This review may contain spoilers
No Chemistry
It took me several tries to get into this.I love e-gaming and liked some of the graphics (when they were playing in game).
The OST was okay, nothing too spectacular.
The story over all was cute; fun and lovable gamer guys.
Kind of cringe-y and dragged in a lot of spots.
Now for the very unpopular opinion of one lady who has watched too many dramas over the years.
The biggest issue for me was the two main leads and their severe lack of chemistry.
The ML had a lot of flirty, tongue in cheek innuendos that I think were delivered mediocre and came off most times more of a joke (he was supposed to be building tension between the two and there was none).
It may be due to his age or lack of life experience, but it could also be who he was paired with.
The FL had very little personality of her own and for as many times as they kissed, you'd think she would've gotten the hang of it halfway through.
This had promise, but fell short ... very short.
Many others seem to like it, but for me it just wasn't worth all the hype and toward the end I was ready for it to conclude.
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Main actress terrible acting
I just can’t seem to pass the main actress acting. It was just too terrible for me. Her face seemed to be frozen pretty much throughout. Of all characters, hers was the most unclear. Is the character supposed to be cute? feisty? Stubborn? charming? lazy? bold?? etc. it was almost as if there was no planning in her character. Just threw anything on and went w it. The reviews got my hopes up but damn it was just straight bad.Storyline is your standard gaming dramas. Nothing too fancy. But the highlight on the stereotype against gaming, even worse, female gamers gave the drama more depths and light into the struggles of people in this profession. In addition to this, they highlight the pros/cons of the entertainment industry as well as celebs/fans relationship.
The supporting characters were not well developed. Its the typical “bestfriend” in kdramas where everything is for the main characters. Just glad it was more in a positive way.
Highly NOT RECOMMEND
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This review may contain spoilers
A really good, carefree and funny e-sport drama!
The drama is really good!As a LOL player, I loved the novel which helped me understood a few champions in terms of role and gameplay (ex; of Diana). Loving the universe of Riots, I loved the allusions to the game in it, and it really helped me get better in the game. Here's the novel for those who want to read it: (http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com/p/youre-beautiful-when-you-smile.html).
I'm not gonna lie, I was attracted by the fact that it was about League of Legends and was a bit taken aback when I saw that they used another game in it.
However, Onmyoji Arena was so well presented that I wanted to download it either on my phone or my computer (however it was too heavy). As I don't know the game, I couldn't understand the champions and their roles but it wasn't that important. I've tried to check out the champions on the game website; its pretty cool how they explain you how to use the abilities and combos which seems basics like that but can help you understand the gameplays in the drama.
A lot of people think TY is immature and doesn't really grow. I disagree with that! TY is a 22 years old graduate student in the drama (19 in the novel) and I'm the same and I perfectly understand her. She's straightforward and doesn't have the best temper so it makes her impulsive... however, she has a dream and she works hard for it no matter the difficulties. She stays true to herself and doesn't try to please everyone and anyone... she deals with her teammates issues like a real adult... she's not the kid you have to protect... she's a team member that got your back knowing you'll her back too. She's loyal to her friends and I like the way she intelligently helps them. Then if you look at the people she knew before being a professional player: Yang God, JinYang and Ai Jia... the 3 of them are even more childish than her but here again that's part of their age... they're at the beginning of their 20s.
Chen Xiao is cute, it's my first drama of her and tbh she's good for the role: she got the girly part when she cares about her appearance and stuff, and the childish part, when she plays and interacts with her team, but the way she matures through the drama is pretty good, u feel like growing with her.
I read some people thought that Shen Yue (Meteor Garden / A love so Beautiful) or Fair Xing (Master devil do not kiss me/ Put your head on my shoulder) would have been a better choice as lead actress... but tbh I disagree... If someone had said Wan Peng (My girlfriend is an alien), I would have say why not cause she often plays a girly-tom boyish character which could have fit with Smiling. However Shen Yue and Fair Xing? nah
For those who have an issue with Chen Xiao's acting, I admit, saying she's perfect would be lying, however TY is supposed to have a poker face quite often (according to the novel) and maybe the lack of expression of the actress does fit this aspect of her character. Honestly, like I said in a comment on the drama, do you remember Bella in Twilight? She's what I would call the perfect definition of lack of expression, the woman looked like she was constipated from beginning to end (of 4 movies)!
