A River Runs Through It (2021)

Realistic and interesting Drama

I really like this drama, it's funny and really interesting. I also love the fact that it's realistic and shows that in life things may not always turn out the way me want but we have to make it work.
I also love that it's not a typical love triangle drama where two boys fight for one girl. It's much more than that and it's really good.
My only problem is that the characters get on my nerves sometimes.... like sometimes they make decisions and I'm like "really"😒. But then again maybe that just goes to show that we are human and we all make mistakes.

Overall it's a really good drama

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What could have been

The teasing male lead, the hilarious bickering, the girl pining over someone else while the male lead pines over her before she realizes who's been there for her all along...all this combine to form one of my favorite types of romance, so this drama starts with a winning formula...but it never actually uses it to its full potential.

While I enjoyed seeing the female lead deal with unrequited love, it should not have SO. DAMN. LONG. She's deep in it for 25 episodes and it lingers for a few episodes after that, and we're hit with scene after scene of the female lead never taking the male lead seriously. Meanwhile, the second male lead (Cheng Lang) pines for another girl, and those two are given wayyy too much screentime. I never cared about them and they kept getting slow motion scenes.

We sort of have the opposite issue with the third couple, Qiu Le Tao and Huang Jun, who also have a really interesting story, but they get together so fast that I found it difficult to care for them. And I even like the ending of her reconnecting with their childhood classmate, but the show tried to give it shock factor and left the reveal till the very end, despite it being pretty obvious. The result of that was no time to develop the actual relationship, and a situation where her supposed best friend Xiao Ju didn't even know she was marrying until the engagement party.

In fact, the last few episodes are just filled with misunderstandings and time jumps, and I feel like the leads really lose their spark. They're supposed to be grown-up, but they're still written like children, and the show opts for "fun bickering" scenes when a more serious conversation was long overdue. The ending, overall, feels rushed and makes no sense, which is sad because the early high school and even college days were still enjoyable to watch despite the flaws.

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fell in love with the ML

Honestly, i would love to consider the entire show a waste of time but the first half was genuinely great, the character development and friendships were amazing 10/10, i loved the cast so much and the male lead was perfect, he was everything i wanted him to be, he was the only reason i watched all 36 episodes of this,
there is a "love triangle" in this which is basically a mess created by the FL, she just cant seem to see what's in front of her and she's so dismissive of the ML when he confesses to her, i found her plain rude too,
she wants to protect him but shes the one hurting him the most, i couldnt stand that.
i dont know what the directors did to the ending of this show, i'd assumed with it being so long we'd at least get a couple of episodes worth of content with the main leads being together but we dont, we dont get a single proper episode of them just being in love, the FL was overly frustrating for the last 10 episodes and the ML was a bit of a jerk in the last couple of episodes (although i do understand why he wants her to go through it after the way she treated him, but still)
overall, this drama was frustrating, the ML became one of my favourite characters, hes so considerate and sweet, he anticipates what the FL wants and does everything to make her happy, shes just emotionally stunted and blind to whats in front of her, i lowkey wished he'd fall in love with someone else just so i could stop seeing him pine after someone that barely saw his worth anyway,
the second? leads (the biker couple) were super cute together and i wished i could have seen them mature and grow in their relationship but instead they break up??? and she ends up with a childhood friend that i had all but forgotten about till he turned up last minute,
Cheng lang and his gf were super sweet together too, till they weren't- i do not know for what reason the writers decided that no one would be happy together? you could see how much his gf loved him but they had to bring the pianist back into the plot? and then she doesnt even end up with him???? we just see cheng lang unhappy at the end like, tf?
I also dont remember anything about the soundtrack so im it definitely wasnt memorable
this barely made sense, but thats what the drama was like, will not be rewatching, but i also dont really regret watching, it was definitely an experience

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The One that Got away

I always avoided youth dramas. Not for any specific prejudice. I've just spent my whole life watching high school dramas and I'm kind of over it now. I also never really got drawn by the youth cdramas I came across until I found "A river runs through it". This show took me by surprise with just how good it was. The emotions it stirred were so authentic that it reminded me of my own unrequited love AND this amazing story with an unrequited love that I had read many years ago. It just brought back all those feelings and squeezed my heart. That's why I liked this show because it managed to reach a genuine and true emotion. Unhappy love is such a universal concept and the show manages to capture that bittersweetness to the fullest.
Special shoutout: This show had one of the best opening titles. It was so cute that I didn't like to skip it.

