This review may contain spoilers
Pretty decent drama for having that many episodes
I know what you're thinking. 41 episodes, that seems a lot and bound to have a lot of troubles. Even I was concern too but in honest truth, it wasn't all that bad.Before I continue with my review, I'm just going to pinpoint a couple of things about this drama and hopefully that will determine if you want to watch it or not.
1. If you're not a fan of the drama cliché of the leads meeting each other as kids, then you might as well skip this one. If you're not bother by it, then continue on. I considered this as a good drama cliché.
2. There are no evil parents or in-laws
3. There are a few misunderstandings, in the beginning and then right around Ep 31-32. However, these misunderstandings are cleared up pretty quickly, so if you're concern about long episode wait of solving the misunderstandings, you don't have to worry. The second misunderstanding doesn't lead to a break up but more of FL's concern and need of reassurance about ML's love for her.
4. Very minor love rival for our main couple. I said minor because the FL's rival doesn't show up until much later in the drama and even then, she's only in a few episodes but she is hecka annoying. There is a love triangle but that's within the secondary couple. There are 3 couples in total for this drama.
5. Some people may get annoyed by Yu Da, the guy that forms our 2nd couple and is part of the secondary love triangle. Either because of his actions or they seemly are rooting for the other guy in the love triangle. He doesn't really bother me but I can see the annoyance especially when it's with the SFL.
6. There is a main villain but it's more like the forming of a villain due to the greedy nature of wanting to win and to bring down the ML.
I personally like this drama overall and my rating of a 9 doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have the same opinion or taste as me. I gave this drama a rating of a 9 because for one, it's a 41 episode drama and I got to admit, it's actually pretty okay from start to finish for having that many episodes. There are some moments where it drags but that's what you expect with dramas this long. However, even with that, I still anticipate for the next episode so at least it kept me interested for the most part.
Story is nothing new here but it isn't bad either as the FL will play the key role to the ML's recovery process. This drama does a great balance on showing the GO competition and the building of relationships between our couples. Now there are some scenes where they do explain the movements of GO and how the play of this game works but not enough explanation for a newbie like me to understand. However, in replacement of that, the drama shows cool and awesome fighting scenes between our GO players to show who will win and I for one, really enjoy those cinematic scenes.
The one thing I wish that could've been better is at least having one of the character suspecting our villain throughout the drama. In terms of that aspect, the characters are too trusting which leads to the villain getting away with a lot of stuff until close to the end. Now the stuff he does just impacts the ML for the most part, as he is his main target so while his plans and actions are evil, there not as evil as other villains I've seen in other dramas. Also, I wasn't too fond of the secondary couple love triangle. That wasn't needed at all for this drama.
In summary, I'm very impressed with the quality of this drama being that it's 41 episodes. FL is a little bit annoying in the beginning but she's a strong character overall so that's a big plus for me. The drama OST for the intro and credit are amazing. I never skip it! It may not be everyone's cup of tea but I for one enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
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Though I'll admit the main couple is kinda cute and acting from them is promising as Landy Li can always pull out that cute adorable role and Niu Jun Feng may seem stiff and robotic throughout the whole show but that is what his character is made up... I adored Cheng Yi's character a lot... but other than that nothing impressed me or even make it worth watching, as the story forwards in a vague direction every time.
I don't get why dramas have to glamorize every profession? Like from when Go players are treated like celebrities or idols for fangirling... or news anchors make scandals for drinking or going to club or spending their time with whomever they want. It doesn't make any sense... The whole fingerprint thing was nonsensical, and why they have to make a lead who's just soooo surreal almost not relatable at any point, but then yes male lead should be the most intelligent and smartest person alive where female lead clumsy, naive, and the innocent type who isn't even par to male leads aura. Ah, that kinda sucks.
Maybe I would have appreciated it if they made Sheng Jing Chu more human-like, not LEGEND... I mean his girlfriend calls him legend all the time, doesn't he deserve some human-like treatment?
As of the fact, this is 41 episodes so sure it takes a time to get leads together... both being adorable I did enjoy their time and moments together. But apart from the leads side couples were a bit off for me, I wasn't rooting for anyone lol Yu Da is mood but he's just childish and so immature and I was annoyed by his actions most of the time. Xu Chi was just so trying to fit in the mold of perfect which made him a bit stiff and unreachable. I guess Xi He would be the only one... I enjoyed seeing him on screen every time, I also liked his moody style changing so every time he looks like a whole new person with a different persona.