Xu Kai... I watched the Legends, I started to watch Court lady, and I'm currently watching Ancient Love Poetry (this drama is soooo confusing)... and by far Falling Into Your Smile is the best! I heard it's his first modern drama and tbh the role fits him.
The story is predictable in a way where it's a drama and like most drama we can determine the whole story by watching the trailer and the videos at the end lol. But it's also a bowl of fresh air as it's not stressing; the usual toxic moments are properly managed I think and there's a real reflection behind the use of negatives stuffs (gossips/critics)... I honestly hope that some fans could watch this drama, understand it and change their attitude after to be more supportive and less toxic...
The side characters are good and simple, Xiao Pang is excellent, his innocence and reactions make the whole comedic part. Lao K (Old K) is cool with calm and observing attitude. Ming Sheng, Rui Ge and Lao Mao (Old Cat) are funny too. Especially Old Cat, who's slow at understanding things!
Lu Yue and Kun are a bit awkard tho... too exaggerated? Idk there's something off with them... however they fit the drama too, Lu Yue by always appearing in the cute moments between the lead and Kun by being the childish but stubborn character he is.
S/o to the second characters (the bestie and her bf/ex-bf), but coming at it... I don't really know what social class Tong Yao is supposed to be but her Miu Miu and Balenciaga items makes it pretty clear she's far from poor... in the book they explain it as most of her branded clothes are from her bestie... but somehow she always seems to be wearing branded stuff in the drama which makes it less believable (I know it's surely the sponsoring of the drama but still). That's a minor detail...
I hope it helps you decide whether or not should or definitely should watch it! :*
I'll edit it later but for the moment here you go:
- Trailer of Episode 17 --> Chapter 64 part 1
- Trailer of Episode 18 --> Chapter 69 part 2
- Trailer of Episode 19 --> Chapter 72 part 2
- Trailer of Episode 20 --> Chapter 78 part 1
- Trailer of Episode 21 --> Chapter 87 part 1
- Trailer of Episode 22 --> Chapter 93 part 3-part 4
- Trailer of Episode 23 --> Chapter 105 part 3
- Trailer of Episode 24--> Chapter 113 part 3
- Trailer of Episode 25
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A truly great romcom
If Love o2o and Go Go Squid had a love child it would be called Falling Into Your Smile. This drama reminded me a lot of these two dramas. Just like Love o2o the main leads never doubt each other, they communicate well, and never have any issues in their romance. There are no messy breakups, no noble idiocy, no mean in-laws, and no love triangles. And it doesn’t have a lot of angst or heavy melodrama either. It also reminded me a lot of Go Go Squid with its riveting gaming competitions. I loved how the teams worked and lived together just like a family. The camaraderie and team spirit were quite touching. If you liked Love o2o and Go Go Squid then you’ll love this because they’re quite similar.Most dramas first few episodes aren’t that interesting as they set up the storyline. Introducing a variety of characters and their backstories may be crucial to the plot but it can be quite tedious and uninteresting. But this drama is quite interesting right from the beginning. It takes us into the world of gaming with a live match right away. Then we get to meet some intriguing characters which will crack you up. This drama has some great comedy. There’s not really any slow moments and I didn’t have to fast forward at all. And it stays a romcom throughout the whole drama which was refreshing.
One thing that I like about this drama is that it’s about more than just romance and gaming. It delves into deeper subjects like how public figures deal with immense pressure from fans, the news media, their managers, and social media. They also have to deal with the disrespectful attitude most people have that e-sports is just a bunch of people sitting around playing games for fun. They don’t see it as a legitimate career worthy of respect. Then there are the gamers parents who want them to quit e-sports and get a ‘real job’. I also appreciated how hard the female lead works to help people see that women can be just as good at gaming as men are.
