Hello, The Sharpshooter (2022)

Set your Expectations & You will be Okay

I didn’t hate it as much as everyone else did. I think it’s because I read the reviews prior to watching, so I kind of set my expectations and that’s the key going into Hello, the Sharpshooter.

We all love Hu Yi Tian from A Love So Beautiful and Xing Fei from Put Your Head on my Shoulder and My Little Happiness and because of that, I think we had expectations of another hit C drama. Hello, the Sharpshooter doesn’t give you the perfect chemistry and drama you are looking for, HOWEVER, it’s still overall, in my opinion, a very decent watch.

A few things to note:

The main storyline is the best storyline. Like any other C drama, you are going to have your typical past issue and current relationship problems between the leads. It’s very typical and that’s okay for me. I’m going into for the actors.

As much as I love the male lead, and he’s come a long way from his first drama, he still has a little more to go, but he’s face is very handsome to watch so not all is lost. I think the ML has the stoic, passive face down, he just needs to work on his light expressions. He’s not selling me that he’s in love with the FL, but he is fun and loving to watch. I like his lighter expressions more.

The female lead is carrying the show. She never disappoints me in dramas and she’s always the bubbly warm personality I look forward to in my shows. I love her short stature and approachable presence. I do hope she picks a different role next time. I want her to be the aggressor and maybe pick a different hair style? I know long hair makes her look young (since she is so short), but I’m ready for a new look. I do appreciate they didn’t reuse wardrobe as often and that’s huge when watching.

There isn’t any chemistry between the leads, but that’s okay. I kind of see them as two actors playing their parts, than the actual characters. Since I’m a huge fan of them, I was fine with that.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the second couple, nor did I pay attention to the 3rd couple. I found the second couple a little immature and as much as I love watching two pretty people bicker and fight, it was a little much. I do appreciate that the 3rd couple was older, so it was different, but their storyline was too intense and it didn’t fit right in the drama.

A lot of people complained about how slow and draggy the story is and to my surprise, I kind of like the slice of life pacing. It’s not all about shooting, I mean, a good deal of the plot is about the shooting, but the ML actual shooting time on the show isn’t huge. A lot of the plot is the couple working on past, present and possible future issues, which I enjoyed watching. I guess I liked the main couple the best because as much as they faltered, they always were together, more or less and I kind of liked that.

Overall, I think if you set your expectations just right for the show, you won’t be disappointed. So, I’m glad I read the reviews because it made my watching experience more enjoyable.

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It is actually worth watching! (it is not as draggy and predictable as people are saying)

I do not usually write reviews but I felt the obligation to do so on this occasion since I believe this drama is being unfairly underestimated. I almost did not watch the drama because of how discouraging the reviews were, but after watching it has actually entered my personal top ten of c-dramas!
The main reasons people criticise the show is that it is supposedly unnecessarily long/draggy and contains too many clichés, therefore I am going to address these two claims and give my own opinion.

LENGHT OF THE SHOW
I did not feel like the story was too long, I actually believe every episode was needed.
In terms of plot, they definitely did not need that many episodes but they were necessary to develop and discuss important and sensitive topics such as sexual abuse and mental health care (especially how it is overlooked in the sports field). I personally was positively surprised by how well they handled these issues and by how they seamlessly introduced them in the story, considering that c-dramas are usually mainly light and fluffy romances. These topics were given the focus and respect they deserved, and it was clear that the writers had the intention to spread awareness around them by challenging the common misconceptions and stereotypes attached to them. The main leads' acting skills were also a major plus which further helped to convey the message.

CLICHES
Yes, there were some common c-dramas' cliches. But then again, they are called "c-dramas' cliches" for a reason, so why are you here watching c-dramas anyway if they bother you so much?
As other people have said, if you have already watched Go go squid and PYHOMS you can easily spot some similarities. It was definitely smart by the authors to use details that they know have worked in past famous dramas and they honestly blended everything pretty well, so it does not seem like a collage of dramas. I actually enjoyed this drama more than PHYHOMS which, in my opinion, is draggier than this one.

OVERALL: It might not be the most original drama to date (except for the sensitive topics that they discuss, which is quite original for a c-drama) but overall it is very enjoyable, the main actors are great as usual (Xing Fei always manages to draw some tears), the OSTS did not disappoint and you might find some familiar elements to other dramas which are, in my opinion, just a nice add to an already pleasant and well-written story.

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Too Long!