The production value or quality doesn't matter to me most of the time, as a strong story is more than enough than beautiful cinematography. But when you try to do some-not-really-needed-but-just-for-visuals-things do it properly. The whole graphic thing during Go matches was poorly done... it almost felt like if I'm watching any cheap animation movie without any context.
In conclusion, it's nothing unique or delivers something that's out of the box.. you have a lot of free time and the ability to turn off your brain for some time then you can give it a try at your own risk.
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Fake Sports Drama
If you're watching for the Go part of this drama, you will most likely be disappointed. It's really just a fluffy romance drama targeting a middle schooler's romantic fantasy (or at least what the writer thinks is one anyway). The only difference is they use Go as a backdrop to make the story unique. 75% of the matches were depicted as CGI action fighting scenes. It really felt like an insult cuz they were like "no one is going to be watching for the actual Go stuff so let's just dumb it down and show fighting scenes instead." One or two animated battles would have been nice to add humor or be dramatic, but they overdid it. Most of these fight scenes were lame and absolutely unnecessary.This drama is extremely cliché. Of course there are some cute moments, but a lot of times I was cringing cuz of the corniness. Let's just say it felt like it was artificially sweetened. The Female Lead is also kind of dumb and ditzy so that was a disappointment for me. I didn't really care about the main couple. My favorite character was the 4th Dan girl. Most of her scenes were amusing. As for the pacing of the drama, the 2nd half is very draggy, especially the last quarter of the drama. It really was a struggle to finish. Overall, this lands under so bad it's good territory. I would recommend it as a good hate watch or something to watch with friends so you can make fun of it. Maybe skip the last 10 episodes though.
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Cute rom-com with unique focus on Go and it's culture
I thought this was a pretty well executed storyline with nice graphics/editing and music/sound effects. I thought it was interesting how they sometimes visualized the games of Go like video game scenes (given, these aren't the cleanest edits I've ever seen but it was a nice concept). The characters were quite well developed, I especially like the antagonist's story...they were able to make him slowly sink his bottom line (like before he knew it, he was in the deep end already), it was very natural. All of the characters' judgements seem to make sense and the acting was really great for the most part. One character I wasn't the biggest fan of for maybe 2/3 of the drama was Jiang YuDa (you'll probably see him throughout the comments) but I'm pretty sure half his character was written in just as gov propaganda (raised abroad but wants to come back to his homeland, has tried all foods but thinks Chinese foods are the best, etc.). Another issue was that the ML's "greatness" I think was just overkill especially in the beginning of the drama...that was just unnecessary. Overall, a pretty decent watch; very medium-paced and sensible interactions/reactions (there were just a few things about the ML's ability that were very over-exaggerated in the beginning). Keep in mind, this is a drama, and not real life, so things are overexaggerated and this drama also follows the recent trend I've been seeing of dramas greatly overestimating social media hype (let's be real...not every bit of gossip can become a "hot search").Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyable romance with some slice of life (minor spoilers ahead)
There are a lot of negative comments/reviews on this page but I'd like to share my opinion on, why this is an enjoyable drama for romcom lovers.Apart from the sister's love line (I skipped most of her romantic scenes because I just liked her as her own independent career woman who really did not need a man but oh well), I really enjoyed the drama. Although it is long, the main couple and their relationship as well as the friendships (especially between all the Go players within the dojo and even some competitors) and all the different types of relationships in this drama are heartwarming. The first half of the drama is really cute and what is expected of a Chinese romcom. The chemistry between all the actors is really good, especially the main couple. They were not awkward once they got together and their relationship was healthy with very little misunderstandings.
