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Confused on the high ratings
This drama has been surprisingly highly rated and I am a bit confused on what aspect. I have not read the online book and maybe my opinion could be a bit different. In terms of story it is not too unique, it is a gaming drama which I have seen quite a few already. I actually get a bit bored on the gaming matches, the only nice thing about it is the 3D graphic when they are battling. But other gaming drama is much more unique it it's own way such as crossfire and Love 020. In terms of romance, Cheng Xiao is just a really bad actress. If it weren't for Xu Kai I would've drop this drama long time ago. Xu Kai does make up for her bad acting but the story and the romance doesn't. I can see Xu Kai being cold at first and shes somewhat interested in him but then afterwards she plays hard to get. It is just really confusing because she shown so much more interest in him initially and then afterwards she act like she doesnt' like him at all. It also doesn't make sense why Xu Kai all of the sudden likes her, theres not really a strong build up on that point. Besides shes the only female gamer? A few other things I don't like about this is that the recap is not at all that exciting, the music is dull, and the dubbing of the actors are horrible. I do not feel the excitement when there are cutsy love scenes, or wanting to watch the next episode. I think the director could've done better for this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
China needs more Esports dramas
This drama blew my expectations of what a Chinese drama could be. I didn't think an esports drama could be as good as Falling Into Your Smile. TLDR: The story could use some work with some points of the story being drawn out and some points being not as well explained, but I think the story overall was still really good. The acting, on the other hand, was lackluster but still better compared to some of the other competition. I think the music from WayV and Seventeen fit the theme of the story with perfection. What makes this drama stand out over dramas like Love 020 and Kings Avatar, however, is it's rewatch value because this drama has so many small details that you can miss. To any new C-Drama watcher, I definitely recommend this drama.Story - 9/10
The story is quite good in general, however there are sections that aren't really explained in much detail. I find Cheng Xiao's character to be written quite poorly. I don't think there is quite as much character development in her. The only character development the story gets is with the Korean player defeating her in the game, however, the plot point really misses the mark towards the conclusion of the story arc. I don't think it takes away from the story quite enough to deduct points but its something that I marked down on my notes. I think the supporting cast like Lao Mao and Lao K could have gotten more screentime. They have some really funny bits but I feel like it could have been expanded upon even more, but when they were on the screen, it was absolutely excruciatingly funny. I also find the female and male lead to have really nice interactions throughout the story. That's why although there are some sections where the writing could have been better, the general gist of the story was well done and there was good, funny bits from the supporting case which deserves a 9.
Acting - 8/10
Cheng Xiao is a great singer. She's a great entertainer, but she doesn't belong in acting. I know it sounds harsh, but her acting felt out of place throughout the show in some places. I don't she shouldn't ever act again, but I don't think it was as polished in this show. With that said, I think she has a lot of potential to be one of if not the best singer turned actor in modern C-Drama history. I can see the potential in the emotional scenes. When they hit, they hit really hard. I think Xu Kai's acting was the same as all of his other roles. He has this cold hearted man turned nice role in the majority of his shows which I find somewhat peculiar. It doesn't take away from his role in this show since it fits the show perfectly and his acting was some of the best I have ever seen from him, and believe me when I say I've seen a ton of shows from him. The supporting cast was definitely the best casting and acting I have ever seen in a modern C-Drama, especially Xiao Pang. He has a really big range from being emotional in one scene to being cute to being hilarious. All of that said, the acting was good in general, but I think there are some points deducted from Cheng Xiao, but I definitely think if this drama was done in 2024, this category would definitely be better. Waiting for Cheng Xiao's next role, hope she proves me right.
Music - 9.5/10
The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful. I don't think there could have been another original soundtrack that could have beaten the one they had for Falling Into Your Smile. I also really enjoyed the features from bands like WayV and Seventeen making appearances. I think their songs fit each Esports team's main idea. If you read the lyrics, it adds extra details to how each team adds. I like the extra marketing effort with Everytime by WayV and FNATIC. I think it was really cool to see an actual esport team represent in an esports drama for one of the very first times, despite the drama surrounding it (I don't really know what its about so if someone could explain that would be great). I also thought the Chinese bands did a great job for ZGDX team theme which in Chinese was a really good sample of past music for gaming. The subtle hints to League of Legends were amazing and brought me back to League's hayday. The only reason why this category is not a 10/10 is because sometimes they overplay the music. I think the only reason why I don't have the songs from this drama on repeat is because of how many times they repeated them in the actual drama.
