This review may contain spoilers
Plothole central and censorship
The show starts off interesting, aspiring actress meets her idol through particular circumstances, and it just goes haywire.ACTORS:
Bi WenJun plays ML, and I have to say it suits Jim pretty well, though the fake blond hair is horrible to look at.
Other actors are well cast, I like Gu QiaoBei's actor, Guo XiaoTian the most as both his real self and videogame self are different yet similar and he did a really good job on a shifty character with bad character arcs.
One actress that was totally out of place, was the FL, Zhang XueYing. She did her role well as an assistant, but when it came to her being an actress, it didn't suit her. She didn't have that spark of an actress nor did her looks fit the role of an actress that would become famous very quickly.
STORY: (THIS PART HEAVY SPOILERS)
Along the way, more and more plot holes appear in the series that never get explained nor talked about (might be censorship, but I'll talk about that later).
First of all, why would FL, who's been a hard-core fan of ML for many years, just completely hate him over a minor misunderstanding? Especially one as stupid as water dropping from a ceiling. They created conflict out of nowhere to give us that "ennemies-to-lovers" storyline but failed miserably.
The endless jealousy, especially with the random actresses that show up to get together with ML. There are atleast 3 characters used for this same role, all that give no depth to the story or the relationship.
Moving on, we have the blatant queerbaiting between FL's brother and ML' bestfriend. You can see they try to create a sort of bromance that could lead to romance if it were not for China's guidelines, but they keep on creating baseless conflict (the acting jobs, the videogame identity) that force the characters out of their roles.
Not only that, the storyline between the ML’s childhood friend and FL’s fake brother is completely out of place. We don’t even know how they met (must be cut scene). But the MLCF still obsesses over this useless man that could be better off not being in the story.
Also, the whole videogame part of the story was useless to the relationship. I know they adapted this from a novel, but I imagine that the novel must've done something more than just an immature fake break-up. There was also a big faux-raccord problem (when images and scenes don’t match up.
For example, there was a scene where both leads were shown in-game playing, but when they cut to the real life characters, only one of them is shown in their phone. This happens quite a lot and their are mostly problems concerning the online/offline plot line.
Lastly, despite this show being about shooting movies and TV shows, it has nothing realistic about it. It is possible for all of the actress scandals to happen, but the fact that they paired ML and FL a second time, that's not credible, then they almost paired 2ML aswell, that's even less possible. Nevermind the lack of staff when the director's shooting or just giving a bad image to cinema.
The only realistic thing was the nepotism.
CHARACTERS:
Already talked about the useless female characters only used to induce jealousy, but there were some characters that were worth diving into more.
For example, the FL's brother and ML's best friend. They could've been super interesting if not for the bad storyline.
The ML's assistant that comes out of nowhere? Same for the mother that comes out of nowhere in the last few episodes?
What about the ingame friend they make but never meet? He’s seen once in a video call near the last episodes, but we’ve waited all 24 episodes to have a bit more communication. A simple dinner or hangout would’ve sufficed. What about the other ingame friends? We only meet one of them.
The older actor that we meet once to make ML jealous, where does he come from? We see him again at the award show, but he was introduced for no reason.
CENSORSHIP AND EDITING:
Now I don't know what happened; if the series was censored or if they just had to cut scenes because of the budget, but these cuts made us lose important parts of the storyline.
The CONFESSION! they cut the confession. We know they shot it and it exists because of the flashback and dialogue, but we don't even realize their change in relationship: it just happens and we don't know it.
Other scenes seem to be cut, like the ML finding out FL and FL's brother's link and other small scenes that would be crucial to the viewer's understanding of the show. Some things they talk about in dialogue but we’ve never seen it.
COSTUMES:
One big positive point were the costumes for the in game characters. They were nice to look at flowy, not too many accessories. Overall I really enjoyed the outfits, even for the secondaries. The colors all matched the characters and their personalities as well as importances and the hats were really nice!
CONCLUSION:
Mess of useless characters and storylines and censorship that create a nonsensical show that could've been good. Also, show probably very much inspired by Love 020 but disappointing.
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Could have been better !!
