Reviews

A Fun Romance between Gamers

Finally back to writing reviews. I’ve watched many shows since the last time I wrote a review but I was just too lazy to take notes on the episodes and how I felt. I re-watched this show a whole month ago but didn’t get to write the review because I fell into a slump. I’m back though. This show is super popular because it has Xu Kai as the male lead, and honestly, I enjoyed this show a lot the first time I watched it. However, after rewatching the show I can say I still enjoyed the show, yet, I wouldn’t say it was super crazy good like how I felt watching Amidst a Snowstorm of Love and Love Me, Love My Voice, etc. The characters were fun to watch, the plot was all about e-sports (which I actually really enjoyed), but I felt like it was missing something to make the show better.



Beware of Spoilers Moving Forward!!!!!!!!!




What Episode did the Main Couple Start Dating?
OMg. They literally take a whole third of the show just to establish the fact they are dating. They are officially together in Episode 21.

I don’t mind slow burns, and in this case it was fine because there is a lot of plot in this show in terms of gaming and the e-sports world. There is also just a lot of hesitation between the two, as her ex-boyfriend, Jiang Yang, was also an e-sports professional gamer and they lost contact because of it, and therefore, she originally didn’t want to have a relationship with anyone in the same field. She also hesitates as the fandom is highkey crazy and a lot of people were convinced they were already dating before, and were already shit-talking Tong Yao for “seducing” Si Cheng.

Si Cheng asks Tong Yao very casually in episode 20 if she wants to try, and she asks “try what?” and he says, me. LOLOLOLOL I almost died here. In episode 21, she thinks he was joking, and was very indecisive on what to do but she almost confessed in a previous episode so I don’t know what she was hesitating for. She then accepts him later in this episode.

Misunderstandings?
They have a misunderstanding in Episode 17 after Tong Yao gets into a fight at an event with another lady who was in charge of that event. She pushes the lady and that lady makes a whole video accusing Tong Yao of physically hurting her and it goes viral. Tong Yao gets banned for one game. During this time, Si Cheng isn’t talking to her and Tong Yao is butt- hurt about it. He explains later on in Episode 18.

There’s also another time in Episode 26 where Si Cheng is acting cold and distant with Tong Yao after the harmful package incident with Tong Yao. He ignores her and acts cold with her for days. In Episode 27, Tong Yao asks Si Cheng if they’re breaking up because he’s been cold, however, he consoles her and tells her he’s just angry at himself that he can’t protect her.

Love Triangles?
LOOOOOOOOOL This show is essentially a harem. Every captain from almost every team loves Tong Yao akjsndkfjsdfs. It was kinda funny. But jokes aside. There really isn’t a love triangle at all.

Jiang Yang tries to get Tong Yao back, however, she was very set in stone that she wouldn’t take him back. She explains to Jiang Yang that the reason she doesn’t want to get back with him is because he never treated her as someone who could walk alongside him.

Another funny character who was obsessed with Tong Yao was Kun from FNC, he was soooo funny. I laughed the whole time his character appeared on screen. He just felt like comedic relief tbh.

Second Leads Romance
OMGGGG. Ai Jia and Jin Yang were so fun to watch honestly. Zhou Yi Ran. my love. My obsession. My fav c-drama actor. Akjsndfkjsnkdfs. Zhou Yi Ran playing Ai Jia was a delight to watch. The first time I watched him was in When I Fly Towards you and his character is so different in Falling Into Your Smile. Their romance was different, but honestly, very true. Jin Yang had no interest in the world of e-sports but she supported Ai Jia throughout it. She ended up buying his team too LOL. and she helped him reconnect with his mom again after she kicked him out for wanting to be a professional e-sports gamer.

Falling Into Your Smile Ending
Falling Into Your Smile has a happy ending where they win at the finals thanks to Tong Yao. Then, we watch Ai Jia and Jin Yang get married and Tong Yao catches the bouquet. It was a typical sweet ending.

Falling Into Your Smile Review- A Fun Romance between Gamers
I gave this show a 7.5/10. I enjoyed it thoroughly as it was a fun show to watch with e-sports, friendship, romance, conflicts, etc. If I’m being completely honest the reason why I can’t rate the show any higher is because I just felt the show was mediocre at best. I don’t know how to explain it. I was happy when the main leads got together, and honestly, some of the conflicts were fun to watch and I understood how they dealt with it. However, it was just a fun watch. I can't say that I was obsessed and eager to finish the show. I think the reason I couldn’t enjoy this show to the fullest was because Cheng Xiao’s acting in this show was mediocre at best. She kind of always had a poker face throughout the show aksjbfksds.

