The main focus of this drama seems to be about Shang Yan. For the first oh 15 to 20 episodes, it's heavily focus on his past and explains why he is this cold heart person, living 10 years with a broken friendship that does get repair past the halfway mark of this drama. This section can be draggy for some people. It was for me but I felt like it was needed even though it felt repetitive.
Romance is there for the second half of this drama. The first half was more of Tong Nian's one sided love. I'll admit, I was annoyed with her in the beginning because of her falling in love at first sight and then being a stalker to Shang Yan. It's like she wasn't thinking for herself in a way where she seemed kinda dumb. But that persistence eventually opened Shang Yan's feelings then once that happened, then it's smooth sailing for them. I kinda wanted to see more though as I didn't think there were enough romantic scenes with the main leads and the secondary side couple (Yaya & Shao Fei). I find Shao Fei & Yaya scenes more cuter and wanted more of these 2 goofy characters.
Best part is there aren't any evil characters in this drama. I mean you have the typical mom who doesn't want the guy to get with the daughter because of bad first impressions but honestly the way this was shown was not bad at all compared to what it could've been. You also have this crazy fan chick who tried to win Shang Yan but that was brief thankfully to Shang Yan's coldness. She's not even an important character as her appearance was only for a few episodes before the halfway point.
If I have to say a con of this drama, it would be that Wu Bai didn't have much of role. It almost seemed like he was only in half of the episodes but when he does show up, the camera sure does like to focus in on him. His character is kinda bland though. We just didn't know much about him. But thankfully, there's a sequel where it will be focus on him. Maybe we'll learn more about him that way.
Otherwise, besides the draggy beginning, there's not much bad things to say about this drama and I'm usually a harsh critic on dramas. I just felt like the writers wrote this one well. Plot progressed well and my favorite part, NO CONFLICT in the last few episodes. I don't know why a lot of writers like doing that but I'm glad this drama doesn't do that. It was all happiness and comedy towards the end, which it's hard to find in Chinese dramas these day.
Definitely would rewatch again but probably starting near the halfway point of the drama instead of the beginning.
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This review may contain spoilers
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!I had a really good time watching this drama!! It feels like i started the 1st episode just yesterday and now i am done with the last! after that drama it's safe to say that i am now a huge fan of Li Xian!!! the cast was tooooo good!! the OSTs were also very catchy... absolutely loved the bromance in this drama... initially the romance between the main leads was very awkward but toward the end they got all cute and cringey! now that i'm done with this drama i don't know what to do... all the couples in this drama were adorable!!! i especially liked the relationship that team solo shared... usually i dont pay much attention to the competitions happening in the dramas.. but i was very interested in what was happening here although i never understood a single thing!
In the beginning i hated Tong Nian's character because i felt that she didn't have her own personality or any self respect.... but i'm glad that Han Shang Yan did not let her continue to be the same way...
Overall it was a wonderful drama and i had a pleasant time watching it!!! A definite 8/10!!!
PS: i am now going straight to Medical examiner Dr Qin to get my continued dose of Li Xian!
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama was a hidden gem. I wanted to find a good quality drama like "ode to joy" in the romance/comedy genre and ended up watching this. So I finished watching "The first part of my life" which was good and "somewhere only we know" which was lacking. In SOWK the part that was lacking in the drama was to love story and how a 40min drama felt like a 2 hour drama. And the romance was too slow , lack luster and complicated( couldn't finish so relied on review) .GO GO Squid instead was shot effortlessly, where I didn't even know when the time has passed and the episode has ended. And most of all the romance story line is one you love. the stone walled man falls in love with a quirky female lead and she opens his heart. the music, characters , story line all came together for a very solid drama. I highly recommend it.
My only critic is that the fl mom annoyed me to death, she's the type of parent that I would be feed up with and know they would be arguments if she was my mother. I really tried to skip her part. like she firmly tried to break them up trying to protect her daughter but that ended up bringing harm to her and the feelings she was trying to protect. which is why i wished the parents would stay out of the children love lives or at least be at arms length and not overly involved where it created a mess in their relationship.