The gaming aspect of the drama was fun and made it more interesting. I wish that they made it a little easier to follow and understand. There are lots of different characters to choose from during the game and they seem to play a different character every time they compete. So it’s hard to know who is who when they’re playing. Plus, the games rules aren’t explained at all. So expect to get a bit lost and confused during the games.
Chinese dramas tend to have perky, upbeat, outgoing female leads that are often silly and naive but cute. But the female lead in this drama is different. She’s more reserved, serious and focused on her career. And she’s determined to prove to the male dominated gaming world that women can be just as good as men in e-sports. Therefore we don’t see a cute bubbly happy female lead like we usually do in cdramas. Instead we see a more aloof, reserved female lead that’s very focused on her career. Some have complained about her facial expressions, especially because she rarely smiles and her nickname in the gaming world is ‘Smiling’. She chose that name to honor a past gamer she admires, not because she smiles a lot. Her lack of smiles and cute or silly facial expressions is not poor acting, it’s how her character is written. If you understand that she is portraying a more soft spoken laidback type of character then you’ll enjoy her acting like I did.
I took off one star for a couple of reasons. Most of the actors in this drama are new and even though they did a great job, you can still tell the difference between them and the more seasoned veteran actors. The other reason would be because of how confusing the games are. It’s really hard to know what’s going on during the gaming competitions and that’s a big part of the drama. But don’t let those two things hold you back because the games are still fun to watch and they’re acting is still really good, especially for newbies.
I can’t end this without addressing the romance in the drama. The romance had amazing chemistry with lots of steamy kisses. And once they get together he just can’t seem to keep his hands off of her. Expect lots of kiss scenes, back hugs, princess carrying, and cuddling. They did an amazing job on the romance in this drama. There’s also a secondary couple that are fun to watch and added a lot to the drama.
In conclusion, this is one of those rare dramas that is low on angst but is still very interesting, which is hard to do. There are no breakups, no hateful parents, no scheming second leads, and no love triangles. Yet I couldn’t stop binge watching it. And that’s highly unusual for me. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely close. Don’t pass this one up, you’ll regret it.
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THIS WILL DEFINETELY MAKE YOUR STOMACH FEELS BUTTERFLIES EVERY EPISODES
I do really love the chemistry of Cheng Xiao and Xu Kai. I have watched Xu Kai's drama and I know his acting is outstanding. But it makes so natural with Cheng Xiao. I literally having a butterflies in stomach each every episode. No side stories, they met immediately at the first episode, no beating around the bush. Some of the storyline were somehow unexpected than the typical Chinese drama. But the downside is that the animation were too long which is for me, it is unnecessary. But I watched the bts and I am amazing to the efforts of the staffs in making the animation in superb. And also some of the e-sports scenes/ competitions were too unrealistic. I think it is because of lack of interceptions/scenes of the management/handler each teams. And also the gameplay, which is I tried Onmyoji Arena, It is unrealistic that they are playing it on PC where there are IU controls in screen which usually used in mobile games.I really love the character of Xu Kai, He really did portrayed it very well. I was so amazed and hypnotized on his acting skills and visuals. And also Cheng Xiao, I can really see the detailed of her expressions, his small actions that makes the scene much more realistic, accurate and relatable.
I just hope that they will have more drama together. Xu Kai should have more modern Chinese dramas.
I have rewatched this drama every time I have to wait until next week for next update. That's how good this drama is. It will make you crazy. I have been laughing and blushing even if I am not watching.
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YOU NEED TO WATCH IT!!
Highly recommended of all time☺️☺️..I've just completed the whole series..and damn it was so good..you'll never regret watching it..
The casting,the plot of the story was really good..even you're not into e-sports game..this series makes you love the whole damn thing..and started playing games too..
It makes me addicted to it ..that makes me played it too..
I'm not into cdramas actually but this made me watch it over and over again..
The male and female lead role brings more color to this drama series..
i just love it so so much..
love from ph🇵🇭🇵🇭..