You should watch this show if you like:
1. 90s retro aesthetic
2. Unrequited Love romances
3. FRIENDSHIPS
4. Complicated romances
5. Devoted male leads
6. School/University life
7. S l o w B u r n . . .
8. Weird epilogue
9. Love quadrangle...?

Plot: The show is based on a book and you can tell it was a proper novel because the show also has a very clear form to it with cohesive themes, tone, and pace. It stays focused on the concepts it tries to explore, has a good mix of comedy and melodrama, all the side stories are developed in thoughtful ways, and it keeps a firm grip on its themes. I thought the pacing here was nice. In fact, I have almost no complaints about the show's story except for how it ended...I'll get to it later. I loved the development of friendships and romances. The main romantic plot was just so good. The focus is not on the characters' studies so it's mostly sidelined to the melodrama but when there were b-plots focusing on it, I found them to be thoughtful and logical as well.

Acting: I saw Wang Rui Chang initially in TLB and I just really didn't like him there at all. I won't sugarcoat it; I thought he was pretty bad at acting. I was gonna avoid him forever. But then I started to watch this because everyone was raving about Lu Shiyi and I was blown away! He was just so good here. Perfect comedic timing. He just did such good physical acting and also with his voice and eyes and omg! What a talented young man! Hu Yi Xuan was also very good. Her performance did not overwhelm. She was not whiny, nor did she overact, she brought Xiao Ju to life. The supporting cast were just fine. I especially disliked Judy Qi's performance. It was bland and really watery. She had no soul and I just wanted her scenes to end as fast as possible. Everyone else was sufficient.

Music: I don't remember the music at all. Sorry!

Production: Shoutout to one of the most gorgeous and adorable opening titles. I wanted to say that because I thought it was just special and I loved it. This show is set around the turn of the century and the general vibe of the era was captured. I loved how they paid special attention to the male lead's weird fashion sense. It was very adorable. The sets were also meticulously made, everyone had their special style. The coloring of the show was pleasing to the eyes with a nostalgic haze that made the heartache more powerful.

Negatives: So the novel's ending is different from the show... as in it's not a happy ending. I think the creators wanted to reward the viewers with a happy ending and I appreciate that but the last two episodes of the show were some of the worst things I have ever watched and that's why this show is not a 10 for me! I almost lost all my faith in the scriptwriters because the moment they lost the book's guidance, the show just went to the dogs. If you stop at episode 34, you'll hate the ending but I think it saves the dignity of the production. Those last two episodes with their weird time jump are just skin-crawlingly bad. All the things that I complimented before: good writing, good acting, good lighting, and set design, it's like they all fly out the window. I have this theory that those were a part of the "extra" but they stuck it at the end as a consolation prize. I wish they hadn't. The main couple's dynamic is super off in those scenes; it's like they digress back to their initial state and lose their character growths, there's a scene that reads like r*pe to me...it's very weird, I hated it. Those two episodes are full of cliches and I would delete them out of existence if I could. Episodes 35 and 36 are not canon for me. They are just a bad dream I had after I finished watching the show. Don't get me wrong; I wanted that good ending so badly which is why I didn't stop after episode 34 but I wasn't satisfied with how it happened. It almost ruined the whole show for me. So even though the show has a happy ending, I still had to mourn when I finished watching t because it felt fake. It really didn't feel like the end was a part of the show.

Overall: I really loved this show. It was cozy, nostalgic, sweet, and funny in most parts but it also captured the bad parts of love in a way that the heartache was so palpable. Everyone was yearning for something they could not have. This added substance to this show and elevated it above an average youth drama and I wish more shows were like this. I recommend this show but my personal suggestion is to stop watching after episode 34 and just watch the extras!!!! It'll only be a little confusing!

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The rise of the new hero in C-drama-- appreciation for Charles Wang

At last a show which has developed multiple storylines for different characters. Very relatable charcters-- who hasnt met a Lu Shiyi, a playful mischievous, outspoken boy who is the life of his group but not the most sensitive chap around? A one woman man, who is solidly loyal through years despite the woman not really caring for him through most of it? A boy given to sports not the best scholar at school but the most clear thinking and hence most ambitious and successful individual of the group? I think Lu Shiyi is the most interesting male hero I have ever seen in any Chinese drama. What an amazing amazing boy and man he turns out to be.. Conventionally he is always shown a little less heroic than Cheng Lang-- a little less soft spoken, a little less understanding, a little less helpful, a little less "school idol"; but by God, he overtakes CL in every way as the story develops. You cant help rooting for this beautiful man-child who is devoted completey to the people in his life, is the solid rock on which all the drama of the entire group plays out. He supports everyone and stands for justice, even the betrayer room mate gets the right message from Lu Shiyi. Kudos to the young actor Charles Wang fr a marvelous portrayal

