Not the best or the worst E-Sports drama

7/30/2021

After watching "Love O2O", "Gank Your Heart", "Cross Fire" and "Go Go Squid 1", this is my 5th e-sports drama. "Cross Fire" is my favorite out of the 5 shows. I have "The King's Avatar" and "Go Go Squid 2" on my Watchlist. I would rank this drama in the middle of the group. This drama has a stronger focus in the romance department than actual competitive gaming. It also spends a lot of time on the e-sports fan base/social media/online forums.

Many commented on the romance between the leads. And it is true that Xu Kai (ML) is just as handsome as everyone says. I am a fan of him after watching him in "Arsenal Military Academy" and am looking forward to watching him in "Ancient Love Poetry". He plays a very different role here, and he did a great job. I know this is an adaptation of the book and I read that his "horny" character was toned down in this show. However, I still felt that it is a little out-of-character for this cool, calm and rational Captain to suddenly become this lovable, clingy and somewhat cheesy boyfriend. I just find his Jekyll/Hyde personality a little uncharacteristic. But if the novel is like this, I guess it's really no fault of the drama and scriptwriter. This is my first time watching our female lead. I think she did an OK job, as I do find some of her facial expressions a little wooden. I don't find the chemistry to be especially strong between our leads, except for ML's loving gazes. Chemistry is OK, but not amazing. I enjoyed watching their slow-burn romance before they got together, than when they are together (it got somewhat cringey). Luckily, their kiss scenes (surprisingly there are quite a few) are believable and nice, and not the fish-kissing in "Love O2O". The secondary romance seems a little more realistic, we don't really see their romance much, compared to secondary romances in other rom-coms.

A common theme in e-sports dramas is the amazing friendship and camaraderie between team members and rivals. It's not an exception here. You will grow to love all the team members, even those from rival teams. They provide comic relief and for the most part, things didn't get too negative or dramatic. The friendship between FL and2FL is also great to see. I still don't understand why 2FL is so rich. We have somewhat supportive family members for most members and there isn't anyone too annoying in the show.

Gaming graphics are amazing in this show. I am not sure if these are original animation from the actual League of Legends games, or specially created for the show. But it's not doubt that the graphics and the music are amazing. It's different from the actual actor being in the games such as "Cross Fire" or the coding in "Go Go Squid". For a non-gamer, I do find it a little difficult to follow the gaming scenes.

I do have a minor criticism and wished the scriptwriter has added. Since FL is the first female pro gamer, I wish they would have followed her journey to encourage other fellow female gamers. I would love for her to be a role model. Unfortunately, for most of the drama, the show focuses a lot of gender bias, putting her down through online comments and social media. I know that's an important part of her journey as well, but I wish the show has cut down on some of the social media stuff, but empower her to do more for the industry.

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Sweet Rom-Com + Challenges faced by Book Editors and Authors

7/26/2021

As part of the Sweet On series, it is to be expected that this is going to be a sweet and fluffy romantic comedy. I'm glad to know that there's more to it than the usual cheesy love story. I love books, therefore, I decided to watch this drama as it's about publishing companies and authors. It's a very different vibe from the K-Drama "Romance is a Bonus Book", but it's just as enjoyable. I am glad that the actors real voices are used and the drama seems to have a combination of live recording and dubbing (not that bad).

Setting/Plot: I am not sure how realistic this drama is in regards to the challenges editors and authors face each day. However, I enjoy watching how editors work with their authors and how much effort is put in to getting a book published. Though the scenes might seem overly dramatic, the gist of what's happening seems realistic enough. The drama also focuses more on the challenges of established/veteran writers, than newbie writers trying to break into the industry. In many C-Dramas, we always see overly-bearing and disapproving parents. This drama has it, too, but it's part of an essential plot and character development of our ML. However, I do have to say that the antagonists do seem quite over-the-top. If they are really working in a publishing house, they should have been fired long time ago for their unprofessionalism.

Characters: FL at first glance seems to be another cliché female lead that is innocent and naïve. Many give up on this drama because they find FL's real voice annoying. It does take a little bit to get used to her "childish" and "whiny" voice, but once you do, it's a great story to uncover more about her. She is independent, energetic, persistent, NOT a pushover, and a go-getter. I enjoy discovering her personality throughout the show. ML, on the other hand, has more character growth. He started as an introverted, arrogant yet childish and petty famous author, to becoming more open, caring and mature. FL is more of a discovery throughout the show, and ML is more of a character development. In contrast, the secondary leads are much more mature, and go through a different set of challenges in life and romance. At the end of the drama, they have changed to become a better partner and better versions of themselves. The supporting cast has their individual role in the drama. The antagonists make your blood boil and you really want to slap them in the face for their unprofessionalism.

