A story of first love…with a twist.
Ok I admit, I regret a bit that I put off watching Love O2O for so long (there are just so many good dramas to watch), but it’s better late than never!Things that I like:
• I’m not a gamer, but I like the idea that the ML Xiao Nai (Yang Yang) and FL Bei Wei Wei (Zheng Shuang) started as a couple in the game “A Chinese Ghost Story”, where Xiao Nai first “pursued” her, then eventually in real life (They being Computer Science students is a plus!). Their in-game interactions and experiences together laid the groundwork for their eventual meet-up and relationship in the real world.
• Casting the same actors to portray their in-game characters, which made me more invested in their scenes inside the game. I enjoyed watching their interactions and action scenes in the game, which were well executed.
• Fluid transition of the story from online to offline scenarios.
• Smart, interesting and attractive ML and FL. Especially the ML, he’s so well-rounded, almost perfect, too good to be true at times!
• Amazing chemistry between Yang Yang and Zheng Shuang. They look so good together! They have many light-hearted, sweet and romantic moments, and Yang Yang is a good kisser! He mostly carried their romantic scenes 😊.
• There is mutual love, trust and respect between our main couple, and I like that there is not so much drama and misunderstanding between them.
• Great circle of friends for both Xiao Nai and Bei Wei Wei, and healthy family relationships.
• The drama showed Xiao Nai and his friends navigating the gaming industry through their start-up tech business, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.
• Love the OST! The songs just fit the drama so well. So glad they’re available in Spotify and Youtube.
Other comments:
• Zheng Shuang is pretty, but I find her a bit too skinny. Her acting in some of the kissing scenes could be better, as most of the time, she was a passive receiver of Yang Yang’s passionate kisses. To be fair, there were some kissing scenes where she did better than in others. I read that her character is written that way in the book.
• There were a number of annoying characters, who seemed to spend most of their time gossiping and trying to pull others down. But hey, they made the story more interesting, so they’re a “necessary evil”.
• This drama has a high rewatch value for me. After I finished it, I rewatched the last 3 episodes the next day. Then in the following days, I rewatched my other favorite episodes, before starting from episode 1 and rewatching the whole drama (albeit with some skips the 2nd time). So I watched the entire series twice in a little over 2 weeks.
Overall, this is a fun, feel-good, and enjoyable drama for me. I highly recommend it!
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yang yang as a perfect guy, of course he looks like heaven, not that i have seen heaven but everyone assumes it's beautiful so was yang yang. and even zheng shuang is very pretty. but other than being gorgeous they did nothing for me. they were lovely couple, chemistry wasn't convincing though. the first ten episodes i enjoyed and then for me, it was going downhill
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Face eating
My first Chinese drama watch, and so it was fun at the time.But as the reviews say, the perfect girl and the perfect guy get together. His one fault is that every time he kisses her, he backs her against a wall and proceeds to practically eat her face off. Her one fault is that she puts up with this nonsense.
The movie version is rather more enjoyable.
I was amazed at the sizes of all the rooms, except for the university dorms. Massive offices with loads of open space. Where does China fit all those rooms?
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This review may contain spoilers
Not my cup of tea!!
Okay so contrary of popular opinion, personally I did not like the drama. I watched it after falling into your smile because of the same gaming - romance genre but I was disappointed.Story wise it lacked character development on the male lead's side. Like at one point it kinda became frustrating. The gaming sequence was also tad bit boring and tbh I just skipped most part.
The main problem for me here was chemistry between leads was just too forgettable and forced for me.
The OST was nice though.
Honestly this wasn't my cup of tea but again I would understand if anyone else loved it. :))
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STORY:
The story honestly is fairly simple. There's no crazy twists and turns. Not a ton of plotting and backstabbing, etc. It really just is a very simple and beautiful telling of two people falling in love and growing together.
The super fun twists that I think most people enjoyed were the great transitions between real life and the gaming world. Definitely something refreshingly new that gave you the best of a modern drama with sprinklings of wu xia.
