Nothing but You (2023)

An Intelligent Romance Drama, Sweet but Lacks Sizzle

Excellent drama with intelligent dialogue and mature characters. Good story development. Good acting. Good chemistry. Motivational. Inspirational. More than a romance drama, this was a story of growth for individuals who had become trapped and stunted by their circumstances, both professionally and emotionally. This was true, not only for the main leads, but for numerous supporting characters as well. All of the characters were integral to development of the story. A very well-thought-out script.

Admirable, capable FL character free of the babyish voice and cutesy nonsense you typically see in cdrama female leads. Angsty, straightforward ML, seemingly brusque and hot-tempered, but warm and honorable in reality. Both lead characters were outstanding and hard-working and exemplary. A real joy to watch their stories unfold.

An idealized romance where the partners are nearly always thoughtful and considerate and problems are handled quickly. A little too-good-to-be-true, but is exactly the stuff every romantic dreams of. Pretty much perfect for stress-free viewing. The slow-burn romance was well done with a comfortable vibe and natural, easy banter between the leads. But, it lacked fire and sizzle with only a few tame kisses and one love scene that, honestly, felt a bit awkward and could’ve been left out altogether as it seems Wu Lei isn’t entirely comfortable with these sorts of scenes yet.

“Sizzle” isn’t necessarily created by sexy love scenes and gratuitous skinship any way. That’s not necessarily what I’m looking for. “Sizzle” is created when there’s a heart-pounding energy between the leads that makes you want to watch and rewatch because their chemistry is so intense, almost palpable. I didn’t get that from this drama. While there were several swoon-worthy moments here and there, the “Nothing But You” leads’ chemistry remained quite tacit and mellow over the whole series—very realistic as real life isn’t full of hot moments all the time, but, honestly I want a bit more spice from my dramas because I get enough real life from real life. Still, overall, a very, very heartwarming story and many sweet moments.

I enjoyed watching, but have no real interest in watching it again.

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Excellent drama about Love, Life and Career

At first I had my doubt since I'm the type of person who easily drop a drama. Moreover, I'm more into mystery, detective or thriller drama than slice-of life. But I love watching sport anime and I'm a fan of Wu Lei so I give this drama a chance. I watch it without any expectation and got surprised at how much I love this drama. I want to review the + and - of the drama, but then I realized that something that I think positive might be seen as negative by someone else. So I would just list things that I like and I don't like about this drama.

Things that I like:
1. This is a drama with quote-worthy lines, have realistic description about work life & struggle, and problems in family
This drama is not only about love, but personal growth and people's effort to live the life that they want. The main theme is how love can make you be a better person. How love can give you courage, whether the courage to let go or the courage to start over.

2. I can identified myself with the protagonists & they make me want to root for them
This is the first thing that attract me to this drama. I can relate very much with the struggle of the female lead Liang You'an (LYA). As a working lady in my 30's I experience the same problems with her. Horrible bosses, no work-life balance, stagnant career, you name it. I was like, "why this is hit close to home?" Same as the female lead, I also have bad experience in love and everyone around me seems to have not-so-happy marriage, making me kind of afraid to meet the wrong partner and get married. But after watching this drama I think, "hey, maybe if I meet someone who is right for me, romantic relationship might work". I can also relate with the struggle of the male lead Song Sanchuan. I'm someone who excelled in my education, but I've faced several failures at work that sometimes make me lose confident in myself. I know how our state of mind can affect our performance and I found I'm rooting so much for SSC to overcome his struggle and develop his potential to its fullest.

3. The romance between SSC & LYA progress naturally with natural sweetness
I prefer drama with a relationship that progress naturally. Romance in this drama is not industrial saccarine, it's full of natural sweetness. Which I think is excellent and match my preference. But for people who love heavy romance drama with a lot of skinship, the sweet romance here might not evenly spread in every episode and they might need to patiently watch the love story unfold. The amount of sweet scenes are more in later episodes after SSC & LYA got together (start from episode 30). Those episodes are full of sugar.

3. Directing, script & overall production
I just love the cinematography in this drama. For example the scene after LYA reject SSC and show us how they separate that day in the parking lot (with LYA shown to slowly go away by car and SSC still standing there). The way the drama show the community where SSC live. They pay attention to show us every character's living condition. Even from the clothes we can see LYA's high-class clothes and SSC's middle class clothes and have a sense of the difference in their living condition.

