Drama carino e leggero.
Drama molto carino in se,leggero forse a tratti un po' lento, qualche puntata in meno sarebbe andato bene lo stesso .Incentrato sui videogiochi e se non si è proprio amanti potrebbe anche annoiare, perché se ne parla continuamente e ci sono anche termini professionali tecnici che per molti sono sconosciuti ma comunque si riesce a vederlo.La storia d'amore ci mette tanto a svilupparsi e decollare ma poi è un dolcissimo amore.Loro sono proprio carini insieme.Tratta temi anche un po' più delicati come la prima ragazza nei esports,l'infortunio dei giocatori,la rivalità,i fan fanatici ed esagerati.Nel complesso è un drama senza troppe pretese si guarda volentieri ed è anche piacevole.
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Non fermatevi ai primi episodi, andate avanti!
La forza di questo drama non si percepisce subito, infatti ero tentata di mollarlo dopo qualche episodio siccome non riuscivo a capire dove volesse andare a parare. Lo trovavo sciatto, piatto, inconcludente. Ma poi è letteralmente esploso affrontando argomenti quali: genitori che non accettano l'esport come un lavoro ma solo come semplici videogiochi, le donne all'interno di un contesto prettamente maschile, il marcio che si cela sui social, cosa succederebbe se un "idol" si fidanzasse, etc. Mi è piaciuto molto come sono state trattate, soprattutto gli ultimi due.Il gancio trainante di tutto lo dobbiamo per la maggiore a Xu Kai che è riuscito in questo ruolo a trascinarmi all'interno degli esport e letteralmente a catturare tutta la mia attenzione: lo trovo un attore fantastico. Tutte le scene con cui sono state bellissime, non solo perchè è bello ma perchè è proprio bravo.
Unica pecca se così la vogliamo chiamare, ma che per me non lo è stata, è la forte presenza dell'esport: alcuni episodi, principalmente quelli ambientati durante le gare, sono focalizzati sulle battaglie, talvolta riportate in 3D. Questa cosa può essere un difetto per alcuni ma a me è piaciuta molto (forse perchè mi ricorda un mio lontano passato..? Chi lo sa).
Nel complesso lo consiglio, ma davvero portate pazienza e andate avanti. Io in un futuro non molto lontano sicuramente lo riguarderò.
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Vuoto
Ho letto una quantità esorbitante di recensioni positive prima di iniziare questo drama., recensioni che mi hanno spinto ad iniziarlo... e a pentirmeneLa storia è... vuota. Non ho altro modo di descriverla. Più andavo avanti negli episodi, più avevo la sensazione che non succedesse mai niente. Quasi che non esistesse nessuna storia. Perchè dell'esport si parla a mala pena, non ci sono tematiche che senti veramente negli episodi. Lei che è la prima ragazza nel mondo dell'esport viene trattato sommariamente in un unico episodio... credo... Era talmente poco memorabile che non ne sono nemmeno troppo sicura.
La storia d'amore tra i protagonisti? Parte nell'episodio uno quando senza motivo iniziano subito a flertare e si congela lì per 17 episodi. I due non si innamorano gradualmente e non si conoscono gradulamente. Non c'è nessuno sviluppo per 17 episodi. Non 3, non 5, 17 episodi... di niente. A parte l'essere attratti l'una dall'altra, se anche si mettono insieme, non riesco a vedere sincerità da nessuna parte.
Ho visto scritto anche nelle recensioni "una grande storia d'amicizia" per descrivere questo drama. Mi chiedo se sappiano cosa sia l'amicizia o cosa sia "una grande storia d'amicizia". Volete vedere una grande storia d'amicizia? Posso suggerirvi dei titoli, ma tra quei titoli questo davvero non c'è. Lei stringe un'amicizia vaga con gli altri membri della squadra. Non c'è altro. Non ci sono situazioni che affrontano guardandosi le spalle, tutto sembra superficiale, nessun legame sembra profondo.
I personaggi? hanno le stesse sfaccettature e lo stesso spessore di un foglio di carta. Sinceramente non ho capito se la protagonista era insipida quanto sembrava o se l'attrice non sapeva recitare. Con Xu Kai vado sul sicuro: era il personaggio che era uno stereotipo fatto e finito., perchè lui sa recitare davvero bene.... peccato per il ruolo.
