This review may contain spoilers
So unrealistic in many aspects. Bad acting from ML.
1. Unrealistic:
Let's get straight to the unacceptable points.
(1.1)
The way the ML stares at the FL as if he has a lot on his mind but doesn't say anything—he literally stares all the time since they first met, even before the FL showed any interest in him—is super creepy in real life. I don't think any girl in their right mind would fall for a guy who looks that psycho.
Actually, I've met a guy who did exactly that before and it creeped me out. I couldn't reject him in a normal way. I had to think fivefold just to make sure he wouldn't feel offended and try to seek revenge instead. To be fair, he might not be that psycho. I didn't really know him since we only met once, but I didn't want to know him better to find out, either.
So, to sum up, staring at someone you're interested in like that doesn't make people want to be your friend. It scares them !
(1.2)
During a championship match in Finland, the MCs start to talk about the athlete's love life right before her match. My gosh! How rude and inconsiderate! They don't consider at all how publicly bringing up such a personal matter might affect the athlete psychologically during the game.
And this is an international arena in Finland, no less, where people generally don't have a culture of prying into others' private lives, nor are they the kind of extroverts who like public gossip. This is in no way expected to happen in Finland at all.
(1.3)
The ML was kicked out of the club and eventually retired from the career when he was 16 years old... They cast a 12-year-old boy to play that role... -_- It's unconvincing. Later on, they also cast a 6 year-old to play a 2 year old boy... It's not believable!
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2. Bad acting of the main character:
The worst performance goes to the ML... I'm quite disappointed that he didn't do well. I've watched him since he played Nirvana in Fire and always cheer for him. But after Nirvana in Fire, he gained significant public attention and transitioned into main lead roles very quickly—which was too quickly and too soon for him.
Since then, he's been playing many roles older than himself and he hasn’t been able to portray them properly. It's especially obvious in this role. I see there're 2 main points where the actor misinterpreted the ML's character, which are:
(2.1)
Being mature means being stiff.
The actor was about 21-22 years old when he played this 27-29 year-old character, but this isn't a free-spirited 27-29 years old. The ML is an orphan who was kicked out by his teacher in his teenage years. He lives on his own, reflects a lot on life and that experience shapes him into a very determined person.
However, the actor portrays this character just by being stiff. Throughout the series, he maintains a stiff expression while not talking. It's as if he thinks being stiff equals maturity and coolness. On top of that, many of his gestures—such as the way he points his fingers, uses his hands to make signs or tries to communicate with his eyes—don't feel natural at all. It's obvious he isn't used to making those gestures and is just pretending to look cool.
Watching him is like watching a teenager who wants to be an adult, so he straightforwardly imitates what he thinks adults do to appear cool. Most of his gestures look forced. It truly feels like a kid overexerting himself in an attempt to be cool. Watching him, I find him comical rather than cool, and I feel pity for him rather than enchanted.
Actually, there's another guy who acts in much the same way as the ML—thinking being stiff equals being mature and cool. But he has far less screen time, so he's not as much annoying as the ML. That guy is the FL's brother.
(2.2)
Being in love means being in heat.
Honestly, the ML acts like he's in heat all the time. It's as if he's prepared to have sex with the FL at the first blink each time they meet. But his character is supposed to be quiet, determined and self-controlled. So when he's constantly portrayed as being on the verge of losing control and dragging the FL to bed, it comes off less as restrained passion and more like someone who simply can't help himself. He acts like a young boy ruled by his hormones, driven by sexual desire.
At first, I hesitated about whether to place this point under character design or acting, but I still think the fact that these scenes feel far more sexual than romantic mainly stems from the actor's interpretation of the role. So, I'll leave it here.
(Note about FL):
On the contrary, the actress who plays FL has done a very good job. Her nuance in acting is great. Her presence in the series is smooth and natural even in some of the over-cringey scenes.
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3. Shallow character design:
Both main leads have one-dimensional characters. There's nothing complicated about them. They're programmed to love each other without doubt, so they're overly accepting of what the other does, even when those actions would be clear red flags to most people.