4. Some of the supporting characters
There's a lot of lovely supporting characters in this drama. An Cong is a very nice father figure to SSC. I love how they bonded, bickered and love each other despite not having blood connection. LYA's best friend, Luo Nian, show us the stuggle of being a single mom. I'm surprised at how I can like Liang Tao. I hate her at first. But after I finally see her background and thoughts, I think I can see where she come from. The boys at the tennis club so supportive to SSC & I love their friendship.

5. Protagonist with no-nonesense attitude
In a lot of drama, I was frustated at how some of the protagonists act illogically and annoyed me. Make the same mistakes numerous times, childish, etc. Sometimes the protagonist here doing something that I don't like, but I still understand why they do it. This has a downside tho. Some people love protagonist who act silly & unpredictable, and character who act mature and sensible all the time might not seems interesting to some people. They might seems flat. But for me, I love this kind of no-nonesense protagonist.

6. The problems are resolved quickly
Some drama drag the problem for too long. Thankfully not in this drama. Every problem are resolved quickly and there's happiness in every episode. Just like life itself which sometimes challenging and sometimes fun.

Things that I don't like:
1. Some supporting characters.
While I do think there's a lot of lovely supporting characters here, there's also a lot who are annoying. I know the screenwriter flesh out their story because she want to send a message. For example, Jiang Jie the horrible ex-boss of LYA. I understand what the screenwriter want to show with his story, but it doesn't mean I care and I still wish his screentime is reduced.

2. I feel like they can simplified some side story and make the drama more compact. Some parts feels a little bit draggy for me, particularly when it show the story of the characters that I don't really care about like what I said in poin 1 above. There's also some product placement in this drama. While it's not annoying at all and placed nicely, but I still notice that it's product placement.

Overall, I really recommend this drama to everyone. I give 10 for actings because I really like how natural they portray the characters. You need to watch this drama, particularly if you like:
- urban/slice of life/sport drama
- sweet romance
- deep talk

I'm not recommending this drama for people who are:
- too young. I don't expect teenager to relate with the struggle portrayed in this drama.
- expecting heavy romance or a relationship that has bloom/intimate from the start. The romance in this drama is sweet but that's not the only focus here. It's also a drama about life & career. This drama also aired on national TV so they remove the hot scenes and make it tame.

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chemistry and cast are perfect

The story was definitely great and it is best of April
Its starts as a sports drama and like all other drama it doesn't focus on sports ,its a sports full of love the ml was a badminton player and following some events he decided to switch to tennis where fl is now manager of an dying club,the show is all about the ml and fl supporting each other and helping other to achieve the goals and find love in between.
About the love part as know 10yrs gap is not so positively viewed in most asian countries and fl has her own concern as she thinks ml is young and it just his sudden impulse of youth on otherhand ml tries to win heart step by step and their chemistry was great throughout the show and story supported their chemistry with each step
Re-watch value is high as there are moments that make your heart flutter and some life lessons we can learn
OST Great it greatly goes well with the moments
ACTING: LEO NAILED IT SO DO ZYT and no extra drama
Go for it!!!

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Same Formula, Better Actors & Wu Lei Can Have Chemistry w/a Pet Rock.

Watched this solely because I follow Wu Lei and wanted to see both badminton and tennis on a more prominent scale as someone who played both in her youth albeit not professionally. This series was very nostalgic to me because of both of those. Was this show fresh otherwise? No. I've seen at least one other drama very much like this; in other words same formula, better actors & Wu Lei can have chemistry with a pet rock.

Pros: I loved the fact that SC played by WL, essentially played someone his own age but as a ridiculously old soul. Very rarely did his character actually act his age or younger. At the same time because of his love for FL which developed fairly early on, he carried their world on his shoulders all on his own volition. Every goal he set for himself, he met and never backed down. It was awesome to see WL take his character seriously and really train himself for the challenges of tennis. He's already an athlete but this was a different skill set and it was great to see him and the other tennis playing actors be so serious with that. I actually really enjoyed watching all of their training sessions as much as the rest of the story. The FL or LYA was also one who stood her ground. I liked their funny and cute moments but save their "one night stand" when she royally screwed up the next morning, SC's eyes always sizzled when he looked at her in their times alone but hers always had the same gaze. I wish she could have emoted the romance more once that got started, considering her character was a 30 plus year old woman. My only real minus in their chemistry. The comedy though was able to cover for what was lacking there.

