Go Go Squid 2: Dt. Appledog's Time (2021)

More I watch more I enjoy

To be honest I wasn't a huge fan of part 1: Go Go Squid but I am a huge fan of Hu Yitian and his character Wu Bai. At first like many others I was disappointed with all the flashbacks, slow motion and exaggerated moments but I can tell you if you can get pass it and give it more episodes, the story will develop and come alive. Here are the many positives why I am enjoying this drama so much:
1-CP: Yitian and Yitong make a great match, appearance and acting wise. For the first time I am not wondering why a guy like him would go for a girl like her. Yitian definitely has been improving and I feel like Yitong being so natural, makes him a better actor.
2-Wu Bai/DT is even better than I expect. Thinking at first he is just another cool hot guy like Jiang Chen in A Love So Beautiful but Wu Bai is so much more. He is often adorable and completely boyfriend goals.
3-Story: it is about first love. What makes it not a typical story is how long DT has been in love with Appledog and how much he invested and continues to, enough to melt any girl.
4-The switch from e-gaming to robotics is more exciting. I am not just watching them press buttons but actual robot machines fighting. I also really like the robot housekeeper at KK central.
5-Side story to Appledog's sister is not bad.

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Li Yitong & Hu Yitian are adorable!

Li Yitong and Hu Yitian are adorably cute together! Though many may put them behind Li Xian and Yang Zi, but to be honest, Yitong and Yitian are actually the power couple I prefer in different way. In my opinion, Li Yitong and Hu Yitian are more good looking than Yang Zi and Li Xian anyway. In GGS 2, They acted greatly in portraying a shy and reserved couple (unlike Li Xian and Yang Zi who had more playful characters) who were deeply in love. Together, they somehow could turn the coldness in nature into a warm, beautiful and sweet romance that makes me smile and happy. It’s a feel-good drama that is worth to watch as it’s a refreshing love story and moreover, both lead casts are naturally good in acting!

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As Good As The 1st

This story is different then the 1st one but I still really liked it. The characters are great and especially the 2 sisters. The way the 2 sisters support each other in chasing their dream and their way of life. They are 2 strong female characters that know what they want. Their father also supports their choice and supports what they do. I also like how they brought back some of the characters from the 1st Go Go Squid. The writer did not forget the relationship he had with older brother and the relationship older brother had with the girl he fell in love with. That made the ending even better. I like that there was no obsess lover or parent that did not agree because of statues. Just a story of fulfilling your dreams. I like that the 2 competitive teams come together to win the championship for their country. That they can be friends and even train together. Every character is great and you like following their story. The actors performance was wonderful and I loved their chemistry. Grandpa became my favorite character. The way he supports the 2 grandson and he is so cute. The ending was a perfect ending Thank You

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Cute but not as good

I watched this with an open mind, not expecting a sequel. The romance was sweet and the chemistry between the two was pretty good. The one thing that irked me was some parts where they were retelling the same story but putting in Wu Bai instead of Han Shanyan. I am glad that they cast a different actress as the former Appledog was beautiful but way too old for him. If you haven’t watched the former GGS you can easily watch this one and may actually enjoy it more but I personally still like the first one better and will be rewatching it when I want to feel the fuzzies.

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"Specially And Really Specifically" For Those Who Want A Drama Without Love Triangles and Villians.

Amazing ? Drama For Drama Lovers?
@Great Starter for 2021.?
Simple and Sweet!? No Melodrama! ?
Worthy Spinoff!! WHY??

1.) Amazing Cast. Good Acting. Won't get bored? as every character is loveable.?

2.)Those who haven't watched Go Go Squid can really watch it after this as you will enjoy more the story of Han and Tong Nian if you watch Dt. Appledog's Time first.??

3.) Each Ost Song?? is amazing even the instrumentals ???are also good and really goes with the scenes and situations of drama.

4.) Story is well written✏✒. Well Acted. ??
No regrets?

5.) Drama is full of different Relationships that every normal human being has. Friends, Siblings, Parents,Grandparents all relations are just amazingly presented.??

6.) Supporting Cast is really supporting ? and joins the dots really well.

Special Thoughts:- Higly Recommended!! Cute and Sweet Drama. No exaggeration?

Challenge:-Just Watch First 3 Episodes and let's see it you are able to drop it in between.?

