Skate Into Love (2020)

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.

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I never feel watching 40 episodes of drama could be this fast. This series is full of inspiration, romance and friendship. And not to mention that I literally can’t stop laughing from episode 1 until the end. I seriously can’t stress enough how I love this drama.

Likes:
- All cast really did a great job expressing their character
- Well balance plot with romance, sports, friendships and family
- Their sound effect and editing make this series funnier.

Dislike:
- I love the ML and FL so much but somehow they look way too old to portray 18 y/o student.
-too many side couple. (i still love them, but it’s kinda unnecessary and time consuming)
- *spoiler* petty reason to break up. Ergh

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Story about dream

Really excited finally can watch this drama. Recently I find myself quite adored actress janice wu, never disappointed with her drama.

This drama for me divided into 3 part. First part where they find their [Li Yu Bing (LYB) & Tang Xue (TX)] childhood memories & fall in love with each other. Second part, the lovey-dovey part, which sometimes funny & adorable. Third part, about their dream, reality & how to finally reach it.

This drama tell us the struggle of an athlete, especially when you are in the single person sport like Yu Yan not in the group sport like LYB where you still have your teammate to support you. Part from the struggle as an athlete of course there is their love life. Each couple have their own problem & I feel it quite true to reality.

Couple story:
* LYB & TX: After they became couple, LYB have to face the reality TX dad not agree with their relationship due to childhood story & the concern of a father about LYB choice of career. But heart to heart talk solve this problem & they get both of their parent support 100%.
* Xia Meng Huan (MH) & Liao Zhen Yu (ZY): Their problem is ZY too much stick on to MH & MH realize it & MH suggest ZY to find another thing for ZY to do. Yes couple sometimes too much stick to each other & finally doesn't realize their own dream & only know how to support their couple.
* Zhang Yue Wei (WW) & Jiang Shi Jia (SJ): When your focus only to someone sometimes you forget to notice your surrounding, is there anyone else for us then the one we keep our focus...? Their problem also classic friend into couple, what happen if I tell her/him my feeling, good if they accept us but what will happen if we got rejected...?
* Ye Liu Ying (YLY) & Deng Jian Guo (DJG): When you already find the one suit you no matter what they look like they're the one for you...

What I love about this drama:
- The relationship between TX & LYB not that instant, they tell us stories about how that's happen. And when they together they're so sweet. & also pleased they together not on the end of the series, so we can see the lovey-dovey relationship ^_^
- Love the chemistry between all the couple, LYB & TX, MH & ZY, WW & SJ, Ye Liu Ying (YLY) & Deng Jian Guo (DJG). They even make story about their Coach love story.
- The past story in the end credit, a little bit miss it when they stop make the past story. Very adorable when see LYB act like a little kids when they change the child LYB & TX into their adult self.
- How they instantly make some scene into funny, it's like the writer didn't want us too much linger on some romance or sad scene. After some romance or sad scene they instantly give us funny & sometime even awkward scene. Especially when LYB parent follow him & caught him dating TX, very funny & awkward for the couple. ^_^

Btw for you who still wonder about Xu Feng or Ice god connection from Ashes of love, I can tell you they have no connection except the same name & actor who played it. They even forget Xu Feng at ashes of love is not ICE GOD he is FIRE GOD. But however still happy to see Deng Lun here, his purpose here only to help promote the drama. :)

Overall: This is a drama where each character learns how to grow into their better selves, while not forget to achieve their own dream. Very good & funny drama yet full of meaning. :)

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One of my favorites!

One of my favorites! Loved the skating/hockey part of this as well as the character relationships. The way the actors played their roles also felt natural, which I also really enjoyed. I also appreciated the cameos of Deng Lun and of "Ashes of Love."

Definitely a (mostly) lighthearted rom-com that made me laugh a lot! I've also rewatched this one multiple times and I still enjoy it the same every single time!

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Inspiring

This drama is really inspiring especially for athletes. I think all the actors did a pretty good job. Steven Zhang is such a good actor.Janice wu is really bold. I really liked their childhood flashbacks. It was so funny and steven was so adorable. The music in the drama is also really. I feel that there were too many people having love interest for the leads. Female lead had two men (excluding male lead) wanting to pursue her while male lead also had two other women wanting to be with him. I also think that the drama would've been outstanding if some parts were avoided. overall this drama is romantic and inspiring.

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Great story

Loved the story, it was so cute and really funny! I liked the music, characters, acting... the only thing I didn't like was the breakup and noble idiocy. When that is in a show, it automatically gets a lower grade from me. No matter how good it started. This is definitely worth watching. Definitely worth re-watching... if you skip over episodes 33-38 and half of 39. But I don't recommend that first time watching because you miss A LOT with the story and other characters. When the two leads are together, they are just way too cute. Before their relationship, and during. At first, the male lead is a bit annoying, but as the story goes on, it explains why. I can understand that and why he's mean to the female lead. But he starts to like her pretty quickly in the series, and it becomes really cute.
There are what I call "annoying" characters in some series. The guy/girl that tries to break up the leads. That kind of thing. In this one, there is both, but they're not as bad as some. They annoy me, yes, but there have been worse. Therefore, they don't lower my rating much.