I liked it at first everything was good as i wanted it to be in first 9 eps !! But this drama ruined everything for me at the point of 16 eps where they confessed to each other when viewers where in dark not knowing what just happened and how ML found out abt FL being ying ge's CEO's only sister !! delusion right !! I thought ther'll be chaos when everyone will know she's sister of ceo but nothing happened they didn't even told us how ML got to know !! How they're acting so normal!! We were totally unaware of lot of scenes cause they cut it short at the last and other eps begins in other way i thought i might have miss ep in between and when they start dating it wasn't the chemistry we saw when they weren't actually dating !! Romance left the drama after getting together 🥴 but its still good i love it 🤷🏻♀️Was this review helpful to you?
Messy, but it hit the metaphorical spot as an emotional rebound drama
After watching 3 costume dramas in a row I needed a change of scenery on screen.And since LITC got me heavily emotional invested I was looking for a suitable show for the recovery phase. 😅
Stumbled upon a TT about Double Love, looked it up, gave it a try.
Luckily I read through the comments and reviews before starting it. That adjusted my expectations and I was prepared for a probable disaster.
Is the drama a mess regarding storytelling and editing? Definitely.
It’s has multiple plot holes, where we as viewers have to fill in gaps on our own. Thankfully some users have looked for and added links and a translation for the most crucial missing scene in the drama. You can look it up in the discussion section below.
BUT. But, but, but.
After I settled in for a bumpy watching session I surprised myself by liking the drama despite its obvious flaws.
A cute MC with a spunky FL plus very charming supporting characters embodied by a cast, who did a good job. As an easy, fluffy romance tale with cute and funny moments (munching watermelon as a running gag, whenever someone had juicy news to share) - the show had a lot of good and promising points too!
Only to end up being botched afterwards while edited.
It made me feel bad for the actors and the crew, who did a good job and brought great ideas and the chemistry into their work.
That drama wasted a lot of its potential.
But I liked it despite the flaws. And - like my headline said already - it hit the spot, got me hooked and I more or less binge watched it in the end.
My mind compared it with nutrition as an analogy:
I love my daily diet of healthy food, but sometimes you just crave some greasy fast food.
Back to the drama: I even see myself watch it again after some time.
Hence the reason I give it a 8/10.
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Stress-free and a Fun Watch
This was such a light and fun drama to watch. The leads had great chemistry, loved their natural bickering and banter (I loved when his cheeky side came out around her), the side characters were engaging, and there was very little angst and love triangles. I loved the sibling relationship. and the couple had a pretty healthy and mutually supportive relationship. I absolutely loved the fl, she was amazing! The plot was very predictable, but not in a bad way. I liked that there was a very solid happy ending (marriage, kids, etc) for everyone. One thing though, they got together in a jarring way, no confession just boom! - dating. I was also so sure that there was a subtle BL plot but they have one of them a girl at the end so idk. Either way,I had so much fun watching this, very good for when you’re stressed.Was this review helpful to you?
This show is tasty but high GI
In a recent review I mentioned how sometimes you miss the simple yet organic romance storyline. Maybe I jinxed myself.The premise of this show is quite straightforward. Supposed chance meeting leads a pair of initial enemies to become lovers. This is spiced up by a parallel storyline about a romance that is sparked inside a wuxia computer game. Being a fairly tropey show, I won't waste much time recounting its various plots but I'll table a few observations.
First of all, this show has a laser focus on our OTP. This is a double-edged sword. Obviously, the love line between our leads takes precedence and there is a decent amount of swoon worthy moments. Skinship is adequate but lacks real passion. On the flipside, this hyper focus on main CP means that some secondary CP's storylines feel adrift and underdone. This is especially noticable towards the end when those subplots seem to fade away and then leap forward.
Secondly, the use of the computer game is well integrated. The crossover between the two worlds actually works quite well. The wuxia setting allowed the show to entertain us with some fantastical sets and cosplays. The fight scenes add some flashy effects and ubiqious stints. The Show explores the current trend of adding romantic functions in-game so that players can form “romantic” relationships and even hold virtual weddings. While the concept is not new, some games have created a whole sub-genre around this. The obvious problem here is that if the viewer is not into gaming, then this is all unwelcome distractions and probably quite confusing and tedious.
