During the Snowstorm (2024)

worth the wait, worth the time. a beautiful slice of life drama.

There are more depth to the story of the drama than what some people said. This is a SLICE OF LIFE type of drama, cause life can both slow you down or pull you up anytime anywhere. There winning and losing, there's misunderstanding, chaos and also contemplation of making decision. There are multi aspects of respect, sportmanship, relationship dynamics portrayed. It's not a typical fluffy all giddy and fantasy romance. It's paced with actual life condition. The chemistry? I don't know about others but they surely showed how it is to be awkward, how it is when you're missing someone so dearly, how and why some are afraid of marriage, how they shot emotions from a simple gaze, everything's there on the right pace. It's a healing life type of drama, not too heavy, not too serious. They did amazingg.

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why ???

I know that watching c drama requires patience as it’s a long haul. I still struggle with this one. why going all the way to Finland to din only Chinese people to interact with ? why is the FL so cringy? She’s a grown woman and yet shies away from any romantic interaction with her obviously smitten boyfriend who irrealistically bears it all with a smile. Hello Hidden Love! Same age and yet more realistic isn’t it ?
And then why so much food ? they spend their time in bars and restaurants eating food all the time. he’s supposed to be broke and yet feeds her endlessly … The FL is cute as a button but she’s too cringy for my taste.
Anyway, like a lot of you have replied it’s not for everyone ! It’s nice to see that we respect each other’s opinions here. Enjoy the show!

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What does it feel to fall in love? Cuddle up and savor the moments of AASOL!

I am trying to get my thoughts together to express how much this drama took over my heart. I did not want it to end. I even went for a walk before I watched the last two episodes. And now that it is done, I am so sad because I will miss seeing Lin Yi Yang and Yin Guo. I also loved Meng Xiao Dong, the FL's big brother (cousin actually). Then there are the other characters with their own unique personalities and all adorable in their own way. This cast was amazingly put together. Before I write a review, I will list all the things I loved about this drama because my head will not get it together to write anything coherent. I blame Wu Lei in his role as Lin Yi Yang. He is sexy and seductive, I literally swooned through each episode. Well let me start the list:

1. Lin Yi Yang played by Leo Wu(Wu Lei) His eyes are expressive and seductive and will melt you when you see him gaze at Yin Guo. But not only his looks will make you swoon. He is the best in his field of sport and will knock your socks off the way he plays a perfect game of snooker. He is also intelligent and scholarly. And he is a businessman.

2. Yin Guo, the FL , seems shy when she is with the ML, but she is a fearless 9 ball competitor/sportswoman. Zhoa Yin Mai plays her part with natural ease. She makes the romance believable in a way that reminds me of one of my favorite actresses, Zhang Jing Yi from Lighter and Princess in that she is also a natural actress who makes the romance scenes believable because of her connection with the ML. You will feel her love for him. She delivers her lines perfectly and knows just how to use her voice and tone to portray the scenes in a way you will feel connected.

3. Love at first sight is one I find relatable. The way the ML fell in love and pursued the FL might not be for everyone but for me, it totally captivated me to the point I watched the scenes over and over again while I waited for the next episodes.

This is a simple romance of love at first sight done right. Wu Lei and Jin Mai's chemistry makes it perfect! It is well worth the watch!

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Had potential but turned out - boring

I remember reading the description for this particular drama and thinking that the storyline had a lot of potential but i was truly disappointed after the first few episodes of this show.

Pros:
1) the relationship was very unproblematic with little to no drama, there were no exaggerated fights or arguments and everything got solved quickly
2) majority of it was filmed at an overseas location so it was a change of pace from your usual dramas
3) the osts were pretty good

Cons
1) the biggest issue of this show is the lack of plot besides the romance, im sure the writers wanted to take the "mature" romance with no problems route but there should have been something besides the romance to intrigue the viewers. The sports part of this show was quite boring in the sense that there was no real competition, you always know that either yin guo or lin yiyang will win the match AND even if they lose they lose to another Chinese member so at the end of the day they are all winners
2) all the scenes were forgettable - I don't know if i'm the only one that experienced this but i literally can't remember anything truly memorable from this show and that is imo a major flaw.
3) No struggle for the main leads, all though we see lin yiyang's troubled past, we dont get to see his struggle in getting better at the game nor do we see him lose when he has a comeback after more than a decade, same goes for yin guo. Also the only time ml loses is when he has an injury which made it seem like he was "undefeated".

