Not the best or the worst E-Sports drama
7/30/2021
After watching "Love O2O", "Gank Your Heart", "Cross Fire" and "Go Go Squid 1", this is my 5th e-sports drama. "Cross Fire" is my favorite out of the 5 shows. I have "The King's Avatar" and "Go Go Squid 2" on my Watchlist. I would rank this drama in the middle of the group. This drama has a stronger focus in the romance department than actual competitive gaming. It also spends a lot of time on the e-sports fan base/social media/online forums.
Many commented on the romance between the leads. And it is true that Xu Kai (ML) is just as handsome as everyone says. I am a fan of him after watching him in "Arsenal Military Academy" and am looking forward to watching him in "Ancient Love Poetry". He plays a very different role here, and he did a great job. I know this is an adaptation of the book and I read that his "horny" character was toned down in this show. However, I still felt that it is a little out-of-character for this cool, calm and rational Captain to suddenly become this lovable, clingy and somewhat cheesy boyfriend. I just find his Jekyll/Hyde personality a little uncharacteristic. But if the novel is like this, I guess it's really no fault of the drama and scriptwriter. This is my first time watching our female lead. I think she did an OK job, as I do find some of her facial expressions a little wooden. I don't find the chemistry to be especially strong between our leads, except for ML's loving gazes. Chemistry is OK, but not amazing. I enjoyed watching their slow-burn romance before they got together, than when they are together (it got somewhat cringey). Luckily, their kiss scenes (surprisingly there are quite a few) are believable and nice, and not the fish-kissing in "Love O2O". The secondary romance seems a little more realistic, we don't really see their romance much, compared to secondary romances in other rom-coms.
A common theme in e-sports dramas is the amazing friendship and camaraderie between team members and rivals. It's not an exception here. You will grow to love all the team members, even those from rival teams. They provide comic relief and for the most part, things didn't get too negative or dramatic. The friendship between FL and2FL is also great to see. I still don't understand why 2FL is so rich. We have somewhat supportive family members for most members and there isn't anyone too annoying in the show.
Gaming graphics are amazing in this show. I am not sure if these are original animation from the actual League of Legends games, or specially created for the show. But it's not doubt that the graphics and the music are amazing. It's different from the actual actor being in the games such as "Cross Fire" or the coding in "Go Go Squid". For a non-gamer, I do find it a little difficult to follow the gaming scenes.
I do have a minor criticism and wished the scriptwriter has added. Since FL is the first female pro gamer, I wish they would have followed her journey to encourage other fellow female gamers. I would love for her to be a role model. Unfortunately, for most of the drama, the show focuses a lot of gender bias, putting her down through online comments and social media. I know that's an important part of her journey as well, but I wish the show has cut down on some of the social media stuff, but empower her to do more for the industry.
After watching "Love O2O", "Gank Your Heart", "Cross Fire" and "Go Go Squid 1", this is my 5th e-sports drama. "Cross Fire" is my favorite out of the 5 shows. I have "The King's Avatar" and "Go Go Squid 2" on my Watchlist. I would rank this drama in the middle of the group. This drama has a stronger focus in the romance department than actual competitive gaming. It also spends a lot of time on the e-sports fan base/social media/online forums.
Many commented on the romance between the leads. And it is true that Xu Kai (ML) is just as handsome as everyone says. I am a fan of him after watching him in "Arsenal Military Academy" and am looking forward to watching him in "Ancient Love Poetry". He plays a very different role here, and he did a great job. I know this is an adaptation of the book and I read that his "horny" character was toned down in this show. However, I still felt that it is a little out-of-character for this cool, calm and rational Captain to suddenly become this lovable, clingy and somewhat cheesy boyfriend. I just find his Jekyll/Hyde personality a little uncharacteristic. But if the novel is like this, I guess it's really no fault of the drama and scriptwriter. This is my first time watching our female lead. I think she did an OK job, as I do find some of her facial expressions a little wooden. I don't find the chemistry to be especially strong between our leads, except for ML's loving gazes. Chemistry is OK, but not amazing. I enjoyed watching their slow-burn romance before they got together, than when they are together (it got somewhat cringey). Luckily, their kiss scenes (surprisingly there are quite a few) are believable and nice, and not the fish-kissing in "Love O2O". The secondary romance seems a little more realistic, we don't really see their romance much, compared to secondary romances in other rom-coms.
A common theme in e-sports dramas is the amazing friendship and camaraderie between team members and rivals. It's not an exception here. You will grow to love all the team members, even those from rival teams. They provide comic relief and for the most part, things didn't get too negative or dramatic. The friendship between FL and2FL is also great to see. I still don't understand why 2FL is so rich. We have somewhat supportive family members for most members and there isn't anyone too annoying in the show.
Gaming graphics are amazing in this show. I am not sure if these are original animation from the actual League of Legends games, or specially created for the show. But it's not doubt that the graphics and the music are amazing. It's different from the actual actor being in the games such as "Cross Fire" or the coding in "Go Go Squid". For a non-gamer, I do find it a little difficult to follow the gaming scenes.
I do have a minor criticism and wished the scriptwriter has added. Since FL is the first female pro gamer, I wish they would have followed her journey to encourage other fellow female gamers. I would love for her to be a role model. Unfortunately, for most of the drama, the show focuses a lot of gender bias, putting her down through online comments and social media. I know that's an important part of her journey as well, but I wish the show has cut down on some of the social media stuff, but empower her to do more for the industry.
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