Acting: This is the second drama I've seen FL in after "I've Fallen For You". Both her roles are quite similar that she's bubbly and high energy. After getting used to her voice, I enjoyed her performance as she could be cutesy but you still love her, and want to root for her. It's also my second drama of ML after " The Romance of Tiger and Rose". He did a good job in playing this awkwardly cute guy, and then changed into his author character. I am especially impressed in Ep 35 in the scene with his father. You see his eyes slowly welled up and all the feels! 2ML is a handsome guy but I feel that he could look a little wooden at certain scenes. His best scenes are when he's bickering with ML. As for 2FL, she did a decent job but I find her crying scenes not believable.

OST/Costumes: I scored the OST lowest in the categories because they play the title song a little too much for my taste. It comes up every time there's a romantic scene, and it's quite unnecessary. Give us some peace when we enjoy such romance. I am especially disappointed in the last episode when the two male leads are delivering their heartfelt monologues and songs started to play. The volume is as loud as their voices and it's really distracting. I want hear their voices and feel their emotions, and not the loud music. Having said that, Ryan Ding's song "月光变奏曲"/Heartless Poem" makes me happy as it's so upbeat (his singing is just OK though). On the other hand, everyone has quite a nice wardrobe. You see different looks - for work, for play, for outdoorsy activities and formal events. Our four leads look amazing.

Bromance: The bromance between our two male leads is the best part of the show. When they are together, you feel their chemistry and laugh at/with them when they are bickering like children. 2ML is most lively when he's with ML. I want to see more of them together as they have such a fun and supportive relationship.

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Don't watch this as a sequel but on its own - Romance more than Sports

9/7/2021

This is not a sequel to Go Go Squid 1, but a spin-off in a parallel universe. If you watch and judge this as a sequel, you will be sorely disappointed. I am going to try my best and not compare this to GGS1. Even so, I am disappointed and decided to drop this drama. There are many good dramas waiting for me to watch and I have to learn to let go sooner. This is not a bad drama per se (hence my 7.0 rating), it's just not for me.

Things I like:

1. Robot Combat - I am happy to see a different type of team sports, instead of the usual e-gaming. I was a fan of the American show Battle Bots years ago, and was excited to see something similar here. It provides a different kind of excitement (when done right). For a novice, it's a lot easier to understand than video games.

2. Grandpa is back! He's so cute and fun. He definitely is the best wingman for his grandsons. Love the blind date episode.

3. OST - This drama has some great songs. It's also nice to hear the theme song of GGS1 when Team Solo is on.

Things I don't like:

1. Not enough Robot Combat - I watched 19 episodes and there are only a few scenes with competitions or team trainings. Robot fight was what I am most looking forward to, but the show focuses too much on the romance storylines.

2. Weak Team Camaraderie - Compared to the other e-sports drama, there isn't enough team building. This is usually the best part of e-sport dramas, knowing how the team members bond, go through hardships, train and compete. Not just the bromance between team members, but healthy rivalries against other teams. This is unfortunately lacking in GGS2.

3. Romance - as much as I love a mature romance, and unrequited love, there's too little going on. I enjoy watching ML's lovesick adorable eyes full of emotions, and I root for him. But a full drama of a lovesick puppy being all smitten, including the 2ML, is just too much for me, and I love romance! Maybe others would enjoy this sweetness more than I do.

4. Slowness- there are too many slow-mo close-ups to create this "romantic" or "cool" effect. There's at least one in each episode. Additionally, the pacing of the drama is very slow. Not much happened in the 19 episodes that I watched. There isn't enough materials for 38 episodes. It would be better if this drama is only 20-24 episodes long.

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Misunderstanding galore

8/9/2021

Let me preface this review by saying I am not a young (in age) viewer and have watched over 100 C-dramas. This might just not be the right fit for me. I enjoy romance, rom-com and historical dramas, so I thought I might like this. Unfortunately, I have to drop it. I watched 12 episodes and these episodes are filled with misunderstandings between the leads over and over again. It's one plot after another. The romance could have been good but it got too cheesy and immature. I've watched FL in "Chef Hua" and liked her OK, but I do not like her character here at all. She's supposed to be smart yet how can she not know the way she behaved in the army is going to cause all kinds of serious trouble? Being persistent in chasing ML is fine, but the way she's doing it is not OK at all. It's disappointing because I like the general plot of the drama and is a fan of forced-marriage-turn-love trope.

