CoMix Wave Film’s new project with Netflix, Flavors of Youth is another masterpiece similar to Your Name. The anime/Donghua anthology drama film follows three young adults in different Chinese cities. Due to the colorful Japanese animation, heartfelt stories, and meaningful quotes, Flavors of Youth is a beautiful experience worth diving into.
The film has three sections based on different characters’ childhood experiences. Because of intimate expressions, meaningful lighting, and all characters waiting for their flight at the beginning of the film, the stories connect. Each story reveals the change from childhood to adulthood. Filled with love, comfort, and sadness, this drama gives viewers a perfect film to cozy up to!
Here is the scoop on the best Flavors of Youth quotes!
1. “My memories from childhood begin at this noodle shop with no sign”- Xiao Ming
Xiao Ming is the first character in the film. Due to the film being spilt into three, Xiao’s story is called “The Rice Noodles.” As he reflects on his childhood, Xiao Ming explains how the noodles that he had with his grandmother gave him comfort. Because Xiao Ming is an adult in the city, he misses the warmth he had when he ate San Xian noodles.
2. “If you like eating, you’ll be blessed with delicious food”- Grandma
3. “If I was wearing my favorite clothes, I’d be happy all day.”- Yi Lin
Just as Xiao found joy in San Xian noodles, Yi is happiest with clothes. Because she has loved clothes since she was a child, Yi feels comfort through them.
4. “I liked choosing clothes for my little sister. We played princess with my hand-me-downs.”- Yi Lin
Yi Lin is the second character of the story. Her story is called “A Little Fashion Show.” Yi is a tall and beautiful girl who loves fashion. However, her life is not all glamorous because of her parents’ passing. Due to the loss of her parents, Yi is close with her little sister LuLu.
5. “I always realize the value of things after I lose them. Everything that’s precious”- Yi Lin
Despite Yi Lin being cheery and having a fun life, she still has sadness. She has lost her parents and has grown up looking after her sister. Nevertheless, Yi seems to remain positive as she lives out her adulthood.
6. “Those little things are distracting. I need to focus on work.”- Li Mo
Li Mo is the third character in the film. Li’s story is “Love in Shanghai.” It is the fall of 2008 after Li has been fired. Because his boss rejected his project, Li feels lost. While at his parent’s home, he feels defeated and stressed.
7. “If you’re not here, my heart will still ache tomorrow.”- Li Mo
8. “As if slurping a cold soup, the subway systematically gulps the people down.”- Xiao Ming
9. “Wherever they go, there will be many people who like to eat.”- Xiao Ming
Due to jealousy, the owners of the noodle soup shop had to leave. Others say that the owners left the shop because an old client of theirs wanted them to come back to Beijing. Xiao Ming is saddened that he has lost a large part of his childhood.
10. “If my clothes make someone happy. I’ll be happy, too.”- Lu Lu
11. “The world’s changing rapidly. Clothing trends, people, and us models.”- Yi Lin
12. “Lu Lu’s homemade cake is so delicious!”- Yi Lin
After missing celebrating her birthday with her sister, Yi drinks to forget her unhappiness. Her boyfriend and manager Billy say that she will not be on top forever. While Yi sees that her career cannot provide her happiness, she loses her positivity and passion.
13. “The love I shut out, the dream I chased…Back then, you and me, we had it all.”- Li Mo
14. “Say something funny, too. I’ll listen to it over and over.”- Xiao Yu
After falling over the broken part of the road, Xiao, one of Li’s best friends, hurts her leg. Li carries her to her home through the city. Due to her leg still hurting, Xiao tells Li to record the school lesson and his jokes on the tape. Xiao and Li’s feelings are not said but shown.
15. “Numbed, we lose the taste of home.”- Xiao Ming
16. “We’ll listen to songs together, even when we’re adults.”- Li Mo
After exchanging cassette tapes, Li and Xiao continue to have conservations through them. Xiao asks what Li thinks about the future. As a response, Li says that he will make a house for his friends Pan, Xiao, and himself. Li cares deeply for his friends, especially Xiao.
17. “What gave me strength was the one with seasonal ingredients, the San Xian noodles.”- Xiao Ming
18. “I felt invincible.”- Yi Lin
19. “I make clothes and she wears them. Just by ourselves, we have our own little fashion show.”- Lu Lu
20. “No words could describe how much I loved these moments.”- Xiao Ming
21. My secret to beauty? Nothing special. Yeah, right. I wish.”- Yi Lin
The demands of being a model have made Yi unhappy. Due to the constant need to be admired, Yi does not eat and works out constantly. Because of her low view of herself, she has pushed her needs and Lu Lu away.