All of their friends and colleagues like LN, AN, CZ, DY, JJJ, his mom, Alex, even coach unorthodox evolved from a solid douchebag to someone rather likable and his two assistants and though thankfully she didn't have a lot of solo scenes LT was alright too. I really loved the OSTs, they all fit accordingly. The storyline was split down the middle for me; half of it was great and really had terrific substance while the other half was a mess and I'll discuss that below. The good portion of the storyline was the evolution of each character including the growth of friendships where anonymity started in the beginning ie SC and JJJ. Or when the spoiled rich kid started to understand what being the opposite was like. The final closure for SC, AN, and his mom, getting passed and through trauma both psychological and physical. Most of the trauma was bore by SC though we saw a bit of it on LYA and her parental relations. Switching from badminton to tennis was a great main focus and should have stayed essential to most of the plot and then moved onto now as a professional tennis player, let his story move upwards. This is where, unfortunately we visit the cons.

Cons: The other half of the story was focused on so many problems that were chucked primarily at SC it got to be too much. Or other characters and their plots were rushed through like their asses were on fire, it was unnecessary. Though I understand the point was to show people getting through difficulties, they still didn't need to bring so much junk in. Especially with the company Young Space and its antagonists who never got any real resolution in the end. They were just left hanging. After LYA opened Top Smash that should have been the last time we heard of Young Space or their BS, but no they kept being dragged through with their problems, demands, making things harder for our leads because why? There were no other company they could work with? I understand the need to show the divorce of boss Jiang and his wife but later on with that other asswipe in the company; it was a constant hamster wheel of unnecessary problems. The wild card thing, possible doping scandal, rumors of love affairs and bastard kids, the constant lying and using by boss Jiang and basically everyone at Young Space, signing a deal with the devil, then being accosted when training for crap promotions, only way to get away from the Devil is to go train in Europe (just like in Falling into You and I never compare dramas) and separate the leads for two years after which they decided to get married in the last 5 minutes of the last episode.

Though it was a good touch in the psychological scheme of things, medically they got this wrong; phantom pain only exists after an amputation or if a person is born without a limb or body part, not if something is torn like ligaments, tendons, muscles, etc. the body part will swell, ache a lot, may require further surgery but there's no phantom pain. Really wish they did better research on that part. I looked it up myself as I've had a torn tendon in the past that thankfully didn't require surgery thanks to a top orthopedist but I've never ever heard of any variation of this having phantom pain especially not from him.

Couple number two aka JJJ and LT had zilch chemistry. They were just thrown together for the heck of stretching out the story; everything for them was missing. She was like an overly peppy cheerleader even when she was giving her best RBF and he was essentially bored or annoyed through all of their times together. Keep them separate and it wouldn't have looked any different. At least coach unorthodox and LN had real comedy and no one pushed them together. The other two were just there to be there. Lastly, just like there wasn't any resolution with the antagonists, same went with the parents of LYA and LT, the cancer arc was very predictably chucked in towards the end and then it was just as quickly forgotten; only good thing was that LYA and her mom worked out their differences. The ending was all over the place and very rushed but a happy ending for basically everyone that mattered anyways. Granted the after cut to black part and their after getting married hair cutting scene was too funny but the ending still could have been better.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Though there were a lot of issues with this series storyline wise, I wanted to come back everyday and watch the two episodes plus purchased the express so I did enjoy it very much. Take from that what you will.

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A HEALING AND HEARTWARMING JOURNEY OF LOVE AND SPORTS, FOLLOWING DREAMS AND CAREER

Some dramas just hit differently?
This is a story of healing, a man in his 20s is hitting rock bottom in his athletic career switches to playing tennis and a woman in her 30s finding it hard in her job they both need a great away when they meet and start working together as a manager and player

Why should you watch Nothing but you? / What did I love about nothing but you ❤️

#1. THE CAST
Wu lei playing his real age character in the drama, a hot blooded youth ready to fight for his dreams, rising up to the challenges involved, an understanding male lead who has the best motivating dialogue, he listens, encourages and supports the female lead he isn't your typical good guy he's considerate at the same time inspiring....and I must say song San Chuan was a role made for Wu lei and hearts off to him for pulling it off perfectly..

