Oh dear
This series did not match up to the great writing of the original. It was slow, repetitive with flashbacks, with no sense of anticipation. I was frankly bored and fast forwarded just to get as far as i did! It was just so saccharine sweet and I really felt nothing for the lead characters and didnt care if they got together - even their first kiss left me unmoved. There was no chemistry evenbthough the lead actor was lovely and acted well with what heceas given.The FL i just didnt get- supposed to be older but acted immaturely with her drinking - she just felt one dimensional.
I didnt mind the character changes and could understand the same time period as the first squid drama but though I didnt enjoy the gaming of the first series but liked the robot theme even less!
Watchvghe first series and givecthis a miss unless you like long lingering looks, flashbacks and no discernable story!!
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No chemistry between the leads at all. FL acting is especially disappointing.
There's no chemistry between the ML and FL at all. I absolutely feel nothing in their love scenes Even when they kiss. The FL seems to not be able to act in this kind of relaxing, comedy drama. I've watched her in Royal Nirvana and admired her a lot, but her job in this one is very disappointing. All of her kisses are blocking. All of her smiles as well. You can see she kiss and smile in the same way in every scene. There's no specific feeling in her smile or kiss. Even the eyes, the ways she glances or looks are obviously not spontaneous but meticulously designed. It's not wrong to design or choreograph in acting but the actors/actresses must act as if it's spontaneous so that it'd be called natural. To sum up, all her acting is highly blocking. Nothing feels natural.On the opposite, the second male lead does a really great job. His acting is all that keeps me watching until I can't anymore. The worst thing that happened is that I started to skip the ML+FL scenes to just watch the second leads' scenes. That's how failed this drama is.
*Watched the whole episode for 12 ep. After that, I hopped between scenes. About halfway through, I decided to watch only the important scenes.
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This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing and Boring
If you saw Part 1, you will be confused as hell. This is supposed to be DT and Appledog's story from when he first fell in love with her, from my memory she was a CTF player, not a robotics fighter, when he first saw her, second everything Wu Bai is doing Han Shangyan already did in Part 1, Gun got Xiao Mi as the manager, Appledog already knew Gun was DT's uncle. Yes robotics is more exciting than CTF, but if this is part 2, shouldn't it pick up where part 1 ended. If i remember correctly Appledog and DT never competed as she is older than him. Boring only reason I'm still watching is they brought back most of the original cast. And the new additions are doing a great job as well.Was this review helpful to you?
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This review may contain spoilers
Definitely not as good as Go Go Squid but I'll take it!!
Bumped that they changed some of the actors/actresses, and some K&K traditions were not there, for example, their weird finger pointing group cheer before competitions in GGS. Miss those little things that made the show last time but overall a good one to watch. Love the last few episodes so much! Wu Bai and Ai Qing relationship is so cute! Loved the part when they were taking their wedding picture, so so funny cause you seldom see that side of Wu Bai. Wished there was more scenes with Han Shang Yan and Tong Nian but I'll take it! Favourite character would have to be Grandpa Han!! He brings so much humour to the show! Gotta love Grunt, 97 and One too! The best group of friends ever!! Oh and the music in GGS was definitely better in my opinion.Was this review helpful to you?
Go Go Squid 2 is a more western version
I personally liked the romnce of Go Go Squid 2 over the slow process of the first Go Go SquidThe use of robot wars made it more acceptable to western values as it did not make others aware of certain sports that are sports in china.
But over qall both were a study in culture and atitudes of different age groups .
And I have watched it many times.
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best esports drama ever!
I was so glad I decided to check on it. I have watched the first season and I would say I prefer this a lot. I am not a fan of both lead actors and honestly, I am not a fan of cdramas mostly but this story made me change my mind. I ended up loving the actors. And I know most of them loved the lead characters but I fell in love with 97, One, and Grunt's relationship. I ended up always rewatching. Because of this drama, I decided to look for the novel and have read it as well. Wu bai's love is something I wish I can find in this lifetime.One more thing, I like the soundtracks too.
