Nothing but You

Just when I started watching this show I asked the comment section for spoilers, "when do they get together?" "Will the annoying bosses ever go away?" I've gotten confusing answers to both of these questions. Now that I've seen the whole drama, I know why. You An's former bosses really do keep popping up like jackrabbits -when they really shouldn't anymore- wasting screen time & the answer to "when do they get together" is just really confusing. Is it ep21, 26 or 30? And what has happened in the episodes in between? I'm still confused about which episode they really get together in, but I do know that between these key episodes pretty much nothing romantic has happened. I think maybe the writer kind of hoped we would forget about progress, so they could get together again, twice. (or a lot of filmed scenes have gotten axed ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

The drama starts really slow, the first 10 or so episodes are rather draggy. You could call it super slow burn of course, but it's not like the romance is really slow, it's just there is so much focus on sports that the padding kind of makes it feel like it is slow burn, when it's actually quite fast based on the OTP's scenes & their actual progress in relation to what has been shown to us. This wouldn't be a big problem, if the show was a strong sports drama, but it's really not. As many other reviewers have claimed before me, I have also played -some- badminton, tennis & I'm still following the ATP tennis scene. In my opinion this was not very good. Talking about 190km serves & then showing me a 130km serve, or showing me how the racket hits the ball & then showing me how the ball lands, with flying balls rarely shown is something I've found rather jarring. I understand the difficulty & the actors really did a reasonable job mimicking professional tennis player mannerisms, but the action itself is either not shown, or is at a very low level. (by low level I mean far worse than me after 6 months of playing tennis at age 19, forget professional..) Even if we ignore the lack of immersion during tennis games, there are plenty of other problems that are difficult to gloss over, at least on the sports front. (for example I agree with the coach etc that switching from Badminton to Tennis, especially at 22 is a fool's errand, though I can easily accept this much fantasy in a cdrama romcom)

I talked about FL's bosses being super annoying before, but the whole wildcard plot dominating the final episodes is utter garbage. The sudden appearance of an intelligence insulting contract & the events that follow, including, but not limited to a 2 year separation plot, are just not good. This is not the "intelligent adult romance" I've signed up for.

The noona romance itself, apart from the pacing issues was quite enjoyable for me, the fluffy scenes in the second half were all great, my need for sugar has been completely satisfied. I wouldn't say that the actors had earth shattering chemistry, but they did a reasonably good job overall.

TLDR: The show had it's good moments, but Meet Yourself is a far better mature romance & Falling Into You is a far better noona-sport romance. (the romance is only a wee bit better in Falling Into You, but the sports part is leagues ahead)

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A lot more than you...

This is a pretty decent drama, the characters are lovable have pretty good character development and the story is pretty interesting both the underdog sports part as well as giving it a business angle rarely seen on screen. So it felt kind of fresh in a way and gave a more wholesome puzzle than most sports dramas.

The chemistry between the leads and the surrounding couples is also really good, they have pretty predictable plotlines but one of the side couples actually left me wanting more and if I am honest was actually more interesting than the main couple. I also loved the take on divorce this show has. It also offers a whole lot of lovely come backs and polite ways of telling men that the universe does not always revolve around them...

The friendships and found family in this are pure gold! They are probably the selling point of this drama way beyond both romance, bromance and fight the corporate jerks in this.

No one annoyed me, and it was not as draggy as many other 30+ episode dramas are. However it would have been a lot better and maybe even gotten a 9 if they cut down the episode count to 24 by skipping some of the unnecessary twists and filler scenes that did not add a lot to the plot but where there... Or just by switching out the unnecessary and added more time to the less explored couples of the show.

Part of me wants to give this a 7,5 for its unnecessary parts, however the over all feel, lack of annoying over the top characters makes up for that.

P.S I also learned the rules for tennis so it is even educational

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sport, age gap, mature, but lacks youthfull spirit

Nothing But You (2023) - 8,5/10 cdrama

I will compare this drama to :Falling into you: which got very alike theme, but with little different focus.

This drama is quite intelligent and mature - sport,age gap romance drama.
It got nice scenes and interesting characters which got more than one dimension thinking.
At other hand story even though intelligent it lacks spark at least for first half of drama. Later on it gets better.

Age gap romance here was nice, but again it lacked youthful spirit of young counterpart. Like I mean in Falling into you. ML really used his youth to make Fl fall for him.
At other hand ML in this drama used more reserved style of being near her, helping her and letting her know he likes her. After it he +- left choice to FL. But FL had problem with age difference which means whole romance was progressing quite slowly.

