New Generation: Kraken's New Life (2021)

A short series packed full of flavour.

First off, my review may be a bit bias, since Seven is my favourite actress and Bai is one of male actors I like, but within reason. They always deliver great performance, I'm never disappointed with their acting, if I don't like one of their dramas it's usually bc of the crappy plot. Although, Seven is my most loved actress, I'm not blinded to only watch her dramas, if it's bad script or plot I won't watch it. But, I will specifically check out her dramas and if it's not great I will still drop it. Among the many actresses, only Seven's dramas, I was able to finish 4 of her dramas all the way through, which really says a lot since I drop dramas like raining cats and dogs. Anyways, on to the review of New Home.

Although I've only watched 6/8 eps, I'm still waiting on Youtube for the rest to upload, I've watched enough spoilers and clips of this drama on weibo to get the whole picture.

1) Acting and Casting. The drama did well in casting the younger actors to play the leads. I was very pleasantly surprised the little girl actress was chosen again to play as Seven's younger self. I loved her in Go Ahead, she did amazing, and she did equally well in New Home. The little boy resembled Bai since even the ears were similar (great detailing in casting the younger actors to resemble the adults actors).The younger actors did well in portraying the personalities of their adult selves and the dynamics of their relationship.

If people didn't know, Bai and Seven have been friends for about 5-6 years now since their collab as minor characters in Whirlwind Girl. They have achieved amazing strives in their careers. So, when fans, including me, heard of their collab in New Home, they were ecstatic. Perhaps, it's bc they've known each other for years, instead of two strangers collaborating on the first day, their chemistry was amazing and very comfortable. Their acting was very natural, not overly done or dramatized. I loved Bai's comedy side, he does it so well and smooth. The little details in his expressions were very well executed and natural. I'm never bored watching him act. Seven's acting was very natural as well, I particularly love her smiles. But, I think Bai was the winner in this drama.

The other actors, as villagers, did very well too. Each character had their own personality trait. The granny was cute and funny. Overall, acting and casting was superb. 10/10!

2) Plot. I'm amazed an 8 ep drama can tell a full story with gradual character development. As we all know, cdramas are pretty long and have a lot of filler scenes. This one was to the point, great balance of romance and comedy. This drama was actually pretty heartwarming. Bai's character (XiaoDong-XD) and Seven's character (SiQi-SQ) had similar upbringings, as they were both raised in the village with no parents, but their dreams and goals were different, thus in adulthood their success in life were different. XD is quite materialistic and he want fast paced income. Instead of going to uni he worked most of his life and become a live streamer bc it provided fast income. SQ went to uni, majored in Agriculture, and went back to her home village to be a village official to help the villagers find a sustainable method for livelihood. The two are very much opposites of each other. SQ is all about hard work, no short cuts in life, selfless and optimistic person. While XD thinks earning money or obtaining goals is about being smart and finding shortcuts. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But that's not the case for XD, he runs away from his problems or gives up. When they happen to meet again, in the village, things happen and under SQ's influence and encouragement XD finds meaning in life again. He also becomes more mature and sees life in a different light. SQ learns to put down her prejudice in the profession of live streamers and sees social media as a great resource to help rural areas better their lives. This drama shows the difficulties rural areas have to make ends meet. Most younger people have left their village for the city, to make a better living, leaving behind elders and children. There are troubles in making a living in a rural area, but the use of social media allow villagers to promote and communicate with a mass audience, of all ages, to see the beauty of rural life and to sell their local products. This drama also depicts the hardships of live streamers and how fake their lives really are. They may seem glamourous to the audience, but it's all just illusions social media influencers like to portray. 9.5/10

3) Special Effects. Although this is a modern drama, but the little details used makes it extra humorous and entertaining. The smoke from the house, the blushing, the sound wave etc made it so much better. I also really love the inner dialogues of the 2 leads. We get to hear their real POV and it's always cute and hilarious. I find this the most entertaining unit among the rest. This one gives a good laugh. 10/10

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Leads that liven up the story

A theme that could have been mundane but saved by weaving it seamlessly with the interaction and sparks between reunited village neighbours played by real life friends Song Yun and Xiao Bai.

The objective of the story is meaningful and meant to highlight the plights of rural areas and villages and the need for the young generation to step up and make a change to drive the progress and economics for villagers and their livelihood. Again this type of story may not be everyone's cup of tea. However the direction and execution of the story makes it more palatable and interesting.

Personally i have waited for the leads' pairing. And they did not disappoint. In chinese I could say seeing them sparring or interacting is very 舒服.. very comforting to the eyes. It helps that Xiao Bai's character Xiao Dong is a little immature with quirks and full of personality. While Song Yun's Si Qi is mature, confident and decisive and loves to mess with Xiao Dong.

Given the length, do binge over a weekend. You wont be disappointed.

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