Rewatch Value - 10/10
There is absolutely no question with this. I know many people don't like rewatching this drama. To those people who don't like to rewatch this drama, you aren't a real critic. You don't recognize the best parts and small details in this drama like how you can see the FNATIC players stream and how he donated to the FL. There were many different small details that people could have missed. I loved rewatching this drama to find the small details that I didn't see the first or second time. I feel like more people would agree if they actually rewatched this. I think the wholesome love between the FL and ML were made to a ripe perfection that can't be matched.
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Great Chemistry, Enjoyable Plot
I've only watched two other e-sports dramas - one was where the FL didn't even game, was whiny, and stalked the ML; the other was one where the FL was portrayed as this godlike, beautiful, gaming machine who nobody could defeat.This drama definitely surprised me, and I'm definitely glad I took a chance on it. The plotline was kind of stereotypical, but the FL was competent and smart, and the ML was charming and not the usual tsundere types you usually see. Both of them had great chemistry together.
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Women Power and Cutest Cats
First of all: THIS SHOW HAS CATS SO CUTE THAT IT WILL CAUSE YOU DIABETES !!!!!!!!Now, let’s get it started. It was my first time watching a e-sports show and i must say the graphics were so damn beautiful, and once they actually explain the rules you kinda of understand what’s going on. Although i must admit that I’m really bad at games so.
The important thing here was definitely the woman power, Tong Yao character is so rich and full. She’s so strong and her character development is brilliant. She showed everyone that games don’t have genders. Girls are as much powerful as boys, and games are for everyone.
The main couple is adorable, although in my opinion it took them so many episodes to finally be together, i understand that the point was probably to grow their feelings and learn more about their love, still for me who’s an anxious person, it was tooooo much timeeee, just kiss already.
The team work was also so precious, Tong Yao has everyone wrapped around her little finger. Her best friend is so supportive and i loved her character so much. Lao K, Yu Ming, Xiao Rui, Xiao Ping and Lao Mao are the best teammates and friends everyone could ever asked for. Lu Sicheng is so green flag, goddamn i need one like him. Both the character and the actor please. Lu Yue and Lao Mao are the absolutely funniest people ever.
Overall this show is amazing and it’s really worth watching, you are definitely going to fall in love with everyone. There are some parts that you can “skip”, if you are not into e-sports/games.
………Last but not least: shipped Lao K and Lao Mao so hard, they are soulmates so bad.
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I want to play this game .... Sweet Sweet Sweet!!!
I'm a fan of drama's like these... although there was only 1 that was like this... not similar ... however. Have to admit .. a better story line. That's ok... it's been years since Love O2O.It's nice to see how these type of games bring in different aspects of understanding among the older generation and the difference of stereotyping.
There was a few wake-up calls to those who assume you have to understand the game in order to be involved with someone who plays it. It was a pleasant surprise that there was a bit of education regarding that type of stereotype. Also letting those crazy fans out there with a few brain cells know that their actions are not only uncalled for ... but to focus on their own life before trying to become dictators of someone's life you have no rights too.
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People lose their s!@# over girl who plays video games...
Falling Into Your SmileGenre: Romcom, Gaming
Episodes: 31
Streamed on: Netflix
Plot Summary:
A girl plays video games. Girl is pretty good at video games. Good enough to join an esports team. Everyone loses their shit for about 30 episodes because a girl is playing video games. There’s also shared living and romance plot in there too.
