Sweet and comfortable teenage drama that brings you back to high school days!

This drama really improve the impression I had of teenage/youth dramas as the characters and plot are interesting, well paced and not too dragging. The drama do not have unnecessary misunderstandings that other teenage/youth dramas have as well and the friendships are genuine even among competitors. The main female character is quite mature and understanding as compared to most of the female character in teenage/youth dramas, although she does get jealous at times. The main male character is really sweet and protective, I love how they bring in a character with physical disability and family issues, it really allows people to understand more on the difficulties that people face in their daily lives and be more accepting. This is recommended for those who want to watch a light-hearted yet sweet and comfortable teenage drama without romantic scenes and yet able to evoke your emotions. Would love to see a season 2 with the development of the relationship between the supporting characters and also, the main characters' life as they enter into this next stage together.

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Realistic and non-cringey

As someone who prefers realistic and non-cringey romance series, this drama certainly meet my expectations and I have to say that it is by far one of the best drama about friendship and romance that I have watched this year!

The drama is adapted from a novel and it talks about six characters, three close friends, their life, friendship and romance encounters.

For once, I like the fact that the female lead is not dumb despite being clumsy at times, she has her own career as a librarian, enjoys reading and have passion for writing which led her to writing novels. I also like how the male lead talk about how it is good that the female lead is doing something she enjoys for a living instead of a career that the society perceive to be successful or good. This is so relatable for myself and I believe it is relatable for many others out there too that are very affected by people's perception of what we should be doing.

The friendship between the female lead and her two friends is really simple and genuine, they are what friends should be which reminds me of my close friends as well, just being there to support and accompany you for a drink, hearing you rant and giving you advice when you need it.

The romance between the three couples are quite realistic and relatable. The main couple actually met at the school they work in and subsequently bump into each other outside and also when he became her dentist. I like how they did not fall in love with each other at first sight but started falling in love slowly after hanging out together, realizing each other's similarities in interests and personalities and then opening each other up. Although they brought in the guy that the female lead has once liked before but the guy is very understanding of her and his best friend falling in love with each other despite his own feelings for the female lead. It is a love triangle that ended with understanding that if you love someone, you should let them go and feel happy that they met someone they love. This is the epitome of friendship and romance to me. The second couple in the drama left a very deep impression on me as they are at very different stage of their life and it really broke the stereotype on age gap and guy earning lesser than the girl which I really appreciate as it is very realistic. The third couple in the drama is the one I like the most as the girl had a lot of disappointment in guys that she dated and just when she started slowing down in her pursuit for a relationship, her good friend or ex-boyfriend came back into her life as a potential boyfriend. It is always realistic to end up with someone whom have known you for a long time and whom you were friends with first. And, love comes knocking when you are not desperately looking for it.

Besides the plot, I like the cinematography of this drama as every episode starts with a very nice scenery, be it in the university, the lake or the skiing resort and more.

This drama is certainly recommended to people who would like to watch a light-hearted drama and seek some meaningful life advice in your 20s!

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Beautiful closure to the original drama!

In the film, they brought closure to the original drama series by giving each lead cast their happy endings! The two leads went through a lot, losing each other in different time zones and saving one another, sacrificing one another to allow the other person to live, this part is truly touching! For the 2nd male lead, Mo Jun Jie, they finally gave him his happy ending reuniting with Chen Yun Ru. I was so happy and touched for this part as in the original drama series, we can see how much Mo Jun Jie love Chen Yun Ru for her, despite how negative she may be. All in all, the film got me tearing at the end because of all the happy endings the lead cast have gotten after all the hardship they face to meet each other in the same time zone! And, in addition to the original soundtracks (Last dance, Someday or one day, Xiang Jian Ni, there are a few new soundtracks that are pretty decent too, including one that was sang by the female lead Alice Ko herself!) After watching the movie, I will definitely revisit the drama series again to make sense of everything!

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Interesting and realistic storyline

This drama is indeed interesting and realistic. In Asian context, many times, relationships will end even before they start due to the differences in family status, background etc. In this case, this is the first time I see a storyline of a relationship between a celebrity and a lady from triad background which in reality, definitely there are such things. However, six episodes are too short though to see the storyline develop in detail. It is good to see the younger generation artiste acting in this drama, like Eugenie, Cecilia etc and to see my childhood band Energy member, Shu Wei, act as a hooligan, that is even more interesting, though not a fan of profanities, his acting is superb! Despite having lots of fights in the series, the comedic parts actually balances it. And, this drama also introduce a possible BL couple, making it really nice and inclusive!

