Aryael
Twenty steps away from the toilet and just around the corner from the stairs.
This is a surprising find for me! Currently, I am in wuxia-frenzy mode but I took a little detour to watch this drama. First, I do not watch sports-themed youth romance type dramas. I find them too "teenager-y", the storyline too simplistic and romance too childish. Boy! Am I wrong in my assumptions where this drama is concerned! Here's my review for My Mr. Mermaid:-
Story: At 18 years old, Tang Yi Bai stood at the pinnacle of his career as a swimmer. He was set for the world stage and to realize his dream to be the fastest swimmer in the world. Unexpectedly, after winning the very swimming competition that will push him to the world stage, he was caught doping. Just like that, four years of his youth was lost. For four years, he trained hard and never lost sight of his original dream. The 22-year-old him returned to professional swimming - winning a college-level swimming contest. His excellent performance caught the interest of a trainee reporter, Yun Dou and together with the teammates and coach who believed in him, they faced the challenges of professional swimming and life together.
There are many often used scenes and ideas in this drama such as the infamous "Gone with the Wind" poster posture, male lead being caught showering by the female lead, memory lost, love triangles etc but they are done in such a way that it didn't feel cheesy and repetitive. The storyline and characters are the strengths of this drama. It has 36 episodes but each episode has excellent pacing. It didn't feel rushed or dragged. Total marathon material. As it is a Chinese drama, there were some flashbacks but they were used appropriately and not excessively. I actually watched this drama without fast forwarding any parts....which lead to the sleeplessness I am experiencing now! The romance is sweet and simple but I enjoyed watching the characters as they struggle through their confusions and choices as they try to balance work, life and romance.
I like the 'natural' and realistic progression of the story and characters. The drama gives off a relaxed but inspired feel. The OSTs are excellent and used appropriately throughout the drama. I downloaded all of them and will probably be listening to them on repeat for the next few days! Another praiseworthy aspect of this drama is how they didn't butcher the English language! Characters who can't speak English or claim to speak broken English did speak in broken English without thick pretentious fake accent many Chinese actors try to imitate. Characters who can speak fluent English spoke fluent English with correct accent (eg: the swimmer who trained in Singapore spoke proper Singaporean English and not fake American or British English). Inspiring quotes, motto, signs, props and ads around the characters were written in grammatically correct English. For those of you who can't understand Mandarin, the English subs are also grammatically correct. All of these gives the drama more credibility and a realistic feel to it. As an International viewer who can speak, read, write both English and Mandarin fluently, I can see the honest effort being put into the drama and I really appreciate it! Well done to the director, producer, screenplay and script writers and the casting staff!!!! This is a product you can all be proud of!
Acting/Cast: Young actors and actresses but they can act. The young bloke who acted as Tang Yi Bai has such a sweet smile and his character in this drama is a very likeable, easygoing young man - who although experienced setbacks in his swimming career and life - continued to maintain a smiling and easygoing character till the end. The female lead is also another likeable character who makes mature and ethical choices. Their love story is quite typical of young couples in their early 20s, especially when both are new to love and relationship. I can totally relate to their confusion and choices and some of the silliness or misunderstandings they had as I reflected on my first relationship in my early 20s..... it was similar. Of course, when you get to your 2nd, 3rd etc relationships, marriage, kids, grandkids and aging, your perspective on love and romance will change and mature, but for the young couple in this drama.....what they experienced and the decisions they made are appropriate, mature and realistic for their age.
I also enjoyed the stories and relationships of the side characters. There were little comedic scenes and interactions here and there which were nicely done and again realistic for men and women of the characters' age. The older actors and actresses that played the roles of parents and coaches all did well and gave appropriate and mature advices. There are no annoying or unrealistic characters in this drama. No bad or good guys. Just normal people with aspirations, behaviors, thinking, character and understanding appropriate for their age and situations.
Music: I love the OSTs - all of them! Which is so rare to find in a drama. Usually, it's just one or two OSTs that stick out as good but in this drama, all of the OSTs are worthy of a permanent spot in your playlist!
Rewatch value: I am downloading the entire drama now. That's how good it is! I think my kids will enjoy watching this - so I am saving it up for them for when they come visiting!
