the comparisons to the reply series, especially 1988, are very apt. this is both a good and a bad thing - the things that keep the reply series firmly at the top of my favourites list are all here (family, friendships, first love, the bittersweetness of growing up, nostalgia), but so are a lot of the frustrations (dude, just talk to her! it's nice that you're being considerate of your friend's feelings but she's allowed to make her own choice).

i fell in love with the first few episodes, but found myself enjoying it less as it went on. the tone shifted wildly from funny and lighthearted and sweet to just sad. sad isn't a bad thing, but i wish they had kept some of the humour and sweetness while they dealt with the heavier topics. the plot also seemed to be spinning its wheels for half the episodes, covering the same ground multiple times (so many 'i was just about to confess but didn't because she started talking about li yu again' moments!). i wish the plot had kept moving and covered more time, instead of getting so bogged down.

overall this drama has a lot of positives - the characters are strongly written and acted, the cast have great chemistry and there are so many moments that hit you right in the feelings - but i couldn't help feeling let down by the tonal shift in the latter episodes.