When I Fly Towards You (2023)
Wow, I was watching episode 10 when I started to bawl, and that’s when I decided this truly needed a recommendation. I love how nostalgic and relatable the drama is for viewers. You don’t have to be a teen to enjoy this drama. It’s for all of us. In life, we find love and build friendships, and at one point or another, come across sadness, and each has personal battles that are sometimes too hard to discuss. As much happiness with happy tears, there are also levels of sorrow in life, and this drama tackles some of these instances of life. It’s a very nostalgic and sweet drama for those who need sweetness, a shoulder to cry on, and blooming happiness. It’s been difficult for me to part ways with this drama. However, I’m excited to watch it again as it holds a special place in my heart, and hopefully, it will also hold a special place in your heart.
When I Fly Towards You is a Rom-com starring Zhang LuRang (Zhou YiRan) and Su Zaizai (Zhang MiaoYi), along with Jiang Jia (Jiang ZhiNan), Gu Ran (Bian Tian Yang), and Guan Fang (Guo Zhe).
There is no breakup or huge plot twist in this fantastic drama. It’s POV and diary style at times, a slice of life drama, which I found cute. Otherwise, it’s a typical film-style drama. I love the friendships and how the drama also gave them priority. I would categorize this drama as female lead chases male lead, and she fell first, but he fell harder.
Small Drama Snippet:
The drama is set in 2012, as a storm starts, Su Zai Zai runs into the corner shop. She catches a glimpse of Zhang Lurang walking calmly in the rain. She became fixated on his actions and mumbled what an idiot he was for walking in the rain. He wasn’t the only person there, yet she could only focus on him. Her eyes seem to follow Lu Rang. LuRang enters the corner shop and turns slightly to look at her, and their eyes meet briefly. Later that night, Zaizai finds herself thinking about this handsome and mysterious guy. The next morning, Zhang Lurang and Su Zaizai begin their first day of high school. Zaizai once again became mesmerized when she saw the handsome and mysterious guy from the corner shop on campus. To their surprise, they attend the same school and are both running late, and a misunderstanding of identities begins. Zaizai becomes elated when she finds out that first-year students from classes 1 and 9 are to attend camp for military training. Zaizai from Class 9 confesses to Gu Rang from Class 1. Except that Zaizai’s confession is towards the wrong person. The confession piques Zhang LuRang’s interest. And a long love story of a reserved guy and a bubbly girl begins. I highly recommend watching the drama if this small snippet interests you. I got hooked from episode 1 and enjoyed each progressing episode more. I promise this drama is worth it! You can watch it on streaming apps like Youku, YouTube, and Netflix—24 episodes with a 35-minute duration. I recommend watching it on the Youku app or Netflix, since YouTube has copyright issues and many key scenes are missing music.
I interpret this drama as a story about Su Zaizai, a girl who lives in a world of color, and Zhang LuRang, who lives in a black and white world, and they both begin to fill each other’s world with vivid colors.
I will analyze the characters and their relationships in this post, focusing on the main leads, Zhang LuRang and Su Zaizai.
Storyline:
I love the concept of this drama. It explores teenage years and young adulthood from bitter moments to huge milestones. From the first love to the first crush, transitioning from innocence and being sheltered in school, and then being thrown into the cruel and unjust world of adults, workplace inequality, self-doubt, etc. Each character has problems and layers to discover as the drama progresses.
The drama emphasizes the importance of building community through friendships and family. I love that because, in real life, that’s what happens. The people we love and who love us help us in the simplest ways, from a hug or a shoulder to cry on. These are the things that we remember. That’s what I love about this drama. It’s so realistic and doesn’t disappoint with the outcomes. At times, dramas are out of reach for us, everyday people. The main leads are either nepo babies or from different eras/universes. This drama celebrates the mundane in life, love, and friendship. When I fly towards you, celebrates the full extent of normalcy and explore going to school, college, and working a 9-5. A life many of us get to live or experience in some form. Or maybe it can also bring solace to those who yearn for something that has become inattainable. I love this style of dramas and novels because they are familiar, and I love seeing something realistic and sweet. It brings me great comfort and happiness. The show evokes many emotions personally and easily ranks as my most recommended drama.
