3
Zogitt
Australia
The show was carried by the leads but the weak plots and problematic script is hard to ignore
This is a sports-centric rom-com. The chemistry of the leads helped to push this Show past the finish line but only just.
I can understand a lot of sports have been used as subject matter in c-dramas so finding something novel is a challenge. So air pistol shooting is about as exotic as it gets. On the surface, the Show did a reasonable job in making the sport engaging and the people involved as well. There is still a big gap to fill and a lot of that responsibility fell on the leads and they did the best they can. They are a good looking couple and they are sweet, loving and devoted to each other. My concern here is that the FL has been in several shows playing similar roles. I do worry about over exposure and typecasting.
It would be good if the 2OTP can pull their own weight but the script had them pushing and pulling in every direction for the longest time. The 3OTP was set up to fail. It was a counterpoint to the sweetness of the OTP but it was done in such a low key and passionless way that you have to wonder why the Show bothered.
Sadly, 40 episodes based on this sport and the CP's chemistry was a bridge too far for the writer, a 30 episodes run would have been more realistic and yield a tighter drama. To draw out the episode count and kept our "interest", the writer resorted to a lot of old tropes and angsty unproductive sub-plots.
Scripting issues are most evident when we were drip fed pieces of information on a key historical event, I assume the plan is for the writer to give us the grand reveal at the time of his choosing. The viewers are supposed to be intrigued and hungry for more but honestly, the plot was fairly thin so once a few pieces fell into place, there is not a lot left to the imagination. It became awkward when the viewers worked out the secret before the protagonists and we are left tapping our fingers waiting for the show to catch up! It was less of a mystery and more like a marathon.
There is the usual ensemble casts of competing teams and coaches and most were hired straight from central casting. Bulk of the angsts were generated by the win-at-all-cost attitude of the competitors. This meant dirty tricks and outright cheating. I hope Chinese sports are not like that in real life. This plot was even used in an international competition. Is that necessary? It paints a fairly grim picture of the sport. The other antagonist was the older male predator type. It was old school before the turn of the century. The way the show handled this cliché storyline was poor and feed into the misguided trope that speaking out will extract a higher price on the victim. This is a tired and questionable message for this day and age. Needless to say, good triumphs in the end but the resolution was long time coming and felt weak and contrived. After suffering through many episodes of their hapless scheming and loathsome acts, it came down to a few sentences of denouncement and "official" sanctions.
The potential is there for the show to hit a 10.9 but the weak plots and problematic script dragged it down. It was a one time watch. Peace out.
I can understand a lot of sports have been used as subject matter in c-dramas so finding something novel is a challenge. So air pistol shooting is about as exotic as it gets. On the surface, the Show did a reasonable job in making the sport engaging and the people involved as well. There is still a big gap to fill and a lot of that responsibility fell on the leads and they did the best they can. They are a good looking couple and they are sweet, loving and devoted to each other. My concern here is that the FL has been in several shows playing similar roles. I do worry about over exposure and typecasting.
It would be good if the 2OTP can pull their own weight but the script had them pushing and pulling in every direction for the longest time. The 3OTP was set up to fail. It was a counterpoint to the sweetness of the OTP but it was done in such a low key and passionless way that you have to wonder why the Show bothered.
Sadly, 40 episodes based on this sport and the CP's chemistry was a bridge too far for the writer, a 30 episodes run would have been more realistic and yield a tighter drama. To draw out the episode count and kept our "interest", the writer resorted to a lot of old tropes and angsty unproductive sub-plots.
Scripting issues are most evident when we were drip fed pieces of information on a key historical event, I assume the plan is for the writer to give us the grand reveal at the time of his choosing. The viewers are supposed to be intrigued and hungry for more but honestly, the plot was fairly thin so once a few pieces fell into place, there is not a lot left to the imagination. It became awkward when the viewers worked out the secret before the protagonists and we are left tapping our fingers waiting for the show to catch up! It was less of a mystery and more like a marathon.
There is the usual ensemble casts of competing teams and coaches and most were hired straight from central casting. Bulk of the angsts were generated by the win-at-all-cost attitude of the competitors. This meant dirty tricks and outright cheating. I hope Chinese sports are not like that in real life. This plot was even used in an international competition. Is that necessary? It paints a fairly grim picture of the sport. The other antagonist was the older male predator type. It was old school before the turn of the century. The way the show handled this cliché storyline was poor and feed into the misguided trope that speaking out will extract a higher price on the victim. This is a tired and questionable message for this day and age. Needless to say, good triumphs in the end but the resolution was long time coming and felt weak and contrived. After suffering through many episodes of their hapless scheming and loathsome acts, it came down to a few sentences of denouncement and "official" sanctions.
The potential is there for the show to hit a 10.9 but the weak plots and problematic script dragged it down. It was a one time watch. Peace out.
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