Xing Zhaolin and Eleanor Lee star in a mountaineering-themed romance.
Here are three sports-related school rom-coms that are currently airing. I honestly haven’t had time to watch any of them. Let me know if any of them are good.
Rock-climbing/Mountaineering – Blow in the Wind 强风吹拂
Starring: Xing Zhaolin, Eleanor Lee, Nonkul ( Chanon Santinatornku )
Synopsis: After the death of a friend during a hiking incident, Xia Di (Xing Zhaolin) goes into depression. With the help of rock-climbing coach (Eleanor Lee), he uncovers the truth about the accident and finds love on the way.
Available: One episode per day on Youtube with English Subs
The male leads of table tennis drama “Chasing”
Ping Pong – Chasing 追球
Starring: Fan Shiqi, Bu Guanjin, Li Yitong of SNH-48, Huang Shengchi, Li Wenhan of UNIQ
Synopsis: Posing as an heiress, Yan Xiaoxi (Bu Guanjin) enters an elite school using money earned with Ping Pong. There, she joins the Ping Pong team to clear her adopted father of accusations of rigging an old game.
Available: iQiyi,non-members get two episodes every Monday through Thursday
Competitive Gaming – Gank Your Heart 陪你到世界之巅
Starring: Wang Yibo of UNIQ, Wang Zixuan, Jerry Yan Shuhao, Ding Guansen, Yan Xujia of X-Fire
Synopsis: Romance between a competitive gamer and a video game live streamer
Available: MGTV, non-members get two episodes every Sunday through Tuesday.
I watched a few episodes of Blow in the Wind without paying full attention. Xing ZL’s character is tropey. E Lee’s acting is pleasant as usual. I have my doubts about this drama’s writer(s). I have a feeling I won’t like this drama’s plot if I were to continue watching. I can probably only skip watch at best.
Only saw trailers for Ping pong. Bu Guan Jin’s acting is also fine. Cinematography and direction look dubious. Garish. Feels as if it’s desperately trying to get viewers’ attention. Plot isn’t so gripping either. Looks like a worse drama than BGJ’s Suddenly This Summer.
I’m not hopeful of either drama. Hopefully others can find more promising points in these 2 dramas.
Out of the sports drama on this post, I watched Gank Your Heart. I thought it was pretty good, havent seen this genre of competitive gaming before. The beginning was a bit slow but as the drama progressed, it got more interesting. Disclaimer: I thought the gaming part was a lot better the romance part of the drama XD
I agree that the gaming competition and bromance were the best part of Gank Your Heart. The romance wasn’t bad, but unfortunately there was an unnecessary 3rd party tangent. But on the flip side, the character I thought was going to be part of the love triangle ended up being an adorkable guy =)
The gaming scenes were done very well. I’m not a gamer and still found it exciting. It was filmed in Hangzhou and you can see how the city has embraced e-sports with the awesome game lounges and the impressive e-sports arena.
Ping Pong Chasing (追球) is an odd mix of fluffy romantic comedy and family melo with a rushed/abrupt ending. Despite that, I did enjoy it over all. I laughed so much in the first half and then cried buckets in the second half. The chemistry is definitely there IMO for the ML and FL. It’s super sweet every time they make up after a fight. The friends are hilarious and the sisterhood is also one of the best/funniest I’ve seen in a drama. Usually the guys get the awesome bromance. 2nd ML was annoying for me as he was basically a stalker and was harassing the FL constantly.