I Secretly Fell in Love with the Student Council President (2022)

Simple yet the most beautiful

I am not good with words, and never wrote a review coz of my introverted self. But I gotta say this series is really good.
What I absolutely love are:
1. Relatable storyline. I could empathize with all the characters at one point in time. I can never forgive parents who do everything they want and then say "I did this all for you". Parents who think raising a child is like business, they invest and we bring them honour, that family is hell(tbh I used to live in such fam until I finally cried and let it all out one day LOL, so I can relate). Our lead lives like that, and my heart aches for him. But, it's also true that talking out with them will work. They are also persons with setbacks in life. And no one can succeed in life at a first take. It's one's own life, if something goes wrong, we gotta own it and learn from it. And the same was described so well in this series.
2. OST: Oh god, they are so so beautiful. The ending theme is really amazing. At first, I was neutral, But they started growing upon me, and by the time I completed the series, I am in love with both the songs.
3. Actors: What else do we need than some good-looking young/new actors, acting like a clear green flag? Every character is so sweet, but also thoughtful. They apologize for things that go wrong, they support each other. What else do we need? LOL
4. Acting: It was simply good. No cringe, No cliche lines(This is the biggest factor to be considered) Beautifully executed.

Well, I would finally say, it's worth giving a try. Not at all disappointed. Had a great month waiting for the episodes and watching them.

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Perfect delivery

I rarely rate series with a 10, even when I really enjoyed them, but I feel like this one deserved it. The only flaw that I can think of is that it's shorter than I wished it to be, but other than that it's very, VERY good. The relationships between the characters (not only among love interests, but also with friends and family) are portrayed very well, and even better- it was clearly SHOWN instead of being TOLD, which is something that many series get wrong. At no point I felt lost wondering what did the characters feel or what was going on, even when nobody was putting it all into words. The character development is also very good and well-paced.
The music is an element that I usually don't care about all that much, but this time around the songs were just too good to be ignored. I also appreciated the fact that music in this series is an actual passion for some characters and not just an aesthetic used for a couple of romantic moments.
The chemistry is very good, and let me specify that I'm talking about actual chemistry and not kissing scenes (if you're looking for those and nothing else, then you should just look elsewhere). The protagonists seem sincerely fond of each other, and the same can be said for the second couple.

It's a short series, so it might be a good show to watch when you have a few hours spare to binge-watch it. It's heartwarming and moving, definitely a gem!

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cute little story that felt a a bit shallow and rushed

About Youth was a relatively short story (8 episodes with each about 22 minutes long) with a lot of cute factor. Specifically the main couple Ye Guang and Xu Qi Zhang were great. This show was really shining in the first few episodes but like most shorter BLs it had too many plot points that felt either rushed or were dropped once the series progressed (e.g. Qi Zhang's uncle, Ye Guang's rival? bully? whatever-his-role-was?). The acting was okay, nothing outstanding, but not bad at all. 3 out of 4 of the main cast are still teenagers after all. I really loved Qi Zhang's mother and how she was so supportive of her son's passion. She also brought such a good vibe into every scene she was in. There is not much intimate scenes between Qi Zhang and Ye Guang but that's fine by me, since it is realistic for both characters to be inexperienced and move at a slower pace (also given the young age of the actors on top of that) their kiss was quite sweet and so was their whole journey; really loved them.

My main problem was with the second couple. I wish the script allowed them a little more screen time to develop them a little more or at least give some context and maybe explain their actions a bit better. There was this whole plot point where Ray kissed Jian and the latter said he needed time and Ray stormed off. We never know why, if he was just a little overwhelmed by the sudden kiss, if he was questioning his sexuality, if he was not sure if he felt the same way for Ray, etcetera. Jian just decides that he now is ready to be with him out of the blue and starts following Ray around and keeps sending him messages, Ray is not willing to hear him out and it seems like he is not interested to be with him anymore, which makes their dynamic a little...icky (also given the age gap in real life and I assume in this show as well?) So, in the end they never talk about it again and just get together. Which felt very abrupt and not like a well deserved pay-off.

The music was great. We got two bangers and whenever I could hear the piano version playing in the background of a sad or happy scene it felt really natural and beautiful.

The ending was fine on page but let me feeling like there was something missing. Like I said, the second couple doesn't get any big moment after their get-together, so they are just hanging out and chilling without talking about anything. And Ye Guang's parents just magically realise that they should treat their son better after he sent them a little video. We never find out how that will look like or if they will actually change. The show ends with Ye Guang and Qi Zhang getting together and having their first kiss, this also means that we never see them do much as an official couple. We don't know what will happen once they finish high school, since one has plans to go to a fancy school and the other one just started finding himself. We also don't know if the parents would be accepting of their children if they ever found out about their relationship. So many unanswered questions. But I guess this show was never really about these things to begin with. Just a cute little show about four friends finding themselves and their boyfriends. Which is fine, just not what I expected and therefore it felt a little lackluster to me.

