Peridot83
This review may contain spoilers
A cinematic sports romance full of golden moments . . .
This nostalgic (set pre-covid), golden lit romance has a very relaxed, lived in feel. Here is a couple who slowly builds intimacy through jokes, and hugs, and small touches and long looks, until you have a very physical, sensual romance that is believable and in good taste. The forbidden romance elements of the romance, plus the 'against all odds' plot points of the sports create an addictive quality, and the length is perfect at 26 episodes.
*A discussion of red flags and age differences at the end*
Wang An Yu is a believable athlete and can portray a strong range of emotion, Gina Jin does well as a women assistant coach protecting her softer qualities with a matter of fact and gruff outer shell. They both create a very believable relationship together, and they look very comfortable together on screen. The rest of the actors and plots are entertaining but fall far below the main couple.
The music, especially the opening credits, add to the nostalgia - taking place in the pre Covid years, the music and 'vibe' is very peak millennial (in a good way). Golden and sundrenched and wistful. The romantic moments are strong enough to be worth a rewatch.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 6.5
Doing well for the people you love can be an excellent motivator for some. Age is just a number. If you are mature and responsible, why not? Taking the long view on career ambitions is not necessarily the best strategy - some options in life (trying to go pro as an athlete) are only available to the young. Many people in places of authority and 'experts' in the field can make the wrong decisions - you should fight for what you deserve.
Character Development: 8.5
Both of them change over the course of the three years of the show, they become more like each other, start to compliment each others strengths and weakness, they grow complexity and it's just really great to watch.
Relationships Between Women/Complex Women: 4.5
The show really falls down on this point especially for 2022. Luo Na has no women friends, none of the directors or coaches are women, and Luo Na does not directly work with any of the women athletes. Luo Na herself is complex a mix of silly and fierce, naive and world wise, but not so complex or unique to makeup for the dearth of other women characters.
Production Values/Cinematography: 9.0
There is a big effort into 1) creating credible sports scenes and 2) playing with angles and light to convey the emotion of falling in love. While clothes, sets, etc. are not particularly noteworthy, the effort put into the cinematography, music 'vibe' of the show, was a wonderful surprise and greatly appreciated.
*RED FLAGS*
Succeeding where so many other shows have failed, the age and power differential provides a bit of forbidden romance but nothing that made me turn it off: the characters meet when they are 18 and 26. Luo Na is in a position of power as an assistant coach who can help Duan Yu Cheng succeed, but she doesn't have the power to cut him from the team or add him to the team. But, Most Importantly, the romantic part of their relationship especially the physical elements do not happen until two years later, and after Duan Yu Cheng has a new head coach and Luo Na is only providing some minimal support. Also Duan Yu Cheng, the younger and the one with less systemic power, is the one pursuing.
HOWEVER, Duan Yu Cheng's characterization occasionally tips over into red flag disturbing. He's constantly calling and texting due to jealousy (26 times in a row), he jumps off a bridge after Luo Na is harsh with him, his emotions jump around wildly, and he's shown that he can lose his head and beat someone far past what is necessary for self defense. He also presurizes Luo Na a fair amount in pursuit of her - exposing things in public that she may not want, such as showy displays of public affection. It wasn't terrible terrible, but it did give me a bit of a pause.
This nostalgic (set pre-covid), golden lit romance has a very relaxed, lived in feel. Here is a couple who slowly builds intimacy through jokes, and hugs, and small touches and long looks, until you have a very physical, sensual romance that is believable and in good taste. The forbidden romance elements of the romance, plus the 'against all odds' plot points of the sports create an addictive quality, and the length is perfect at 26 episodes.
*A discussion of red flags and age differences at the end*
Wang An Yu is a believable athlete and can portray a strong range of emotion, Gina Jin does well as a women assistant coach protecting her softer qualities with a matter of fact and gruff outer shell. They both create a very believable relationship together, and they look very comfortable together on screen. The rest of the actors and plots are entertaining but fall far below the main couple.
The music, especially the opening credits, add to the nostalgia - taking place in the pre Covid years, the music and 'vibe' is very peak millennial (in a good way). Golden and sundrenched and wistful. The romantic moments are strong enough to be worth a rewatch.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 6.5
Doing well for the people you love can be an excellent motivator for some. Age is just a number. If you are mature and responsible, why not? Taking the long view on career ambitions is not necessarily the best strategy - some options in life (trying to go pro as an athlete) are only available to the young. Many people in places of authority and 'experts' in the field can make the wrong decisions - you should fight for what you deserve.
Character Development: 8.5
Both of them change over the course of the three years of the show, they become more like each other, start to compliment each others strengths and weakness, they grow complexity and it's just really great to watch.
Relationships Between Women/Complex Women: 4.5
The show really falls down on this point especially for 2022. Luo Na has no women friends, none of the directors or coaches are women, and Luo Na does not directly work with any of the women athletes. Luo Na herself is complex a mix of silly and fierce, naive and world wise, but not so complex or unique to makeup for the dearth of other women characters.
Production Values/Cinematography: 9.0
There is a big effort into 1) creating credible sports scenes and 2) playing with angles and light to convey the emotion of falling in love. While clothes, sets, etc. are not particularly noteworthy, the effort put into the cinematography, music 'vibe' of the show, was a wonderful surprise and greatly appreciated.
*RED FLAGS*
Succeeding where so many other shows have failed, the age and power differential provides a bit of forbidden romance but nothing that made me turn it off: the characters meet when they are 18 and 26. Luo Na is in a position of power as an assistant coach who can help Duan Yu Cheng succeed, but she doesn't have the power to cut him from the team or add him to the team. But, Most Importantly, the romantic part of their relationship especially the physical elements do not happen until two years later, and after Duan Yu Cheng has a new head coach and Luo Na is only providing some minimal support. Also Duan Yu Cheng, the younger and the one with less systemic power, is the one pursuing.
HOWEVER, Duan Yu Cheng's characterization occasionally tips over into red flag disturbing. He's constantly calling and texting due to jealousy (26 times in a row), he jumps off a bridge after Luo Na is harsh with him, his emotions jump around wildly, and he's shown that he can lose his head and beat someone far past what is necessary for self defense. He also presurizes Luo Na a fair amount in pursuit of her - exposing things in public that she may not want, such as showy displays of public affection. It wasn't terrible terrible, but it did give me a bit of a pause.
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