Falling into Your Smile (2021)

Everything’s worth watching!

Did not have much expectation at the start but all my thoughts went out right away. Amazing cast - the good looks and good acting, not too cringe, amazing music, everything’s just amazing about it! Though it had its controversies, but all in all, it is a drama and especially tied to romance. Of course, there are some parts that are not reality, but it’s alright for me as it is just a drama that’s meant to just give you the feel-good vibes.

It’s a light-hearted rom com and it’s the kind of stories I like. Does not give me stress watching the show hahahah! Finished it within 3 days!

Having serious withdrawal problems now that I’ve finished the series ? Looking forward to the next drama with Xu Kai ?

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Don't. Hesitate. Anymore.

Well, I don't really put any expectations for the drama because the synopsis doesn't sound that fun. BUT........

1) it's a very stress-free show
The main couple tease each other a lot and will definitely make you smile. It touch the "e-sport and gender" issue in a great way, the girl is fearless, the boy is supportive. They are a lot of funny moment too.

2) the story itself
The story flow is great, not too fast and not too slow. It's also involve friendship, lover, ex lover, public figure life, a professional gamers life and more. Their friendship is the best in the drama world idc!!!! Hehe.

3) the friendship
Omg, I just love how the other player tease the couple (which happen to be their captain and mid player) everytime they get the chance. They also very hardworking and supportive to each other. Of course there are sometimes when things go south, but still, their friendship remain strong. I literally cry at 1 scene about their friendship (if you want to know, go watch this drama<3333)

4) the couple
NO misunderstanding.
NO silly breakup.
YES healthy relationship
YES supportive bf/gf
YES sweet couple
YES diabetes! Hehe
The couple is fearless, hardworking, sweet, brave and superior! I just love how the bf always there for the girl and when needed, he always give advices to the girl instead of just saying sweet things. The girl too, is like a girl version of the boy? But a bit softer ;} They are passionate both in love and in games! They will never let their relationship interrupt their games performance and vice versa. They still going strong even after their relationship get exposed. They are the best couple ever. Thanks to this drama script writer <33

5) e sport
If you a fan of mobile legends, just go for it. The game they are playing is kinda similar to ml. It shows that e sport isn't as simple as just playing games. E sport is faith. E sport is something you can definitely work on.

Bonus :
• a lot of handsome actor
• teach you some life lesson
• they make the game in animation too as if you are in the game's map
• the parents for both party are nice
• there are some good ost

Anyway, this drama definitely make you feel so single (that's me actually ;p). If you decide to watch it, remember, you will have hard time to stop watching it and then you realize you already on the 31 episode ;(

Last but not least, I MISS THIS DRAMA ALREADY. Okey done. Bye bye.

P/s : I'm having a hard time to move on from this cheng-yao couple huhu

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So much more than a rom-com

May contain some spoilers.

To be honest, I am not too sure why this drama is often simply categorized as a rom-com and nothing more. This drama dwells into relatable real-world issues in a realistic way without overdoing it and going off tangent from the main story line. These include:

- The struggle of separating work and love life and compromising with each others interests (mainly on the secondary couple, which I felt was very well done),
- The instability of public opinion, how it can easily be manipulated, twisted, and flipped with just one post,
- The struggle of being a public figure, apologizing for something one's fans committed and not oneself,
- Prejudice against women,
- E-sports being downgraded to 'not being a real sport' with people not seeing the struggles and hard work pro gamers put into their career,
- The importance of good leadership and communication within a team,
- and so on.

Many rom-com dramas also deal with real-life issues to some extent, but only mainly deals with issues regarding the main couple and obstacles of them being together. Falling Into Your Smile goes beyond this. Yes, there are some issues that act as barriers for the main couple getting together. But it does not ignore issues that side characters have had to face and the bigger issues that surround it. The story gives them appropriate development and portrays these issues well.