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Treat it as an independant drama for maximum viewing experience
Early on with this drama, I learned that it is necessary to detach yourself from GO GO SQUID 1 completely. For avid fans of GGS1, the casting change can be hard to digest, but I think the good casting makes up for the initial discomfort. The timeline can be confusing, and the switch from CTF to robot fighting doesn't help. But as the story progresses and the original characters start being mentioned, the timeline becomes more sketched out and coherent. But for the sake of everyone's sanity, it's easier to think of this as completely independent from GGS1 but in the same universe. It is a spinoff, not a second season.However, since it calls itself GGS2, it's hard not to draw a comparison to the original. Unlike GGS1, GGS2 is more story-centric rather than theme centric, in the sense that the story focuses more on the characters and their stories rather than robot fighting. There is also more emphasis on the camaraderie between K&K and SP. GGS1 treated K&K as a large organization with insane brotherhood and teamwork, while in this drama, K&K and SP feel more like a squad. They're simply a group of people who are extremely close friends and colleagues. GGS1 felt more fluffy and cutesy, and while this one is just as sweet, feels more mature, which could owe to the higher production quality and the main couple's relationship being more mature.
There is minimal conflict, and the story flows smoothly, perhaps a little too smoothly. The lack of plot twists could be boring to some, but I watch dramas of this genre for an escape, so I found it manageable. The overall recasting is excellent. Some of the characters were so exceptional in their roles that it's difficult to picture their previous actors in the same role (which will probably give me a hard time when I try to rewatch GGS1). Li Yi Tong was so fantastic as Ai Jing, Wang An Yu as Shen Ze( who is again an entirely different person from GGS1). However, one of my favourite characters from GGS1 was Xiao Mi, and I truly missed seeing him in Lee Hong Chi. He performed so well as Xiao Mi that I have difficulty seeing anyone else portray him. There was also a lack of depth to his character, and the genuineness and emotional connection as seen in GGS1's Xiao Mi were missing. Demo's presence was also thoroughly missed. Wang Hao here felt like a completely different person from GGS1. That is another caution; some characters can feel completely different from their GGS1 counterparts, so it is important to separate the two shows.
The dynamic between the families, especially towards the latter part of the drama, is adorable. I also really enjoyed how the relationships between characters are intertwined, for instance, how most of them marry or date within a circle. The cameos were enjoyable, and even the mentions of GGS1 characters gave me joy. The last couple of episodes were so fulfilling. The proposal, the preparations for the wedding, the family/friend gatherings all made me feel like I'm living vicariously and made me miss wedding season (I'm Indian, nuff said). Everything was so perfectly wrapped up, with a pretty bow to boot. This drama has the best, most concrete and detailed ending I've seen in a C-drama. The double wedding was such a good addition; revisiting Tong Nian and Han Shang Yan's romance was something I didn't realise I needed so desperately. Shen Ze and Ai Jing are so cute that I wished we had more scenes of them together. I've lamented about the often unnecessary focus on secondary characters' screen time in almost every drama I've seen, but this show had the perfect secondary couple and chose not to give them enough screen time. The last couple of episodes are also insanely funny, especially Wu Bai's reactions, the failed proposals, the wedding talks and the post and pre-wedding ceremony chaos.
While it was a little difficult to get into initially, the drama's progress was good and made it easier to understand towards the middle. It isn't perfect, however. Their couple fight made me feel uneasy; the way Wu Bai was manhandling Ai Qing was borderline abusive, no matter what his reasons. Similarly, in episode 27, he tells her that (it) is his right as a husband, and that does not sit right with me. You do not owe anyone anything, even your husband. Your husband is not automatically entitled to your body. There is also a fair share of Chinese nationalism, but that is expected of a sports/competition drama.
That being said, this is a good drama (for the most part) that should be treated as its own story. The characters are well written, lovable, and easy to get attached to.
Now wish me luck in my valiant efforts to rewatch GGS1 without frying my brains.