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It's not horrible, but not great either

9/30/2021

It's very hard to write a review of this drama. I don't think it's a horrible drama, but it's not great either. Unfortunately, it did not hold my attention and I have decided to drop it at Ep 33. I enjoyed the first 20 or so episodes, but then I feel that the plot just keeps on repeating. It's quite a predictable drama. Nothing really excites or surprises me. I really want to find out who is the big bad wolf, but I got so bored.

The best parts about this drama are the acting of the cast and our ML and FL. Our leads are fantastic and the supporting cast is great. It's my first time watching Qin Hao, and he's quite charismatic as Prince Peng Cheng. I became a fan of Li Qin after "The Wolf" and she is just as beautiful and awesome here. Shen Li Ge has to be one of the most badass female leads in C-dramaland. She is strong from start to finish. She not only possesses great martial arts skills but is also smart! Our leads make a formidable pair. Their chemistry is not red hot, but is maturely developed with quiet understanding and loyalty. I feel that in the first 33 episodes, they don't have enough scenes together, I want to see more of them.

I do not enjoy the fight scenes. It seems like ridiculous that every time someone kicks or hits, the opponent would fly across the room. Since it's not a wuxia drama, I wasn't expecting too much to begin with. What is up with the random wind/fan blowing to show our FL's flowy hair? And a spin to take off her wedding dress and accessories? I also feel it quite unrealistic that our villain 2FL could get caught so many times, yet she is still alive. She's like this little cockroach that never dies. It's quite amazing actually.

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Short, Light, and Sweet

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25
*don't think there are major spoilers, but just in case*

What a sweet and somewhat innocent teen drama! Why somewhat, because the first scenes showed us a different side of Amane that you don’t see for the rest of the drama. “Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mito mo” aka “If It’s With You” tells the story of Amane’s growing affection for his classmate, Ryuji, after moving to Enoshima. Amane was careful in protecting his heart because of a traumatic event when he told someone of his feelings. But he can’t help but fall in love with the caring and kind Ryuji.

The seaside setting brings a different charm to this short drama, which is shorter than a movie, at about 1.5 hours long. I’m glad to see it speaks to the challenges of a teenager in coming out of the closet to his friends, and how making a joke about it has become his default defense mechanism.

On another note, this drama also reminded me a little of the popular “Kieta Hatsukoi”. We also have another lead who is unsure of his feelings after being confessed to, and needed time to process before responding. We often don't see this side of a love confession and it’s lovely to see male leads from both dramas really take the confession seriously, and give a lot of careful consideration. On the flip side, is it also selfish of Ryuji to want to keep this an one-sided love until he figures things out? How long does Amane need to wait?

Both male leads are lovely characters and that makes this drama very easy to watch. I can relate to bubbly Amane in the way he handles his feelings and the hesitation he has. He almost always wants to pull back, so he doesn’t hear the possible rejection.

If you are looking for something short, light and sweet, this is a good watch. Not a lot happens, so it could be a positive or a negative thing, depending on what you are looking for.


Completed: 11/5/2023 - Review #374

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Interesting Time Traveling but just an OK watch

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

Time-traveling is usually not my thing but I read good reviews and thought I would try it out. Overall, it's an OK drama and I might not love it as much as others. A few quick thoughts:

1. I do like the time-traveling as it's an interesting take on how to go back-and-forth. I would probably be like Kwai and wanted to check a couple times to see if I am getting the desired outcome.
2. I like Krist's acting and his role is so different than when I last saw him in "Good Old Days". His acting is so good that I find Kawi quite an annoying character. LOL
3. I do not enjoy Fluke's acting. He did not impress me in "Not Me" and also not in "Be My Favorite". I don't find him particularly attractive so not being able to act matters more.
4. As mentioned, I find Kawi annoying. It's hard for me to root for him as he's quite selfish and wants it all. The girl, the boy, and everything to go his way.
5. Pisaeng is a very sweet character, despite Fluke's bland acting. I think Pisaeng is too good for Kawi.
6. For once we have students NOT in Engineering!
7. Product placement is actually on the light side. That's a pleasant surprise.
8. Too much cakey makeup on the guys - young and old.
9. I was more interested in the beginning and end of the drama. The middle dragged and I didn't care for Pearmai's mommy issues. At least we don't have an evil 2FL. I like the ending when Pisaeng get's to 'do' that as well. But then those last 1.5 episodes are soooo slow. Not much really happened.
10. I wanted to see more of Kawi and Pisaeng after they got together and not just a montage. I want more time when they are a couple.

