BEFORE READING, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND I WILL BE REVIEWING THIS AS OBJECTIVELY AS I CAN. However, as I do have a bias for Go Ahead, this will be filled with comparisons and critics (as the title says). If you can't take it, move along.

LIKES: Cast (especially the kids), OST, STORY, Some of the character changes (Ju Won becoming a baker), the lack of a love triangle and the brother ending up with the friend.
DISLIKES: Sanha's mother, inability to capture my emotions, Sanha's resolution. (READ FURTHER FOR DEEPER DIVE INTO THIS)

I went into this with little to no expectations as I am not really fond of remakes, however I had nothing else to watch at the time. First few episodes surpassed those expectations as it really managed to get most of the major points across...until right before the time skip. I discovered that during the first couple episodes, I wasn't comparing this to the OG but then as it went on, it started to get harder to not compare, especially after the time skip.

Without too much spoilers, here's a few things that made the show ratings drop for me
- The fl's character was inconsistent. As a kid she had more drive and was more of the bully but then she suddenly lost that in HS? AND YES I KNOW PEOPLE CHANGE but it just felt off.

- Sanha's family, specifically his parents. There's 3 things I found super hard to ignore and really disliked in this point...
1. Sanha's father's lack of a backbone. It's hard to explain without comparing so imma compare anyway. In the OG, Ling Xiao's father also didn't have a solid backbone but when he needed to stand up for him, he did so with zero hesitation. In this though, I found Sanha's father a bit weak even during confrontation. It was as though the mother always had the upper hand. WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY SECOND ONE.
2. Sanha's mother. OMG SHE WAS INFURIATING. I didn't think I'd ever hate this character more than the Chinese one but damn!!! I hated the fact that the writers let her have the upper hand the whole time? Like ZERO REMORSE TILL THE END. She was the major reason for everything Sanha faced and even till the end, she never once apologized? THIS WAS A MAJOR REASON for another drop in rating.
3. Sanha's resolution: WHY??? WHY??? I felt as though the writers decided to just skip over all the trauma this boy went through with "Insomnia" and "Abandonment". While these are two major things he dealt with, they completely glossed over his PTSD and depression AND THEY basically ended it all with a talk with his brother and a shared drink??? ALSO EXCUSE ME??? WHY DID SANHA HAVE TO BEG THAT WITCH?!!! SHE NEVER APOLOGIZED!!!!! This PISSED ME OFF FR. I was hoping he'd leave her. I hated the mother being able to simply just be forgiven in the OG but I hated this one more. At least there, she actually realized her fault (albeit too late).

- FINALLY, The show's inability to evoke strong emotions from me: If you look at my ratings, the lowest is it's rewatch value. This isn't because I don't rewatch shows but it's because I doubt I'll have reason to rewatch this. And that's because this show was unable to capture my full attention and evoke strong emotions within me.

I have rewatched Go Ahead at least 4 times since it came out and I can tell you each time, I CRY. Not just silent tears slipping down my face but full blown sobs. While watching this, I found myself smiling more than crying and sometimes falling asleep (the last two eps were a drag). I mentioned Sanha's resolution and I wanna just point out that his LACK of resolution was the final reason for my rating dropping from a 9 (in the beginning) to a 7.5. In the OG, there's a few scenes that made my heart HURT and the ones that hurt the most were the scene where his father finds out about the pills he had to take to survive those years with his mother. The fact that his kid was broken and he had no idea. - This was the resolution Sanha did not have.
And the scene where Ling Xiao's mother comes uninvited to his house and sees Jian Jian and Ling Xiao finds out, breaks down, runs to Jian Jian's apartment and embraces her. This scene showed his attachment to her, it wasn;t a pure romantic love but it was A "I need you to be able to survive" kind of attachment. Yet another scene that would've given the viewers a deeper insight into Sanha as a broken person.
However, a lot of the scenes that should've evoked big emotions were changed/not included in this and it just made the show fall flat for me. Less focus on the romance in the last 2 eps and more on resolving their trauma would've made this way better

Oh also, someone mentioned that there was a lack of "familial" bond amongst the siblings as they made it so that Sanha was in love with her from start and I cannot agree more. The feelings this character should have for fl isn't just romantic love, It's deeper, more twisted than that...but alas.

END: WHY is this rated a 7.5 and not lower?: All in all, I think this show as a standalone and not an adaptation/remake would've been a masterpiece. However, it's sad that it is after all an adaptation and cannot be free from comparisons. I want to also say, I think the cast was amazing especially Bae Hyeon Seong who plays the role of KANG Hae Joon. They did fully embody the characters to the best they could. Kudos to the little kid actors too, loved loved loved little Ju Won. Ju Won's father was amazing as always!

If you made it this far, You deserve a cookie! Thanks for reading and being a part of my ramble/rant session!