My Love in Seventeen (2024)

surprised , amazing cast , good chemistry

I embarked on this drama with modest expectations, aware of Yang Zi's stellar reputation as one of the foremost A-list Chinese actresses. Familiar with Fan Chencheng from his time on an idol TV show. To my delight, Fan Chencheng's performance surpassed expectations, asserting him as a standout actor, potentially eclipsing many of his Chinese counterparts.

The camaraderie within the main cast, especially the friends' group, felt organic and genuine, steering clear of the forced or artificial dynamics that often plague youth dramas.

A defining aspect of this drama lies in the maturity of its themes and the execution of thought-provoking conversations. The dilemmas faced by the characters, coupled with the organic progression of the storyline, set a standard that, in my opinion, ranks among the best in the genre. While some scenes may have suffered from the limitations of a lower budget, occasionally revealing less-than-perfect CGI, the strength of the acting performances and the compelling narrative compensated for any visual shortcomings.

This hidden gem warrants not just a single viewing but a potential rewatch. I wholeheartedly recommend this drama to those on the fence – you will undoubtedly find yourself pleasantly surprised. It remains a mystery why this masterpiece hasn't garnered the popularity it deserves.

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Love Endures - a story about the power of friendship and love.

Love Endures. A drama that interests almost everyone at the moment. At first, I also thought that it was just another drama about youth, but later I found out that it is a touching and nostalgic story, which became slightly addictive over time. Why is that so? I think it is mainly because Love Endures is not just an ordinary story, it is a story suitable for all old categories, because everyone will find something in this drama that catches their attention. It is a drama about ordinary people and their friendship, family and love in two different time periods, which are intertwined with each other. Old and new, past and present meet here, heroic dreams and the tenderness of youth and the harsh reality of life when we grow up and mature. Words that were spoken and those that remained unsaid, deeds that happened and those that never made it to the light of the world and remained hidden in the clay of the heart. The drama also has an exciting plot, which is interspersed with strong emotions and unpredictable events. Each character shows us his own story, which is full of ups and downs, and we have the opportunity to observe how he deals with it. Through these stories, we have the opportunity to understand the beauty and bitterness adolescence and also the challenges and choices that accompany it. It is not just such an ordinary drama, but it is also a reminder from the times of our youth that can caress the heart and soul. The cast is partly to blame. I have to say it's just great. Everyone is fantastic. Yang Zi, who is excellent in the character of Huang Ying Zi and perfectly portrays this young woman, both when she was 18 years old and now, when she is an adult, will definitely attract attention. In essence, I can honestly say that Yang Zi performed this role brilliantly and with honor. As well as all the other actors. We can only hope that the other parts will be at least as great as the ones that have already been broadcast.Love Endures is a wonderful drama that can caress your heart. If you haven't seen it yet, take the time to watch it. I believe it will bring you beautiful feelings, just like it did me.

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Story of Youth and Love

It's a theme that resonates with many of us, as we navigate the realities of adulthood and the contrast with our youthful dreams. I love how Huang Ying Zi stands out as a responsible and proactive individual within her friend group working to bring her friends back together adds so much depth to her character. One of the things that make this drama interesting
is its reflection of reality. The drama authentically portrays the challenges and changes we face as we grow older and navigate through the complexities of adult life. It's that realism that deepens our connection with the story. I'm excited to continue watching and experiencing the journey with Huang Ying Zi, Jiang Yi and the rest.

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A reflection for those in their 20s-30s, a story to look back on for those in their 30s-40s

I went in to this drama thinking it was a romcom based on the trailer & poster. However, I finished the drama shedding tears over grievance, familial love, friendship, reminiscing our youth and the reality of life. The love in "Love Endures" covered every aspecst of love there is in a bittersweet manner where I was moved to tears. The smooth transitions betwene the past and present makes the viewers enjoy the moment but snaps the viewers back into reality, making many of these episodes comedic but sad at the same time. I felt that the storyline had great pacing and each of the underlying stories blended well with one another.

This drama also made me reflect on my life. I am in my 20s and feel that this drama hits home to me with how friends that I have seen everyday become friends that I see only once in 6 months. It made me really reminisce my schooling days when I yearned to grow up, which became ironic because now I want to become young again. I could also strongly relate to Ying Zi's love for her friends and really admire the dynamics in the friend group.

Acting: Yang Zi absolutely killed it again with another emotional drama. I watched this for her so there was no surprise on how well she did. She is very natural (especially in the past timeline, but I think this is also partly due to past Ying Zi's (YZ) personality being similar to Yang Zi herself irl) and her emotions transits through the screen. On the other hand, I felt that Fan Chengcheng's acting could have been better but I think this is his first few dramas so I believe there's always space for improvement. It's just that it was kind of wasted in a sense that I could not feel the lovers-chemistry between Ying Zi (YZ) and Jiang Yi (FCC) when they started dating. But that could have just been me and also, the story was just too good and there were more in the drama to focus on, so this is a small issue.

