107
208
83
Kate
hell
One word to describe this show: wholesome.
It was just an easy, fast watch. Distressed me completely, but at the same time, each and every episode got me hyped and excited. I was on the edge of my seat more often than not, even though I know nothing about esports. I'm not a gamer and yet this drama got me focused on all the scenes and I was never bored with the technical talk and in-game fighting scenes.
Best part of the show? The characters. I truly cannot express how much I liked each and every one of them (except Jia Shi's Team Manager, he can go). Ye Xiu is a dream male lead: mature, kind, driven, honest, hard working. Usually, this level of perfection drives me mad, but here I was just appreciating his existence. It would be hard to comment on every character, as the cast is truly massive, but one thing I can say is: with how unique and likable they all were, I'm sure everyone would find someone to relate to, appreciate and root for. Characters that caught my attention the most were Su Mu Cheng (loyal friend, but also a professional player), Huang Shao Tian (the talkative ray of sunshine), Yu Wen Zhou (the warm, supportive and understanding captain) and Wei Chen (the trickster that stole my heart).
That said, even though I loved the cast and the characters, there were some things that bothered me. One was Chen Guo and the fact, at some point, her constant mistakes made it hard for me to like her (even though by the end of the show I could clearly see how she fits into the picture perfectly). Another was a last minute redemption arc for one of the supporting characters. There was no character development done on screen to validate that.
Some people might feel overwhelmed by the number of characters showing up. I'm not lying when I say new faces were introduced every other episode almost till the end of the show. Everyone often wearing the teams' uniforms helps to distinguish who comes from where, but it still might be a bit too much for people who struggle with large casts.
The plot is simple: a path to glory. We follow Yu Xiu rebuilding his gaming character as he creates his own team and tries to fight his way back to the top of gaming league. While there is little to no development done on the male lead (he truly does not need it), he plays a crucial role in slow changes and the development of his team members. It was amazingly pleasing to watch them learn how to be a team, work together and support each other both in and outside of the game.
What's more to love? I have to applaud the effects in the drama. The game looks amazing. Not being a gamer, I would still love to play it. Even though it was not exactly realistic (the angles shown on the monitors would actually make it harder to play the game and the range of actions the characters could do was also "over the top"), it gave an amazing fantasy cinematic feel. If you ask me, I would love to watch a whole animated show about these game characters and their adventures.
I loved it so much, why not 10/10 rating then?
I had exactly 2 problems with this show. First was the ending. I know for a fact that the majority of people loved it and for those that will watch the show: will love it. Sadly, I am not one of them. It's hard to explain my reasoning, but the twist at the end, even though it made the drama even more wholesome and feel-good, stripped the show from a bit of the additional depth that the "original" ending brought.
Another aspect that made me lower the rating were episodes 32 to 35. I have no idea what happened. I know that the show needed some kind of breaking point and shift in dynamics, but the way they went about it just felt wrong. We saw the characters and their amazing development, just to see them back to their old selves for the duration of these episodes.
Overall, the show is great. The 40 episodes felt way too short, and I would love to see 40 more. I cannot wait for season two, hoping they will keep at least the majority if not all the original cast. The pacing was perfect, as I was focused the whole time I was watching, never feeling bored. The whole gaming industry in The King's Avatar felt like squad goals that I just wished to be a part of.
Best part of the show? The characters. I truly cannot express how much I liked each and every one of them (except Jia Shi's Team Manager, he can go). Ye Xiu is a dream male lead: mature, kind, driven, honest, hard working. Usually, this level of perfection drives me mad, but here I was just appreciating his existence. It would be hard to comment on every character, as the cast is truly massive, but one thing I can say is: with how unique and likable they all were, I'm sure everyone would find someone to relate to, appreciate and root for. Characters that caught my attention the most were Su Mu Cheng (loyal friend, but also a professional player), Huang Shao Tian (the talkative ray of sunshine), Yu Wen Zhou (the warm, supportive and understanding captain) and Wei Chen (the trickster that stole my heart).
That said, even though I loved the cast and the characters, there were some things that bothered me. One was Chen Guo and the fact, at some point, her constant mistakes made it hard for me to like her (even though by the end of the show I could clearly see how she fits into the picture perfectly). Another was a last minute redemption arc for one of the supporting characters. There was no character development done on screen to validate that.
Some people might feel overwhelmed by the number of characters showing up. I'm not lying when I say new faces were introduced every other episode almost till the end of the show. Everyone often wearing the teams' uniforms helps to distinguish who comes from where, but it still might be a bit too much for people who struggle with large casts.
The plot is simple: a path to glory. We follow Yu Xiu rebuilding his gaming character as he creates his own team and tries to fight his way back to the top of gaming league. While there is little to no development done on the male lead (he truly does not need it), he plays a crucial role in slow changes and the development of his team members. It was amazingly pleasing to watch them learn how to be a team, work together and support each other both in and outside of the game.
What's more to love? I have to applaud the effects in the drama. The game looks amazing. Not being a gamer, I would still love to play it. Even though it was not exactly realistic (the angles shown on the monitors would actually make it harder to play the game and the range of actions the characters could do was also "over the top"), it gave an amazing fantasy cinematic feel. If you ask me, I would love to watch a whole animated show about these game characters and their adventures.
I loved it so much, why not 10/10 rating then?
I had exactly 2 problems with this show. First was the ending. I know for a fact that the majority of people loved it and for those that will watch the show: will love it. Sadly, I am not one of them. It's hard to explain my reasoning, but the twist at the end, even though it made the drama even more wholesome and feel-good, stripped the show from a bit of the additional depth that the "original" ending brought.
Another aspect that made me lower the rating were episodes 32 to 35. I have no idea what happened. I know that the show needed some kind of breaking point and shift in dynamics, but the way they went about it just felt wrong. We saw the characters and their amazing development, just to see them back to their old selves for the duration of these episodes.
Overall, the show is great. The 40 episodes felt way too short, and I would love to see 40 more. I cannot wait for season two, hoping they will keep at least the majority if not all the original cast. The pacing was perfect, as I was focused the whole time I was watching, never feeling bored. The whole gaming industry in The King's Avatar felt like squad goals that I just wished to be a part of.
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