In fact, every event that happened in this drama is important to moving the story forward and I really appreciate the lack of filler scenes (except for the purpose of comedy, which I personally think is important for the development of the main couple). The story had a relatively even flow throughout. While some e-sports portrayals were not completely accurate, hence the backlash from the Chinese gaming community, I would say that the portrayals of surrounding issues were done so well that it really makes up for it. In addition, I have played similar games to the game being featured in this show so about 80% of the time, I understood what was happening in the game. If you want to know more of the in and outs of 5v5 MOBA gaming and the gaming industry, maybe this show won't help you much. It will give you a taste. I would say King's Avatar did a better job in talking about the pro gaming industry and such. However, the gaming scenes were short enough so that the general audience can avoid getting bored if they don't understand what is happening, so I appreciate the editing of the gaming scenes and only focused on more of the important events. About the romance, it was great. While I do feel that there is too many kissing scenes in some episodes, I feel that it was justified for the following episodes all had a really serious tone so it kept the balance.

The acting needs to be good in order for a drama with a well-written storyline to reach its full potential. While not all of the acting performances are great, the majority of them were outstanding. I was shocked at how well many of the side actors acted. Special mention to the ex-boyfriend of the Female Lead whose emotional performance touched my heart deeply. I also really appreciated Fatty's facial expressions. He had me dead on the floor in every scene where he had the unfortunate fate of witnessing the main couple in an awkward situation. But almost every supporting actor and actress did their role justice. I actually formed a connection with most of the supporting cast in the process and I really feel sad to part ways with them in the final episode. This is a testament to their acting skills. In terms of the main roles, Xu Kai does not disappoint. I have only heard of good things from him and I can definitely see where his fans are coming from. He perfectly plays his character with impressive subtlety. Xu Kai IS Brother Cheng. He lives and breaths his role. I will definitely follow his other dramas because of how impressed I am with his performance here. Meanwhile, Cheng Xiao was not terrible but in comparison to almost every actor and actress in this drama, she is not on the same level. Her eyes are often lifeless and her stiffness is apparent in many of their earlier scenes. However, I can definitely see her potential because she had some great moments and her visuals are very suitable for the main role. Admittedly, she improved as the drama went on. Additionally, since she was an idol before she was an actress, I can understand why she does not keep up with the rest of the cast. But to be fair, the acting rating went down to 9.5 mainly because of her mediocre performance, despite her improvement. Overall, the acting of this drama is top-notch and the set of casts they got was amazing. Xu Kai especially. The chemistry between Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao was obvious and it helped save her middling performance.

The music was really nice overall. Not too memorable but it was pleasant to listen in the moment.

Because of how purposeful each event felt in this drama, I can easily watch this from beginning to end, hence the perfect score of re-watch value.

Overall, I would highly recommend this drama. Don't miss it, it is definitely worth a watch.

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Sweet drama that must be watched!

This drama is a gaming cdrama romcom that was very enjoyable to watch. If you liked Go Go Squid then this drama is a must watch. The story itself is your typical romcom of boy meets girl, they bicker, start caring for each other as friends and teammates, fight the feelings they have towards each other, do little things behind the scenes to demonstrate their feelings without outright saying them and have a common goal of winning a championship. The pace of the story does go slow, however I did feel that it allows for a better understanding as to the characters of the story and the obstacles they face, which is very similar to what people in the spotlight face in real life. The actors were great in portraying their characters, and I especially liked the chemistry between the two main leads Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao.

The drama does bring realistic issues that E-sport professionals face such as doubts, lack of support, which makes the whole drama very good. It is hard to keep track of the game scenes if you are not familiar with multiplayer games, especially since you don't know what character is playing what online player, but it's not a big deal if you don't, they can be skipped. You'll really enjoy this drama.

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We want Season 2 .... with all the same casts

This is the first time that I fell in love with a C drama. I love all the casts, the crew, the CP feels, the OST and the set... Everything is AAA+ for me... When I saw one of the fan vids, I just know that I wasn't gonna spend any more minute without searching and watching this drama... and until I finished it, I knew I wouldn't ever regret watching it and even share it to my friends who also appreciates it..