..watch it now..☺️☺️
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I'm not afraid & I don't regret-Tong Yao
just finished watching everything and overall, I think this drama is really well done. Not perfect but for someone who didn't really play game like me, I enjoyed watching the e-sport theme(my first e-sport drama) and it didn't give me any bad light at all about e-sport. I appreciated the players' dream more now. The CGI was well done, they took 8 months to finish it.I LOVE the chemistry of Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao! I definitely want to see them acting together again, maybe a wuxia drama since they both really have good physique imo or another modern drama would be great. I even think they look alike at times, if Tong Yao had black hair in the drama, they will look even more alike imo I think that's why I love the chemistry, their visuals really compliment each other very well, the perfect height difference too. I found their sweet scenes quite natural most of the times and damn all those kisses, one of the most satisfying skinship I had ever watched on screen😆
Overall, very worth watching and congratulations to people who discovered this drama after it finished airing, you guys don't have to wait for new episodes like us, we suffered enough😅
Shout out to whole ZGDX team, YQCB, CK, FNC etc I will miss you guys, my eye candies...blessing to my eyes. It will take some time to move on, I'm at the phase of watching YT videos of TY/LSC moments, withdrawal syndrom at its best.
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MUST WATCH
I actually rarely watch on going dramas since i am very impatient, sometimes i get bored as i wait and ends up with me putting the drama on-hold. But surprisingly, this isn't the case for fiys! i am into cdrama these days so i decided to try fiys plus it's an esports drama! i am a sucker for dramas like this as i like playing games myself. I can’t exactly find any words to describe this drama, it’s funny cute, sweet and inspiring, a mixed of it all!To be honest, It can't really be considered as the most unique or special drama for a lot of people but one thing that made me think of how special this is, is how inspirational it is! I love how it's breaking gender stereotypes, as someone who plays game myself, getting misogynist comments from people often happens bc they think it does not suit me although i did not really care about it still gets on me, in the earlier eps people doubt Tong Yao just bc of her gender and i loved how she proved them wrong and showed them her worth. I also loved her speech when she talked about women playing games and all, i couldn't remember the whole thing she said but it warmed my heart. I also loved when Lu Si Cheng talked about their fans, "If you really like a player, please come closer to his competition stage, but stay a bit further away from his personal life." How i wish i could tell this to every obsessed weird fans out there.
The female lead (Tong Yao) is competitive and hard working. She has good gaming skills, no. 1 tamamo mae player for a reason. She's a sweet and a really good team player. She cares not just for her teammates but also for her opponents, she doesn’t look down on them and geniunely wishes them the best. She might come off as childish and impulsive sometimes but she knows and reflects on it. It's my first time seeing Cheng Xiao in a drama and i kinda find her acting stiff at first but i got used to it after awhile and even found her adorable. Not that she's bad, just maybe the lack of expression but she's actually doing pretty good for someone who just started acting.
The male lead (Lu Si Cheng) is the type of guy who seems cold and quiet to everyone but has a soft spot for the fl. He's also a really great captain. He geniunely cares for his teammates. Like the fl, he also got good gaming skills, he's an awesome gamer. He might come off as cold but he's honestly not, he's just really too honest and calm lol. I have never seen Xu Kai before and i am glad he's the ml, he did really well in portraying the character. I even became a fan! i watched arsenal military academy while waiting for new eps and now im currently planning to watch more of his past works. Will surely wait for his future works too.
More than anyone in the esports field, i believe that the one who understands and trusts Tong Yao the most is Lu Si Cheng. He sees her as someone who's capable of being a great professional gamer, regardless of her gender and what people think of her. He believes in her but he is also always right beside her when she's upset or unhappy, tong yao’s overcoming her fear and cheng ge’s comfort and support for her, he is so supportive. The way he’s always the first one to push and support tong yao just warms my heart.
This chemistry is really great, they look so good together!I i can't help but scream everytime i see them together. XK and CX really succeeded in making my heart flutter whenever i see the both of them together.
Ofc, let's talk about the supporting characters, Falling Into Your Smile would never be the same without them! Y'all should really look forward to the relationship between the cps, the wholesome bromance and friendships. There were some team conflicts but I liked how they sort things out. Behind all those wins is a team with amazing teammates.
