Subjective Gut Rating: 8.75

“Small Town Stories” is one of those dramas that is underrated because it has no popular idol actors, no flashy plot and it’s just about the everyday life of the regular folks. Aside from high school dramas, China is really good at producing dramas such as “Small Town Stories”. Although there is nothing flashy about this drama, it brings me warmth, tears, hope and love. This is definitely not a drama for everyone, but it’s one that touches me.


What I Like:

1. Bai Lang (ML) - I am in love with Bai Lang. I am going to include him in my ‘Male Characters I love… Ideal man!’ custom list. He’s definitely not perfect in the fairytale kind of way, but he’s perfect in my eyes as a regular guy. Bai Lang is smart, hardworking, considerate, caring, loyal, dependable, responsible, and funny. He’s not cute or handsome in the traditional sense, but I love his tan skin and adorable smile. Gao Zhi Ting, who plays Bai Lang, has matured quite a bit. I’ve only seen him in “A Love So Beautiful” as the green flag 2ML. But in “Small Town Stories”, his acting improves, he has more screen presence and is a lot more charismatic.

2. Main Romance - I love the chemistry between Bai Lang and Mu Di. I am a fan of bickering leads who don’t like each other in the beginning, then slowly become friends and then fall in love. This is definitely a slow burn romance and you would be disappointed if you are looking for cute and fluffy love. The romance here is gradual, subtle-yet-not-subtle, but it’s full of fun, laughter, and tears. I like the development of the romance more than the actual romance when they finally get together.

3. Main/Supporting Cast - Every character in this drama feels real to me. No face smoothing, no super white make-up, no backlighting. These characters could be your next door neighbor, your uncle or aunt, or a classmate/friend. The characters are flawed and very ‘human’. They make mistakes, they act irrationally at times, yet you can’t help but root for them and not hate them. Yes, there’s an annoying girl who just won’t take no for an answer, but in the end, she’s still a good person at heart. Ok, she’s just a tad annoying and got on my nerves a little bit. But aside from that, I like everyone in this drama.

4. Acting - I am very impressed with Gao Zhi Ting (ML) and Karlina Zhang (FL). I see a different side of Rain Lu (2FL). Wu Xing JIan (2ML) might be the weakest of the four main leads, but he’s still not bad. I enjoy the acting of the supporting cast, especially Song Jia Teng (as ML’s BFF/Brother), Xu Shao Ying (Cop friend), FL’s family and all the musicians. The cast of “Small Town Stories” is full of veterans and very experienced actors. They really bring the characters to life.

5. Mini-stories - I really enjoy the side stories of weddings, celebrations and funerals. For the most part (except the last two subplots), these stories are touching yet don’t take away from the main plot and main leads character development. Through these stories, we see the growth of Mu Di (FL) from a self-centered and proud musician, to hitting rock bottom, to slowly realize what makes her happy and what her dream is.


What I have Mixed Feelings or Don’t Like:

1. Last few episodes - I feel that the older couple’s love story, and FL sister/bro-in-law banking fiasco are the weakest subplots of the series. They don’t jive with the vibe of the drama in the first 20+ episodes. They also don’t contribute to the general character development of the leads, the music journey and the event business. I was worried that this amazing drama is going to tank in the last few episodes and I will end up being disappointed. Luckily, episodes 29-30 picked back up and ended on a high note. Those two episodes brought back touching tears, silly laughter and hope for the future.

2. Chinese Government - I wish the drama could have focused on the cultural aspect of the music without bringing in all the government talk. Maybe that’s also why I don’t like the banking subplot as that introduced more government involvement to the drama, and the boring business talk of the new Cultural Street/Development.

3. Dubbed correction - It was great having all the actors use their real voice and with live recording as well. But then, there are quite a few lines that are dubbed over the original. Is that possibly due to censorship? This happens more than once or twice, and it takes me out of the zone and interrupts my viewing pleasure.

4. One-sided Love - There are three different one-sided love storylines in this drama and all three individuals are quite persistent. One just wouldn’t take No for an answer and is annoying as heck. One goes above and beyond to impress the family shamelessly. One is not even friends with the love interest and is obsessed with them and almost ruins 12 years of friendship. If all three of them stop sooner, then one of the other romance storylines would have time to develop and make me root for them.

5. Kisses - There are a few not-so-great kisses. The camera shot these kisses at weird angles and you can't really see much. The ones that you do see are in the last episode but they are definitely for fan service. They’re not particularly romantic and did not evoke any positive feelings from me.



Overall, I had a great time watching this drama. I wish more people would take notice of it. It’s not perfect, but if you are in the mood for small town stories of normal people’s everyday life, this is a good one. However, the city definitely doesn't feel small town as it keeps on showing me scenes of tall buildings and city lights. LOL. So, don't think this drama is about rural life and townsfolks. "Small Town Stories" is about a very interesting event planning company.


Completed: 3/29/2024 - Review #421