Characters & Cast:
Main Characters:
Cheng Xiao ⇒ Tong Yao
Xu Kai ⇒ Lu Si Cheng
Zhou Yi Ran ⇒ Ai Jia
Rachel Wang ⇒ Chen Ji Yang
Best Of OST:
The OST seemed a bit meh, but it did it’s job trying to hype up during the times of tension and evoke emotion at the appropriate times, it’s just that nothing was particularly outstanding…
https://youtu.be/KhtaaH6-R8M?si=aoEWC4ozloCmFK5M
Gripes:
Netizens. They Suck. Also, I get "don't be a sleezy piece of shit", but I don’t understand feeling responsibility to fans… I guess I never will. Given that they kind of realise the short life span of an esports career, I think that they should have encouraged finishing school first.
Re-watch:
Would I watch it again?
Nah, not for me.
Would I watch it with my brother?
Nah, not for him
Would I watch it with my kid?
Hell no. I don’t care how much they romanticised it, I don’t think playing video games competitively is a healthy thing.
Final Thoughts:
Here’s the thing… I’m not that into video games. But I feel like the drama You Are My Glory did this theme so much better than this. I guess I think that it’s hard to revolve a story around competitive gaming and keep my attention. Maybe cut the gaming down and make it a 20-24 episode drama.
Rating:
6/10
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A lot of potential not fully used
While I agree with most of the criticism mentioned in more sceptical reviews, I was still able to enjoy watching this drama, mainly because I didn't expect much. So here's a heads-up on what to expect before you get disappointed:- E-sports will play a big role and the tournament games will create a lot of the excitement other drama series create differently. I am not knowledgeable enough to determine how realistic everything shown is. To me as an uninformed viewer, it did not feel false, unrealistic or exaggerated.
- There's only little explanation on terminology, so for anyone who doesn't know anything about e-sports, this might not be something you watch easily in-between because following might need focus. I recommend especially looking out for the scenes where they show who plays which character in order to be able to follow the animated scenes.
- From what I've read, it will be different than the novel it's adapting.
Due to the focus on e-sports, I, like many others apparently, felt the emotional side of the story to fall a bit flat. I liked that emotions didn't bubble up constantly, creating a lot of tension and drama and hasty decisions (which I usually find unrealistic and over the top anyways). On the other hand, that also made character and relationship development as well as reactions a bit hard to follow since as a viewer, we do not get a lot of insight into the character's way of thinking and feeling (not saying there is none, it's simply not the focus of the story).
Furthermore, I loved the fact that even the side characters fit well into the story and actually had various and complex relationships with one another instead of fulfilling one designated purpose . The team's dynamics for all the e-sports teams were so nice to see as they each differed and had their own "personality". Each team's dynamics was great and heart-warming to watch.
Speaking of chemistry, the comedic chemistry between all the characters felt great. Xu Kai did a great job of making his character seem interesting and complex despite not showing a lot of emotions openly. The character's dynamics allowed for a lot of comic scenes. The romantic chemistry, on the other hand, could not develop fully as the viewer didn't get enough insight into the characters. It was the romantic relationship issues that I disliked the most as they felt so constructed and weren't resolved well.
What is also playing a role for the story is the public opinion/ fan's influences, which some mentioned to feel exaggerated. I did not feel as it was too much, but rather realistic, especially in regard to the different reactions each character had. (And I say that as a person who doesn't use social media outside of their work because I don't like them and think they are playing a way too important role in our daily life.) I didn't like how certain characters dealt (or didn't deal) with this, though. Here, too, I agree with some of the negative reviews.
Towards the end, and that's where I deducted most points, we did get more of the typical drama moments that felt unneccessary to me as with the fan's and family's reactions, the e-sports games, the (side) characters' stories and the development of the romantic relationships the series had more than enough to create suspension with, which would've been a lot more inventive than the classic tropes it relied on.
Overall, we have a lot to enjoy on the plus side. It is up to you whether you feel like this series wasted its potential, as it didn't execute its positive aspects to the end, or if you are simply glad this series even has those points where other series fall flat immediately. I, personally, think the series would have had to be longer to be able to really follow through with all the different aspects it tried to show, while furthermore not accentuating the focus to where viewers would have preferred to have it. Rationally speaking after having given it some thought, I would rate this series 8/10, but from how much I felt entertained personally while watching, I'll give it a 9/10.