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Cute but guilty of watching in 2x speed
I think this drama is a very cute but as the title suggest, I'm guilty of watching this in 2x speed. I skipped a lot of scenes especially the first 10 episodes. Like many others, I too felt the fl was very much like a stalker, over idealistic and it was just very uncomfortable to watch. Although it gets better when the ml soften at her attempts (i.e. treats her nicer), they both had some sort of chemistry. I do enjoy how the main couple acted around each other, especially ml. I find it very cute how he buys a lot of things for fl and how he becomes very playful with her. I'm very guilty of skipping a lot of other scenes so that I can faster watch this couple. Can I just say that the actor who plays ml, when he smiles, he becomes like a little fluff ball!! I also enjoyed watching the flashbacks, but I admit I also fast forward. Even by watching the first few seconds of the flashback, I'm still able to get attach to solo team. There were also many characters which I came to like and wished they had more screentime, xiao mi and yaya, hsy step-mother, grandpa and wu bai! wu bai is seriously a gem, he is a man of a few words, but when he speaks it ... wow!However, there are many things which I didn't like about this drama. The drama feels very flat. My emotions throughout is just happy. The angst didn't really affect me in anyway... and I'm really an emotional person who cries at little things, but I was straight face throughout this drama. I also didn't like the fl dress sense. Some outfits were atrocious, I wouldn't even consider buying them. And if these clothes were to make fl look younger in comparison to ml, it didn't work for me. I found out her age through their conversations. Moreover, people now don't dress like their age, so I see no point in associating clothes to age. Another thing about the drama which I didn't enjoy is how they potrayed CTF. I don't know much about CTF, but as someone who studies IT, I know a little about programming and hacking. I seriously can't believe they played CTF using only 1 hand and a few fingers, it seems like they are treating CTF as a game when you are supposed to write lines of codes to hack. And I find it funny how both fl and ml who are technically in the same field, and they said they don't understand each other major. This don't make sense because the fl literally hacked ml computer. I did a brief research on what CTF is, and it requires knowledge of some scripting languages that fl potentially might have use when programing her games/ website. So yes, this aspect of the drama trigggers me a bit, annoyed that the drama team didn't do their research properly. I do like how the actors use their real voice but hate it when they dubbed over certain parts, it just pulls me out of the story. The last 2 episodes were a bummer, the competition for games were edited so confusingly. One moment everybody was nervous and next moment the team suddenly won. I was so confuse if I missed any scenes but it was just the editing. They also cut out the part where solo team suppose to play together, when I had waited since the beginning like the fans who want to see them play at least once.
So in conclusion, this drama could have been a better production if the script was more well written. Although I'm guilty of binge watching in 24hours at 2x speed. There are some interesting characters and the couples are cute to watch. The younger players were a blur to me (literally look the same half the drama), but provided comedy relief. However, I do want these main leads to reunite again with a more mature character because their chemistry was off the charts in this one! I suggest watching this drama if you are super bored and have nothing to watch, but just want some fluffy romance to past time. My rating is a 7.5 and I still think its a bit high, but I'll close one eye as I do like how ml potrayed hsy, especially the softer hsy.
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Perfect blend of romance and ambitions !
I really thorughly extremely enjoyed this drama .Like I said its a perfect blend of romance and ambitions . Both the leads are strong and motivated and have their share of happiness as well as discomfort ! This drama has a bunch of good looking guys , with good amount of roles , so much so that its hard to understand who is the second lead :) . All are perfectly well dressed and good looking . The FL is not annoying for a change. The misunderstanding are just hillarious . The way the guys start calling her sister-in-law an the way he gets involved with her at the family dinner is just amazing !
There is just this overuse of word 'Dream' I feel , and too many flashbacks that break the rhythm . My only complaint with this drama (and with every other C-drama apparently) is that they make troubles out of very small issues . Like why he retired , the reason was ridiculous to me ! Its obvious that solo was not at fault , he had a family to support suddenly . In fact as brothers they should have offered him support rather than disbanding the team . Similarly the FL should have solved the misunderstanding with her family , that she was the one who stalked him while he accepted her to protect her honor initially !
That being said , there is no doubt that you will definitely enjoy the drama during its course.
Enjoy :)
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Emo with a fluffy exterior
Honestly, this was among the first dramas I watched during summer of 2020. From the description, you’d expect something like any other romcom drama until you notice that it’s 41 episodes long and you start to wonder, “Gosh, what else did they put into this?”Well, it’s the characters lives on display. We delve into Tong Nian and Han Shangyan’s lives. We see what they want and how they go about getting it. We see their problems, both internal and external as they navigate a relationship between a pair who’s 10 years apart in addition to pursuing their own ambitions. But it’s not just our main leads who shine. We have the entire K&K team and Han Shangyan’s former teammates and the drama that drove them apart in prior years. Tong Nian’s friends and roommates and family get their own lives outside the main leads and altogether it makes the cast and characters so much richer and it really adds to the world building.
There’s obviously more to say. There’s the token “let’s break up” that happens once or twice in a drama of this length, the reasons for which I didn’t like in the slightest. There are parts where the main leads are (gasp) unlikeable and do stupid things but it makes you love them for their mistakes and their struggle to push forward.
A good drama that I look back on quite fondly for both the stark presentation of humanity, the chemistry between the leads, and the acting of Yang Zi and Li Xian.
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ENTERTAINING
Wuah!!!What a drama!!❤If you haven't watched this drama quickly go and watch..Come again to watch my review then you will understand...You won't regret for watching.
☜☆☞One thing at first you may find FL stalking and obsessive with ML and you may think it is annoying. Yes I too felt so.....but you can skip those if you dislike coz it's not the whole story about. Gradually both characters develop.
Literally I am head over heels with this drama.Enjoyed a lot watching this.
