Ughhh so I actually think WCY's character and problems are incredibly realistic -- he grew up with a very cynical view of the world. It seems like his parents frequently fought in front of him; his dad forced him to get a DNA test; his dad forces him to do get good grades and do well in school, but it doesn't seem to be out of love but rather his dad's own vanity (i.e., needs to have a "boastworthy" son).
His only friend ditched him on his birthday. Now that he's in high school, he was only asked to join the soccer team (which, let's remember, formed in freshman (?) year and all the other kids have already built strong bonds with each other and he only recently transferred to the school as a senior(?)), because the original player left, making him feel like the second choice. Technically third, since the substitute player also left for track and field. So not only does he feel emotionally left out, he probably sees his relationship with the team as transactional, due to his family upbringing.
And now with the most recent episodes, WCY desperately wanted closure from FXS on why he didn't come to his birthday. FXS was unwilling to share. WCY was also basically voted off the team. Then suddenly, after the team saw the recording of how WCY was actually playing soccer well and intelligently, they want him back on the team. This is incredibly hurtful, especially to a teenager, since in his POV, the team didn't notice his injuries and didn't care about him as a person.
The line that hit me pretty hard was when FXS told WCY he can explain why he couldn't come to his birthday, after the team decided to want him back. And WCY shot back "So you're not willing to explain for me, but you're willing to explain for your team?", really highlighting how worthless and how much of an outsider he feels. So far, no one has really reached out to him as a person, but moreso as a tool to win the games. Even Lin Wan Xing and Wang Fa is guilty of this, imo.
To me, he's the most relatable character and I wish the show had more episodes / dropped more than 2 episodes a day, so people wouldn't feel as angsty about him taking up too much screentime. I think they could've also scripted his angry outbursts better (I know it's a defense mechanism) to make him more relatable to the general audience, but that's probably to create a contrast for how his character changes in the next 10 eps.
Yeah, compared to most dramas nowadays that focus heavily on a single theme, RTS explores multiple perspectives…
I’m a little sad there isn’t as much screen time and one on one offscreen interactions between Esther and Chen Jing Ke though. They have good chemistry, and I hope they’ll collab again one day
I think the acting, directing, and cinematography have been great so far but...
I feel like there's too many subplots that's pulling the drama back and preventing it from becoming truly immersive. Every 1-2 episodes, it's jumping between mystery, campus youth vibes, romance, soccer, parent-child conflicts, teenage angst / subtle BL (Fu Xin Shu and WCY). The overall plot manages to string them together somewhat cohesively, but whenever I start getting invested in one subplot, they pivot to another one, leaving me a bit frustrated
Anyways, overall it's still a solid show and one of the few I haven't dropped in 2026 -- the other shows lacked "soul' for me and felt like actors & actresses were just reciting their lines, and side characters (with wayyyy too much screentime for no reason) were just there to push forward the main leads' relationships, which is a pet peeve of mine
Pleasantly surprised at how good it is! Not a sports fan and not usually a fan of ensemble dramas (especially boys’ lives in hs???) but it’s quite touching & has nice youthful vibes.
I'm guessing she will going forward, since she left her old agency and has a lot more freedom to choose her own scripts now. The drama she just finished filming also has a mature voice
His only friend ditched him on his birthday. Now that he's in high school, he was only asked to join the soccer team (which, let's remember, formed in freshman (?) year and all the other kids have already built strong bonds with each other and he only recently transferred to the school as a senior(?)), because the original player left, making him feel like the second choice. Technically third, since the substitute player also left for track and field. So not only does he feel emotionally left out, he probably sees his relationship with the team as transactional, due to his family upbringing.
And now with the most recent episodes, WCY desperately wanted closure from FXS on why he didn't come to his birthday. FXS was unwilling to share. WCY was also basically voted off the team. Then suddenly, after the team saw the recording of how WCY was actually playing soccer well and intelligently, they want him back on the team. This is incredibly hurtful, especially to a teenager, since in his POV, the team didn't notice his injuries and didn't care about him as a person.
The line that hit me pretty hard was when FXS told WCY he can explain why he couldn't come to his birthday, after the team decided to want him back. And WCY shot back "So you're not willing to explain for me, but you're willing to explain for your team?", really highlighting how worthless and how much of an outsider he feels. So far, no one has really reached out to him as a person, but moreso as a tool to win the games. Even Lin Wan Xing and Wang Fa is guilty of this, imo.
To me, he's the most relatable character and I wish the show had more episodes / dropped more than 2 episodes a day, so people wouldn't feel as angsty about him taking up too much screentime. I think they could've also scripted his angry outbursts better (I know it's a defense mechanism) to make him more relatable to the general audience, but that's probably to create a contrast for how his character changes in the next 10 eps.
I feel like there's too many subplots that's pulling the drama back and preventing it from becoming truly immersive. Every 1-2 episodes, it's jumping between mystery, campus youth vibes, romance, soccer, parent-child conflicts, teenage angst / subtle BL (Fu Xin Shu and WCY). The overall plot manages to string them together somewhat cohesively, but whenever I start getting invested in one subplot, they pivot to another one, leaving me a bit frustrated
Anyways, overall it's still a solid show and one of the few I haven't dropped in 2026 -- the other shows lacked "soul' for me and felt like actors & actresses were just reciting their lines, and side characters (with wayyyy too much screentime for no reason) were just there to push forward the main leads' relationships, which is a pet peeve of mine
i don't remember seeing any mature teasers haha
Ima be mad if it stays low tho lol