Story/plot: -10- This drama had a cute, fun, and catch-worthy storyline! I absolutely loved how it was centered around swimming, mixed with life issues and dramas. I was intrigued from the very beginning to the very end, and although there were some parts that were dragged out, I couldn't really blame them; after all, they had to fill up 36-37 episodes... Even so, every episode hooked me in, and made me stay up late every night, telling myself "just one more episode" (even though we all know, that is never true :P). The ending is definitely NOT a downer! This ending was settled and it flowed smoothly and nicely.
Acting/cast: -10- LEMME TELL YOU! THIS CAST=PERFECTION! Xiong Dylan (Tang Yi Bai)+Tan Song Yun (Yun Duo)=so cute!!! They are the ULTIMATE couple and they were made to be the main leads. I squealed at their height difference every time, and their interactions on and off camera are also goals! Other than the main leads, I also loved how there were other cute couples around them like, for example, Huang Sheng Chi (Qu Rui Feng) and Wang Zi Xuan (Xiang Yang Yang). Not to mention, there were a lot of good lookin' guys in this drama! You need the right cast to carry out a good storyline and THIS CAST MADE EVERYTHING FANTASTIC!
Music: -10- This is my first drama where I truly payed attention and appreciated the song selection, and this is because the song selection for this drama is so memorable! Every song truly matched their placement during the moments throughout the drama. If anyone wants to take a sneak peak at a song example, here is my favorite, "Crossing the Pacific", which could be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY65i3DP9WA
Rewatch value: -8- Although I gave many complements about this drama, my rewatch value would have to be an 8. This is because since there were a lot of surprising twists and turns, rewatching the whole drama from beginning to end wouldn't allow the full attention this drama truly deserves. I will, however, re-watch all the cute moments the characters had with one another and beware! there are A LOT of cute moments where I guarantee you will squeal when watching!
Overall: -9.5- Overall, this drama was a cute and refreshing one to watch for me. My only downer is probably the rewatch value, but I still advice this to everyone because of all the positive things I stated above, from the storyline to the music, this drama made everything fit well altogether.
Thank you to everyone who read this relatively long review, but I hope whoever is reading this to give "My Mr. Mermaid" a try, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :)
Chào for Now!
Lily L.
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The main characters interact great with each other and show good acting skills. They fight for there dreams from the beginning 'till the end and try to help each other and their friends as much as possible.
The other characters also have a great chemistry with everyone else. There are many different kind of persons so i think every viewer can find some character to compare themselves to. Even the more 'unlikeable' characters will grow to your heart for sure ;)
The storyline is sweet and shows how to chase after dreams and find friends and lovers. They also talk about relationships with familys eventhough they have a busy schedule training and helping their friends out. From narcisstic to shy characters, this drama has them all!
If i would have to choose some keywords for this show it would be: friendship, dream, past, trust and fun.
It also seems that they really worked hard to portrait the life of actual swimmers trying to become professional - they did a great job!
The music is one of the points i reaally loved in this drama too. Nice music and the main characters are singing some of the songs!^^
Totally recommend this drama, you won't waste your time for those 36 episodes:)
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Story: At 18 years old, Tang Yi Bai stood at the pinnacle of his career as a swimmer. He was set for the world stage and to realize his dream to be the fastest swimmer in the world. Unexpectedly, after winning the very swimming competition that will push him to the world stage, he was caught doping. Just like that, four years of his youth was lost. For four years, he trained hard and never lost sight of his original dream. The 22-year-old him returned to professional swimming - winning a college-level swimming contest. His excellent performance caught the interest of a trainee reporter, Yun Dou and together with the teammates and coach who believed in him, they faced the challenges of professional swimming and life together.
There are many often used scenes and ideas in this drama such as the infamous "Gone with the Wind" poster posture, male lead being caught showering by the female lead, memory lost, love triangles etc but they are done in such a way that it didn't feel cheesy and repetitive. The storyline and characters are the strengths of this drama. It has 36 episodes but each episode has excellent pacing. It didn't feel rushed or dragged. Total marathon material. As it is a Chinese drama, there were some flashbacks but they were used appropriately and not excessively. I actually watched this drama without fast forwarding any parts....which lead to the sleeplessness I am experiencing now! The romance is sweet and simple but I enjoyed watching the characters as they struggle through their confusions and choices as they try to balance work, life and romance.