Cosa si salva? Il gatto direi.
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Cute and Inspirational From Beginning to End
I have to admit, I was not one of the countless drama-watchers waiting tirelessly for the premiere of this drama. But it’s true that some of the most unexpected things are the most precious. As a sucker for Cdrama rom-coms,I can confidently and lovingly say this about Falling Into My Smile. It has stolen the hearts of many many people, including myself. I can’t exactly find any words to describe this drama; It’s perfectly cute, funny, and inspirational, tackling both problems that normal people like us face daily and problems that idols encounter during their career.Story-9.0
There haven’t been many E-sports Cdramas, but most of them that aired were very much enjoyable to me. Falling Into Your Smile doesn’t have the most unique storyline, but I was pleasantly surprised to be presented a drama with minimal plot holesn and boringness, and that kept its strong foundation from beginning to end. (The gaming scenes were also very cool, but were also quite skippable. Fans were brought ‘into’ the computer, and we watched the fights take place.)
Adapted from the web novel ‘You’re Beautiful When You Smile’ by Qing Mei, Falling Into Your Smile delves into the world of E-sports, a professional online gaming sport that started to show prominence around the world, especially China. Just like the drama, the novel is full of sweet moments, and although some bits here and there have been tweaked, the drama is a pie served to us with just the right ingredients and the right amount, with no piece missing.
As I’ve watched more dramas, something that always stands out is how much inspiration this drama has given me; The motivation to help someone or do something for myself and the world, the inspiration that emanates from a certain character or the story itself. Right now, you’re reading a review of a very inspirational story. Perhaps not everyone will feel this way, but Falling Into Your Smile provided so much inspiration and happiness to me.
Falling Into Your Smile is perhaps the cutest and loveliest drama I have seen to date. (girl who has seen 90 Cdramas speaking here!) While other Cdrama rom-coms focus heavily on the love story between the main couple, Lu Sicheng (ML) and Tong Yao (FL)’s love story is also perfectly balanced with the strong bromance. This powerful friendship between the members of ZGDX not only provides smiles and laughs, but also shows us all the sides to a friendship, from trust, teamwork, and forgiveness.
Unlike other E-sports dramas, though, Falling Into Your Smile explores a more sensitive and harmful side of idol fans. The characters had to overcome major criticism on social media that threatened their well-being, confidence, and careers. Although this is no new problem for us veteran drama-watchers, tension was everywhere during these scenes as we rooted for our favorite characters.
Cast-9.5
Boom! Xu Kai does it again. Amazing acting? You bet! (Not to mention those smiles and teasing...) This talented actor portrays Lu Sicheng, a supposedly cold male lead, so well. Unlike other Cdrama cold male leads, though, Lu Sicheng gives off quite warm and especially caring vibes, attributes that make us a lovable male lead. Xu Kai certainly proved to us that he can slay any role, from those perky male leads in historicals to a cold but very caring modern male lead. As Falling Into Your Smile was his first modern drama (besides the Republican drama Arsenal Military Academy), he certainly has started on an amazing note.
I do not usually follow the lives of Kpop or Cpop celebrities, so I had minimal knowledge about Cheng Xiao when I started this drama. But, like her lovely singing, her acting was very natural and extremely cute! But even though Tong Yao is cute and sunshiney, she is not at all a damsel in distress. Her expressions and actions are direct. Cheng Xiao executed Tong Yao to her best, and although her acting wasn’t the most breathtaking, she took a major step in her acting career when she chose to portray Tong Yao. When the scene becomes intense, so does her expression. Tong Yao’s stern and persistent expressions can also shut someone up, while her bubbly but intelligent side makes you want to pull her to your side. I will definitely follow up on her future dramas because she certainly deserves more praise and attention from drama-watchers, not just Kpop and Cpop fans.
This chemistry is bloomingly strong and fiery. Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao couldn’t have done better showing us Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao’s cute and loving times together.