This comes the part where I get confused about the controversies that I heard about it being boycott and not appreciated by their fellows. At first, it didn't sound right for me like what could be wrong? How can they even call this awkward acting, plagiarized, insulting to E sports gamers and all.. to the point that they will harass the actors and cut the budget for marketing..

Well here's my take... First, I believe that this is a drama... Drama, specifically means a drama.. not documentary or not true to life based story at all... Drama has a lot of extensions where it can be fanfic, fantasy, Sci fi, slice of life, adventure, sports and etc.. This again isn't documentary, where you will need to base the story in accordance to what a specific person or events are literally taking place and experiencing in real life... I love games, specifically e games, but doesn't mean that I love e sports and all that I will require an e sports drama to be exactly how it is... again, this is drama, and it can contain a lot of different genre where it can be the drama's main focus...

For a more clearer view to this, let's just say that a drama will base the story from historical views where they will add fantasy, romance or even comedy... .Will they say that using a name of historical figure and adding romance or comedy into it, means that they are plagiarizing and insulting the history? (Let's be honest but I have watched a lot of dramas like this) And I think we should think twice about it and look at the brighter side of how people learn more about the history while being entertained and appreciating it... And I think E sports is not much sacred than the history to be so much of a delicate topic as what they are making it seem to be...No offense..

On the contrary, I want to compliment the drama for showing more of how an e sports gamer can dream of what they really want, that e sports is not just a game, but can also be a profession. They also depicted how a team can work and dream together through hard work, adaptations and strategies. It also became an eye opener to lots of people who doesn't know about more the e sports industry and starts appreciating it. To a mother, girlfriend or bypasser who doesn't know how to play a game can be interested with this drama was one big step for introducing the e sports to the world.... Btw, it's just because that I learned that a lot of people who watched this became interested on the game and installed OPL in their devices...

Lastly, all the casts and crews who work hard to make this drama possible for 8 months isn't a joke.. All the hard work should be appreciated greatly which brings joy to the fans who appreciates it should be recognized and awarded nicely.. Not with bad words but with appreciation to the people who can bring happiness amidst this pandemic... Learn to respect others, specially when they didn't do anything bad towards you directly.. let's just pray for a Season 2 for this :)

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A heavy dose of fluff

I've binge watched this drama and it's a kind of drama i would like to pick up when i crave for C-fluff. There are many heart-fluttering and sweet moments of the main and second couple. I'll just mention what i liked and disliked about this drama.

I liked:
- Strong FL and SFL who are independent in their decisions and career
- Chemistry and romance of the Main Leads
- Cute storyline of the second leads
- The gaming squad (i'm missing them even while writing this review)
- Comedy throughout the drama
- Sweet side characters
- Not-so-cold Male lead and his sudden smiles :3
- Friendship between the gamers (especially ML and Hierophant)
- Character Development

I disliked:
- Video game scenes (i didn't enjoy them as the quality is not quite good and that game not just my type)
- Unnecessary clichés which felt like they r forced into the very well running plot.

I really enjoyed this drama.. it would have been a 9/10 for me if they have not added those random clichés. But i'll still recommend it anyone who like to watch a good Rom-Com C drama!!

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Totally worth watching

Ahhh......
Man, first of all i really like e-sports genred drama...let it be YANGYANG'S "LOVE O2O" Or wang yibo's "gank ur heart" Or lixian and hu yitian's "Go go squid"....<3
I so love this genre...but each of them didn't revealed much bout those esports game they're playing. But this one was just so unexpectedly good..¶0¶they weren't even acting while clicking those mouse and keyboards ,they actually participated in those activities ( and since i too used to play ML-the game they were playing- i just loved this drama)....oh god they were so hardworking. Thats why i show the cast and the drama a huge respect and love <3
Ok next, if we talk bout the cast - it was really well chosen...actually damn good cast...and i was like-" i like this character","this one too", "oh god he's also so good"
As for Xukai , i just watched his videos aloton my YT..and thought of trying his drama..but at that time all i could see was his historical dramas ,which didn't intrigued me much and then i saw this one as his upcoming drama, with just simple storyline and a simple poster of him and cheng xiao..then i fe// in love with this drama at first sight an i waited for it like a whole year.
And dang it!!!!.....it was totally worth it

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CUTE

Cute guys. Cute FL. Cute cats. Cute story.

