This drama is not perfect by any means. The pacing is bad, one notices points where the story was edited in a heavy handed way. Some of the acting was a bit exaggerated at times and a few of the characters were underdeveloped. But when its dialogue finally connects, it is well delivered and so sentimental it makes one forget all of its shortcomings. This drama’s shortcomings I think have a lot to do with budget issues maybe but I can’t be sure. I do notice these same weaknesses with many Taiwanese dramas, especially in the boys love genre.

But at the heart of this drama was simply a coming of age story. It spoke of the pivotal moments that inevitably occur in one’s life that shape who we become, especially when we are young. The vibrant colors and airy capricious environments hint at the naivety of youth.

In the end it’s a beautiful told story about a man who has been through so much disappointment he has lost faith in love and the comically younger and immature boy tenacious enough to teach him to trust again. And a who is constantly buffeting by some of the saddest circumstances. He just cannot catch a break but despite this he tries so hard to make the best of the abysmal cards he was dealt. It took a free spirit to show him that there were things worth living for other than excelling merely for the sake of escaping his struggles.

The drama ends rather sadly but that is not a bad thing per say. We all want to see an ideal happy ending even if only to escape from our own lives sometimes. But it simply isn’t realistic and I tend to find that depressingly refreshing. Sometimes bad things happen, sometimes the things we want don’t always work out the way we planned and sometimes love ends for one reason or another, but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t worth it.

That’s truly the lesson to take from this. In the end I’ve seen so much potential from the HIStory series and it always falls flat at some vital point especially at the end and I’m not entirely sure why. It’s like the writing takes a hiatus or something. Overall if you watch this one though disappointed you can enjoy it. You will simply have to release expectations. However I personally recommend skipping the HIStory franchise all together, good riddance it isn’t coming back. Their ideas need more time to bake.