Go Go Squid 2: Dt. Appledog's Time

worth watching

This series stands out from typical dramas by delivering a focused and engaging storyline without unnecessary distractions. Unlike many other shows, it avoids excessive romance, unnecessary subplots, or irrelevant characters, ensuring a clear and well-structured narrative. Every episode contributes meaningfully to the main plot, keeping the audience immersed without the frustration of side stories that add little value.

One of the most impressive aspects of the series is its attention to detail in setting up each match. The stage settings, strategies, and pacing are executed flawlessly, making every competition feel intense and realistic. Rather than diverting attention with unnecessary rivalries or forced conflicts, the series remains centered on the core theme, allowing viewers to fully appreciate the skills, determination, and teamwork on display.

Another strong point is its clarity. There are no confusing plot elements, no forced rival dynamics, and no excessive backstories that take away from the primary focus. The narrative remains straightforward yet compelling, ensuring that viewers can follow along effortlessly while staying engaged. Each character has a meaningful role, and their presence adds to the progression of the story rather than distracting from it.

Overall, this series is a must-watch for those who appreciate well-executed storytelling without unnecessary embellishments. It delivers thrilling matches, well-developed characters, and a clean, structured plot without any filler. If you’re looking for a drama-free, engaging series that keeps you entertained from start to finish, this is definitely worth your time.

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sloooooooow e-sports drama

So, I'm under the impression that e-sports drama are "fast" in the sense that there's a lot of things happening. Music is fast, scenes and camera angles change quickly, lots of movement.

This is perhaps one of the slowest dramas I've seen. It is now my current multitasking drama, it's so slow. I'm a third into drama and honestly, the first 13 episodes could have been condensed down to something like 3. There are so many long, staring at each other scenes with thoughts voiced in some dream-like state.

In short, don't take it as a sequel to Go Go Squid. It's almost an alternate universe where time has stopped too. It's a romance drama with an e-sports background.

Perhaps the remaining 2/3 will have more e-sports stuff? I dunno. I've not seen a set up this long before for this genre.

Having said that...

Love the actors and actresses, love the music, and the absolute best character in this drama is Wu Bai's grandfather. It's worth watching just to see him. He's so funny and sweet!

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Does not really follow on from Go Go Squid (GGS)

The title of this drama is misleading as although there are a sprinkling of characters from the first GGS, only about 4 of them are played by the original actors and the plot line follows the one from that drama a lot of the time.
If you ignore the original, then this drama stands ok on its own but if you are expecting a story that weaves into and is intertwined with GGS then you will be disappointed.
Wu Bai is still played by Hu Yitian (Li Xian is still Han Shanghai and Yang Zi plays Squid) but both Solo and Appledog are played by different actors so the feel of the plot is very different even though the characters they play have similar traits to GGS (but they ARE played by different actors so no matter how hard you squint they’re not the same). Additionally, K&K and SP compete in a very different arena - that of robot wars. Additionally the buildings they operate out of are completely different so again this highlights the difference.
The acting is believable and you feel for them as they go through the ups and downs of their relationships. For example, Appledog’s manager (before she joins SP) is brilliantly flaky and slimy so for me his is a stand out performance as he brown noses anyone that he thinks will earn him brownie points and/or a promotion. Hu Yitian as Wu Bai conveys so much with just his facial expressions as, just like in GGS he says very little, but you really know what he is thinking just from his body language etc.
I first found Li Yitong in Dream within a Dream and in this story she doesn’t disappoint either. She has great chemistry with Wu Bai and still has to deal with conflicts created when Team Solo splits up (though for different reasons).

Would I watch this again? Probably not as for me GGS had so much more to offer and I found this plot lacking as on the whole the wonderfully funny antics of the original Team K&K weren’t there to pick up the tempo (probably a budget constraint lead to this much smaller team) That said the way the boys keep tabs on their captain’s burgeoning romance and subsequent proposal fails are funny and endearing but with less characters it all felt a bit lonely somehow.

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First season is better

When I started watching this drama I thought that it would be continued with the the first season .
But I never felt by seeing any of the episodes that it was a continued of first season because there they had tournaments related to some coding or a sort of video game and here they played with robot . But in second season they introduced the same company SM OR SN AND K&K . and the breaking up story of apppledog's was same . Now doubt arise
First ,in first season's last episode apppledog's and Wu Bai already met ,she knew he is Han Shang cousin but in this second season she didn't know who is he ? Like this many things confused me a lot that I was not enjoying the drama much .
After watch more episodes I realised that this season was fresh one and it had nothing with first season.
But I like first season more than second season because of Tong Nian's role she was looked cute and adorable all the time and she had so many cute and romantic scenes with Hanshang and my favourite scene was when she got drunk and messing up with Hanshang and thought him as strawaberry and eating his lips and again again saying that she loved him so much and kiss him many times . I never felt bored to watch any scene of the first season .
In this season starting few episodes were bored and sometimes Wu Bai and apppledog's scenes too .
I liked second lead couple story more than first lead .
When Shen Zhe carried Ai Jing on his shoulder and took away from her blind date that was my favourite scene .
One more when Wu Bai drunk and called his father in law's brother that was little funny episode.
One more would be my favourite scene that was their marriage but can't as I am Tong Nian's and Hanshang love stories's fan so I expect atleast they should have 20 minutes scenes that was enough for me but they had I guess 5 minutes role .
One thing I realised by watching this drama Hanshang was forcefully doing this drama because
I didn't see the spark on his face that was I had seen in first season and about Tong Nian's she had the same spark , bubbly girl .
Though Wu Bai and Apppledog was lead but I always expect that Hanshang and Tong Nian should have some scenes in last few episodes of the drama. all backgrounds songs were good .

