A great epic journey

Watching this show felt like you've lived through a lifetime... in a good way. A lot of things happened, the characters all went through hardships, they've been through one heck of a journey. It's really a fantastic show.

STORY
A lot of things happened and the progression of the story was good. I felt the pacing was just right, it wasn't too rushed or too dragging. Though there were times when I predicted what would happen with the leads (ex. will they survive, etc.) but there were times when I was on the edge of my seat. It was intense and I liked that you can understand the characters' motives. It wasn't all black and white, with the villains being bad for no reason. You can still sympathize with them.
It was smartly written, though I understand that the story came from a manhua, still, the way it was written as a TV show, they kept things interesting.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & EDITING
It really made you feel how big and how epic the scale of the production was. It was impressive how they captured the intensity of the war scenes, of the fight scenes and the emotions the characters were experiencing.
There were a couple of awkward shots though especially during the shift to the animated scenes. I don't know if it was purely for artistic choices or because the budget for shooting those war scenes would have been large but putting the actors in front of the animated backgrounds were awkward. They could've just left the animated scenes as is and not mix it with the live action ones.

ACTING/STUNTS
The actors were amazing, Dilraba was so bad-ass and believable as a great fighter and a smart princess. Though I felt the chemistry with her and Leo Wu was a bit lacking. But they were great when fighting and working together.
I've watched Zhao Lusi before as a strong character and seeing her as meek, I saw her differently. She's so effective and really great at crying scenes that she makes you want to cry with her.
Liu Yuning was also amazing. Even just a small change in his eyes, or a quirk of his lips, you can tell what he's feeling even without saying anything. Because of his acting, I was immediately hooked with his storyline and pay close attention whenever he's in a scene even if he's not the focus.

MUSIC
The soundtrack was epic that I never skipped an opening or closing. It really helped to hype me up with the scenes. And made me sad when Hao Du's theme song plays during his scenes.

OVERALL
Highly recommended! It's a great watch and a great journey to take with the characters. Though for people who's looking for romance, this show doesn't prioritize romantic scenes as much but it's okay because the story itself is interesting. You also have to be patient though and keep watching even with the awkward shifts to the animated scenes.
For me, I don't really see it as rewatchable except for certain scenes (like Hao Du's because he's my favorite haha) because there are too many things that happened and part of why the show is great is because you can't really predict the ending.
GREAT SHOW!

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Can't get enough of the leads!

I've watched this show twice, but still whenever I see clips of the show especially of the main leads, I want to watch it again!

STORY
The storyline of Tang Xue and Li Yubing as childhood frenemies was funny though ultimately I felt the story could've also gone without it. I know it's from the original novel but the story starting from college was already interesting enough and how they were chasing towards their dreams. I wasn't that interested in the supporting characters though. Especially Tang Xue's friends.
The latter part of the show, I felt had unnecessary conflict that had been dragged on longer than it should have. Especially with Tang Xue and Li Yubing's misunderstanding. I felt that it could've been solved sooner and was put there just so they could have a problem in their otherwise perfect relationship.
I also felt that Li Yubing is portrayed too much as a hero that it's an insult to his teammates. Since, after all, they're playing ice hockey which is a team sport so why does everything depend on just Li Yubing?

CINEMATOGRAPHY & EDITING
It's surely hard to shoot the scenes on the ice rink, especially during games. Of course the editing had to make sure that the scene where the actors were shown and the scenes where they used body doubles were edited seamlessly. They had a lot of cuts though and you couldn't exactly see what was happening in the game but I guess it still became effective in portraying the fast paced, high tension of the games.
The close up scenes of the kissing scenes was soo waaaahhh! I think my replay button died.

COSTUMES
I love how as Tang Xue and Li Yubing fall for each other, their outfits become more color-coordinated!

ACTING
Ever reliable, ever likeable Janice Wu. If another actress portrayed Tang Xue, she might not be as likeable but because Janice Wu has this innate charm, that's why you can still root for Tang Xue even when she's being unreasonable sometimes. Her chemistry with Steven Zhang is off the charts. My gosh Steven Zhang has such great charisma, even just the scenes where he's looking at Tang Xue, it makes your heart beat fast! He can go from being intense to being like a cute little puppy when smiling. And the kissing scenes oh my goodness!

MUSIC
I love their soundtrack. My favorite was Sa Dingding and Liu Yuning's versions of The Moment I Met You. I love them equally and makes the romantic scenes 10x more thrilling.

OVERALL
Recommended! After watching this I kept on looking for shows about skating because it didn't just make me interested in the characters itself but also in ice skating. For me, it's also rewatchable but you can skip the scenes you're not really interested in or just replay the leads' love story hihi.

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HOT MESS

This show is a hot mess! Really.

FOR PEOPLE WHO: want to watch couples with lots of issues, misunderstandings, senseless fights, who like to make things hard for themselves.
It's for people who want to hate watch shows. Really the only reason I finished the series is because I love shouting in frustration at the characters and what a hot mess they were. Especially Naeun's character. Omg so annoying.

NOT FOR PEOPLE WHO: want to watch a decent poor girl, rich boy story. Not for people who want a convincing reverse harem/love triangle/love rectangle relationship. Sure the female lead was nice but.. really?

OVERALL:
I loved hate watching it though but really I won't watch it again. The only reason I'd recommend it to someone else is so that they'll hate watch it too and we can hate comment on it together. Spread the despair. And also, I like the actors but not in this show. I also liked BTOB's song. Anynway, in short, if you want to become even more frustrated, or want to vent your frustration, then watch this and shout at your screen.

