A Gripping Drama

I have just watched this and am blown away by the story line, the acting and the music. I am not familiar with the game of ping pong (nor any other sports) but this show has ignited my interest in it. Through the episodes, I am kept on edge during the games and am constantly rooting for the players (actors). However this is not just a show about ping pong. It is about the perseverance and passion of these characters and the hardship they endure to achieve success. If the show is remotely accurate, it gives an insight into how the Chinese athletes train and looking at the kind of discipline and training they are put through, I am not surprised that they are world leaders in these games. The acting is excellent especially the lead actor Xu Tan who is played by Bai Jingting. Through skilled acting, Bai Jingting shows how a young and physically weak teenager develops both physically and mentally into a world class champion. Each character in the show contributes to the richness of the story.
Through excellent filming, the excitement of the games is captured. I love the slow-motion capture of the balls.
The show sound tracks captures the mood of the show well and I can listen to these sound tracks over and over again.
Overall an excellent show and I will give it top ratings!

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Heartwarming romance

In this drama Yang Zi plays a similar much younger character as her role in Go Go Squid - her role here as Lin Zhixiao is one of a bubbly, optimistic and dynamic personality. This is in contrast to the serious and staid Dr Gu Wei. Slowly she draws him out of his shell and he becomes more relaxed and lightens up. Their relationship goes through the tribulations of a romance but their love remains steadfast. This is a very watchable drama as we get drawn into the lives of Gu Wei and Lin Zhixiao. There is the added dimension of Lin Zhixiao's relationship to her father and the last few episodes are very poignant. Yang Zi is fantastic in her role; Xiao Zhan although appearing a bit stiff nevertheless portrayed the serious and conscientious doctor Gu Wei well. It is indeed a heartwarming show and one that I will rewatch. The sound tracks sung by both leads grow on you and the songs convey the heartwarming emotions of the show - I listen to them over and over again.

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I had put off watching this drama but decided to give it a go after reading the good reviews. Unfortunately I have to be a killjoy and say that I was disappointed by the drama. For me it did not live up to expectations . While the general premise of the show was good (female making it in the male-dominated gaming industry), the screenwriting was not on par and resulted in stilted dialogues. Many reviewers had also talked about the the chemistry between the leads but I did not feel that chemistry at all; I thought their interaction with each other was quite strained. I believe the show was dubbed and the synchronisation was off so this did not help to bring across any spontaneity in the dialogues. What kept me going with each episode though were the games as these were quite well portrayed (and I am not a gamer). The gaming competitions contributed to the tension that was otherwise lacking in the leads’ relationship. I also enjoyed the camaraderie amongst the team members with each member having their unique and quirky personality. I also appreciate the portrayal of the stress that the well-known gamers go through due to unreasonable expectations of fans and netizens. We have heard of too many real-life examples of these where celebrities are concerned.
To me, this drama cannot compare with other e-sports shows such as Go-go Squid or Gank Your Heart. However it is still a watchable drama if one does not have the same expectation from it.

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I watched 3 Wang Anyu's dramas consecutively - Forever Love, Falling into You and then To Fly With You. I could not believe that each could be better than the one before. Overall I would say that To Fly With You is the best of the 3 as the other two dramas were a bit 'rushed' during the last few episodes (they could have done with a few more episodes). To Fly With You was very good in terms of pacing and script development - the ending makes the viewer crave for more; however to do more would have downplayed the climax. I enjoyed watching both male and female leads as they portrayed their characters really well. Both lead characters are determined, confident and not at all defeatist; it is no wonder they fell for each other. The chemistry between them was lovely and captivating. The other characters in the drama also had their own story and whilst we get to understand more about each of them, their parts were not draggy and did not detract from the main leads' story. Most importantly the second couple was not irritating (which somehow appear to be the case in many dramas). The romance in the story is accompanied by the sports element. I enjoyed the stress portrayed by the competitions and find myself at the edge of my seat many times. This has been a great drama to watch and I am going to rewatch it again!

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Captivating drama!

This is a gem of a drama! I was deciding between this and Le Coup de Foudre and chose to watch Le Coup de Foudre which was a big mistake. I dropped it after 2 episodes because it was so draggy and then started on Forever Love. It had me hooked from the introduction sound track in episode 1. The storyline moved so smoothly and at the right pace - no unnecessary scenes, no draggy plot. Both main actor and actress were refreshing and the chemistry was perfect. The story of the supporting cast was also just right; there was just enough time spent on the second leads without infringing on the main characters. The only thing that puzzled me was how the leads could leave each other in respective episodes without a word to the other but then that's how the story goes.
Overall just a lovely, feel good show that made you wish that it would never end!

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An Absorbing and Inspiring E-sports romance!