The e-sports plot was fun to watch and I did really enjoy that part of the show as this was my first time seeing a plot like this. The fandom being crazy for the guys were super real, the chronic injuries that professional e-sports gamers face was shown, the stigma of being a professional gamer was also explored. I really appreciated and enjoyed these arcs in the story.

Falling Into Your Smile is a fun watch where you see pro-gamers explore the world of romance, team bonding, dealing with societal stigmas on gaming, etc. I did enjoy the show and it was a cute, fun watch and I didn’t regret the time I took to watch it.

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The Frog: Slow, Dull and Confusing

I had high hopes for this little drama of just 8 episodes. It listed a superb cast. I was excited. Well, what a let down. This drama was painfully slow and dull. Only bits and pieces grab one's attention; the rest is a snooze fest. The story was really just a mishmash of two separate time-frames, and the connection was weak. And finally, the two main female cast members were, you could say, very frugally used. Some of the supporting actors had more screen time than the two main female characters. For example, in at least one episode, Go Min Si has less than one minute of screen time, and she is the female lead! Overall boring with a scene here and there that grabs you. I say not worth the watch, and certainly not a re-watch.

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Cherry Magic!

"Cherry Magic" is a unique and heartwarming Japanese series that follows Adachi, a shy 30-year-old man who has never been in a relationship. On his 30th birthday, he magically gains the ability to read people's thoughts through touch. This power turns his life upside down, especially when he accidentally touches his co-worker, Kurosawa, who harbors romantic feelings for him.The series blends humor, romance, and fantasy in a light yet emotional way. Adachi’s innocence and Kurosawa’s caring nature create a sweet dynamic that makes the story even more touching. Viewers will be moved by Adachi’s journey.

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Saeguk of The Year (2021)

When watching Korean historical dramas (saeguk). Always prepare yourself for something that ends badly.

Moreover, all the main roles are recorded "historical figures". Unless the addition of fantasy elements. They will proceed as history should.

When reading many histories of Korean kings and their families, there are many tragedies. Even the king of this series, whose story was not shown later, died in a tragic controversy.

Some writer even need to "refine" the story so as not to cause problems or controversy among Korean audiences.

Can there really be a "happy ending"?, it's possible, especially when the writer decides the drama is over before tragedy strikes.

But not with this drama, because of its popularity in Korea, the production decided to add 1 episode and decided to continue the story until the tragedies appeared.

So my advice if you decide for a pseudo-happy ending, just stop watching at episode 16.

But I'm sure, its rare for someone to hold back their curiosity.

Let's back to the review.

The plot of the story is very well written and enhanced by proper acting direction.

The pace of the story and each scene tends to be slow and long. Especially towards the end of the story. I personally really enjoyed it because ML and FL's acting was good. However, I personally understand that some people don't like slow pace.

The tone of the story and the atmosphere of the story tend to be mellow and sad. The audience will always be drawn into this atmosphere, even during happy scenes, there will always be an atmosphere like this so it feels bittersweet. Well, because this is saeguk melodrama, this is how it should be.

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life is like that

For all those who rated the series this low on purpose, shame on you. honestly, in your life they never taught you anything so pathetic and immature, not only that you caused damage to one actor, but to everyone who participated in the series. obviously, your misery does not know how to appreciate absolutely anything. people break up in life, that's how life is in the real world, accept it or shut up if you can't, not what you wanted to prove with this, ha. Ohm and Nanon will not be together no matter how you evaluate the series, but will only cause damage to all the people in that series who are acting directors, screenwriters, directors. horrible people you are a shame to be honest.

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Vibes but no plot

This review is coming at you from a non-novel reader, just FYI. But it's another one of these beloved dramas that I ended up just not quite clicking with.

The concept is fantastic. I love a good time travel / isekai type story à la Scarlet Heart Ryeo or Romance of Tiger and Rose. The acting is sometimes good and sometimes a little awkward.

I feel like my main issue with this drama is that so much of it feels unearned and aimless.

There's a sort of "mystery" subplot surrounding a conspiracy reveal that appears for maybe three episodes, and it's all played out so fast from the moment it's first mentioned to the final reveal. We never really follow the story; we just know it's happening in the background, and then the big reveal happens and the story just ends.

