Nelly
Canada
Almost perfect
OVERALL
Without 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!
Without 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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