Go Go Squid 2: Dt. Appledog's Time

A Love Story of a Skilled and Ambitious Couple

The second season of Go Go Squid! is neither a sequel nor a prequel. It follows an alternative storyline with only some similarities. Some people find it disappointing because they hoped for a continuation of the original story, but I think this way it's more interesting.

DT and Appledog are a very different couple from Gun God and Squid. They are more mature, private, and quiet, they share a different kind of energy than the couple in season one. Yet the story is also interesting and I liked both couples equally.

The competition of robots helped to better visualise the duels, whereas in the first season most of the competitions were skipped because it's difficult to explain a chain of events just by showing a screen full of code. On the other hand, the robot fights seemed more childish than the coding that could hack or secure a system which is a useful thing in real life. It wasn't more childish than other e-sports though and as we know they are now a competition at the Olympic games.

I liked Hu Yi Tian's portrayal of the male lead. It was different from the usual overbearing CEO in other Chinese dramas. DT spoke little and was restrained, sensitive and romantic, and yet really witty and capable, and his eyes and smile could convey an array of emotions.

The female lead portrayed by Li Yi Tong was skilled and ambitious. She didn't behave like a little girl, which was refreshing in a Chinese drama. There were moments when I thought she was too selfish, and I really hoped for an ending where she would join K&K and they both would become a couple of Kings. I didn't understand why she pursued career in the competition. Still, I'm glad that they could do it in an amiable manner.

I liked the grandpa, but I thought the girls' father was too much. I don't find it funny when adult people's life is being controlled by their parents. I liked the relationship between the sisters, and the overall fair play attitude of the sports teams.

I appreciated that there weren't as many retrospections as in the first season. I would like to see a bit more intimacy but the many kisses were a nice touch.

All in all a nice drama without much angst that I might rewatch sometime in the future.

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I Remember It, I Just Didn’t Feel It

📝 Review (Go Go Squid 2: Dt. Appledog’s Time)

(WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Any Emotional Damage)

Let’s get this out of the way immediately: this is not a sequel. I don’t care what the marketing says, what the title suggests, or what technicalities people want to argue in the comments section. This is an alternate-universe spin-off wearing Go Go Squid’s name like it borrowed the jacket and never quite gave it back.

And I’m going to be honest—I felt that difference immediately.

Where Go Go Squid had this chaotic, slightly unhinged emotional energy that somehow worked, this one feels like it went to therapy, got its life together, and forgot to invite the fun part of itself back into the room.

Now, the robot battles. I tried. I really did. I sat there waiting for the moment where I would suddenly care about mechanical warfare and strategic robot combat like everyone else apparently does… and it just never happened. It was giving “important storyline,” but my brain was giving “background noise while I scroll my phone.”

People hype it up like it’s emotionally gripping or intense or whatever, but for me it was just metal men doing metal things while I politely nodded like I understood the assignment. I did not.

The romance? Also… fine. That’s the problem. Just fine. Not bad, not offensive, not confusing—just aggressively okay. And I think that hurts more than it being terrible, because I wanted to feel something for it. Instead, I kept thinking about how Go Go Squid did it better without even trying to act like it was trying that hard.

It’s like this drama is very aware of itself—very controlled, very structured—and I am over here missing the version that was slightly chaotic and emotionally questionable but at least made me feel like I was being dragged through the story instead of politely guided through it.

Wu Bai getting more personality? Yes, that was needed. That part I’ll give credit for. Appledog as a lead? Also fine. Everything is fine. That’s kind of my problem. I don’t want “fine” when I know what this universe is capable of when it actually leans into being messy and fun and a little emotionally reckless.

Because this version? It felt like I was watching things happen rather than being pulled into them. Like I was observing a story instead of accidentally living inside it at 2am with no self-control.

The entire thing sits in that “I could absolutely be doing something else and not lose anything important” zone. Which is dangerous. That’s how dramas end up becoming laundry-day background noise instead of obsession fuel.

The wedding episode at the end though? Okay. I’ll admit it. That one actually worked. That one had a pulse. That one briefly reminded me that emotions exist in this universe. But even then—I wanted more Shang Yan and Tong Nian. I’m not asking for much. Just a crumb. A cameo. A blink-and-you-miss-it emotional payoff. Something.

And yes, I’m biased. Fully aware. Go Go Squid is still the one I actually care about. This one didn’t replace it, didn’t upgrade it, didn’t even really challenge it. It just quietly existed next to it like, “hey, remember this world?” and I was like… yeah. Unfortunately.

And that’s probably the most accurate way to describe my entire experience:

I remembered it. I just didn’t feel it.