Overall if something I liked sport part, friendship and romance part. Problem was with :bussiness: part of drama which was quite lot and wasnt really interesting.

plot is quite complicated.. like its more like slcie of life story after one :mini plot: it change to other
plot - FL is 24/7 secretary for one of bosses from some sport gear corporate. She is busy 31y old career woman, wishing for some love. ML is 22y old professional Badminton player which got talent, but is unsuccessful cause of mental problems. FL and ML meets thanks few projects on which FL works. FL notices ML talent and later on she decides to help him get over his problems.

genre- sport, romance, age gap

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Romance in the small things

If you think Duan Jiaxu is the epitome of the Green Flag, just wait until you meet Song San Chuan.

I've always liked Leo Wu Lei, but when I saw his latest drama, 'Nothing But You,' a sports romance series, I thought, 'Nope, not gonna watch this, it looks boring.' But man, was I wrong.

It was a really good, uplifting story. Quoting thefangirlverdict.com, 'romance in the small things.' I was skeptical about the age gap at first, but the female lead (FL) and male lead (ML) supported each other in their careers, and it was as romantic as any romance drama can get. I almost wish they would get together in real life.

I don't play tennis at all, but watching Wu Lei play tennis in this drama makes me want to try it out as well. Haha. I think this underdog theme in the drama is truly motivational and worth watching. Anyway, this drama has made it to my list of favorite dramas of all time

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light easy not-so-sporty "sports" drama

I really wish this show would've focused more on the sports aspect. You can't really call this one a true sports drama; yes, there is a sports focus, but most of the sports in it are training and talk about rosters and more training. There were maybe 2 actual matches shown in this show, which I find to be ridiculous because the show is 38 episodes and they could've fit in way more matches for the run time. The best parts of the show were the episodes focused on a tournament or match. This show could easily have been maybe a 9.5/10 if a bunch more high-intensity competitions were added.

I didn't mind the age gap too much. I would say the chemistry was pretty good up until ML and FL actually got together, then they weren't so believable as a couple. I found myself skipping most of the last few episodes of them being a couple because it just wasn't too interesting honestly. I liked Wu Lei's pining and devotion toward Zhou Yu Tong's character. This role really suited him so well, he made the character very believable. Wu Lei playing a younger man who is vibrant and pining for the older character works very well. He is indeed, very young, so this type of role suits him very well in my opinion. Zhou Yu Tong aka Liang Yu Tong is very likable also. She has more to her than just being in love with Leo Wu. She actually doesn't act on her feelings for Song Sang Chuan (Wu Lei) up until around episode 30. I enjoyed that. Liang Yu Tong is a very independent, strong working woman who is very driven towards her work. She is a workaholic and not hypnotized by the "glimmer" which could be falling in love. She knows she can do just fine on her own, if not better. I like how this show emphasizes that you do not need to fall in love to feel like a whole person. You can be very much fine and happy on your own and along the way of living you may meet someone who you fall in love with, but that doesn't and should not define you.

Is this show repetitive? Yes, I would say so. Would I describe it as boring. Yup, kind of was. 4/5ths of it is Song Sang Chuan training, there's a training montage, Liang Yu Tong managing the tennis team, then she's watching him or helping him out, and then you have a scene where they are interacting with each other, helping each other solve some problems, rinse and repeat. Although it was repetitive I would say it was moderately entertaining. I didn't skip most of the show and I didn't drop it.

I would say that this show is very easy to watch, it makes good background noise and once you do want to pay attention you won't be lost in what is going on. I would watch this show one week then spend other weeks doing something else and come back to the show and still be engaged and not confused. I really enjoyed the easiness of the show. If you are looking for something very intense and emotionally provoking then I would skip this one.

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I can't imagine Song Sanchuan and Liang You'an other than Wu Lei and Zhou Yutong

This drama could have ended for around 25-30 eps. It was a unique drama and the usual sports drama tropes are present. There are certain arcs too that are dragging and could be down to lessen the ep but nonetheless, these didn't really watered down the quality of this amazing drama.
They really delivered the Chinese title (Nothing but Love) of this drama very well. I cannot really imagine having a different Song Sanchuan and Liang You'an other than Wu Lei and Zhou Yutong. Their interaction on screen are sooooooo natural to the point that I felt that it's like an invasion of privacy watching their sweet moments lol, I wouldn't also mind if they have a dating scandal after this, I totally root for them!