Zhou yutong is one of those female leads who are so natural and definetly great at whatever role they are given, I love how she always manages to choose these projects that let her shine as a character, I loved the realistic touch of her character but at the same time strong and less cringy as a female lead she was hardworking and self spoken though at times cowardly especially in the love sector but that was reflected in her back story....she really ate up her role too ?

The other characters the tennis team, the coach the young sister of the female lead all did a great job in their respective characters

#2. THE STORY
Now this is the part where some one will say, it's just a sports drama but then I'll say it was well executed and that made it unique in a way, the story flow being a slow burn was builded from scratch in a more natural and realistic manner, we saw them fight we saw them hit rock bottom, we saw them grow stronger, we saw them succeed, the story had a unique way of getting better after each episode, the tiny quotes and details thrown in that had you pause and think about loved the consistency...it being a 38 episode drama it sure was well done to make sure it didn't break its fresh feel❤️

#3 THE CHEMISTRY ?
Mye be it was the natural development of their relationship from being acquaintances to friends to lovers but you could really see a natural mutual connection from these two, their small interactions and talks where they encourage each other, play with each other felt unscripted, I just loved the leads chemistry...I'd sign a petition to have them in a drama later on

#4. THE DIALOGUE
A few people care about the lines in series but I do I love it when the lines are quoteworthy motivating even relatable and this gave that to me I could find my self nothing a few lines on the side just because they hit differently to me, the dialogue was deep and heavy and realistic I couldn't help smile or get inspired or even find my self reflecting on the words

I had a few issues with the little sisters story line at first, it seemed unnessesary and not something the original story wanted but I love how they gave her some of involvement in the story later on..character development...

This isn't a core Sports drama, but it has sports as a tag the main plot focusses on the leads who heal each other with time, open their hearts to one another, help each other fullfill their goals support each other and motivate and love each other, the sports part showed the hustles of athletes and also a nice team building spirit and a few competitions to relate too but I overall liked the story, the leads relationship was a slow burn, and it was done right for me....so I'd recommend this to some one looking for some thing healing, sporty, a romantic genre with leads who have amazing chemistry and friendship, relatable story with amazing dialogue....

This is definitely added to my top three modern dramas this year for me

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Healing and Growth

I think that the focus of this drama was to follow the individual growth of Song San Chuan and Liang You An. Song San Chuan getting over the multiple traumas he had endured were definitely tear inducing moments. I think that's what carried the whole show, watching him struggle, learn, and become the best version of himself.

Because if I'm going to be honest, the romance aspect of this drama was a bust. Felt more like a sensei - student kinda bond than an actual romance. It's also kinda annoying how Song San Chuan was the one bending all over the place for Liang You An. I do get that she's more mature and more experienced in the business. But honestly, the way she acted overall regarding their relationship, especially towards the beginning was just cringey and definitely a red flag in real life.

While I did finish the drama, I couldn't really say that I fully enjoyed it or recommend. It was just okay.

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Not Your Cliché Sport Romance Drama

I was not planning on trying this drama even though I am a fan of Wu Lei because I usually don't watch romance dramas with older girl-younger guy storylines. However, I eventually still gave it a try and the first episode already grabbed my attention. After that, every episode seemed to fly by since the storyline felt pretty fast-paced and ended before I knew it. It did feel a bit slow sometimes but it picked up again soon. It wasn't a rom-com as I thought- but instead, a serious drama about sports with a touch of romance and comedic relief when needed. After watching more than half of the drama, I really felt what others were saying- that the drama felt a bit long towards the end; specifically the last 8 episodes. The drama could have totally done fine and even better with only 32 or even 30 episodes total. The arcs in the last couple of episodes felt very stretched out and unnecessary- like it was there just to increase the episode count. I didn't feel the need to skip during the earlier episodes but I kept skipping near the end because the scenes were boring especially when it wasn't about San Chuan or You An.