I like the 'natural' and realistic progression of the story and characters. The drama gives off a relaxed but inspired feel. The OSTs are excellent and used appropriately throughout the drama. I downloaded all of them and will probably be listening to them on repeat for the next few days! Another praiseworthy aspect of this drama is how they didn't butcher the English language! Characters who can't speak English or claim to speak broken English did speak in broken English without thick pretentious fake accent many Chinese actors try to imitate. Characters who can speak fluent English spoke fluent English with correct accent (eg: the swimmer who trained in Singapore spoke proper Singaporean English and not fake American or British English). Inspiring quotes, motto, signs, props and ads around the characters were written in grammatically correct English. For those of you who can't understand Mandarin, the English subs are also grammatically correct. All of these gives the drama more credibility and a realistic feel to it. As an International viewer who can speak, read, write both English and Mandarin fluently, I can see the honest effort being put into the drama and I really appreciate it! Well done to the director, producer, screenplay and script writers and the casting staff!!!! This is a product you can all be proud of!
Acting/Cast: Young actors and actresses but they can act. The young bloke who acted as Tang Yi Bai has such a sweet smile and his character in this drama is a very likeable, easygoing young man - who although experienced setbacks in his swimming career and life - continued to maintain a smiling and easygoing character till the end. The female lead is also another likeable character who makes mature and ethical choices. Their love story is quite typical of young couples in their early 20s, especially when both are new to love and relationship. I can totally relate to their confusion and choices and some of the silliness or misunderstandings they had as I reflected on my first relationship in my early 20s..... it was similar. Of course, when you get to your 2nd, 3rd etc relationships, marriage, kids, grandkids and aging, your perspective on love and romance will change and mature, but for the young couple in this drama.....what they experienced and the decisions they made are appropriate, mature and realistic for their age.
I also enjoyed the stories and relationships of the side characters. There were little comedic scenes and interactions here and there which were nicely done and again realistic for men and women of the characters' age. The older actors and actresses that played the roles of parents and coaches all did well and gave appropriate and mature advices. There are no annoying or unrealistic characters in this drama. No bad or good guys. Just normal people with aspirations, behaviors, thinking, character and understanding appropriate for their age and situations.
Music: I love the OSTs - all of them! Which is so rare to find in a drama. Usually, it's just one or two OSTs that stick out as good but in this drama, all of the OSTs are worthy of a permanent spot in your playlist!
Rewatch value: I am downloading the entire drama now. That's how good it is! I think my kids will enjoy watching this - so I am saving it up for them for when they come visiting!
Overall: Enough said! If you are like me who doesn't watch sports-themed youth romance type drama and am skeptical of them, give this a try. If you are into sports-themed youth romance type drama and have been watching all those Korean ones and thinks they are fantastic, according to a friend of mine (of my age group) who watches them, this Chinese drama beats all of them hands down! This is a gem and really deserves the 9.5/10 I gave it. Highly highly recommended!
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This review may contain spoilers
I don't think words good express what an awesome drama, My Mr. Mermaid was from beginning to end.Story:
The story of this drama was beautifully done, from beginning to end. Each ending of each episode, kept you wanting to come back for more. The story never lost beat it just kept on building up with each episode.
I don't want to put spoilers in my review..So I will say this PUT IT ON YOU LIST TO WATCH YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
Acting/Cast
I loved how each cast member made their character come alive. The chemistry between the couples was awesome. The friendship between each of them was so beautiful play. I felt for each of the story lines for each of them.
Music..
Loved the music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY65i3DP9WA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZGMCP1jwDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce8j-KukLCY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dEJfcVywLk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URSOSwmRLWs
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But after watching some of the episodes I generally start liking this drama. I also like the chemistry between the sportsperson and a reporter.
Talking about the story which I like the most because I never seen this type of story before.
Coming to the characters, l personally like the character Qi Ruifong and Tang Yibai because both the character is full of energy, full of willing power, going towards his dream with his team, family,freinds, coaches and specially girlfriend.
This is the first time when I got so much excited for swimming and literally my heart is coming in my mouth when the swimming match is going on and I am very scared with the results.
I like every thing about this drama whether it is the comedy , romance , emotional or the competition part everything.
