This drama is not in any way a masterpiece or anything really "special". It's just that it's special in the way that it gives you warm and fuzzy feelings in a simple and pure form without anything to make it complicated, annoying or draggy. Yes, there are characters who act as "bad guys", there are complications that makes you feel sooo upset and frustrated on behalf of the characters; it's dramatic in that way and keeps you emotionally connected. If you are susceptible to the feelgood genre, this story rubs you the right way and tugs at your heartstrings in a way that is… just right. It has a touch of comedy to it, and the amount of comedy is also just right. Some themes are rather serious, even if they're not dealt with in a very deep way, and the different sides of the story balace each other well. Some episodes are actually very funny.
Some people say it's predictable and I'm not denying that. (How can a story with this kind of plot not be? What would be the point?) It has all the usual things for a school and sports drama! Even if you can figure some things out right from the start, there are enough little surprises to keep you interested but it's not even about the plot mainly. This is the kind of drama you want to watch for the characters, their inteactions, the friendship, the teamwork, the loyalty, the emotional bonds, the forming of new bonds and re-discoveries of lost ones. Watching this drama will make you root for the characters, not only on the soccer field. That's why my overall rating is higher than the individual rating for "story". One minor flaw is that I think several scenes were cut from this drama. It doesn't take away anything from the understanding of the story but some things feel a little bit rushed in the last parts of the drama.
The acting is good overall; actors and characters are very well matched. The principal pulls of being a powerful woman/silly girl very well. The vice principal on the other hand is a little bit too ridicilous in his appearance; too much of a "type"… but it's okay in this kind of drama. He serves his purpose. The female lead is convincing and is only annoying sometimes; the young actors are mostly really great. Especially Wang Jingke and Qin Minghao (two of the main ones) are convincing in the different kinds of situations they face and grow through.
Hu Ge though is one major reason to watch this apart from the feelgood effects of the drama itself. I have to discuss him a little bit here, because I do find him so good in this role. He plays the part so well, a very believable "Mu Shuai" (the nickname his character goes by most of the time). He was perfect as a very kind and (too) noble man in Sound of the Desert, truly amazing in Nirvana in Fire, and in Disguiser he did very well in a role that wasn't really good for him - it's even more obvious in retrospect now that I compare with his portrayal of Mu Qi. Here, we can see him every now and then bring out a bubbly, playful side of the character. Ming Tai was definitely also playful but Hu Ge tried too hard there, simply because Ming Tai was very young so Hu Ge was not acting his age. With Mu Qi on the other hand, he is in time with his character so the overall impression is more convincing. (It's not just his problem, I think many actors have this problem when they have to act younger than their real age.) He goes through the usual journey from a somewhat grumpy, sad and "I don't really care" coach to someone who grows as a person, etc, etc (as can be expected from this kind of story), making plans and smart schemes, always bickering with young teacher Pei Duo… It's fun! It all seems to come naturally for him. And our two main leads do have enough chemistry to make you care! (Also, he's really hot here... but it should be just a side note!)
The music is nice and it fits in with the drama and everything. I liked it when I watched; I won't be listening to it later on.
I always struggle with the rewatch value when I write a review, because I don't rewatch, no matter how great a drama is. I'll have to pretend I am a rewatcher and imagine in which ways this would be worth watching again. Well, I do think a feelgood stoy you enjoyed has some kind of rewatch value (in the past I have rewatched movies and reread books so I'm not a complete stranger to it), but even though you don't really watch it for the plot you'll already know which games the team wins or loses… so I'd say if you really liked it and if you really don't have anything else to watch you could go back to this at least for a while.
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