The thing I found the most enjoyable was how the characters were written. The characters are quite lovable, specifically Song San Chuan. I really admire his persistence and determination in training and practicing for whatever the sport is- badminton or tennis. I wish I could be as hardworking as him. Wu Lei did an amazing job in bringing San Chuan to life, particularly making the sports scenes look very realistic as well as his physical body fitness aspect. I also found Liang You An quite interesting and I could understand her struggles and mindset as an older woman with a younger love interest. I eventually grew to like their cute scenes together, although some felt a bit cringe but sweet too. There were way more cute scenes than cringe ones though :)) I couldn't help grinning like a fool in so many of them. I thought San Chuan was really natural at pursuing Liang You An and I wish there was a San Chuan in real life because that would be great even if he was 10 years younger. If Liang You An wasn't played by Zhou Yu Tong, I would have had a harder time getting into their CP. Wu Lei was good at bringing the youthfulness of San Chuan because he is actually the character's age in real life. I hope he can play more youthful characters like this because it really matches him and he excels in it too. I also loved the chemistry between San Chuan and the other 3 tennis team members- it made me feel warm just watching that friendship. However, I did feel that the friendship wasn't built as thoroughly and it felt a bit boring sometimes. My favorite would have to be San Chun's relationship with An Cong is very cute and funny too- just the right amount of comedy relief. A better touch would have been to show more of Luo Nian and the coach's love line because they had good chemistry and it was a shame they didn't show more of them.

Also, as someone who doesn't enjoy watching any sports or playing any sports in real life, the tennis and badminton scenes were actually fun to watch and quite thrilling. I even got to learn more about what tennis and badminton are like, which was nice. It also helped that the director filmed the tennis and badminton sequences from very cool angles so it felt very entertaining to watch those scenes. I also thought that the different struggles shown in the drama did a great job of demonstrating the mindset and setbacks that athletes go through in real life- though I am not one myself. It made me in awe of athletes and the effort they put into training. Despite the seriousness of the athlete's life, the drama balances it out well with the other supporting characters and comedic relief. Trying this drama really got me to drop my bias toward these sports dramas because it was more fun than I thought. I might be going back to look for other sports dramas like this. A plus is the OST was nice too. My Favorite is Rainie Yang's one because the lyrics are perfect for the drama <3

Another great aspect the drama included was the older women's struggle in society as they work in their careers. I feel like Zhou Yu Tong did great at showing what kind of bias society has towards older women and there were great moments where the drama actually called out certain societal beliefs. Dramas that touch on these topics feel especially more relatable as a woman myself who faces those issues in real life. I also found that Liang You An's working scenes felt real and not like just a plot device to pass some time- those scenes actually felt like her actual work as an executive assistant. I especially felt that this drama did great at showing the mindset of an older woman who is being pursued by a younger guy. They showed a realistic thought process of a woman considering a younger partner. I can't imagine a different actress playing You An.

However, I feel like this drama would have been just as fun without the romance aspect. It could have just been focused on San Chuan's athletic journey and growth and been just as good as a drama. However, I didn't find the romance too bothersome since it did not take up much screen time. Overall, this drama is a great mix of romance and sport with a great touch on the realistic struggles of modern-day women and athletes. I am really glad I put away my bias toward this type of drama and gave it a try in the end because it was a fun ride during those 38 episodes!

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A healing journey disguises as a noona romance while masquerading as a sports drama

I am in two minds about this show. I keep swaying between the pros and cons.

On the one hand, it is very well written for the majority of the show. The plot keeps moving at pace and there is always something new happening on multiple fronts. There are mini cliff-hangers which keeps you wanting to see a little bit more. Misunderstandings are not allowed to fester and generally speaking, there is good communication between the leads.

Unfortunately, like many c-dramas that runs to 30+ episodes, it does flag towards the end. It is not quite a mid-show drag but you can feel the momentum draining away. The last few episodes mostly coast along rather than being propelled by some unstoppable plot. We got there at the end, and it is an ending that fans would appreciate but it is not a grand finale and feels more like a collection of footnotes.

It is clever of the writer to distribute the fan service fairly evenly once the couples are confirmed. In fact, some of the best CP moments are found around the 2/3 mark. From then on, we get dollops of skinship here and there to spice things up. It is nice and sweet but there is a lack of intensity.