All the feels watching this last ep, I was smiling and giggling for the whole 40 minutes.


Just want to recap the highlights of the Ep 38:

- Mr. Gao Li and Jiang Jie's friendship is not the friendship we all asked for but gave to us with wholesome conviction. We know they are both scheming and always on each others neck but to see them joke around (even Jiang Jie splashing water to Gao Li), its so kind of like... "I know you are somewhat a bad guy, but you deserve a nice scene too." lol

- Jiang Jie watching to reconcile with Chen Ke. I was actually hoping or more like anticipating that Chen Ke will welcome back her husband again, rekindle their romance in some sort. We can also see that Jiang Jie wanted it too to happen. But when we saw how happy and vibrant Chen Ke was telling about her younger boyfriend, it was kind of melancholic how she and Jiang Jie parted ways in front of the Top Smash entrance. The feeling of relief and sadness that their toxic relationship ended well but not everyone moved on.

- Lu Nian and Coach Yan lol, I really like how after two years, Lu Nian finally gave her car key to Coach Yan lololol, all his advances finally paid off!

- Jiaojiao and Tao finally renting a house. I have been commenting about it a couple of times in earlier eps and finally, this couple settled down and started viewing relationship and marriage in a more serious way.

- Here I thought they have forgotten about Eel San, but noooo they made it happen to it's screen time, yeheyyyy

- I also love how this drama highlights that usual "LDR welcome back run and hug scene" that has been overused. How You'an was all in shocked, relieved and dazzled by Sanchuan's appearance. The unfamiliarity that you will when the person you love just came back after months of separation. It was so realistic.

- And finally, that epilogue scene is SO SOLID. Love how they gave us a peek on their married life.

SONG SANCHUAN and LIANG YOU'AN, Thank you for giving my Mar-April 2023 a heavy dose of serotonin <3

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Sometimes giving up is more brave than trudging along

Liang Youan is an early 30s professional woman who has been stuck in her role as an Executive Assistant for years. Extremely competent, her boss loathes to let her leave and grow in her career because she's so valuable. She meets Song Sanchuan, a young 20s badminton player, whose athleticism and kind heart strikes her, but he's consumed by his own demons and is not able to break out of a losing rut.

Together, they decide to revitalize an unprofitable tennis club, with Song Sanchuan changing professions from badminton to tennis at the ripe age of 22, unheard of as a professional athlete. They slowly but steadily fall in love, and overcome the perceived divide that their 10 year age gap causes.

This is a lovely story with high production quality and well-written, memorable lines. I really enjoyed the first 30 episodes, as the pacing was good and story developed in a way that kept you interested. However, I think the story would have been better with just 30 episodes and filler content about side couples and Liang Youan's boss cut out.

The acting is superb, Wu Lei and Zhou Yutong looked so natural, especially in the sweet romantic scenes. My favorite supporting character is Song Sanchuan's dad though, as he provided sage advice and comic relief, and supported their romance from the very beginning. What was refreshing was that even though there were flawed, dislikeable characters (e.g. Liang Youan's mom), the leads were cognizant of those faults and biases, and did not let misunderstandings develop between them instigated by these flawed characters.

As a sports drama, I did wish that the tennis scenes were better. I got tired of seeing cuts of Wu Lei hitting a tennis ball and then another cut directly to him waving the trophy. I felt like Ping Pong with Bai Jing Ting was able to shoot the actual competition much better, and you actually saw significant growth in technique as an athlete. Overall, very good nianxia (older woman younger man) drama that I would recommend to slice of life and romance fans alike.

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Great Actors + Great Acting + Great Plot = Enjoyable Watch :)

I was looking forward to this drama after knowing that Leo Wu would be starring in it. It is quite obvious that I am quite a fan of this fine, young actor. Leo Wu can act so well. It is not a dread but a joy to watch him on screen. (Some actors cannot even be called actors as they cannot act at all.) Leo Wu is truly a fine, young actor and having watched different dramas in which he has starred in, I must say that he adds sparkle to these dramas because he is truly in character and very believable as the character that he is acting as.

