Falling Into Your Smile (2021)

An eSports story yet sweet and not boring to watch

I can't patiently wait for another episode because this drama is so addicting. It's not boring at all. The plot is based on eSports, but behind it all lay a team with amazing teammates. Not only the romance between the main leads, but I'm in on the friendship, comedy and gaming.

I love the chemistry between the main leads both on the drama and behind the scenes. The acting is flawless, ChengXiao improved a lot. This drama is really full of visuals.


CHARACTERS:
The female lead is competitive, she has good gaming skills, not too optimistic and is supportive towards her enemies. She likes to give advice to her enemies when they're down or anyone else who also got the same problem as her. Overall the fl have good characteristics.

The male lead is quiet, but he's the leader of the team and would always have their backs. He secretly took care of his teammates problem. He got very good gaming skills, unbeatable. He has a soft spot for the fl whenever a problem occur to her. He's straightforward and I like him for this.

Lastly, the support roles, such as ZGDX members, God Ming, their manager, fl's best friend and bf all really made this drama very sweet not only in between the main leads but also in friendship. There is a spark of comedy in each episode.

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I was never planning on writing a review until I watch this drama.

This review reflects my opinion only.

There are so many positive reviews on this site that I thought I might give this a try to give one among few differing opinions here for those looking for it.

Story:
There is not much logic to be found in this story. As many know already, the e-sport aspect has been butchered by the writer so I'm not gonna pretend to understand the industry and give my two cents.
Too much fluff in the relationship between the leads and any conflict feels superficial. We're not shown why the ML fell for FL, or the process of recognizing his feeling, properly. He just suddenly started to flirt with her for everyone to see.
The plot is very tropey, just like CEO cliché story transplanted to e-sport industry: Genius, super rich male lead with the short tempered girl.
Side characters serve no real purpose other than to react and facilitate the relationship of the main lead couple.

Acting:
Only touching on the leads acting here.
Xu Kai is okay, not great, not too bad either. If he has any brilliance to show, the script wouldn't allow it haha.
Cheng Xiao is very bad at acting, period. She has mostly the same facial expression throughout, wide eye repertoire when she's trying to emote. She even acted the same way after Tong Yao fell off the stairs (can't remember the episode). She's been in a few dramas already, none of which I've watched, and starting with lead character from the beginning. She'll continue to act as leads in the future, but if her performance in this drama is any indication, I wouldn't watch any of them.

IMO, this drama is overhyped on this site.

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you need to watch this drama

I think the criticisms the drama received isn't unfounded. The gaming aspect of the drama was never fully explained. I still don't really understand the game or how the championships work. There is a clear emphasis on the personal lives of the players, rather than on their actual performance in games.

However, E-sports was the setting or background of the drama, so I don't know what more people were expecting. The main focus of the drama was the characters and their growth, not the actual game. If people are looking for a true E-sports drama, this simply isn't the drama for them. At the end of the day, it is a Chinese romance drama, not an E-sports documentary. I understand the reasoning behind the controversy, how it can come off as disrespectful, but no one would really believe the things that happen in a drama anyways.

Rather than giving a realistic point of view and emphasis on E-sports, I think the drama focuses more on addressing other pressing problems. Things like how E-sports is still not considered a real profession, hardships and doubt young people may face when pursuing their dreams, and crazy fans online who care more about their idols' personal lives and appearance than what their idols really do professionally and represent. The topics brought up in the drama even caused me to take a second and reconsider how the show applied to the real world. I think where the drama lacks in sincerity towards the E-sports genre, it makes up for by speaking about these problems.

The acting was a bit stiff and forced, but not to the point that it made me dislike the drama. The romance was perfect. I haven't liked a couple in a Chinese drama as much as I've liked the two main leads. Their characters are made to be complex, yet consistent, and I love it. I sometimes find scenes in Chinese dramas extremely cringey, but there weren't that many of those in this show. I found myself getting butterflies whenever there was something between them. There are some parts in the story where it's painfully obvious that it was to move the plot forward or a filler, but again, like the acting, it wasn't so bad that it made me dislike the drama.

THE MUSIC FOR THIS DRAMA IS TOP TIER. I loved every song. Seventeen made a song for the show, and I was so happy when I found out.

This drama is far from perfect and definitely has flaws, but for me, it was one of the most enjoyable and entertaining Chinese dramas I've watched.

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No Chemistry

It took me several tries to get into this.

I love e-gaming and liked some of the graphics (when they were playing in game).

The OST was okay, nothing too spectacular.

The story over all was cute; fun and lovable gamer guys.

Kind of cringe-y and dragged in a lot of spots.