But still there is one thing which I doesn't like much i.e. in the final round we can't get to the results of the final match between Tang Yibai and Iyang Heng but still we know that Tang Yibai is the winner but they should told us about the result.
If guys want to watch the drama which is full of energetic and also have a strong back story than I must recommend you guys this drama.
You may watch this drama on Vikki, Wetv and you tube with English subtitles.
Love from India❤️
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In terms of storyline, I read the novel before this drama came out and was drawn to the extremely cute plot. There are few changes here and there compared to the book but these changes only made it better and the show is as good as the book, or even better. No extreme ups and downs, no dramatic plot twists that make you truly hate any character in the show. The story is just marshmallow happiness that touches your soul and before you know it, you will be squealing and laughing along with the characters. It is truly a touching, happy show that shows how different points of view cause misunderstandings.
Acting is great too! I remember watching the female lead in various shows like Tornado Girl but the rest do not have much acting history and that honestly made me a little fearful to begin the show (In case it ruins the novel). But I was wrong!! They played their roles well and the chemistry was AMAZING <3! Regardless a sad, funny, or emotional scene, all the actors carried it well! And special mention to Yi Bai's parents for bringing so much joy :D!
Music was good too. I didn't really notice it at the beginning. But soon I found myself singing along when it played during the show HAHAHA. A truly fitting song for the drama!!
Lastly, for rewatch value, I believe it is a show that brings lots of joy in life. And definitely a show I will watch again to relive the fun times!
So to end it off, IF ANYONE IS CONSIDERING WHETHER THEY SHOULD WATCH, GO AHEAD!! Do not be turned off by the 30+ eps count. It will be over soon and make you crave for it to be even longer :(
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The main ship was quite cute at certain points, but they never really went through any actual adversity. I didn't ship them as much as I shipped the second pairing, and that second pairing was the main thing keeping me watching.
The so-called "second male lead" for the love triangle was honestly just downright annoying, and there were a lot of sub-plots that I felt were interconnected but in a very messy way.
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This review may contain spoilers
SWIMMING THROUGH THEIR LOVEE
●A pretty cute story and a nice drama to watch when you wanna a watch a fluffy one .... Romance btw a ^Swimming athlete & a sport journalist^●There is a little profound meaning to this cdrama, as it has a sweet story around the swimming athlete - Tang Yi bai aka Dylan Ziqi.
●The couple hieght difference is so adorable.. There is also a second lead who goes around our FL and friend who actually turns out 2 b a enemy to the FL ... and a bedridden friend of ML who turns to b the main cause of ML's ban on swimming leagues.
●THIS WAS MY 1ST SPORT RELATED CDRAMA.. WAS REALLY UP 2 MY EXPECTATIONS , "× Worth a watch ×"
● Had de best cinematography on covering swimming scenes
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I love the main two leads, the interactions between Yi Bai and Yun Duo are so cute and funny. Not forgetting Rui Feng and Yang Yang interactions as well.
I rated this drama 9.5 because how slow they try to reveal the broken friendship and Little One's story. Overall, the story-line, music, interaction between the actors, and the ending are THE BEST!!!!
My Mr. Mermaid OSTs
1. So Loudly Cry It - Xiong Dylan
2. Love Love - Xu Fei
3. Dare to love the impulse - Xu Yunxiao
4. Love your Good Weather - Tan Song Yun & Xiong Dylan
5. Not as good as - Xu Yunxiao
6. Crossing the Pacific - Xu Guoyang
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I've read somewhere that this drama is so much like Love O2O ! but after I finished this I totally disagree it's so much different !!!
First , what I liked soooo much about this drama are the swimming team members <3 I loved their friendship how they care about each other how they trying and struggling to protect their dream ..
Tang Yi-Bai , Qi Rui-Feng and Yang Yang are my favorite characters loved watching them .. I didn't like Yun Duo character that much but she did make a cute couple with Yibai .
Second , totally loved the OST am so addicted to it specially this part : Across the pacific , heading for the ocean > TT am crying
and I loved & liked how they filmed the Swimming Competitions !!! it was AWESOME & beautifully shots <<<3 I was watching them compete and I felt adrenaline rush I'll hold my breath not knowing what will happens , this really was my favorites parts of the drama .
