A (slightly exaggerated) c-drama about romance, ambition and friendship
Don't get me wrong, Go Go Squid wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't as good as I wished it was.I jumped in when many reviews said that the female lead was a cosplay singer and the male lead was a pro e-sports gamer. As someone interested in both I was disappointed to find out that Tong Nian wasn't actually cosplaying but is really more of "popular singer that covers anime songs"
The casts looked good and were quite suited to their role in the drama - e.g. looking like their intended age in the show. The main leads were cute and their interaction on screen made my heart flutter a lot, HOWEVER story-wise it was slightly hard to believe due to their big age gap and how the female lead mostly felt very clingy to the male lead and generally passive throughout the series.
One big thing that drives the drama is the ambition that the e-sport casts have. I like that the story also includes many scenes of the gamers training and struggling to prove themselves to be the best. It also includes light-hearted interactions like bantering with Han Shang Yan DESPITE him being the "scary boss", I found that refreshing to watch.
Unfortunately some things just don't sit right with me when watching this drama, for example the styling for the female lead - Tong Nian is constantly wearing really baggy outfits that are weirdly put together (e.g. bright yellow knee length shirts, white shoes complemented with a denim jacket). It was most likely put together because they wanted to give Tong Nian that youthful demeanor in contrast to Han Shang Yan but it looked horrible. I don't think I wanna sit through 41 episodes of that ever again.
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly, I started watching this drama because of Hu YiTian who I've been a huge fan of since the drama "A Love So Beautiful" which is why I was rather disappointed when I realized that he didn't have a big role in the story. In spite of that, I really enjoyed watching this drama. First, I really enjoyed the romance:
- Han ShangYan and Tong Nian: These 2 were a very pleasant couple, the perfect example of the expression "opposites attract". Han ShangYan was a workaholic who didn't care about anything else aside from getting the championship, he's seen as someone rude, spoiled brat who has suffered a lot growing up but in reality, he's just misunderstood by most. That is until he crosses paths with Tong Nian who's the "perfect child", she's smart, has talent, she's extremely nice and sweet. Even though Han ShangYan seems cold, Tong Nian falls in love with him at first sight, she's able to see through him, through all his lies. And through all her support, Han ShangYan slowly starts falling for Tong Nian as well which is nuts since he's always been uninterested in girls and because to the outsiders they can't be a match due to their differences although in the end, they overcome this.
- Xiao Mi and Sun YaYa: I found this "couple" very cute. I really admired that Sun YaYa was able to show Xiao Mi that he has a lot of fans supporting him when he was at his lowest. I loved to see their relationship developing into a romantic relationship (which only happens in the end). She was always supporting him and he fell for her pretty quickly.
Second, the friendships and bonds:
- Solo team: The Solo team was a great example of the friendship and bond most of us would dream of having in our lives. Solo acted as more of a father who took care of the rest of the members of the team with the help of Han ShangYan. Unfortunately, this team had to disband, and each went its way where every single person got hurt and didn't really stay in touch with the rest. After 10 years of not seeing each other, Han ShangYan with the help of Tong Nian finally forgives Solo for what happened in the past and this friendship and bond get back on track.
- KK team: The KK team was so adorable. I loved them so much, how they behaved with Han ShangYan, and how they "made fun" of his relationship with Tong Nian. Also, they looked so cool in the CTF competitions!
The fourth and most likely the most important thing about this drama is that these characters went all-in after a dream that most people don't even consider a "serious job" but just a hobby. It showed us that you should only give up on your dreams when there's no way to achieve them. If you work to achieve your dreams, you'll achieve them!
Although this drama was really good, I felt like there could be more development on the DT and Appledog relationship but that might have happened this way because there's another drama that is around their relationship.
In conclusion, this is a very sweet and funny drama that I would definitely recommend to anyone.
Please, don't forget to leave your opinion about this drama after you watch it!
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This review may contain spoilers
I must preface this review with the fact that I don't watch too many modern Chinese dramas. I tend to watch the ancient Chinese dramas with good fighting, beautiful costumes and some political intrigue. But there's really something appealing about this show and it gives you a break from the more melodramatic shows out there.Story: The storyline is pretty coherent and consistent. Chinese dramas tend to cut scenes to the point where it can cause major confusion, but I gladly found that I didn't have that issue here. Though the central theme of this drama is the romance between the main leads, it doesn't consume every minute of the 41 episodes, which I can appreciate. It has a nice "follow your dreams" message but the overt patriotism would ruin it for me sometimes. I must say that I like the relationship between the two main leads, though the beginnings of it was sketchy it eventually evolved into something more mature and healthy. Was the storyline spectacular? I wouldn't say so, but it kept me entertained for the most part and definitely had some good laughs while watching it.