Su ZaiZai:
Her name translates to “be together”. The Su family consists of a loving mother, father, and ZaiZai. She excels in English, while she struggles in math and physics. She wears her heart on her sleeve. She is not afraid to show affection, and it comes so easily to her that it has become her second nature. Early in the drama, Su Zaizai is cared for by her friends and family. She is overall a very loved person. You can tell her life is filled with love by her friends’ and parents’ actions. She is very optimistic and holds a positive and beautiful outlook on life. Su Zaizai is sweet and straightforward but has her boundaries and defends her own. Su Zaizai is relatable and a familiar character. Zaizai is resilient and brave. Her character is not perfect; she acts like a fool when she is in love and falls hard, but that is just one of her charms.
I enjoy how her character still has a backbone even though she is so sweet. She does not let people mess with her or the people she wants to protect. Zaizai is often targeted by girls who are jealous of her friendship/relationship with Rang Rang. She expresses her thoughts so well in the drama regarding her stance on love and her personal decisions that affect her life. i.e, university and her field of study
I only saw her waver in love when she didn’t know if her love for Rang Rang was too much for him to handle without feeling like a burden. We could see the instant change in her demeanor, impacting her friendships. However, she did not cry over the potential setback; instead, she decided to face reality, no matter the outcome.
When she enters adulthood, we can see her confidence change when she finally lands her client at her job and is badly mistreated by her boss. We can see her struggle for the first time because she’s no longer a child and the world isn’t as sweet as she believed it is, but her friends and partner are always there to give her a shoulder to cry on and be confident in who she is even when we can’t control the environment we live and work in. It represents life’s bitterness when we leave school and enter the workforce. A reality many women can relate to, watching Zaizai in that scene. Now, regarding the way she loves! Ah, I relate too much to her in this aspect of life. She is not afraid to show that she is in love with someone. She goes all out and always ensures the person knows they are loved. She loves hard, and it’s intense sometimes, but she respects boundaries and has her own sense of who she is. Which I love because often, we see the female leads cater to or change for the male leads in dramas. She never changes her goals or who she is in the name of love. If anything, she becomes sweeter and a better person. I truly love her character. Su Zai Zai is a bubbly girl who becomes a better woman, friend, and partner.
Zhang Lurang:
Where do I start with his character without getting too emotional? The Zhang family consists of Lurang, both parents, and a little brother. Zhang Lurang, however, lives with his dog and uncle in a different city from his immediate family. LuRang is described as a high-performing student at his school who excels in science. He is known in the school as being a bright and handsome student with a promising future. He comes from a strict family and faces pressure from his parents and school to be excellent. Initially, he seems easy to read, but he’s not. As Su Zaizai calls him, Rang Rang is a very complex character. He carries this bubble of sadness and despair, which we see in the first episode when he walks in the rain and seems melancholy. At first glance, he seems reserved. He rarely talks and is described as a quiet person. But his eyes and body language give him away, which is hard to identify because it’s very subtle. What I like about his character is that he’s never actively mean to anyone. However, he is a little tease and tries to push people away so he doesn’t seem like a burden. He is quiet and calm with his friends and does his best to maintain friendships. He usually goes along with whatever his friends want to do. However, we begin to see a shift in his personality once he meets Su Zaizai, who often talks to Rang Rang and accompanies him every chance she gets. Little by little, we begin to understand who he is as a person. He smiles, laughs, and jokes with his friends as the years progress. Suddenly, we realize he has lived a tough life. Although handsome and intelligent in school, he is considered last in his family.
