A sports drama with some romance
I like both Gina Jin and Wang Anyu, so I started this drama with a higher expectation. In terms of production and cinematography - it’s a good production. Voices are not dubbed and the quality is good. It’s an older woman younger man theme, with 7 years difference in age. She is his personal coach, he is the athlete striving to win and get into the national team.The sports aspect was interesting and engaging enough. It shows how he trains, his struggles and obstacles he has to overcome; his relationship with his teammates and opponents etc. She as his personal coach did not do very much in terms of “training” but there was one scene where she shows herself doing some Pilates which I liked! Her role basically was more encouraging and guiding him in his path.
As for the relationship aspect, I found this disappointing. His character was really childish, pouty and throwing tantrums. I’m glad at some point he manned up and started taking the lead, but it was short-lived only for a few episodes. It then went back to being childish. So it didn’t quite jive w me. I preferred the characters in Why Women Love which is also Gina Jin with another ML. There were some nice kissing and PDA scenes after they got together ;)
Overall, it was a good watch. No silly tropes or typical CEO boss type themes, which I’m glad!!
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Finally c- drama nailed the perfect romcom.
Phew - I've had such bad luck with c- dramas that I was very skeptical to watch this. However this drama nailed it. Just perfect. I didn't give it a ten because it was just right, not outrageously fantastic.The ML basically carried the show - he is so expressive that I can see a long award filled career ahead of him. He speaks with his eyes and his soul is in his eyes. Just marvelous. It doesn't hurt that he looks like a dish and happily shows us his abs.
The FL was excellent too. She stuck to her character of being older than him yet was not condescending or pompous. The chemistry was sizzling between them.
I just didn't like her anorexic looks. Hope that is not the standard for the regional young ladies to follow. It's too thin and emaciated - not attractive or appealing at all.
The music - wow!!! All the comments were asking where to get the sound track.
The cinematography - awesome. Beautiful visuals, beach, homes, gardens.....very soothing and appealing.
Every actor stuck to their role - kudos to the director for not letting anyone over act or behave cutie pie or sexy.
Wonderful feel good drama!!
Thank you again C-drama. I guess you read global complaints and really cleaned this one up.
One teeny suggestion - please stick to 12 or 16 episodes.
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A drama that I don't hesitate to watch again
First of all I want to say that Wang Anyu and Jin Chen really got chemistry in this drama! this is the first drama that I watched as well as introducing me to Wang Anyu and Jin Chen. From here I also started to be curious about other dramas from them that I am currently watching.And I also like the OST and BGM in this drama. The music placement is very good and beautiful in every scene. Wang Anyu and Jin Chen also recorded a song for this drama and I love it! Wow~ I really didn't know that they could make me fall in love with them. Starting with the spoiled but obedient character of Duan Yucheng, and the fierce but caring Luo Na. They play this role very well!
Even though I watched it late when the drama was released, I don't regret it because I finally found a drama that makes me want to watch it again and again. Once again, congratulations to both of them for making me really like the sports romance genre (usually I'm not interested in dramas like this) but because they both played their roles very well and the placement of sports and romantic scenes was balanced, I ended up liking it. I hope that in the future there will be dramas with this genre again featuring sports and romantic scenes that match the portions.
I'm looking forward to your new drama! :D
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Almost perfect
OVERALLWithout being the emotionally investing type of show, this drama ticks all the right boxes, imo. Watch it if 1) you're looking for a well-written romance that's coherent, sweet, and full of sizzling chemistry and skinship, 2) you want interesting side stories that are actually worth watching, 3) you need dramas with very few flaws. Think twice if you're looking for lots of sports drama, because that's really just a background theme here...but then maybe still watch it?
THE STORY
I sometimes complain about Chinese dramas that have too much fluff and not enough drama, and I still believe that for storytelling purposes a good story needs a healthy dose of drama, it can't always be rainbows and unicorns...BUT I think a drama like Falling Into You shows that there are exceptions.
What makes this drama work is the fact that the writing is SO tight, it makes up for the excess fluff. The main leads are adorbs individually (Male Lead is the unconventional crybaby and I LOVED it!), you can't help but care and root for them. Together, they're FIRE (as in CRAZY chemistry), and their love story develops naturally. The drama doesn't do the mistakes we see 90% of the time (either have a good "falling in love" part and a bad "being in love" part or the opposite), both the "falling in love" and the "being in love" parts of the OTP are well-written and given the right amount of screentime. The drama also doesn't ruin everything with annoying secondary leads, useless sequences or overused cliches, has mature vibes (yay!) and although the romance itself doesn't have much drama, the sports drama (which is mild but still there throughout the show) kind of makes up for it. So you see, this drama is almost perfect.