In terms of acting, the ML is great and he carries the show. He is all singing and all dancing. He trained hard for the role and he is very good both as the impulsive young man as well as the maturing sports star by the end. His acting is animated as well as nuanced. On the other hand, the FL turns in a measured performance which is par for her. To be honest, I feel that she is often cast as the super competent professional who is hyper-focused on her work and her private life suffers. She has more or less given up on romance once she turned 30. Of course, her well ordered world is turned upside down when a handsome young suitor enters our noona’s life. The problem is that she can sleepwalk through such roles by now and it shows. We are also familiar with how a noona romance flows so we need more from her to lift this above the rest. Unfortunately, the show pushes too hard on the business side so she appears more often as the cool and calculating club manager and less of a romantic lead. We get a scattering of swoon worthy moments which rarely feels truly passionate.

On the other hand, the healing journeys undertaken by several of the casts, while low key are well written and rewarding to watch. They are nice character studies. There are no instant redeemption but a steady growth of the characters throughout the show. In time, they learn to deal with historical wrongs with maturity. This is gratifying to watch.

To the show's credit, the bulk of the support casts is actually quite good. The ML’s dad, Coach Zhang, Jiaojiao and Luo Nian are interesting characters in their own right. There are still the odd one dimensional characters such as the FL’s boss and her mum who are mostly there as naysayers. In the end, they did little damage, but it is distracting and repetitive.

This goes for the secondary couples as well. The Jiaojiao and Liang Tao couple is cute and has good chemistry. However, I have to wince a little when I realised that the coach has been passive/aggressive chasing Luo Nian for well over 2 years before she shows him a hint of acceptance. That’s playing the long game!

Finally, the sports aspect is very good in the beginning and engages us with the ML’s struggles. It showcases the ML’s dedication, intensity and physicality. It kept our interest for good part of the show but once again, that aspect becomes little more than window dressing later on. We get montages of “random” match play and then the final results. It moves the plot along, but you don’t sense the earlier "fight to survive" urgency anymore.

Is the show any good? Yes, it is. It is well written and well-acted on the whole but the show does peters out towards the end. The story is engaging and the noona romance is sweet. We have a decent amount of fan service and a HEA ending that will satisfy the fans. It would have been an even better show if it sprints to the finish rather than just jog past the line.

The OST is nice and I wouldn’t mind a casual rewatch.

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Slow burn excellence

I was a little nervous about the leads' relationship — after all, the characters have a TEN year age gap. But this turned out to be one of the sweetest, healthiest, most mature relationships I've ever seen and I can't put into words how much I loved seeing their feelings slowly develop. The chemistry was absolutely there but even individually, both the ML and the FL were given equal time to shine. They were such well-rounded characters with their own stories, and their relationship was built on supporting and caring for each other during those journeys. There were no stupid misunderstanding tropes and the honesty was just so refreshing. The FL is exactly how a strong female lead should be written, and the ML is respectful and kind.

The second and third couples were okay; I liked them as characters also and think the relationships also made sense, but they weren't as fleshed out and sometimes there were developments I wanted to see that I feel like the show skipped over.

But they were still good additions to the cast, and plot-wise the subplots of all the side characters were intertwined with the main one relatively well. It's interesting too to realize that there are really no clear-cut villains in the story. There are some people that are selfish and money- and power-hungry, but ultimately they didn't become "evil" and things were never that black and white. It made the drama very relatable and true-to-life.

I know some people complained that the drama started out slow but the pacing of the entire show was just perfect for me. We got to see what the characters' original lives were like, what traumas they had, who and what was important to them, how they handled conflicts, etc. It makes seeing their development at the end mean so much more.

Whether you typically watch sport dramas or not, this is one I will 100% recommend.

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Realistic Working Life With Sweet Romance

I'm really enjoying the drama for two main reasons - the slowburn romance between LYA/SSC and because of LYA herself.

1. The romance was cathartic to watch. I dated a guy 5 years younger than me many years ago and we parted way after about 7 years on/off together. I generally avoid dramas with young man-older woman romance partly because of my own real-life experience. But I decided to give this drama a shot and was pleasantly surprised. Its nice to watch the relationship between SSC and LYA unfolds with such sweetness. It truly takes courage to date a younger man and I totally can understand LYA's concerns. My younger partner had the zest and optimism of youth that I see in SSC which can take time for someone older to adjust to. When SSC told LYA, 'Trust me, I am able to do this'. It reminded me when I was being told similarly but unlike LYA, I just couldn't take that leap of faith. Ultimately, I'm happy for LYA and for her happiness with SSC. But I have to say someone as mature as Song San Chuan at 22yrs old in his first relationship is somewhat a fictional creation (hahaha).