What I liked about this drama:
- Fine acting from everyone in this drama especially the ML and FL.
- I liked that their relationship developed quite organically and that it was not forced or super one-sided. Rather, both parties fell in love and truly liked each other. What held them back was their 10 year age gap which is actually quite a large age difference. I liked that the drama explored this topic openly and pointed out that there would be challenges due to this pretty large age gap. I also liked that they decided that they would face the challenges together. The relationship was treated quite maturely and thoughtfully.
- Liang Tao ended up not being a hateful b*tch which I appreciated a lot. The sisters ended up helping each other and looking out for each other despite having different mothers. I was quite heartwarming. I liked that their relationship was realistically portrayed too.
- An Cong, ML's "father", was such a nice man. He looked out for his "son" and provided some comic relief.
- The drama showcased the difficulties faced by sportspeople and how they really challenge themselves physically for the sake of their sport. The "shelf-life" of sportspeople is short and this point was highlighted by the drama.
- The supporting cast members, like the coach, FL's best friend and other sportspeople, were great in the drama (but not-so-memorable).
- Intelligent and realistic script/ plot with some very meaningful lines.
- Happy ending.

What I disliked about this drama:
- Jiang Jie was an enigmatic man and an as*hole. As FL pointed out, he wanted everyone and everything to go his way and to have things revolve around him but well, sadly, people have their own minds and ideas. He was forcing his will on others which was painful and annoying to watch. He wore one utterly "done with life" resigned look throughout the drama which was a pain to watch. I did not like seeing him on my screen. I cheered when his wife finally decided that she wanted out from this man.
- The middle-aged men in this drama were power hungry and manipulative people. Well, I guess this is how things are in the working world where it is cut-throat.
- Jiang Jiao Jiao did not endear himself to me even until the end but he sort of redeemed himself.

To me, the ML and FL lead made this drama work very well. They had natural chemistry and I would totally be able to see them as lovers despite their 10-year age gap. Their excellent acting was wonderful. It was nice to see such easy and effortless interaction and "flow"/ "energy" between all the actors and actresses, especially the ML and FL. I'd say: Please watch this drama! :)

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A Swing and a Near-Miss

"Nothing But You" was a fun watch. I love, love, love Leo Wu, and he knocks this one of out the park. But it falls short of what it could be.

Pros:
- The cast. Leo Wu shines in this role; Sanchuan is one of the most lovable MLs I've seen in a while. The supporting cast though? Excellent. Truly excellent. It was one of the rare times where I was fully invested in all three romances! Plus, the brotherhood of the tennis team was so special.
- The plot. This was a sports drama that reminds me of "Falling Into You", but in a lot of ways, this presents a fresh perspective. It is just plain, objectively a great story.
- A good relationship. When they finally get together, there are a ton of adorable moments! But what I love is how we see them work through arguments together, admit their mistakes, and get stronger, even to the point of making sacrifices for each other. It was refreshing in a land of melodrama!

Cons:
- The pacing in the last half. The last half of this drama left me skipping through some, which is sad because this wasn't the case in the first half. Between the FL lead consistently hurting him for about five episodes before they finally get together and then the overall slowing down of the tennis-centric plot and a needless time jump, it lost me a lot more than it kept me unfortunately.
- The FL needs work. Our FL wasn't awful by any means, but there were some things that rubbed me wrong in the second half. In the first half, she was this relentlessly strong woman; in the second, I don't see it. She becomes very childlike in their relationship (I get being giddy in love, but this was just way to big a jump for her character). And, like I mentioned, she hurts Sanchuan quite a bit before finally giving into her feelings for him. I found this super frustrating.

Overall, it should have been shorter, but it was still a good watch. If you like sport dramas, you'll really enjoy this one.

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Nothing prepared me for this drama. I went in with no expectations, and I came out with a new understanding of how people can take different paths in life, and still succeed as long as they put their heart in it. Not to say that they haven't produced dramas with inspiring messages of how to live your life to the fullest before. But this sports-oriented show delivers that message without being preachy.

The drama kicks off with Zhou Yu Tong as an efficient personal assistant who is quick on her feet, excels at handling multiple tasks, and successfully resolves many issues for her demanding boss. Liang You An crosses paths with an athlete trying to make ends meet by joining a competition sponsored by You An’s company.

Song San Chuan becomes smitten with You An at first sight, and his loyalty is endearing and his smile adorable all throughout the drama whenever You An is around. He latches on to You An as his saving grace when he finds himself in limbo and could not get past his trauma playing professional badminton, as it reminds him of his mother, who abandoned him during one of his important matches. You An saw San Chuan’s potential and suggested that he switch sport.