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It's sweet and nice to have a game theme
LIKEHow Wu Bai trying to win over Ai Qing - he's rather silly
The cute Shen Zhe - omg driving me crazy Wang An Yu
There is an actual game with competitions shown unlike season one
The little surprise (I watched season two for this) and was not disappointed - was waiting for that moment which stole the whole limelight of entire drama
DISLIKE
When Wu Bao did not trust Ai Qing and hurt her instead - I wouldn't forgive so easily
MUSIC - personal fav
心動 in Dong - 劉宇寧 Liu Yu Ning
星星的眼淚 Xing Xing De Yan Lei - 弦子 Xian Zi
太陽雨 Tai Yang Yu - 都智文 Du Zhi Wen
REWATCH VALUE
Probably will re-watch someday
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Not as good
I really looked forward to this series after seeing the first one.Although it was a good watch there were times it was way too repetitive to the first one, which they could have left out, and also it was not as good and fast movimg as the fisrt it was slow to start with and at times really frustrating. I particularly didn't like the FL all the time as she was slow to see the love.
I loved the second ML and FL love growing. They interactions were really good.
All in all it was an okay kinda watch.
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Overcome your initial disappointments to watch this superb series
Expectations were very high for this second season, so I was a little disappointed by the very different tone, cast, and (robot) context. However, after the first episodes (1-3), the story of this CL takes shape, I become attached to these characters.PLOT: Xiao Bai (a little genius, cold and not talkative) has been in love with AppleDog (the goddess of Team Solo - an e-sports competition featuring combat robots) for 10 years. He becomes the captain of Team K&K (founded by Lao Han, his cousin), a rival of Team Solo. We follow the construction and rise to power of Team K&K, and the romances of Xiao Bai and Ai Qing, as well as Shen Ze's with the FL's sister.
+++ Three brilliant actors: Hu Yi Tian and Li Yi Tong, with great chemistry and touching scenes. Wang An Yu also brings color to this series.
+++ It's a joy to rewatch some of the actors back together (Xiao Bai, 97, the grandfather, etc.).
+++ A coherent story, with beautiful cinematography and perfect OSTs.
### The director's decision to show the protagonists' feelings/state of mind/inner thoughts, with a dark room filled with lightbulbs, can be confusing at times.
=> An excellent drama with a great cast...
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Les attentes étaient très fortes sur cette saison 2, donc "a little bit disappointed" par le ton, le cast, et le contexte (robot) très différents. Cependant, passé les 1ers épisodes (1-3), la story de ce CL s'installe, on s'attache à ces personnages.
PLOT: Xiao Bai (petit génie, cold & peu loquace) est amoureux depuis 10 ans de Apple Dog (Déesse de l'équipe Solo - e-sport en robots de combat). Il devient le capitaine de l'équipe K&K (fondée par Lao Han, son cousin), rivale de la Team Solo. On suit la construction et la montée en puissance de la team K&K, et les romances de Xiao Bai & Ai Qing, ainsi que celle de Shen Ze avec la sœur de la FL.
+++ Trois acteurs géniaux :Hu Yi Tian & Li Yi Tong., avec une belle alchimie et des scènes touchantes. Wang An Yu met aussi de la couleur dans cette série
+++ Beaucoup de joie de retrouver certains acteurs (Xiao Bai, 97, le gd-père, etc.).
+++ Story cohérente, avec une belle cinématographie, des OSTs parfaites.
### Le parti pris du réalisateur de montrer le [ressenti / état d'âme / pensées intérieures] des protagonistes, avec une salle obscure remplie d'ampoules, peut prêter à confusion par moments.
=> Un excellent drama avec un super casting...
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As good as Season 1! Worth watching!!!
I enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed season 1. I just don't know why others feel disappointed about this series. Yes, they change the game into robot combat instead of CTF but if you'll follow closely, most of the details and game fights were according to season 1 since Wu Bai and Ai Qing's story happened on the same timeline of Han Shangyan and Tong Nian's story.In this series you will learn why they name their team as KK and why he called himself DT. In this series you will also know that Wu Bai is the greenest green flag😍 I am amazed by how he planned on his pursuit for love and his dream.
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