2. There are so many traits of LYA that I admire. I worked in a corporate education institution for 13 years and even got a long-serving employee award.... and I totally feel for LYA. When LYA has to face really unreasonable people (e.g her boss, that arrogant badminton player etc) and their demands, I really salute her for being able to keep her cool. She listened to what they had to say, and will calmly say 'Okay, I will see to it'. But she did still manage to express her thoughts and make clear her feelings esp if something is not right. LYA is so hardworking, such a great troubleshooter and not overly dramatic. I told my husband that I'll willingly work for her as my boss.

3. I am happy LYA has her female support system in Luo Nian. They help each other, cheer each other on, do girly stuff together and speak honestly to each other. Such a treasure. I enjoy their interaction.

Other thoughts:
1. Words of Wisdom. The one saying that really stuck with me was 'It takes more courage to let go than to persevere'. It totally resonated with me. I had an underlying eye problem that can lead to blindness and it recently worsened . In the end, I had to withdraw from my PhD studies and resign from my long-term job. It was scary to do that but I did it anyway. Some ppl was like 'It's your dream to do your PhD, don't let go of it'. In the end, I told them 'Dreams change... and I like to be able to still have my vision 4 yrs down the road and not exhaust it in exchange for a PhD'

2. I didn't think I'll like Liang Tao but I really warmed up to her in the later episodes. Her unique take on life and her ethics on things are good. However, her relationship with JiaoJiao I don't quite feel it. JiaoJiao as a character is really insufferable although he gets better in time.

3. I'm cheering for the relationship between Luo Nian and coach Zhang Yan. It started with a bit of dislike when they first meet, then to mutual respect as they worked together.

4. The OSTs are great. Enjoyed listening to the tracks play at all those pivotal heartwarming moments.

5. Tong Lu's Story Arc. I have to say leaving your family behind when you are terminally ill and not giving them the chance to say goodbye before dying is very traumatising for those left behind. I took care of my father for 4 years from the time of his incurable cancer diagnosis to his death. The time caring for him was the time we used to say goodbye to him. To have it taken away would be so so sad for me.

Overall, I find this drama soothing to watch - relatable, great female and male lead, sweet romance with thoughtful words of wisdom thrown in.

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Sports meets noona romance

I love Zhou Yu Tong's acting in Begin Again. I had never watched Wu Lei's acting so I watched this cdrama for both of them.

What I like:
1) Wu Lei's acting - wow, I was blown away by his commitment to the role. He really looked like a top-tier athlete and his good looks is a bonus.
2) Tennis - I must have overlooked the synopsis because I didn't expect plot to focus on tennis coaching. As tennis fan in 2000s, I enjoyed the tennis scenes immensely. I love watching Wu Lei & Xia Hao Ran playing tennis & their physicality. Great to also see community from coaches to nutritionist.
3) Supporting characters - My favourites are Coach Zhang Yan, Jiao Jiao & Luo Nian.

What dislike:
1) Liang You An's characterisation - her character started off great in the first few episodes when she was at Y Space. Then I didn't like her character when she acted more like a manager than a girlfriend. I dislike when she made decisions for Sang Chuan without discussing with him.
2) Y space involvement - too much interference & I think the later parts were unnecessary because the club was already financially independent.
3) Second leads' romance - I wanted to see more Coach Yan - Luo Nian's romance because of the emotional baggage they have is intriguing.

Favourite scene:
Song San Chuan first match that he won. What a thrill!

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Best sports and OWYM romance in recent years

Biggest credit should go to writer for writing such an awesome characters. Drama had tropes. But i wasn’t bored at all.
I went into this loving SSC/Wu Lei, but came out loving LYA/Zhou Yu Tong more. I truly loved LYA, she’s smart, resilient, strong, witty, lovable and vulnerable.
Romance wise It was just enough sweet. Drama didn’t depend on excessive skinship of actors to sell the romance. Instead i felt love between them more in their gaze and action towards each other
Only drawback for me was Male Lead`s sport struggles. I feel like it`s been repeated towards last few eps with same resolution.

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