Without the supporting characters, Falling Into Your Smile would not have had that exploding spark. The pie is served to us on a golden platter: A cute main couple, another cute second couple, powerful bromance (from all teams, really), caring friendship between Tong Yao and her ‘gui mi’ (best friend) Jin Yang, and familial love as well. Did I really just list almost all the most important relationships in our lives? This drama is so well rounded when it comes to these relationships.
Please allow me to take some more time to gush about Lu Sicheng’s teammates and best friends. They. Are. The. Best! Rather than providing awkwardness when it comes to our leading couple, they were necessary for their relationship to progress. Don’t even get me started with Lu Yue or Pang Zi. These boys are a necessity, not just some supporting characters you can throw into the mix, and they were expressed so well. We followed them on their journeys of growing up, realizing that success is never without failure. Oh, the lessons we learn from dramas that seem so simple!
OST-11
FIYS’s OST deserves a solid 11. I never expected to fall in love with this soundtrack this much, but I have. Don’t be surprised when you look into my listening history and find all of the songs played over and over again. Or if my non-drama-watching friends complain about me forcing them to listen to these songs and them also falling in love with them. I think I’ll never be tired of them. With heartfelt emotion and meaningful lyrics, this rom-com’s songs are the toppings of this magnificent pie.
Rewatch Value-8.5
Oh, those sweet scenes? A definite yes! As someone who rarely rewatches dramas, so many scenes in FIYS tempt me.
Overall-9.5
Countless hours and days gushing and blushing over this drama wasn’t for nothing. This pie is wonderful, amazing, magnificent. Perhaps Falling Into Your Smile will be my favorite Cdrama rom-com of 2021, and we’re only a little over halfway through the year. The drama was cute when necessary, hilarious in other parts, and most importantly, inspirational.
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Warning: Beware of Diabetes, it includes so many sweet moments. Wanna have some good laugh, a full dose of fluff with adorable pairing with excellent supporting characters? Falling into your smile definitely won’t fail you… to fall for its charm.
The story isn’t magnificent itself (it offers nothing new) but I fancied its pace, progress, relationship dynamics, the portrayal of friendship, how characters are written and their interactions happen. I wouldn’t consider it as fully plot-driven drama, it focuses more on the characters’ life-development-problems they face. There isn’t a specific evil antagonist here but it portrays the cruel reality of how social media, obsessive fans can play the role of antagonist with being so much toxic to the extent.
It’s not necessary to have information or have much interest in gaming to watch it, you can take it just as an individual romantic comedy.
In terms of chemistry, I felt the spark and they are just so cute together. I can’t imagine Chessman or Smiling without Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao. A classic example of a bickering couple, their fights are entertaining, the quintessential foundation for their relationship. The fact the progress in the relationship between them is very realistic surely adds more points. It does have an arc where it becomes more serious but it’s just for short time... it never stops being rom-com.
Tong Yao is just ambitious, hard-working, not to forget soo adorable, though due to her expressions she seems oblivious :’). But her development, the way she reacts to situations is genuine, I would rather say her character is rational plus human-like (The thing many drama writers forgot to make characters who can be considered as humans). Lu Sicheng can’t be considered a cold lead at all, he is just straightforward and honest. He does have different shades in nature...He can make mistakes but also admit when he is wrong. He has flaws as any normal human being can have with being a three-dimensional character. He can be very lovable, warm, tender when he is with Tong Yao but very austere and responsible as a captain of the team. Ah I forgot the important thing he is such a tease lol xD
Loved Xu Kai’s performance, was vigorous, lively. His smile is icing on the cake. I’m not fully satisfied with Cheng Xiao’s acting. As she has almost the same expression (Which looks like she’s confused) most of the time. I’m not so sure about her game ID as she doesn’t seem to be Smiling much (no pun intended). But I can let that slide as most of her previous works are in reality/variety shows and relatively she’s new in acting or maybe it’s her character that doesn’t allow her to have many expressions. Though there are particular scenes where she impressed me. Special mention: Ending scene of 26th episode and opening of 27th episode.
