Ski into Love has a lot going for it
I like Esther Yu very much. However, despite her very good performances, I have not been able to finish a number of her dramas over the last two years. Despite this, I am pleased to say Ski into Love is a show that I enjoyed from start to finish. The premise in itself was interesting and I think it gave good exposure to both the artistic side and challenges regarding both creating on-line comics and success in snow sports.At the end of the day, this show is about betrayal, failure, redemption and succeeding against the greatest of odds i.e. oneself.
Some commentators on MDL were critical of Esther’s performance as Wei Zhi. I found though, she delivered in spades. And, if you are watching closely enough you can see little gems here and there regarding her nuanced performance. She is kind, a little bit ditzy and cute but there are moments that show a much greater depth. As always, her timing is immaculate.
Lin Yi as Shan Chong was good but I found he was too much of a cardboard cut out for me at times. Perhaps his best moments were his interactions with children. I felt we got to see a performance less guarded during these moments. The sister Shan Shan was delightful. Show needs to be applauded for dealing with her condition in a very thoughtful and considered way by those around her. If you want an in depth drama regarding someone who has the same disability, then take a look at Born to Run, a show that is 10/10.
I liked Wei Zhi’s and Shan Chong’s relationship. It’s one that is very supportive of one another, once they get through the usual conflicted beginnings. We did get to see those tropes re the differences in the parents of both Zhi and Chong. We also got to see how they treated their children respectively, including their fears and concerns and how they celebrated moments of aspiration and achievement.
The moments of snowboarding on the ski slopes were well done, especially the competition aspects. I have read comments by some snowboarders that although the community aspects appeared spot on, some of the more technical aspects of snowboarding were underdone. Perhaps, this may be due to the number of episodes cut from the show, which is something I haven’t looked further into.
Wei Zhi was very much the healer in this drama and Esther portrayed this aspect exceedingly well. Show is worth a look.
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Just love both of their CP
Rewatched multiple times and still loving it."Ski Into Love" is an absolute gem for anyone who adores romance dramas with a unique twist — especially if you're passionate about snowboarding and winter sports. Lin Yi and Esther Yu deliver fantastic performances, bringing an undeniable chemistry that's both heartwarming and exciting to watch.
The storyline is definitely a niche one, focusing heavily on the world of competitive snowboarding and the breathtaking beauty of snowy landscapes. But that's exactly what makes it so special. It offers something fresh compared to the usual romance plots — blending personal growth, dreams, and love against a stunning wintry backdrop.
Lin Yi portrays the cool, reserved athlete perfectly, while Esther Yu's vibrant and charming energy lights up every scene. Together, they create a love story that's tender, motivating, and full of the kind of playful moments that fans will replay again and again.
Should watch their previous reality show too. Finally they are able to collaborate again and still loving to see more collaborations from them in future
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This review may contain spoilers
Cute… except for the ableism and weight shaming
I was absolutely so in love with this drama when I started it, the main couple is adorable and had me kicking my feet and I really liked the side couples, but then Shan Shan was introduced and it became super ableist for absolutely no reason. This genuinely makes me so sad and angry because I pushed myself through until the couple got together but then I had to stop, I just couldn’t take it. When will tv shows stop calling us (wheelchair users) burdensome? When will they stop making it out like using a wheelchair is the worst thing that could ever happen? I am not an amputee but I do use a wheelchair full time and the “fix the disability” plot made me feel icky. And the fact that she didn’t even want the prosthetics but agreed because her boyfriend thought she’d look better that way (he didn’t directly say that but when she asked him if that is what he thought, he didn’t deny it) made me so angry for her. Shan Shan deserved a better plot than this. I hate hate hate “fix the disability” stories, why can’t people just be in a wheelchair and have stories that don’t involve how horrible their lives must be because they can’t walk?The weight shaming was also really uncomfortable. Wei Zhi was extremely skinny and the fact that her own love interest kept commenting on how much she eats and how heavy she was, it was terrible. Also the way her plus sized friend is referred to as Elephant in the subtitles made me want to throw hands. I hope it was a translation error and that poor actress didn’t have to hear people call her an elephant. Not to mention the plot with Yan. I didn’t get far enough to get the full story but I get the ick from stories where a person only becomes desirable after they lose weight.
Overall, I really recommend that you avoid this drama. The romance was cute and they had great chemistry but I think the plot ruins it. Also I think I’m going to avoid the male leads dramas from now on. He is a good actor but I’ve now seen two dramas of his that are pretty ableist, I’m going to steer clear for now. I think he’s going into these dramas with good intentions but cdrama writers don’t seem to know that being disabled doesn’t make you a burden or that using a wheelchair doesn’t mean your life is ruined and that you won’t be forever devoid of happiness because you can’t walk so I just can’t trust any drama that has him and a disabled character in it. Maybe I’ll try another of his eventually but not now.
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This show needs to go off piste
Ok, it's on me that I started watching this series. I was in-between shows so I was a bit desperate. I must admit that it was cute while they were up in the mountains and doing the snow bunny thing. It was a nice change of scenery. However, alarm bells were ringing from the start.While the setting is novel for a c-drama, the plot is tropey. The characters are also standard issue. Esther Yu seems to mostly play this type of cutesy, girlie characters nowadays. This is no exception but they seemed to have dialled it up a notch. Her high pitch voice is starting to grate on me. Lin Yi played his usual handsome and dashing role well. Nothing testing though. It was a decent pairing and they have their moments. Not super passionate by any means but you can ship them. Ditto, the production value and support casts. They are all par for the course for this type of drama.
