我的少女时代

Hello there!

Recently I went to the cinemas to watch the super hyped up movie, 我的少女时代 (Our Times). In fact, I watched it twice and I've made plans to watch it another 2 times next week (if it's still showing). I'm really excited about re-watching the show, despite already watching it twice! I believe that we need to support good production, hence the support!

My friends did claim that I'm "crazy" to watch it so many times in the theatre when I could have downloaded it when the torrent came out. But there are certain shows that cannot be fully enjoyed in the comfort of our beds so I think I'd rather waste the money watching it in the cinema.

After all, how many chances do you get in life to watch good movies with good company! Nowadays, all we do is coop up at home and watch torrented movies on our own. Now, if that isn't sad, I don't know what is.

Sorry to those who may relate with (^) but I just believe that there are certain movies that need to be enjoyed with company like friends, lovers, family. This is especially true for the case of 我的少女时代.

Note: Spoiler Alerts.

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Many people have been comparing 我的少女时代 with a similar show back in 2011, 那些年我们一起追的女孩. Of course, it didn't hurt that the male leads for both films, 王大陆 and 柯震东 (respectively), are childhood friends in real life.

Of course, 那些年 was a true recount of author, 九把刀's, teenager days. 少女, on the other hand, is purely a fiction story drafted by the director and script writers. We shouldn't be comparing them, because one originated from a book, and the other, well, was solely a film.

However, the similarities in the setting and story plot was definitely one of the main reasons both films were compared by the masses.

From a girl's point of view, I'd definitely prefer 我的少女时代.

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Ultimately, it depends on what you look for in a movie.

Some people are suckers for happy endings, and 我的少女时代 gives that. (not a spoiler, because everyone has been talking about it already) 那些年, on the other hand, was more realistic, but also resulted in a sad ending where the adorable female lead married a not-so-attractive older man.

For people who are looking to have more laughter and a light-hearted film, 那些年 definitely provided that. It was humorous and there were still moments where you'd cry and go "awww", but the humour level was definitely higher.

Despite so, people who are looking for a show that can really touch on their heart strings, should give 我的少女时代 a go. It'd give you 2 hours filled with tears from laughter and more importantly, sorrow/touching moments.

Of course, in terms of "cliche quotes" that came out of a movie, 我的少女时代 wins hands down. Both leads said a lot of really cliche quotes that eventually was repeatedly quoted on social media. For those who have been seeing a whole bunch of chinese words on your twitter/Instagram, your following probably watched the show.

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So, why is 我的少女时代 better? (in my opinion)

The director, is definitely a key reason. While 九把刀 is an author who has a vivid ability to visualise, 陈玉珊 is, by a far shot, a better director. Having been the director of several well-received Taiwan dramas like 下一站，幸福 and 西街少年, she knew how to build the characters well for the audience to love them enough.

If your character is built so well, the audience will truly understand them and love them. In 那些年, the urgency to rush through the plot, sadly, compromised the building of the characters. If we understood 沈佳宜 more, we would have probably loved that movie a lot more.

Despite being her first attempt at directing movies, 陈玉珊 managed to put (i feel) a 偶像剧 into a 2-hour film. Just like how we always repeatedly watch a drama series despite having watched the finale because we're so addicted, we'd repeatedly watch 我的少女时代 for the same reasons.

There are so many details that were captured really well, despite condensing a drama story into a movie. Kudos to the amazing director.

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Another reason the movie was better, is because it was fiction. How many of us "normal girls" out there get a chance to live the "extraordinary" love life? (not that there isn't, but how often do girls get that?)

Like the movie suggest, to the 99% of normal girls out there, this was a story of an ordinary girl who had an extraordinary chapter of her life with the boy she loved. Every girl wants that chapter, all 99% of them. This movie gave us girls a chance to, for a moment, live as 林真心.

Of course, I love how the main lead isn't that perfect boy and perfect girl. Too many movies these days are like that, and 我的少女时代 removes that. The actor and actress chose was a good fit too, seeing how the characters were really likeable.

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Did you know that many people who watched the show, was reminded of a similar love story they had in their younger days (or not so younger days)?

I wouldn't say everyone had a love story as heart wrenching as that, but there were definitely those who could relate to the stories of 徐太宇 and 林真心. It wasn't always that we held onto the people we loved, sometimes we held it too late and missed it by an inch. This movie brought us back to those days, watching our similar stories live in 2 other characters.

Like one of the actress quoted in an interview, "每个女孩心中都有一个徐太宇，每个男孩也都曾经错过了一个林真心".

While every girl had that guy who, despite denying so back then, gave you the most touching moments of your youth; every guy had that one girl, who did so much for them, and they missed it by an inch.