First ? Watch ?Makes You Feel To Re-watch ?

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Go Go Squid - Retelling of the story that would fit the current meta and DT n AD's love story

This show made me fall head over heels on Li Yitong.

Story
Likes
+ Gives a fresh take on how DT and AD's story will unravel.
+ Gun God and Little Squid's cameo was just right to connect the 1st Go Go Squid.
+ If this was the author and director's take on how it should go for DT's love story then this got me sold very well.
+ Wu Bai and Ai Qing's chemistry was perfect. Truly a love that was planned for 10 years.
+ Question's that were left unanswered in 1st Go Go Squid is answered here. Which is surely a way to complete the Go Go Squid series
+ I love the ending monologue for both Wu Bai and Li Yitong that gives more flavor and shows that how they want to make DT and AD's love so deep.

Story
Dislikes
- Some arcs/parts where shorten that if you would wish they put a few more minutes before transitioning to the next scene.
- Wished the story never ended in 38 episodes. Just me wanting to rewatched it for the 3rd time cause I just finish watching it the 2nd time now.

Acting/Cast:
Likes
+ Hu Yi Tian and Li Yi Tong's acting have so much chemistry.
+ K&K and SP team's cast: K&K got 2 returning cast while SP got huge overhaul of cast and character - Their acting were fitting to the current show's direction.
+ Grandpa Han - is more lovable here :3
+ No need to comment ont Hu Yi Tian, well established and really the one and only Wu Bai for this story.
+ For Li Yitong, didn't really started falling at the start but as I watched episode by episode. I felt what Wu Bai's reason for falling and that was wonderful for the show and how the acting Ai Qing's character worked well with the story.
I just didn't fell in love with the sugary scenes but even the minor details from eye and body movement got me like having goosebumps or your heart melting. Li Yitong's Ai Qing isn't like the sugary Tong Nian of 1st Go Go Squid, but Ai Qing here on 2nd Go Go Squid was more of my ideal female lead. I want to tell more but I would just end up going fan boy mode.

Acting/Cast:
Dislikes
- Manager Lin/Director Lin - hahaha on the arena scene hahahahaha and that he couldn't wink.


Music
All Likes
+ Already on my Spotify playlists and playing on my 24/7 playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0563nkE58dab2Y0ywHkBUi?si=Ah2sSKFpQfWlaSOc3mLJQg (This containts JP and CH songs worth 14hrs. of playtime)

Rewatch Value
If I were to compare the rewatch value for 1st Go Go Squid vs. 2nd Go Go Squid.
2nd Go Go Squid would be the show I would not get tir ed repeating at 100%.
It is not that 1st Go Go Squid, I will get tired but but the cast and character portrayal here got me more sold than the 1st.

Now Li Yitong is now one of my most adored Chinese actresses.


Overall, this adaptation must be taken with a different perspective and never say it is directly following the 1st Go Go Squid.
As this show wrappeds around DT and Appledog thus the story was adjusted to adapt a what-if story if it centered DT and AD instead of Gun God and Little Squid. I love the director's take for this one and made it a story that stands on its own and go par with the 1st Go Go Squid. It is not my first to encounter this story telling and glad they did it instead of having it follow the 1st Go Go Squid and just made an expansion on the scenes that should have focus on DT and AD. That is all for my review and do take that this is very biased but I reassure you that if you can watch it with a different view and not compare it the 1st but use the 1st only as reference then you will love and not just like the show.

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cotton candy and lollipops

Firstly, be prepared fore many comparisons with ggs1 beccause I enjoyed ggs1 and I also like this one.

Story: Time, space, and events are similar to ggs1, just the focus moved from Han Shangyan n Tong Nian to Wu Bai and Appledog, and the sport is not ctf, but battlebots. I used to watch Battlebots since seccondary school, and watching this drama is like a flashback to my school times. Low on angst between Wu Bai and Appledog, but some conflicts between Shen Zhe(Grunt) and Ai Qing. Enjoyed Grunt's romance most, because of the conflicts and it is less exposed. The main couple is exposed almost all the time, and with the less conflicts, it became bit boring in the middle because it's a 38-episode drama. Don't wait for Han & Tong because they don't appear much. Story is more comedic, Wu Bai is more expressive than in GGS1, and more romance-oriented, bcoz GGS1 focuses more on KK, SP, and the ctf industry.