However, as soon as they leave the ski slopes, "real world" intrudes. All the usual tropes reared their collective heads. The queen bee mum, mock business shenanigans and the usual relationship complications. I have no doubt a HEA ending is guaranteed. The question is, do I have the patience to slog through another dozen or so eps?
I'm afraid the answer is no. As soon as a better show popped up, aka IU's Tangerine, I jumped ship. This series is watchable but it is stock standard stuff. It is also telling that about 12 eps were cut from the original series before it was aired. Ouch.
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THE FILM IS ACTUALLY GOOD! WHY DID I LISTEN TO THOSE HATERS?
It's really good. I mean, I can't understand why people criticize a girl who is ambitious and willing to leave her parents' arms to pursue her own dream just because she acts coquettish but flattering a girl who cries at the slightest thing, gets harassed and just stays there to suffer? Did you actually read the novel? And what about this Esther girl's so called "one-dimensional" acting? I'm watching the movie, not her career. I don't care if she acts one-dimensionally or multi-dimensionally, I just care if the character she plays is good or not, and I would give Wei Zhi a 10/10.Was this review helpful to you?
actually one of the best dramas ive seen
(I havent watched the whole drama yet since not all of it is out on netflix)the amount of hate ive seen this drama get is crazy when you can see how much effort has been put into it and how deep the plot is? its very work-focused, 2 people who are struggling with their job but find each other and choose not to give up. I honestly think the snowboarding theme is rly unique, and u can see how snowboarding has healed people in this show. the FL is really not annoying, I thought that at first too but you genuinely get used to it and can understand her character better. she portrays the childish fl well and it doesn't seem forced, she's also rlly kind, sweet and mature so her "childish" character isn't cringey. the plot is so beautiful and overlooked, yes maybe it doesn't capture every aspect of snowboarding but you can see the effort and thought put into this drama sm. ive never liked a cdrama this much I think, and recently its given me the feeling I had when ive watched my favourite dramas. I don't even like cliche dramas like this that much, nonchalant ml and enfp fl, but this made me view it a different way. I love ski into love sm I would defo rewatch !! <3
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It had potential, but the acting ruined it for me.
Story is good, but unfortunately Esther's portrayal of the her character was very childish throughout the 4 episodes I've watched. I loved her fashion style, but I could not stand her acting immature. Especially when she got hurt, it reminded me very much of a kid. The way she whines over a small wound. It just gave me the ick. It's not the voice that threw me off, it's the way she acts. Too excessive, redundant acting. Lin Yi's acting seemed to be stagnant as well, it just feels like he's reading his lines and not acting natural if you know what I mean.I understand Esther has acting range, but so far she focuses on cuteifying her characters to the point that it's her selling point. Where was the "My Journey To You" Esther? If she has range in acting, why does she have to act overly cute in most of her roles? Her energy does not match with her castmates here, it feels like they're taking care of a child. It is disappointing because the concept of this drama is unique, but unfortuantely fell short with the acting and possibly script.
Would not recommend at all.
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Another terrible modern drama
Is this drama very popular in China? I don't understand... Is it fun just to see the actors' visuals? No... Never... This is just another modern Chinese drama with no actors acting or content. The downside of modern Chinese dramas is that they have no story. You can't feel anything in these dramas especially the female protagonist's acting is really terrible. She is a grown-up... Even a child actor doesn't act like this... Why does she talk like she has only half her tongue left? She seems to be acting like that on purpose, so she is not pretty or cute at all....Fooled by the poster The poster looks really funny but it's really boringWas this review helpful to you?
Not exactly disappointing, but absolutely not interesting.
I didn't have high hopes for this series, and three episodes sometimes aren't enough to form an opinion...Except for this kind of drama.
The only thing that really interests me is the snow...
And even then, the shots aren't great, and the Sky resort could be anywhere in Europe or the USA (ski lift, snow cannon, uniform hotel... everything is exactly like home).
As for Esther Yu's performance, unless you're a die-hard fan, it's really bad... It's a far cry from her performance in "My Journey to You."
Only watch it if you're bored.
imilar dramas
Moonlight (2021)
A Romance of the Little Forest (2022)
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FL acts like a whiney child
I watch most of this with subtitles because I couldn't get past the whiney voice of the FL. The 2FL would have been better as the FL. I was really looking forward to this drama because of the ML, but seriously, he had to be wearing earplugs during the filming. Just cringy. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone without a hearing impairment.Was this review helpful to you?
Refreshing + Great chemistry
Honestly it has a interesting storyline and roles for the characters. Much more refreshing than your average strong ml and weak fl c-dramas. Loved the ml and fl's interactions, full of chemistry. Its cute but not disgusting and is serious when it needs to be.Also enjoyed how the actors did film the easy skiing parts by themselves. Definitely one of the best c-dramas I have watched and I strongly recommend you give it a try!!
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