The romance, which is the biggest part of the story, gives me much of the same feeling. I am absolutely a hater of insta-love and "destined love," and here it really does show my biggest problem with it. I'm just not understanding why or when they fell in love with each other, and we're given these romantic moments when I feel like they should still be getting to know each other better. It's weird because the potential is definitely there — the massage scene, for example, is A+ — but it would've been even better if it felt earned.

It also feels aimless in the sense of Jom's time travelling not being explained. It's explored at the start when he's so frazzled and trying to figure out what's happening, but he gradually just starts living a normal life. His situation is only addressed when he's forcibly confronted with it, and it leaves a lot of questions by the end. I constantly wished the drama went deeper into this aspect and upped the stakes. I think this is where the conspiracy subplot could've been used, because it could've given Jom a goal, and a "oh, THIS is why I came back" moment.

Ultimately, the ending also feels quite rushed. I know there's a sequel though, so maybe it'll help. Nevertheless, I think the vibes are still there, and I know the novel probably explains more, but from a drama-only perspective, that's what I felt.

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Vibes but no plot

This review is coming at you from a non-novel reader, just FYI. But it's another one of these beloved dramas that I ended up just not quite clicking with.

The concept is fantastic. I love a good time travel / isekai type story à la Scarlet Heart Ryeo or Romance of Tiger and Rose. The acting is sometimes good and sometimes a little awkward.

I feel like my main issue with this drama is that so much of it feels unearned and aimless.

There's a sort of "mystery" subplot surrounding a conspiracy reveal that appears for maybe three episodes, and it's all played out so fast from the moment it's first mentioned to the final reveal. We never really follow the story; we just know it's happening in the background, and then the big reveal happens and the story just ends.

The romance, which is the biggest part of the story, gives me much of the same feeling. I am absolutely a hater of insta-love and "destined love," and here it really does show my biggest problem with it. I'm just not understanding why or when they fell in love with each other, and we're given these romantic moments when I feel like they should still be getting to know each other better. It's weird because the potential is definitely there — the massage scene, for example, is A+ — but it would've been even better if it felt earned.

It also feels aimless in the sense of Jom's time travelling not being explained. It's explored at the start when he's so frazzled and trying to figure out what's happening, but he gradually just starts living a normal life. His situation is only addressed when he's forcibly confronted with it, and it leaves a lot of questions by the end. I constantly wished the drama went deeper into this aspect and upped the stakes. I think this is where the conspiracy subplot could've been used, because it could've given Jom a goal, and a "oh, THIS is why I came back" moment.

Ultimately, the ending also feels quite rushed. I know there's a sequel though, so maybe it'll help. Nevertheless, I think the vibes are still there, and I know the novel probably explains more, but from a drama-only perspective, that's what I felt.

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Just a bad product

The series is bad at so many levels the story ain't that great when you dig on it, the acting is trash especially the main villain the gang boss she was so bad playing the crazy evil character that i can bet my 9 year's old nephew would've done a better job and not to mention the long hair mechanic he wasn't even acting and I'm pretty sure he was just passing by the Studio when he got casted.
And the charry on top is the main character who hardly try to copy Ryan gosling on drive, and additionally the fighting scene on that tight place against the gang is surly a failure to re create or copying the great fight scene from "oldboy"

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First Impressions of Episode 1

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS, AND MY OPINION MIGHT NOT ALIGN WITH YOURS. I’M OPEN TO CHANGING MY VIEW AS THE SHOW PROGRESSES, GIVEN THE SOLIDITY OF THE STORY.

Performances:

- Ohm: I have to say Ohm was fantastic in his performance! Since "Bad Buddy," he has evolved a lot and has shown himself to be a talented actor. I'm excited to see what he does next.

- Leng:Leng's performance was also quite good. I hadn't seen anything of him before, but he was convincing. I'll be keeping an eye on how he performs in the upcoming episodes.

Protagonists:

- Min seems to be the type of person who is extremely caring and protective of his brother, willing to do anything for him.

- Although Q may seem a bit spoiled and egocentric, I have a feeling there is a kinder side to him. I'm curious to see how his character will develop.

Story:

- The first episode was a bit weak, but I still liked it. It’s good that some things have already happened and the pace isn't dragging. The chemistry between the characters is nice, and there were some funny moments.

About the Cast:

- In terms of other actors, there wasn’t much newness. GMMTV could vary the faces more. Not that the same actors are bad, but seeing the same faces all the time can get a bit tiring. Since it's the first episode, I’ll wait to see how the characters evolve.

What I Hope For:

- That the story maintains a more dynamic pace, with more moments between the couple and more action, given the involvement of a kidnapping.

