sulkytofu

Honestly speaking.... I'd say that from a romantic comedy standpoint, the first half is much stronger and fluffier. The cast's chemistry is great, and the daily life at the academy is much lighter and warmhearted in tone. You're kind of moving towards the point (I'd say around Episode 28) where we get into a lot more of the politics and the plot-heavy side of the drama, with the last ten episodes being filled with angst. It depends what you're interested in, but if you're looking to see more romance, I'd probably warn you to be prepared that the second half really won't provide that for you.

It's so disappointing! The drama is beautifully shot, has impeccable styling and a wonderful colour palette, and it started off so strong before devolving into a complete mess with lots of unnecessary drama. Had they shortened this series to 20 episodes, and really stuck to our main leads and couples, I think it would been much better executed. A shame that there's a "tragedy" tag here, because it's not only the trainwreck that the second half becomes which is tragic, but also the amount of lost potential with such a great leading cast.

Are you serious? I dropped it around episode 24 after realizing that there was a tragedy tag, and even mentioned that I really hope it doesn't end up like Across the Ocean to See You (another Chinese drama with three different couples) where a strong start and great leads end up being completely muddled over by bad plot and unnecessary tragedy. This really sucks and I'm glad that I dropped it before I got too invested! Ding An is one of my favourite characters and I can't believe that happened.

Totally agree - if there's one missed opportunity, it's that during all the scenes when Gu Yanzheng was visiting Xie Xiang's family home, I really think that a kiss scene would have been acceptable. Funnily enough, the forehead kiss was at the academy, haha....

I've actually written a review on Lucky's First Love which you might want to check out! It's a very down-to-earth, sweet, fluffy office romance. I'm not going to lie - it's not my absolute favourite and I liked The Eternal Love and AMA more than it, because I didn't think the chemistry between Bai Lu + Xing Zhao Lin was as crackly compared to their respective pairings in their previous dramas. But I think it's still worth a watch if you want something light and angst-free, and the drama has some really good kiss scenes!

Yep! I agree! A lot of people said the same thing about the drama The Untamed - sometimes not having explicit PDA makes you really see how the relationship is even stronger. I think Xu Kai and Bai Lu did a great job conveying so much chemistry and sparks even with the restrictions on the drama, and I'm glad to see that you too enjoyed all of the cute, fluffy, and romantic scenes within the shows.

As an aside, I think the kiss scenes were deleted because they didn't want the military to seem like a place where people don't take their work seriously/engage in romantic encounters instead of focusing on their mission (which is still ironic and doesn't really make things better, but at least provides some kind of rationale for it.) I know some people have found some kiss scenes online from the BTS clips -I'm pretty sure there is one where Gu Yanzheng kisses Xie Xiang's forehead.

I do think that it's interesting they never really show how Xia Ke and Xing Yun really fell in love, but instead implied it through really sparse flashbacks and kind of "throw" the viewer into their relationship. I can definitely see and understand if you didn't feel the chemistry, or if you find that the romance isn't for you. I'm sure your comments will be really helpful for other people who might be interested in watching this, but may want to know how to situate their expectations first before starting the drama.

I wish we spent more time with He Yu's romantic love line so that I could believe that he had his longtime friend had fallen for each other - instead of all the scenes spent with He Yu actively pursuing Xing Yun. This is kind of the same problem I had with Chu Nan - I think I would like the side characters a lot more if they just stayed within their own relationships instead of trying to interfere between Xia Ke and Xing Yun.

It was because Bai Lu filmed this right after/around the same time as Arsenal Military Academy, where she actually cut her hair very short for her role (which definitely shows her dedication to acting!) I agree though, some of the fashion/style choices weren't that great - she is so pretty and I feel that the wig really didn't do her justice. The hairstyle also got a lot of negative comments from Chinese netizens too I think.

I found the two dramas to be pretty different and actually never associated them with one another until after seeing these comments! The feel of this one is a lot more slice-of-life, and I feel they really only have similarities with some of the "cutesy" sound effects, the office setting, and the fact that it takes place in a gaming company. All that aside, the storyline and the dynamic/characterizations to me have a lot of differences.

I will admit I was surprised at first that XZL's voice is more high-toned, but I think that it really adds to his charm. Maybe that was why they dubbed it before. I genuinely also think BL's voice is so charismatic and because it's different it's part of her appeal! I also agree that she has a wonderful laugh, and I love her playful personality too.

I honestly am not really sure why anyone thought it would be a good idea to introduce Chu Nan in that way. It not only reflects negatively on his character, but also makes me a lot less sympathetic for him in the scenes he has with Xia Ke's sister.

Is XZL's voice dubbed? I watched some interviews he did and I think the voice sounded the same but I'm not really sure. I really love Bai Lu's husky, deeper tone though, and am really glad they kept her voice in.

Yep - I think that's a good way to put it, that it's more of a realistic, daily life romance than an intense, passionate/burning one. Neither one is better than the other, but I do like how refreshing and healthy this relationship is.

Same here! I'm sad about AMA but at the same time we got a lot of great scenes, and the drama was overall very well done. I can't wait to see BL's next projects for sure!

I actually just finished the drama through the IQIYI app. Glad to see that it's doing well on Weibo, and that its having a lot of praises as well. I'm a big fan of Bai Lu and of Xing Xiao Lin, and am very happy to know their hard work is recognized!

After having completed it, I can say that this drama had some of the BEST kiss scenes I've ever watched. I won't say too much because of spoilers, but it was definitely very well done!

Also agree. Sometimes it's hard to put down the chemistry of the previous pairings that the actors worked in, but it's also good to be open-minded. I do still think that their chemistry sometimes wasn't as intense for me, but I do think they make a cute couple and overall had a fun time watching this!

It's really cute so far and I like how patient Xia Ke is, and how he genuinely attempts to help Xing Yun find her way through work and her problems by herself, instead of doing it for her. This may be just because I've been so used to the chemistry Bai Lu had with Xu Kai, and Xing Zhao Lin had with Liang Jie, but I kind of feel as if something's off between their pairing. It's still cute and they look good together, but I'm not feeling any explosive sparks or any moments yet that have made me really convinced of the chemistry.

It's very early on! It should be around Episode 5 or 6.