When I saw that Hello, The Sharpshooter (你好, 神枪手) is 40 episodes long, it really made me think twice if I should give this a shot. My first instinct told me that it would be a drag. After all, if you have watched enough of Chinese dramas, you would know how common it is for them to stretch on longer than necessary even when the plot is pretty simple. So, I started this with much apprehension. The cast made me take the risk. Was my instinct right or is this better than I thought? My Hello, The Sharpshooter review below will try provide some answers.

40 episodes is indeed too long for Hello, The Sharpshooter. This could have been a much tighter story if the producers had cut it down to 30 episodes or less. There are many fillers and flashbacks which are not necessary. To me, the first 20 episodes or so seems monotonous. There is no excitement to make you crave for more as you watch. Although many Chinese dramas also tend to have boring stretches, there are usually high points or a feeling of anticipation here and there to keep your interest.

However, Hello, The Sharpshooter is pretty flat for half the drama. The story picks up only around Episode 21 when there are more happenings to drive the story forward. I wouldn’t term it as a bad drama but it is certainly nothing great either given the laborious way the story has been told. It is also predictable given some of the cliches and recycled plots.

Old And New Issues
Basically, the plot is about a guy who has selective amnesia and has forgotten about the girl although they used to be a couple. This amnesia theme is nothing new for a romance drama and you can easily predict what is going to happen to his memory loss. Viewers are not told what happened to this couple upfront. Instead, you are merely given hints every now and then through dialogues and flashbacks of their time together. The whole story of what happened to both of them is only revealed much later.

What is different though is the sport chosen as the backdrop to the story. We have enough of winter sports drama such as To Fly With You and Skate Into Love. They are also plenty of e-gaming ones including Falling Into Your Smile. Shooting certainly doesn’t seem as exciting. However, it is a sport that requires focus and mental toughness. Hence, the psychological issues that the drama bring up is an ideal fit for the sport. This is where there is something new being offered to the viewers as mental illness is not a common Chinese drama theme.

The downside though is not to expect much professionalism and in-depth exploration of the psychological disorder afflicting the protagonists. Just like in Dream Garden, if you start judging it through a professional lens, the protagonists’ recovery will seem overly simplistic and unreal. After all, apart from the psychological issues, the drama also has to give air time to the romance, training, friendship, and work. So, it is good as it doesn’t get bogged down with details but would be disappointing if you want a more serious psychological drama.

The Romance
I think most people who choose to watch Hello, The Sharpshooter are doing it for the romance. Personally, the romance of the main couple is sweet. It is also a gradual progress and the relationship is a very supportive one. They communicate with each other when problems arise. So, you can feel a deepening of the relationship as the drama progresses. The guy may be possessive and jealous but in a good and light mannered way. Some will even see it as cute and sweet.

However, what the romance lacks is passion. It is not a steamy kind of romance like what you would get in You Are My Glory. The kisses are limited to mostly pecks which kind of reminds me of Forever And Ever. it is understandable though because of the leads’ psychological issues and thus, the need to take things slow. Furthermore, it is a sports drama and the main character is supposedly a national athlete. So, I guess they have to keep it relatively clean. But that impulse and passion are certainly missing from this couple and as a viewer, it feels lacking in some way.

Acting And Chemistry
The role of Tang Xin is really nothing new for Fair Xing. The character is cute and chirpy and you will get the feeling that you have seen it all before in her previous dramas such as Put Your Head On My Shoulder and My Little Happiness. Therefore, if you are her fan, this one would seem familiar. But there is no breakthrough as far as her acting is concerned.

The same goes for Hu Yu Tian in Hello, The Sharpshooter. He is good-looking and you could be drawn to his eyes. But I find his acting to be pretty bland in this drama as there is little variation in his expressions. Maybe the director wanted it that way since he plays a top shooter who is supposed to have a calm and stable personality. His acting isn’t horrible but it doesn’t give you reason to be impressed either.

When the 2 leads are put together, you will find a big height difference between them. I really think it is time to stop pairing Fair Xing with tall actors as it is getting repetitive despite the supposed cuteness. Their chemistry is visible but nothing extraordinary. Hence, there is little motivation to rewatch their scenes unlike some other on-screen couples who have sizzling chemistry such as the ones in Why Women Love and Love At Night.

My Verdict – A So-So Drama
I think Hello, The Sharpshooter does require a bit of patience to sit through. The plot is drawn out especially for the first half. You can literally leave the drama running in the background while doing something else and you would still be able to follow the story. So, I won’t be surprised if this is tedious to watch for some viewers. For me, I took breaks in between before I completed it as it was too monotonous for binge watching.