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I'm dissatisfied and disappointed with the outcome

I was really looking forward to season 2 and I was actually quite disappointed with the outcome. I found it boring (no offense) compared to the first season which I hope would have another season for more Tong Nian and Han Shangyan scenes. I was not totally satisfied with this season and I somehow found it dull and pretty boring. Idk if it was just because of the pandemic that they had to lessen the cast but it did not really seem as lively as the first season. The old K&K was very lively and fun unlike this season's K&K. 97 and One were the only one's left from the original cast from K&K except for Han Shangyan and Wu Bai. I missed the times when they would always put Demo into trouble or put him as a bait because they were all afraid to approach Shangyan. I was also quite disappointed that Han Shangyan had only a few appearances in this season. To think that he's the boss of K&K. I know that this season is revolving in DT & Appledog's love story but he needed more appearances but all there was was his voice through calls and all. Even in the competition, since he was the boss, he had to be there. The other Solo members were there, they got together but he wasn't in the picture which actually made me sad.

Not to be rude but tbh, I just forced myself to finish this one because I was looking forward to Tong Nian and Han Shangyan's appearances plus 97, One and Grunt's crazy antics. Though I was also disappointed with the changing of casts. Honestly, during the first episodes, I was actually lost with who was who because most of the casts from season 1 were already gone and they had different ones in this season. I actually needed the guide first to know who the casts were portraying so that I could cope with the story, plus the plot was somehow different so it was really hard to know who was who. It felt like a guessing game for me.

Also, I don't mean to offend Yi Tian but I was dissatisfied with his performance here. I was actually looking forward to Li Xian's guestings than his parts. I felt like HTY's role here was so boring and awkward. I know that DT's personality was really like that but since season 1 he seems to have been in a very very very awkward position. I felt like he was very stiff and I did not really feel their chemistry all that much compared to the one I felt just by looking at Li Xian and Yang Zi. Even if it was just a glance, I felt butterflies, but with Yi Tian, I did not feel anything at all. I dunno if the butterflies I felt for him in A Love So Beautiful have faded or I just got sick of him?

But overall, I was really disappointed with the outcome though I'm still rating it with 7.5 for a job well done and for the effort. I just wish there will be a season 3 that may focus on K&K and their married lives and I wish that they could relive the old lively spirit felt in K&K during season 1.

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This series considered as alternative reality which focus on different lead

For me this series is considered a alternative reality with the same ending as first GGS, but it's focus is on Wu Bai/DT, Han Shang Yan's cousin and his lovestory to Ai Qing/Appledog.

It's alternative reality for some reasons:
*The season one game competition is all about hackers game while season 2 is all about robotic game
*In some episodes we will see some scenes which doesn't exist in season 1..The storyline happens before and during the events of season 1,with some different scenes but with the same ending;to be exact an extended ending on what happen to season 1, like double wedding celebration of main characters of season 1 and 2..
*The female lead of season 1 is more like a noona personality, while season 2 is more like acting the same age as Wubai

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This is a new story and you would be confused if you hadn’t watched the original at some points

This is a really strange one because I quite enjoyed go-go squid but this story is kind of baffling.

Firstly, it’s not a sequel. It’s not a continuation of the story. It’s not even the same story from a different perspective of Appledog and DT.

It’s a totally new story and though the players are mostly the same, it’s like we’re in a parallel universe from the original go-go squid.

Secondly,, this is all about combat robots. At least I understood what game they were playing because I still don’t have a clue what they were doing in the original..

Finally, they recast Appledog which was a terrible choice.

I don’t know what it is about this female lead, but I saw her in ‘warm on a cold night’ and she was completely outshone by the second female lead and I feel she was outshone by her sister in this and not to mention the stunning original Appledog from the first one. Such a shame they didn’t keep her and recast DT like they did for grunt, which elevated his role in my opinion.

I just don’t think she has main character energy.

Anyway, the story was quite boring and I didn’t feel the chemistry between the leads. It annoyed me that she joined team SP when DT set up the whole K&K team for her in the first place.

Anyway, easily forgettable.

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A Love Story of a Skilled and Ambitious Couple

The second season of Go Go Squid! is neither a sequel nor a prequel. It follows an alternative storyline with only some similarities. Some people find it disappointing because they hoped for a continuation of the original story, but I think this way it's more interesting.

DT and Appledog are a very different couple from Gun God and Squid. They are more mature, private, and quiet, they share a different kind of energy than the couple in season one. Yet the story is also interesting and I liked both couples equally.