For example, the ML like to control the FL. He orders food for her without asking her preferences and places it in front of her while she's already eating something else. He also buys her train ticket and forces her to travel back to where she just came from (although with him this time) without asking her opinion again. He even arranges for his friend to be her tour guide without checking whether she has her own plans.
It's a troubling dynamic that lacks depth and realism, leaving much to be desired in terms of both character development and relationship dynamics.
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4. Nothing in the story:
Finish watching it and I feel so empty. After 30 episodes, there's nothing to the point that I doubt whether this series is actually meant to promote Finland tourism. I seriously wonder if the Finland Tourism Organization had sponsored the show, given that it's set it in Finland—one of the most expensive countries to live in despite having nothing much for sightseeing—for more than half of the series. (The first full 15 episodes take place there and they still come back in the later episodes.)
In the end, the only things I get from this series is to see the very intimate kissing, hugging and flirting scenes between young actors and actresses who play the main leads, plus endless scenes of the ML acting like he's in heat and wanting sex with the FL the whole time. So, if you're their fans, welcome. If you're not, it can get irritating.
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5. Messed-up timeline:
They're confused and mess up the timeline for a few time.
For example, they say that a year and a half after the male lead's first comeback game, he moves back to China. That's supposed to be about 2 years after the ML and FL first met. Two months after that, the ML and FL go to Finland for FL's competition, but they say the FL has competed in that arena before which was last year, which would be the same time when they first met.
Another instance comes toward the end. When the FL finds out she isn't pregnant, she asks why the ML looks happy. The ML says something along the line of how, when he was 22, he knew so little, and if his life had stopped there, he wouldn't have become as successful as he is today. But they first met when the FL was 22. By that point in the story, more than 2 years should have passed. She can't possibly still be younger than 24.
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6. Mundane music:
Their background music sounds mundane and lacks originality, esp. the tracks used during all the competition scenes. They resemble free MIDI music you'd find on the internet. It's like they simply use whatever they can find to fill the silence during those long scenes where no one is talking.
And yes, those competition scenes are far too long each time. They use them to drag out the overall length of the series.
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Let's get straight to the unacceptable points.
(1.1)
The way the ML stares at the FL as if he has a lot on his mind but doesn't say anything—he literally stares all the time since they first met, even before the FL showed any interest in him—is super creepy in real life. I don't think any girl in their right mind would fall for a guy who looks that psycho.
Actually, I've met a guy who did exactly that before and it creeped me out. I couldn't reject him in a normal way. I had to think fivefold just to make sure he wouldn't feel offended and try to seek revenge instead. To be fair, he might not be that psycho. I didn't really know him since we only met once, but I didn't want to know him better to find out, either.
So, to sum up, staring at someone you're interested in like that doesn't make people want to be your friend. It scares them !
(1.2)
During a championship match in Finland, the MCs start to talk about the athlete's love life right before her match. My gosh! How rude and inconsiderate! They don't consider at all how publicly bringing up such a personal matter might affect the athlete psychologically during the game.
And this is an international arena in Finland, no less, where people generally don't have a culture of prying into others' private lives, nor are they the kind of extroverts who like public gossip. This is in no way expected to happen in Finland at all.
(1.3)
The ML was kicked out of the club and eventually retired from the career when he was 16 years old... They cast a 12-year-old boy to play that role... -_- It's unconvincing. Later on, they also cast a 6 year-old to play a 2 year old boy... It's not believable!
--------------------------------------------
2. Bad acting of the main character:
The worst performance goes to the ML... I'm quite disappointed that he didn't do well. I've watched him since he played Nirvana in Fire and always cheer for him. But after Nirvana in Fire, he gained significant public attention and transitioned into main lead roles very quickly—which was too quickly and too soon for him.
Since then, he's been playing many roles older than himself and he hasn’t been able to portray them properly. It's especially obvious in this role. I see there're 2 main points where the actor misinterpreted the ML's character, which are:
(2.1)
Being mature means being stiff.
The actor was about 21-22 years old when he played this 27-29 year-old character, but this isn't a free-spirited 27-29 years old. The ML is an orphan who was kicked out by his teacher in his teenage years. He lives on his own, reflects a lot on life and that experience shapes him into a very determined person.