Overall, it's a great drama! I will for sure rewatch it once i had the time. I like how it covered different life aspects like relationships, friendships and teamwork.
If you're hesitant to watch it bc you know nothing about esports then dw, it's okay if you don't know much about gaming, you can watch it and you'll still understand how things works since they also explained some of the things related to the game/esports. Even if they did not explained it, ig you'll still understand how it works the more you watch it.
Please do not take things too seriously, a drama is called a drama for a reason, it's all for entertainment purposes. Some may love fiys and some may not. It has its flaws.
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LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!!
I started watching this yesterday so if anyone is here to check if they should watch it or not then shut this tab and GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!!---
I am a fan of sports dramas and no offence to Love O2O and other e-sports com romance but this is superior and as a fan of women empowerment I love this drama.
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The ML [Male lead], FL [Female Lead] and the other actors did a great job. The acting was really good including the chemistry between the characters.[ Not just romantic chemistry btw the main leads but also the friendship and everything]
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The graphics and animations are so good and from the view of Cinematography, it's really good and even the transitions.
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As a Carat [ K-pop boy group called seventeen's fanbase] I started watching the OST like mah boys did a great job. One of the best Chinese drama OST ever.
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Are you still reading this review😶!?
YOUR WASTING TIME
GO WATCH IT!!!
Thank you for reading if you are🤗.
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This review may contain spoilers
Supporting casts were better than Main Leads LOL
A light and fluffy drama about Esports, training in the team, its struggles & ups and downs; and of course falling in love. Lots of sweet moments & kisses between the two leads, but what made the show for me was the rest of the teammates, coach and manager. They each had their specific trademark and unique characters which you will grow to love.The gaming aspect of it was great to watch. I loved how in the middle of the game, the audience would be sucked into the game and be in the midst of the battle itself. The graphics and animation is superb and out of this world and this is another highlight for me. Two thumbs up!
Now comes some blaring factors that did not sit too well with me. [SPOILER AHEAD]
1) Lu Si Cheng and how he treated the girl he likes. Just like what Jin Yang said- he’s like a kindergarten kid who likes the girl by bullying and pulling her hair. Yes that’s how I felt in the first half of the show when he was so called pursuing her. He called her names, bullied her and was rude. When he confessed, he only gave her two hours to decide because he had to know if he could get a good night’s sleep. What the?!!
2) When Tong Yao was harassed & assaulted by Xu Tai Lun in the corridor- she bit his arm in self defence to set herself free. For that, the captain scolded and punished her by locking her out of the base camp for the rest of the day. And wouldn’t let her have her dinner until she ‘realised’ her mistake. ###!%*>*!?## What the heck??? In my opinion she did the right thing and the captain shld have been protecting her instead of punishing. Stupid.
3) When Tong Yao received the threatening package from the Anti-Fan.. and the upper management of ZGDX wanted her to apologise to the perpetrator instead of finding out the truth and protecting your team members???!!! What lousy team managers and sponsors. Instead the captain had to do it himself which affected his own training and game.
[END SPOILER]
Yeah, these factors just didn’t sit well with me. As for the acting, I’m sorry to say I didn’t think the two leads were that great, especially FL Cheng Xiao. To me she couldn’t act at all. (And who wears a sweater and short shorts to an interview??) Best supporting actor goes to Chubby! :):)
Apparently the show is getting a lot of negative feedback from netizens, particularly from the esports industry. I also noticed in the show, they were drinking a lot of RIO at the beginning, (product placement), but not as much in the later half. Tsk tsk...
The last episode was very intense and I loved it!! The battle song was hilarious, and it was nice the script gave Smiling the victory end. I also loved how Ai Jia climbed to the audience to kiss Jin Yang (lovely 2nd couple). Too bad the last kiss on the stage was cut :( Generally had a feel-good ending.
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In regards to the characters, I liked the relationship between the teammates(including their manager Rui and Coach Ming) of Team ZGDX. I think the story did a great job of developing their relationship as a team. I also liked the friendship between our ML and Hierophant, Jin Yang & Tong Yao.