Cast: The best actor goes to Li Yi Tong. She is mature, she can play as a manager and a mature lover who balances work n love.
Hu Yi Tian plays a more expressive character than the one he usually plays. He Is more expressive, comedic, and a good friend.
Supports are good, Wang An Yu again shines with his expressions, xiaomi looks more handsome here then ggs 1 >:), but he has no gf in ggs2...*sad* sadly no demo :(
The actor i don't think is suitable is Solo. His face is just too happy, not like in ggs1 in which solo is a very sad, depressed, melancholic character who always have that dazed, boring, sad face that fits his character. Here the issue about solo, su cheng, and xiao ai isn't taken very seriously, solo looks like he's not stressed, and the team isn't sad when su cheng leaves them. Su cheng looks like happy leaving them, too.
'
VFX: looks like a low budget drama(sorry), the cgi is so simple, the venue is neither as grand as ggs1. the robot cgi looks very cheap. The kk base also feels more like an abandoned house for homeless people, not like ggs1 which the kk base feels so like home.

OST: some reused ost from ggs1, new osts are also good.
+points: the battle is longer, so the struggle is more real, not like ctf where each battle is only in seconds. But the teamwork isn't as good as ggs1 because it's more of a personal game.

gonna rewatch some good scenes.

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SAME DRAMA , DIFFERENT LOVE STORY

I just finished watching this drama..it wasnt bad at all ..the only episode i enjoy the most is during KK battle with Naya to win world championship.
Other episodes was just OK..
What was not OK was...no scene or communication of Solo team with han shangyan at all..Even during KK biggest competition , Han Shangyan wasnt there to watch them. His name was mentioned many times during the drama , but his scene is too little.
38 episodes but not even a single scene Han Shangyan talking to Solo Team..this is weird!
I thought this drama is continue from GGS , but just a repeat story with different character.

Sigh.

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See it without comparing it to Go Go Squid!

Should you? Would you? Could you?

You should watch this one (YES! )
You would recommend this to others. (YES!)
You could watch this again. (YES, in parts)

When you start seeing this one you have unconscious expectations of it being an extension of Go Go Squid and that’s where we all go wrong. Let that be a backdrop for this one. There are parallels in the story with instances being similar which is needed but don’t go with expectations of the actors being the same. If you can let go of that, then you will enjoy this one a lot.

The lead actress, Li Yi Tong is brilliant. Her smile and her confidence is bewitching.
This is perhaps the male lead actor Hu Yi Tian’s best so far. There has always been this restraint that I have found in his acting which to me he has broken free from in this drama. And I am glad to see him mature as an actor. The longing in his eyes, the steadfast, unshakeable love which shines from his face is so convincing. The scene where he gets possessive about the female lead and pushes her in the car just shows the depth of emotion in the character.

The second lead pair is adorable. I have seen Wan An Yu’s other drama and have liked him in that too. He’s a v expressive actor.
The supporting cast is brilliant as usual. Really liked the role of Solo played by Pang Han Chen.

I wish the story would have focused more on gaming than the romance. There are many episodes that could have just been eliminated from this series but I guess that’s the writer's prerogative.
I love the fact that even though there is fierce competition between the teams of SP and K&K, they are united in their quest to win the competition for their country and don’t hesitate to help each other out when the need arises. This shows strength of character.
Also loved the fact that the last episode had both couples from both series. I loved the lead pair of Go Go Squid and the glimpses which we see of them in this one is a treat.

I enjoyed it. I fast-forwarded the parts that I found unnecessary and I finished it with a sense of completion. This is a personal choice. If you liked Go Go Squid and want to see how Dt & Appledog mature in their love, then do watch it.