I really appreciated that even though there were other people who had feelings for the main leads, you never really got the feeling that something could come in the way of the two leads. They just had a pure relationship that was based on similar interests and general good chemistry - not because they were forced together by circumstances or one of them was love lost and then they found each other.
They both honestly enjoyed each other's company and felt very natural with one another. It's really not something you get all the time.
Very well paced out and never felt rushed or lagging at any part.
ACTING:
Yang Yang - Xiao Nai - Wow. What a great performance. Yes, his name was already ringing in circles after Dream of Red Mansions, Lost Tomb, etc. But I would definitely say this drama catapulted him into stardom. Xiao Kai had the tropes of a standard male lead - well off, smart, super popular, beautiful, somewhat introverted - but Yang Yang definitely did a fabulous job making Xiao Nai break past the standard topes and bring about those cute swooning moments that girls (who were really the target audience) love to see in dramas. Every interaction was playful but serious. The kiss scenes and other romance scenes were really mostly due to him.
Zheng Shuang - Bei Wei Wei - While she did a decent job in her role - very smart and hardworking, but still shy and cutesy at times - she was definitely overshadowed by Yang Yang in this drama. Most dramas I watch, I almost always feel like the female lead overshadows the male leads (especially when the story is more revolved around the girl), but Yang Yang was definitely the one driving this performance. The romance scenes, Zheng Shuang was like a wooden board at times (which many other people have critiqued). Being new to a relationship is understandable, but even further into their relationship, it was Yang Yang doing 75% of the work. She's been a very popular actress lately, but I honestly don't really think she's all that great. She does cutesy very well, but I don't feel like she's broken past that yet.
Xiao Nai's Friends - Great chemistry between them all. I think they all did a great job with their respective characters. Hou Zi was the flattest character of the three, for me, but wasn't bad by any standard. Yu Ban Shan and Hao Mei did great jobs showing off their characters' personalities and the loyalty they had to Xiao Nai and each other.
Wei Wei's Friends - Only Mao Xiao Tong (Zhao Er Xi) really had enough screen time to be a developed character, so she gets props for portraying Er Xi's happy go lucky character so well. The other two were good in terms of being the friends, but definitely didn't get a chance to show off much of their acting skills.
REWATCH VALUE:
I've already rewatched it a bunch of times, so obviously worth a rewatch. Even though you know the whole story, it's still cute and romantic enough to be a good rebound after a super lengthy period drama or a very serious and dramatic show. It doesn't really get boring for me because even though it's not something you have to pay a ton of attention to to understand, it's not really a brainless show that you just play in the background either.
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This drama accomplishes what others have been unable to do
This drama does something that I’ve never seen another drama do. And I’ve watched hundreds of Asian dramas of all types from all over Asia. This drama puts the main leads together fairly early on (by episode 10). But believe it or not, there are no messy breakups, no noble idiocy, no mean in-laws, and no love triangles. Yet it’s not boring at all! In fact, it’s one of the highest rated Chinese romcoms of all time. That’s because the whole cast are exceptionally good actors with great characters to portray and a fun story to tell. This drama proves that you don’t have to throw in a bunch of overused cliche drama tropes or make the main leads breakup or misunderstand each other to make a drama interesting. You really have to just watch this drama to truly appreciate what it has accomplished.The story:
This drama doesn’t use the typical cliche drama tropes like love triangles or misunderstandings to move its storyline along. It uses real life situations that we all encounter and can relate to to move the story along and make it more interesting. Many important issues are tackled amongst the main characters and their friends such as bullying, judging someone based on appearance, using social media to attack people, jealousy, etc. It also delves into the online gaming world which is pretty interesting. Seeing the leads and their friends in the game in their online personas was a nice refreshing touch not often seen in dramas. Then the business world and all of its pitfalls was explored. Seeing it all through the college students eyes made it more interesting. They face sabotage, a hacker, a spy, and impossible deadlines. There’s quite a bit of interesting twists going on to make the plot move along and keep things interesting. All of the characters are multi dimensional and have lots of character growth which adds to the richness of the story.