I say ALMOST because there are a few little (very little) things here and there that could have been better. First, I didn't really like Male Lead's mother and how wishy-washy the drama made her. She's not terrible like in many dramas, but she looks fake and kind of...hypocritical? Second (this bothered me a lot less but I know some were triggered), Female Lead is Male Lead's coach for most of the drama, which adds a weird/awkward feel to their relationship (because of the imbalance of power). The show could have easily made her give up the role early to avoid that. Lastly, the ending is not my favorite (it's not bad at all, but the final sequence really doesn't give the rest of the drama justice). Still, for a drama that is basically just a fluffy, watch-to-be-entertained-and-feel-envious-of-what-you'll-never-have type of show, that's very little to complain about. So go ahead and watch!
THE ACTING
Perf! It's my first time seeing Male Lead and I liked him a lot! Female Lead I saw in You're My Glory and some other rom-com (not worth remembering haha), but this drama has got to be the best one I've seen her in so far. The rest of the cast was also quite good, with the exception of maybe one side actor.
THE MUSIC
Not so perf haha I have nothing against using English songs in dramas but make them good. Some of them were cringe! Still, there isn't an excess of music like in many C-dramas here, and for the most part the music fits the scene, so it's fine!
REWATCH VALUE
Super high! I'm thinking much higher than You're My Glory, and I must have watched that one three times! These fluffy dramas are always good to return to when you need a dose of sweetness!
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In my top ten favorite c-dramas
As someone who is a huge sucker for a good light romance, this show was perfect for me. If you are looking for a show that's mostly about a high jumper and watching him compete in multiple different track meets with just a side of romance, I would say that this is probably no the show for you, but if you are looking for a romance heavy show than this is a great pick.Overall this is a light-hearted show that doesn't have too much heavy drama. In terms of the love triangle, it is pretty much nonexistent, which is just my style. Neither of the main leads really entertains/ engages with the other "love interests".
Also as someone who is a heavy skipper when it comes to awkward moments, this show surprisingly didn't have many times when I was forced to do this, and that is a rare occasion for me.
I'm definitely adding this show to my top ten favorite Chinese dramas.
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This review may contain spoilers
A cinematic sports romance full of golden moments . . . This nostalgic (set pre-covid), golden lit romance has a very relaxed, lived in feel. Here is a couple who slowly builds intimacy through jokes, and hugs, and small touches and long looks, until you have a very physical, sensual romance that is believable and in good taste. The forbidden romance elements of the romance, plus the 'against all odds' plot points of the sports create an addictive quality, and the length is perfect at 26 episodes.
*A discussion of red flags and age differences at the end*
Wang An Yu is a believable athlete and can portray a strong range of emotion, Gina Jin does well as a women assistant coach protecting her softer qualities with a matter of fact and gruff outer shell. They both create a very believable relationship together, and they look very comfortable together on screen. The rest of the actors and plots are entertaining but fall far below the main couple.
The music, especially the opening credits, add to the nostalgia - taking place in the pre Covid years, the music and 'vibe' is very peak millennial (in a good way). Golden and sundrenched and wistful. The romantic moments are strong enough to be worth a rewatch.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 6.5
Doing well for the people you love can be an excellent motivator for some. Age is just a number. If you are mature and responsible, why not? Taking the long view on career ambitions is not necessarily the best strategy - some options in life (trying to go pro as an athlete) are only available to the young. Many people in places of authority and 'experts' in the field can make the wrong decisions - you should fight for what you deserve.
Character Development: 8.5
Both of them change over the course of the three years of the show, they become more like each other, start to compliment each others strengths and weakness, they grow complexity and it's just really great to watch.
Relationships Between Women/Complex Women: 4.5
The show really falls down on this point especially for 2022. Luo Na has no women friends, none of the directors or coaches are women, and Luo Na does not directly work with any of the women athletes. Luo Na herself is complex a mix of silly and fierce, naive and world wise, but not so complex or unique to makeup for the dearth of other women characters.
Production Values/Cinematography: 9.0
There is a big effort into 1) creating credible sports scenes and 2) playing with angles and light to convey the emotion of falling in love. While clothes, sets, etc. are not particularly noteworthy, the effort put into the cinematography, music 'vibe' of the show, was a wonderful surprise and greatly appreciated.
*RED FLAGS*
Succeeding where so many other shows have failed, the age and power differential provides a bit of forbidden romance but nothing that made me turn it off: the characters meet when they are 18 and 26. Luo Na is in a position of power as an assistant coach who can help Duan Yu Cheng succeed, but she doesn't have the power to cut him from the team or add him to the team. But, Most Importantly, the romantic part of their relationship especially the physical elements do not happen until two years later, and after Duan Yu Cheng has a new head coach and Luo Na is only providing some minimal support. Also Duan Yu Cheng, the younger and the one with less systemic power, is the one pursuing.
