So, I went into this show for the sole reason of supporting one actor Yalkun Merxat (Yu Ming). I will preface this review by saying that I do not like romance dramas, so I did expect to drop it after the second episode. But I did finish the show, so I will honestly review it. I really enjoyed the e-sports side of the drama, but I am upset that they basically spoiled the ending of the show (winning the championship), so I went into the show knowing no matter how many downs they had, and the fear of them disbanding they would prevail and win the game. Which took the tension out of watching the show. I do watch LoL streams for fun, so watching the games was like that. I did not like the CGI bits of them characters fighting since I want gameplay and not that, but that's whatever.
The two leads personalities were not to my liking. Normally I will tolerate them but their arrogance and the inconsistencies of their character development disappointed me. Cheng-Ge was a warm and caring person before Tong Yao joined the team, but he seemed to be cold after Yu ming retired. There was no actual reason for why that was a thing, but his development made no sense. I do think Cheng-Ge is a caring person, he cares a lot for Yu Ming (you can see it in the first episode, I am not lying), so everyone saying "he's cold and heartless" was so weird. Even after Tong Yao joined the team, you can see the way Yu Ming and Cheng-Ge talk to one another and he SMILES and LAUGHS with Yu Ming so that cancels out the cold and heartlessness. But once Tong Yao takes more lead in the team, he becomes closed off and acts like he shows no emotion, which is wrong. I could go off about my dislike for the Tong Yao character. As a female who games, she came off as a "pick me girl", and that rubbed me the wrong way the first episode. I understand that females are not respected in the gaming world, but the way she carried herself is what made me annoyed with her most of the time. I am a huge fan of strong female characters who do not change once they find love, and I felt like her development was also stagnant at times. They called her out for being abrasive and that never really changed.
The supporting cast is what made the show for me, and if it was not for them I would not have continued. Yao Chi ( Lu Yue) and Kevin Xiao (Lao Mao) stole my heart and really were the scene stealers. They had perfect comedic timing, played off the other wells and were able to show their range of acting with emotional scenes.
Now the plot, I must admit I skipped all the couple scenes having to do with the main CP if I knew the conversation did not lend itself to the plot. Even by doing it I understood the entire plot and the progress of their relationship. I would have enjoyed if the show actually opened up more about the team's backstories. A lot of them mentioned that their parents do not support them and Cheng-ge and Tong Yao have the privilege of having supportive parents while the others seem cut off from their parents because of this career choice. In retrospect, ZGDX is found family for those people. Yu Ming, Lao K and Lao Mao all mentioned they did not have a supportive family and they essentially ran away from home. ZGDX was a brotherhood before Tong Yao joined, and it was still evident when she was there. The members hung out without her and Cheng-Ge (he is a loner it seems during the course of the show except for the first 2 episodes) and you can tell how close they are. I WISH we could get a show that is pre-Tong Yao era (this is not a diss at her, but rather I want to know the dynamics of the previous team Yu Ming-era). It feels like everyone has their own cliques but we as viewers do not know why, we know why they are close but why? Why are Lao Mao and Lao K basically a couple? Why are Yu Ming and Lu Yue that close with one another? Tong Yao was only on the team for 6 months, and while they cherish her as a friend and a teammate I feel like the bond that is there for the remaining ZGDX team minus the main CP is extremely strong.
I think the plot touched on a lot of e-sports things that can happen, but kind of glossed over the nitty and gritty bit about actually being a professional sports player because they wanted to add the romance and the light-hearted moments. Overall, I would not watch it again. I think that it is what it is. An e-sports, romance drama. Maybe too much romance for me. Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao did well with what they had, but I know Xu Kai can do better acting-wise, and for Cheng Xiao's first role it was not the worst but I was not a fan of her acting. I frankly did not see a romantic connection between the two when it came to the romance scenes. I preferred them when they bickered as friends rather than as a couple. But I think the support ZGDX team stole the show. Yalkun Merxat, Yao Chi, Kevin Xiao, Gao Han, Sun Kia and Cui ShaoYang stole my heart in their respective roles.