To conclude, this is the kind of show that i purely watched to see if it could get better and unfortunately it didn't for me. The acting was pretty good but their potential was limited, after having watched the fl in reset and the ml in love like the galaxy, I feel like their talents were limited with such a lackluster script. The romance scenes were good but they weren't memorable, you could find it in literally every other drama but this one just had much more famous cast. They should have also made lin yiyang's comeback one with more setbacks because it is impossible that he still retains same level of skills after 10+ years of not competing professionally. Yin guo's skill should have been backed up with evidence of her struggle as none of the leads were shown to have truly struggled in order to get better. The rewatch value for me is close to 0 because there is no scene that i particular find unique. I definitely want to see the two leads in a more plot heavy show (myb historical?).

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A stark contrast of two cultures

I like this show very much and a lot has to do with the first half of this series which was set in Helsinki, Finland. The snowy cityscape is very appealing. The use of local actors in key roles helps with immersion and let us know that it is not a token effort.

Whether it is the setting or the fact that the ML has been living abroad for several years made him very forthcoming in his pursuit of the FL. Similarly, FL is also surprisingly receptive when you consider most romantic c-dramas will spend a good deal of time wandering around the garden path while the leads assess and reassess their feelings. Forget about skinship, a mere accidental touch is all you'd get.

Not so here. The ML knew what he wants, and he is going for it. He taking no prisoners either. While the FL was initially hesitant, she soon fell into his warm embrace, and we have an explosion of skinship mere days after their fateful meet-cute in a snowstorm. They were hugging and kissing at every opportunity while enjoying the delights of the city.

This is so refreshing that I commented to an online friend that it feels like I'm watching a western romance. The progress is steady and meaningful. None of this endless longing and confusing double speak. We are not in Beijing anymore!

I was praying that the show will keep going down this path and they can be HEA in Finland. I'd have given this show 11/10 on the spot! Alas, this is not to be. China happens.

Yep, both leads relocate back to China after a time skip. The change in tone is stark. Gone are the carefree days of love and be loved. Now it is all about rules, status, obligations and respect.

The OTP are still madly in love, but they must hide their relationship and tread carefully. PDA quota went over a cliff. The ML puts on a mask and behave like other ML's in a typical c-drama. All hail the status quo.

It is not all bad. The relationship between the ML and his teacher was mended and it was beautifully done. There was not a dry eye in the room when the elderly gentleman passed. However, this just triggers another round of scripted role playing and more conformities.

To be honest, this was disappointing for me. I harboured hopes that this drama will dare to be different. Yes, it was that and more for 2/3 of the show but as soon as the ML arrives back in China, it was like a different show. It became a tropey Chinese drama poured from the same mould. Family issues, youthful transgression, societal obligations weighting everything down. The core is still there but you can barely see it from the tropes. If anything, the writer seems to double down on them. They really labour the teacher/disciple relationship as well. It feels like you're watching a wuxia drama rather than billiards! I guess they are trying to promote the positive aspect of Chinese cultures but it was a bit heavy handed.

The flag waving event where China won many gold medals in billiards is over the top. Huzzah!

It makes any talk of spreading the game to the masses seems farcical. It all comes down to prize money, world ranking and a creche of elite players.

Eventually, we get the HEA ending we craved. It was telling that the passing remark from the ML after 3 years in China is that he wants to be "free and easy" again. Guess where he went? ;) Is that a hidden message from the writer? It certainly rings true for me.

Acting by the leads are on point. There are so many sweet and swoon-y scenes. The tender moments felt real. I ship them unconditionally. Forget RL dating rumours, I'm waiting for the wedding invite! This makes the scenes back in China feel all the more like excess baggage.

Support cast earned their pay, but they have little to do. There are no real second leads nor secondary couples. A few minor distractions but it was the OTP's show from start to finish. There is no real antagonist either but there are angsty moments when the leads are back in China. As I mentioned before, the change in tone is stark.

I'd have given it 10/10 if it was a 20 eps run focused on their wonderful romance in Finland. The rest pulled me out of my happy place which lead to a re-evaluation of my final score. That is a shame.

I could rewatch parts of this show but I'd skip tracts as well. The OST is very good.