Having said that, I can also see how this drama could have its fans. Apart from the leads, the main couple’s romance is a sweet and supportive one. It is a natural progress and not everyone likes a rushed relationship development. It may be slow-moving but each happening is like a building block to the complete story that goes back to their past. I guess if you really like the couple’s interactions and their stable romance, then you might find this enjoyable because the leads are together in most of the scenes. But if you find them to be only an average couple, then this will become a big bore due to the length of the drama.

For this Hello, The Sharpshooter review, I would give it a score of 7/10. It tries to bring up the issue of a mental disorder in a romance which is something refreshing. But it still couldn’t run away from a memory loss cliche which makes it predictable. Overall, it is a case of being a so-so drama – neither entirely good nor bad. In other words, it is forgettable once you have completed the whole 40 episodes with no real urge to rewatch despite a logical layout to the story.

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The biggest problem with the drama is that it's simply quite boring.

I guess I can be considered a fan of the leads, but this pairing is just not very good. It was always obvious to me that neither of these two are great actors, but they choose roles very well to cater to their strengths. In this drama though the characters they are supposed to play should have had more depth than what we've gotten on screen & their chemistry is just too weak. No matter how many fluffy moments we've had in 40 episodes, I just had a hard time immersing myself in their romance.

On the positive side there are no love triangles and the leads don't break up. Even the mandatory quarrel/conflict thing that lasted like 2 episodes was quite bearable. I also really liked the second couple.
As juvenile & silly as the portrayal of mental illnesses was in this drama, it's always nice to see this topic talked about wholesomely in an Asian drama.
The OST is very good, it's way better than anything else in this drama.

Most reviewers talk about how draggy it was, 40 episodes yada yada, I think the length was sort of okay, had the drama been just a little bit better written & less hastily filmed, then I think I would have been perfectly fine with the length. Though I must mention air pistol shooting is sure as hell boring to watch. It's like watching pre-fight stares in Dragon Ball Z.

I could talk about how this drama had countless minor annoyances, or that how stupid the villain characters were, but ultimately the biggest problem with the drama is that it's simply quite boring. It's not boring, because the plot drags, but rather it's just not very exciting. Seems like I'm being contradictory here, It's quite difficult to explain what I mean here. For example I really really like the forced cohabitation trope, the way how people adjust to that situation pleases me almost every time. Not in this drama though, the lack of chemistry & the lack of comedy too I guess makes it kind of lifeless.

TLDR: If you are REALLY REALLY bored you can watch this, but make sure you have watched GGS2 & Put Your Head on My Shoulder first.

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may have actually enjoyed this if it had been 16 episodes TOPS

the real problem in this drama is that the "plot" or in this case the lack of a plot doesn't support 40 episodes. There was a whole lot of nothing going on + 0 credible conflicts to keep a viewer interested. There's a backstory and amnesia plot that we really don't care about and really makes 0 impact on the show anyway. (except to make the FL doubt the ML for 30 seconds of the show) There's a single evil girl who is used to create conflict here and there but still... we don't care. Other than that... the only conflict to keep us interested is evidently buried in the hearts of the FL + ML and definitely not interesting enough to keep me watching. I was over it by EP 12-16 but kept watching to see if anything new, surprising or interesting would happen. I was even praying for some big bad reveal of past events to crop up and liven things up but by episode 26-28... still a NOPE.

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Sweet drama but.....

Finally finish this drama.. this drama is sweet and no angst scene.. everything is going well for main lead.. no need to worry just follow the story.. actually I thought this gonna be a complicated drama since the theme is about PTSD..but this really simple drama..I dont even think what will happen next..

For me..40 eps is quite too long and makes me boring..
Actually beginning drama is really interesting..after that, you just run in the straight way..
The other couple always have same scenes until few eps..lol i can skip the scene without lost anything ^^:

Well..if you fan with HYT, you should watch.. because he's so handsome despite his flat acting.. the one thing I like about him is his eyes..he know how to look someone his love.. Hope he act better in his next drama..
About fair xing..she did a good job..i like her casual acting..