The end of the show also hints at a Season 2 in which Tsao Yu Ning will be the antagonist. So, I certainly look forward to that. If you are looking for short series that offers a mix of emotions, sometimes serious, sometimes light-hearted, this is the drama to watch, provided that you can accept some coarse language.

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A classic that is still so amazing after a long time!

Maybe to many, the 24 episodes were a drag, but I felt that everything that led up to the happy ending was worth the wait. In the story plot, the ML and FL are 19 years old who were forced to go into this arranged marriage when they are still high school students. In these 24 episodes, we saw 2 19 years old teenagers grow together to protect and love one another in all the turmoil of traditions, politics, school and their differences.

ML:
The ML was secretly dating but was rejected by his girlfriend (SFL) and suddenly, there was such a huge change in his life as he was arranged to get married. I saw many negative reviews on how he is cheating and hesitating a lot but as reflected in the later episodes, the ML admitted to the FL that he initially did not like her as she just suddenly came into his life and made him question his life but it was also her that successfully opened him up to how a life should be lived and with all the things that FL has brought to the ML's life, he found himself falling harder for her. This was then reflected in their live broadcast interview where he admitted the FL's shortcomings and good qualities and how he ended up falling in love with her. The ML did not cheat on the FL, the SFL went to Thailand intentionally to meet up with the ML and he did not even know. He basically just met her as a friend since they were both in Thailand and got filmed by paparazzi. The other redeeming point was that the ML had a clean cut with the SFL and told her to close their chapter as he knew that he has already fallen in love with his wife (the FL).

FL:
The FL is young and naive and is easily swayed but despite the portrayal of her character to be ignorant and naive, she still possesses certain good qualities such as how she keeps giving in to the Crown Prince (ML) not just because of love but because she knew that a divorce would end up with her family suffering too. It was only till the end that the ML may have disappointed her with the Thailand incident and the SML liking her and trying to brainwash her to think that divorce is the best for her to free that she was swayed into saying nonsense during the interview. But we all knew her heart is always with the ML since the earlier episodes, she has always expressed herself very openly on her feelings to the ML as well which the ML probably try to think that she is not being serious about it since she is always hanging out with his cousin (SML) which obviously have feelings for her but she just sees him nothing more than a good friend.

SFL & SML:
I would say they are both broken souls with regrets from their childhood or past. For the SFL, it is obvious that she regretted rejecting the ML's proposal but at the end of the day, she finally realized that this just was not meant to be and decided to let go for good. For the SML, being someone who just returned from overseas and only having the Crown Princess as his very first friend back home and having someone who cares about him after a long time is probably the reason why he thinks he likes the Crown Princess (ML being a cold cousin did not help at all in this situation).

Other notable characters include the Empress Dowager Grandmother, she is so cool and dope, and also Crown Prince's sister who returned from overseas (who would later become the Empress), she has a very refreshing take on everything due to her overseas exposure which makes her so modern and interesting!

I can't deny that watching this as a 12 years old in 2006 gave me the SML syndrome, I was shipping the FL and SML back then but revising this almost two decades later as a 30 years old who have been through some life experiences, I felt that the SML is manipulative and brainwashing the FL. The ML on the other hand, despite his initial hesitation, was just being very cautious with the FL so as not to trigger any potential pitfall in their blooming relationship. Although he has difficulty in expressing his emotions for the FL, but his action spoke so much louder than words - he was always covering up for the FL, bring her out to play and was always there to protect her from behind the scenes.

In conclusion, revisiting this drama after two decades still feels amazing although there are some things that are dated and not as relevant in this era. And, even till today, I still hear "Perhaps Love" being played (be it in South Korea or Singapore), that just shows how a classic this drama is, not just to the Koreans but to people internationally like myself!

That aside, I'm glad to see that most of the 4 main actors/actresses in this drama have moved on to better dramas/films/variety shows etc. I look forward to seeing the FL (YYH) back to the drama scene soon with a new project, hopefully one day she and the ML (JJH) can reunite for a romcom since their chemistry here was so natural.

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Beautiful and simple modern love story!

Firstly, I love how the main leads are of two very different worlds and backgrounds, one is a singer who is a public figure and one is a top computer science student. I love it when drama have such leads as there are more and more such cases in real life that the drama can shed light on.

