This review may contain spoilers
Good but a bit frustrating
Plot--The story was mostly pretty good, I'd say especially for the first 30 episodes. The chemistry between the leads was pretty convincing--it made me anxious at first but improved over time. I actually thought the chemistry between Tangxue's "followers" was just as good if not better. In terms of pacing, could have been slightly faster but there was a steady sense of progression. I like romantic dramas where the romance isn't the sole end goal, so I enjoyed the sports stuff a lot. I think the last 10 episodes should have focused more on that.
My main frustration was between ep. 33-36. I didn't think the breakup was a necessary plot point, and while I wouldn't mind as much if it was handled better, I felt that it didn't treat Li Yubing very fairly. Somebody else has written a review that touched on this, but for the first 25 episodes, we are taught that Tangxue hates being lied to. However, when she lies to Li Yubing, it's as if it's his fault and he has to be the one to apologize for not trusting her. Yu yan's mom basically put Tangxue in a position where she had to either lie to her or to Li Yubing, and I don't get why she would lie to him and stood him up several times, it's kind of inexplicable. If she had told the truth and Li Yubing didn't believe her, then it would be his fault, but in this case, I thought Li Yubing reacted pretty reasonably. The hospital scene was pretty touching, I will say, but it frustrated me that they never actually kissed properly after getting back together again. (also, it annoyed me that Li Yubing was always the initiator). Plus there wasn't enough time after getting together again to fully establish the longevity of the relationship.
Bian Cheng was also kind of annoying, and in some ways didn't really make sense. I know false news and cancel culture are big issues on the internet, but a college student who's already been widely discredited and shamed should not really be able to affect a super-popular sports idol's image to the extent he did, no matter how well he writes. I don't think it's bad at all that the antagonist creates major problems for the protagonists, but it didn't seem realistic here.
Characters-- In general, Tangxue is a great FL, I appreciate that she's really independent, smart, and strong. Li Yubing is my favorite character as he matures a lot over the course of the series and shows his emotions, and of course he's pretty badass at hockey. This is what I like most about the show--that it emphasizes this: What should you choose between your dream and love? If you choose the dream, at least you've attained that. If you just choose love, you'll probably wind up with neither. Tangxue and Li Yubing are immensely supportive of each other's dreams and would never let their relationship get in the way of the other's dream. As for the supporting characters, aside from Tangxue's dad and Bian cheng, they're mostly pretty good and realistic, but maybe there were too many of them.
Acting-- acting was on point, especially with Steven Zhang. Janice Wu was good too and showed that she could really express herself in some scenes, but should have done it more in others (especially in the breakup). Other actors were pretty good too.
Music--Songs weren't great but there was at least 1 OST that was pretty good.
Rewatch--probably won't rewatch tbh, wasn't quite satisfying enough.
One thing I kind of appreciate is the feminism that you don't see as much in similar dramas. Tang Xue is very independent, her mother is a doctor, Huanhuan is very career driven, Wei is the best at what she does, philosopher girl is a deep thinker. Yet it's subtle and doesn't get preachy.
Overall: does some things really well and could have done a few things better. If a few simple things were a little different, it could easily have been a 9-10/10. If Tangxue had told the truth about visiting Yu Yan and Li Yubing trusted her, that would have solidified the relationship and given me confidence in it. So, it's just a little frustrating at times.
My main frustration was between ep. 33-36. I didn't think the breakup was a necessary plot point, and while I wouldn't mind as much if it was handled better, I felt that it didn't treat Li Yubing very fairly. Somebody else has written a review that touched on this, but for the first 25 episodes, we are taught that Tangxue hates being lied to. However, when she lies to Li Yubing, it's as if it's his fault and he has to be the one to apologize for not trusting her. Yu yan's mom basically put Tangxue in a position where she had to either lie to her or to Li Yubing, and I don't get why she would lie to him and stood him up several times, it's kind of inexplicable. If she had told the truth and Li Yubing didn't believe her, then it would be his fault, but in this case, I thought Li Yubing reacted pretty reasonably. The hospital scene was pretty touching, I will say, but it frustrated me that they never actually kissed properly after getting back together again. (also, it annoyed me that Li Yubing was always the initiator). Plus there wasn't enough time after getting together again to fully establish the longevity of the relationship.
Bian Cheng was also kind of annoying, and in some ways didn't really make sense. I know false news and cancel culture are big issues on the internet, but a college student who's already been widely discredited and shamed should not really be able to affect a super-popular sports idol's image to the extent he did, no matter how well he writes. I don't think it's bad at all that the antagonist creates major problems for the protagonists, but it didn't seem realistic here.
Characters-- In general, Tangxue is a great FL, I appreciate that she's really independent, smart, and strong. Li Yubing is my favorite character as he matures a lot over the course of the series and shows his emotions, and of course he's pretty badass at hockey. This is what I like most about the show--that it emphasizes this: What should you choose between your dream and love? If you choose the dream, at least you've attained that. If you just choose love, you'll probably wind up with neither. Tangxue and Li Yubing are immensely supportive of each other's dreams and would never let their relationship get in the way of the other's dream. As for the supporting characters, aside from Tangxue's dad and Bian cheng, they're mostly pretty good and realistic, but maybe there were too many of them.
Acting-- acting was on point, especially with Steven Zhang. Janice Wu was good too and showed that she could really express herself in some scenes, but should have done it more in others (especially in the breakup). Other actors were pretty good too.
Music--Songs weren't great but there was at least 1 OST that was pretty good.
Rewatch--probably won't rewatch tbh, wasn't quite satisfying enough.
One thing I kind of appreciate is the feminism that you don't see as much in similar dramas. Tang Xue is very independent, her mother is a doctor, Huanhuan is very career driven, Wei is the best at what she does, philosopher girl is a deep thinker. Yet it's subtle and doesn't get preachy.
Overall: does some things really well and could have done a few things better. If a few simple things were a little different, it could easily have been a 9-10/10. If Tangxue had told the truth about visiting Yu Yan and Li Yubing trusted her, that would have solidified the relationship and given me confidence in it. So, it's just a little frustrating at times.
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