Controversies aside, the dramas works because its a complete package. As shallow as it is, its a casting of a lot of good looking people and make esports arena a place of idols looking peeps. Theres a lot of witty dialogue that makes you laugh aloud. Theres team spirit and camaderie among the esports team. Theres nice animation for the game fights. Theres good progress in the romance department between the ML and FL. Theres a lot of cute edits from the editor, point in case they gave a HP bar above FL when she was unwell/suffering from mestrual cramps. I thought that was really cute. And theres the cute cats that totally steal my heart.

Worthy mentions: FL's bestfriend is such a nice character, i love her sass and confidence. Little Fatty is a really cute character, i love him in d novel, i love him the same in the drama.

Kudos to the production team that did great post-production work here. Ive seen C dramas with good cast and story marred by poor editing which makes it hard to watch and follow. Not the case here, episode to episode flows very well, very easy to binge.

If theres things to criticize it might be the FL's acting range. Clueless, nonchalance or adorable those were fine but more emotional scenes need a lot of work still. But they make it up with good chemistry cause Xu Kai prpbably is her best onscreen partner thus far. While i was watching my husband kept pointing out how over their makeup was and how everyone is too white ^^ lol. Still this was a fun watch.

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A True Gem that will always remain in my heart

First I'd like to start by apologizing for writing this review late. I created my account because I had to write a review for this drama and it would be a crime if I didn't. Second, I'm someone whose picky with her dramas. I'd drop a drama without hesitation if I find it dissatisfying and even if it's satisfying it takes a lot for me truly give a 10 for a drama.
Where do I start? I waited for this drama for almost a year. I watched Gank your heart and Go Go Squid and fell in love with e-sport romance dramas. But sadly there are only a few good e-sport dramas. I came across this drama while I was watching Gank your heart and have been tracking it since then. I simply believed this drama was going to be a good one and it did! I watched this drama while it was airing and you have no idea how frustrating I felt when the eps to be released the next day were postponed continuously. Basically I'm trying to tell you that this drama infected me ways beyond my imagination. I still watch ML and FL compilation on Youtube till this day.
This drama unlike most cause equally balances out the romance and e-sport. There was never a feeling like the romance was just a side thing and the e-sport was main theme or vice-versa. In terms of character, I fell in love with all the characters. The story depicted how each one of them had their own problems and sacrifices when they chose this field. And how they made it through it all together. Lu Si Cheng was a mature responsible strong character that loved to be naughty every now and then. Tong Yao is one the first female's to participate in this field and how she stumbles being a professional. The drama emphasizes on how e-sports isn't just about playing games. But instead how they had to work hard, suffered from injuries, criticism and how they bared the weight of expectations from many. It made me understand how no passion should be belittled. It terms of romance I'm speechless. This unlike the basic c drama where there's constant dazing or coincidental kissing etc. I loved that there was a different side to Lu Si Cheng that only Tong Yao saw and that Lu Si Cheng was direct with his feelings even if it meant being rejected. It felt like a realistic romance and it made me want it to be real. Lu Si Cheng is brought out as a strong stern figure through out the story but towards the end he falls. This part I truly love cause it authentically showed how that even the strongest figures could fall. The friendship between all the members made me feel envious. On top being a motivational and romantic drama it had a fair share of comedy as well. Comedy wise you will surely not be dissatisfied. As whole this drama means a lot to me that at one point I started forcing my friends watching it and playing the game as well. Will there be a second part? Do I want one? I'm not sure cause I don't how you can top of something better than this. I 100% strongly say that this drama needs to be watched by all. It would be a sin if you didn't. Lol! Anyways I might have explained it in a too elaborate way. Please bear with me. Cause like I said this drama is addicting and intoxicating that I had to pour all this out.

