This drama completely exceeded my expectations ; I absolutely adore this show.

This is the first contemporary Chinese Drama that I have finished. While I am living for Chinese 'Historical' Dramas I always thought that contemporary stories are better of told in K-Dramaland. But Gank Your Heart has proven me so so wrong.

I never imagined that E-Sports would be a topic I would develop an interest in but the Drama did such a great job at conveying the passion within this field that I was literally on the edge of my seat watching these fictional competitions and rooting so hard for the team. I came for Wang Yibo and for the romance thinking I could 'endure' the background setting but then developed a genuine linking in e-sports and its commentary. That's a big plus for the production because it successfully managed to touch the viewers through the character writing.

And for the plot itself: I'm not sure how I could paint this picture best but I feel like it's a combo of what a really good but trope-full fanfiction would look like and pure realism at the same time. It sounds confusing to me too but that's how it is. A lot of scenes and conflicts evolving around the lead couple felt so cliché and 'only happens in fan fictions' dramatic (but it's really well executed so I'm not mad; actually loved it) but then it also tells the simplest and best love story about two characters that are the perfect match for that they thoroughly understand and support each other; a true definition of a couple that is each other's best friend. They are both so genuine and utmost stubborn when it comes to their principles and dreams. They amount of passion they convey will get you super excited about every plot point.
Passion is what describes this story best and the fact that the production was able to make the viewer feel that through the screen makes this a gem of a drama. It takes you on a journey following characters who fight for their dreams no matter what and it was so inspiring that I was torn between binge watching and getting stuff done to achieve my goals haha. The characters just felt so real; the way they handle their problems, build their relationships, acting confused and making mistakes, trying to fix them, trying to grow ... they felt so relatable and thus totally lovable.
Aaaah and the friendship in this drama is so cute and heart wrenching, the supporting characters are no way just decorative plot fillers but all had their own story to tell. The friendship arc also had moments that felt over the top, nearly anime like if you get what I mean, especially towards the end, but again, I didn't mind.

And I have to talk about Ji Xiang Kong as a character, because for me he is the best leading male character in a contemporary, realistic drama I've seen in a while, He's not quite that tsundere, cold character we've seen all too often, he's not extremely reclusive or naive nor super extroverted or class-clownish, but an really complex yet simple person (I see a theme here) character, who knows exactly what he wants and who he cares for. He has his principles straight, doesn't care for what other people think about him but deeply cherishes his friends and family, managing to protect them without loosing himself, while the pressure he was under was insane; I would have collapsed so many times hahaha. I'm so so in love with this character.

The only thing I had to cringe about was the sloppy english dubbing at the beginning, when the characters were in Canada. But then again, it's not my first language either and I really shouldn't judge. It just threw me off a little bit.

And for the OSTs: I really liked them !! The opening song fits the overall feel of the drama extremely well. I never skipped it because it got me in the mood watching. And there was one other OST I really liked called 'tian kong zhi wai'.

I would totally rewatch the drama. It's not heavy one but also not as light hearted as I first thought when I started watching.

You should totally give this drama a try