Overall, it's an easy watch. If you like the leads and time travel, I'll recommend this. Otherwise, it's an OK watch.


Completed: 8/15/2023 - Review #340

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A Mother's Sacrifice for her Son in the name of Love (A Family Drama, not BL Romance)

“To Sir, With Love” is probably my first real lakorn. The other Thai non-BL dramas I’ve watched are “Love Destiny” and “The Crown Princess”. So, I am still not very used to the overdramatic acting and soap opera-like plotlines yet. I was initially attracted to this drama due to its historical setting of a mature, forbidden gay romance. But as I read more and watch more, I adjusted my expectations accordingly. This is not just a love story, but a family drama with dramatic plot development that sometimes doesn't make sense. It’s about love and sacrifice, understanding and acceptance.

Plot -
The drama basically revolves around a mother’s sacrifice to protect her son in the name of love, no matter the price. Throughout the drama, 1st lady Madame Li and her sidekick servant Jia, try to protect her son’s secret. This obsessive overprotectiveness is the root of all evil. The romance between Thian and Jiu is actually a side plot. As I said, I re-adjusted my expectations and I am fine with this family-centric drama instead of a BL romance. However, I feel that this secret has been talked about and dragged on for way too long. If the cat is out of the bag sooner, the pacing of the drama would be better. I would have liked for the secret to be out and then spend time on the consequences and damage control. Instead, so many episodes are spent on protecting this secret with dramatic ‘twists and turns’. After a while, there’s no more surprise and it becomes a repetitive cycle of eavesdropping, devising an evil plan, hurting the person you love.

Romance -
As a romance lover, of course I would have loved to see more of Thian and Jiu. They barely have any scenes together in the first 5 episodes. But that’s ok, I patiently wait for them to be in the same house when the real romance happens. Because so much time was spent on the adult storylines, I am missing the slowly-falling-in-love and unsure-if-he-likes-me scenes. I wanted more loving smiles and shy side glances. The secondary romance between Yang and Phin also got the short end of the stick. They are such a cute, lovely and healthy couple that their romance is just a by-product of the main plot. I also want to see more of their initial falling-in-love development, as they got together pretty quickly.

Acting -
Yes, there’s over-the-top dramatic acting, especially from Madame Jan. This character requires the actress to act that way, and I am OK with it (though it took me a while to get used to it). There are also a few minor roles that act very lakorn/soap opera-ish. They only annoyed me a little. However, I think the MVP is Pok Piyathilda Mittiraroch as Madame Li. She’s so elegant and graceful. Her acting is more subtle and I really feel for her character. She could be all regal in one scene, then calculating in another, and then switch to being an emotional and caring mother. I am most impressed with her. The rest of the cast is pretty good as well. The young leads did an admirable job and I do think they have good chemistry together (when they actually have scenes together). Thian has more emotional scenes and they don’t feel over-the-top. Jiu has a ‘cooler’ and introverted personality, and the actor did well. When he flashed a rare smile when he was with Thian, it did melt my heart a little.

Production -
As this drama is broadcast on TV, I assume the budget is pretty decent. The main house where mainly scenes take place is nicely built and decorated. I love all the Chinese accents and furniture. Throughout the drama, there are many Chinese elements. I LOVE the costumes, especially the qipaos Madame Li wears. Her qipaos are nicer than some I’ve seen in a Chinese dramas. I also like Madam Jan and Phin’s more modern and fashionable styling. The men look handsome in suits, casual wear and traditional outfits, except for Jiu’s raggedly old T-shirts (well, he still looks good). However, outside of the main house, everything looks less sturdy and realistic. The CGI quality needs to be ignored totally….fake snake..fake fire…glittery killing…etc. The OST is decent with a mix of Thai and Chinese music.

Unrealistic events -
I do question a few things while watching and have to tuck away my rational brain a little. It’s hard to imagine proper and rich women beating up and killing bad guys like a born assassin. No matter how many times you’re shot and poisoned, you still have plenty of time to speak your peace before you die. Doors and walls are like thin air. They don’t stop people from eavesdropping in every single episode. You can conveniently and secretly follow someone to their secrets, and also conveniently find and pick up important evidence. I guess this is all part of watching a lakorn.