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Female character annoyed me!

So this drama has a great plot, you will learn a thing or 2 about esports which is actually really interesting for the fact that many of us are not familiar with such topic. Male casts were all great but what really annoyed me was the female lead. This would have hit a 10 only if the female’s acting wasn’t so stiff. Her acting is way too stiff.. I tried my best to endure through the whole drama for the great plot and casting but it was a drag on for me. When they were kissing, it seem like she wasn’t in for it. Not everyone would understand me because everyone has different opinions.

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THE BEST I HAVE EVER WATCHED!!!

I dont normally post reviews. But I have watched this drama over a million times and cant seem to move on. I watched every BTS there is as well. Im so addicted! I love the story line.. the cast... the comedy... the romance. Everything about this is just PERFECT!

This has often been compared to Go Go Squid. But this for me is 10x better cause it has everything that Go Go Squid lacks.
#1. Tong Nian is a push over.. compared to Tong Yao who is a strong female lead. But still sooo cute!
#2. The game play and team work is awesome.
#3. Too many funny scenes!
#4. The romance is not forced. It even makes me think that the 2 have something going on in real life! (I hope so... haha)

REALLY THE BEST!!!

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DON'T MISS GAMING GOLEM LORDS CONQUER THE WORLD STARRING A GIRL GAMER (INNOVATION!)

Woah. After Love Scenery, I had a huge c-drama hangover. I didn't feel like watching *any* full-length dramas—like at all. Then I remembered there was this one drama I was waiting for... or one of the dramas I've been waiting for... and here I am.

The YES:
1. No stupid-ass unnecessary breakup. YES PLEASE!

2. No chase. No lead really chases the other. You slowly see them fall in love with each other. There's no pestering either. It happens slowly but very clearly. It's the tiny moments you see as the viewer who knows they both like each other, while the characters are coming to the realization they like one another. It's very refreshing.
2a. The confession. Every drama usually wants to go with the super dramatic approach (fireworks, etc) when confessing. Not here. It was like a breath of fresh air seeing them just simply sitting there and have the conversation like adults. While dramatic confessions are great (don't get me wrong), this was—once again I say—very refreshing.

3. No cluelessness. It was subtle, but I loved the fact that the ML read the sign from the FL when she said that she didn't want him to go meet with his "blind date" partner for the *last time*. She said this when she thought he couldn't hear her. He did hear her, and I just love the fact that he read that signal. Usually, in c-dramas, I see people acting so delusional when signals are clear—and I hate that.

4. The lips moved. I repeat—the lips moved. That's it. It wasn't super out there, but they moved. And I'm loving these new dramas with lips moving. So less frustrating. Innovation!

5. E-sports/gaming drama! I love how many e-sports/gaming dramas there are. From veterans like Love O2O to zoomers like Love Scenery/Go Go Squid!/The King's Avatar, I've not met an e-sports/gaming drama I did not like! (Well, uh, *cough*, except for Gank Your Heart. I hated that. With a passion. Pei Xi punching me though is still on the table.)

6. The fact that I can say "you should watch this" and not have a solid "but" after. I'll explain. A lot of dramas I've also rated 8.5 stars, I can say "you should watch this, but [blank]." For this one, I can't think of an unarguable "but", except for the 1st and only point in "NO" section below... but even that, I'm playing devil's advocate. Like Go Go Squid!, I would say "you should watch this, but the first few episodes are so hard to get through you just need to push through." Another 8.5 rating that has a "but" is Intense Love. I love that show.... and "you should watch this, but the FL is very overly dramatic and childish at times." The only "but" I could find is quite weak and not a lot of people would mind it, so that's why I'll consider this "no buts". .... Actually, after about a week or two, I've decided that this definitely deserves a 9, c-drama wise. The fact that I keep thinking about this drama... and the *amazing* soundtrack... just proves how much I love this.