Now for the very unpopular opinion of one lady who has watched too many dramas over the years.

The biggest issue for me was the two main leads and their severe lack of chemistry.

The ML had a lot of flirty, tongue in cheek innuendos that I think were delivered mediocre and came off most times more of a joke (he was supposed to be building tension between the two and there was none).

It may be due to his age or lack of life experience, but it could also be who he was paired with.

The FL had very little personality of her own and for as many times as they kissed, you'd think she would've gotten the hang of it halfway through.

This had promise, but fell short ... very short.

Many others seem to like it, but for me it just wasn't worth all the hype and toward the end I was ready for it to conclude.

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Counterpoint: an enjoyable, but somewhat overrated drama

I wasn’t planning on writing anything about Falling Into Your Smile, but the particularly high rating it’s gotten here (8.7 at the time of writing) compelled me to offer a counterpoint.

First, to be clear, I liked this drama. It was perfectly fine. By my own ratings “scale”, it is respectably ranked. It was a fun and cute “happy” drama, with very little that was annoying or frustrating (a feat in itself!). I loved the team dynamics and friendships. The teammates were funny and immensely likable, and I even enjoyed the side characters on other teams. Tong Yao’s (played by Cheng Xiao) parents are great. Except for Kevin Xiao and Rachel Wang, this was my first drama for the rest of the cast, including Xu Kai (a sometimes-distracting reminder of a young Leonardo DiCaprio).

I also appreciated that the show tackled and highlighted the absolutely batsh*t extremes fans and haters go to attack people through social media. It captured the viciousness and influence of toxic fans — something we’ve seen play out in real life. The online “drama” playing out among Chinese netizens and esports fans absolutely trashing Falling Into Your Smile has been rather ironic. And like her character in the drama, lead actress Cheng Xiao has unfortunately been on the receiving end of a lot of online hate and harassment. (On Douban, it has an unreasonably harsh 3/10 rating.)

As a side note, given how conservative C-dramas have historically been when it comes to vocalizing the topic of sex, I was surprised by how frank it was in approaching the subject, relatively speaking.

I was also pleasantly amazed there were no undeserving and unrealistic “redemption arcs” for bad parents (two sets of them!) or for the villains. And the storylines involving antagonists wrapped up before they dragged.

As someone who loved The Untamed, the passing references, background set decor, and nods to the drama sprinkled here and there were also fun to catch. (The two shows share the same production company and producer.)

So where’s the counterpoint then?

This is a perfectly enjoyable esports romance that is nonetheless way over-rated in my view:

I wasn’t overly invested in the central relationship and on the whole, there wasn’t much team or character growth.

The overarching story about the team’s journey through Nationals was underwhelming and somewhat flat, so there was even less emotional investment. In some ways, it felt a bit repetitive. In otherwords, it didn’t pass the binge-worthiness test.

Crossfire is a much more compelling drama about the gaming and esport evolution aspect of the genre.

Gank Your Heart, while flawed on several fronts including the romance aspect, had a much more interesting story in my view when it came to depicting how a team falls apart and the journey towards building a new one. It was pretty low-budget by comparison though, especially when it came to the actual gaming scenes (I believe they were also playing Onmyoji Arena), so I get why it might be considered more inferior.

Most of the acting in Falling Into Your Smile was fine, but I wasn’t exactly wowed either, even with Xu Kai’s. I see potential though and do look forward to watching them again, including Zhai Xiaowen in Heaven Official’s Blessing, Xu Kai (he’s been extremely busy!) and Gao Han in Ancient Love Poetry, and Yao Chi in Immortality.

To be fair, I was coming off a couple of dramas that had left me in a bit of a show-hole, so I was perhaps more sensitive to the emotional component (or lack thereof). It’s great so many people enjoyed it — I did too — but an 8.7 from me would require a more complex story arc that evokes much stronger emotions, and in my view, there are more deserving, but lower-rated dramas, esports and otherwise, who fit the bill better.

(This is a slightly condensed version of a review I first posted on my drama blog: https://www.solarina.ca/dramaddicts/dramaddicts-blog/2021/7/26/counterpoint-im-not-quite-falling-into-your-smile)

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THIS WILL DEFINETELY MAKE YOUR STOMACH FEELS BUTTERFLIES EVERY EPISODES

I do really love the chemistry of Cheng Xiao and Xu Kai. I have watched Xu Kai's drama and I know his acting is outstanding. But it makes so natural with Cheng Xiao. I literally having a butterflies in stomach each every episode. No side stories, they met immediately at the first episode, no beating around the bush. Some of the storyline were somehow unexpected than the typical Chinese drama. But the downside is that the animation were too long which is for me, it is unnecessary. But I watched the bts and I am amazing to the efforts of the staffs in making the animation in superb. And also some of the e-sports scenes/ competitions were too unrealistic. I think it is because of lack of interceptions/scenes of the management/handler each teams. And also the gameplay, which is I tried Onmyoji Arena, It is unrealistic that they are playing it on PC where there are IU controls in screen which usually used in mobile games.