Acting/Cast: Overall the cast was pretty solid, no one's acting made me cringe or ruined any scenes. Yang Zi (though doesn't look like the character's age) and Li Xian did really well as the young innocent Tong Nian and the overly serious Han Shang Yan. Though I felt for some scenes Li Xian looked stiff and his posture looked strange and forced. Their chemistry as the main couple was so cute sometimes it made you squeal. I don't think you'll be let down in this department. I only wish they gave more screen time for Mi Shao Fei and YaYa's relationship to develop. They were also very cute and fun.
Music: The main theme, "A Nameless Person" pretty much brainwashed me. I've been playing it non-stop since finishing this drama. The ending theme "Milk Bread" and the rest of the music in between is also nice to listen to, but "A Nameless Person" really takes the cake for me.
If you're looking for a nice, lighthearted, comedic, and romantic drama to watch then this is the one for you. The acting is on point (for the most part) and the storyline makes sense and doesn't try to be more than what it is (sometimes you have dramas out there that try to cram every genre possible into the 40 some odd episodes which makes you forget the what the central plotline is supposed to be - this doesn't do that, yah!). This is the first modern Chinese Drama I was able to finish from beginning to end in a long time (for some odd reason I couldn't for the life of me finish Love O2O) and glad I picked it up, though much later than most folks.
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We can learn many things from the drama.
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Cringe but still so cute
Age gap had me all kinds of weirded out and Tong Nian's outfits were absolutely tragic, but God, this drama is so freaking cute. Yes, I cried. I think the romance between Mi and Yaya was absolutely adorable, but I was really turned off by the way Tong Nian acted like a 4 year old for most of the drama. She makes really mature decisions but acts so immaturely at the same time. The CTF aspect of the show was really well done. I would overall recommend this even though the main romance was kinda meh.Edit because I rewatched 4 years later:
Age gap still a lil off-putting but I'm still super convinced it's less the age gap and more the fact that Tong Nian acts quite childish. We don't see the same issue with Little Mi and Yaya. Her outfits are still tragic lmao, and yes this drama is still very freaking cute. I think I have a higher opinion of Tong Nian after the second rewatch versus after the first, but I also kind of flip flopped and didn't quite like Han Shangyan as much the second time because of some of the crap that happened around the middle of the drama (you know...). I upped my rating because this drama has turned out to be my guilty pleasure lol, I've been meaning to rewatch it for so long!
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As for the characters, I really love Han Shangyan and the K&K members. I love how Li Xian is able to portray the cold but soft-hearted Han Shangyan. I've become a big fan of Li Xian because of this drama. He's so handsome even in his frowning face.
I think both Li Xian and Yang Zi portrayed their characters well, especially when the scene involves the both of them. They really have good chemistry. I also love the K&K members, especially Grunt. It doesn't show but Wen Yifan who plays Grunt is actually much older than Li Xian. But in Go Go Squid, he jives really well with the other K&K members like they're all in the same age.
Their music gets a 9.5/10 from me. I could have given a 10 but I did not like some of them, although their OSTs fit every scene. My favorite is Glory by Lara.
This drama is definitely a recommend especially to those who love The King's Avatar.
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This review may contain spoilers
THIS DRAMA REALLY CAUGHT MY ATTENTION WHEN I WATCHED THE FIRST EPISODE AND MADE ME WANT TO WATCH MORE. TONG NIAN AND HAN SHANGYAN WERE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN, THEY WENT THROUGH MANY CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY BUT STILL CAME BACK TOGETHER STRONGER THAN EVER. I LOVED THIS DRAMA BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE A LOVE TRIANGLE AND BECAUSE IT SHOWED US THAT EVEN THE MOST COLD HEARTED AND UNINTERESTED IN WOMAN TYPE OF MEN STILL KNOW HOW TO FIND LOVE. THIS FILM IS DEFINITELY BY FAR THE BEST DRAMA I HAVE EVER WATCHED AND I AM NOT KIDDING. CAUTION: you will cry when watching all 41 episodes.
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This will keep you smiling
I'm not into e-sports drama, I only watched Love O2O because you know... Yang Yang. I'm not really familiar with e-sports, but when I saw that this drama is about Cyber Security competitions, it immediately piqued my curiosity and hit play. Yang Zi, how adorable can you get? I never imagined her being paired with another guy, aside from Deng Lun but, Li Xian has this charisma that just made the Tong Nian-Han Shangyan pairing work. This may have started as your typical love at first sight, girl chases boy story, but what I loved most about it is that despite the big age gap of the characters, they didn't have many annoying misunderstandings, except when they broke up twice, which was expected since both didn't really know how to deal with relationships (and because Shangyan hesitated a lot and thought he's being "mature"). They were both supportive of each other and never held each other back, however, I wanted to see more of Tong Nian's career here as well, she's supposed to be a genius programmer, which wasn't showcased much. But all in all, this show made me happy. I rewatched this twice already. This is such a feel-good show that 41 episodes aren't a huge feat.Was this review helpful to you?