Overall, this was a drama that would be on my top 3 cdramas to recommend to people who have only watched cliche idol cdramas and are looking for a slightly more serious drama that encapsulates all the emotions and feelings one could feel over the years of growing up, especially those in their 20s-30s. This was a self-reflection, at least for me.

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when a bright sun becomes a black hole; Yang Zi's most challenging role yet

This is a story of 6 childhood friends, growing up together until university & career scatters them all for the next decade. An impending marriage prompts a reunion, setting the stage for the rest of the drama. The story centres around Huang YingZi, played by Yang Zi, who is tasked with finding and bringing everyone back to their home town for the wedding of one who is marrying outside of the group. Frequent flashbacks gradually tie past & present together as each member of the group tries to come to terms with the problems in their lives, where they've been & where they need to go. Which is putting it lightly. The themes of domestic/sexual violence & familial neglect eventually bring the story down to the darkest depths of depression, culminating in an horrific trauma rocking the entire group at a time when most teens experience their highest hopes. The primary arc involves YingZi & her relationship with her closest friend & unrealized long love JiangYi. A significant secondary arc is the friendship between adult YingZi & her literary idol, Ding Ye, a once famous but now struggling author who shares a similar past trauma.

Somewhere between Ashes of Love and Immortal Samsara, YZ's acting matured very impressively and I was looking forward to seeing her in this drama. In a recent news article YZ is said to have had reservations about playing an 18 yr old & didn't want to be seen as "overacting" the part. Unfortunately, "overacting" is exactly the first word that jumped into my mind early on. Teenage YingZi is not only the centre of the story, she acts like the centre of the group: loud, in-your-face, commanding all the attention & telling everyone what to do. When switching to 30 y/o YingZi, YZ plays her much more subdued even though the character maintains the central status, & YZ appears more comfortable in the older role.

I didn't realize Yang Zi is already 31 years old. And I don't know why, but age & representation are becoming a big issue with me these days. Because the story jumps back & forth between past & present so frequently, & due to the large cast, using the same actors for both time periods makes sense. But the problem here is there's a 10 year age span between the oldest & youngest actor portraying this cohort. YZ is finally in an age appropriate role, but has to act opposite people who weren't even born yet when this fictional group first formed at age 6, & there's an 8 yr gap between her & her ML. Lack of maturity results in lack of depth. With the exception of YingZi, the group all experience severe abandonment & emotional abuse throughout their lives & portraying how that affects someone at age 30 is not something actors in their early 20's can pull off. Adult YingZi has matured to being better able to understand the issues her friends struggle with, & works to bring her friends together to help each other resolve them. However, some of the younger cast succeed only at giving downcast looks & being helpless. This just sets up YingZi to the rescue because, of course, she's the centre.

While the drama starts with the awkward overacting, it then follows a conventional line with the main leads dancing around each other, dodging possible love triangles along the way. YingZi became more sympathetic as YZ's handling of the transition of the leads' relationship was funny & spot on. And her character's in-your-face-edness is actually brought back to her as a criticism. The rest of the group go through workplace & marital/relationship problems of their own. The strength of the writing came through as I became more interested in the outcomes of all of the group member's challenges by the 2/3 mark of the show.

Unfortunately, not until the final 1/4 of the show comes a shocking twist, catalyzed by the character of Ding Ye. Instead of being the bright sun which all around her orbited, it becomes clear YingZi had actually been a black hole for 10 yrs, sucking up all of her friends' & family's energies into her own problem. I then realized the drama all along has been as focused on YingZi as she is on herself. Only her birthday is shown being celebrated with a big show of her receiving gifts from the others. They all bend to her whims. She's the only one with 2 stable & caring parents. She's done very little for her friends in comparison to what her friends have been doing to preserve her fragile psyche in her own fantasy world, in the aftermath of the severe trauma that affected them all. It's narcissism in the extreme. However, YingZi does come to realize her behavior with the help of ever patient & all forgiving JiangYi, & all her self-centredness comes crashing down on her. Nevermind whether this situation is even realistic or not, I'm not qualified to say, but this rollercoaster was exhausting to watch.

So... not knowing anything about the story beforehand, I found this drama very compelling & surprising that it tackled such heavy themes. What I found wanting was a deeper exploration of each member of the group, more of their own perspective & individual response. Whether the narcissistic focus on YingZi was intentional or not, it's too much to have viewers also get sucked into that black hole. The character of JiangYi could've served as an anchor & should've been given much more weight. Finally, I wonder about the overly aggressive product placement of Stefanie Sun at the end. This caters to a specific audience & only serves as a time waster. At any rate, it was nice to see YZ playing her age. This role is very challenging & I give her credit for being brave enough to try. I hope she continues to challenge herself in this way & I'll continue to watch her shows with interest.