I really love the character of Xu Kai, He really did portrayed it very well. I was so amazed and hypnotized on his acting skills and visuals. And also Cheng Xiao, I can really see the detailed of her expressions, his small actions that makes the scene much more realistic, accurate and relatable.

I just hope that they will have more drama together. Xu Kai should have more modern Chinese dramas.
I have rewatched this drama every time I have to wait until next week for next update. That's how good this drama is. It will make you crazy. I have been laughing and blushing even if I am not watching.

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Main actress terrible acting

I just can’t seem to pass the main actress acting. It was just too terrible for me. Her face seemed to be frozen pretty much throughout. Of all characters, hers was the most unclear. Is the character supposed to be cute? feisty? Stubborn? charming? lazy? bold?? etc. it was almost as if there was no planning in her character. Just threw anything on and went w it. The reviews got my hopes up but damn it was just straight bad.

Storyline is your standard gaming dramas. Nothing too fancy. But the highlight on the stereotype against gaming, even worse, female gamers gave the drama more depths and light into the struggles of people in this profession. In addition to this, they highlight the pros/cons of the entertainment industry as well as celebs/fans relationship.
The supporting characters were not well developed. Its the typical “bestfriend” in kdramas where everything is for the main characters. Just glad it was more in a positive way.


Highly NOT RECOMMEND

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A really good, carefree and funny e-sport drama!

The drama is really good!

As a LOL player, I loved the novel which helped me understood a few champions in terms of role and gameplay (ex; of Diana). Loving the universe of Riots, I loved the allusions to the game in it, and it really helped me get better in the game. Here's the novel for those who want to read it: (http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com/p/youre-beautiful-when-you-smile.html).
I'm not gonna lie, I was attracted by the fact that it was about League of Legends and was a bit taken aback when I saw that they used another game in it.

However, Onmyoji Arena was so well presented that I wanted to download it either on my phone or my computer (however it was too heavy). As I don't know the game, I couldn't understand the champions and their roles but it wasn't that important. I've tried to check out the champions on the game website; its pretty cool how they explain you how to use the abilities and combos which seems basics like that but can help you understand the gameplays in the drama.

A lot of people think TY is immature and doesn't really grow. I disagree with that! TY is a 22 years old graduate student in the drama (19 in the novel) and I'm the same and I perfectly understand her. She's straightforward and doesn't have the best temper so it makes her impulsive... however, she has a dream and she works hard for it no matter the difficulties. She stays true to herself and doesn't try to please everyone and anyone... she deals with her teammates issues like a real adult... she's not the kid you have to protect... she's a team member that got your back knowing you'll her back too. She's loyal to her friends and I like the way she intelligently helps them. Then if you look at the people she knew before being a professional player: Yang God, JinYang and Ai Jia... the 3 of them are even more childish than her but here again that's part of their age... they're at the beginning of their 20s.

Chen Xiao is cute, it's my first drama of her and tbh she's good for the role: she got the girly part when she cares about her appearance and stuff, and the childish part, when she plays and interacts with her team, but the way she matures through the drama is pretty good, u feel like growing with her.
I read some people thought that Shen Yue (Meteor Garden / A love so Beautiful) or Fair Xing (Master devil do not kiss me/ Put your head on my shoulder) would have been a better choice as lead actress... but tbh I disagree... If someone had said Wan Peng (My girlfriend is an alien), I would have say why not cause she often plays a girly-tom boyish character which could have fit with Smiling. However Shen Yue and Fair Xing? nah
For those who have an issue with Chen Xiao's acting, I admit, saying she's perfect would be lying, however TY is supposed to have a poker face quite often (according to the novel) and maybe the lack of expression of the actress does fit this aspect of her character. Honestly, like I said in a comment on the drama, do you remember Bella in Twilight? She's what I would call the perfect definition of lack of expression, the woman looked like she was constipated from beginning to end (of 4 movies)!

Xu Kai... I watched the Legends, I started to watch Court lady, and I'm currently watching Ancient Love Poetry (this drama is soooo confusing)... and by far Falling Into Your Smile is the best! I heard it's his first modern drama and tbh the role fits him.