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It's all about the details✨

To be honest, this drama is not that bad. When you watch, watch it with your full attention because you will only really appreciate it when you notice the slightest connections between their words and actions. For example, in one episode the girl mentioned that she was spoiled by the guy before he got a*n*s1a. Later on, you're going to see how it was so normal for the guy to serve the girl (e.g., buying her pads) even before he remembered everything. You can also see how the girl was so spoiled by the guys with the fact that she doesn't get shy when the guy does something for her. She makes it seem as though the sweet things that the guy does is nothing short of what is "expected" from him. Aside from this, I love the fact that the girl knows so much about the sport, it shows that she's not there for the guy rather she found her passion because of the guy. As an athlete before, I love how the drama portrayed how the mindset of every athlete should be. It shows that when athletes trains, they shouldn't aim to beat other people, but only to become a better version of them. Like I used to think during training, "I am the person I need to beat". This drama shows how even the most talented athletes can be ruined when they focus on others rather than themselves. Lastly, I love the fact that mental health is so important to these athletes. I sincerely envy the fact they have that type of support. I envy how in China, being an athlete can be a profession while in mine, an athlete shouldn't even think of pursuing their sport once they reach a certain age.

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I am trying to finish this bad Series. Too much time spent will they or or won't they.

I really am hoping this gets better. Like most Chinese romantic dramas they have the rich male who can do anything and nothing happens to him. They have the mumbling, weak minded, you can do anything to me, low esteem, and pat me on the head like pet when they meet the guy they like, female. They have the oops I tripped and landed on you, let me stare in your eyes or kiss you scene.

Hey Writers and Producers, do you know you can have a nice Romantic Drama, where women are portrayed in a positive light? I just had to put that out there. Here's another thing : The rich male doesn't always have to when and they need their ass whipped every now and then

16 episodes in and it isn't getting any better. The will they or will they not get together is long and drawn out. There isn't any chemistry between Tang Xin and Shen Qing Yuan, it isn't believable that they are in love. Tang allows Shen to jerk her around with nothing said. Then again that is typical in Chinese romantic dramas. Du Ling Feng is a rich brat and he is use to getting his way. The strongest minded person in this series Shi Xiao Ci. Shen Qing Yuan jealousy is over the top borderline obsessives.

I feel this story line should of been only 25 -30 episodes. These will she or won't she episodes are a waste of time. Moving in with him early on and those two playing these games is a waste of time. All you is BLAH BLAH BLAH do you love me ? or Blah Blah Blah I love you ..... but. Ep 19 was a total waste. His jealousy is over the top. I bet he followers her to the bathroom. He can't even see that see is trying to work things out in her mind. She has no room to breath. Tang Xin is an enabler and has low self esteem. She is so smitten that she can't see that he is controlling her. In real life a person that jealous, obsessed and possessive never works out; it's what causes domestic violence to happen.

Ep 22 -25, 29,30 were most interesting yet.

I have to asked this: In whose world does a woman moves in with a guy that told her to stay away from them? I liked Xing Fei in "My little Happiness" her role was positive: In this one she's the weak minded, mumbling, low esteem, smitten lady. You can see that the target audience is 18-25 year old, because most but not all of them don't know better. They look at how cute or how handsome they are. Do they look good together. They don't look at context or contents.

The best part of this Series was the last Episodes 22-25,29,30 and 38-40. Most of the Series dragged on. This Series would of been better if only they made 20-25 Episodes. Most of the Series was a when they are going to get together. They went way overboard in trying the chemistry to work.

The Series is good to watch for the first time, but again to watch it ... No thank you.

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I like the opening and the ending. All of Hu Yitian dramas, I think this one have the best opening. He portray Shen Qing Yuan psychological trauma very good. Just see in the first episode, you already know what Shen Qing Yuan have psychological problem. But I can understand why some people have problem with that because he is supposed to be like "world class athlete" Anyway, I don't really like villain. It feels quite random even with shadowing (I forget the name). But I like the ending. It's not too sweet but quite natural compare with Go Go Squid 2 super sweet ending and happily ever after.

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The triumph of non-sense

I think I've never seen anything so wrong before...starting from the plot, to the way characters treat each other and their problems...until the final acknowledgment of #metoo and menthal stress affecting athletes, while every single person is putting tons of pressure on main leads that are basically teens on their way to growing up.
I was quite bored by the first part of the drama, but starting from the winter training storyline everything turned so incredibly weird and bad that I started to enjoy it somehow, like "wait, now I want to see if they can do worst than that"...and they could!
I found so much psychological violence in this drama that I couldn't believe that all this mess was a mean to convey some positive message.
Yet, as I said, somehow I found it interesting to watch and I don't regret finishing it.

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