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Started with a bang and ended with a simmer

The first half was a perfect ten for me but it started to lose it's appeal after a time for a few reasons.

The Bad
*The FL was literally and figuratively stuck in the past. I can't tell you the amount of times the FL could be hanging out with her friends and instead of getting to know the 30 year old version of them, she'd mention the past and que a flashback would ensue.
*I bought the romance between the leads when they were teenagers but during the present timeline I didn't see it. The FL was in love with childhood version of the ML and you can't tell me otherwise. It also didn't help that she had more chemistry with the writer guy.
*Too many flashbacks. I didn't mind it at first because I though it'd end at a certain point or they would start to show us only important scenes from the past that would be relevant to the plot. Some of the flashbacks weren't needed and because that I don't even think I got to know the thirty year old version of some of them.
*Out of all the friends I only found Yi Fei and Guan Chao's story to be interesting. But surprise, surprise. They had the least amount of screentime.

The Good
*The Friendship felt believable and sincere. I saw multiple interviews were the cast said they spent time together; outside of filming and it shows.
*The Ost was beautiful. Especially the opening and ending song.
*The acting. There were a few hard scenes in this drama and thankfully the actors in the drama were strong enough to deliver.

Even though it seems like the bad outweighs the good in my evaluation. I will admit that this drama isn't bad and I don't regret having watched it. It's just the fact that it started at a ten in my book only to disappoint me in the second half with some of the writers decisions in the script.

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From Adolescence to Adulthood: Exploring Life's Journey in Love Endures

Love Endures was unexpectedly an enjoyable watch for me, at the first I thought it was a typical romance drama but it's actually so much more than that. The raw emotion of nostalgia, reminiscence associated with adolescence and growing up is so relatable on many levels and this drama perfectly capture all the details and feelings of this. This drama explores both the past and continues onto the future, with their memories interwoven into the episodes and I never felt confused or that it was abruptly shoved in for convenience. I really enjoyed the romance in this drama, and that's really rare for me to enjoy a modern day romance but it was just done so well, and I feel like everything just eventually fell into place. Honestly, their friend group is just goals, and their ability to rekindle their love for each other despite the years they've been separate was so heart-warming. I really didn't expect to enjoy this drama so much, and I really like Fan ChengCheng's performance in this, however all the other actors really delivered in Love Endures. Overall, I definitely recommend to give this drama a chance as it was a really well-done emotional masterpiece.

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This captivating drama unfolds a love story that transcends time and challenges, weaving a narrative of sacrifice, enduring affection, and personal growth. Jiang Yi's silent but profound love for Huang Yingzi, spanning over 24 years, adds a layer of depth to the storyline. The well-executed flashbacks and character dynamics reveal the complexities of mature love, emphasizing the wisdom of letting go for individual fulfillment. With nuanced performances and a compelling plot, this drama leaves a lasting impression, showcasing the intricacies of relationships and the enduring power of true love.

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Love Endures transcends the label of a mere youth romance drama.

Love Endures is an intriguing and captivating drama. As you delve deeper into the series, this drama unfolds itself and turns into a puzzle you want to piece together and solve.

At the first glance, this drama is seemingly about a group of close friends reconnecting as adults and reminiscing their youth. It starts off slow to establish the characters of the 6 friends and their relationships with each other. Just when you’re familiar with this group of friends and you start to expect the direction this drama was going with, the narrative takes an unexpected turn and keeps you on your toes.

At its core, the series explores the complexity of relationships shared between family and friends. The raw poignant moments in the series is balanced with well timed comedic relief.

Huge kudos to the director of Love Endures, his direction in the series has been great and Yang Zi’s compelling performance also adds depth to the drama.

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Happy,sad,heartbreaking,exciting; all together

Don't look into reviews and comments. Just watch the drama and decide it yourself.
For me, i went in with zero expectations, and it turned out to be so so good.
It was an emotional journey!
Seems like a part of me is left with those 6 friends.
I'll miss this drama so much.

Cast:
Everyone did an outstanding job! Their acting was so on point.

Plot:
It was good and somewhat unique to me cause of the plot twist. I won't lie,i never expected such a huge, huge plot twist.

Ending:
It was satisfactory for me :))


In conclusion , I'll definitely recommend you all to watch it. It might seem a bit draggy mid way, but it's not. It's more like a silence before the storm.
Don't look at the negative comments n reviews at all, cause if you do, you'll be missing something really good.

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Basically a HS story

There is 45 minutes in each episode. 35 minutes of each episode is given to their past in hs or earlier. This is not a current romcom, it's a high school romance that wasn't actualized until they are adults. The majority of the acting is mediocre, the storyline is nonexistent. The whole series was just hard to watch and held no actual value except a couple of scenes. It follows cdrama trope and the couple breaking up for the most ridiculous reasons. I mean they literally just told their friends that they were dating to just have a fight a few minutes later and stop speaking.

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