The acting:
The acting is exceptional here. I know it’s rare, but I really can’t fault anyone’s acting, they’re all really good. Some may mistakenly criticize the female leads woodenness in her first few kisses, but that’s how her character was written. She’s supposed to be extremely shy and inexperienced in romantic settings. And as the drama progresses, so do her kissing scenes which I think is more realistic. No one that’s never kissed before is super comfortable with it or good at it in the beginning. And the main leads chemistry is just phenomenal. Every time they kiss (which is a lot) you can’t help but be touched. I like how they take things slow and the romance develops at a normal pace so you can see why they feel about each other the way they do. The romance is done perfectly. It’s neither too slow nor too fast. As for the side characters, they are some of the best I’ve seen in a drama. From the adorable little nerd Erxi to the judgmental language genius Cao Guang, I wouldn’t change a thing. There’s some great sismance and amazing bromance going on that’s so endearing and one of the highlights of this drama. And the parents are just too cute.
Cinematography & Set Design:
The cinematography was perfect. There’s no choppy editing or confusing scenes. Everything flows seamlessly and smoothly. The set design was quite elaborate for the work scenes. And the costumes and fight scenes for the online gaming world were superb. Overall I would say this drama had a high budget and lots of time was put into making sure everything was perfect.
If you like slice of life dramas that teach a lesson and are light and fluffy with little angst then you’ll love this one. Many of us will readily identify with the bullying and jealousy the characters encounter. But it’s the close knit friendship with everyone having each other’s backs that makes this drama so endearing. If you prefer fast paced dramas with lots of action with twists and turns at every corner, then this is not the drama for you. As far as I’m concerned, this drama is about as close to perfect as you can get. It’s one of the few dramas that I’ve watched numerous times. I especially like to watch it when I’m feeling anxious or down. It’s such a fun, upbeat, uplifting drama. You can’t help but smile when watching it. I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone that’s looking for a light sweet romcom.
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This review may contain spoilers
Watch this drama if you want:a light plot filled with sweetness & fluffiness
something cute
not much drama going on
a break from frustrating dramas
no love triangle between the 2 main characters
cute, rather lovable & funny side characters
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Story 9/10
In regards to story, there weren't much going on. Just what goes around the 2 main characters' lives and how they met one another. I gave a 9 because even though there wasn't much plot, this type of story is still satisfying to me as a viewer and also as a reader of the novel. I reread the novel numerous times and is still not sick of it. Sometimes simplicity is what you need in a drama.
Acting/Cast 9/10
100/10 for Yang Yang's Xiao Nai. He clearly embodied Xiao Nai and took the fictional character Xiao Nai and turn him into life.
As someone that read the novel, Zheng Shuang's Wei Wei isn't really what I had 100% in mind for Wei Wei. In the novel, Wei Wei is described to having some curves but Zheng Shuang doesn't have those curves and furthermore while watching the drama, there were so many times where I was like she's so skinny. But ZS's Wei Wei does fit my image of Wei Wei at least 75~80%.
Music 8.5/10
I felt there weren't many OST for this drama or even variety. If I wasn't watching this drama, some of the OST wouldn't be too attractive to me. There are OST that stands out regardless of the drama and to me, I don't feel like the OST of Loveo2o is something like that. In terms of lyrics, the opening song really fits the drama. The new OST in ep 29/30 really made me rather emotional while listening to that and reading the meaning to the lyrics.
Rewatch Value 9/10
I watched both the raw and the subbed when they come out. I'm also rewatching the subbed with a friend. In terms of rewatching, I don't think I'll get tired of the sweetness in this drama. I don't think I'll ever get tired of Xiao Nai's 3 friends (Hou Zi, Yu Ban Shan and Hao Mei) as well as Wei Wei and Xiao Nai's interactions.