Thirdly, the Show leans into the urban fairy-tale genre and is low angst. There are occasional troubles and the SFL/ML does stir things up a bit, but nothing is more than a storm in a teacup. It makes it easy to ship the OTP, but it also makes the show too fluffy for my taste. Even though it is set in the ofttimes stilted world of show business, our leads always pushes through and goes from strength to strength. Every box is ticked, and we get the happiest of HEA ending but their growth doesn't feel organic and thus not really memorable. The writer also double down on the fate card. It is unnecessary and amped up the contrivance.
Finally, I love some of the platonic relationships between the characters. The bromances and the sibling relationship are so nice. There is the ubiquitous gender mix-ups with player's in-game characters which generated some mirth. On the negative side are the player griefings and the cattiness of some showbiz characters. These are par for the course but they are somewhat diluted and are not as impactful as they should be. More like rumblings than real thunders.
If you consider this show to be an idol drama then the acting on the whole is not bad. The FL did better than the ML, but they are a good looking and cute couple, job done. Most of the support cast earned their keeps. The production value is quite high with elaborate sets (a little over the top at times), and a wardrobe budget to match which resulted in some beautiful visuals.
This is where I find myself with a conundrum. Normally, I’d highly recommend such a show when compared to the usual roster of angst filled c-dramas. However, with the recent releases like Meet Yourself and Hi Venus, I have no choice but to set the bar higher. So if you are after a light weight, fluffy urban fairy-tale then this will suit you to a T.
As for me, I quite enjoyed the Show while I watched it but in hindsight, it feels like a meal of tasty but high GI food. It is easy to digest, gives you a quick sugar high, but you will feel hungry an hours later. Peace out.
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Non-Serious Fun
Light hearted, fun the story isn’t deep or complicated. It is engaging and fun. I loved the character dualities. And Dylan Kuo is the best. I don’t see enough of him in dramas and film. The roles in game and out are fun to watch, seeing actors maintain the same characters in completely different forms. The game virtual world is fun, creative and very pretty. This is one drama where the drama isn’t and the relationship proceeds with little tedium. I recommend for days you just need to be or need to laugh.Was this review helpful to you?
A good example of how editing can ruine and destroy a good show
Nothing can be more disappointing than the pathetic editing of this show.....It's soo frustrating to realize suddenly between the conversations that the topic they are discussing was never shown to the audienceLike how the Male lead's watch reached FL's house?? , whole live interview scene with the cast was cut, their first kiss that they were discussing was never shown suddenly the FL realized that she loves the ML when she was totally clueless about her feelings few minutes ago, suddenly there is a new hacker female friend of ML who might have sent him FL's pic in some scene but sorry to say we never saw that scene, and best part FL got drunk and the next scene is boom they are in relationship god know how.....After all this nonsense no matter how hard you try you will just drop it cus of the frustration
I mean this is like an insult to the whole team who did a good job with acting direction and story but everything just got ruined because of disgusting editing...even if you try hard to enjoy the show but the editing will make you irritated and it's impossible to stay calm, I seriously felt like breaking my laptop many times
Just skip it if you care about your sanity
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This review may contain spoilers
For whom ,who likes love stories and teenagers plus college students
Story about two persons who played video games , at there ,they met as an enemy and gradually they became friends and in real life they met as an enemy ,then she became his temporary assistant . During this time he liked her and always feel jeolous when she talk about other man or praise them and then they gradually became friends and further they fall in love.And happy ending that's it.
About other supporting characters , their stories were just supporting .No spark in thier stories.
What I liked most about the drama was sibling's story . I liked the bonding between brother and sister .
Okay one ,if you have nothing to watch then can go for it.
It is not a time waste drama .
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This review may contain spoilers
Had potential but went downhill
Han Jingmo is the ML- a good looking established actor and is the Genius in an online game called Moonlight Blade. Lu wanwan is the FL- started off as his assistant, but she is also an actress and a newbie Chu He in the game. Her brother is the CEO of the agency. Both meet by chance in the game and start playing together.I found the game scenes uninteresting. The fighting, the humour, the lack thereof.. if you want to talk about gaming scenes- falling into your smile was the best. IRL- the two leads go back and forth and the ML was just irritating the way he treated her.
