Story - 10/10

This is a very beautiful and nuanced piece on the joys and trials of adolescence and life in general. At first glance, it seems like a typical dumb girl, genius boy high school romance but it's so much more than that. You'll feel every moment of friendship, heartache, young love, angst, and more. You'll feel it when Yang Xi gets berated by her parents yet'll you also feel heartache for her parents. You'll absolutely feel Hua Biao's heart break when his grandmother starts to get sick. You'll feel everything these kids feel. Maybe you're going through similar things now, maybe you've experienced them before and if you're from an Asian family, you can definitely relate.

I kinda thought the ending was bittersweet and realistic. It left things open. If it were like any other school romance, the male lead and female lead would end up together.

Cast - 10/10

Everyone was cast perfectly from the 6 main kids to the parents and family members to the teachers.
This is one of Hou Minghao's early roles and he's absolutely lovable and charming and so charismatic. And you will absolutely love his performance as he charms his way and bonds with classmates and gangsters alike.

Wan Peng is super funny and relatable. As the brash tomboy obsessed with wuxia novels, she's sharp and witty and angsty all at once. She's got a chip on her shoulder about not being smart enough and her struggles with her parents, especially her mom, are absolutely relatable.

Zhang Yao (Li Yu), Li Ming De (Situ Ertiao), Pan Mei Ye (Yangxiao Hemei), Dai Lu Wa (Huang Dengdeng) all delivered brilliant performances. They were perfectly cast.

Music - 10/10

Absolutely absolutely absolutely love it! Love the choice of the Beyond songs and Leon Lai's songs. I also love the main themesong, 北区楼四 。 It encapsulates the nostalgia the characters feel towards their youth and the nostalgia we as the audience feel for our youth and the 1990s.

Rewatch Value

100% would rewatch!