I thought I would give up on this drama after watching a couple of episodes but I am glad I prevailed because it turned out to be absorbing. The story between the leads take a while to develop and it was quite frustrating to watch the first 10 episodes when one misunderstanding and mishap happened one after another. The story is more than the romance; it is about aspirations, achieving one's dreams, perseverance and teamwork. My biggest gripe about the show is about the villains - there is no shortage of them and they are quite a cliche but I guess there would have been no story without them. Although the story developed slow, the last few episodes moved too quickly and the ending made me feel shortchanged. It would have been more complete if the leads had more time together at the end. There could also have been more intimate scenes between the leads. The portrayal of the e-sports competitions was very exciting and kept me at the edge of my seat. I loved the team camaraderie amongst the team members and it was so touching to see the team coming together to fight for the championships. Overall, I definitely recommend this show and although I thought that I wouldn't rewatch due to the slow pace and the many complex situations, I am rewatching now!

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Heartwarming Story

I am surprised that this drama's rating is so low as I thought it was a superb romance drama that had depth, great character development and was creatively put together. The concept of using food to tie the story together in each episode and to relate the beginning to the end lent a different dimension to the drama. The 2 leads were well cast - Gao Hanyu excellently portrayed the cold and harsh Yu Hao with a hidden soft side and Jade Cheng played the simple but warm hearted Su Ke Lan. Su Ke Lan's dowdy clothes and slightly unkempt hair were a contrast to the sharp well-tailored suits worn by Yu Hao but this contrast emphasised that the attractions between the two went beyond the superficial. The chemistry between both draws you into their developing romance. The only negative point for me was the irritating personality of the second lead Zhang Bi but I supposed every drama needs to have one of these characters.
Overall I will recommend this to anyone who enjoys a slow-burn romance and who loves to ogle at the sharp features of the male lead. I hope there will be more positive reviews to increase the overall rating of this show.

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Truly Heartwarming!

This is such a heartwarming story. I love the dynamic amongst the 3 main leads and the 2 fathers. They all portrayed their roles so well including the young actors who played the children version of the 3 leads.Tan Song Yun's acting as Li Jian Jian was brilliant; she truly depicted a character who is full of life and optimism and I couldn't help but laugh at her antics. The father, Li Hai Chao, is the parent every child aspires to have and every parent aspires to be. He has such an open and generous heart and the actor Tu Song Yan portrayal of a man who truly loves his children was so on-point. The love story between Li Jian Jian and Ling Xiao could be better developed but nevertheless it was enough to overcome my initial resistance to the idea that they are 'siblings' (they are not!).
It is a story where you wish you were part of their family and you wish that you could continue to see their story develop further but alas, all dramas must come to an end!

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Running With and Against the Wind

I love this drama for its storyline, its cast and the love story between the main leads. The script is well written and nothing is superfluous. The main leads have well-fleshed out characters and both have their flaws amidst their strong personalities. Elaine Zhong portrays a strong-minded, feisty rich girl, Jiang Hu who has to turn her family business around when she is met with tragedy and betrayal of family and friends. I think Elaine carried this character well and is able to portray the independent and self-confident woman who has smart ways of turning events to her advantage. To her, trust is the most valued aspect of relationships and she seemed to have lost her faith in trust when her family, friends and most of all, her lover seemed to have betrayed her. She grew up as a much-indulged daughter and to her, her father could do no wrong. Along the way in her quest to make sure that the family business stays relevant and thrives, she finds out truths about her father and realised that there are reasons behind the events that led to the business' downfall. Gong Jun did an excellent job as a super-confident investor, Xu Si whose beliefs in his investing profession are questioned when his action caused Jiang Hu to walk away from him. The chemistry between both leads is good and their relationship develops with the progress of the business. Like many other viewers, I feel that the ending is too abrupt and could have been fleshed out more. Nevertheless a great drama - I have already rewatched it.

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Great Romance and E-sports

I finally got around to watching this and I find this totally captivating. The storyline has enough depth, adorable side characters and of course incredible main leads. Li Xian portrayed the arrogant Han Shangyang so well with his scowls and his cantankerous personality who managed to mellow into a happier person after he confronts his past. I squeamed at Tong Nian's behaviour in the earlier episodes when she seemed to accept the dreadful behaviour from Han Shangyang but I guessed the writer wanted to showed how different they were in personalities and eventually how her generosity and warmth won him over. The e-sports component did not come through as well as it did in shows like The King's Avatar but I think it is not easy to depict the CTF competition visually. Nevertheless the tensions of the competition were well played and the pain and tribulations of the competitions came through clearly. Loved the OST! I am definitely rewatching.
Side note - I had a quick viewing of Go Go Squid: DT, Appledogs' Time and I am afraid I am biased - it cannot compare with the first drama. The token appearances by Han Shangyang and Tong Nian were also not satisfactory even with the wedding ☹️

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