The worst part was Ep16- one minute she goes to his place drunk, the next morning they are already a couple. They cut the whole confession scene.. like whuttt?? It’s really odd, the flow and pace of the storyline wasn’t cutting it.
I like Bi Wen Jun ML but his acting was rather stiff, sort of like Lin Yi when he first started. This is the only drama I’ve dropped AFTER the leads get together. Too weird ;)
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This review may contain spoilers
cliche
it tried so much to be like love 020 but failed miserably, cliche storylines forced comedy, no logic .I just don't get why she wanted to be his secretary all the time she was saying for revenge but what revenge she already spilled water on him, i guess writer was not able to find better plot to push romance into the scene. lot of loopholes. And her brother he selected female character just because she told him too , common you are in 2022 and ceo of the company and you cant even play a RPG game. and in the game those nonsensical girl mad for ml was so annoying and frustrating to watch , seriously i am very careful in choosing drama and this really let me down.
lots of plots and scenes are just ripoff from love 020
i recommend for them who likes to she harmless and cliche love story without much caring about plots.
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thinking
II watch this series because of the ML. and It involved a game which is as plus. I love the ML because of Sweet Teeth, love him in the series. Now, i think i could not understood the story much. They all good in terms of acting but the series bore me and keep me thinking... What just happened?! no confession, where and when is the first kiss?? when did they became a couple? how? Questions that I asked myself. It keeps me rewind the series a little bit in order for me to understand on how they suddenly became a couple. Somehow the FL lead also showed a clingy and sometimes I don't like it. Love her jolly attitude but she's different after they became a couple. well, I don't know.I watch this series before "Doom at your service" and already finished it and I'm still convincing myself to continue watching it. I might, some of these days. For now, let it be for the meantime.
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This review may contain spoilers
many plot holes
I love this drama, but for me this drama has a little too many plot holes that make me have to lower the score. I can't bring it to the 7⭐️, so I settle with 6.5⭐️. A little warning! I'll gonna write a spoiler. If you don't wanna know just skip reading my review then.The good point:
+ Lu Wan Wan (WW) & Han Jing Mo (JM) is a cute couple. Really love how JM stand up for WW, especially the confessing scene in the award ceremony, that's a lot of balls to pull to make such announcement at the big event, even bolder that he do it before consulting with his agent.
+ JM openness to WW's parent. Really admire him when he admits that he rather lose than cheating the chess game.
The plot holes:
- The confession scene between WW & JM feel like anti climatic. It just happen like that, like nothing important.
- The reveling of JM as Mo Bai Zhi Jian also feel like something amiss
- The difference in JM character. At first JM is like a little boy that really like to annoy the girl that he likes, but suddenly after he gets jealous he change to just a protector of WW.
- The weird connection to their childhood. Why not make it something bigger or more important, like JM look for this girl & so happy to find out that it's turn out to be WW. If don't want why don't just erase it at all. The childhood story feel like just a flash & unimportant part.
- Zhao Jing Hang (JH) feeling toward WW is never really clear. Is it love or is it just sibling love...? They always said it's only sibling love, but when WW & JM finally together we can see how sad JH is.
- JH & Guan Yi Wei relationship in the end is also never clear. I know they not the main focus, but is the relationship finally bloom or not we get the final result.
- The weird relationship between Lu Guang Han (GH) & Xia Lin Xi, they suddenly together without warning...
- The weird relationship between GH & Gu Qiao Bei (QB). If I must put a word into this it feels like GH is a weird stalker of QB. I never saw a man that more insist into recruit new actor to his firm as much as GH want to recruit QB. At one time GH make me feel like he's not only try to recruit QB as his actor but more of he tries to chase QB as his boyfriend. Haha...
- Is WW still a student or not...? I think she already graduate cause she never go into class or give clue that at least she's not graduate yet, but a little conversation from Zhao Jing Hang (JH) or Lu Guang Han (GH) (i forget who said it) indicate otherwise. I think she's not graduate yet, so why not she's in school...? Or if she only need to practice why don't we at least get to see the graduate scene in the end? Does she drop it in the end...? Very not clear.
Overall this actually quite good drama, with comedy & romance. But nothing feel amiss if you don't watch it...
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