Third , There is some part of the story I didn't like which was draggy about Cheng Mei , Lin Zi and his little one .. if the writer didn't make them involved I think the story will be so much better ... and how Yi Bai parents and the dog suddenly disappeared !!!! I quite loved his mother she was cool :S
At the end , I'll miss this cast , OST & drama so much TT ... The drama has it flaws but I think everyone will enjoy watching the cast friendship , the competitions and the leads romance ~
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The Strength:
Plot: A solid story telling of a young athlete returning to try to compete on dream stage (swimming competition). That journey of finding himself, finding answers that caused his bottleneck. The recipe for success was not an easy or straightforward one. The drama took time to display the effort, hardship, long hours, sweat and pain that comes with the training that athletes put up to have improve themselves and be good enough for competitive stage.
The male lead: Tang Yi Bai is a very sunshine character. Far from tsundere, he is calm, nice and quick to smile. In spite of a yet to be explained happening 4 years ago that caused him to be suspended from swimming, he is hopeful, determined and works hard for his dream. Hes that blend of person you cant help but admire.
The female lead: Yuin Duo. Again a sunny character who is kind and has bright and warm aura around her. Shes also one to gives people strength and comfort. At work, shes a intern reporter with strong principles. On the other hand shes kultzy and even at times forgetful. All in all, super adorable.
The romance: The beautiful thing that for a slow burn romance it was worth the wait and was a nice ease from a beautiful friendship. I adore how they feel a kinship, and find each other able to communicate, share worries and concerns and give each other support and ideas. Before long, shes his no.1 fan and he made her his lucky charm/mascot. Their interactions were sweet, cute and heart warming
The second couple: QQ and Yang yang. I dont wanna say more to spoil but they add a nice contrast of personality and was so cute.
The friendship: The friendship and team spirit is strong in this drama. It makes it really stand out from other sports drama. The people around them that gives them strength, reason and drive to push through obstacles. The people who believe in them amd waited for them. Really no man is an island. Everyone got that far not on their own. That difficult journey was made possible from all the people in their lives who believes in them.
Other notable characters: ML mum and dad, the 2 coaches, the other 2 swim buddies, Ou Yang Heng.
The sports: Writer demonstrated her love for the sport. It displayed the brauty of the swimming sport. Endless months of long hour training for a 1minute duration competition but the rewarding triumph that comes with it. They even got world renowned Sun Yang to cameo.
The messages: I love the positivity in the story. There were many instance of inspirational messages and quotes. One includes Times makes everthing better. Pain passes, injury can heal but regret persists.
The acting: Tang Song Yun was plays the female lead is a very good actress. I heard good things about her potrayal in other dramas like Whirlwind Girl and With you. Shes very natural and able to bring out the best in character. Dylan xiong is a newbie to me and while theres room for improvement, hes mostly effective and lit up the screen with his character's personality. I wanted to mention Huang Sheng Chi who potrayed QQ was adroable and make his character memorable.
The weakness:
Antagonist: Lin Zi. Initially i pity him but that was short live. By the middle of it, i was fed up with him and just wanted to skip his scenes. Later his sisters's scene was even more annoying and in my opinion affected the pace and feels of the show.
Female swimmers: While we get female trainers on the team, we never saw them practising, swimming, competiting. Sad they were left out of the show.
Music/Ost: Sooooo good. The ending theme that opens with "Its beautiful.." calls to your attention. The melody was that blend of moving, inspirational and catchy. 2 other songs used were also wonderful. I didnt knw Dylan Xiong was a singer until later when i read comments, he sang opening theme. The vocals and composition of songs used was spot on.
Heres a list of the songs
1. "Scream like this" (title song) Xiong Yuqi (???)
2. The Impulse of Dare to Love ( End theme ) ??????? Xu Yunwei
3. "Love your good weather" (interlude) Tan Songyun , Xiong Yuqi (???????)
4. "Inferior" (interlude) Xu Yunwei
5. Say Love (Interlude) Xu Fei
6. Crossing the Pacific (Interlude) Xu Geyang
7. Super Hero ( Promotion Song) Xiong Yuqi
In a nutshell, its a beautiful story of sports, youth, love and friendship that was written and directed in just the right blend. Sports and youth drama sometimes gets into the sticky end of being too simple or even shallow but it was never the case here. The writer weaved a story that has a heart and backbone. For most part it didnt drag, only Lin mei and his sister's story arc and their scenes that kept me from rating a 10.
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