In technical aspects, it doesn’t have any problems when it comes to camera angles, editing, color palate/grading. Though I’m not a very big fan of dubbing and it bothered me here, it is overdubbed (Means without the original voice of actors), Especially with Xu Kai, It’s ME because it’s hard for me to hear three different voices from the same person as I have seen him in Court Lady and ALP very recently. Korean dubbing it all out of place. Sound effects are on the point with being funny many times, really liked the OSTs they wouldn’t have been more adequate. 'Heroes' give me goosebumps with its bg music, 'Follow the light' is my favorite among them with Chen Zhuoxuan's vocals
I really liked the animations of games, it has a different feel and vibe. It’s more satisfying than just listening to the commentary and actually visualizing what’s happening in the game, plus the graphics were good so more than enough. Talking about the cinematography of the show it’s not stunning but definitely decent, and as it’s about gaming it doesn’t need to be very beautiful.
This drama has one character without him… sure it wouldn’t have been this fun, and he is no other than Fatty (do I really have to explain the reason why?) His expressions and reactions are priceless plus he encounters some situations all time where he’s like ‘Is this dream?’ ‘Am I sleepwalking?’ ‘Why me?’ He just makes the drama more funny and enjoyable. He is unquestionably a show-stealer for me, and one more reason to smile. Not just him but I love all team members of ZGDX every character is colorful and with an interesting secondary couple that is like the cherry on the top.
Fun facts: After ages, any C-drama managed to stay on the trending list (on MDL) for a long time.
The end credit song 'Soulmate' is a duet by our leads Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao.
This was the end of the review.
Now if you are curious about different information as drama is facing a lot of dispute from c-netizens (Its douban rating is 3/10) some basic information about it:
It is adapted from the web novel that is implicated of plagiarism, the writer added real-life events without any consent from the people. Professional players spend 16-17 hrs every day training. They don’t really have any time to do other things as they have no time left, let the fact of having a romantic relationship aside. Unreliable portrayals and lots of inaccuracies of professional Esports players, the online gaming community, how things work out there. It is written by people who totally have zero idea about professional gaming. China has one of the largest gaming communities and Esport is becoming more widespread day by day. It has become a delicate topic to handle and for all these causes, drama receiving hate from c-netizens and gaming communities.
But people forgot at the end of the day... Its main purpose is entertainment as it's just a drama.
See you next year ;D
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A GEM of C-Dramas! Made Me Smile, Laugh, Blush & feel the Spirit of E-Sports Players!
"Whether it's E-sports or Her, I just want to Love what I really Love" – Lu Si Cheng.
Ohh I loved this Sentence! All released trailers were quite eye-catching. I was drawn to the drama later after a few (around 8/10) episodes were already Aired as my friends here kept on discussing about it. First of all I love the genre 'Comedy' and let me tell you that this drama definitely has a good comic plot. Simple activities in the Drama are made Funny with perfect dialogues & expressions. Almost all characters are loveable… of course, excluding those few negative ones. The Drama Enters the light Rom-Com category too. 31 Eps doesn't seem draggy here. They suit the Concept of the Drama.
Initial Thoughts of the show —
Just the Ep 1 is enough to make you drawn to watch later part of the show. There was obviously no romance genre in the initial episodes so, 'comedy' & 'e-sports' theme rules the drama completely. The Visuals of the drama is something that I should definitely mention. I can't guarantee for everyone but I was very Busy looking at those handsome faces. "A Bickering Couple" this is how Lu Si Cheng & Tong Yao can be defined in the starting episodes. They will bicker & make us smile over them in almost Every Episode!
Story —
Kind of the typical story for the main couple that they will bicker & turn friends slowly then get together. E-sports is the main focused theme. So, there will be many matches & competitions. It will revolve around the main players of main teams (i.e. ZGDX, YQCB, CK, TAT). There are several other teams mentioned too but for once/twice only. The drama will show how some players can get parents' support while some cannot. Different problems faced by a E-sports player like getting hand injuries, facing social issues, impression on fans – maintaining their perfect image, how online comments can affect their performance, coping with personal issues while being a good player etc. One thing that I can confidently say is you are gonna love the Team "ZGDX" & their bonding.