Overall 9/10 :)
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*Warning: contains some spoilers*
Likes:
I really like the fluffiness this drama gave me. Whenever I see Hou Zi, Yu Ban Shan and Hao Mei joking around, it makes me really happy. I'm going to miss them. Going to miss Wei Wei and Xiao Nai's sweet interactions as well as them joking around with one another and Xiao Nai's sharp tongue lol. I'm also going to miss Xiao Nai, who wouldn't.
What I found the most interesting is that the games they play is an actual game and they used the drama to advertise the game.
Dislike:
I felt some parts of the company aspect is rather not too interesting. As a business major, when Xiao Nai was doing a presentation but blocks the screen . . . In terms of some of the business presentations clips/snippets we get, I felt like they weren't too convincing as a viewer. Most boring part in the drama for me was Zheng Shui's interaction with his dad.
Some stuffs I wished they could of had added
I wish we get more of Hao Mei and KO compare to Cao Guang and Er Xi but of course censorship :(
I wish we got to see NiNi (Thunderess Nini) ask Wei Wei if she can tell other people in the Guild that Yi Xiao Nai He is her actual boyfriend in real life and stub Rain Clan again.
I wish Feng Teng wasn't a discounted Feng Teng and we get to see Xiao Nai vs Feng Teng but might be awkward b/c of Zhang Han and Zheng Shuang's relationship.
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Story:
I'm not entirely sure if the story was great or if I was too busy looking at six packs to notice it was bad. What I am sure about is that the story is VERY simple and doesn't really offer you that much. That being said, this drama has a wonderfully relaxing mood throughout and should give you plenty of smiles and romance. Just don't expect a lot and you will be pleasantly surprised. Additional bonus goes to the writer for actually knowing something about MMORPGs and game development!
Acting/Cast:
The casting of the main characters is perfect. They are both beautiful and charismatic, yet they both portray people that have even more alluring qualities - intelligence and humour. As in all dramas, there are a few characters that aren't as good, but overall this drama will offer you all sorts of characters and most of them add to the experience positively.
Music:
The music does what it's supposed to - it creates the mood and doesn't subtract from the drama. I wish they had more songs to use though. Sometimes it feels repetitive.
Rewatch value:
I'm sure I will rewatch this when I'm a granny. Not for the exciting storyline, but for the romantic and sometimes even erotic moments ;)
Overall:
If you are feeling a bit blue and need some cheering up, this drama is perfect for you! I would say it's about 70% romance, 20% story development and 10% drama. Suitable for a moment when you are not looking for an epic revenge story or a multifaceted action melodrama. The only flaw of this drama is that it's fluffy and empty, but sometimes that's all you are looking for - no arguing, no pain - just some cheesy and cozy romance.
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I really liked this drama because of the gaming.
As odd as gaming relationships are, they DO EXIST XD
(Totally relatable to this drama!)
The story is really adorable.
Really love the relationship on the 2 main characters.
If you are seeking a playful, dorky drama, this one might be for you.
My first time seeing Yang Yang in here & I fell in love with him.
There are so many cute guys in this drama :3
(Huge crush on Zhang Vin & Bai White as well.)
One of my top favorite dramas for the rest of my life!
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Plot: One word: Cliche - you could probably predict the ending from the first episode. The best part of the plot was that there was really no big "problem" and so the main couple just had a nice a happy journey without any melodrama/angst. But because there was no central "problem" the story was lacking.
Acting/Cast/Characters: The main leads were cute but kind of stiff. I honestly enjoyed the banter of the side characters more. The acting is a little forced but not terrible. The characters were cliched - to perfect with literally no faults that indicated that they were human.
Rewatch: It's not something that I would rewatch. I finished it with a mixed feeling of satisfaction (that everything resolved the way I thought it would) and disappointment (that I wasted my time on something that I really didn't get anything out of).
Overall it is just a cute little drama - one that you will hardly remember in a few years as it has melted into a blob with the rest of cliched romance dramas. You aren't left thinking afterwards and I don't think that the script writers meant it to be something complex and memorable. For what it is, it's alright. If you want something a little deeper, skip this one.
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