Watching live street basketball games? Check. The entire neighborhood gathered in front of the street’s sole television set? And an analog one at that? Double check! If you’ve fallen in love with the hit South Korean Reply series, chances are Timmy Xu Weizhou, Seven Tan Songyun and Niu Junfeng’s soon to be released retro drama Dear Mayang Street 亲爱的麻洋街 might also turn out to be your jam .. and right on time for throwback Thursday too!
Set in Guangzhou during the early 80s, the drama is a throwback to simpler times for six families who all live in Mayang Street. And similar to Reply, the show’s timeline also gives viewers a glimpse of the characters’ lives thirty years later. Despite many of us not having been born yet, there surely are some bits and pieces in the drama that will have you all fondly remembering your childhoods by.
Dear Mayang Street Synopsis
Join Ou Xiaojian, Yi Dongdong and Ma Xiaoxiao as they show you around Mayang Street in this 37 episode long series. Timmy Xu plays resident bad boy Ou Xiaojian. He’s what most mums would often warn their kids against – the curfew breaking motorcycle riding rebellious type that makes Ma Xiaoxiao’s heart pound with all his kisses! Talented and intelligent, the future looked promising until he suddenly dropped out of the police academy, thus beginning his downward spiral into gang fights and alcohol. Meanwhile, Yi Dongdong played by Niu Junfeng is Ou Xiaojian’s complete opposite. He is the gentle boy next door and remains to be Ma Xiaoxiao’s most loyal friend. Despite falling in love with Seven Tan Songyun’s character Ma Xiaoxiao at first sight, he put his attraction in the backseat knowing that Xiaoxiao likes Xiaojian.
Trouble increasingly comes knocking on Ou Xiaojian’s door and Ma Xiaoxiao is very worried. When an unexpected incident forces her to reevaluate her life, what difficult choices will she be forced to make?
Dear Mayang Street also features Shi Ke, Jiao Gang, Kong Lin, Ning Wentong, Tian Min, Chang Kaining, Mu Liyan, Yin Zhixuan, Hu Haobo and Ma Dongyan.
Tan Songyun seems to be having a bit of fun in the retro genre what with her latest work Go Ahead being compared to Reply 1994 and now this. Not that I’m complaining of course because a nice throwback to simpler and carefree times is just the thing to get our mind off this limbo we find ourselves in for 2020. In any case, keep an eye out for Tan Songyun in her brand new historical drama Jin Xin Si Yu 锦心似玉 with Wallace Chung that just wrapped recently.
Release Date: October 22, 2020 (8 pm on Youku)
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Anonymous
I’m excited for Jin Xin Si Yu but I can see why people is waiting for this drama as well. Tan Songyun’s past dramas Go Ahead and Under the Power had been a hit, and considering this drama was filmed right before Go Ahead, means it is just waiting to be aired.
The anticipation for TSY’s drama is understandable as she is at the height of her career with acting skill to back it on. I hope Dear Mayang Street is worth the wait, the list of the actors looked promising, Niu Junfeng is a good actor, while Xu Weizhou is decent. I also read that TSY will end up with the second lead in the end which a breath of fresh air for drama. Hope the scripts don’t disappoint!
Anon
The acting seems fine but as someone who grew up in Guangzhou during the 80s no one was playing basketball on the streets they should have swapped it out for badminton/pingpong or even soccer. Also, this is again not the fault of the actors considering the fact that it is a mainstream production but no one spoke mandarin in Guangzhou during that time unless you were in school. These details just stick out like a sore thumb to me since I lived out that era in that area but I am sure fans of the actors and the general audience will enjoy the show.
Sunny
@Anon: Thanks for sharing. It’s so interesting hearing from someone who actually lived there during this time period. I wonder if the lack of accuracy will cause criticism with the Chinese audiences?
Sunny
I don’t really like the posters but the trailers are very good.
It’s interesting Tang Song Yun’s career has gone from strength to strength this year as she turned 30. Usually when actresses hit their 30s their careers start to decline but hers is getting better and better. I guess it helps that she looks so youthful and cute.
Anon
@Sunny: No, the general Chinese audience won’t care about the details I spoke about. Everyone knows all mainstream drama productions must be produced in standard mandarin. As for basketball older audiences will probably just overlook this detail and younger ones won’t even remember or know. It’s just bugging me on a personal level because they are trying to portray my entire childhood/ teen years in my hometown so I can’t help but pick it apart, lol. Imagine a BBC British production about the King of France but all the actors are English and they speak with an English accent. A lot of French people will probably have a WTF face but will understand the production is not marketed towards them.
Sunny
@Anon: Thanks. That makes sense like how in Hollywood films the default accent for period films is a posh English accent.