New to tennis, San Chuan struggles to find his footing with his unambitious teammates and a new coach with peculiar training methods. But his tenacity and You An’s faith in him made San Chuan shine in a sport that had shunned him at the beginning. Through this journey, San Chuan understands he can rely on his family and friends for support, and that he didn’t have to bear all the burden. I also liked the fact that You An developed a backbone and learned how to say no to her ex-boss or to others who thought they could easily manipulate her.

I enjoyed this drama a lot, and there were no secondary or tertiary characters that made me pull my hair. All the characters were well-rounded, even the seemingly devious ones. “Nothing But You” tells us that everyone can achieve their dreams: if you don’t give up, have faith in yourself, and have supportive people surrounding you.

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So happy to see Leo Wu act like his age again...

“Nothing But You” has a pretty good balance of romance, sports and business. I really like watching both badminton and tennis, and learning about the training and experiences of these professionals. Compared to many sports romance dramas, it should be noted that the business side of things do take up quite a lot of the drama time. If you are just looking for romance and don’t like business, you might be bored. I personally enjoy the balance of it all.

I think the best thing about this drama is casting Leo Wu and Zhou Yu Tong as the main leads. I am so happy to see Leo Wu in a modern drama again after “Cross Fire” (amazing drama I strongly recommend) and in a role where he can act his age. As much as I love seeing him as a tough prince or general in “The Long Ballad” and “Love Like the Galaxy”, it’s nice to see him act as a 22 year-old. It’s refreshing and he’s so adorable.

I was initially concerned about the age gap, since noona romance is not my favorite. The male and female leads reminded me of the leads in “The Rational Life”, but better and more compatible. Even though Song San Chuan (ML) is only 22 years old, he’s gone through enough in life to be quite mature. I also appreciate his character to not be always portrayed as the forever mature and act-older-than-his-age character either. I love that he can still act young and sweet, and Leo Wu is the perfect Song San Chuan. On the other hand, Zhou Yu Tong played the more mature Liang You An very well, too. Professionally, she’s experienced and mature, but when it comes to love, she can still act like a little girl. Even with a 10-year drama age gap between the lead characters, they make a very compatible match as both can be mature and childish at the same time. Leo Wu and Zhou Yu Tong have great chemistry. It did take a while for them to be officially together, though there’s enough sweetness and affection throughout the drama. Viewers' patience is rewarded with many cute and sweet scenes between the leads once they are together as a couple. I can’t help but smile whenever they are both on the screen acting cute.

I really like how Song San Chuan and Lian You An support each other professionally and personally. They have honest and open communication. You won’t find misunderstanding or miscommunication. They are not afraid to verbally express their affection for each other, while also showing their love through actions. Towards the end of the drama, San Chuan supported You An through a difficult time when a family member was sick. I already like San Chuan, but what he did here put him in my “Ideal Man” custom list. In fact, all the characters in this drama are super supportive of each other. There really isn’t any annoying, irritating and selfish supporting character that I hate. I might find FL’s sister a little annoying in the beginning, and wasn’t that interested in her romance, but she got better throughout the drama. I love the bromance between the 4 Top Smash players, the sismance between FL and her best friend, and especially the stepfather/stepson dynamic.

The pacing of the drama is good and there’s enough happening to keep me engaged and focused. It’s evident that Leo Wu and other actors put in a lot of hard work in the preparation of their roles as professional athletes. I greatly appreciate their dedication, and their muscles and abs. LOL The badminton and tennis playing scenes look pretty realistic.

If I have to criticize this drama, I would say I am a little disappointed in the injury subplot. I know it’s hard to not show any injuries in a sports drama, but still, it was quite predictable. I also felt that the pain issue was resolved rather quickly and then all of a sudden the player is back at the top of their game, and we’re informed by a few quick news articles. Maybe some scenes are edited out? I would have liked to know more about the other two male players, rich boy Chen Zhe and high schooler Dai Yi. I also wanted a little more romance between FL’s best friend and the coach (maybe a little less time on the secondary couple). Towards the last ¼ of the drama, the dubbing got worse. I appreciate the actors using their own voices, but the post production got sloppy and the lips don’t match the words. Censorship again?

Overall, I had a great time watching this drama. I like both Leo Wu and Zhou Yu Tong, and love their chemistry and playfulness. I enjoy the equal screen time of romance, sports, and business and find the acting to be pretty good overall.


Completed: 4/15/2023

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