Secondly, the realistic part about an older woman dating a younger man which is slowly becoming more acceptable in our society. However, there is still some stigma towards this, more commonly the parental rejection and your friends thinking that younger man are not able to provide and protect you the same way an older man would, which I think also shed light on real life scenario.

Thirdly, the drama did teach us some very important life lessons:
1. If you truly love someone, you should give it a shot and not overthink about whether both of you are compatible or not. Afterall, it is better to have loved than to never love before. If it works out, that is great. If it is not, we should still thank the person for the experience and wish them all the best and to meet someone more suitable in the near future. - Between the main leads
2. If you truly love someone, even if the person does not reciprocate, respecting their choice and giving them the blessings is the most mature thing to do. - Between the female lead and her close friend who is always there for her
3. We cannot keep living in the past and not letting go of the past, this will only continue to affect and hurt us and also the new people who wants to be a part of our life. Letting go is hard but that is the only way one can start being themselves and living their life again. - Between the second main leads (The actor and comedian)
4. Being able to become mature and put behind your past misunderstandings to be there for one another and to become close friends again despite not talking to each other for a long time. That is how a true friendship should be. - Between the female lead and the second female lead (comedian)

This is certainly a really beautiful yet simple drama without much twist and backstabbling, just family members who are supportive of their relationship and a few close friends who will always be there for them.

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Meaning storyline but with too many villain characters

I find the storyline of an innocent love story of two strong leads fighting for the unification of 3 countries meaningful. And, the replacement male lead and the female lead had really great onscreen chemistry and their acting is superb. However, as the episodes built up, there were so many different villain characters being brought in, each with their personal and evil agenda which made it went a bit off as the story should focus more on the relationship between the lead couple and how they bring about the unification of the 3 countries. So, there did not need to have so many villain characters but just a few main villain characters will do. Nevertheless, this drama was good and touching.

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Realistic drama about friendship and love!

As someone who prefers realistic drama, this drama certainly meet my expectations and I have to say that it is by far one of the best drama about friendship and love I have watched in a long time! I wish I chanced upon this drama earlier when it was released 5 years ago...

The drama centers around 5 high schoolmates who later became close friends when they joined the school's radio club.

For once, I like that both female and male leads are able to pursue their passion for music, and not go the conventional career paths of becoming lawyers, doctors. engineers etc.

The friendship between the female lead, her friend and cousin are admirable and built up over the years, they are what friends should be which reminds me of my close friends as well, just being there for one another, and giving life advice when you need it.

The plot is pretty realistic. It is centered in the early 2000s with many throwback to the pop and rock music of that time, that was my favourite era and seeing the Beyond, Leslie Cheung, Jay Chou, and Linkin Park posters already got me curious to explore this drama more!

For me, the ML and FL stories already kept me hooked throughout the series that I did not really care much about the supporting characters so I will just share more on the leads' story.

ML and FL started off as purely frenemies who got on each other's nerves all the time although they have the same interest in music and listened to the same type of music. FL admired the SML since junior high but always miss the opportunity or did not have the courage to confess her feelings until graduation day when she finally slot in the love letter between the SML's book. SML has always liked FL but did not have the courage to confess as well and ML is always one step ahead of him to the FL. I especially like the scenes whereby the FL had to choose between watching the concert with the ML or watching the SML's piano performance as that was the defining moment that the FL realised that after hanging out with the ML more and experiencing his thoughtfulness, she already slowly and unknowingly fell for him. On the other hand, the ML's love for the FL was a slow burn as he started finding her adorable and interesting, complimenting his cold and blunt character. He was very mature as he knew the FL does not like him the romantic way yet and worse, like his best friend, but was still always there for her and never once forcing things between them. It was until the night they spent together at the beach and when the FL returned the kiss, then the ML realised that the FL must have felt something that she returned the kiss, and he had to confess his feelings. Moving forward to their college years, I respect how the FL encouraged the ML to pursue his education in US despite knowing that it will be a long-distance relationship, and it may not work out, yet she did not want to be an obstacle to the ML's passion and dream. Although, the FL chose to break up with the ML and encouraged the ML to return to the US. Despite the sadness, I felt that this separation was necessary for them to realise that both of them still love each other when they reunited back in their hometown years later as working adults.

The journey for them to love, separate and get back together was beautiful and realistic and portrays the true meaning of love, no matter the distance and time apart, will still find their way back to one another!

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