Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. But honestly, most of the time when we revisit old shows, the "magic" is just us remembering how we felt at sixteen, not the actual quality of the writing. Then there's the 2013 SETTV Taiwanese series In a Good Way.
It’s rare.
I mean, how many dramas actually manage to capture the precise, agonizing, and beautiful transition of 1990s university life without feeling like a cheap costume party? Not many. Most "retro" shows just slap some baggy jeans on a Gen Z actor and call it a day. This one felt lived-in. It felt like the smell of old library books and the sound of a dial-up modem screeching in the background while you wait for a message that might never come.
The Freedom of 1995
The story kicks off in 1995. Lin Jia-en, played by Lorene Ren, is basically all of us—sheltered, a bit lost, and following her childhood best friend to Taipei because she doesn't really know what else to do with her life. She fails her entrance exams, which is a brutally honest starting point. It isn’t some glossy success story from minute one. She’s an outsider looking in.
Then she meets Liu Shan-feng, or "Liu Chuan," played by Lego Lee.
Liu Chuan is the campus golden boy, but the show does something smart here. Instead of making him a cold, unreachable jerk (a trope that was honestly exhausting by 2013), they made him someone who values "freedom" above all else. This wasn't just a buzzword. The 1990s in Taiwan were a time of massive political and social shifting—post-martial law, the birth of a new democracy, and a generation finally allowed to ask "Why?"
Their chemistry? Electric. But it was a slow burn. A glacial, agonizing, wonderful burn.
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Why the "In a Good Way" Drama Keyword Still Trends
You see people looking up In a Good Way drama years after it aired because it fills a void that modern, fast-paced streaming shows often ignore. It’s about the philosophy of being young. The Chinese title, Wǒ de Jìyì Zìyóu (My Freedom Years), gets closer to the heart of it. It’s about the struggle to define yourself when the world is suddenly wide open.
Lego Lee and Lorene Ren weren't just acting out a script; they became the faces of a specific type of Taiwanese "healing" drama. They spent a lot of time on the protest culture of the 90s, the formation of student clubs, and the simple act of treasure hunting as a metaphor for finding one's path.
There's this one scene—if you've seen it, you know—involving a pager.
The pager was the ultimate 90s romantic hurdle. You send a code. You wait. You find a payphone. You hope they're there. The "In a Good Way" drama used these physical limitations to build a kind of tension that a simple "Seen" receipt on WhatsApp just can't replicate. It forced the characters to be intentional. You couldn't just ghost someone easily back then; you had to actually show up or not show up.
The Treasure Hunt That Wasn't About Gold
One of the most unique threads in the series is the "Treasure Hunting" club. It sounds cheesy on paper. A bunch of college kids looking for clues left by a former professor? Come on. But it worked because the "treasure" was always a philosophical realization.
The show tackled the "Wild Lily" student movement vibes without being a dry history lesson. It captured the intellectual hunger of the era. Students were reading Jean-Paul Sartre and discussing existentialism in coffee shops. It made being smart feel cool. It made questioning authority feel like a romantic endeavor.
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The Supporting Cast Actually Mattered
Usually, in idol dramas, the side characters are just there to hold the main lead's jacket. Not here.
- Ren Wei: The childhood friend who has to learn that love isn't an obligation. His growth from a cocky brat to a functioning adult was arguably as good as the lead's arc.
- Bai Xue: The "campus beauty" who wasn't a villain. This was so refreshing! She was kind, intelligent, and dealt with unrequited love with more grace than most real adults I know.
- The Roommates: They provided the comic relief, sure, but they also represented the different ways people "failed" or "succeeded" in the 90s economy.
That Ending (The Elephant in the Room)
We have to talk about it. The ending of "In a Good Way" is... controversial. I'm being polite.
A lot of fans were furious because it didn't give the standard, wrapped-in-a-bow wedding finale. It was bittersweet. It was open-ended. Some felt the writers backed themselves into a corner with the legal subplot involving Liu Chuan’s father.
But looking back with a decade of perspective? It fits the theme of "Freedom." Sometimes freedom means making the hard choice to step away so someone else can grow. It wasn't the ending we wanted, but it was arguably the ending the characters earned. It felt real. Life at 21 rarely ends with a definitive "happily ever after"—it usually ends with a "what's next?"
Technical Brilliance and the OST
The soundtrack is a character in itself. Using songs from Wu Bai and Rock Records legends like Sarah Chen didn't just provide a vibe—it anchored the show in a specific reality. When "Lead My Way" or "Good-bye My Love" starts playing, you aren't just watching a show; you're transported.
The cinematography used a lot of warm, sepia-adjacent tones without looking like an Instagram filter. It felt dusty and bright, like a summer afternoon in a dorm room with no air conditioning.
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Lessons Learned from the 90s
If you're going to dive into this show now, you have to prepare for a different pace. It’s not a 12-episode Netflix binge where a cliffhanger happens every eight minutes. It’s a 26-episode journey. It meanders. It takes detours into side characters' lives.
But that's the point.
The "In a Good Way" drama teaches us that the transition to adulthood isn't a straight line. It’s a series of small, often quiet moments of bravery. It's about finding the courage to tell your parents you don't want their life. It's about realizing your crush is a human being with flaws.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Viewer
If you're planning a rewatch or a first-time viewing, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Research the Context: Briefly look up the 1990-1996 era in Taiwan. Understanding the shift from a more restrictive society to a liberal one makes Liu Chuan's obsession with freedom much more poignant.
- Look for the Easter Eggs: The show is packed with 90s cultural references, from specific brands of snacks to the way students used the BBS (Bulletin Board System) before the modern internet.
- Appreciate the Silence: Notice how much communication happens through looks and letters. In our era of instant gratification, there's a lot to be learned from the "wait" that the characters endure.
- Listen to the Lyrics: Don't skip the opening and ending themes. They are narratively linked to the characters' mindsets at different stages of the story.
The "In a Good Way" drama remains a gold standard for the "Coming of Age" genre in Asian television because it respected its audience's intelligence. It didn't treat college as just a backdrop for kissing; it treated it as a forge for the soul.
Whether you’re in it for the nostalgia of the 90s or the undeniable chemistry between Lego Lee and Lorene Ren, the show stands the test of time. It reminds us that no matter what decade you're in, the hardest person to find is always yourself. And that search? It's always worth it.