Most Characters seem Legit & Reasonable. They have their own background Story. But considering it's a 31 Eps Drama, I still think that some background about characters could have been shown in a detailed way rather than showing Team Meals again & again. I mean it's quite clear that they are a team, they live in the same base camp & they will have meals together & yeah I agree that most of the funny moments are shown while their meal scenes only. They tried to balance it but still…
Considering E-sports, the makers have done a good research & portrayed it in the drama in a really organized way. This drama kind of reminds us of another C-Drama "Go Go Squid". If you have seen it, you can relate this Drama to it. But I have to tell you that FLs of noth dramas are entirely different.
The amount of Kiss scenes in the drama was really unexpected. According to me there were too many of them but they were Cute. It was also unexpected how 'Lu Si Cheng' turned from a Teasing Man to a Flirting man. I mean he will just keep you blushing in the whole 2nd half the drama.
Now, it's time to Move on to My personal Favorite Characters from the Drama —
• Fatty (lol just thinking about his expressions makes me laugh & he got the Perfect timing to be in the right place in the wrong time. I mean he can always witness most of the embarrassing scenes & then his reactions are just Epic lol).
• Lu Si Cheng (How can someone not fall in love with this character! Ooh the change in him in the later half of the drama is just… But this alone do not makes him my Fav. It's about his straightforwardness & ideals. His statements were always up to the mark if either he was guiding his teammates as the Captain or he was scolding them. He was not partial. It may seem that he was just favouring Tong Yao but later on, his original intentions will be revealed that were quite genuine).
Acting/Cast —
Considering all BTS videos that I have seen on the drama. All characters have really worked hard from practicing games to correct finger movements in the keyboard… from fingers in keyboard while playing to Expressions management on the face according to the match that they are losing or winning. All roles of E-sports players did a good job in it!!
Main Characters ~ Lu Si Cheng (played by Xu Kai) was perfect for this role. He's so tall that he can call anyone "Shorty" , then his leader role matches his personality too. I am quite shocked that this is actually his first modern drama. He's def. a good actor considering that. Tong Yao ( Cheng Xiao ) was portrayed beautifully. She has a Cute Face but can perform a strong character. She has really improved in acting. Members of ZGDX –
•Lao Mao (Kevin Xiao)
•Lu Yue (Yao Chi),
•Fatty (Sun Kai),
•K (Gao Han),
•God Ming (Yalkun Merxat) &
•Xuao Rui (Cui Shao Yang) …… are all Awesome Characters & they could create that funny atmosphere becoz of their awesome acting.
… Ai Jia (Zhou Yiran), Chen Jin Yang (Rachel Wang) form the 2nd couple who look cute as 2nd Leads.
Everyone performed their roles nicely!
Rewatch value —
I am sure I will rewatch this drama later just because it's so Funny & can easily bring smile in my face… so this drama holds a big rewatch value for me, which is quite Rare.
Music —
I am sure the creators invested quite a lot in the songs as there are some songs sang by pretty famous C-Pop groups + there is a long list of songs. most of the songs represent their competitiveness & power. The upbeats & strong vibes in the songs are really cool.
The OSTs —
♪Everytime♪ …… [by WayV. I would say the best among all of them. I love the energy & power of the song! Perfect for me!]
♪Warrior♪ …… [by SEVENTEEN. It's energetic & suits that competitive environment in E-sports]
♪Heroes♪ …… [by Air League Band. It's the theme song for ZGDX team. Powerful!]
♪Soulmate♪ …… [by Xu Kai & Cheng Xiao. A romantic song for the duo sang by them only which is Perfect]
♪Running to you♪ …… [by Angela Cheng.]
♪Follow the Light♪ …… [by Chen Zhouxuan of BonBon Girls 303]
♪Edge♪ …… [by Naomi Wang. Unexpectedly, I like listening to it again & again "We won't Cry, Nooo" ]
♪Signs of You♪ …… [by Zhai Xiaowen ft. FrankiD]
♪Before Dawn♪ …… [by Gao Han]
♪Facade♪ …… [by Joker Xue]
Out of these, "Everytime" & "Edge" joined my Favorite list & "Heroes" was pretty good too.
Conclusion —
A Good News! That If you have made up your mind to watch this drama, all episodes are already available free in YouTube legally in "Youku" & the songs are already released in the channel "NSM Group". So, basically there is no barrier. I have mentioned all my thoughts on the drama now. so, if you ask me – Should I watch this? I would say "Definitely Yes" cause I didn't regret watching it at all. Infact, I enjoyed it wholeheartedly!