The second half of the drama is slower, yes, and there is not much development in the main leads' relationship but you see them being stable and loving throughout the whole drama which is something I personally enjoy a lot. If you are in for the short and sweet flash romance that basically ends with the leads just getting together, or for the Go aspect of the drama (the drama more focuses on the mental aspect of playing Go and what the players have to go through to become masters in Go), this is not for you. I find that most dramas tend to finish when the leads have just started dating or when they get back together after a breakup. For me, that is quite frustrating most of the time because there is so much more to life and romance than just the crushing, push and pull and dating period, which is why I love that they show their steady relationship over a longer time period where the romance is not the sole focus anymore. And don't get me wrong, they are still extremely cute, but it's not just about them dating each other but their lives together as a couple among their friends and family, with all the ups and downs of life. All in all, I very much enjoyed the drama. I laughed, cried and felt butterflies in my stomach which is really all I could ask for.
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A drama about playing Go? It’s actually kind of cute.
I’m glad I saw Niu Jun Feng in Meet Yourself first, although that was a supporting role, I felt like his acting ability was a lot better. I like seeing him as the carefree music lover, than the stoic stiff Go player in Go into your Heart. With that said, I still enjoyed his character very much.I haven’t see any drama with Landy Li, but I know she’s in Starry Love and that’s next on my list. I have to say, I’m a fan. She’s super young at 23, but she acts so well and she reminds me a lot like Zhao Lu Si, just really bubbly and has a cute but beautiful presence on camera.
I’m not a huge fan of dramas where one is a reporter and that person tries to get the scoop on the other lead, but in Go into your Heart, it was actually cute. The ML is color blind, but he can see the FL in color and I really loved that story plot. It’s very typical C drama writing and that’s why I love watching my C dramas.
I really liked how they did the fight scenes. Instead of watching two people play Go, they have them do martial arts and it makes the drama fun to watch.
The main leads have great chemistry and I love how effortless their story is. It was REALLY easy to watch and even simple stuff like shopping and making food was treat to feast my eyes on.
I didn’t care too much for the secondary and 3rd storylines. One was a love triangle and the other was a one-sided love. I chimed in a few times here and there when I saw the other stories, but towards the end I started to fast-forward. She didn’t pick the guy I wanted too!
The drama is a bit long at 40 episodes, so you got filler episodes, like a 4th love story pops up. That was a little crazy.
Overall, the heart and spirit of the drama is cute and will put a smile on your face. I would highly suggest just watching the parts that are interesting and skipping the stuff you aren’t interested in.
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PDA and sweetness off the charts!!
First of all, I don’t agree with most of the other earlier reviews. This is a very sweet drama, no-frills, yes a little typical, but it’s genuine and very touching. I didn’t like Forever and Ever or You are my glory- those two dramas were too hyped up and too fake.The story, character and relationship development were all very good. It seems rather long with 41 episodes, I wasn’t bored until probably the last 10 episodes. It then got a bit repetitive. 41 episodes is too long for a rom-com, cos you can’t go any further with the comedy or the storyline. It would have been better to finish it off by 30. There were however many touching scenes which surprisingly made me cry!
The love story between Sheng Jing Chu and Cheng Liao was very sweet. The PDA and romance was off the charts :):):) Lots and lots of it! So unlike Forever and Ever which was SO HARD to come by, even though that couple was older and more matured? Yes the FL can be overly cute, but I didn’t find that annoying at all. The ML (he was one of the guys in Love O2O) yes he was stiff, but I believe that was the portrayal of his character.
I also particularly liked how the scenes from the GO competitions would change to virtual Kung-fu battle scenes! I enjoyed that very much! Good blend of comedy and some wrongdoings as well.
Ignore the other reviews. GO watch this for a lovely sweet drama :):)
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Great Drama with wonderful plot that the average viewer can follow. Actors were great and had great chemistry. Worth watching a number of times. OST was one of the best. Great location for shooting. The overall rating should be higher than the one currently given. Great watch for American viewers who are just beginning to watch C Dramas.
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A complete surprise. By the end I totally loved it.
That was so damn beautiful.I thought this was actually really slow and draggy for the first 15 episodes or so. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t really holding my attention and I even briefly considered dropping it at one point but the main couple kept me going. I wanted to see them get together.
As soon as they did it’s like everything took off from there, even though a lot of the story wasn’t directly about just them. I see a lot of people saying they enjoyed the 1st 15-16 episodes (maybe 18, I can’t remember) but that it then took a turn for the worst. I completely disagree. Strongly. This drama was very moving. It had great depth to it and turned into something really beautiful. It went from simple to complex, to very complex but there was a simplistic beauty throughout. This was Romance.
