Cute Premise, Problematic Execution
While the premise to this story was cute, I didn't love the execution. The biggest problem was the sound editing. It became increasingly obvious as the show went on that the lead actress was dubbed - the movement of her lips and the dubbed voice were just slightly off from one another. I'm uncertain if other characters were dubbed, but it was not nearly as obvious as the FM lead. I also wasn't the biggest fan of her acting. She seemed very stiff and standoffish, particularly in comparison to the ML lead's passion and adoration. It's not an issue in the earlier episodes, but I'd expect her to be less stiff the more they dated each other. All that said, it was refreshing to find a drama featuring a couple with little communication issues. Others may have attempted to come in-between them, but they were committed to each other. If you prefer a couple with drama, this may not be the show for you.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I think this is one of the first C-dramas, I watched about gaming and that there isn't many love rivalries or like really bad misunderstandings that the couple break up. I think the one reason, why I enjoyed it is because the couple Xiao Nai played by Yang Yang & Wei Wei played by Zheng Shuang, just never had many misunderstandings that they would tell each other everything! I think I don't like it that much when there is really bad misunderstandings and they don't talk to each other because of it. But I think I enjoyed this because there wasn't that much drama, and that they really looked like their characters in the in-game as well. -
I also really liked the actor Yang Yang! So I just thought he was such a handsome guy, and played such a nice like rich, sweet guy you would want in your own relationship type, if you get me! LOL It's definitely something simple and lighthearted to watch and that's why I enjoyed it, not to much annoying crying and things!
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I also liked, that the drama was not focussed on fighting between the main characters, but instead on everything around them.
I was a bit sad that they seemed to rush the last episode a bit, but it still was rather enjoyable.
I'd totally recommend this Drama as a first, because the topics are not that heavy and while the main female character sometimes backs away from hard stuff, it doesn't make her weak, just like it is in reallife. I also enjoyed that they both had strong and weak spots and that they were shown.
For enjoying this drama, you should be open to a bit of fantasy, because some scenes are about the online game which is mostly based on fantasy.
[SMALL SPOILERS FROM HERE ON]
She loves to game, but is not suddenly a pro in programming so she's able to help him make his game and he is very clever, but has a soft spot for his friends and he's not very good with normal chores.
Their friends somehow all have their own characteristics and you can fall in love with them just as much as with the lead figures. Sometimes I couldn't wait for Nai's friends to be in the scene too, because they gave the whole story a much more fun twist.
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I liked this even though there are no obstacles. Xiao Nai always does the right thing: he's respectful, caring and protective. Bei Wei Wei simply is in awe of her good fortune.
The cast saves the show. The actor playing Xiao Nai really embodies a cold exterior that has a warmer playful side, and Bei Wei Wei is the right mix of silly and endearing. Their roles are fairly traditional gender roles, but there is a lot of appreciation of what they both bring to the table.
The music is mediocre. I wouldn't rewatch the whole thing, but may watch it for a moment or two now and then.
I grade by other criteria as well:
Complex Themes - 6
(Models what a healthy relationship looks like. I also liked the question of whether to separate virtual and real worlds - since you can harm someone in both, shouldn't you have integrity in both?)
Character Growth -3
(The two characters are static and do not 'grow' very much over the course of the show)
Nuanced Women -6
(Points for female friendships and featuring girls in tech, but overall they are stereotypes you've seen before).