But there are many cute moments to make up for most of it. So, if you are looking for a cute little show without having to thinking too much and great music this is it for you.

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Lovely casting, story and production ?

The production was not poorly budgeted. It felt like a movie for me. The music used was so good, the OSTs ahhh it’s one of my top faves about this drama.

Not only the main four leads but also the supporting characters, like the parents and friends acted well and really contributed for the series to come out this good. I feel like they were there for a reason, they roles were added factors.

I love Qi Zhang’s mother, she did her role a justice as an understanding single mom to his only son, she felt natural (A mom everyone would wish to have). I also like the character of Iris she seems to be that girl bestie that is fun to be with and will always have your back. Qi Zhang’s besties look cool and fun I hope they get to have their side of stories too. I obviously got invested to this casting lol.

It feels light and heartwarming, but there was this moment I also felt Ye Guang’s pressure and had my anxiety up becasue of his story. From that moment I assumed that this series would hurt me but THANKFULLY it’s not yet on this season lol.

I hope they’d do Season 2 (You know a drama was worth it if a viewer would wish for another season) there’s still a lot that could happen and I’m scared lol but I still would want a Season 2. I’ll prepare my heart for it.

Not gonna sugar coat, the acting was just okay, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, but I know that they could do better, I can see everyone’s potential. Correct me if I’m wrong but these artists are kind of newbies, or just debuted in acting or series through this show? Well lemme tell you, it didn’t feel that way, I didn’t notice it to that point, but yes there’s really a room for improvement and I could just imagine how big they could still be. Overall, I’m highly satisfied. I enjoyed the series in one sitting, didn’t notice the time and was so surprise that it ended already at Ep. 8 ?

They left me wanting more — that’s the magic word. ?

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Adored this BL

Before the drama came out, I was expecting the story to be an enemies to lover type story based on the synopsis. But my expectations were way off. This drama is a short and sweet watch and honestly you won't get really frustrated with the main characters. The cast fitted perfectly into their roles and with first time actors, the whole cast did really well especially Li Zhenhao who played "Ye Guang." Also another thing about the cast, is the visuals of the four main actors, all so handsome. I loved how throughout the whole drama we got to see Ye Guang and Xu Qi Zhang's chemistry grow from the first episode to the finale. Speaking of Qi Zhang's character, a huge green flag who was so supportive and a comfort for Ye Guang whenever Ye Guang was down. As much as I adored the main couple, the second couple I also adored as well. Even though I wished that Jian and Ray had more screentime together, but the last two episodes showcased them really well on giving them more screentime. As for the soundtrack of this drama, probably one of the best soundtracks ever. Both songs in the drama are really good from the opening song to the ending song. Yeah this drama may seem a bit cliche, but I mean what do you expect it's a BL drama, but overall this drama is a good start for first time BL watchers because of how simple and short the story is. I know that people may have other opinions on this drama but I really enjoyed this one. I know my ratings are a bit much, but make sure to watch it first before you read any reviews lol. And would I recommend this drama, yes definitely I would recommend it because it's so sweet and adorable. And if they pitch in for a season 2, I hope that all four main actors are down on doing another season of About Youth. So am I going to be expecting a season 2, probably not, but I am hoping for one if all four main actors say yes on doing another season.

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I LOVE THIS LIKE IT IS MY FIRST BORN CHILD (WHICH IS NOT A THING I HAVE, BUT I ASSUME).

It's so cute, the music slaps so hard, the story is chefs mothereffing kiss, the only gripe I have is that I thought it was ten episodes, so I went through five stages of grief when there was no 'next episode' button after ep.8. ALL THE SAME:

REWATCH THIS YOU MISERABLE LANDLUBBER.
It's cute and nothing hurts, which is the antithesis of what I typically enjoy, but dear god is it cute and heaven help me does nothing hurt here in the best of ways. All of my pessimistic predictions were met with MORE CUTE and MORE LOVE until my shriveled soul had to just give in and enjoy the show.

I giggled at parts. Not *laughed*, not *chuckled*, I GIGGLED. Like a schoolgirl, kicking my feet and shit. This is so unfathomably cute (but not toothrottingly, I still have my pride, thank you very much) and I love it. The acting was great, the characters were all likeable, and for 8 episodes at less than 30 mins each, everything was decently fleshed out. I have no complaints. **I have no complains** it's breaking my brain, I ALWAYS complain.

Anyway watch this when some other show inevitably makes you consider the worth of continued existence.

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Good Lightweight Series

Due to the heavy subject matters of parental death, and neglectful, abusive parents, I thought there would be more depth to this series. Since this is a mini series, I think my expectations were too high.

The acoustics the band played in were horrible, so I couldn't get into the music numbers either. The only reason I enjoyed this series, was the relationship development between the two couples, Xu Qi Zhang/Ye Guang, and Ray/Jian. Both couples had different paths to love, and I thought the relationship progression was really well done. What I found a little interesting was, Ray allowed the first guy to mistreat him multiple times, yet he made a nice guy like Jian pay for his one mistake. Yet Ray did not try to use his previous relationship as an explanation to Jian, he just decided what was no longer acceptable to him, and acted on it.