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A midst a snowstorm of emotions and possibly a manic episode

This drama starts off sweet, and fluffy... Aloof boy falls in love with a girl they eats, sleep, look at scenery, train, repeat there is not much plot but its is an easy watch that is nice to look at.

Living in a nordic country myself I really enjoyed watching my c-fluff in a culture and setting close to the one I live in (even if they might have made a few mistakes). With the added bonus that most of the non Chinese he people where shwen to be friendly.

After a while the boy who is supposedly poor manages to spin of surprising the girl with grand gestures, flights here and there, the boy pretty much never sleeps all signs of a manic episode... There is also a bunch of not so secret following(slight stalking), helping from behind the scenes and misshaps... with a HUGE amount of patriotism, the Chineese are the best, morals, morals as far as the eye can see and the usual propagande those of us who enjoy c-fluff have gotten used to ignoring.

And from then on the red flags of Chine keep adding up and all the sweet and fluffy potentially green flags that they tried to sell off in the beginning where long gone... A process those who have been in not so good relationships can relate too, but here sold off as oh so sweet, normal and mostly romantic, even if they do throw in a few good lines here and there.

That said the female lead rocks, she is amazing in every single way, relatable, fun, smart, talented... Fine she fell in to the dudes trap, but that only shows us that bad ass women fall too... But by the end of it I was hoping she would run away and start an ICE 9 ball cult up north somewhere.

Oh they also play a lot of snooker and 9 ball...

So to sum it up, I would recommend you watch the first 10 or 15 episodes for the fluff, but do not expect any plot and just ignore the other half of the show...

P.s there are no annoying side characters

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Hitting the Brakes on the Hype Train: This Rom-Com Needs a Spark

So, I just had to spill the tea on this drama. Buckle up, because my journey through this drama was like riding a rollercoaster during a snowstorm – full of twists, turns, and plenty of icy surprises!

Alright, so picture this: I'm all excited, hearing all these rave reviews about this drama. People are going on and on about how amazing it is, so naturally, I dive right in, ready for a wild ride. But oh boy, was I in for a surprise!

At first, things seemed promising. The setting in Finland was breathtaking, like stepping into a winter wonderland. And the main leads? Cute as buttons! But as the episodes rolled on, I started feeling like I was stuck in slow-mo mode. I'm telling you, it felt like time itself was taking a leisurely stroll while I was stuck in slow-motion mode, desperately waiting for something, anything, to break the ice and inject some excitement into the storyline.

Despite my best efforts to stay awake, I found myself nodding off more times than I care to admit. It was like watching paint dry, except less exciting. It was as if the plot got lost in the snowdrifts, leaving me wandering aimlessly through a never-ending winter wonderland of romantic clichés and repetitive scenes. I kept waiting for that big moment, you know, the one that makes you sit up and go, "Whoa!" But alas, it never came.

Overall, "Amidst the Snowstorm" was like that awkward first date that you really wanted to go well but ended up being a snooze fest. Sure, there were some cute moments and picturesque views, but it just didn't hit the mark for me. Maybe I missed something that others saw, but hey, that's the beauty of diverse opinions, right?

So, if you're up for a slow-paced journey through a winter wonderland with a side of snooker, then go ahead and give it a shot. But if you're looking for a drama with a bit more oomph, you might want to snowplow past this one and find something with a little more spark.

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The perfect winter romance with billiards as sub-plot

This is the perfect winter romance to watch on a cold night, wrapped up in a blanket and drinking hot cocoa. It’s one of those rare green flag dramas that can easily warm your heart with love while watching. The drama is about how two sports players meet on a snowstorm night in Finland and fall in love. Every episode is filled with fluffy, sugary romance and beautiful snow landscapes. The episodes are slow paced, we follow the daily lives of the main leads and how they fall in love with each other which means the audience spends extra time watching them cuddle, eat and walk around the city. The chemistry between the leads is so hot that you always feel like you are peeing into their most intimate and private moments in the best way possible.

The first half of the drama is focused on the relationship build up and mostly takes place in Finland. I preferred this half more as it had the perfect sugary romance.The second half of the drama is focused more on the plot as it revolves around the sports competitions in the field of billiards (snooker and nine-ball). This half is more serious with some sadder moments and mostly takes place in China.

POSITIVE:
- Natural and hot chemistry between the leads. Their eye contact, hair touching, hand caressing is EVERYTHING. I always feel I’m peeping into their most intimate moments as if I'm watching a real life couple.
- Hot kisses. Yes this needs a separate point because the way male lead is pulling her for a kiss is FIRE.
- Romance that makes you swoon, squeal and blush like crazy.
- No stupid love triangles.
- No annoying break-ups.
- No annoying characters.
- Beautiful snow/winter cinematography.
- Support cast shines as much as the main leads.
- Top-notch winter romance that’s perfect to watch on a cold night with hot cocoa in hand.
- One small misunderstanding that was resolved quickly.
- Heartwarming vibes all the way.
- Main leads that have small normal flaws instead of being unrealistically perfect. They still make mistakes like all humans and learn from them.

NEGATIVE: (4 small things that bugged me but they didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the drama)
- Plot in the second half of the drama (revolving around sports competitions) wasn’t the most exciting to watch.
- 2 sad/depressing episodes. I didn’t care about that particular plot line and I felt it had too much screen time. I would have preferred if the drama had only happy moments without sad parts like one of my favourites dramas (I won’t name it here).
- No second couple. Before the drama started I read that the actor WXY will have a love interest so I was excited to see that. But he didn’t have much screen time and his love story wasn’t explored. In fact it ended up being unfinished.
- I feel too single after finishing this drama (this is more of a joke but you get me right).

OVERALL:
The drama is perfect if you are a hopeless romantic who wants a slow paced romance that will feel you with heartwarming vibes, butterflies in your stomach and wants a male lead whose gaze is so hot it can literally melt Antarctica.

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unrealistic romance

Seeing so many (+) score/review for this drama, my review will be on the negative scale. For me this drama talked so much about unrealistic romance that I don’t really hope still on our screen in 2024... Let's discuss drama...

As usual the (+) point first:
+ The cute chemistry between Leo Wu & Zhao Jin Mai. I like their chemistry, feel like long admirer finally meet & fall in love
+ The trust between Lin Yi Yang (LY) and Yin Guo (YG). They really trust each other. Although there's a little jealousy but it never effected their relationship.
+ The respect LY give YG. When they haven't told their relationship to YG's family, LY never announced the world about their relationship, even when the microphone literally already in front of his mouth. Haha....
+ No love rival or stupid unfair competitior

Overall this quite good drama, with unrealistic romance & a little boring in the middle of the drama. Now below the unrealistic romance that I mean with a little bit spoiler. Read with ur own risk...









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SPOILER ALERT!!!
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The unrealistic romance in the drama:
- They just start the relationship, yet LY was already shared his financial with YG. I know this to make a point LY was decided already that YG will gonna be his wife & he trust her 100%. But that's not the reality of our life... And sometimes it's even dangerous in RL, put ur trust in someone that much.
- LY change his whole life just to be with YG. I'm happy he finally let go his ego & re-join the sport, reconnected with his teacher & mend his past. But when a man just make big decision like that just base on want to be closer with the girl it just unrealistic.... I know that's maybe also the time LY to return too...
- A little too much romance. Haha... I know we women love this kind of romance, like what LY gave YG, but that's put the bar of romance a little too high for the man in RL. And that's for me just giving the wrong impression about how woman should be treated (with all the romance stuff) from their man. I know this maybe just my prejudice. Furthermore LY also give us good examples how to treat woman too....
- Too easy to collected the money. Haha... It's just my prejudice against how money or job works in this world. But I still thinks it's a little bit too easy for LY to collected money at that short of time. He manage to rent a place in china for open billiard room, buy apartment in the city where he & YG met. That's a lot of money in short of time... Is it really that easy to get money from billiard competition & also that much...?

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Don't waste your time. The story is boring and horny young love with no drama. Acting is mediocre

Amidst the Snowstorm is a romance drama about young lovers who met each other on a snowy winter day in Finland, where the FL was there for a Billiard competition.

The story is so stupid and slow; there is no drama. It is young love. I should have dropped it, but since Wu Lei is playing the ML, I stick with it. I should have dropped it; it was so dumb, and the onscreen chemistry between him and Zhao JinMai was not good.

The Synopsis:
Yin Guo has become a notable athlete and professional billiards player. After receiving an invitation to play in a tournament in Hel, Yin Guo eagerly accepts. Little does she know that what will follow will change her life forever.