It showed friendship,love,career,dedication,hardwork, inspiration...Omg!! Where to start??
☜☆☞Firstly,speaking about the story it was good and especially it wasn't boring.Many of you can think it would be elaborating but trust me you will surely enjoy it.Mainly the story was not only about the leads but also his dream.To achieve the dream how a man struggles and had dedication.Found K&K and made it a champion.
How a cold man turns into a warm man by the people around him.Same as HSY I too regret about his retirement and disbanding of SOLO team.Or else it would be wonderful and by the way we could not get this story tho...(lol) And when solo and HSY reconcile omg!!tears rolled out of my eyes....?Usually everyone says HSY is bad tempered but unknowingly he cares for tong nian that trembles my heart..❤
☜☆☞And then acting I don't know how but slowly I fell for HSY.And another thing HSY was the serious person but I would laugh when I see him.While everyone around him enjoys and laughs he pulls long face.I was wondering how he was acting like that.Even when I was idle I would laugh remembering him.Tong nian is quite adorable.One thing I was always think is how can she chase after a guy who doesn't even has her attention.This is the thing I like most in tong nian.Sometimes I feel embarassed when she is ignored.If it was me I would give up in the halfway but she made it.This impressed me.❤
All other supporting actors were also good.
Another person that got my attention is Wu bai
I like his expressions sometimes but not always because once I thought that when both leads were together i couldn't understand his expression and I thought he likes Tong nian.That was so crazy..He just observes the surroundings and doesn't react if unnecessary.And also his expressions were similar in A love so beautiful.
He is not more out going.It makes me think if it is his real character..He was kinda special.
☜☆☞Coming to OST two songs were sung by both leads each.All are awesome.Particularly I like opening theme a nameless generation by Chen Xueran.❤I felt touched by this song lyrics where it goes like this"A nameless generation who am I?It’s okay to be forgotten...Who doesn’t struggle from the start to the end......Perhaps it would be tired and difficult.."Here I can feel the loneliness of HSY when no one understands him and he doesn't attempt to explain..I was really touched by those lines.
☜☆☞When it comes to rewatching i guess most of us want to rewatch because it was so long and sometimes we may forget some scenes and even if we remember we want to watch again.Cute and lovely scenes of Leads and also the kids of K&K.
☜☆☞Mainly the last part when K&K wins championship and they show all the memories at once that was really awesome and I felt like they are aparting from me.It's like a farewell to me which makes us want to have a season2 and it is really happening.♥
Finally I would wrap up this by saying"YOU ARE THE DESIGNER OF YOUR OWN DESTINY" which was written on K&K club.
In this drama Han Shan Yan had my heart❤❤...
Thanks to the cast and crew for making this drama and also thanks for those who are viewing
GO GO SQUID......:))
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Charm and sweetness done in a non-nauseating way. Kudos!
I'll keep this brief.I didn't know anything about this show other than that Li Xian was starring in it. And since I liked him in Sword Dynasty I figured I should give this a show considering it's solid reviews.
Normally I'm not big on too much romance in the dramas I've seen(fantasy and costume mostly, not many modern ones) since it usually features people slipping and "accidentally" falling into each others arms, or they spend too much time giving us flashbacks of someone accidentally holding hands while some music is playing over it - which I find nauseating most of the time. This however was charming from the get-go and you couldn't help rooting for them to get together.
The writing was great and none of the characters or arcs seemed rushed in any way which helps when you have a great cast giving us great performances. I'm looking forward to what the director, writer(s) and cast will give us in the future.
When it comes to the technical aspect of CTF it was done pretty well and as someone who has watched a few hours of high-level e-sports play and know the ins and outs of how that whole scene operates I didn't feel unconvinced that it could be a real thing. Of course there are things you can point out and nitpick at but that's not really necessary.
Overall it was well worth the watch and I'm going to miss these characters and this world they created.
I know there's a sequel of sorts featuring some of the same characters so I might watch that in the future.
Now comes the problem of what to watch next...
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Opposites attract
First and foremost this drama is about relationships the CTF setting is just context so if you thought this was a gaming drama you will be disappointed.There is enough contrast in the two main leads to add the uncertainty of how will they ever get together and if they do how will the maintain a relationship - but they do and the story is well told.
Tong Nian played by Yang Zi is bubbly, generous, smart and well loved by her family, friends and most who meet her.
Hang Shan Yan played by Li Xian is aloof, controlling, outcome driven and we learn later very lonely.
Both characters have a terrific ensemble of family and friends surrounding them and we are given enough exposure to make those characters add substance to the story.
I think this strange pairing works because the people surrounding Shan Yan want him to be with someone and have more than just the team and the goal of China winning the championship in his life.
Yang Zi has enough bravado/chutzpah to keep turning up in an effort to win him.
Despite there being 41 episodes time flew by for me. I never needed to skip or even feel bored the pace was good and even.
Music is also very apt.
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