*Yet again, watching/not watching is your call*
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A MUST WATCH! Very wholesome drama that keeps me wanting for more!
This drama is that good that makes me decide to create an account to rate and give a review for it. A very wholesome drama that's filled with teamwork, friendship, romance and comedy! ?If you're into esports romance, this one is for you!
This is a light, hilarious and sweet drama, if you're into that, this is for you! Love all the cps chemistry though! The music for this drama is so good, I can't help but keep it on repeat.
One thing about this drama was at first, the updates are really slow. Was really really looking forward to more episodes but we got to wait for it. This was the first-ever drama that made me anticipate future episodes. Sadly, this season has come to an end :( Hoping that there will be a second season for it!
Let's just say the teammates teasing of Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao was really funny af, it was one of the things that I look forward to more in the future episodes and let's say I'm not disappointed! Lu Sicheng keep teasing and being mean to Tong Yao those scenes are too sweet and funny at the same time, he is just one hard on the inside but a softie on the inside for Tong Yao!
Love that they did show more gameplay in the future episodes, I find the gameplay portions pretty interesting.
I would say that the story is really good, all scenarios in the drama happen for a reason which is to give characters developments. Love how there's no break-up with the main cp, most of the dramas I watched there will be break up and that's kind of clichés for me.
I like how this drama covered different life aspects like relationships, friendships and teamwork. There were some team conflicts but I liked how they tried to sort out their differences especially how Tong Yao made Cheng ge realized that they're all a team and even though he may be the leader, they can go through difficulties together as one. Love the way they showed the different friendships in the drama. This drama portrayed characters of different personalities of characters, passions of youths and also on the cruelty of the reality regarding online and fans toxic kind of behaviour which many celebrities faced in today's society.
Comedy wise, there are too many funny scenes in the drama. Too many puns, Fatty's reactions, ZGDX teammates reactions, Tong Yao and Lu Yue's immature bickering and Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao's bickering as well- I LOVE IT!
I don't get what's with the controversy with this drama and the 2.9 rating on the Chinese website Douban. Despite that, i think this is a really good drama. Even though there's much hate on the drama in china but at the end of the day it's a drama, don't take things too seriously is just for entertainment purposes. Not everyone has the same preferences in dramas, I may love this drama but some may not. But it's still a great journey for me with this drama, with the endless waiting and the anticipations for the new episodes. Hope y'all will give this drama much love, it deserved it!
Definitely strongly recommended to watch it! This is one drama that shows different things in life aspects like relationships, friendships and teamwork. This has become my top no.1 drama as for now, rewatch value is 10 for me.
Well, looks like see you next year <3 (HOPEFULLY!)
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Crimson Whirlwind
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Falling Into Your Smile falls flat, lacking depth in both storyline and characterisation
Sigh. This has been a sadly disappointing and underwhelming journey. I’ve been waiting almost a year and a half for this drama to come out, thrilled to see Xu Kai in a modern drama (just because he slayed Arsenal Military Academy). But unfortunately, despite all the hype, I was left completely underwhelmed and frustrated throughout Falling into your Smile, and alas it just fell flat on its face. I know this drama received rave reviews, and I myself tried my best to view it as objectively as I could, but be forewarned, unpopular opinions ahead.PROBLEMS
--The Storyline Itself--
I think the major turn off for this drama was its inseverable relationship with the internet/social media and how the toxicity of the online environment negatively impacted and influenced the characters. It was a major recurring theme throughout the drama and just felt over the top rather than impactful.
What made the story fall flat was the constant emphasis on the e-sports online forum being at the center of everything. Every time something was posted, over a number of episodes, we would follow the characters reactions and responses whether that be trying to mitigate the negative effects or finding a solution. And this sort of drama kept popping up and detracted from the storyline itself, the relationships between our characters and the actual e-sports competition. It left little time to properly explore team dynamics and character interactions. It felt like they were all being controlled by the comments of their fans and rather than promoting e-sports as a proud national sport that actually rather emphasised to their detriment the toxicity and negativity of the online environment, fans and their comments. And after awhile it got old and I felt frustrated, because it was obvious there would be a never ending onslaught attack on them and they just couldn’t catch a break to actually focus on what was important e.g. hand injuries, the feeling of winning, relationship and love, friendship and bonding etc.