22. “Has too much time passed? Is it too late to ask for something other than goodbye?”- Li Mo
After Li finds Xiao’s cassette tape, he goes to retrieve a player. Pan explains to him how Xiao wanted him to give it to Li. Instead, Pan gave it to Xiao’s mother and he never got to hear it. Because of Li’s feelings for Xiao, he desperately tries to find a way to hear the past.
23. “Take care of yourself.”- Lu Lu
Because Lu Lu observes Yi, she sees that she is not eating. She doesn’t want Yi to be hurt. Despite Lu Lu being the younger sister, she takes on the responsibility of caring for Yi.
24. “I thought we were friends.”- Pan
Stuck in traffic, Pan and Li miss saying goodbye to Xiao. Instead of telling Pan and Li, Xiao has decided to study in America. The connection between the friends is lost.
25. “This career is not going to last forever. But I still want to shine”- Yi Lin
The way that things change, Yi knows that she cannot have a constant. Just like her career, everything in her life is changing because of her adulthood. Due to her need to be happy, Yi tries not to let change affect her. And, she continues on for her little sister.
26. “Life in a new town will soon begin”- Li Mo
27. “But here, they spent time and effort, just a husband and wife making the rice noodles with care.” – Xiao Ming
28. “It’s not like that. I just want to prove what I can do.”- Li Mo
After hearing that Xiao is doing her high school test for Yangpu, he wants to also test for it. Despite people thinking that he cannot get into the school, Li dedicates himself to getting good grades and passing the exam. Li is determined to show his abilities and he is motivated by his anger at Xiao and her possible move. Although Pan thinks that Li just wants to match Xiao, Li says that he wants to prove himself instead.
29. “Her hair glistened hazel in the sun. I wanted to gaze at it forever.”- Xiao Ming
Xiao Ming looks longingly at the girl who is one year older than him. The girl would ride past the noodle soup shop and Xiao would go to see her. He felt that it was the joy of his life.
30. “But now, I’m grateful to my parents. Lacking any other talents, I got my career thanks to the height my parents gave me.”- Yi Lin
31. “My sister could see me even though we lived apart.”- Yi Lin
Although Yi Lin is separated from her sister for work, she feels connected to her. If her sister sees her on a cover of a magazine, she could still feel that they are together. Yi focuses on her emotions during her career but still thinks of her sister.
32. There’s no ‘ladies first’ among friends.”- Pan
33. “There’s nothing to record anymore.”- Li Mo
34. “The only thing I’ve got going for myself is this body. Beauty will slip away if you let it.”- Yi Lin
35. “Have you ever thought about the future?”- Xiao Yu
36. “From today, we will always be together.”- Yi Lin
Yi promises that they will not be separated. She suggests they get dinner together as a start to their time together. Although Yi says she will be with Lu Lu, Yi continues to live her life separately.
36. “The flavor has a playful bounce, giving the day’s start a leisurely feel.”- Xiao Ming
37. “As the season turns, I recall the taste of rice noodles from my hometown.”- Xiao Ming
38. “We walked this road so many times, I won’t get lost.”- Xiao Yu
39. “Moving day came without seeing her.”- Li Mo
Knowing Xiao did not pass the test, her father got violent with her and put her in the hospital. Li is crushed as he learns the news. Since the city is tearing down his neighborhood, Li and his family leave. He does not see Xiao before he leaves, thus not allowing him to say goodbye.
40. “Because of her, I could go to school.”- Lu Lu
Being that Yi’s modeling gave Lu Lu opportunities, she does not show her emotion. Furthermore, Lu Lu feels that she needs to be appreciative of Yi even if she is not around.
41. “Yes! I love this color the most.”- Yi Lin
Because Yi has starved herself, she faints on the runway. When Yi is unconscious she thinks of her mother and Lu Lu when they were young. During the vision, Yi sees herself in a red dress that her mother made her and is genuinely happy. Yi’s mother is sewing, which relates to Yi’s love for clothes.
42. “Hunger is eating at my soul.”- Xiao Ming
43. “Blended into a thick soup, the flavors overlap, indulging my palate and melting my heart.”- Xiao Ming
44. “I’ve never liked being tall. It attracts unnecessary attention, and I bump my head a lot.”- Yi Lin
45. “I’m not inspired to say anything witty right now.”- Yi Lin
Yi does not see the glamor of her model job anymore. She misses her sister and the time they spent together. Yi cannot even fake her joy for the new editor. Since Yi is unhappy, she no longer has a passion for her career.
46. “I don’t want to be without you.”- Xiao Yu
In the cassette tape, Xiao reveals that she will not go to Yangpu because of Li. Since she loves Li, Xiao chooses him over her father’s wishes.
47. “We were once inseparable. Now we can’t communicate”- Li Mo
After they go their separate ways, Li, Pan, and Xiao reunite. It is the spring of 2002 and things have changed. Due to the distance between the friends, they are no longer close.