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Save yourself and your time from this show

Wallah a drama has never made me this angry before, I regret not dropping it, I have never written a review before but I had to for this drama because it was so garbage. The male lead has a crush on the female lead the whole time but the thought of liking the male lead didn't even come to the female lead's mind until the 26TH EPISODE (OUT OF 36 EPISODES). This show feels like I'm watching from the second lead's point of view because he is trying too hard and this girl just doesn't care for his efforts. Tell me why there are no cute scenes of them together officially as a couple,?? I'll tell you why BECAUSE THEY GET TOGETHER ON THE LAST EPISODE AT THE LAST 10 MINUTES. I've never seen a show where the female lead thirsts for a side character for so long, for like 20 episodes she has a crush on a side character. I watched edits thinking there were cute moments of them as a couple, but all those moments in the edits were just him having a crush on her and her just thinking of him as a brother. They shouldn't have held out so long on the female lead being attracted to the male lead and they should've included cute moments of them officially as a couple. I wish I could be who I was before I started this show, I'm not even getting into the side couples yet, this was a big waste of time everything was just so wrong about this show.

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Read this if you are thinking of watching this

I was excited to watch this drama because i like to watch youth dramas. If you don’t like love triangles then this drama isn’t for sure for you. The female lead through mostly half the drama was in love with the second male lead. At first, you know it’s commonly typical in these types of dramas but i feel like they stretched it for a long time. I would say 3 episodes before the last episodes, the female lead starts to show interest towards the male lead. It was very disappointing because it felt like the male main lead was the second male lead but he wasn’t. They had some cute moments but i felt very bad for the male lead through the whole time. You still get a happy ending though.

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A youth drama that shouldn’t be missed

Even with 36 episodes I felt that it’s not enough! I’m usually really picky when it comes to youth/coming of age dramas; but this was good.

The acting of the casts was awesome, they each fit the character they were playing like a glove. Though I only know HYX from her other works, the rest of the casts was pretty new to me, but, their acting didn’t fail at all. In addition to the music? Fantastic.

The only part that I felt that can be a little better was the time skip at the end and the romance/pursuing part for the leads… it felt a little to rushed. I mean, I don’t think viewers mind the extra episodes where they delve more into the leads?!

The drama really grew on me episodes after episodes.
You really see how each character grew from high school students into their adulthood. It’s not all happy and fluffy stuff in here for sure, you got through ups and downs and learn a lot before a happy ending

Ps. Can I just say that HRC looks abit like a mixture of hwang in yeop and IN from SKZ

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A BEAUTIFUL DRAMA - PLEASE WATCH IT!

I have a master's thesis oral defense coming and instead of studying I'm crying like a fool hereeee my tears won't stop!!!!!! This is the kind of drama that you don't wish to end!!! Actually I signed up on MyDramalist just to leave this review. I love how it wasn't overly fantasized because not everybody ended up with someone - it showed the reality of life and of love. You gotta be brave enough to let go to find your happiness like Tao Tao, sometimes things are not gonna end up all rainbows and butterflies no matter how kind you are and how much you fight your love for a person like Cheng Lang, you have to move forward even though you are still hurting like Huang Jun, sometimes you just don't realize the one for you is just right beside you like Xiaoju and shi yiiii he's just an angel I WISH WE ALL FIND OUR SHIYI who will be there for us in all our ups and downs... I''m gonna miss them all!!! I hope there's a second season for this :(((( We didn't get enough Shiyi x Xiaoju sweet moments huhuhu NOW MY NEXT PROBLEM IS: HOW DO I MOVE ON FROM THIS?

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I just love it so much.

I’ve rewatched this drama many times and this is my first time giving a review on it.

I used to be a little upset when it was still airing because I thought everything was so slow, and it actually is but, I can’t be so negative about it. I still enjoyed it a lot anyway.

I just want to say that I love every single person around the main leads, except the cheater (you know who if you watched it, not giving more detailed spoilers).

I got to know Wang Rui Chang thanks to this drama and I completely fell in love with him. I’ve got the biggest crush on him since last year, LOL.

I don’t know what to say, I just loved every part of this drama. The colors, the music, the "aesthetic" (?), the characters, the actors + actresses, the plot, the development, the good, sad, happy moments... Just everything.

I have watched a few coming of age Chinese dramas and I have loved all of them but no otherhas hit me as hard as this one, probably because I can relate more to most of the characters in here, very personal.

This is my comfort Chinese drama, definitely.

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