- The plot is interesting and has the potential to be very good, so I hope they don’t ruin it.

- If you don’t like Ohm, please avoid leaving negative comments. Let others enjoy the show in their own way.

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Perfection

I am done seeing all 30 episodes and I have to praise its absolute perfection. Never had I imagined that I would sit at the edge of my seat to watch a ship pass through a channel in slow motion, as it happened in episode 29. All the production team was superb, and I was very glad to recognize actors Yu He Wei (here policeman Shi Qiang) and Edward Zhang (here scientist Wang Miao), whom I have seen before.
I first saw both of them in two outstanding epic movies dealing with Chinese history.
I saw Yu Hu Wei as Liu Bei, in the 2010 masterpiece production of "Three Kingdoms", and Edward Zhang, as Ying Zheng or the first emperor of all China, in the 2020 production of "Qin Dinasty Epic".
So, it is quite a leap from history renditions to the SciFi genre, but boy, what a leap both actors have made! Cudos!

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Hitting the ground running

I was highly anticipating this considering how glowing the reviews are, and yep, one episode in, I was intrigued.

The drama really jumps right in and never lets up. I'm really grateful this show has just fifteen episodes because it's just the right amount. For a time loop drama, it never got boring or repetitive, which is impressive. In ever loop we learned something new and we also got to see our main characters grow closer.

The acting is great across the board. The main leads' chemistry goes without saying, but I really want to give extra props to the main antagonist. The actress absolutely kills it and sends chills down my spine.

Maybe the only thing I would want is a little more time spent on the epilogue/aftermath. I liked seeing the side character arcs getting wrapped up, but wanted a little more of our main leads, whether it was seeing them return to their everyday lives and seeing how the time loop changed them, or reconnecting with the people on the bus, or even having a little fun with introducing a sudden relationship to their friends.

It also feels a little iffy to me that the final message of the show seems to go for a "and the police did their job and everyone got what they deserved" direction. While it somewhat makes sense, I wish there was just a little bit more nuance about social pressure, incompetent officers, and laws that need to be amended.

Overall, though, still a great watch. I understand why it's rated as high as it is.

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ML is the best thing in this Noona romance

A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). On the fence about rating it a 5/10, because Noona relationships are less commonly explored and it was ultimately a healthy and sweet relationship. But I felt like there weren't enough happy/joyful moments between the leads to be fully satisfying, the FL character was unmemorable, the plot was a bit overdone is spots, and I was disgruntled with how they approached queerness and the topic of AIDS.

It's an okay one-time watch for a Noona romance fan. The FL was good but the ML stole the show. Lu DanDong did earnestness, longing, desire, and heartbreak really well. He was believable as a 22 year old, and the FL was believable as a 35 year old.

General Spoilers below:

FL's godson (ML) is the son of her best friend (who is 40). The ML has been abroad the last couple years, is about to finish university, and is already a famous photographer. He's also quietly working for his father whom his mother doesn't like and seperated from a long time ago.

ML says he's loved the FL since he was 18. He pursues, supports, and protects the FL, though she rebuffs him for awhile. Once she makes up her mind to accept him and her own feelings, they refuse to back down in the face of opposition (mainly from the ML's mom). The mom tries to control the ML the whole show; she doesn't seem to care about his feelings or opinions.

There are a couple suggestive, heart-fluttering, and sweet moments but not much direct physical contact. There is a kiss or two but they were mostly head-blocked.

The ending is okay; happy but brief and without any physical contact.

I was disgruntled with the gay representation and then a bit weirded out by something the FL does regarding a potential infection of AIDS...

SPECIFIC SPOILERS on that below:

... ... ...

- The scum SML certainly deserved retribution, but it didn't sit well that the ML and FL threatened to out him (as bi) to the public to make him step down. In addition to sleeping with the SFL, the SML also slept with an effeminate man and the ML set up a recording of it.
- Also, after a rough fight between the ML and SML, the hospital finds that the SML has AIDS and there's a chance the ML could have been infected through wounds during the fight.
- So the "bad guy" is shamefully bi, sleeps with an "obviously" gay man, and also has a bad "gay disease" that threatens the protagonist. I didn't appreciate the tone they presented all of this in.
- In addition to that, while they wait for the results, the FL wants to stay with the ML but he wants to push her away. He cuts his hand and she purposefully sucks on it! I get that she wants to show how much she loves him and wants to be with him, but that was just stupid and seems to make light of, or brush off, the serious consequences that disease can have.

... ... ...

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