Unlike 那些年, not all of us are lazy students who worked extra hard for the prettiest girl in school, and fell in love, only to miss it because of a misunderstanding.

Just like 我的少女时代, many of us truly had a story in our hearts that we hope ended up just like 徐太宇 and 林真心. That one guy/girl we can't forget, that memory in our youth that will remain with us as we continue to grow up.

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The song was definitely better, for the SOLE reason that Hebe Tien sang it.

If you love Hebe Tien, you'd love the show enough. Of course, 那些年 was a song that spoke of how much love the guy had for the girl. Lyrics like 再一次相遇我会紧紧抱着你, expressed the chance he missed to hold onto the girl he loved. It was a song that truly summarised the show, collecting the memories into one song.

For 小幸运, it was more general. Because it talked about how we tend to neglect the ones who stand by our side, it sounded a little sour at first. But if you truly paid attention to the lyrics, you could feel the hopes the singer had for the person in mind, hoping that the person she cared for found his happiness in the end, and that meeting him was her luck.

Not everyone sat in front of their loved ones in their younger days, but many people had a time when they were so close to love, really so close.

This makes 小幸运 easier to absorb, and also because Hebe Tien's voice is impressive as always.

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男人不坏，女人不爱.

You know how cliche that sounds? Very very very very very, as I'm cringing right now. But you can't deny that many girls out there truly love the bad boy.

You know why girls like "bad boys"? Probably because they like to see how the "bad boys" treat them gently despite being rough to everyone else. That romantic inside every bad boy, that kind look he gives when he's by your side, holding your bag despite looking away like he's really cool.

柯景腾 was playful, but he wasn't bad. He was like any other mischievous boy in school who slept in class and read manga. 徐太宇 was bad. He fought, had a bunch of wannabe gangsters following behind him, and had a touching story to match. More importantly, we loved the way he looked when he looked at 佤仔 (no spoilers, watch it yourself).

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You knew that they truly liked each other.

Honestly, it was more difficult to grasp the how, when, where, why, the main leads fell in love with one another in 那些年. Maybe it was somewhere in the studying nights that they rushed through in half a song, or the beach dates they had when exams were done with, but we never could grasp the exact point and reason when/why they fell in love with each other.

Note: if you had read the book, you'd know better. But we're comparing movies now, so let's put the book aside.

For 我的少女时代, it was easier to understand their feelings. Probably because the centre of the story was their love more so than the school days/memories, but you could understand their feelings much better. Somewhere between shopping in the book store and studying in Mcdonalds (SPOILERS?), they probably fell in love unknowingly. Definitely, it was easier to understand why they liked each other as well.

林真心's care and love, 徐太宇's gentleness and sweet actions... Really do watch the show in the cinemas to cry your hearts out for them.

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While there are so many reasons why one show is better than the other, I have chosen these few to explain why I believe 我的少女时代 is a better movie than 那些年，我们一起追的女孩.

I will NOT compare the cast because a cast can only produce a movie well, if the character fit them well and they were able to develop it in the course of the movie. Both casts were impressive.

And of course, we can't use the reason of "There was Andy Lau" to compare, because then we'd just be buying the hearts of all Andy Lau's fans. Despite so, these are also reasons many people have used to say that 我的少女时代 is better than 那些年，我们一起追的女孩.

Yet, without using these reasons, I still believe that 我的少女时代 had many more reasons to be a show to catch in the cinemas compared to 那些年. Really do catch it in the cinemas if you can, and watch it with friends/lovers who would laugh and cry with you.

Pour your hearts out, don't be cynical ("oh how is that even practical?") and be open to accepting and feeling the emotions of the characters. Pay attention to the details, you'll realise a lot by the end of the show. If you missed anything, I'd suggest watching a second time.

There are many moments in the show that were golden, and you'd have to watch it a second time to fully understand.

Another plus point for the show, was that you could actually watch it from 徐太宇's perspective the second time. Unknowingly, you will definitely place your attention on 林真心 on the first watch, probably because she's the narrator. Watching a second time allows you to actually watch many moments from 徐太宇's end, and cry your hearts out once more!

I've heard friends tell me that the movie poster is unimpressive, compared to the cliche, by the beach photo of 那些年, but the show is better than the poster. We can't judge a book by it's cover, and this is a film that truly expresses that saying.

If you are not well versed in Mandarin, I'd suggest really watching it twice because you will be watching the subtitles throughout the first time, and miss many many moments.

Remember to bring tissue if you know you're the kind to cry for movies, and also be prepared to be reminded of your own version of 徐太宇/林真心 post-movie.

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The song is impressive and I've already listened to it over 200 times over 4 days. The MV captures the classic moments in the show, but does not give you too much of a spoiler. Isn't it?