48. “When I stopped working, it seemed like I had disappeared.”- Yi Lin
49. “Pan said it was because of me.”- Xiao Yu
Before they part ways, Xiao asks Li if he chose his school because of her. He does not want to reveal his feelings, so he denies that he chose the school because of Xiao. Furthermore, Li lies and tells Xiao that he got into the school to prove his intelligence to his parents.
50. “Reckless or not, I’m going to believe in myself.”- Li Mo
51. “I figured I could go home at any time, but the distance was further than I thought.”- Xiao Ming
52. No matter what it takes, I’m not letting it go.”- Yi Lin
In order to hold onto her status as a model, Yi starves herself. She is unaware of how her actions hurt her and her sister.
53. “Home is the best. Lu Lu is here with me.”- Yi Lin
54. “I don’t know why…I just felt this would last forever.”- Xiao Ming
55. “The bright lights below me make my heart churn even more.”- Xiao Ming
56. “Unlike before, we don’t know what to say.”-Li Mo
57. “Fired vegetables exuded flavor and flowed onto the soft noodles, blanketing the soup.”- Xiao Ming.
Although Xiao Ming does not have the old noodle soup, he still finds a soup that brings him joy. Near school, there is a noodle soup shop that does not have authentic noodles but has great flavors. Due to the taste of the soup, Xiao Ming is still comforted and feels at home.
58. “My shadow, dragged out by the night, melts away in the morning sun.”- Xiao Ming
59. “I was so happy when my picture appeared in a magazine for the first time.”-Yi Lin
60. “I’m more of an action-over-words type.”- Yi Lin
61. “Days that fled will never come back.”-Xiao Ming
62. “I used to love San Xian noodles, but it just doesn’t taste the same.”- Xiao Ming
63. “I don’t care what other people say, is that bad?”- Li Mo
64. “I can’t believe something like this bothers me so much.”- Yi Lin
Although Yi is a model, people say that younger is better. Yi feels insecure because of her age. Due to the younger model Shui Jing, Yi feels that her purpose and ability to help her sister has gotten away from her.
65. “When I decided to take in Lu Lu, everyone said it was a bad idea, but I didn’t care. I’m greedy.”- Yi Lin
66. “But I feel certain something is pushing my timid self.”- Xiao Ming
67. “If I ever have a chance to see you again…the dream we had…I still want it for us.”- Li Mo
68.“But now, I want to see what’s beyond this.”- Shui Jing
As Yi feels sick, Shui taunts her. Shui knows that she is getting more attention because she is younger. Because she sees Yi as a threat, Shui tries to discourage Yi.
69. “The happy mornings disappeared abruptly, and with them, the rice noodles and the glimpse of her hair.”-Xiao Ming
Xiao Ming feels sad as the noodle shop has changed. Due to the owner’s husband changing jobs, the shop had turned into a fish shop. Xiao is no longer able to see his crush or experience the warm comfort of the noodles and soup.
70. “Lu Lu made it just for me.”- Yi Lin
As Yi goes to the modeling job Steve gave her, she finds Lu Lu. Lu Lu has made her a red dress, Yi’s favorite color. Since Lu Lu loves Yi, she doesn’t want her to give up.
71. I don’t think I can eat San Xian noodles with you anymore.”- Grandma
As an adult, Xian Ming is away from his family. Thus, the noodles of his childhood are gone and now replaced with the city noodles of adulthood. Due to his grandmother’s sickness, Xian goes back home. Just as his grandpa is about to pass away, Xiao’s childhood is leaving him.
72. “When I’m sewing, I remember Mom, too.”- Lu Lu
73. “Sunflowers, ‘cause they grow towards the sun.”- Xiao Yu
As they ask each other questions through the mixtapes, Li asks Xiao different questions. Li asks what is Xiao’s favorite color and flower. Due to their closeness, Xiao and Li’s friendship starts to develop into something more.
74. “After our parents died, we were sent to separate relatives. I’m sure it was rough on her. It was rough on me.”- Yi Lin
75. “A modeling career and being Lu Lu’s amazing sister…I want both.”- Yi Lin
76. “I want to face the sun and grow, too.”- Li Mo
While listening to the cassette tape, Li remembers the conversations he had with Xiao. In their conversation, Li tells Xiao that he will play in a basketball game no matter what. Despite Xiao telling Li not to, Li compares himself to a sunflower and says he wants to shine.
77. “The warmth still lingers today from the comfort that left me yesterday.”- Xiao Ming
78. “In my third year of middle school, the noodle shop came back.”- Xiao Ming
The shop reopened and the husband and son helped the mother. Although Xiao was happy to have the shop back, he still was unhappy that he did not see his crush. Things were not as perfect as they used to be.
79. “In my third year of middle school, the noodle shop came back.”- Xiao Ming
The shop reopened and the husband and son helped the mother. Despite Xiao being happy to have the shop back, he still was unhappy that he did not see his crush. Because of change, things were not as perfect as they used to be.