I found this drama through Instagram from a friend. Everything in this drama is so good.
If you are looking for a cute, modern, cold heart man and warm and nice woman this is the one. Everything in this drama is so good. This kind of drama is worth rewatching.
( sorry if this is not helpful )
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Nice fluff show
Just completed Gi Gi Squid and found it to be an enjoyable fluff show. was it the greatest show ever, no but it was enjoyable and for the most part very well done.I found the flashbacks and the back story fo Gun / Solo / Appledog a bit confusing and in the end, I'm still not sure why Gun was mad at Solo for choosing to take care if his daughter, who had health issues, over CTF and it sort of made him difficult to like. Fortunately the Li Xian was great playing Han Shangyan (Solo) so you still like him. In fact he was the best part of the show. Yang Zi plays the female lead Tong Nian. I had hoped for a little more depth for the character (a female getting her doctorate in computers) but instead she was mostly a silly and immature female lead, not sure if that was writing or Yang Zi's acting ability. Tong Nian can have been so much more impressive, but it felt like they were afraid to make her too smart and string... like the whole she was also an internet singer made no sense to me, Really those 2 are my only issues with the show,
I really enjoyed the K&K club and the groups interactions. I appreciated that they spent time on One, 97, Grunt and many of the team members so you knew who they were and were rooting for them. They each had a unique character and story and it was not ignored in favor of just the main couples romance. I liked the I guess second couple as well, Mi Shaofie and Sun YaYa. I thought they were adorable together, One of the best things was each character was well defined and not just background. As for the main couple...I already likes Li Xian and after this role I am a bigger fan. He was able to express all of the complexities of Han Shangyan and watching him come to terms with his past, forgive Solo and himself, move forward and open himself up was well done. FL was typical with some moments of brilliance. I cannot say I am the biggest fan of Yang Zi I find she plays the same almost one dimensional characters, and I cannot tell if that is typecasting or her limited acting ability,
I'm about to watch season 2, but not is sure that will be as good with the focus on Appledog (and a different actress) and Wu Bai. Wu Bai was fine cause he was barely in the season 1 and Hu YiTian is not one of my favorites.
So my final recap is decent story, not too complex but has some plot holes and unexplained things. Acting was really good, FL is typical but ML was fantastic, Music was great.
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This review may contain spoilers
I just finished watching and I came rushed to write my review before I forget about it and my feelings in this moment fade away.The story is excellent because it doesn't focus on one thing but rather a lot of things like friendship, family, dreams, belonging to the homeland, loyalty, responsibility, love and many other feelings. The drama may be somewhat long with regards to its classification that does not carry any complexity, but it was really beautiful, and I also liked the fact that the story talks about something entirely new to me like the CTF even though I know little about Cybersecurity while i specialized in IS, but I had no opportunity to enter a world Cybersecurity So deeply, This drama was a fun opportunity for me.
The love line between Han Shang Yan and Tong Nian was definitely the most beautiful and cute, literally I couldn't hide my idiot smile in all their sweet and warm moments together even my jaw almost fell from happiness. cute and sweet duo really worth pursuing. I want to highly praise their focus on discontinuing doing some things before marriage or taking the parents consent, this really gives me the feeling that marriage is another stage for lovers and there are things that you cannot try or do while you are dating. It's like being married has a sanctity and responsibility that you cannot infringe upon or underestimate.
The friendship of the solo team made me shed tears a few times, I can only say that they are not friends they are family! A family forever lives sweet and bitter together without fear. And I don't forget the children of K&K team. They are the kindest and most understanding children on earth. They sometimes cause problems for their boss, but they soon make him proud and happy. They are Han Shang Yan's children for sure. PS: Throughout the drama I was crying rivers when I saw a demo with a lot of screen time, I want to put this cute boy in my pocket and protect him !!!!!!
Now is the time for criticism. To be honest there are some things that make me disappointed. First, the other love lines were treated as if they were filling the void, no more, no less! We couldn't see any significant progress between Little Mi and Ya Ya or Wu Bai and Ai Qing. Second, we didn't see the solo's daughter happy with her mother only once, and we never saw them together again Why?? And finally the most disappointing part is the end, I know the main character is a 24-hour busy businessman but come on! He got married! Shouldn't we see one of the five weddings mentioned by Shang Yan's grandfather? Also, marriage is a new stage in life, which means changing, even a simple thing in daily life, such as living together, but none of this exists!! Let's be honest if I showed the last scene to a person who had only seen half of the drama, he wouldn't know about their marriage, I know that this is not something that should be clear in this particular scene, but I am really disappointed because it was not a difference from the dating scenes at all! I hoped to see a beautiful celebration with the family and see the happiness of Shang Yan's grandfather and the tears of happiness from his stepmother. These things may be my frustration, but I really enjoyed this work after a series of sad dramas. My spirits rose a lot.
I recommend you to watch this drama if you want something to waste time but beautiful and nice at the same time.
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