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Expected the unexpected and i loved it!

i never thought that i would be squealing at 7 in the morning just because of HuYiTian and LiYiTong! it felt like i was shrieking forever! i watched ep17 at least 3x and was screaming until my son started hammering the cellphone against the wall.

when i was still halfway through GGS2DTADT, i already told myself that i'm starting to like this better than GGS1 (i still love YangZi and LiXian, don't worry). i read some reviews prior to watching the second season as i'm always wary of series having more than one. i know that these are based from a manhua trilogy ("Fish Playing While Trapped in a Secret Room” by MoBaoFeiBao) but apparently, S1 was based on the 3rd book wherein the writer was involved in the series creation as the screenwriter, while S2 was based on the 2nd book but the series' storyline was not the manhua writer. if you are planning to watch GGS1 and GGS2, feel free to watch it in any order as each of these can be watched as standalone, but make sure to clear your mind off of whatever you see first prior to watching the next one to avoid getting confused and disappointed like the majority.
lastly, i loved the fact that they changed the sports competition to robotics instead of CTF because battle bot is very hard to illustrate to those who are not that knowledgeable about it. these are some specificities that i also look into but who am i kidding? we are all for the giddy love story, right?! 🥰

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Here we have another great Chinese romance+esport drama, China is really killing it lately in this genre. I had a great time from beginning to end, despite it being a very long series, sporting a whopping 38 episodes. Compared to Go Go Squid 1, they've fixed most of the problems. CTF might be a super interesting competition format, but in GGS1 the CTF fights were somewhat boring and out of place, also GGS1 had an incredible amount of flashback filler. GGS2 on the other hand addressed both of these problems. There were very few flashbacks in comparison & they changed CTF to robot combat. Naturally human controlled robots fights, at least as portrayed here don't make any sense. The laws of physics etc were not followed, but I gotta give it to them, at least it was entertaining & exciting to watch. (Kind of like Beyblade..)
Just like GGS1, GGS2 also has a 50/50 split between romance and esports, but It's hugely better in the sense that the fastforward button does not need to be used for full enjoyment. I already mentioned that there were much fewer flashback scenes, but they also dialed down on cringy interactions with foreigners. Perhaps even the Chinese patriotism/peptalk scenes were fewer in number, I felt those were overall more bearable. With that said they used a lot more China labels on clothing & the K&K uniform looked absolutely ridiculous, especially how the forearm part of those white long sleeves were often filled up with some ehm material to symbolize China's might more. Yi Tian is not Popeye, not even close, but it sure as hell looked like it in all those forearm closeup scenes featuring that huge red China logo.

The romance is very well written in this drama. The pacing is nice, the love triangle barely exists and the OTP's relationship is really wholesome overall. There weren't many missed opportunities. Maybe they could've revealed the K&K name's origins to the world, but there were more than enough gratifying reveals in this drama, really. Also it's nice how they officially get together at around episode 17 and then all the misunderstandings and problems that occur later get resolved quickly in a satisfying manner. The ending is really great too..

The reason why it's only a 9 is due to two reasons. Firstly just like GGS1 this one too has a really stupid scene, where XB forces AQ into the car in front of Wang Hao's house. I'm sure many western viewers agree with me about that scene being a huge black mark, however I know for a fact that Chinese romance webnovels have similar scenes all the time and the audience seems to love them, so it's not at all surprising that GGS2 would have something like that. (The scene that I similarly hated in GGS1 is how HSY promised TN's mom to forever leave TN)
The second reason is actor Hu Yi Tian and his lack of chemistry with Li Yi Tong. I'm not saying that they had no chemistry at all, but I've seen much better. The big problem with Hu Yi Tian is that more he talked the less convincing his acting felt to me. The OTP in GGS1 is just a hugely better fit. To me it feels like typecasting him to the exact same role what he held in "A Love So Beautiful" is a better choice for him..

As for making sense of the story continuity between GGS1 & GGS2, it's best not to think about it too much. Multiverse theory is the easiest explanation. Things are similar, but different. The story is the same & yet not the same. The chronology is kind of the same, but full of immersion breaking plot holes.

Despite GGS1 & GGS2 continuity being all over the place, I recommend everyone to watch GGS1 first(feel free to skip half of the flashbacks), it's gratifying to see Tong Nian & HSY appearing in GGS2 afterwards..

So yeah, GGS2 was a great show, I'm sure I'll eventually do a rewatch. In fact I'm ready for GGS3, I'm okay with the creators changing the featured Esport again too. They can put 97's sweet noona romance in focus, for all I care.. :-)

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I actually was really looking forward to this, because I really thought it would be a good Sequel from Go Go Squid.

I think what confused me the most, was that all the characters that played in Go Go Squid, are all different in this show, and that maybe one or two people were the same. I think it really was more a story of Wu Bai & Ai Qing. But because I watched Go Go Squid, I think I prefered the other actors, and then when I saw it was different actors, I started to get confused who was who then. And they also played a different game in this drama. I enjoyed the drama although though, despite being confused who was who at the start but near the end I got it! I do wish they had the actors from before though, because it did completely change the characters personality in some parts.