HOWEVER, Duan Yu Cheng's characterization occasionally tips over into red flag disturbing. He's constantly calling and texting due to jealousy (26 times in a row), he jumps off a bridge after Luo Na is harsh with him, his emotions jump around wildly, and he's shown that he can lose his head and beat someone far past what is necessary for self defense. He also presurizes Luo Na a fair amount in pursuit of her - exposing things in public that she may not want, such as showy displays of public affection. It wasn't terrible terrible, but it did give me a bit of a pause.
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Good sports drama
I rarely watch sports dramas but I decided to watch this and I was not disappointed. I binged the whole show in 2 days and was actually sad that they did not make it longer. I normally hate long dramas but if this one had a few more episodes I would not have minded. The sports were so good and had me on the edge of my seat at times. I loved all the side characters, they were all super cute with their own stories. The romance was good too, I was apprehensive at first because of the age gap but it's not a big deal and they play it out very nicely. The filming of this drama was also very nice, especially with the romance scenes. The romance was so sweet and just overall it's a very good drama. I do have one thing I wished they did more of which was the sports which I know is confusing because there are sports stuff in each episode but I loved watching his progress. That being said if someone is on the fence about it and doesn't know if they should watch then I recommend watching it.Was this review helpful to you?
Such a sweet little cutie pie ?
Wang An Yu, you are good! With your baby face and a body to die for ... wow! You can act too! I am giving this series a 10 star as so refreshing and well acted! The actors are making their characters believable, as many have commented, they look like they belong to the sportive industry! I find the perseverance and passion of those athletes is remarkable and very inspiring! 10 stars to the passionate chemistry and fantastic kisses from both main leads, possibly the best ones i have seen in my 3 years of C and K dramas! The chemistry is unbelievable and i wished i was the FL! I enjoyed how straightforward both characters were with each other with none of the nonsense or clique usually on cdramas. They love each other and they defend their love with no misunderstandings! Well done script! I love it! I am already re-watching it! And you should not be missing this one! ! !Was this review helpful to you?
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This review may contain spoilers
No breakup
Listen I have always been complaining about the lack of chemistry between leads, the kiss scenes, and the female leads' dumb, annoying, and naive characteristics traits. You Are My Glory set a standard for how couples should at least behave. I thought it was a lost hope with Cdramas until I found "Falling into You."I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ML and FL. C and K dramas have traumatized me so much that when the couple got together and I realise that we have a couple more episodes to go I was patiently waiting for a breakup scene. Butttttt, chilleee they said listen we for lifers?No matter what other people say about their relationship they going to stick together. I love how they communicate their thoughts with each other.
Now there were some little things that annoyed me but it wasn't that big of a deal that I would drop the show.
No annoying second FL and ML. The female was cool. The ML was cool surprisingly. At first, I didn't like him but trust me he was their # 5 shipper.
Unlike that disaster, Find Yourself, I liked how they portrayed the FL character. Thank God she didn't have that annoying baby voice. She wasn't perfect, but at least she didn't act in a manner that will have you saying "What the hell??"
The ML well he was young so he is going to act immature at some point but he matured.
Thank you so much to that commentator on the "Find yourself "review page who name-dropped this treasure.
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An Unexpectedly Cute Romance
I am not usually a fan of older woman - younger man romances. But this one, this one was such a pleasant surprise.Its a simple, sweet story - nothing original but still hits the right notes. I found the lead pair likeable and their chemistry was literally fire. An athlete myself, I found the parts about the ML's training, his reactions to rejections & defeat and never-say-die attitude realistic. His passion for athletics was what made me sit through the initial episodes. It helps that both the leads look like athletes themselves.
I also liked that the drama is angst free and doesn't drag unnecessarily (even though I found the whole proposal scene a bit ludicrous. Do people really do that kind of thing?)
Overall, a cute drama for those times when you need a pick-me-up.
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It's a mature, non-cliche, no-break-up drama.
I love sports dramas! I can't believe it is over, felt like reading a feel-good book."to never give up, and never give in. No matter the challenges, we must have the ability to overcome them independently." (In sports, In love)
It's a mature, non-cliche, no-break-up drama. I guess it is a rarity and unexpected from C-drama. Initially, I was skeptical about student-coach romantic relationships but boy! I was wrong. The story evolved naturally, no rush. OST is smooth not too much.
1. Amazing chemistry from the first episode.
2. Acting is top-notch, both ML & FL. He really nailed a 20-year-old's raw emotions. FL the maturity she brought to the character is amazing. Definitely one of her best shows.
3. The skinship and love relationship is smooth and enjoyable.
4. Not the usual c-drama.
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