Despite my criticisms and not being used to the format of a lakorn, I had an enjoyable time watching “To Sir, With Love”. The drama is well-acted, and the pacing is pretty good despite some repetitiveness. I would have liked the drama to be about 12-15 episodes, instead of 17. If you are familiar with and like Thai lakorns, I would recommend this drama.


Completed: 1/8/2023

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Missing a little "oomph" in the chemistry department

Completed: 9/25/2022 - 7.75 rounding up to 8.0

Picking a somewhat unknown and unpopular drama is because one of the writers and one of the directors are from “Hikaru no Go”, one of my favorites. I was hoping the writing of “Dear Missy” would be good and I like the two female leads, Li Yi Tong and Gina Jin. However, I might have expected too much and left a little disappointed.

The focus of “Dear Missy” is friendship, especially the friendship between Li Yi Tong/Lu Ke (Editor) and Gina Jin/Shen Yi Yi (Publisher). They were high school best friends but had a fall out due to a misunderstanding. They lost contact but met each other again 9 years later when Shen Yi Yi became Lu Ke’s boss. The two female characters have very different personalities. Throughout the drama, you can see how their personalities create conflicts, yet how they complement each other in their personal and professional lives. Theoretically, this should be a great setup for amazing writing for a good sismance. But I feel that something is missing. Despite writing how close they are, I don’t feel the same closeness as the sismance in other dramas, e.g. “Remembrance of Things Past” or “Delicious Romance”.

I would say the secondary focus of this drama is the friendship between the 5 high school friends. They often gather at one of the friends’ bar to hang out and celebrate. Conversations flow when they catch up on what’s happening in each other's lives. They are a tight bunch from start to finish, even though some romantic feelings could threaten their friendship. Similar to what I described earlier, I am also missing a little ‘something’, a special chemistry to make this friendship stand out. It’s just OK.

Though there are several romance subplots, they are secondary to friendship. The romantic chemistry is just OK again. No sizzling hot chemistry, and not enough cute fluffiness for my favorite couple. If I have to pick, Shen Yi Yi and Yao Yuan might have the best chemistry out of the bunch. Secondary might be the initial attraction and competition between Shen Yi Yi and Bai Xiao Chuan. However, what I miss most are the scenes between Lu Ke and Zhang Mang. They are so cute together but after they officially date, we barely see them as a couple. I should say, we do see them as a couple, the romance part is pushed to the background to everyone else’s romance storyline. What I want less are scenes between Guan Yue and Ye Zhou, our third leads. The drama focuses way too much time on this couple. I find Guan Yue very annoying and childish for the majority of the drama, and feels that she doesn’t deserve Ye Zhou as well. She did get better in the last few episodes, but I am still pissed and have to lower my rating because of her.

Despite complaining about all the romantic plots, I do want to point out that the drama is refreshing in a way that it explores multiple love interests and relationships per character. Oftentimes, you get one female lead paired with one male lead, and the drama follows the same pairing throughout. But in this drama, we see multiple pairings and see how the characters grow through different relationships. I just wish the drama had better time management and allocated more time on some and less time on others.

I would not watch this drama for the business plots. They all seem very shallow/unrealistic and did not really add a whole lot of excitement, especially in the first two-thirds of the drama. There might be a little bit more towards the end and most of that was sparked by the professional trouble that our third female lead, artist Guan Yue, encountered. I guess that’s why the drama spends so much time on her, to build up the misfortune, which we will see the consequences in later episodes.

Overall, it’s an OK watch. It lacks a little oomph in the chemistry department (friendship and romance). I don’t hate it, but I also will not strongly recommend it either. Watch it if you like the actors/actresses as the acting is decent.


Other Random Observations:
1. LOVE the Hikaru no Go reference and surprise.
2. Actors are all using their real voices, even for Hong Kong actor Sunny Sun. I am really surprised he didn’t get dubbed.
3. Whenever I hear Zhang Chao’s voice, I just can’t help but think of his role in “Hikaru no Go”. His deep voice also reminded me of Jeremy Tsui’s voice. I love a deep sexy voice.
4. So glad to see a wedding in the end, and a very unique one as well.
5. BGM is too loud when the actors are speaking to each other.
6. OST is not memorable at all.

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