But, I would say! I think from Wu Bai's prospective being his own story, it was a cute story of how he got AiQing, and she was supposed to be a lot older, but she looks younger! LOL I mean he also was a completely different person in this drama. His personality was different. But I still enjoyed the love story of the two.. Yeah I enjoyed this story but just not the overall since it was to be a sequel of Go Go Squid.

But the one thing I didn't like was when they all got married together. Tong Nian, Han Shangyan, Wu Bai & Ai Qing. I think for me, I prefered if they didn't get married together, because all the characters were different in Go Go Squid. So half of the cast weren't even there for their wedding.

Yeah, no I just didn't like it, because of all the different actors! I mean, if the characters were the same, and maybe since Ai Qing was a different actor it would still have been okay! But I think they shouldn't have combined Go Go Squid, and just made another story, kept the actors the same and then this story then yeah!

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Me decepcionei

Comecei a assistir devido a ter gostado muito do Vai, Cara de Lula 1, até pensei que seria uma continuação da história, desta vez desenvolvendo a história de amor do DT/Wu Bai, que vimos de leve no primeiro, porém a história se mostrou totalmente descontinuada da temporada 1 ( o que odiei).

Outro ponto que detestei, mudou a atriz que fazia a Ai Qing e deu a entender que essa história ocorreu antes da primeira versão 😠😠😠 Fora que não é mais dentro do universo dos jogos e-sports e sim competição de robôs.

Sinceramente deviam ter ficado no primeiro mesmo e acabou. Me decepcionei com o drama em si!

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A must watch!!

I really enjoyed watching this drama, never got bored until the end.

In the beginning, I had thought Wu Bai was acting really creepy but as the story unfolded, I was deeply struck by his love and devotion. His character is someone we all hope to have in our real lives. I fell in love with his character as I watched the drama. As an actor, Hu Yi Tian is improving at a very good pace. I will continue to await & watch his future dramas moving forward.3

The actors were great. I thought Wang Hao was a little bit over the top though. The plot progressed at a very good pace keeping my interest tuned in. The kiss scenes were great too, they didn't looked forced or fake. I also wish there could have been a deeper dive into Shen Zhe's relationship. Wang An Yu is also an actor I am eagerly looking forward to watch more of. Not only is he good-looking but I like his acting style.

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DEFINITELY NOT THE SEASON 2 WE WAITED FOR?

Well, the first two episodes are straight cut boring and for us (those who were really excited for ggs2 because the want to see the continuation of the characters in ggs1) it is disappointing !!

I doubt if anybody cares, but still i want to mention some points i feel is so confusing for me to watch-

1) WU BAI SPEAKS A LOT : well I'm not complaining about the fact, but it feels so weird, like dude the same character hardly SPEAKS in season 1🤷🏻‍♀️

2) The side characters excluding 97 are so confusing. Zhou Yi/ ONE was the key member of team KK in season 1, but in season 2 all he can do is cooking ( as per the released episodes )

3) Tbh, many international fans like us, dont really know the characters by name, but their faces, here they all have got game name, so we used to know them by that, but in season 2 they hardly bring back the old cast, all of them got new faces, I have no issue for Ai Qing though, because she matches the best with Wu Bai. But key characters like WANG HAO/SOLO , SHEN ZHE/ GRUNT are so confusing to watch.

4) The timeline itself is so confusing, in first episode they show that the year is 2017, then they show us 3 years leap, that means the season 2's current timeline is 2020, whereas the 1st season's timeline is 2019, and as per season 1 KK wasn't any new formed group, and Ai Qing was already with SP by that time,

5) Well i don't really know about gaming but in season 1 they show us a completely different side of gaming, like they used to code and all in the competitions but here they includes robot technology, which is good, but they should atleast keep some link between the themes in season 1 and 2

6) In season 1, Xio Mi joined SP After AI QING , but in season 2, it seems AI QING joined the team too late, because the team already recruit Xio Mi to surprise her 🤦🏻‍♀️

Well i have much more to say but I'll wait till the last episode, only 8 episodes have released, but as a loyal GO GO SQUID fan i am just a little disappointed that's all, i wish they just named this series with some other name and not GO GO SQUID 2 .

At the end I really wish all the luck to ggs2 team and my favourite HU YITIAN ❤

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Don't watch this as a sequel but on its own - Romance more than Sports

9/7/2021

This is not a sequel to Go Go Squid 1, but a spin-off in a parallel universe. If you watch and judge this as a sequel, you will be sorely disappointed. I am going to try my best and not compare this to GGS1. Even so, I am disappointed and decided to drop this drama. There are many good dramas waiting for me to watch and I have to learn to let go sooner. This is not a bad drama per se (hence my 7.0 rating), it's just not for me.

