Falling Into Your Smile is not a drama that you would watch for the gaming aspect. Yes, it is featured quite heavily throughout the 31 episodes but I see it as merely a conduit to the romance. So, the romance is the driver while the gaming helps to create the stage for the love to bloom. There are quite a lot of computer graphics of the game being played during the competition. It is different from Love Scenery whereby the leads also take on the game characters. In this drama, the game is all graphics with the leads controlling the characters that they play as they try to pump up the excitement of a close match.

I have to say that those graphics are quite well done and the quality is there. However, it gets repetitive to me and I ended up skipping some of these scenes. Perhaps it might be exciting if you are into gaming. But I can hardly distinguish the different game characters and who is playing what during these battle scenes. The good thing is it doesn’t mar the story in any way if you skip them. After all, those gaming competitions are merely fillers most of the time. The actual story takes place outside of those matches at the team’s base camp.

Not A Plot-Driven Drama
Falling Into Your Smile is not a drama that is plot-heavy. The story isn’t anything new. In essence, it is about a girl joining a male-dominated field. She slowly gains acceptance and also falls in love while having to deal with rumors and fans. A big chunk of the drama is taken up by the female lead’s interactions with the male lead and relationship among the team members.

There is no one big villain which needed to be gotten rid of. Instead, the drama is taken up by little events that mainly affect the female lead ranging from a provocative anchor to a crazy fan. Of course, the male lead will get dragged into them as well due to his feelings for her and position as captain of the team. All these help to make up the overall story.

It is not boring but neither does it have a captivating and more refreshing plot unlike dramas such as The Day Of Becoming You. Basically, you will end up just enjoying the main couple’s bantering and sweet moments plus some team camaraderie. That’s about it for me. So, if you don’t mind the lack of an interesting plot and just want to watch the romance, this might be your cup of tea. Otherwise, it is just like any other light romance dramas out there rather than a serious gaming drama.

Acting And Chemistry
Cheng Xiao’s inexperience shows when playing her role as Tong Yao. She doesn’t have a broad range of expressions especially the micro ones to give the character more life. I think it could be better so that Tong Yao will come across as more spunky rather than bland and stiff. But her performance is still passable for a new actress to me. At least, she didn’t annoy me to the point that I need to quit watching.

Furthermore, Cheng Xiao did well to generate the right chemistry with the more experienced Xu Kai. I think without this chemistry, many would have dropped it halfway. It is hard to watch a romance drama when there is little chemistry between the leads like what happened in Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling. In Falling Into Your Smile, the leads got the sparks going and that carried the drama all the way through for me.

Well-Written Supporting Characters
If there is one other reason to watch Falling Into Your Smile, it has to be the supporting characters. All the ZGDX team members have different personalities. Although they don’t dominate the screen time individually, they are interesting to watch as a group. Their unique personalities create a different kind of chemistry and provide the comedic scenes as well as the team spirit required for a gaming drama.

There is really no hateful character that stands out in Falling Into Your Smile. All the main and supporting characters are likable which is why this drama is kind of light and stress-free to watch. They are also realistically portrayed as people with flaws unlike the idealistic Love 020.

My Verdict – Interesting But Nothing Compelling
I think Falling Into Your Smile will not resonate with viewers looking for a really good gaming or e-sports drama. Personally, I find it to be more suitable for romance drama fans. It has little time spent on the team compared to Go Go Squid! which at least tries to give viewers a more in-depth look at past friendships and their team spirit. The focus on the romance in Falling Into Your Smile is akin to Go Go Squid 2: DT Appledog’s Time although the latter has a more mature feel to the main couple’s relationship compared to the former.

This drama is saved by the leads’ chemistry and supporting cast because the plot is nothing great. It is the interactions among the different characters that give life to this story rather than a strong plot to drive it. All the various issues that crop up from parental conflicts to ex-boyfriend matters are never explored in-depth. They are glossed over to give screen time to the main couple’s bickering and relationship development instead.

I would give this Falling Into Your Smile review a score of 7.5/10. It is alright for a simple storyline but don’t expect anything compelling. Watch it for the romance which is cute and sweet in its unique way. There are quite a few kisses but they are not as intense as those found in Love Is Sweet or Love Designer. You will like it if you are into a confident and domineering man turning into a softie when he falls in love. Of course, you also can’t miss this if you are a Xu Kai fan. But if you are looking for something more serious and mature whether in terms of the plot or even the romance, I think this will fall short.