However, the actor portrays this character just by being stiff. Throughout the series, he maintains a stiff expression while not talking. It's as if he thinks being stiff equals maturity and coolness. On top of that, many of his gestures—such as the way he points his fingers, uses his hands to make signs or tries to communicate with his eyes—don't feel natural at all. It's obvious he isn't used to making those gestures and is just pretending to look cool.
Watching him is like watching a teenager who wants to be an adult, so he straightforwardly imitates what he thinks adults do to appear cool. Most of his gestures look forced. It truly feels like a kid overexerting himself in an attempt to be cool. Watching him, I find him comical rather than cool, and I feel pity for him rather than enchanted.
Actually, there's another guy who acts in much the same way as the ML—thinking being stiff equals being mature and cool. But he has far less screen time, so he's not as much annoying as the ML. That guy is the FL's brother.
(2.2)
Being in love means being in heat.
Honestly, the ML acts like he's in heat all the time. It's as if he's prepared to have sex with the FL at the first blink each time they meet. But his character is supposed to be quiet, determined and self-controlled. So when he's constantly portrayed as being on the verge of losing control and dragging the FL to bed, it comes off less as restrained passion and more like someone who simply can't help himself. He acts like a young boy ruled by his hormones, driven by sexual desire.
At first, I hesitated about whether to place this point under character design or acting, but I still think the fact that these scenes feel far more sexual than romantic mainly stems from the actor's interpretation of the role. So, I'll leave it here.
(Note about FL):
On the contrary, the actress who plays FL has done a very good job. Her nuance in acting is great. Her presence in the series is smooth and natural even in some of the over-cringey scenes.
--------------------------------------------
3. Shallow character design:
Both main leads have one-dimensional characters. There's nothing complicated about them. They're programmed to love each other without doubt, so they're overly accepting of what the other does, even when those actions would be clear red flags to most people.
For example, the ML like to control the FL. He orders food for her without asking her preferences and places it in front of her while she's already eating something else. He also buys her train ticket and forces her to travel back to where she just came from (although with him this time) without asking her opinion again. He even arranges for his friend to be her tour guide without checking whether she has her own plans.
It's a troubling dynamic that lacks depth and realism, leaving much to be desired in terms of both character development and relationship dynamics.
--------------------------------------------
4. Nothing in the story:
Finish watching it and I feel so empty. After 30 episodes, there's nothing to the point that I doubt whether this series is actually meant to promote Finland tourism. I seriously wonder if the Finland Tourism Organization had sponsored the show, given that it's set it in Finland—one of the most expensive countries to live in despite having nothing much for sightseeing—for more than half of the series. (The first full 15 episodes take place there and they still come back in the later episodes.)
In the end, the only things I get from this series is to see the very intimate kissing, hugging and flirting scenes between young actors and actresses who play the main leads, plus endless scenes of the ML acting like he's in heat and wanting sex with the FL the whole time. So, if you're their fans, welcome. If you're not, it can get irritating.
--------------------------------------------
5. Messed-up timeline:
They're confused and mess up the timeline for a few time.
For example, they say that a year and a half after the male lead's first comeback game, he moves back to China. That's supposed to be about 2 years after the ML and FL first met. Two months after that, the ML and FL go to Finland for FL's competition, but they say the FL has competed in that arena before which was last year, which would be the same time when they first met.
Another instance comes toward the end. When the FL finds out she isn't pregnant, she asks why the ML looks happy. The ML says something along the line of how, when he was 22, he knew so little, and if his life had stopped there, he wouldn't have become as successful as he is today. But they first met when the FL was 22. By that point in the story, more than 2 years should have passed. She can't possibly still be younger than 24.
--------------------------------------------
6. Mundane music:
Their background music sounds mundane and lacks originality, esp. the tracks used during all the competition scenes. They resemble free MIDI music you'd find on the internet. It's like they simply use whatever they can find to fill the silence during those long scenes where no one is talking.
And yes, those competition scenes are far too long each time. They use them to drag out the overall length of the series.
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