Things I like:

1. Robot Combat - I am happy to see a different type of team sports, instead of the usual e-gaming. I was a fan of the American show Battle Bots years ago, and was excited to see something similar here. It provides a different kind of excitement (when done right). For a novice, it's a lot easier to understand than video games.

2. Grandpa is back! He's so cute and fun. He definitely is the best wingman for his grandsons. Love the blind date episode.

3. OST - This drama has some great songs. It's also nice to hear the theme song of GGS1 when Team Solo is on.

Things I don't like:

1. Not enough Robot Combat - I watched 19 episodes and there are only a few scenes with competitions or team trainings. Robot fight was what I am most looking forward to, but the show focuses too much on the romance storylines.

2. Weak Team Camaraderie - Compared to the other e-sports drama, there isn't enough team building. This is usually the best part of e-sport dramas, knowing how the team members bond, go through hardships, train and compete. Not just the bromance between team members, but healthy rivalries against other teams. This is unfortunately lacking in GGS2.

3. Romance - as much as I love a mature romance, and unrequited love, there's too little going on. I enjoy watching ML's lovesick adorable eyes full of emotions, and I root for him. But a full drama of a lovesick puppy being all smitten, including the 2ML, is just too much for me, and I love romance! Maybe others would enjoy this sweetness more than I do.

4. Slowness- there are too many slow-mo close-ups to create this "romantic" or "cool" effect. There's at least one in each episode. Additionally, the pacing of the drama is very slow. Not much happened in the 19 episodes that I watched. There isn't enough materials for 38 episodes. It would be better if this drama is only 20-24 episodes long.

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For me, this season is much better than season 1 and I'll explain why.

How "Go Go Squid 2: Dt. Appledog's Time" Surpasses the First Season:
"Go Go Squid 2" not only manages to preserve the charm of the first season but also enhances it in several key aspects, making it a more successful and even better drama in the eyes of many. Here's a detailed breakdown:
More Mature and Subtle Romance
While the first "Go Go Squid!" focused on the young and naive romance between Han Shangyan and Tong Nian, in "Go Go Squid 2," we get a more mature and subtle love story.

* Slow and Natural Development:
The relationship between Wu Bai and Ai Qing builds over years of mutual admiration from afar, making the progression of their romance more organic and believable. There's no "love at first sight" here, but rather a deep connection based on professional and personal respect.

* Deeper Chemistry:
The chemistry between Hu Yitian (Wu Bai) and Li Yitong (Ai Qing) feels more developed and heartwarming. Their gazes, small gestures, and quiet understanding convey a greater emotional power.

* Nature of the Romance:
Wu Bai, with his shyness and years of accumulated profound love, and Ai Qing, the professional and strong woman, create a charming dynamic that is less "overly sweet" than in the first season. This relationship feels more realistic and resonates with a more mature audience.
Greater Character Depth and Development Arcs

* Dealing with Past and Injuries:
Wu Bai carries a heavy burden of past injuries and the loss of friends, which adds significant depth to his character. His journey to overcome physical and mental obstacles while leading a team is fascinating and moving.

* Strong Female Character and Role Model:
Ai Qing is an inspiring female character, a trailblazer in a male-dominated world. She is not dependent on anyone and demonstrates determination and courage in the face of challenges. Her journey is a powerful message about equality and self-realization. While Tong Nian was sweet and endearing, Ai Qing displays leadership, resilience, and perseverance that position her as a stronger female role model.

* More Focus on the K&K Team:
Unlike the first season, where much of the focus was on Han Shangyan and Solo, here we get a deeper look at the young members of the K&K team. The development of their relationships with Wu Bai, and their personal and professional growth, add layers of friendship and support.
Different Dynamics and Less External Drama

* Less Parental and External Interference:
While the first season had quite a few conflicts stemming from family relationships or external interference, in "Go Go Squid 2," the emphasis is on the team's internal challenges and their coping with competitive pressure. This allows for a greater focus on the romance and the professional journey.

* Internal Conflicts: The drama focuses more on the personal and professional conflicts of Wu Bai and Ai Qing, such as dealing with expectations, injuries, and the pressure to win, rather than external dramas. This is a refreshing change that provides greater depth to the story.

Emphasis on Legacy and Inspiration
The second season deals more with the legacy left by the founding generation (including Han Shangyan and Solo), and how the new generation of Wu Bai and Ai Qing carries the torch forward. There's a strong sense of continuity and the realization of a shared dream that began years earlier. This gives the story a deeper meaning beyond a single victory.

In conclusion, "Go Go Squid 2: Dt. Appledog's Time" offers a more mature and richer viewing experience, with a complex and subtle romance, deeper characters, and a heartwarming story about legacy, determination, and the realization of dreams. It's definitely a drama worth watching, even for those who enjoyed the first season.

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