One instance that comes to mind is when Rang Rang got 80/138 marks on his English Test. He became visibly upset. In the following scene, we see Rang Rang bolt to the office once he finds out his mom is at school. Right before entering, he overhears the conversation between his teacher and mom. His mom states she wishes LuRang were at least half as great as his little brother, who she praises for skipping two grades and having no problems in his studies, unlike LuRang. His face instantly drops, and we see the panic and sadness in his eyes. Rang Rang lives in his brother’s shadow and is always compared to his younger brother because of his looks, personality, and grades. And we see another shift in his personality when his family visits Jiangyi. What surprised me was how Lurang’s parents treated Rang Rang like he did not matter as much as his brother. It becomes evident why Rang Rang decided to study away from home. LuRang’s character is very interesting because we see how unhappy he is with his parents, but he loves his brother very much. He is reserved around most, but becomes goofy and truly free of pressure around his close friends. There is sadness and hopefulness in his aura.
His family does not know how to love both kids, making them miserable. They are absolutely the worst parents I have ever seen in a drama. We do not see much of his family in the drama, although I cannot say the same is true of the book. In the drama, Rang Rang is forced to move back to Suyang, and it appears his relationship with his brother has improved, and their family dynamic remains a mystery. Su Zaizai is the only person who has reached Rang Rang and made him believe he is as great as he is. Her love allowed him to reach his true potential, and slowly he began to believe in himself. And his friends also played a vital role in Rang’s healing. Zaizai always encouraged and believed in him, which made him grow and let go of his insecurities. All Rang Rang needed in life was love, care, and attention. When Rang Rang grows into an adult, we can see how her love nurtured him to be a confident person who expresses himself and learns to lead a happy life where he is truly happy beside his partner, friends, and excels in his work.
His character is a very important representation in this drama because some people have lived and gone through the same experiences or similar, where their parents are not present or hold a favorite. It truly does mess with kids’ development and their mental perception. And just like Lu Rang, their parents don’t change, and the people around them all see the exclusion, but rarely can they change the outcome. The parents end up running the relationship between siblings and grow resentment towards their upbringing/parents. The families end up creating hostile environments and leave lasting trauma for their kids, which follows them into adulthood.
Relationship between Rang Rang and Zaizai:
Zaizai was instantly smitten with LuRang. LuRang had his eyes on her for a while as he observed her actions towards him. Zaizai went full force during the military camp when she asked Jiang Jia to help her get Rang Rang’s attention. That’s the first time we see LuRang really look at her with eyes of interest. The first time LuRang becomes flustered with Zaizai is when she cuddles his arm under the staircase as they hide. It really played that first fluttering heart moment in adolescence. LuRang teases Zaizai so much by acting coy and intentionally acting aloof to her actions. As Zaizai finds ways to enter his life, she becomes conscious that her words carry weight. Zaizai is always reassuring her love for Rang Rang, and Rang Rang always shows his care through his actions. Her love language is words of affirmation, and Rang Rang’s is acts of service. I love that Rang Rang sees her softness and always tries to be there for her, like Zaizai supports and loves Rang Rang. He does not dismiss her assertiveness and confidence in love as an indicator that she doesn’t need to be spoiled and loved sweetly. Throughout the drama, we see how Rang Rang relies on Zaizai, and she’s always there for him, but towards the end, we see Rang Rang flourish and become a partner Zaizai can depend on. We start to see his role shift, and he becomes a pillar for their future. And Spoiler, I love how Rang Rang was so excited to be a father.
I especially enjoyed it when Zaizai and Rang Rang wrote letters to each other to remain in contact regardless of the distance. It was so sweet, and I loved how they displayed the solace, longing, and love between the two during that period. It was super romantic!
I also enjoy how Su Zaizai’s character is represented as an individual pursuing love. She always emphasizes everyone’s individual strengths and how everyone is capable in their own ways. She does not compromise her interests and goals to be with Rang Rang; instead, she encourages them to make their own decisions and be there for one another as they grow and become better partners and people for themselves and each other.
