myself to be superficial, I found that the lack of eye candy in addition to such a boring slow-as-hell plot did nothing to assuage the ennui that crept in with each new episode.
Frankly, I found this uninspired and at times ridiculous. For an ensemble cast of relatively talented actors, the script really let them down and gave them little to work with other than creating division and disharmony over whether inner beauty trumped the physical. That was further compounded by making our weak-looking love interests do acts that were cruel, demeaning, and vastly inappropriate (looking at you Teacher Mai). Was there a lesson in there somewhere?

Lire davantage

Four in one done beautifully.

What a catch! Four girl, four personalities, four stories, four trials, four victory, four love plots, four griefs and four happy ever afters in four different ways. I've cried so much and laughed so much and related so much. It's so much to unpack yet so easy to follow, there isn't much for me to say without giving spoilers what I can assure you however it it's one worth watching. A little something something for everyone that watches. You might relate entirely with one character and their story plot or you might relate with bits and pieces of each character and their story plot, whichever it might be it will be refreshing even if they didn't end up with the drama standers for a happy ending. Please enjoy.

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College Life in 24 Episodes

This drama is interesting enough to watch. For those who haven’t entered college, it gives them a feel of what college life is kind of about. For those who have completed college, this drama allows them to reminisce.

What I liked:
- drama shows how four girls become friends
- drama shows the growth of four unique girls
- drama shows that other than studying for their degree, there are other ‘important’ things like finding love and navigating young adulthood before entering full fledged adulting
- drama is short enough and yet complete enough; each episode is one complete chapter in itself and feels satisfying

Two episodes stood out for me. One was when Huang Fu Shu Min’s mother passed away suddenly. It showcases that sickness and death can strike anytime. I cried buckets during that episode. Her mother seemed kind of overprotective and annoying in previous episodes. But, in that particular episode, we see that her mother just loved her too much. One really doesn’t know what one will miss u till it’s gone for good. It reminds us not to take the people around us for granted. Another episode which was hard to watch but meaningful (in my opinion) was when Huang Fu and her boyfriend had to make difficult (adult) choices about whether or not to continue their relationship or to split due to differences in desires. The episode truly brought out the harshness of reality. It can be very hard to come to a happy compromise or decision.

What I didn’t like:
- the character and actor, Mai Meng, annoyed me to no end - as the adult / teacher, I felt that he should have behaved more maturely and faced his feelings bravely. He should not hide his feelings or string the girl along. One of the worse things in life is a ‘non-relationship’ relationship… (if you get what I mean).
- the ‘lead’ actress Fan Xiao Yu became quite annoying towards the end of the drama. It seemed that the other 3 actresses matured but she regressed.

Overall, it’s a meaningful show that is well-portrayed. An 8.5/10 means it’s a Good Pass and I Recommend this drama.

Lire davantage

must watch college / friendship drama !!

i randomly saw this on my recommended videos and im so glad i checked it out ! i loved this series a lot, it shows the realities that (most) students go through during uni/college , it shows friendship, love, rejections, family relationships, dealing with grief, financial concerns, exam stress, parental pressure and following your dreams… the cast was amazing and each of the 4 main girls got their own moments to focus on them, it wasnt just focused on one of them! each character went through positive character development.. although arguably langlang didnt fully get to achieve this, regardless i enjoyed the ending and think it was well done! all in all i recommend this to anyone looking for a light drama which doesnt only focus on one area! though be mindful that episode 18 may be hard to watch if you are emotional with family death.

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