Such an UNDERRATED piece. Usually this time period is not something that appeals to me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Due to the historical background, there are images of propaganda and military but in my opinion made sense and was realistic/normal to this time.
As I get older, I appreciate slice of life dramas a lot more. The Youth Memories can appeal to a more mature audience. There are complaints of this drama being mislabeled as "romance," but I think this type of portrayal is my cup of tea. If you like angst, slow-burn, or a deep love storyline, you will understand this. You have to be patient while watching this drama and it ends up being so worth it. After all, love is patient.

The Youth Memories has themes of friendship, sacrifice, love, and ego. The story has its way with tugging at your heartstrings because of its intricate depictions of human nature. Power, desire, greed, and ambition can change someone -- and most importantly, hurt the people around them.

The second FL HHL dominates the first half of the show, but in my opinion is necessary for the plot and character development. Trust me, I got tired of her too. But we are witnessing XCS's life/love trajectory. When the TXM (FL) finally comes into the story, you come to understand why she is THE one. HHL and XCS were never going to work out; he was initially attracted to her because of his desire to take care of her. XCS prides himself in being a hero, which comes at the expense of putting others before himself. XCS saw that HHL needed saving, and HHL was attracted to his charismatic ideals. However, HHL loved herself more than anyone else and this is where they clashed. It was clear once HHL got to the military, she never looked back. In the end, she knew she couldn't handle the lack of stability and doing things the hard way. You can't blame HHL too much as she's coming from a situation of desperation, and her scarcity mindset fuels her ambitions.

TXM on the other hand shared XCS ideals; they both value giving back and have a strong sense of self-worth. TXM's character was almost written too perfectly; even when presented with the opportunities to be petty or greedy, she always chooses to walk on the right path and believes in herself. She is wise beyond her years and truly grounds XCS. It is truly a representation of first love vs. true and unconditional love. My favorite scene was when TXM sends XCS back to Beijing after the war, and the look of pain and gratitude XCS gave was heartbreaking. I love how she said she was going to get food on the train so that he could cry privately. In the show, you can tell she observes and acts graciously to those around her. TXM still chose him even at his lowest and she was the only one who ever believed in him wholeheartedly. She is the definition of a CLASS ACT. Their love was built on a foundation of sincerity and trust, which is why they won. XCS goes through so much suffering, but his luck was having TXM's love. I found that Li Qin lacked a lot of emotion in her character, perhaps it's because TXM is just someone who shows more through actions.

Pros: Emotional scenes were amazing, the micro expressions and details of the characters, the writing and life lessons. The writing wrapped up each character's ending well, and I was very satisfied with the ending. I was so impressed with Xiao Zhan's acting.

Side note: Hei Zi was so annoying and he was given so many chances to redeem himself. I guess it goes to show, some people can't and won't ever change. I got tired of his screen time though, and could never support his abuse. There were some scenes that I felt were draggy but not enough for me to drop.