Gotta Give A little Love to Gu Ran and Jiang Jia:
Gu Ran’s character is similar to Zhang Lu Rang’s. They are both lonely individuals who live away from their parents for the most part. Gu Ran’s parents are doctors and rarely have time for Gu Ran. This distance between his parents and Gu Ran becomes his point of sadness in the drama as he becomes forgotten. Jiang Jia is similar to Su Zaizai because she is loved by her parents, a spoiled daughter and friend. Initially, Gu Ran overhears Jiang Jia praising him and dismissing Zhang LuRang. Gu Ran becomes ecstatic. It’s as if for the first time, he was the first choice between him and LuRang. He becomes convinced Jiang Jia has a crush on him. And during that time, he starts to fall in love with Jiang Jia as he observes her actions towards him. He is a notable character because Gu Ran supports Jiang Jia in her pursuit of love that does not involve him. He just wanted to see her happy. Jiang Jia has had no interest in Gu Ran since the beginning. She does not see him as more than a friend. She started to like him or find a softness for him when she found out the lengths he went to keep her happy, i.e, the necklace and watch. I loved his unrequited love in this drama because he never wanted to impose his feelings on her, but for the most part, his hesitation stemmed from fearing losing someone special to him. I love his heartfelt letter, which truly displayed his silent love for her. Jiang Jia missed the timing to show that she cared for him as more than a friend, and the distance that would separate them became an obstacle to a late confession. However, revealing their unrequited love towards each other made their love story so sweet. They truly cared and loved each other, but didn’t know how to tell each other. I wish we could have seen more sweet moments from this couple!
Guan Fang, the Boy who Grew Up too Fast:
Guan Fang’s character seems silly and happy-go-lucky. He easily becomes great friends with everyone. He even gets switched from the boys’ class 1 to the girls’ class 9, which, in hindsight, is not good since class 1 is advanced and class 9 is regularly paced. Guan Fang lost both of his parents and only has his grandma. They rely on each other and have a great relationship. The drama reveals Guan Fang has a troubled past, likely from losing his parents and living with his grandma. Guan Fang changed his ways when he realized his actions affected his grandma. His new start at his school, where he meets his friends, is his saving grace and turning point in life. His character is important because it showcases how friends and our social environment impact our actions and have the potential to change our outlook on life. His character becomes sweet and tolerant; he lets go of his anger but does not go easy on people who truly cause harm. I found it really sad how he had to grow up so fast, and he had to make a difficult decision to become a grown-up. I wish he could have received more love and guidance like all the characters. His friend allowed him the freedom to become just a teen without responsibilities.
Storyline improvements:
I wish there had been more development in Lurang’s relationship with his parents in adulthood. It was an obvious obstacle in his life, being mistreated by his parents, and it affected him heavily to the point of insecurity and self-doubt. I would have enjoyed seeing how his relationship with his parents developed or diminished. And I would have loved to see more people speak for Rang Rang regarding the treatments he recieves from his parents by the adults in Rang Rang’s life. It seems unjust, but people often don’t speak up even when they see something is wrong.
I also would have enjoyed seeing Su Zaizai with her baby, Rang Rang, as a father, and overall, an update on all characters’ lives in their adulthood on screen, as well as Guan Fang with a partner!
Watching the final episode brings me to tears each time. I love that we finally hear Lu Rang’s thoughts and views on meeting and falling in love with Su Zaizai. I was sobbing. This drama has filled my heart with warmth and coziness. I love how realistic this drama is, from the simple interactions, love languages, and everyday problems. It’s very relatable and easily became my favorite drama of all time. I cannot wait to watch this drama again. I love every character here. They are characters we meet in our day-to-day lives and have similar aspirations and desires. Watching this drama brought many smiles, laughs, and tears during the summer of 2023.
Key Points
Happ Ending: Yes! I wish the author would write a sequel.
Love Triangle: No, there were some admirers, but everything got resolved within minutes. The second couple had a love triangle, but it was one-sided; therefore, I would not count it as one.
Misunderstandings: A few misunderstandings due to a lack of communication, high emotions, and rumors.
*I originally wrote this recommendation the summer it came out; however, school and life were too hectic, but I instantly knew this drama was special and spoke to my soul. It’s in my top 10 next to my favorite drama, Another Miss Oh (2016). I rewrote some sections for clarity and a new perspective.
Have you watched the drama yet? Are you familiar with these actors? Let me know what you think!
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