Another HXX amazing performance in a heartwarming sports drama again!!

This show is truly lovely. At first I checked it out cos the premise sounded okay but mostly for HXX (whose acting I totally love from HNG) but the story ended up charming me. At some point in ep 4 I thought I'd drop the show but then I figured I wasn't watching the show, just one person so I decided to genuinely watch the entire thing. And I loved it.
I had no expectations whatsoever and hadn't even glimpsed the movie it's based on but it was such a simple yet exciting story and though I'd wondered what drama they could squeeze out of a car racing story, not only did they have a story, it was organic. Never felt forced or ridiculous to me.

The car races looked real and exciting and I kept wondering if they had actual cars and racers in this locations. It was not a cheap looking thing at all. Infact it looked less real when they were supposed to be driving like regular civilians on the road 🤣

I'm glad I watched this show. HXX's acting is still one of the best I've seen across all the Asian dramas I've watched. There's a realness to his characters that I enjoy. There were times I thought he was a better Zhang Chi than the original (who I felt was more quiet and more like LZD). Ep 23: the treadmill scene was sooo good from an acting perspective.

Manager Ye is a close second in favorite characters, he was so warm and caring that he was hard not to love.
The entire team was sweet too. And I liked how they handled ZC's and Xiaohe's relationship.. I skipped some of it but it didn't feel inorganic at any moment for me. I just didn't need to watch it but I approved.

There were truly funny moments and warm moments and also sad ones that brought tears to my eyes.
Side note: It's funny but what broke me down was when ZC did the sweeping thing for LZD with Ye by his side in ep 27. I don't know why, but something about that sacrifice was what finally had me crying 🥺.

For a show I almost dropped, it has turned into a 9/10 for me. It wasn't perfect and HNG still has my heart but they told they story they wanted to tell, dropped me off at a place where I feel satisfied and happy I got to inhabit their world and get to know them for a little while and that is something no show has done for me in a while.

So thanks to all who worked on this, they should be proud. I watched this exclusively for 3weeks and all I have is respect and ♥️. Questions might come later but for now, I'm basking in the love.

Looking forward to HXX's next project Tientsin Mystic.

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Slow and Gentle, that became Meandering.

At its best, show was heartwarming, emotional and a think piece on the impact of the consistent everyday kindness on even the most hopeless and that was when I loved it best. For the first 11-13 episodes, I enjoyed what I was given though sometimes I just wanted it to move. They started miserable and a bit pitiful and they ended better??

Spoilers below!!!
Honestly I don't think the end was satisfying.
What happened with PDH and his wife? Are they still together? Is there hope? Is it over??
What happened with eldest brother and his wife? Do we just assume he will pay the loan and it's all good??
Why is mom always apologizing and sorry to PDH's wife like she has it rough for being a working helping wife? Old school mindset?
Spoilers ended!!!

I don't think I liked any character in the show. Maybe just the youngest brother, he was straightforward and refreshing in a show I felt many had the same note.
At its worst, it stretched beyond what was needed, almost too much crying and I just wanted to see it end.
Maybe I watched it at the wrong moment because I really like the slice of life without romance genre very much. I'd saved it since 2021 after hearing amazing things about it and I think I can see how it's so beloved but at the time I watched it, by ep 13, I started working while it ran in the background and didn't care to see what I'd missed cos it just felt repetitive and dragged..

Sometimes I really liked it but I never loved it.

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Applause!!!

It's been a long time since I watched a procedural cop show.. I was burned badly by like 4 diff dramas in quick succession (tho all Korean) and it just took me out of my love for crime and cop dramas especially in the Asian sphere but on a whim, I saw this on Netflix and decided to give it a try and was surprised how much I enjoyed it.
It wasn't trying to be anything new but what it did, it did well. The cast was one of the best part of it all for me. They were fun, dynamic and interesting. I enjoyed the acting from everyone but especially from Ibuki, Shima and Kuzumi. The cases were interesting and well written.
Some episodes really made me laugh too so that's a bonus.
I don't really remember the song but it didn't detract from the show so that's okay.
I think I could rewatch this sometime in the future.

One thing to note is Ibuki could get comically loud sometimes and tho this is something I don't enjoy in most dramas, but I just found him so charming that I kept forgiving him and I genuinely think he's a great actor.

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Bad Case of the Wrong Audience (maybe..)

Maybe it's cos I'm not a young adult anymore or about to write an important exam or was never a teenager or something... I'm not so sure why but this drama didn't resonate with me at all. Infact I found it quite uninteresting. It's sad cos I was really looking forward to enjoying this as it reminded me of a movie I enjoyed, titled Coach Carter, which had the same premise of a teacher taking special interest in a "bad class" and working with them to give them options in life.

I respect good teachers and education as a resource for personal growth but I got tired very fast of the preachy way things were said especially by the teacher alllll of the time and unfortunately none of the kids stories struck any cord in me. I dropped by ep 11, skimmed from 12 to 16 to see if it got better and finally couldn't go on.

The acting was not the strongest for me from the students. Especially with Gao Yuan. Was not the worst but no standouts.

I barely remember the music but I remember not hating it so..

I understand that they're trying to encourage the youth to stay in school but it seemed that's all the drama was ultimately about and I don't think this was made for me at all.

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