Cinematography/Production Values - 6
(This is very low budget, which is fine for the real life scenes, but was a bit harder in the video game/CGI bits. Not only was the CGI poorly done, but the wigs, costumes etc. were also of poor quality)
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This review may contain spoilers
BAD dubbing (and worse kissing) but okay if you want angst-free fluff
In the first few eps of this the FL's lines, although delivered from what looked like an ordinary college dorm, have a weird echo and sound like they are really coming from a deep, cavernous hole somewhere. That was very off-putting! -although it seemed to gradually improve. Anyway, this is a harmless little college romance with a gaming element, where the FL and ML, both top players, meet in a game. The in-game effects are... not something anyone would be watching it for, but that doesn't matter because it's all about the romance, and that is pretty solid in that they like each other, and only each other, all the way through. There are no love triangles, break-ups or heroically sacrificial partings, all difficulties are comfortably overcome, and nothing terrible happens to either of them - well, ML is in a car accident at one point, but he's fine and it speeds the plot along instead of blocking it. They're respectful to each other, and they never really argue. A bit of bromance, a bit of sismance, a tiny hint of a gay romance (pretty cute) and a little bit of rivalry keep it rolling along smoothly for 30 episodes to their marriage. It's not exciting, but it is kind of restful, if you're in the mood for that.However, the core relationship was marred a lot for me by the FL freezing and looking absolutely petrified whenever a kiss scene happened, and as she clearly likes him and he obviously can kiss, this seemed very jarring and cringey and lost it points. More points dropped off for her role in the game company they form after school: basically just a pretty little assistant. I would have liked it a lot more if she'd beefed up a bit, but YMMV.
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PLOT:
A light hearted drama, with no major twists or lag. Online gaming plays an important part in the story line and make this more interesting to watch.
CAST;
After watching this I'm now a huge fan of Yang Yang.Even though Zeng Shuang literally doesn't match with her character description, you will surely fall in love with the lead pair.
MUSIC:
The opening song is catchy and loved the OST sung by Yang Yang.
REWATCH:
Definitely .
OVERALL;
Loved it . Made it to my top ten dramas :)
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You should watch this one.
You would recommend this to others.
You could watch this again........YES!
This is one of the few in my list which has repeat value. Right from the concept to the acting to the chemistry to the plot, everything seems to fall in place. What I loved about it was the unfailing love and trust between the lead characters. The bond is so strong that everything else fades away. Each conflict is resolved so perfectly because of that trust between them. And I love the fact that it centers around the theme of online gaming. The supporting cast too is excellent.
I would highly recommend watching this one.
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Those who have always dreamed of having their crush as their boyfriend, people maybe not in reality but here in this dramaland it is possible...
Brace your heart cause the Main Lead is will make your heart beat faster than ever with the way he looks and does for his girl ;)
The drama in overall is a must watch and for me it is 9.9/10.
Hope it is helpful
And to you who is reading have a great time ^_^
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Sweet and simple love story
Sweet and simple love story. A bit unrealistic but it doesn't matter, it's still good entertainment. No muss, no fuss. Skipped a lot of the gaming part except the part where they met and married.ML is the typical, dominant male. Good looking, intelligent and athletic achiever. FL is your typical pretty looking, sweet girl next door material. A bit submissive and innocent at times. Every girl wants the ML but he only liked the FL. He showed interest and swept her off her feet.
The fun fact with this one is how FL become ML's girlfriend even before they've met. How she becomes his fiancee even before he proposed.
If you're looking for a profound story to watch then this might not be for you.
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But the headline is just a reflection of why I love this drama so much. To start off.. It makes Meteor Garden seem like even more of a joke in terms of chinese dramas.. Like honestly. I disliked Meteor Garden so much but this outshines it like crazy.
As a gamer myself, the idea of a drama with gaming as the key point to their love is WONDERFUL. And I know it's probably already been done before.. but oh my LORD they executed this so well. I absolutely LOVE this drama. I love it to absolute BITS. But as the judgmental person I am, I can sadly say that I will not be giving it a 10/10 because of it's lack of good music and emotion.
It has the "in-game" music which is nice and all.. and maybe some music in scenes that would be quiet. But not any super hard hitting tracks that make you feel the emotion of the scene through the screen aswell as a clear lack of super emotional moments. It also kind of lacks character backstories with things that make them unique which kind of bothers me.
There are many other dramas that I would score higher than this just because it had emotion and character individuality that maybe weren't better. Emotion is a big part in dramas for me to be honest, and this one lacked it. There weren't really any cry worthy moments and it felt a bit dry. (not as dry as Meteor Garden though)
All jokes aside, I rate it a sold 7/10 and definitely think it's much better than it's movie adaptation.
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