80. “My Lu Lu’s so handy, she can do anything.”- Yi Lin
81. “Li Mo, give your best and don’t regret it.”- Li Mo’s Father
After Li Mo’s outburst, his father encourages him to study for Yangpu. Also because their neighborhood may be demolished, his father says it’s a good opportunity for the family. Due to Li’s father’s seriousness about moving, he tells Li he cannot be distracted.
82. “I can’t help…thinking about you. Looking at the sky, after the rain.”- Li Mo
83. “She told me when she was sewing, she could see the skies of her hometown.”- Lu Lu
Yi has a dream about her mother, so she talks to Lu Lu about it. In the dream, Yi describes that her mother was sewing. Then, Lu Lu reminds Yi of how sewing was important to her mother and how that inspired her.
84. “The world will move on just fine without me.”- Yi Lin
Yi Lin realizes that her job is not everything. Due to the competitive nature, Yi sees that there are many replacements for her. Instead of being angered, she sees that she can not heal in the modeling environment.
85. “It’s a punishment from above.”- Li Mo
After Pan tries to put his cassette first, his cassette gets broken. Because of Li’s feelings for Xiao he wanted her to put her tape first. Then, Pan jokes about Li liking Xiao. Even though Li does like Xiao, he tries to deny Pan’s teasing.
86. “But I don’t want Lu Lu to see me this way. I can’t. I won’t.”- Yi Lin
87. “And now she is a sea lion.”- Steve
Steve is Yi’s friend and manager. Because he has been Yi’s friend, he sees that she is no longer a shining star. The world of modeling has made Yi lose herself.
88. “It’s rough.”- Yi Lin
89. “The times I spent with Grandma, and in middle school, during those sweet moments looking at her. Now I’m by myself.”- Xiao Ming
90. “It was kind of awkward, so I gave it to your mother.”- Pan
As Li unpacks, he finds Xiao Yu’s cassette. Then, Pan sees the tape and tells Li that Xiao gave it to him to give to Li. Although time has passed, Li still has feelings for Xiao Yu.
91. “The harsh city makes the faces expressionless. I’m probably one of them.”- Xiao Ming
92. “Using the sewing machine and stuff. I want to learn a trade.”- Yi Lin
After deciding that she will no longer be a model, Yi wants to be close to Lu Lu. She knows Lu Lu loves to design clothes, so she wants to learn from her. Yi wants to bond with Lu Lu because her sister is more important than modeling.
93. “I want to grow like a sunflower, too.”- Xiao Yu
93. “Honestly, I’m scared of failing.”- Yi Lin
After Lu Lu is angry at Yi for wanting to quit, Yi tries to find a way for them to be close. Steve tells Yi that because she is giving up her passion she is losing Lu Lu. Because of everything she went through, Yi is scared. However, she knows that she needs to pursue her dreams.
94. “The machine-made noodles were almost too perfect.”- Xiao Ming
95. “Some things will never change, and some things will change.”- Xiao Ming
After his grandmother’s death, Xiao feels an overwhelming sadness. The happiness that he had in his childhood is gone. Despite the noodle shop being open, it is not the same as when he was little because his grandmother is no longer there.
96. “Yeah, it would be embarrassing if I failed.”- Li Mo
97. “It stays in the back of my mind as the seasons pass. It was like a lonely, pale morning, but also a morning blushed with hope.”-Xiao Ming
Although Xiao has become an adult, memories of his childhood make him strive for the same comfort. He thinks of the past things that brought him happiness. From his memories, Xiao sees that he can be happy just as when he was a child.
98. “You can’t fight without energy.”- Steve
99. “What I see from here…I don’t want to lose it. It’s so dear to me.”- Yi Lin
Because Lu Lu and Steve set up a show for Yi to walk, Yi feels loved. She knows that she has the support to pursue her career. Instead of letting her sadness take over, Yi is filled with joy as she sees Lu Lu and Steve.
100. “The torment I feel in my chest will someday heal with time.”- Xiao Ming
Because of Flavors of Youth’s memorable dialogue and pure emotions, the anime has become many viewers’ favorite film. The film effectively captures the Chinese idiom 衣食住行 (yī shí zhù xíng, lit. “clothing, food, housing, and transport”). Due to the emotional focus of the film, Flavors of Youth shows how basic things like food or clothes create a lasting effect.
With the film’s amazing stories and short run time, it is no surprise that viewers continue to watch this film. Because of the beautifully written stories and emotional ideas, there are a plethora of meaningful quotes. Did you know 13 Reasons Why actor Ross Butler voices Li Mo for the English dubbed version?
Hope you love these quotes from Flavors of Youth.
Make sure to watch this movie on Netflix!
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