Amidst a Snowstorm of Love

Cute romance but extremely slow-paced.

This show must have been written by a teenager because every part of this slow-build romance was geared towards the sweet and naive mind of a teenager with longing looks and soft kisses accompanied by copious amounts of butterflies and texting. So much texting.

There were so many odd choices that added nothing of value to the story such as the Finnish people not knowing how to act, everyone being obsessed with the ML to the point that they acted like he was a celebrity, a complete lack of personality for both protagonists for the majority of the screen time, the characters constantly eating, and repetitive scenes. It was so formulaic that even the protagonist pointed out that all the couple do together is eat, but by pointing it out and barely changing anything about it this was an arguably worse move than if they hadn’t pointed it out at all and I’d rather they weren’t self-aware.

It took forever to find something of substance in all the cloyingly sweet back and forth looks and by then it was too late to save what little shreds of plot remained. You could go blind trying to find the plot, it was so threadbare. And the whole snooker/billiards/whatever it is aspect was such an afterthought it would be laughable to consider this a sports drama. Every character was a pro, even the ones that weren’t and it made what should have been impressive seem average.

Surely there are better romance dramas out there. If you’re watching this in the background then sure go for it, but otherwise it’s a lot of time and a lot of episodes to commit to before you get anywhere and then it is barely worth going there at all!

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Cozy and Comforting

I will be honest. As the title suggests, this is a love story so please don't expect action or drama since that will lead to only disappointment. As for me, this was exactly what I was looking for. This is a healing and comfort drama. I was seriously anticipating some of these after the whole gruesome era of sad endings and thrillers. If you are looking for something thrilling or suspenseful then this one is not for you, it has a simple storyline that kinda reminds me of Skating into Love. It has a nice and refreshing concept. This is one of the best dramas I have watched this year after My Demon and Doctor Slump which is still ongoing. I genuinely love how realistic their relationship felt. I love how nicely scripted this drama is, it shows all the aspects of the struggle an individual faces in a foreign country as well as the fact that he helped her so much coz he liked her nevertheless he would have helped her even If she was an ordinary citizen from his home country is so touching and wholesome. The way their relationship progresses and how she helps him overcome his long-term trauma. I love how supportive they are of each other and it shows in their eyes how much they love each other. I seriously question If a guy as amazing as Lin exists. Guo was amazing as well, she knows what she wants and goes for it. Overall, the story was amazing and it was portrayed well. I gave this one a 9 and even wrote a review coz I love both the leads and I am a bit biased towards them, maybe I wouldn't have given it an almost full rating If the actors were different but then again that would change the whole thing. I have been their fan for a long time. I have known Leo Wu since I was a kid lol and I got to know Jinmai a couple of years ago. I have been waiting for this drama for quite a long time and I have to say, I am satisfied. The OST seems pretty normal in the beginning but it grew on me later. The production and Cinematography was just about perfect.

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A MUST WATCH DRAMA

The actors really portray their roles very well. Again a must watch drama from China. Proud of Wu Lei and Jin Mai and all other casts. Thank you for sharing us a beautiful love story and a passion for something that you love.

Playing snooker was not something everyone known, but in this drama you will see the how passion and hardwork can play magic in one's lives.

I like also the main characters. A very cold and sad man meets the sweet and charming girl in the middle of a snowstorm. To be able to have a long distance relationship while being truthful to each other, and keeping in love are something that I wanted to experience (though not for long distance relationship, kidding).
The chemistry is so good. You can see the new side of how good Leo Wu as a sweet young man. A greenest among all man. You will see how gorgeous and charming Jin Mai here and the way she act. They are all really good at this drama.

Congratulations to writers, directors, actors and
all crews for making this drama a hit. You make everyone happy for sharing this kind of love story.

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Wasted Talent

I decided to drop this drama after watching the 6th episode as I was bored out of my mind. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Wu Lei having watched his previous dramas in Nirvana in Fire, The Long Ballad, Nothing But you and Love like the Galaxy, but even my fondness for him was not enough to sustain my interest in such a flat storyline.

What kept me going past the 1st episode was my anticipation and hope that the story would pick up and offer something more complex and interesting, but sadly what I see so far is more scenes of OCD-stalkerish Lin Yiyang with major hangups and a bruised ego finding solace in the warmth of a shy, impressionable, sheltered Yin Guo. The only thing that seems to progress is their deepening level of physical intimacy, from cold-staring, knee-bumping, head-stroking, hugging, full on kissing etc. The other characters appear rather insignificant because most of the screen and script time is taken up mostly by the relationship between these 2 characters. I know it's primarily meant to be a sweet romance drama, but honestly I was hoping for something more sophisticated than regular plain vanilla. After all, it's Wu Lei!

Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels disappointed with this drama so far..

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World Snooker Highlights!

Amidst A Snowstorm Of Love

Genre: Romance, Sport
Episodes: 30
Streamed on: Netflix

Plot Summary:

An up and coming rookie 9 Ball player meets a Snooker prodigy while abroad for a tournament. For him it’s love at first site, and this is their love story… with intermissions of World Snooker Highlights.

Characters & Cast:

Main Characters: Ships
Leo Wu ⇒ Lin Yi Yan
Zhao Jin Mai ⇒ Yin Guo

Best of OST:

This has to be the stand out track from the OST… Theres a version of this where the ML sings… but it isn’t good… 🤣
https://youtu.be/wzJpPNc4ETk?si=Gqvy3jIHoTqLJBxO

This song also deserves some recognition…
https://youtu.be/nlmrCuWjdkc?si=C8d5YTDMbigcs3Pn

Whilst not a lot of these tracks make my playlists, they suit this drama so well, and are so soothing for the most part.
https://youtu.be/jfcXzGa6ehQ?si=FRJvxszqKq-F5jCn

Gripes:

Now… this gripe isn’t fair… because with this the story doesn’t work, but I was hooked by the love story, and I enjoy billiards, but I kept feeling the romance plot was interrupted by “World Snooker Highlights”. But as this will be something I see myself re-watching a few times, I can skip or have toilet breaks when they appear.

Re-watch:

**Would I watch it again?**
Yes, this was thoroughly enjoyable.

**Would I watch it with my brother?**
Hmm. Probably not. He does enjoy pool, but probably not enough for this drama.

**Would I watch it with my kid?**
Yes, I will watch this with my daughter. We have a pool table, maybe she’ll get interested.

Final Thoughts:

The romance was so good. And I like the pacing. The time skips were reasonably placed. This was a great drama. I didn’t understand why you would judge someone in their late 20’s on what they did in their mid teens but it wasn’t enough to make it a gripe. Highly recommended.

Rating:
8.9/10

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Healthy romance with no cringey or toxic drama

I have to start by saying I no longer watch romantic drama, why? Because they are predictable. I have some time to spare and having heard so many rave reviews about this drama, I decided to give it a shot. I loved the bond of friendship, relationships repaired(Lin Yang and his coach), a man who loves a woman unapologetically. Wu Lei was expressive, very much present in all his scenes, carried the aura of a much older guy, I was very surprised to hear he was only 24 when he played this role.

I was also surprised to see how well they actually played. The billiard table was not a prop, they actually spent hours training with professional players and it shows. 10/10 for commitment and effort. I learnt a thing or two about Billiard which was interesting.

What I would have liked better: more reciprocity from the FL, she was very coy which is understandable but overly coy which made some of her interactions child like. She also ate and slept a lot lol but she was very natural and played her role very well. I mean that was the script she was given.
If you are looking for an unproblematic, family and friendship based drama with lovely views of Helsinki and a sizzle of Billiards, this is for you.

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