What is this drama about?
Tou Tou is a 19-year-old orphan. Every day he fights for survival by working hard. Her dream is to become a chef. One day, a respected professor, an outstanding socialist in the field of TCM, comes to her. He tells her that she is the only heir to a famous acupuncture clan that is part of TCM. He urges the girl to join the newly created group of apprentices and learn the secrets of TMC with them.
I had been watching the drama “Gen Z” for several months, but not because I didn’t want to watch it, but because I didn’t want to part with it too soon. This is not a drama where you rush to the end to see what will happen to the characters. The most important thing was what was happening here and now. The best thing about this drama is that it is like a band-aid for the soul, like calming drops for the anxieties of everyday life.
There are plenty of positive characters here, even wonderful, but not perfect. They have their weaknesses, desires and even anger. I love the whole doctor family. Their relationship is amazing. To some they may seem too patriarchal and rigid, but let’s consieder that the action takes place in present-day China, doctor marriages are already quite old and they also function within the ancient tradition of TCM. What is most impressive is how they talk to each other, honestly, from the heart and very often. Mother with daughter, son with mother, husband with wife, grandfather with grandson, master with disciple – all these relationships are unique and at times stormy. Even the difficult relationship between father and son has its meaning.
The only thing that slightly bothers me about this drama is the Meng Meng storyline. It doesn’t fit the whole story a bit. Her disorders and problems with her parents are an important issue, but here it looked unreliable, especially Meng Meng’s behavior, but I turn a blind eye to it. Drama has a lot of peace and wisdom in life. It’s supposed to be a drama about Chinese medicine, but I’ve never heard so much wisdom about life and human emotions in any drama before. That was the essence of the story.
Visually, it’s also a gem. Some of the drama is recorded in wonderful natural surroundings, and some in beautiful old, traditional interiors. The screen is dominated by the gentle, calming colors of nature, and I must admit that it also gave me a lot of pleasure.
The acting is great, both young and older actors. Zhao Lusi is great in this type of roles. Her young partner was the musical idol Luo Yizhou, inexperienced in acting, but it’s hard not to like him because he is pure sweetness. My favorite character is the mother. The most wonderful woman under the sun. Smart, good, devoted to work and family. Admiring her husband, trusting him almost completely, but not afraid to speak out loud about her feelings, even the difficult ones. She will not refuse help to anyone.
What I missed was an explanation of where Tou Tou came from. I suspect this is an intentional attempt to show that it doesn’t matter what family you come from, what matters is what you do with your life, and that your real family may turn out to be people who are not related to you in any way. I could write and write about this drama, analyzing every aspect of it, every relationship, every case that comes to a family TCM clinic, but it’s best to just watch it. Is this a drama without flaws? No, but still, for me these 40 episodes are a wonderful story about life, family and health.
