Fun time
I'm giving it a 8.5, not because the writing or direction was exceptional. Its actually far from that, the writing has a lot of weaknesses and the post-production is very rushed.The reason I am rating this drama so high is because the setting and plot is very unique and extremely exciting. This drama is a fully immersive experience in a futuristic world. It had me thinking about the implications of augmented reality on society and people, what if we're really all just in a game, how this could be our future in the near future and more. Overall, I really love how immersed I was into their world.
Romance is extra cute, adorable and mushy. Nothing more to say, watch it to find out.
Its a matter of time before the people who love isekai, transmigration and AR find this drama. Its really a hidden gem, if you like letting your mind drift into another world, this drama is for you,
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need better editing
Choppy editing makes it seem like the story is all over the place but if you're patient enough to follow through, I think you can see that the story is good. There isn't much character development but I don't think it needed to be: both FL and ML are already the top players in their field and the story is about how to solve the problem together. Absolutely love the friendship and loyalty (Jia Liang) and I have to say someone I thought was going to be annoying turned out to be wonderful, smart and reasonable (Ding Fang). The villian side is a bit dull and easy to guess, there're some ridiculous love obsessions. But the ending is nice and neat.I feel like the role was written for Xiao Yan. She played dual characters like this before in The Legends with Bai Lu. Who dressed her up with those ridiculous hairstyles? LOL
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Definitely worth watching
The plot may not be unique, but it was an engaging and fun story. The cast did well overall. The romance between the leads was sweet and believable. There were no misunderstandings that weren't quickly resolved. I really liked that the behaviors of the characters were pretty normal/realistic, nothing outrageously over-the-top like in many dramas. The leads stuck together to work through the problems. When the inevitable break-up for your good moment happened, even that got resolved quickly by talking things out and making sensible plans together. Overall it was a refreshing and enjoyable story.Was this review helpful to you?
Great game-themed show with lots of excitement and epic love story
This is a brilliant show. The gaming-world Pangu is so thoroughly made and it feels like being in a fantasy world as good and interesting as the Harry Potter universe. It’s that good. I loved the degree of imagination that the writer(s) had while creating this story. It comes close to how some of the games I’ve played are constructed. It’s like the writers combine World of Warcraft, Diablo and Avatar. What a wonderful idea.In game-themed shows we normally get a story that is mainly situated in a historical setting and a FL who meets a prince and falls in love. This is so much better. What I love most in this show is the alternation between RL and VR. It’s kind of like logging - using the interface of Avatar - in and out of a game like “World of Warcraft” or “Diablo” - getting and completing quests/missions, doing battles and receiving rewards like items and skills. We also get a story about “body-swapping” - but at a whole different level than most shows with this theme.
The level of imagination is awesome. The cloaking device was awesome and the scenes so well constructed that I was swept into the story biting my nails in excitement. Brilliant.
Are there any plot holes? Of course there is but none that ruins the show.
I hesitated starting this show because there are 36 episodes and I feared that there would be draggy scenes and a lot of fillers - but there really isn’t. I ended up thinking that we could really use a season two of this.
Only a few things bothered me but one thing that baffles me is since this has a lot of animations and extensive graphics there is still a scene where ML and 2ML are on horsebacks in RL that is so bad that you can see it’s made with a screen and edited as a kind of close up shot (from waist up). How did that get through the quality check?
Character wise:
I loved that all the characters were realistic and no one is only good or bad. As in real life we are all flawed and sometimes take the wrong path. I personally don’t believe that our life is predestined. I believe that we all have the ability to choose which way to go - sometimes we get lost but there is always a way to find the right path again.
A character that did annoy me pretty much from the start was Zhang Yun Er (girl in love with Lin Feng). Her pouting irritated me and made her look (and act) like a spoiled teenager - not a pretty sight. But I have to admit that I changed my view of her and the things that happened to her made her one of the biggest victims in this show. No one should be treated like that. Luckily she came out alright on the other side, finally grown up.
Acting wise:
This show is filled with great actors not only the main couple but all the primary cast. More than one of these actors play two versions of themselves - and they really nail it. Xiao Yan (FL) especially manages to show us which person she is by using body language and micro expressions. What fun she is to watch.