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Skate Into Love is a beautifully written and executed drama that left a deep impression on me. Not only does it showcase three different types of ice sports and demonstrate their uniqueness, it also teaches a lot of very important lessons to take in life. Throughout the forty episodes, each and every character grew a lot as a person, learning new things and making better choices. Personally, I found this a very enjoyable drama that enabled me to learn a lot about ice sports and chasing dreams.
The premise of the drama was very interesting to me. I love watching hate to love dramas because I enjoy seeing how the couple's relationship progresses throughout the drama. Though at some points, the plot dragged quite noticeably, and certain characters got way more screen time than I wished, for the most part there was a lot of content that kept me interested. I'm the type that loves to ship couples, and there was a very intense love pentagon that was super intriguing, and there were so many couples to ship. I loved waiting for the couples to get together and watching all of the fluffiness that came out of it. The directors had a way of making each episode very funny and lighthearted while also squeezing in serious topics like mental health, physical wellbeing, and trust.
Steven Zhang and Janice Wu had undoubtedly amazing chemistry. They played their roles very well and I did not, even for a moment, find myself struggling to believe their roles. The supporting roles were also casted perfectly. From appearance to personality, I felt that each of the characters fit their roles effortlessly. Each character was so well written, carrying their own flaws and quirks that made you either root for them or hope they fell into a very dark hole and never got out :P I understand completely when other people say that some of the characters are annoying. For example, I've seen a lot of complaints about Janice Wu's character, but while I felt some of that as well, I think it was quite realistic. People are hypocritical sometimes, and they do what they think is best for themselves and others. Sometimes it's the wrong decision. While Janice's character was problematic at times, I found that realistic and made me like her more.
The OST was absolutely beautiful. Nothing more needs to be said. It was amazing and appropriate.
I don't really rewatch things just because I don't have the patience for it and I have way too much on my PTW list for my liking, so while it is unlikely for me to rewatch the whole thing but there are many parts that I would love to see again.

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NICEEEE!

Okay let me just tell you how good this series was. After watching some e-sports themed chinese drama, I've been searching for some related chinese drama with the same theme that could interest me to watching it but I failed to find some not until I was browsing on youtube, I stumbled on this series. And as far I can remember, that was maybe twice or thrice? I kinda don't recall how many times. Then, I thought to myself, why not try to watch some sports themed c-drama? So, first things first, I watched the trailer. Ice hockey and figure skating don't interest me that much but what keeps me proceeding to watching this was how interesting the main lead. And yes! This drama didn't disappoint me at all. This keeps me going until I finished all the episodes. This was so interesting and cute! Their chemistry was so interesting and I loved the progress of their relationship! Of course, this does not focus on romance only because it has elements that everyone could relate to or could inspire or could enlighten us especially about our dreams and how do we make decisions in life that could affect us and the people surround us. Overall, the series was pretty good and I recommend you to watch this one.

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One word, AMAZING! This drama is honestly one of the best Chinese drama I've ever watched, one that isn't too overly cringe on their romance. Their acting skills are superb and I was able to feel every kind of emotions throughout the drama. It got me so hooked that once I finished watching, I felt empty as if my life literally ends with it.

First of all, the plot is just so inspiring and heartwarming at the same time. It is rare for a drama to place their main focus on sports, and it actually got me interested in Ice Hockey and Figure Skating! It teaches us that even with the various setbacks, we can still get back up, to pursue after our dreams. Also, the friendships made and the character development of every character is so good!

Secondly, the cast. The main characters have amazing chemistry, and I can't help but gush over how cute Yu Bing is when he loves Tang Xue. From the Weibo account to his facial expression, how can anyone not love him?! Also, l love it when the main girl isn't those weak characters as portrays in every other typical drama. This also makes the drama stood out other than the plot.

Lastly, how can I miss out on the music? Sang by Steven (aka Yu Bing) just makes everything a lot more amazing. Also, the song "Ordinary Road" matches the drama so well!! And let's not miss out on the song "snow and ice", because the song is so beautiful!!

I definitely recommend this drama where you can laugh and cry with the characters!!

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You Learn A Lot

Please, I'm writing this after rewatching the drama and wiping my tears away again. This is truly a well-written story with plenty of life lessons. The actors that were cast, play their roles wonderfully to the point of making you cry no matter how many times you rewatch it. Also like being a good actor is one thing and then on top of that, the chemistry and ability to work well together is another. I really loved all the interactions and storyline in this. I loved how it was about doing what you want. About being happy. Who cares if you fail? As long as you did what you wanted happily to the best of your abilities that's all. Happiness was attained, it's not like you can take your trophies and medals in the afterlife, happiness is what you'll take. So I just really liked how it was about doing what makes you happy. And it was really nice to see how everyone went on their own ways and whether they succeeded or not they were happy. I thought that was a very complete lesson to learn. Anyways lessons aside the sweet romance of all the characters were enjoyable as well as the deep talks they had about pursuing their dreams. You'll really feel motivated watching this. Highly recommend!!

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