I've seen Xu Kai in other dramas and liked his acting. I think he did a decent job here as Lu Si Cheng. At first it may seem like LSC's character is just cold and arrogant, but after watching it completely till the end you see the other sides of LSC's character.
As for the FL's character, I'm glad to see the writers did not make her an annoying or frustrating character because she is childish and has a few flaws. This is the type of flawed childish FL that won't piss me off all the time. She's not strong, but she's not completely weak either. As for Cheng Xiao's acting, she is a bit stiff. She couldn't quite bring her character into life. I also don't understand why her username was Smiling either, because she didn't smile all the time, but it didn't matter that much.
But if you're looking for a good performance from the FL, don't expect too much. I'd say the stiffness is about the same as ZS's Bei Wei Wei in Love O2O.
I think what makes up for the FL's acting is the romance. The main couple bicker a lot and LSC teases TY a lot which I found very cute. They have quite a lot of kissing scenes and good romantic moments. The kissing scenes didn't appear sloppy either (stating that for people who judge kiss scenes cause I know some people do that).
I'm glad there's no crazy love triangles in here. It's light, there is a clingy ex-bf but it doesn't matter. I pitied the ex-bf but I also know why he ended up that way. There's a bit of comedy here too and I found myself laughing over some of the lines and scenes (especially Lu Yue's scenes).
For the gaming aspect, you don't need to be a gamer to watch it or understand it. I think you can enjoy it without being knowledgeable about the game. I'm not familiar with the Onmyoji game myself, but I liked watching the action scenes of the games.
I'd say this is similar to Love O2O (if you liked that drama), but I find it better than Love O2O in most ways. I think the gaming portion is done much better here and you don't have to watch the main characters dress up in costumes for the game scenes (like it was in Love O2O). It's also less dramatic than Love O2O.
The dubbing is a bit weird but not too terrible. I've seen worse dubbing in C-dramas.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was an enjoyable watch that got me into E-Sports!
I got into watching this because of Xu Kai, since he's become one of my favourite actors, and I wanted to watch something while waiting for Ancient Love Poetry episodes to be uploaded. So I decided to watch this one. The story did started off slow at first for me, and the romance takes a bit slow to build into the story, but the characters/story is really loveable. I love ZGDX and the members in there are all very loveable to me. The second couple story, is quite enjoyable too.Once again, Xu Kai acting on his character, Lu Si Cheng does not disappoint, I love how he leads his team and give advises when they are doing playing E-sports against other players, he can be quite intimating at times hahaha XDD But when he smiles, and when he acts sweets, he's very adorable to me. He have a very nice smile IMO. I also love the way he expresses his love for Tong Yao, like he is really good at showing me, that when he starts to love her (which you can evidently see it), he really does these little things to show his love, which is nice, and honestly I don't have any complaints about his love for her.
But for Tong Yao, I don't know, I feel like she lacks something for me, I feel like the way she shows me her 'in love' with Lu Si Cheng, I don't really feel the chemistry, well aside from the story says that they're together and she loves him, I don't get that from the actress, Cheng Xiao, in expressing her love. So that's something I don't quite enjoy. But ignoring that, I don't mind the pair, they are still enjoyable to me, thanks to Xu Kai's great acting, and his ability to show his emotions/love when portraying his character.
The ending finale, of the Esports game, against YQCB in the finals championships, have me at the edge of my seat, in terms of how the game ended, it was done beautifully, no complaints there! But in terms of the main cp ending, it is more of an happy open ending, so that was not very satisfying if I was fan to that pair, but since I am not, then it's okay for me, no hard feelings (lol), since I know that they will be together, if I was a fan to the pair Lu Si Cheng and Tong Yao, then I would have wanted a closure for them since that's a must when it comes to my favourite pairing. But the second couple got their happy ending since they got their wedding, so that was nice.
Rewatch Value: I will be rewatching this again from time to time, since it's an enjoyable watch for me. If you're interested in giving something light-hearted to watch, you can check out this drama!
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