The story is predictable in a way where it's a drama and like most drama we can determine the whole story by watching the trailer and the videos at the end lol. But it's also a bowl of fresh air as it's not stressing; the usual toxic moments are properly managed I think and there's a real reflection behind the use of negatives stuffs (gossips/critics)... I honestly hope that some fans could watch this drama, understand it and change their attitude after to be more supportive and less toxic...

The side characters are good and simple, Xiao Pang is excellent, his innocence and reactions make the whole comedic part. Lao K (Old K) is cool with calm and observing attitude. Ming Sheng, Rui Ge and Lao Mao (Old Cat) are funny too. Especially Old Cat, who's slow at understanding things!

Lu Yue and Kun are a bit awkard tho... too exaggerated? Idk there's something off with them... however they fit the drama too, Lu Yue by always appearing in the cute moments between the lead and Kun by being the childish but stubborn character he is.

S/o to the second characters (the bestie and her bf/ex-bf), but coming at it... I don't really know what social class Tong Yao is supposed to be but her Miu Miu and Balenciaga items makes it pretty clear she's far from poor... in the book they explain it as most of her branded clothes are from her bestie... but somehow she always seems to be wearing branded stuff in the drama which makes it less believable (I know it's surely the sponsoring of the drama but still). That's a minor detail...

I hope it helps you decide whether or not should or definitely should watch it! :*

I'll edit it later but for the moment here you go:

- Trailer of Episode 17 --> Chapter 64 part 1
- Trailer of Episode 18 --> Chapter 69 part 2
- Trailer of Episode 19 --> Chapter 72 part 2
- Trailer of Episode 20 --> Chapter 78 part 1
- Trailer of Episode 21 --> Chapter 87 part 1
- Trailer of Episode 22 --> Chapter 93 part 3-part 4
- Trailer of Episode 23 --> Chapter 105 part 3
- Trailer of Episode 24--> Chapter 113 part 3
- Trailer of Episode 25

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Must Watch Lighthearted Esports Drama!

This drama balances issues within the Esports industry with comedy, so the entire show ends up being very lighthearted while showcasing real issues in pro gaming. This is not the first gaming drama to have come out, but it is the first to cover Esports, and what was also unique was how detailed it got when portraying actual scenarios within a game. Even if this isn't League of Legends, the little things in this drama make me think "ah yea, that happens in League too!" If you're into watching people learn and grow within their respective industry, I'd give this one a shot.

The story is relatively predictable in the way that sports dramas are predictable. It follows the story of Tong Yao, the imaginary first girl Esports player, as she rises with her team ZGDX towards the world championship.

I've played League for 7 years, I compete in TFT tournaments, and League of Legends is very much a part of my life now. I do League for fun, but I'll play a few games every day with my friends. In my games, there are different circumstances leading to different consequences, and Falling Into Your Smile captures these in a lighthearted way. These can be small or big things, but I appreciate the inclusiveness. For example, not sleeping until late due to tilt from a bad game is one small thing, and the possibility of being banned from pro gaming due to toxic behavior is a big one. The plot remains fresh because a lot of scenes don't really happen outside of pro-gaming, and even if it does, the drama uses humor to keep the audience hooked. The humor plays a huge part in this show. Tong Yao's interactions with everyone are adorable/understandable, and I have yet to find a scene in the story to skip. The show is not all bubbles and flowers; it puts some weight of certain plot points, such as when Tong Yao was defeated in a practice match and she lost her confidence momentarily. Even though it had no real impact because it was a practice match, the loss of faith that resulted could have been devastating, and as a competitive player, it is very relatable. I heard how this show got a lot of negativity when it first came out from pro players because they thought it was inaccurate, but my response to that is: this drama is meant to be light hearted. It's an inspirational growth drama.

The other big plot point are the games themselves. For those who don't game, the game plots are, to some extent, factually accurate. This includes last hitting creep minions, getting camped by the enemy jungler, being too aggressive, being not aggressive enough, etc. A lot of scenes are tinted with comedy and become relatively low impact, but they are accurate at their baselines. One thing I did find amusing was the gaming cinematography where they suddenly zoom in on a few characters in the game. The cinematography is animated pretty well and I'm entertained, even though I have no idea what's going on, having not played this game.

There is a romance subplot for those looking for that, and while it's moving along slowly, Tong Yao and Lu Si Cheng's interactions are so cute. I could watch Lu Si Cheng tease Tong Yao with his poker face all day long! I'm actually glad that the romance subplot isn't too fast, because as the show stated, she's there to compete, not get a boyfriend. However, you can really see the main characters start to care and fall for each other. The side characters are also quirky and fun to watch, and ZGDX as a team has stolen my heart. The drama shows other teams, not just ZGDX, and the characters from those teams are loveable in their own way too.