Overall this is a light series, that does have moments of emotional abuse and one incident of a parent slapping a child across the face. This is not resolved in the end, so it's really disturbing to think that Ye Guang will be living in that environment for at 2 more years until he can go to university. Hopefully he can get stronger against his parents (father is the abuser, mother the enabler) with the support of Xu Qi Zhang and his mother.

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Sangat remaja scenery banget.

Sebenarnya ada dua main role di series ini, namun menurutku series ini sangat terfokus pada satu main role utama ; yaitu Xu Qi Zhang dan Ye Guang. Menceritakan dua remaja ini dalam mencari apa yang mereka inginkan, karena keduanya sebenarnya punya masalah mereka masing-masing ; namun ketika mereka dipertemukan - mereka bersama-sama saling bertukar ide dan bahkan beberapa pengalaman hidup untuk saling memecahkan konflik mereka masing-masing ; semua masalah ini terjadi dalam fase perpindahan antara masa remaja menjadi dewasa. Kurang lebih series ini berpusat pada konflik itu. Resolusi dari series ini menurutku masuk akal ya, selain itu sederhana dan mudah dimengerti - seperti judulnya "About Youth" menurutku ini benar-benar membahas mengenai masa remaja secara umum, dimulai dari dengan siapa kita berteman, bagaimana respon dan reaksi orang tua kita ketika kita sudah remaja, dan beberapa masalah remaja yang biasanya terjadi. Dari segi dialog dan alur menurutku mudah dimengerti ya walaupun terkadang alurnya terbanting ke masa lalu. Over-all menurutku ini sangat rekomendasi banget karena series ini benar-benar punya cerita yang ringan.

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Não foi melhor por falta de tempo

Eu como fã incondicional dos BL's de Taiwan, fiquei encantada em ver depois de um tempo, uma temática mais jovem, vibe estudantil. De cara me encantei com abertura, com atores, com sinopse. E graças a Deus, não me decepcionei.

O roteiro fala de dois jovens de mundos bem diferentes que acabam se cruzando ao acaso. Um deles é rico, cheio de privilégios, mas não se sente amado pelos pais, que apenas o cobram perfeição de forma incessante, sem que ele possa se divertir como qualquer jovem. O outro é pobre, órfão de pai, mas tem uma mãe amorosa e se diverte com seu hobby, que é cantar, inclusive ele é tímido, mas no palco ele se transforma, fazendo parte de uma banda de música com seus amigos. Eles se cruzam e depois se reencontram na escola, mas apenas um deles lembra desse encontro, aliás, eu penso que ele se apaixonou à primeira vista.
O roteiro mostra que o mais rico se encanta pela vida livre que o mais pobre leva, inclusive percebendo que mesmo ele sendo livre, podendo se divertir e ajudar a mãe, é extremamente inteligente e é seu rival na disputa pela chefia da monitoria, que para ele traria status para a família, mas para o outro significava a bolsa de estudos que iria garantir seu futuro.
A história mostra um contraste interessante entre as duas famílias, uma é milionária, vive de status e massacra o filho com atividades para que ele seja um milionário de sucesso, mas não existe demonstração de afeto, não existe intimidade, o que existe é um filho frustrado por ver sua juventude se esvaindo. A outra família, que não e padrão, pois tem uma mãe viúva e pobre que cuida de seu filho sozinha, dentro de sua simplicidade é muito mais feliz.
Cada um dos jovens tem um melhor amigo. Xu Qi Zhang tem seus amigos de banda, mais tem mais apreço por um deles, e esse amigo vai se apaixonar perdidamente pelo melhor amigo de Ah Jian, um jovem homossexual que se veste de mulher em algumas situações. A série não deixa claro se ele é uma mulher trans ou apenas se sente bem ao se vestir de mulher, mas com certeza é clara em mostrar o preconceito que ele sofre até mesmo da pessoa com a qual se relaciona, eu realmente gostaria que esse ponto tivesse sido mais aprofundado. Enquanto um sabe bem o que quer, o outro está se descobrindo, e que bom que eles encontram a resposta juntos, assim como nossos protagonistas, que vivenciam seu primeiro amor.

Algumas coisas ficaram soltas, eu gostaria de ver a reação dos pais de Ah Jian ao saber sobre a homossexualidade dele, já que eles estavam começando a modificar seu modo de pensar. Também queria ver quem ganhou a disputa para monitor, se Xu Qi Zhang ganhou a bolsa de estudos, quem sabe não vem uma segunda temporada depois?

A atuação é de milhões, os temas abordados são interessantes, o desenvolvimento dos casais é coerente com o pouco tempo de série (8 eps de minutos + ou -), a fotografia é fantástica, inclusive, bati palmas para a cena do primeiro beijo dos protagonistas, quando mostra o espelho d'água. A ost é maravilhosa e a filmografia também.

Com certeza irei rever várias vezes, e super recomendo essa maravilha.

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