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Chasing Ball chinese drama review
Completed
Chasing Ball
0 people found this review helpful
by summerfancy
Jul 11, 2022
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Good but frustrating

Although I think the FL blew it in terms of choosing the best boyfriend, this was a pretty good C-drama. I stayed engaged throughout and was interested in most of the characters. However, the constant quarrelling of the MC did get tedious – make up, break up, make up, break up - it was sort of like the table tennis they were playing, and maybe that was the intent of the director/scriptwriter, but after 36 episodes, I was yelling at her to ‘dump him already!’ I felt about as exhausted as she looked when she broke up with him for the last time.

FL (Yan Xiaoxi) was a likeable FL; she just had poor taste in men, in my opinion. She wasn’t the typical ‘cutesy’ C-drama heroine, which apparently was the problem if you listened to ML’s friend, Yun Gaoyang, who felt every girl should be a coquette like his girlfriend, Nana, or syrupy sweet like the female villain, Bai Wei (a.k.a. the Biscuit B**** – my pet name for her). FL was just an ordinary girl with good table tennis skills and a tremendous amount of patience since she stoically put up with ML’s childish behavior and the cat fights between DongDong (her tomboy friend) and the campus Belle, Tong Jiayue. Her biggest faults were 1) her choice of boyfriend; and 2) taking it upon herself to deliver justice for her adoptive dad. As far as I know, dad never asked her to - she just assumed that if she were him, he’d want justice - and this quest of hers got her into a lot of trouble.

ML (Qi Jinghao) – we are told by Bai Wei and others that Jinghao is the ‘perfect boyfriend’. In what universe?! He’s a terrible boyfriend, mostly due to his immaturity. Although he certainly had his cute moments and was convincingly anguished over their numerous break-ups, his immature responses to any perceived slight by Xiaoxi or disobedience to his orders was the #1 reason they quarreled so much. One of his problems was he listened too much to his funny but stupid friend, Yun Gaoyang, whose ideal woman was a simpering coquette, which was the opposite of Xiaoxi’s personality. She wasn’t the type to stroke a guy’s ego or blindly obey. His second problem was that he craved attention and affection, a result of growing up without his mother’s love so he was always upset when Xiaoxi didn’t show him the attention he wanted. My biggest issue with ML was he was way too immature for a relationship, which led to constant quarrelling and climaxing in his abandonment of FL when she needed him most. So, why the heck would she stay with this guy, especially when she had a perfect boyfriend waiting in the wings? Stockholm Syndrome apparently.

Which brings us to the guy FL should have chosen, Li Sheng. I admit at times that I struggle with SML syndrome just like everyone else, but in the end, I usually lean towards ML. Not in this case. I’m 100% a member of Team Li Sheng. His only fault was not finding FL before she fell under the spell of Jinghao. Now, this guy WAS the perfect boyfriend. Not only should he have been leading the table tennis club due to his athletic skill and calm, mature nature but he should have gotten the girl as well. He was always there for Xiaoxi, and even scooped her off the road like a drowned rat after Jinghao’s abandonment, carried her home and took care of her. This boy was long-suffering and deserved her devotion yet she continually returned to the man child. I didn’t get it. I guess the only explanation is – good guy finish last. I wish Xiaoxi had been as smart of Hou Jianbei when he discovered the Biscuit B**** had used him to get close to Jinghao. He dumped her and ended up with the girl who’d liked him from the beginning (Jiayue). If only FL had come to her senses and went to the guy who’d demonstrated his love over and over again in actions, not a bunch of tears and anguished expressions. In my imagination, she did since the drama didn’t explicitly say that she cancelled the final break-up with Jinghao. Besides, with their relationship, just wait a little longer, Li Sheng. They’ll break up again. Someday she's got to get tired of this guy!

The side characters – Gaoyang could be humorous as well as annoying. I felt so sorry for Hou Jianbai being played by the Biscuit B**** so she could get Jinghao. He was too soft and gentle to be used like that. I’m glad he finally realized who had loved him from the beginning. Tong Jiayue was a b**** at first, but she became more likeable. At least, she didn’t pretend to be your friend like the Biscuit B****, Bai Wei, while plotting against you.

The mystery of dad’s expulsion took a back seat for several episodes as the drama focused on MC’s make ups and break ups, etc., but it was the source of all the trouble that FL experienced, and although justice was met in the end, I can’t help but think that it would have been better to just leave this past incident alone. Dad was living fine and wasn’t demanding justice so why open a can of worms that brought a lot of people further pain and suffering?

I would recommend this drama if you can put up with an immature ML, constant breakups and a stupid FL who doesn’t know a good man when she sees him. This is the first time the supporting cast kept me watching when the constant breakups of the MC became tedious.
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