Overall, if you're looking for a cute rom-com that takes place within the Esports community, give this one a shot! It is definitely the best gaming drama I've seen, and it takes a nice dive into the Esports world. Add that to the fact that the characters are super cute, and you've got yourself a show!

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A truly great romcom

If Love o2o and Go Go Squid had a love child it would be called Falling Into Your Smile. This drama reminded me a lot of these two dramas. Just like Love o2o the main leads never doubt each other, they communicate well, and never have any issues in their romance. There are no messy breakups, no noble idiocy, no mean in-laws, and no love triangles. And it doesn’t have a lot of angst or heavy melodrama either. It also reminded me a lot of Go Go Squid with its riveting gaming competitions. I loved how the teams worked and lived together just like a family. The camaraderie and team spirit were quite touching. If you liked Love o2o and Go Go Squid then you’ll love this because they’re quite similar.

Most dramas first few episodes aren’t that interesting as they set up the storyline. Introducing a variety of characters and their backstories may be crucial to the plot but it can be quite tedious and uninteresting. But this drama is quite interesting right from the beginning. It takes us into the world of gaming with a live match right away. Then we get to meet some intriguing characters which will crack you up. This drama has some great comedy. There’s not really any slow moments and I didn’t have to fast forward at all. And it stays a romcom throughout the whole drama which was refreshing.

One thing that I like about this drama is that it’s about more than just romance and gaming. It delves into deeper subjects like how public figures deal with immense pressure from fans, the news media, their managers, and social media. They also have to deal with the disrespectful attitude most people have that e-sports is just a bunch of people sitting around playing games for fun. They don’t see it as a legitimate career worthy of respect. Then there are the gamers parents who want them to quit e-sports and get a ‘real job’. I also appreciated how hard the female lead works to help people see that women can be just as good at gaming as men are.

The gaming aspect of the drama was fun and made it more interesting. I wish that they made it a little easier to follow and understand. There are lots of different characters to choose from during the game and they seem to play a different character every time they compete. So it’s hard to know who is who when they’re playing. Plus, the games rules aren’t explained at all. So expect to get a bit lost and confused during the games.

Chinese dramas tend to have perky, upbeat, outgoing female leads that are often silly and naive but cute. But the female lead in this drama is different. She’s more reserved, serious and focused on her career. And she’s determined to prove to the male dominated gaming world that women can be just as good as men in e-sports. Therefore we don’t see a cute bubbly happy female lead like we usually do in cdramas. Instead we see a more aloof, reserved female lead that’s very focused on her career. Some have complained about her facial expressions, especially because she rarely smiles and her nickname in the gaming world is ‘Smiling’. She chose that name to honor a past gamer she admires, not because she smiles a lot. Her lack of smiles and cute or silly facial expressions is not poor acting, it’s how her character is written. If you understand that she is portraying a more soft spoken laidback type of character then you’ll enjoy her acting like I did.

I took off one star for a couple of reasons. Most of the actors in this drama are new and even though they did a great job, you can still tell the difference between them and the more seasoned veteran actors. The other reason would be because of how confusing the games are. It’s really hard to know what’s going on during the gaming competitions and that’s a big part of the drama. But don’t let those two things hold you back because the games are still fun to watch and they’re acting is still really good, especially for newbies.

I can’t end this without addressing the romance in the drama. The romance had amazing chemistry with lots of steamy kisses. And once they get together he just can’t seem to keep his hands off of her. Expect lots of kiss scenes, back hugs, princess carrying, and cuddling. They did an amazing job on the romance in this drama. There’s also a secondary couple that are fun to watch and added a lot to the drama.

In conclusion, this is one of those rare dramas that is low on angst but is still very interesting, which is hard to do. There are no breakups, no hateful parents, no scheming second leads, and no love triangles. Yet I couldn’t stop binge watching it. And that’s highly unusual for me. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely close. Don’t pass this one up, you’ll regret it.

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YOU NEED TO WATCH IT!!

Highly recommended of all time☺️☺️..
I've just completed the whole series..and damn it was so good..you'll never regret watching it..
The casting,the plot of the story was really good..even you're not into e-sports game..this series makes you love the whole damn thing..and started playing games too..
It makes me addicted to it ..that makes me played it too..
I'm not into cdramas actually but this made me watch it over and over again..
The male and female lead role brings more color to this drama series..
i just love it so so much..
love from ph🇵🇭🇵🇭..

..watch it now..☺️☺️

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