School romance is a widely used genre in the world of Chinese dramas. Apart from the fluffy and cute moments, a feeling of nostalgia is given to the watchers.
One school romance Chinese drama is the recently released Youku's "Always Have, Always Will." It revolves around Fang Li (played by Dawn Chen), a small town girl, and Luo Yan (played by Li Ge Yang), a straight-A student, from their high school to college. One interesting tag of this drama is the incorporation of amnesia to the male lead.
Before going to the review, read the synopsis here.
Small town girl Fang Li and the stone-faced straight-A student Luo Yan relive their forgotten days from high school after reuniting in college, thus starting their journey of love that's filled with endless bickering. Fang Li and Luo Yan became classmates during their freshmen year of high school. For Fang Li, Luo Yan's existence was a nightmare. Three years later, they meet again as university students. Luo Yan no longer remembers Fang Li from that time, but the battle between the sunny girl and the proud devil has just begun. The two "enemies' experience the best times of youth together, recovering the beauty that was once lost and finding the path to their own dreams.
(Source: MyDramaList)
Genres: Romance, Comedy, School
No. of episodes: 24
REVIEW
Characters
The characters are okay. Their acting in this drama is average. Their chemistry is a little off sometimes and at some scenes, I cannot just feel the chemistry. I believe they could've done a better job acting. If this drama just focused on the leads, I probably wouldn't finish it but thanks to the comedic duo of the second leads, they made the drama fun to watch.
Storyline
I got a little interested in the amnesia tag when reading the synopsis. The storyline is the title. I mean, the whole drama lives up to its title. There are lots of misunderstanding between the leads. This drama is about encountering misunderstanding and resolving it. This is your typical enemies to lovers drama, not quite though (you know what I mean when you watched the drama). The execution of the plot is okay although there are moments that I felt weird (maybe it's just me). Overall, there is a good storyline with many cute and hilarious scenes.
Production
For a short Chinese drama, the production is great for this drama. I just love the cinematography and editing in this drama. But I have some things to say about the pacing. It's off with a good start but towards the end, the production went downhill. I mean, the editing in the first few episodes is better than the final ones. There are also moments when there are weird cuts or lots of jump cuts for a very important scene. Overall, the drama is made well. The production quality is one of the reasons why I finished this drama.
OST
The OST of this drama is very catchy particularly the end credit OST. The background music used in scenes is also great. If you liked the KDrama "Twenty-Twenty," maybe you would also like this one as they share similar vibes, chill and upbeat music.
Rewatch value
I don't know if I could rewatch the whole drama. Maybe I would watch some cute moments of the leads.
VERDICT
I gave this drama a 6.0/10 rating. It is an average school romance Chinese drama. If you are a fan of this genre, then you would enjoy this drama. Laugh and fall in love, if you want a palette cleanser, then this one is good for you.
Reviewed by Jeremiah Miguel
on
March 23, 2021
Rating:
No comments: