During the Snowstorm (2024)

Watching this drama was a thrilling experience for me, especially since my passion for billiards made it a perfect choice. The storyline unfolded a delightful love tale, and I was particularly captivated by Leo Wu's performance. His expressive eyes and body language flawlessly conveyed the nuances of love, while his soft, alluring voice simply stole my heart. However, while Zhao Jin Mai's portrayal wasn't lacking per se, I struggled to fully connect with the vivacity of her character. Nevertheless, the "Amidst a Snowstorm of Love" storyline added a charming touch to the narrative.

The billiard uniforms were undeniably stylish, and I couldn't help but admire Zhao Jin Mai's pants sets, especially the breathtaking pleated dress she wore. Leo Wu and Wang Xing Yue effortlessly carried off their outfits, with Wang Xing Yue's undeniable charm leaving a lasting impression. As a billiards enthusiast, I appreciated learning about snooker through this drama and reminiscing about my skills, particularly when it came to mastering tricky positions behind the back, a move I've always excelled at. Armed with my pool stick, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the entire cast for making the world of billiards so exhilarating.

In my view, billiards is a sport that deserves more recognition, and I'm delighted to see it gaining traction, especially with its inclusion in the Olympics in certain countries. The campaign to include billiards in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, initiated in July 2021, is a testament to its growing popularity and global appeal.

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Such a beautiful slow paced rommance

This drama is a love story that spans 30 episodes. Each episode is captivating and engaging. The drama has a gentle and refined tone, with a lot of romance and sweetness. The script is well-written, and the actors deliver excellent performances. The drama portrays a mature and realistic relationship, without any unnecessary conflicts or angst. The male lead expresses his jealousy in a cute way, while the female lead reassures him with her confidence and wisdom. This drama is a must-watch for anyone who loves C dramas, or wants to try them for the first time. The only thing I wish is that the flirting phase lasted a bit longer. But even without it, the story is perfect.

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Hands Down, this is the romance i need in my life

Never in my wildest dreams did i expect to rate a romance drama 10/10.

This is love at first sight series where i loved everything about it from start till the end. I have always wanted to watch a series that gives warmth, butterflies, relationship goals and this gave me more than what i wanted.
LinYiyang and YinGao are super cute together and the story lines was smooth and love how they admired , respected and loved each other. This is a cutie patootie series where i can watch every episode again and again on loop.

Every character is this drama is so lovable and warm, didnot skip a single second and the OST's are soo good and swoon worthy. I just cant express how much i loved watching this. Xioa Dong, Jiang Yang and Wu Wei stole my heart. I have'nt found any drama that solely concentrates on the main leads, their story and their growth yet giving equal importance and development to every important character.

I can keep going on and on about this i dont think i will get over it in like a week . They are by far the sweetest, cutest and lovely couple i have ever watched.

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Started cute and quick became boring with no real plot development

Watching this for Lu Wei but his acting chops cannot save this snooze fest drama. I continued watching for him + to see if there would be more plot development to add some excitement to this story which gets blander each episode. The chemistry started out cute and fluffy but quickly turned repetitive having the same dating/flirting scenes for 20+episodes with some VERY cringy PDA and public love confession. Female lead character has not developed at all - still like a high school kid, with that baby talk voice. Leo’s intense acting - those whispered dialogues and penetrating gaze that were effective for his LLTG role! - are sometimes an overkill in his scenes for this drama or perhaps it could have worked if FL can match that energy. Still want to finish this but I fast fwd a lot of boring scenes. Good watch if you like cute relaxed drama with no real conflicts to spice up the story.

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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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Fabulous Drama

This was excellent first time around but even better second time. A glorious Love story with 2 stunning leads. I Would never have though Billiards would be a setting for a great Love story. The Leads Chemistry was Superb. A great Match indeed. Nice Story in a Fabulous setting. So atmospheric. The support cast was also wonderful. This must be one of the most successful dramas of the year. The Light and Shine song is embedded inside my brain. It is so lovely. Once is not enough to hear it. Leo Wu who is only 23 is incredible. I have seen him in in many dramas and he is growing so brilliantly. Such a great talent. I loved him in 'Sphere, Break and disappointed he did not play lead in the Sequel. Cannot give enough praise for this truly sweet, wholesome Drama. I am puzzled though at how Chinese and Korean Dramas insist on wearing street clothes in Bed. Also there are few Leads who actually do realistic kisses. Recently there have been many Chinese Dramas with Female leads who act either like morons, have squeaky voices or are selfish egotisis. So when we get a really good Drama it is worth taking note, They make some excellent ones too. After exhausting most of the Korean Dramas I moved on to Chinese ones , which I love.

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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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A Sweet & Fluffy Romance but Not a good Sports Romance Drama

Subjective Gut Rating - 8.25

If you want a fluffy romance, then you are at the right place. The romance between Lin Yi Yang (ML) and Yin Guo (FL) is the central plot, and everything else is to support their romance. They have excellent chemistry together. If you are looking for a sports drama, you will be bored in the ⅔ of the drama, but a little more delighted in the last third.


Main Romance
I am personally not a big fan of love-at-first sight, and it’s even harder to believe it happens to Lin Yi Yang, a guy who is too busy to think about love. But nevertheless, it happens to him in the most unrealistic way, and the rest is history. ML is the perfect boyfriend - smart, caring, considerate, loyal, only has eyes for FL and ignore all suitors, and most importantly, loving through actions and not sweet-talking. Luckily(?), he’s not as perfect as the ML in “Love Me, Love My Voice” (LMLMV). He actually has a personality and flaws, which makes the romance a little more interesting. There are plenty of loving and longing gazes, and Leo Wu can melt anyone with his eyes. The romance is cute and fluffy, and really does make me smile. However, after about 15 episodes of nothing but sweet romance, I got a little bored. There are a few episodes that were soooo slow and draggy that I wish FL would just go back to China already. They really only knew each other for a very short period of time, and they fell fast and hard. A week of dating and you’re already telling each other how much money/assets you own? There are quite a few of OK kisses, definitely not as extended or passionate as in LMLMV, which is a little disappointing. What’s more disappointing is FL constantly blocking ML’s kisses and rejecting him. Some say ML is a little horny. But I’d say you have limited time together and you see each other once a week, of course he wants to kiss and hold his girlfriend as often as possible before they are separated. The constant rejection becomes rather annoying and repetitive. I’d rather FL kisses back shyly than turning her head away. Having said that, this is a lovely romance from start to finish. They met as shy young adults, and grow to support each other unconditionally. I love how FL expresses to ML that she would be behind him 100% and be his safety net.

Other Romance
Well, basically non-existent. There’s plenty of time to shower us with more scenes of the smoking hot Wang Xing Yue/Meng Xiao Dong and his romance with Lin Lin. They obviously had a very interesting past and I’d like to see a more smitten Meng Xiao Dong. I want to see how they could break up 3 times, yet still are very attracted to each other. What a lost opportunity! If the drama has spent less time in the first half of the drama on a super slow-paced romance, there will be time left in the second half for this romance, and other more interesting plot.

Snooker/Billiard
Watching this drama reminded me of watching my dad play snooker at the snooker hall when I was little. And this is one of the reasons I want to watch this drama. Rarely do we see this profession being spotlighted in a drama, let alone an idol drama. I enjoyed all the competitions and friendly battles. The drama does not really describe the sport, so if you know nothing about snooker/billiard, you might be bored. There’s a lot of strategies involved in the sport, but this drama is not trying to educate the public. The camaraderie of the players reminded me also of e-sports. You can be friends off the court, but respectful competitors on the court. In the end, China just can’t shy away from this national pride, and the writers have to insert international competitions into this drama. I actually would have liked to see how Lin Yi Yang transforms and modernizes the club. I want to see the process and the result of his new ideas, but that plot is short-changed.

Healing
Before I watched this drama, I read that viewers dislike ML moving back to China for FL and giving up his original plan. I disagree with that. ML did not give up his dreams. Instead, FL is the catalyst and the push that he needed to really pursue his dreams. He longs to go back to China and correct what he’s done. He longs to go back home. He wants to see his Teacher again. Meeting FL and seeing how passionate she is about the world he left behind, is the best thing that could have happened to him. The second half of the drama focuses on ML’s journey home and to reconnect with those that he left behind. It was really touching when ML and his teacher reconnected.

Brotherhood/History
There aren’t enough scenes of the 3 brothers in this drama. As much as I love romance, I really wish there’s more time spent on the past and present friends/brothers/frenemies between Lin Yi Yang, Meng Xiao Dong and Jiang Yang. The three men have so much chemistry together and are so fun to watch their sarcastic comments to each other. I also wanted to know how ML lived his life from when he retired from age 16 to 27.

Acting/Supporting Cast
I enjoy everyone’s acting, especially our leads, Leo Wu and Zhao Jin Mai. Leo can play a lovesick puppy so well. I don’t think anyone can be immune to his gazes to FL. He has some very emotional scenes when he speaks with his eyes, as Lin Y Yang is a man of few words. Leo did a pretty good job. Zhao Jin Mai/Yin Guo appeared quite mature when she was first introduced. But as she started dating, her youth shows and she acts a lot younger than ML. However, once she’s in competition-mode, you can see the calm maturity and fierceness in Zhao Jin Mai’s eyes. The rest of the younger cast did a fairly good job. Of course, the veterans are great, e.g. FL’s mother and ML’s teacher. There aren't any annoying characters in this drama. Instead, we have loving families and supportive team members and competitors.


I recommend this drama if you are looking for a cute and fluffy romance. Mind you, there are times when the plot is a little slow in the first half but if you just want romance, then this is good. However, if you are looking for a well-balanced sports romance, then this is not a great one. Too much focus is spent on romance and not enough on the competition or other interesting sports plot. Nevertheless, I had an enjoyable time watching this.


Other Random Observations:
1. I know all eyes should be on Leo Wu, but Wang Xing Yue is so smoking hot in suits.
2. People in Finland only speak English and Chinese? I don’t think I hear any Finnish at all.
3. I like a FL who is just as amazing professionally as the male characters. FL looks so cool.
4. Pestering a player about his love life and forcing him to confess his love during an international tournament is so UNPROFESSIONAL!!!
5. How can a player who just had surgery be selected to the national team???


Completed: 3/3/2024 - Review #413

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ml LOVES the fl

I’d say what really made this drama stand out to me is the way we see the characters falling in love. The ML is so expressive with his eyes that I could immediately tell when he became obsessed with the FL. This woman had him ON HIS KNEES in love with her. The way he acts when she’s in the room is insane, it felt like I was really watching a crush form and grow. Although I couldn’t tell right away when the FL fell for him, I thought their dynamic was so cute. The trope of falling in love in a foreign country is not overdone, so I really liked seeing it here. It is a refreshing watch and a perfect drama to start on a snowy day!

The supporting characters also really cared for the main couple and helped push them together. The FL’s brother in particular was stellar (I don’t want to spoil so that’s all I’ll say). He got a 10/10 from me.

This is a great winter watch, especially if you’re tired of corny dramas where the main couple doesn’t even like each other.

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=> A good Rom-Sport series focusing on billiards, with a great CL.

PLOT: ML, was a genius snooker gamer, abruptly retired 10 years ago. He now studies and lives in Finland. It was there that he met FL, a young 9-ball player, for whom he fell in love at first sight. They become closer and she tries to convince him to return to China and resume his career. That's wath they will do despite the obstacles.

PROS:
+ A convincing CL, with all the green flags: trust, respect, attention, tolerance, etc. A very good performance from the 2 actors.
+ a simple but credible story, without a love triangle, without a vengeful ex, etc. Real life, what!
+ Lots of excellent, endearing actors.
+Well suited OST
+ This is a drama, supposed filmed mainly abroad, but they are some inconsistencies on the reality in Finland (does everyone speak Chinese or English? Large Chinese community in Helsinki? ...)

CONS:
- Some inconsistencies in the timeline
- We remain hooked on this series by the quality of the CL, but the story is too simple for it to always be exciting. OK, a sports career cannot be rebuilt in a day, but certain narrative arcs could have been shortened.

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Avec Leo Wu
PLOT : Le ML, snooker gamer de génie, a pris une brusque retraite il y a 10 ans, il étudie et vit maintenant en Finlande. C'est là qu'il rencontre la FL, jeune joueuse de "9 balls", pour laquelle il a le coup de foudre. Ils se rapprochent et elle tente de le convaincre de revenir en Chine et de reprendre sa carrière. Ce qu'ils vont faire malgré les obstacles.

PROS:
+ Un CL convaincant, avec tous les green flags : confiance, respect, attention, tolérance, etc. Une très belle performance des 2 acteurs.
+ une story simple mais crédible, sans love triangle, sans ex revancharde, etc. La vraie vie, quoi !
+ Beaucoup d'excellents acteurs, attachants.
+TB OST
+ un drama supposé tourné principalement à l'étranger, mais quelques incohérences sur la réalité en Finlande (tout le monde parle chinois ou anglais ? Large communauté chinoise à Helsinki ? ...)

CONS:
- Quelques incohérences dans la timeline
- On reste accroché à cette série par la qualité du CL, mais la story est trop simple pour que ce soit toujours passionnant. OK, une carrière de sportif ne se reconstruit pas en un jour, mais certains arcs narratifs auraient pu être raccourcis.

=> Une bonne série Rom-Sport focus sur le billard, avec un great CL.

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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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