Before Yin Guo can even start training for the upcoming competition, an unexpected snowstorm leaves her stranded with Lin Yi Yang, and an instant connection is made. Helped along by her cousin, Yin Guo, and Yi Yang continue to get to know each other better long after the storm subsides. But even as they draw closer, Yin Guo has yet to learn that Yi Yang has a lot of history in professional billiards. A true genius in the sport, Yi Yang once basked in the spotlight of professional billiards fame, but that was long ago.

Inspired by Yin Guo's love of the sport, Yi Yang decides the time is right to return to the world of professional billiards.

My Reviews:
1. I finished Amidst the Snowstorm and was not fond of it much. The story was so boring and slow.
2. No drama between the main CP and the supporting cast was pointless. They were there as fillers, but it was not necessary. It is like "Love Me Love My Voice," which I dropped after 16 episodes.
3. Zhao JinMai acted better in Reset than in this drama. She didn't act well, and her character was annoying.
4. She and Wu Lei have similar facial features, making them look like siblings rather than lovers.
5. Wu Lei's character is so horny that he keeps wanting to kiss her, and she rejects them most of the time. It got so old and repetitive, and it was no longer cute.
6. I watched as background noise while doing my chores. I didn't pay much attention to it because it was so dull. It would have been better if it finished in 20-24 episodes instead of 30.

Overall, it was very boring, where I walked away doing chores or FF it. I give it a 5.0 rating. This type of story should not be made into drama. It was all about eating and hanging out with no substance.

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Love & Shine with Billiards

Watched this for WL and the sport aspect. Also was interested in the fact that they traveled to various foreign countries to film. This was the second time I'd seen WL in a sport-modern drama but this was more romance focused. I think I was only familiar with a few of the supporting characters. It was love and shine with billiards.

Pros: I didn't read the novel as I never do so can only review from a viewer's prospective. One thing this drama drove home about WL (LYY) and his acting was that the guy has the ability to give both bedroom eyes and looks that can drop an entire army. In this case, straight from episode one, he knew who and what he wanted. This was a case of love at first sight and he was hooked.

The story was really about pursuit and he gave his all. Furthermore this drama could do loss very well like losing his coach just as he finally returned home properly. That legit made me weep as it brought back grief that I've been personally dealing with. The FL (YG) was alright though I liked her more when she acted maturely as opposed to the pouting as that got old quick. And the supporting cast were awesome and fun especially MXD and JY were great when paired with LYY; so comedic it was like the 3 stooges.

All of the OSTs, scenery especially in Finland and France was beautiful. I really liked the rock/techno compilations when the leads and friends were in competition and ready to kick ass. The sport aspect of it was great, wish there was more of it and explained. The chemistry between the leads was very sweet and it got funny when in the comment section we had a very long discussion about did they or didn't they and if they did, which they did (I admit it lol); when was the first time? The fact that this show could bring about mile long conversations is what made it very successful.

Cons: Now while I did enjoy it very much, it wasn't without problems. For example why didn't they show MXD and LL's love line through to the end? It was very unsatisfying to leave them hanging when MXD was essentially the SML and a great friend/cousin to the leads. Their relationship should have been aired out more. Also why wasn't MXD there at the proposal at the end or in the 3 year time lapse rounding out? LL was but he wasn't? It was weird.

I wish they had balanced the billiards portion more with the romance side of it. There was so much of the getting the leads together and their relationship before we ever got to what they both loved doing. I'm great with fluff but it should have some meat and potatoes too. Would have also been great to explain to the audience what 8-ball, 9-ball, and snooker actually was and how it was played. Also, though I understand cultural differences and whatnot, the FL pouted way too much and the ML did most of the heavy lifting even emotionally. At some point, I said to myself that a 23 year old woman should act her age. That tantrum she threw and then expected him to call her when he didn't do anything wrong but was the one that was sad and needed comforting in the one "fight" they had made me roll my eyes.

The weird hosts that turned an international competition into a dating show was unnecessary and unprofessional when you're trying to show an actual competition on an international scale. Is it so common in cdramas or in China in general for everyone to be so nosy? Everyone wants private stuff to be public. Obviously hiring some actors that were referees who couldn't even speak English made it even more unprofessional looking. If you're going with an international event, you have to make it look as realistic as possible not just certain things that had just a tad too much propaganda which was also 7 versions of unnecessary.

Would I recommend it? Yes. It's very good despite the cons and will have you laughing, crying, and cheering in all of the right places. Definitely give it a whirl.

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