Love O2O (2016)

Lovely & Simple College Fantasy First Love Romance

Rewatched this again after I couldn't find anything I wanted to watch that's new & decided to write a review. Since this was my gateway cdrama years ago, it holds a special place in my heart but the things I remember being bothered with the first time around were more part of the fun rediscovery of the story this time around. I say this because you could be watching this the first time with similar eyes to mine. ;p

The first time around, I was constantly annoyed with the FL for any number of reasons. She's really uptight but it grows on you. She's also demure to the point of you realizing it must be some kind of cultural statement to create a FL like that. I mean, comparing her in the match to Xiao Nai would indicate that she holds some standard of perfection, right? (I kept wanting to be annoyed that they were both supposed to be gods and goddesses of the school but the teenage girl fantasy stuff was VERY strong with this one, so I let it go. Her friends only harassed about her looks occasionally but the level of attention the ML was on was just unbelievable.) The music w/the slo mo...niiiice. ;) Let's just say I liked her more knowing beforehand that she was going to reveal 75% of her character in via internal dialogue and that she was a crappy kisser. S'okay cuz Yang Yang made it up for her in those parts! :) I didn't fall for the ML until about 25% of the way in because he was also reticent and conveyed most of his emotions in subtle eyebrow movements. Again, it was much more fun on the rewatch to see it so early on; the first time, he appeared more deadpan to me because he doesn't show too much emotion early on. Once he began pursuing the FL outside the game, he had me! He started smiling more and they started smiling more and oh, it was a super sweet sticky icky love fest, lol. Also, the way he pursues her is straight-up fantasy fun and my favorite kind of ML-- one who knows what he wants and decides to go after it with determination and resolve. It's super hot!

T he video game element was weird to me the first time as well but I'm 100% okay with it now! I've gotten into Wuxia & martial arts style cdramas since then, so thought the incorporation of the game world was really fun. It was also SUPER fun seeing the boys in their game roles again. They were one of my favorite parts of this show. (It's also been fun to see so many of the actors in dramas since then, as each has continued to have a successful career!) Each of their personalities were perfect for being friends and business partners together--yes, it pulled away from the romance a bit but only a little bit, okay?! While her relationship with her friends was much stronger in the earlier parts of the drama, his kept going on throughout. I enjoyed her relationship with them as "one of the guys" and their lunch dates outside the office, though .

OST is pretty great, too! :D. Some of these songs so easily get stuck in my head!!!

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Watched it just for Yang Yang

Thus is a perfect reason why I don't like watching dramas (Chinese or Korean) before 2019. They usually have tropes that I'm not the biggest fan off 🥲


PROS:
◇Yang Yang
◇Yang Yang
◇Yang Yang


CONS:
◇Acting was awkward at times, especially with hugs & kisses
◇THE CGI LOOKED OLDER THEN 2016 (more like Spy Kids 🙈)
◇So corny at times
◇The plot was okay


I can see how it can be a comfort watch to some, but sadly, it's not for me. I also watched this in 2023 and not when aired. Honestly, I picked it up just for Yang Yang & wanting to watch all his projects.

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I've never been fond of C Drama before (might be because I group China and Taiwan drama the same) and I stumble across Love O2O while I was bored and out of my mind. Ever since the first episode, I was hooked and frankly, this is the first drama I didn't skip and I watched it non-stop (pull an all-nighter) and was very satisfied with the plot line.

The main cast of "power couple" where the guy live up to the expectations with a dark side and they actually acknowledge the female lead is beautiful, I was very satisfied.

Watching this is like the fresh breather I needed.

rating: 11/10

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Never have I binge-watched a show so fast before Love O2O. And its been a long time since I found a show with literally every minute of fun.

The plot was extremely interesting and so filled with laughter, I couldn't even bring myself to miss any second of the show. The scenes are shot so beautifully, you will be amazed. Furthermore, I found the virtual world so fun that it makes me want to play it too! The scenes in the virtual world are beautiful too, well although man-made, it really looked like a scene from a game. Furthermore, having a school-based plot, it made the show so young and vibrant. Furthermore, I find myself sucked into the plot where you laugh and cry with the characters and seem to 'live' in the show as well. I also liked how the game characters are made more 'virtual' where they had bigger eyes and such that you will be able to tell the difference in looks between the online and offline dimension. I also really liked all the side characters like the dorm buddies! Especially the guy buddies, they brought the show so much fun with their very close friendship. And I think one very important point that made the drama SO GOOD is definitely all the quirky and memorable lines spoken in the show.

