Falling into Your Smile (2021)

Worth the Watch

I’ll start by saying, I’ve seen many of the negative reviews on here and they all follow the same thin… the story line was cringey and lacked depth. The only part where this drama went wrong was not further explaining a bit more into Esports, some things were left on the surface.

Story - 8/10
Simply because like I said many questions went unanswered and somethings weren’t explained well (like pay, sponsorships, competitions). Other than that the whole video game concept will always be cringe.. they still did well with giving it a sense of emotional depth.

Acting/Cast - 10/10
Yes everyone played their roles great. Including our FL that everyone’s complaining about. The casting was great, I especially enjoyed the variety of personalities in the show.. mostly the supporting roles. We live for character development as well.

Music - 8/10
Good song choices, not memorable.

Rewatch value - 10/10
There’s slow parts, there’s crazy parts but it will get you hooked.

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MUST WATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Super kilig watching this drama!!!!! I'm shipping Xu kai and Cheng xiao in real life. Hoping this drama can have season two. I'll be watching this over and over again. I'm into e-sports lately. Super fun and loving the cast and crew of this chinese drama. Whaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! I recommend this drama to my family and friends. Falling into your smile would be the best of the best drama e-sports i have watched. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I honestly don't know how I ended up deciding to watch this show. But, I actually weirdly liked this.

I did skip a little of the game play because I was a little confused, but the story of Cheng Xiao who plays Tong Yao, and Xu Kai who plays Lu Si Cheng. I think they both are soo cute when they are together. It's a very sweet like love, romance drama, and then when they play games it gets super serious!

I loved how they make it, like when a girl stays with a bunch of guys, and they all just have to be a bit more conservative, and it's funny to see all the different reactions that happen. I enjoyed watching this and how they like end up helping each other through the game and through experiences from each other too!

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This is what I call a Gaming Drama (plus some romance)

When I watch dramas that feature e-sports as the topic, it needs to be the focus, the highlight of the drama. The e-sport needs to be what carries this drama through from start to finish and I can definitely say this drama showcase e-sports very well.

This is what I enjoy about this drama. It's not just the viewers are watching the drama characters play competitively on a computer, but we also see the animated game scenes from these competitions, which makes this gaming drama special for me. Another great thing about this drama is we see our main team, ZGDX, and their life as a e-sport gamer. We see the celebratory wins, disappointments from a loss, the building of trust & teamwork, the hardships some have to endure on being/becoming a gamer. Most of all, my favorite, just the bond the members of ZGDX have for each other. They're really like their own family.

For me, the gossip or the social media aspect of this drama were pretty bothersome to me. I was annoyed half of the time when there were voice actors/actresses to read out the comments because a lot of the comments being read were rude (like you just want to smack that commenter in the face). Having the FL constantly bothered by these comments was a bit annoying for me, as in her character lacks confidence and she cared way too much on what people thinks of her. Majority of the drama, she was looking at social media. Me personally, I prefer this to be left out in this drama but I can understand why they include this because in reality, you have fans who will support you through the good & bad times and then you have those toxic people who badmouths/cyberbully you on the bad times or they're just jealous and don't have a life because they want to control the life of the person they idolize so much. Social media was meant for a good thing, like connecting with others far away, but instead, as this drama shows, it gets out of hand a lot, with opinionated people thinking they're always right.

Sure, there is romance. The romance builds up for our leads slowly throughout the drama but it does get going after Ep 20. There's a side couple as well that's mostly together throughout the drama.

The acting from our main leads were a bit stiff for me sometimes. Like there were some moments that I felt like there wasn't enough emotions portrayed from Cheng Xiao and Xu Kai. But then there were other moments where I felt like they did pretty good. So it wasn't bad but it was inconsistent for me.

Overall, I gotta say, this is probably my second favorite E-sport drama, just falling short to The King's Avatar, but I will admit this does pass The King's Avatar on the romance level, since The King's Avatar didn't have any romance at all.

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It's a wholesome drama..... The SWEETNESS is OVERLOAD

I only created my account to rate this drama..

From the beginning to the end, i just love it. Not all the time you can win. Not all the time you can have it. I learn a lot from this drama. I might say it's one of a kind. Maybe there's more superior than this but this is going to be my favorite Chinese Drama of all time.