Loved that main couple from beginning to end and loved all the other couples that developed later on too. I laughed a lot. Cried hard as hell a few times too.
Still don’t have a clue how to play GO. Lol! None. But I still enjoyed watching the competitions, although I glazed over some of the commentary (okay, a lot) during.
I’m determined to find and download the OST for this drama. Loved it. I’m especially hooked on the song played during the ending credits. Already got that one added to my playlist and I’ve been singing it all day.
I’ll absolutely rewatch this. Definitely.
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Very sweet drama with really cute leads and second leads!
I really enjoyed this drama, the overall storyline was pretty typical of two people falling in love and having misunderstandings and reconciling, but it was also unique in its own way. Go was a very different topic to see and it was explained well for audience who don't know about go (although I didn't understand much) it was very well presented I would say. It started off boring and got interesting later on. It was an alright drama. The actors have done a great job acting but I didn't enjoy the plot very much. It was a good plot probably something someone who is into fully fluffy rom-com would enjoy but it you're someone like me who likes rom-com with a very serious plot you might now enjoy it as much. I really loved the second leads though they were really cute! The music though was very nice, I actually really loved it. Overall, A very much not serious fluffy romance drama about Go. ??♟️?????️???❤️Was this review helpful to you?
It's not just about the game of Go or the Romance
This was an amazing show and I'm sorry I didn't give a try earlier. I was vaguely familiar with some scenes in the first few episodes so I must have seen clips when it first aired but for some reason never put it on my watchlist, maybe because I didn't know literally anything about the game of Go and I didn't think a 41 episode drama that centered around that would interest me?Now I have actually watched it I have to say this is one of my favorite recent Cdramas in its genre. It really brings all the emotions out, there are times you are laughing, sometimes you're rooting enthusiastically, you find yourself immersed in their world effortlessly, when they suffer a loss, or a setback you feel it too.
Without posting a spoiler, there's the final 2-3 episodes that resonated with my personal experiences in life and I was expecting the final few episodes to be pure fluff but this dealt with something we will all to differing degrees deal with and I felt it elevated the show quite a bit to be realistic and not just fairies and pixie dust lalala happy ending for everyone....don't get me wrong, I love a good fluff drama, but this one, I felt, kept the spirit of the original intent from the first episode all the way to the very end. A great, realistic, and sweet romance between our leads dealing with life as it's thrown at them even if it's setting was heavy handed with some common c-drama tropes, somehow those never overshadowed the story and the real emotions.
To address the concerns about the drama focusing heavily on the game of Go, even if you know nothing about this game (like me), you will find the drama very interesting. There are times where the games are very important to the plot, but you aren't just watching two people put a white or black stone on the board...in the most intense moments, you are transported into a visual metaphor for the actions of the game. Sometimes it's an old style video game, sometimes it's two assassins battling it out, sometimes it's magical warriors fighting in a bamboo forest...each time is unique and manages to capture the essence of the emotions and the meanings behind the moves on the board. I really enjoyed that part and I love the writers for creating an opportunity to bring the game of Go to life in an interesting and new way.
There were several times where the sismance and bromance was strong in this drama. One thing that really stuck out for me was a few moments of real conversations between men about life, love, loss, and emotions. I like to see that expressed and shown more in dramas. Men have emotions just as much as women do, and it's healthy and good to show normal interactions...men don't always have to be smashed drunk out of their minds to open up to each other, sometimes you can sit across from each other and play a game of Go/chess or whatever and just talk to each other about life. It was amazing and I hope more dramas show men like that.
I would have given this show a perfect score except that I wish the writers would have dealt with Kao Ye a little differently, I felt his actions were undetected for too long and his very deep and overwhelming suffering wasn't seen by either his Shifu or his fellow apprentices or at least they didn't see it as something they need to make an effort to interfere or intercede with like they did when the ML had issues. The show wasn't about Kao Ye, so maybe that's why he was allowed to go into an inescapable spiral of obsession but his actions really had far reaching consequences and I wish someone had noticed him a little sooner. He was the root cause of his problems but still, I wish the writers had given him a little of a break once in a while.
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