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Not a sequel but a spinoff

So this is cannot be characterized as a sequel as it is not the same story but the characters remained the same. The changes in the cast at first didn't sit well with me but the actors sure delivered. Maybe it was better. I have to talk about that, aside from Han Shangyan and Wu Bai, the most handsome guy in both versions is Xiao Mi. When I saw that they changed the actor I was legit disappointed but dude let me tell you that when I saw him I was left with my mouth hanging wide open. So let's get to the review. (Spoilers ahead)
The story is completely different, nothing like GGS but if you looked past that, it's easy if you treat the show as something new, it had the same energy with GGS. The things that didn't sit well with me were 2: 1st Wu Bai was kinda obsessed with the girl and sometimes he was throwing under the bus his club just for Ai Qing to be happy, and 2nd the way they made Wang Hao to be shown as someone who thinks that the girl is a prize he can win. For me it would be better if they made him give up after he learnt about WB and AQ, they spoiled a good character in the name of jealousy.
Grandpa was the best as always, along with 97 and Zhou Yi, best wingmen in the world.
Shen Ze and Ai Jing left me with mixed emotions. They were cute but kinda toxic at first so even if later they grew as characters I still had objections about the pairing.
Lastly the friendships were the best thing ever, especially when they went to pick up the bride the games they played were so funny ?.
Definitely gonna rewatch.

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the most endearing love story - without being childish

This review consists of two parts: Part 1 GGS1 vs GGS2; Part 2: Drama Review
But first the most important question, do I need to watch s1 in order to understand s2? Simple answer: NO - but it's a unique drama experience to have more background information and if you have the time I would recommend to skim through s1 or watch a compilation edit of Wu Bai but it's not necessary.

PART 1:
I watched GGS1 and GGS2 back-to-back within a month and by far this one is the better romantic cdrama.
I understand that while it was airing s1 had more hype and this season was a letdown to the fans, but I watched it in 2023 and quite frankly my capacity to watch another 'pastell-pink-wearing-emotionless-boy-chasing-air-head' Female Lead has run out a long time ago (sorry for the harsh words but that's how I felt).

S2 is a prequel to S1 until mid episode 11, then it happens simultaneously and the final 2 episodes go beyond S1's finale.
Despite cast changes and the overall eSport change, I don't regret watching the first one because there are plenty of mentions of events and people that you make you go "oh i remember that".
But most importantly you see the ML of s2 as a supporting character and in that regard I have to fully give it to Hu Yi Tan, who in my brain, is forever engraved as Wu Bai. I mean... he IS Wu Bai. I tried watching him in other dramas but realized his acting range is pretty much one character type BUT I first saw him as Wu Bai and so it's perfect.

About the eSport: I preferred s2 because they had more time and resources to actually focus on showing the sport and the intensity. From my understanding s1 had to change their entire eSport from a game to CTF during censorship when they already finished filming, therefore you only ever see them sitting at the PC but that's it. Where as in S2 they use combat robots in an arena (give it a try, at first I was skeptical too)

Patriotism: Another thing that was toned town by at least 50% in s2. Towards the second half of s1, all I could hear was "for chinaaa", and "we need to do this for china".... to the point I where I was like. Are they doing this to appease the censorship board since they already weren't favored due to applying for a eSports drama and being rejected the first round?... well anyway in s2 it happens far less and that was nice.

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PART 2: REVIEW

Oh, the romance is so sweet. Our ML looks up to FL, who is three years his senior. He has liked her for a long time and so the story goes. He is like a puppy, but a very calm one. He only has eyes for FL and it's sooo nice to not have any annoying side characters.
Since the family drama was already dealt with in s1, this season we got smooth sailing. Yes there are some bumps but not any annoying ones caused by other people. And If I think about it again, all they needed was time to get together and they did so in the most adorable way.

It's a very sweet and endearing love story, that made me swoon a lot. There were many kisses, including some steamy ones (another difference to s1) and they had Healthy Boundaries. They worked on opposite teams and made it a rule not to talk about work or stand in each other's way. Something they proved over and over again, when standing in the arena on opposite sides.

I also liked the second lead couple, that were fighting a lot but more like cats and dogs so it was fun. Wang An Yu is always easy on the eyes.
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There are only two dislikes I had about this and they're only benign:

THE HAT! In the first season Wu Bai was always seen wearing a black cappy and I think he looked very good in that, but in s2 he only wore it a couple episodes which was such a shame :(
Number two: It was a tad bit too long. Not even in a draggy way but since there is little conflict within the relationship you get to see them for almost 20 episodes as a couple, and they make it work - but i would have been fine with 30 episodes too.

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Final verdict:
It's by far the most endearing and stress-free romantic drama I've seen that was not childish and easy to watch with a ML that loves the FL even before the drama starts. It wasn't anything breathtaking or fantastic, so I'll give it an 8/10 but if you truly want sweet-sweet romance, that isn't cringy, then give it a go :)

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