The chemistry of each actors oncam or offcam are so precious. It's sad that it ended HOW I WISH THERE WILL BE A SEASON 2 of this. Still not enough it's so wonderful. If there will be a SEASON 2 THEY WILL STILL BE THE CAST!!!

They show how teamwork is done. It goes behind what's being a pro gamer is.

My youtube is full of their behind the scenes, ost, and more. This e-sport drama hit me so hard. I guess it will stay with me for a long time. It's REALLY WORTH IT. Even I encourage my mom and sister to watch this too...

All based on my opinion you should watch it too. I definitely recommend this for you to watch!!!

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Amazing iirst 20 eps, but starts dragging its feet towards the finish line

Short placeholder review for now.

First 20 eps were great. Solid balance of romance and gaming. Although Douban seriously hates this drama (mostly because Chinese viewers don't like how it "disrespects professional gamers"), I thought it was a great and fun watch. The first 20 episodes had great character building and we got to see the amazing supporting characters as well. Strong female lead - although she's the quiet and stern type, she's not shy - great change of pace from all the bubbly/upbeat/naive female leads we normally see.

The episodes definitely start dragging past episode 20. Once the main character gets together, the plot becomes messier, both from their gaming standpoint and real-life standpoint. The first 20 episodes paint their team as the favorite so the plot has to introduce challenges. Sometimes a game takes too long to finish and other times, are way too short. Sometimes, it feels like their team moves backwards as well (unexpectedly suffering from arrogance or extreme sadness from losing a game - very different from the general atmosphere of the drama and a bit out of character). The real-life plot points also follow one cliche after the next - scumbag male lead, fan backlash from revealing their relationship, crazy fans, misunderstandings, etc. It's natural to have challenges for the main couple to face, but some of these plots took away from the strengths of the drama. I would have liked to see more organic plots, perhaps learning more about the side characters or more about the male lead's family and their business.

Nonetheless, still a very enjoyable show. I'd recommend watching this for the female lead herself. Finally a down to earth main character. She's had a relationship so she knows what to expect. She's calm, cool, collected and great at her profession, but isn't a Mary Sue. Finally more nuance in a character rather than being upbeat all the time and blushing at everything the male lead says. The gaming portion is done well and the animation is a step up. Romance is also developed gradually but also has some faults at time. Would recommend.

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My Favorite E-Sports Chinese Drama

Even though I grew up playing video games, Chinese dramas involving competitive gaming are almost always a miss for me. I liked some aspects of LoveO2O, Go Go Squid, You Are My Glory, Gank My Heart etc… But I basically skipped all scenes that involved gaming. So yeah, basically the entire drama. I can’t help it, it’s just a sub-genre that is not made for me.

Falling Into Your Smile is different. I found myself actually being invested in the storyline. Who will win this match? Will they win the championship? How will they overcome their competition? And if there’s anything to attribute this difference to it would be the amazing characters. I found all of them quite lovable, but especially the FL; which I’m over the moon about, because I love it when the women of ‘dramaland’ shine more than their counterparts. The ML and the rest of the team members are also pretty great. I found myself wanting to root for them, and it was enjoyable to watch the whole team dynamic throughout the show. I always appreciate it when it feels like I’m watching multiple people’s stories instead of just the two main characters.

But speaking of the two mains, their romance was darn cute and the chemistry was convincing. Even though I don’t think I’ll be rushing to rewatch this anytime soon, I’m happy to have watched it once!

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too sweet.... #1 fav

i've completed watching this long ago, but came back to write an review so more people can come and watch this masterpiece.
- the ost is just amazing, the songs for the tournaments are absolutely flawless it makes it seem more intense and addicting to watch!!
- the actors are so cuteeeeee, I really want more Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao dramas together EEEEE
- no breakups ok? <3
- love how they got thru some much problems together (so cute)
- cute kissing scenes I love it
- no second lead evil girl (I hate that the most, and I'm glad there is none
- beautifully made <3
- pls season and YOU
MUST
WATCH

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Tong Yao: You Make Me Proud

I put off watching this show for a while now. With many excuses being too many good reviews, too many episodes, having bad experiences with C-Dramas, and lastly disliking Go Go Squid.