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Worth Watching(One of the Most Anticipated 2k21 drama)
This was a ligt hearted cheecky rom-com. It was quite interesting. I honestly loved the chemistry between the lead couple and the second lead couple. The ships formed among the players of team ZGDX was great. Especially the ship formed between Lao K and Lao Mao was adorable. The character of Lu Sicheng enacted by Xu Kai was great. It was like an ironclad wall falling for a puppy. Since I am a CS major, I knew abut the OPL server and the gaming world. For people who are boared of watching the same CEO romantic-comedy should definitely try this. This will take to to another world of games and you are really gonna enjoy it to the core. After this one, you will surely look for the dramas in the same genre. In this genre my first drama was LOVE O2O which I enjoyed although both of them are very different from each other. The only thing that is similar is the exceptional skills of the main leads in the world of gaming.Was this review helpful to you?
ITS A MUST WATCH!
I am very impressed with the story and cast. First of all A+ visuals are there in this drama. Lots of handsome boys and beautiful girls. Even if the visual is outstanding yet their actings are also appreciable. There is a sufficient amount of comedy, friendship and romance in this drama. As the plot is mainly about e-sports. I think a lot about e-sports has also been shown here. So overall everything is well balanced in this drama. The main thing i learned from this drama is that people who are interested in e-sports are not just internet addicts. For those people e-sports is their faith love and dream. I love the reactions of the boys when something happens between the male and female lead. I also like the fact that is being shown here that a girl is eligible to do anythingWas this review helpful to you?
Another thing, that I would like to mention is that I have no idea if this show is trying to advertise The Untamed. There were a few scenes where they had mention The Untamed, for example one part, there was a carnival for the games, and there was cosplay for The Untamed, one that episode there were also character plushes.
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The truth behind E-Sports
As a gamer and a fun of C-Dramas, this was a must watch for me. Honestly though I had no expectations, or to be exact I've read a few reviews from male gamers and was already looking at it in a bad light. On the contrary though, after starting watching it, on the first few episodes I already knew I would fall in love.The casting is mainly full of younger actors which was actually refreshing since the E-sports scene is mainly full of young adults.
I liked how through the story of Tong Yao we get to not only see a beautiful love story blossom but also see the reality and the darkest parts of the E-sports. How ugly fans can be, how people think Pro E-sports players are just young kids who like to game, etc. In that regard they did great at portraying all those ugly and beautiful truths.
I loved the chemistry between Cheng Xiao and Xu Kai. Also this drama is gonna feel all your needs for kiss scenes (lol so many asian dramas even forget of including one scene, this is not gonna be the case here)
I do believe the story started becoming a bit repetitive from a moment on, they could have delayed a few escalations, or actually given us some extra sub-characters deepen story moments, instead of having the same repetitive motives.
Also lets not forget how great the games graphic were! Honestly though as a gamer the only annoying thing was that they were playing a game that exists only for mobiles, in a computer (lol) of course they were kind of portraying the league of legends tournaments etc. Just probably were collaborating with the Onmyouji Arena(or whatever this other game is called oopsie).
Still for me it is highly on my rewatch list. I enjoyed it and made me feel the butterflies many times.
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I am joking (but not really). I have never understood the hype over him before this drama and now … let‘s say I have found a new love.
Initially I refused to watch this drama because of the controversies surrounding it. But 3 days ago I found myself bored in need of a rom-com and this has good reviews/rating so I picked it up with 0 expectations and I was not disappointed.
The plot is not much but it kept me engaged enough even though I am not really into e-sports. It was the characters and (OMG xu kai) that made me love this as much as I did. There were some eye-rolling moments and lines that made me sigh. I have made peace with the fact that they’re going to be cringy moments in every Chinese drama I am going to watch and I am fine with that.
The chemistry between the ML and the FL was off the charts and I liked their bickering. I only have one complain. I would have given this drama a higher rating if it were not for cheng xiao‘s acting. It was fine for the most part but at times, I felt like she did not show any emotions and here reactions were underwhelming. I am not hating on her I do like her as an idol but I think that she need more training before taking a lead role in a drama again.
Another highlights for me were the cats. The cute little one that they got later on I am in love.
Overall, it was a good drama. If you want something lighthearted with good characters, watch it.
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