Hu Yixuan has absolutely nailed the role. I love her interactions with her friends and her family. As teenagers, Tan Songyun is tomboyish, whereas Hu Yixuan is a very convincing timid teenage girl who is not confident of herself and fearful of showing her inner feelings. Here, Hu Yixuan is equally good if not better. I have always thought Tan Songyun (Seven Tan) the best actor who can look and act like a teenager. Her acting as a teenager in this drama is so impressive. I find her very genuine and natural without having to try too hard. Xia Xiaoju may be naïve and has overly low self-esteem at times, but she is determined and is always a friend one can count on. Little does she know that the other boy standing behind her, quietly doing everything for her, is the rightful one for her.
Naturally Xia Xiaoju falls in love with the ‘nice’ boy. One is gentle and kind, the other is rough and childish. Two boys from the same street quickly become her best friends as they help her adapt to her new environment and catch up with school work. She always feels her mother being unfair and always loves her little brother more (many Chinese families prefer boys to girls). She has no friends and hates her new home as she has to share a room and a bed with her little brother. Xia Xiaoju (Hu Yixuan) has just moved into the neighborhood. The story has a span of 10 years from 1997 to 2007, starting from the characters’ final year in high school, throughout all 4 years of their life in college, and the final 2 episodes on their adult working life, marriages, relationship, each living a separate life. The attention to details is immaculate, capturing all the nuances of the era (Gameboy, concern of Y2K for computer systems, flip phones, huge bulky computers with floppy disks etc). The story is so well written, directed and acted - funny, cute, nostalgic - with characters elaborated with depth, from the main to the supporting leads. The Chinese title Shàng Yóu means upstream, depicting also growing up is not easy, having to face challenges and making the right choices. This is one of the best youth dramas I have ever watched. This is a story about three best friends growing up together in the same neighborhood, their friendship through high school, college and working life. You may still be searching for answers throughout your life. Hopefully with the few answered, you’re prepared to face the world. You discover what you like and what you don't, who you are, who you love…. A Journey of Discovery Growing up is a process of discovery.
0 kommentar(er)