7. Can we talk about the soundtrack though?? Why did most of the songs slap so hard?? Unexpected, but very much welcomed surprise.

8. Team chemistry. All of it. All the members, even the substitute MID, the ex-MID and the glorified nanny.
8a. I feel the need to add in the totally amazing fucking scene as a point of YES. The scene... oh man, when they started singing during the last match... I fucking love the chemistry. I love it. Periodt.

9. I'm adding this on after my second re-watch... Hierophant can literally like slap me in the face, and I'd still beg. Like why do I fan-girl like a twelve year old every time he comes on screen? HUH?? HE'S TOO GOOD-LOOKING TO BE KEPT ALIVE. If there was any "antagonist" ever (if you can consider him one), he's literally my favourite ever. Like he's fucking everything. Hoping to see Wang Yi Jun starring in a drama eventually. I would eat that shit up right away.

The NO:
- I guess to be pretty nit-picky:
1. After they got together. The romance part felt sweet, yeah, but... Okay, so I know romance dramas tend to want to appeal to younger girls like pre-teens or you know, that demographic, but I wish it was more mature. I would probably say "eh" if these characters were like say in high school or early university, but these characters were fully graduated adults in a workplace.
1a. After my second re-watch, I want to say the "after" part actually feels very good. Like I actually love it, so really, you can discard the "NO" section—it doesn't exist.

Conclusion:
1. Chinese dramas are always so great at building up romances, so it's usually the execution of the romance that falls short. I guess this followed the trend in that way. (Edit: I WAS BRAINDEAD OBVIOUSLY WHEN I WROTE THE EXECUTION FELL SHORT. IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY FUCKING GOOD, AND I'M SORRY I EVER THOUGHT OTHERWISE.)
1a. But I'd still totally recommend this to anyone who wants an e-sports/gaming romance. 100%.

[09/04/2023]
On my third re-watch (whoops) I have more things to say:
1. This drama really touched on the public/fans aspect in a way that explained media today. The fact that you're in the public eye doing a craft you're good at suddenly means fans are allowed to form parasocial relationships with you? Demand apologies? Demand you not have a personal life beside gaming? No. That's extremely toxic, and you think these things about anyone in the public eye—you're not a fan. This drama tackled parasocial relationships well, in that yes, the artists appreciates your support and it's helped them achieve what they have, but you don't have the right to critique their personal life (relationships). The drama also demonstrates the power of social media. You could be completely in the right (ie. someone making up a fake story about you) but since you're the public figure, you're automatically assumed to be the worst. Tong Yao faced this frequently, and it's truly not fair. Once again, this ties back to the parasocial aspect.

You are not in the celebrities life. Leave them alone. You don't know them.

2. While I did learn about the huge controversy behind this drama, how Hierophant was made to be a real life LPL player, Faker, and how he was made to be the villain in the drama... I mean, I loved Hierophant. I don't think he was portrayed poorly in any way in the drama. I don't watch LPL, so I can't comment on the accuracy, but I do watch esports (Valorant specifically) and I do agree that it must suck to see your career dramatized, but at the end of the day... it's a c-drama. Huge respect to Faker.

3. Yes, I enjoy esports. Yes, I have certain Valorant pros I love to watch. But do I think I have a right to bash them online if they do badly? Do I think I have a right to bash their choice in relationship partner? No. I support them because I enjoy watching them play. Boundaries are clearly an issue for people these days due to social media, but it's important for fans to sit their ass down and be humbled. Shoutout to PRX! They lost in the finals, but I didn't hear any fans bashing them. I still love them and still do the fans. PRX something even apologized. They don't owe us anything but to play their best. #WGAMING.

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