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Trials & triumphs of athletes

FOR AUDIENCES WHO: want to watch something light and has a happy ending. Who are interested in sports and journey of athletes. Who likes friendship stories. For those who want a fuss-free couple relationship.

NOT FOR THOSE WHO: want to focus on the complexities of couple relationships or who just want to focus on romance. Not for people who want to watch a lot of conflict in the story.

STORY:
It's the usual story of athletes chasing their dreams. There isn't anything new but I like that they don't just care about the main characters. They care about the supporting characters and their journey too. There's no villain here, everyone is just striving to better themselves and reach their goals.
I like that even during moments where Shen Zengyi has failed, she doesn't lose sight of her goals. Plus, I always like female leads who have their own lives that are different from their partners. I also love the sismance and bromance stories here!

CINEMATOGRAPHY & EDIT:
I like that they use a lot of wide shots to show the movement of the skaters, usually it's difficult because they have to hide the fact that they're using body doubles for the stunts. Though sometimes it's obvious when they use a stunt double.
As usual with tv shows, they use fast-paced editing and use a looooot of camera angles even for just short scenes.
Still, they're able to convey the excitement felt during the competitions and training montages.
The parts when they show the short track speed skaters starting ahhh so amazing. I love it when they show Zengyi running in the start of her races. It's so intense and exciting.

ACTING/STUNTS:
I like the actress playing Shen Zengyi. Her acting feels natural and I like that even in realizing her feelings, she still seems strong and independent. The actor playing Shao Beisheng felt lacking to me. Sometimes I don't feel anything from his acting. I don't know it felt too blank. He was cute with Zengyi (especially when he cried while hugging her when they got together, so cute!) and when he's messing around with his friends, but I felt he couldn't really carry the scenes on his own.
Their friends though, Lele and Qu Zhi were so cute. Their story was so interesting and funny. I actually cared more about their relationship than the main couple's.
It was a bit obvious, the parts when they used harnesses for the stunts, either because their bodies were too stiff or because it was too impossible to perform a stunt then shoot it.

COUPLE RELATIONSHIPS:
Healthy relationship of the main couple. They were very supportive of each other and understand that they have their own lives and goals. They build each other up. So cute and sweet!
The second couple, had much more misunderstandings. I felt they could've solved it sooner if they just talked but I still liked them. They're cute.

OVERALL:
It's okay but I wouldn't really rewatch it. It's enough to watch it once though it doesn't really stick to me after. Or I'll rewatch it for the competition scenes. It was enjoyable though because the sport is interesting and the competitions. Their journeys and the ending was so satisfying. It's generally likeable and I recommend that you watch it.

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Fun, entertaining watch!

This was such a fun show to watch. It was funny and interesting. Don't expect too much serious stuff in this show. If you're just looking to be entertained, then this is a great show to watch.

STORY
Although it has an interesting premise, the story isn't really original since there are already a lot of isekai or author going into his/her work stories. But it was still fun figuring out how the main character, Qian Qian will solve her problem. There are a lot of questionable logic in the story though, but as I said, if you don't take these things too seriously, you'll enjoy the show. The ending was a bit cliche and rushed. I feel that they could've fleshed the ending out a bit more.

COSTUME
I liked the first costume of Qian Qian, the bright red one when she was still portrayed as the "villain" but then it immediately shifted to pastel colors when Xiao Qian got transported to the story. I thought it would've been more interesting to keep the red color or style of costume until she gradually becomes the "main character" in the story.

ACTING
This is the first drama I've watched of Zhao Lusi and she's already becoming one of my favorites. Her expressions, mischievousness, her smile, etc. She just lights up the screen and is so enjoyable to watch. Qian Qian can be annoying sometimes but Zhao Lusi is too likable for me to really be annoyed by the character.
Ryan Ding, I wasn't really a big fan before but I really like him in this drama. He can shift from being cold, calculative and intense to being like a love sick puppy. They're both so fun to watch on screen.
Aside from the leads the standout to me were really the actors who played Zi Rui and Bai Ji. I even want to watch them if they have their own comedy show.

OVERALL
There's no boring part in this drama. It was very entertaining and an interesting insight in how authors don't really control every aspect of their characters. Once they make them, sometimes they come alive on their own. It's also fun to see how Qian Qian will untangle herself from the mess she keeps on making. The main leads are sooo cute, I want to watch them again and again!

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Great, comforting watch!

This show is one of those shows that will stay with you after watching. It's nice to see a female lead that has her own life and ambitions apart from her love interest. It was great to watch how the characters grow. Not just the main characters but even the supporting characters.

The cinematography and color grading reflected Bok Joo's character which was warm and inspiring and reflected how she saw life. It was like the world she lived in was very inviting and made you hopeful of the future. Like walking home at sunset.

The music was very cute and refreshing especially when Joon Hyung realized his feelings, the music also makes your heart feel light, warm and fuzzy at the same time.

The acting was very good and Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk had great chemistry even when they were still friends. You can feel their care for each other and that they genuinely enjoy each other's company. The way they portrayed the characters, Nam Joo Hyuk's mischievousness, and Lee Sung Kyung's happy-go-lucky portrayal of Bok Joo really made you laugh and sympathize with them.

Even though the story doesn't really have anything big happening, you'll still get hooked because of the characters. Plus I think the story is still relatable and people who like watching slice of life or character-driven stories would really enjoy this.

I think this is one of those shows that you can rewatch a couple of times just because watching it is comforting. It's the equivalent of your favorite comfort food and I highly recommend it to everyone.

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