Overall: Enough said! If you are like me who doesn't watch sports-themed youth romance type drama and am skeptical of them, give this a try. If you are into sports-themed youth romance type drama and have been watching all those Korean ones and thinks they are fantastic, according to a friend of mine (of my age group) who watches them, this Chinese drama beats all of them hands down! This is a gem and really deserves the 9.5/10 I gave it. Highly highly recommended!
Story: At 18 years old, Tang Yi Bai stood at the pinnacle of his career as a swimmer. He was set for the world stage and to realize his dream to be the fastest swimmer in the world. Unexpectedly, after winning the very swimming competition that will push him to the world stage, he was caught doping. Just like that, four years of his youth was lost. For four years, he trained hard and never lost sight of his original dream. The 22-year-old him returned to professional swimming - winning a college-level swimming contest. His excellent performance caught the interest of a trainee reporter, Yun Dou and together with the teammates and coach who believed in him, they faced the challenges of professional swimming and life together.
There are many often used scenes and ideas in this drama such as the infamous "Gone with the Wind" poster posture, male lead being caught showering by the female lead, memory lost, love triangles etc but they are done in such a way that it didn't feel cheesy and repetitive. The storyline and characters are the strengths of this drama. It has 36 episodes but each episode has excellent pacing. It didn't feel rushed or dragged. Total marathon material. As it is a Chinese drama, there were some flashbacks but they were used appropriately and not excessively. I actually watched this drama without fast forwarding any parts....which lead to the sleeplessness I am experiencing now! The romance is sweet and simple but I enjoyed watching the characters as they struggle through their confusions and choices as they try to balance work, life and romance.
I like the 'natural' and realistic progression of the story and characters. The drama gives off a relaxed but inspired feel. The OSTs are excellent and used appropriately throughout the drama. I downloaded all of them and will probably be listening to them on repeat for the next few days! Another praiseworthy aspect of this drama is how they didn't butcher the English language! Characters who can't speak English or claim to speak broken English did speak in broken English without thick pretentious fake accent many Chinese actors try to imitate. Characters who can speak fluent English spoke fluent English with correct accent (eg: the swimmer who trained in Singapore spoke proper Singaporean English and not fake American or British English). Inspiring quotes, motto, signs, props and ads around the characters were written in grammatically correct English. For those of you who can't understand Mandarin, the English subs are also grammatically correct. All of these gives the drama more credibility and a realistic feel to it. As an International viewer who can speak, read, write both English and Mandarin fluently, I can see the honest effort being put into the drama and I really appreciate it! Well done to the director, producer, screenplay and script writers and the casting staff!!!! This is a product you can all be proud of!
Acting/Cast: Young actors and actresses but they can act. The young bloke who acted as Tang Yi Bai has such a sweet smile and his character in this drama is a very likeable, easygoing young man - who although experienced setbacks in his swimming career and life - continued to maintain a smiling and easygoing character till the end. The female lead is also another likeable character who makes mature and ethical choices. Their love story is quite typical of young couples in their early 20s, especially when both are new to love and relationship. I can totally relate to their confusion and choices and some of the silliness or misunderstandings they had as I reflected on my first relationship in my early 20s..... it was similar. Of course, when you get to your 2nd, 3rd etc relationships, marriage, kids, grandkids and aging, your perspective on love and romance will change and mature, but for the young couple in this drama.....what they experienced and the decisions they made are appropriate, mature and realistic for their age.
I also enjoyed the stories and relationships of the side characters. There were little comedic scenes and interactions here and there which were nicely done and again realistic for men and women of the characters' age. The older actors and actresses that played the roles of parents and coaches all did well and gave appropriate and mature advices. There are no annoying or unrealistic characters in this drama. No bad or good guys. Just normal people with aspirations, behaviors, thinking, character and understanding appropriate for their age and situations.
Music: I love the OSTs - all of them! Which is so rare to find in a drama. Usually, it's just one or two OSTs that stick out as good but in this drama, all of the OSTs are worthy of a permanent spot in your playlist!
Rewatch value: I am downloading the entire drama now. That's how good it is! I think my kids will enjoy watching this - so I am saving it up for them for when they come visiting!
Overall: Enough said! If you are like me who doesn't watch sports-themed youth romance type drama and am skeptical of them, give this a try. If you are into sports-themed youth romance type drama and have been watching all those Korean ones and thinks they are fantastic, according to a friend of mine (of my age group) who watches them, this Chinese drama beats all of them hands down! This is a gem and really deserves the 9.5/10 I gave it. Highly highly recommended!
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