Acting wise, YangYang was BRILLIANT (I do not only mean his extreme good looks). He really brought Xiao Nai to life with his facial expressions. Regardless what emotions he was acting, he expressed it so well with also his body language, and it feels so natural that he literally IS Xiao Nai. Furthermore, looks wise, HE IS SO GOOD LOOKING that even in the last final episode, he still blew me away with his smiles. Next, Zheng Shuang kinda surprised me. Having watched several of her previous dramas, she definitely did not impress me with her acting. However, she have improved quite alot in this drama with her expressions and body language. (Although some of her scenes especially kissing ones still looked really stiff. And though some of her clothing made her look skinny, it didn't really affect me much, still pretty. The rest of the other buddies like ErXi and the guys also made the show really fun and both looks wise and acting wise are amazing and you can really feel the love for one another. :)

Next, I really liked the music! Both the start and end songs are sooooo good (the side songs are good too). And knowing that YangYang sang one of them brought more feels when its played in the show. It made the emotional scenes so teary and the sweet scenes so sweet you will realize yourself unconsciously smiling.

Lastly, I WILL DEFINITELY REWATCH THE SHOW. Having watched the two other Gu Man dramas and her books, she won me over hands down and got me anticipating this for more than a year. Her stories always tend to tug your heartstrings in so many different ways. I have not read this book yet to prevent spoilers so I cant determine how similar isit but i can guarantee you her quality. So hope this helped make your decision in watch this TRULY REALLY GREAT DRAMA.

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So in love with this drama...i have already watched it twice and read the translated novel after that..but i'm still not satisfied. The gaming world, both the leads, their cute chemistry and undying love for each other, their amazing set of friends, everything is just so great..Have never loved a chinese drama so much..and Yang Yang ..oh yang yang you stole my heart with your cute smiles and subtle acting. He is Xiao Nai personified..so charismatic!! I'm so looking forward to all his other projects in the future.

The only thing negative i have to say about the drama is the female lead's kissing skills, which was kind of a turn-off.. But Yang Yang is definitely swoonworthy!

Overall, a must watch drama..because you just can't get enough.

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This drama is cute, light, funny, sweet and everything you need in your hectic life.

STORY: No devil incarnate mother in law. No stupid female lead. No unnecessary melodramatic scenes. No prolonged misunderstanding. Can it be any better? Go figure!

Well, the online game theme is a big bonus to avid MMORPG players like me. The colorful costumes, amazing graphics and nerdy gaming terms brought back the memories of my old self playing online games while I slept, ate and studied on front my computer. I must say that the whole production nailed it!

Acting/Cast: I will set aside the fact that Yang Yang is a total eyecandy and will give an honest and fair review. Overall, everyone gave a decent performance but what bothers me is the expressions of the female actors (minor roles included) which are a little too animated for my liking. More often than not, I am distracted by their too animated expressions or big movements. MY personal favorite though are Hao Mei and KO (and their budding bromance). The three thinkers or whatever you call them are super funny that I always find myself on the floor laughing out loud.

Music: Love the music! I've been humming this unconsciously for several days :D


Rewatch Value: After a week I still feel the same about this drama.The feels have not worn off yet despite teh dramas I have watched after this. So yes, I am going to rewatch those cheesy lovely romance scenes.

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if you're looking for a light, sweet, romantic drama, then i will really2 recommend this !!

story : i love how the writers wrote the story and the romances between them..this drama is quite light without any antagonist or bad second lead interfere much..not also typical drama where the rich cold guy fall for the poor nice woman..this drama is just a story between two genius gorgeous student who fall with each other and met through an online game..of course they share same interest..relationship goals alert !! haha..this drama makes me wanna fall for someone..so if you want to watch a really sweet cute drama, i would recommend this !!

cast : at first i thought that the male lead look a bit awkward, but then i realize that i keep fall for him..not to mention that he got that looks ! you may thought that the girl are a bit loud in the gym or cafeteria scene, but trust me after sometime you'll join them and scream !
for the female lead, i love how she act..she looks refine, elegant, intelligent and very sweet..i love how she talks (not like other taiwan drama where the female lead are very loud)..
as for both, i do think they suit with each other..this drama is not like other where they fight and gradually fall in love..but since from the beginning they are so in love..that chemistry between them is surely your relationship goal !

ost : i'm not saying the ost are bad..but truthfully i don't even remember any song from this drama..maybe i didn't pay attention to the music..but heyy i'm watching a drama not listening to a music..

rewatch : of course i will..but maybe i'll start from when they are together instead from the beginning..why ?? please remember that 30 ep means 30 hours..so just for rewatch i'll skip first 10 episodes..huhu

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Interesting premise, main leads don't really have chemistry

There's a new rising genre of e-sports/gamer dramas and anime. I liked the premise and I liked the tone of the film - it was lighthearted and cute. I liked Weiwei's friends and I liked a female protagonist who was smart and competent in her own field.

Unfortunately, the two main leads didn't have much chemistry and this was meant to be a romance. So by the fifth or so episode, it gets a bit boring. Both the leads, while good-looking, didn't really emote much, so it was hard to feel really attached to them or feel convinced that the two of them were falling in love.

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