I honestly thought I was going to hate this series, but I actually turned out to love it!

The characters: At first, I was skeptical about Janice Wu playing the lead role, simply because I didn't like her in a previous drama. Her acting in this one, on the other hand, amazed me. She was perfect for the role, and I feel like her acting developed a lot. The male lead was also amazing. They had chemistry, and worked well together. You couldn't not root for them. My one huge problem with dramas is usually that the main couple doesn't communicate, don't trust each other and so they break up. While something similar happened here as well, I was thankful, that their break-up wasn't long, they didn't drag it out, and that it was resolved quite quickly, which made it less annoying. Their interaction was amazing, I loved them as a couple. The secondary couples and the supporting characters were also adorable. They were very supporting of one another and they were very loyal too, which made the series a lot more enjoyable.

The plot: I usually find 40 episodes super long, and I feel that long dramas start to drag at some point. I actually didn't have that feeling this time. A lot is happening in this drama, and thankfully nothing takes ages. The plot has a nice pace, not too slow, and not too fast. I do feel though, that 40 episodes is long to rewatch something, so I'll probably not rewatch the whole thing again, but it was definitely watchable for the first time. One of the strongest points of this drama series was the fact that it concentrated on ice sports. It didn't only use it as a background for the series, it focused a lot on the training, on achieving their goals. We saw a lot of scenes with them on the ice, the drama didn't favor the romantic aspect more, which made the drama series especially unique. A lot of the time I didn't care about the love (even though I watch c-dramas purely for the romance!), I was more interested in their competitions, and the scenes where they trained and were on the ice, focusing on realising their dreams.

The message: On one hand, it focused on young athletes overcoming obsticles and sticking to their dreams. It emphasied the importance of believing in yourself to overcome anything and to forge ahead no matter the odds. I thought the drama conveyed this message beautifully without any distractions. The message was recieved loud and clear, to the point where the viewer feels empowered to pursue their own dreams. On the other hand, it made China seem great. This is a normal occurance in c-dramas, where they empower their nation and focus on making China great and proud. This is an amazing marketing power for the country that I applaud. China is changing it's country image in the eyes of the world, both internationally and domestically. It encourages youth to develop a strong love for their nation and their nationality. It gives them a feeling of belonging and a society that they can strive for. It makes them feels like they also want to become a proud member of this nation. This drama series achieved this goal. It made China shine in a bright light. I also applaude whoever thought of the ending of the drama. It gives the whole series a whole new purpose and a whole new light. The series generates marketing on its own.

Whether from a viewer's point of view, or as a marketing manager's point of view, it's simply an amazing piece of work that is both esthetically pleasing and meaningful. I definitely recommend watching it at least once!