The love story itself, for me, Lu Si Cheng fell too fast and too hard for Tong Yao and I felt it was completely unfounded. Though everyone’s been saying their chemistry was great, for me personally, I just couldn’t feel it. The bickering or banter dialogue lacked wit and class, and just felt plain boring and basic. And the whole height difference joke got old after awhile. It was a real struggle getting through the first 10+ episodes and I actually took a break from it. And sure it picked up when they started the kissing, but it just felt like a lack lustre relationship.
--The Game--
I really liked how we went into the gaming world, switching into the animations and really entered the game world. However, it stopped at that. The lack of explanation of: what was actually happening (they often just put up visuals of the game play and we had to decipher what was actually happening), the rules of the game and the avatar capabilities made the gaming scenes so much more confusing. The question on my mind was why where there so many competitions and which ones were actually important? There was no helpful commentary, no strategy for that matter and everyone kept switching game avatars that it made it so hard for me to keep up with who was playing who. This kept me distant from the gaming world, in addition to the games being entirely anti-climatic and very predictable. I think my main concern was that the competition gaming scenes felt like supplementary scenes to fill the main storyline rather than being the focal point, left on the backburner because there were so many other external problems at hand.
--Acting/Cast--
I’m sorry to say that I had issues with the acting and cast. I felt Xu Kai was pigeon-holed into this character of being tight faced and cold and tried his absolute best to bring some life into it, especially being one of his first modern dramas. I liked his characterisation and even development, from being well aware and acknowledging his flaws. Props to his ep18 7 minute monologue, that was some well written tight script writing that got his character and thoughts across really well.
Cheng Xiao as Tong Yao I thought was miscast and the only thing that worked was the height difference. Her acting felt expressionless, rigid and lacked the right emotion for the scenes. I couldn’t make out her character. I didn't really feel any character development, and she came across as arrogant, unapologetically righteous, and too easily influenced.
--Lost Potential--
They had an array of beautiful, lovable and ready crafted side characters, that were sadly dismissed as unimportant and majorly underutilised. In particular, Yu Ming (who had like one major scene in the beginning and then used as a side prop, despite having so much character potential to be explored), Lu Yue (brother dynamics that would have offered more insight into Lu Si Cheng's character), and Hierophant (this relationship was so fleeting and I don't know why, it could have been so well good if developed). These are such interesting side characters, I only wish their backstories and motivations were explored further, it would have helped craft rich characters and round off the team dynamics.
I think overall what got me was they were trying to cram too much into the storyline – while competing for the national title, juggling the pressures of social media and being a figurehead, the resistance of parents viewing e-sports as a mere game, managing the dynamics of the team, family relations and building a fresh relationship from scratch. All this in addition to the poor scriptwriting that felt flat and lacked the depth of clever conversation.
It’s honestly great to see an increasing number of e-sports dramas framing national pride come out on mainstream, as we learn and uncover more about the struggles and behind the scene challenges. I appreciate the drama’s vision and liked the world it was attempting to create both off and online, but just in this instance, it fell far from my expectations and I was left sorely disappointed.
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A Sugar-y Mess of a Drama
This drama was more about gaming scandals than the actual love of the game. I've never seen such an obsession with gaming players as if they are idols. It genuinely felt ridiculous but getting past that, this drama's focus is on the ML and FL. So with regards to that, this is where the drama survives and dies at the same time. The female lead character is so freaking stiff, unmoving, and non-expressive which really wastes the male lead's effort. She is completely reactionary without even showing a reaction. The production team should have found an actress instead of an idol to play the role. But it almost seems to me that this drama was supposed to be a self-interest thing anyway. However, to be fair, the Chinese web novel it is based on that vibe but the female lead character is a bit more active compared. Go figure, another drama where they strip the female lead character of autonomy and complex character.As for the the male lead character, he is what keeps audiences interested half the time with his swoon-worthy moves. He is almost spot on to the novel character with the exception of the more "horny boy" moments that were obviously cut out to make this more cookie cutter.