Only thing I didn’t like that much was that despite the really good chemistry between the leads, their kisses seemed a little awkward and a bit forced? Maybe it’s just me but they were little more than pecks on the lips. Maybe they had to be like that since the show is lighthearted and would have to be rated out of the main (young) viewer-group if they were too hot.
Anyway, if you love the gaming theme and are a sucker for love, this is a definite “Must Watch”.
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This review may contain spoilers
Nostalgia! - The Disney Channel fairy must have visited the creators of this drama.
"Eight Hours" can only be described as a Disney channel type romcom with a sci fi theme, if you know what I mean.Given that it's set in 2029 and involves VR, there was a lot of potential but it was kept extremely light and it's target audience seems to be 10-15 year olds.
From production, set, script, acting, character design and build up, missions, etc. it reminded a lot of those types of shows back in the day on the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, where characters are already fully fleshed out by the beginning of the drama and don't really have any major development in terms of skill or character.
Another indicator of that was that the villain had the iconic grey colored hair strands that any good Disney villain has.
The emphasis on "eight hours" in both chinese and english title is a mystery until today because the only important time mentioned in the drama is "24hrs", because that is the maximum amount of time you can be online in Pangu (the VR game world)... don't know where they got those 8 hours from.
REVIEW:
In order to get into the real part of the story you have to stick around for about 3 episodes because the first one is a bit all over the place, making it seem like it's a futuristic business drama but the Pangu scenes are mission based and where most of the rom-com part takes place. Both leads are very confident people, that are high up in the social ladder, so no need to worry about them being bullied. It's mainly the side characters that bully each other, lol.
The hairstyles are kinda funny, I guess they wanted to predict 2029 style? But I'm glad the FL changed her style a couple times.
There a few moments where suddenly characters have an idea that could have saved them 4 episodes ago, but everything has to happen according to script, so if that is something that bothers you, this drama might not be for you.
I didn't know any of the actors before but nobody stood out negatively so that's a plus. I found that the FL is actually quite the good actress, especially because she isn't whiny.
As I already mentioned the drama is quite light and maybe a bit superficial, so any side characters (expect for SML) don't have a conclusive story or backstory, not the the point where it would bother me, but it was obvious that this was the story of the two leads and everyone else was just there to give them something to work for.
THE ROMANCE & LEADS:
There is not really romantic chemistry, but they do make it work though since their acting abilities are good and they look good. It's Female chases Male first for a while but they are somewhat equal, it just might not seem like that in the beginning.
In terms of kisses, there are plenty but no passionate ones. For the most part, they are barely touching lips, repeatedly (no fish kisses tho)
However I did really like the scenes with the moon, where he literally dragged down the moon for her + when they were drinking together and doing missions. By the end of the drama they are a true power couple and one thing I really appreciated about the drama was that it was never strong ml, weak fl. Also the FL was quite level headed once you got over the first few episodes and didn't let anyone intimate her.
THE GAME / VR:
In contrast to other game themed dramas, this VR looks more like a historical drama and the outfits are not CGI for most part. But they did spend some money on CGI animals and the wolf was actually quite good. The fact that you can die multiple times in the games was kinda funny because it lifted the mood and made the drama less intense.
Also a little PSA, the game they play in the first episode never appears again so don't worry if you don't like dramas like "Falling Into Your Smile", the VR game in this drama is more like the mortal realm of xianxia dramas.
THE VILLAIN(S) & STORYLINE, ENDING (major spoiler alarm!)
I don't want to spoil too much but the last episode created a better villain than the rest of the drama. The comical Disney villain mentioned above is dealt with but the other one has more to do with the VR game and NPC. I actually liked that it was something that happened unbeknownst to everyone for a long time and was kind of faceless(?). Not everyone has to have a motive and be weary of what you create. AI can be quite scary BUT it wouldn't be a light cdrama if it didn't end happily. So if you want a happy ending for the main couple you are safe to watch this.
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One thing I won't forget about the drama is the catchphrase of ML & FL (which they pointed out was a catchphrase):
"Why are you so weak? Do you have calcium deficiency?"
All in all: I did waste time watching this drama however it won't end up on my "Regret List" because I did seek it out and wanted to watch it, I knew beforehand that it had low ratings and since nothing major happened that I hated it wasn't a disappointment.
Whoever wants to try this drama I highly suggest watching the intro (not the trailer) song/video because that will give you a good feel for what your about to watch. High energy, fun but made for kids, lol.
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