So if you are like me, always focus on the negative. My word of advice, listen to the positive reviews just the one time!

This show has changed my outlook on Cdramas and on Asian Dramas as a whole. I am someone who loves gaming but never got into esports. So how was I supposed to love this drama?

The female lead.
My God. She just may be the best-written character in all of C-Drama Land maybe even in Asian Dramas as a whole. I have never come across such a powerful written female lead before. Never once did I find her annoying, obnoxious, whiny, or anything negative. I grew so fond of her character I was surprised because I have never really fully enjoyed a C-Female Lead before. There has always been something off. My only complaint was her being called short and then googling her height to find out she's 5'6 but that's such a small thing that it's so irrelevant about how amazing her character was.

Do you want mean female second leads? Shady best friends? In-Law Drama? Complicated love triangles? No?
Well good, this drama has really no drama like that. Yes, there was a love triangle here, maybe even a crush a male lead there. But it never was that pungent enough to get you furious and it was short. The "love triangles" were some of the healthiest I have ever seen. Now don't get me wrong this is not me saying there wasn't conflict but it was all realistic stuff that would happen.

31 episodes seem like a lot?
Yeah, I said that once too. Yet, I binged this whole show within 5 days. Yes. No big breaks in between. In my past experiences with C-dramas (*cough* Go Go Squid *cough*), I would take long breaks and then eventually end up dropping the show. Or the only way I would stick with the show is if I watched it as it was airing. This time no breaks. Completed the drama and enjoyed every minute of it. No skips were needed, the story hooks you in, even when you think it wouldn't

I don't play video games, and I don't watch Esports, will I like this?
Fantastic question, I am biased. I like video games, however, I don't play competitive games so I thought the same. How would I like this? I don't like action in dramas... I always get stressed over the littlest of things. And yes, even though I was indeed stressed from watching the competitions, I never skipped through them. I was never bored of them. You must understand this drama is about an Esport team, so it is heavily based on esports, training, and competing. Just like a school drama is about first love, homework, big exams, graduating. So don't expect there to be little competitions. I found myself so engrossed within the competitions. The animations were amazing, I never felt bored. Plus, this game was wayyyyyy more interesting than Go Go Squids boring competition which felt very one-dimensional.

How's the romance?
I don't know what it was about this drama, but it felt so fresh. The way the male lead looked at her, the transition from teammates to friends to lovers. At first, I thought "wow they make such good friends how are they going to transition this?" That transition, their interactions, had me GIGGLING like a middle schooler watching her first drama! It was so cute and felt so new and fresh.

I think that covers most grounds. To the first drama, I have enjoyed from China in a long time. Thank you for reigniting my love for Asian Dramas. Surprisingly, never done by me before, these couple scenes are rewatch-worthy!!!!

So go on! Stop hesitating and watch this cute drama!!!

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Fantastic chemistry, addicting actors

I didn't expect to like this drama. I am not much of a c-drama fan, they tend to be more fast and well, drama-like? I expected for this to be a regular watch. HOWEVER... I am actualy obsessed.

The acting and chemistry were immaculate. The amount of chemistry there was insane I need Cheng Xiao and Xu Kai to have another drama together, it was so sweet and so beautiful, despite the story being predictable, I was left craving for more and more because every scene just had that special flare.

I watched this in one go. As much as I usualy skip certain parts during binge-days, most of the scenery shots etc, I enjoyed this way too much to actualy skip. The camera work was pretty fun, I loved the studio, it was quite modern yet exciting. I also really REALLY loved the music, am used to very lovey dovey songs on OST albums, but there are some fun noisier tracks on this one and I was in love the whole time.

To sum it up, I am definitely a stamp and I was very much collected by this drama.

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Watch. And decide for your heart if its worth it .

This drama is a must watch drama.
I love the added CGs during game fights. It made it more interesting.
The plot is well developed.
Applause for perfect character development.
I love the side cps. I also love the unofficial cp *cough*Cat & K*cough*.
*cough*This is the first c-drama I've watched with a censored bl side cp.*cough*
This was one very wholesome cdrama of 2021.
This drama needs to have season 2.
Its just sad that this drama is not well received on China right now so the possibility of a second season is low. I hope that international rates can help the producers decide that this is worth a second season.

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