The gaming parts of this drama had cooling effects but boring ultimately. I skipped over most of them because it felt like a waste of time.
The side characters with the exception of Jin Yang, Ai Jai, and Jian Yang were very one-note. Jin Yang and Ai Jai relationship felt more honest to the realities of dating a pro gramer and not being interested in the game. Jian Yang was pouring emotions as the second lead that made you wonder WHY the hell the female lead didn't give him a second chance. The flashbacks of the two also showed a more natural couple compared to the FL/ML interactions which were so stiff.
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Sorry, I didn't have the same reaction to this as I saw others.
So much of it I found cringy. It didn't help that it felt like every 15 minutes someone was giving a patronizing speech about some online issue, and much of the fan stuff was overdramatized and unrealistic. Inept managers, coaches, and sponsors that made me wonder how they are even remotely successful with all this going on. The focus was more about fandoms than playing the game. Like, ultimately, who cares?
I wasn't really a fan of the OTP and didn't find them persuasive. I actually enjoyed JinYang & Ai Jia's relationship a lot better, and felt they had better chemistry and were a more realistically portrayed couple. SiCheng treated TY like a 3 year old, and after the situation with her ex-b/f her accepting being treated like that seemed weird, especially when they're making it out to be male/female equality.
In the end, I thought the best character development and growth, although not given much screen time, was Jian Yang. For all the hate he was getting in each episodes comments, he ended up being the one who respected everyone the most. So, frankly, this drama was extremely disappointing to me, but still enough there to warrant a mid-tier rating.
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Many scenes in the novel not included in the drama, even though it was very funny and the highlight that give sense to the romance development between Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao.. so the drama feel very clipped, as some feel just really lost..
And in the story one of the main joke is that Tong Yao is a shorty with childlike appearance, and this will attributed how Lu Sicheng teased for dating an underage etc.. but the actress is obviously a beauty with long legs. Well physically is not important I guess as long as Tong Yao is well potrayed, but honestly Tong Yao in drama is very stiff and expresionless most of the time.
But Xu Kai really did a good job as Lu Sicheng, maybe because he is veteran actor. So the chemistry is not very bad, but maybe because Tong Yao in my mind is a very spirited, witty, and an adorkable so the drama version feel uncomfortable to wacth, and many Tong Yao's scenes changed or clipped to accomodate the drama so it contributed to the feel as well
Third is the animation, though its very good CSI, but if the viewers doesn't had understanding in the game, not knowing the difference of heroes and skills, and not even know who is who the player was.. then the animation just very confusing to watch..
But to be fair though not as exciting as reading the original novel this drama still one of my rewacth list, because im sucker for any esport and atleast FIYS is still acceptable and exciting rom-com esport in term of plot..
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I was never planning on writing a review until I watch this drama.
This review reflects my opinion only.There are so many positive reviews on this site that I thought I might give this a try to give one among few differing opinions here for those looking for it.
Story:
There is not much logic to be found in this story. As many know already, the e-sport aspect has been butchered by the writer so I'm not gonna pretend to understand the industry and give my two cents.
Too much fluff in the relationship between the leads and any conflict feels superficial. We're not shown why the ML fell for FL, or the process of recognizing his feeling, properly. He just suddenly started to flirt with her for everyone to see.
The plot is very tropey, just like CEO cliché story transplanted to e-sport industry: Genius, super rich male lead with the short tempered girl.
Side characters serve no real purpose other than to react and facilitate the relationship of the main lead couple.
Acting:
Only touching on the leads acting here.
Xu Kai is okay, not great, not too bad either. If he has any brilliance to show, the script wouldn't allow it haha.
Cheng Xiao is very bad at acting, period. She has mostly the same facial expression throughout, wide eye repertoire when she's trying to emote. She even acted the same way after Tong Yao fell off the stairs (can't remember the episode). She's been in a few dramas already, none of which I've watched, and starting with lead character from the beginning. She'll continue to act as leads in the future, but if her performance in this drama is any indication, I wouldn't watch any of them.
IMO, this drama is overhyped on this site.
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