The competition of robots helped to better visualise the duels, whereas in the first season most of the competitions were skipped because it's difficult to explain a chain of events just by showing a screen full of code. On the other hand, the robot fights seemed more childish than the coding that could hack or secure a system which is a useful thing in real life. It wasn't more childish than other e-sports though and as we know they are now a competition at the Olympic games.

I liked Hu Yi Tian's portrayal of the male lead. It was different from the usual overbearing CEO in other Chinese dramas. DT spoke little and was restrained, sensitive and romantic, and yet really witty and capable, and his eyes and smile could convey an array of emotions.

The female lead portrayed by Li Yi Tong was skilled and ambitious. She didn't behave like a little girl, which was refreshing in a Chinese drama. There were moments when I thought she was too selfish, and I really hoped for an ending where she would join K&K and they both would become a couple of Kings. I didn't understand why she pursued career in the competition. Still, I'm glad that they could do it in an amiable manner.

I liked the grandpa, but I thought the girls' father was too much. I don't find it funny when adult people's life is being controlled by their parents. I liked the relationship between the sisters, and the overall fair play attitude of the sports teams.

I appreciated that there weren't as many retrospections as in the first season. I would like to see a bit more intimacy but the many kisses were a nice touch.

All in all a nice drama without much angst that I might rewatch sometime in the future.

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This is NOT Go Go Squid!

I had higher expectations. I enjoyed Go Go Squid! It was sweet to watch a girl break down the walls of a cold, angry man. Squid 2 had some good things going for it. I enjoy Hu Yi Tian and Wang An Yu on screen. The group blind date was original and had me laughing out loud. The family and friends' relationships were warm. The OST was enjoyable and featured some of Go Go Squid's music; listening felt like meeting an old friend, and it made me smile.

But that's pretty much where the good stuff ended. There was little conflict or growth. The drama was basically two people soulfully staring at one another, interspersed with a few scenes of battle robots. Seriously! If you'd edited down the cringy eye contact between the ML and FL, the drama would have been cut in half and not dragged as hard.

For being so sugary, Squid 2 left a bad taste in my mouth. The ML was the greenest flag of all time—to the point of not having a personality. The FL took advantage of him in numerous ways. The one that was unforgiveable to me was that she willingly became his opponent. When a couple is dedicated to one another, they're loyal. They support one another. They don't join the enemy (which was the company of her ex!). They don't undermine one another. They build a life together.

I admit I probably have defective romance genes. If you like romance, this may be your cup of tea. Just don't expect anything much other than insipid romance. I took lots of breaks in the last episodes, as the romance was painfully dull to me.

I awarded an extra half star for the blind date scene, the music, and Wang An Yu's portrayal of an immature Shen Zhe.

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A sequel that goes through the motions

I didn't realize until I started watching that this isn't REALLY a direct sequel — it sort of takes place in an alternate universe where a lot of things are similar but not exactly the same, including the game that they played.

With that being said, I felt like the drama found itself in a really confusing position between being a standalone and a sequel. You can't really watch this one without watching the first season because you'd miss out on a lot of fun references and be way more confused about what exactly the backstory is, but if you HAD watched the first one already, this drama felt very repetitive and watered down.

I don't really care much about the switch from e-sports to robotics and I think it definitely did get more interesting, but I don't feel the stakes much, mostly because S1 focused more on the story element and S2 focuses more on the romantic element.

Still, the plot did grow on me over time; the first 10 or so episodes were really hard to get through because I didn't care for the characters (who all felt different) or the romance.

I really didn't like the romance in the beginning of the drama. While I always enjoy a little bit of one-sided pining from my male leads, it felt very random to start the story with him idolizing her to that extent without having interacted with her directly. It made a lot of the so-called romantic scenes feel unearned. At the start, feel similarly with the second lead couple — their beginning felt very out-of-the-blue and it was like they didn't know each other at all and the relationships somehow got serious.

The drama gets a little better after we get through those and the leads start interacting more, and I really do like how there were not many misunderstandings or annoying side characters.

There is, however, one scene that I just have to talk about. After the leads are already together, there's one moment where the ML becomes rough and drags the FL into a car out of insecurity and jealousy. It's played off like a misunderstanding because she didn't know what was happening, but NOTHING excuses how much force he used. It was a little out-of-character but regardless of that, it was terrifying and was probably the worst part of the show.

In terms of the characters, they also feel watered down compared to the original, especially because there were a lot of actor swaps. Some grew on me, like Wang Hao and Mi Shao Fei, but I really couldn't reconcile the Appledog in this with the one in the first season. She was mature and intimidating there, and with the new actress being shorter and more bubbly and smiley, Appledog felt like a completely different character. It really felt like the casting director and the writers didn't know how to write a romance drama with the original dynamic and instead reverted to the easy formula of quiet ML/bright FL.

In conclusion, I really think this drama got better and was a light-hearted low-stakes watch, though it's far longer than it has to be. It ends on a high note, and I personally enjoyed how the FL was shown as capable (and compared to the first one, very non-cringy) but I feel like most people who loved the first one would be disappointed.

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