Go Go Squid! (2019)

I NEVER thought it would be possible to binge watch 41 episodes of a romance chinese drama.
Go Go Squid proved me wrong.

The storyline is interesting because of the CTF competiton aspect which is an original base, and even if the "lets fight for our dream" was a little over dramatic in my opinion, the character development was amazingly subtle and human.
Its not only a romance between bright girl - cold guy, its portrayed like a relationation in which two people learn to really love each other.
And i was SO GLAD that the female lead wasn't stupid and embarassing for ONCE !
Yes she is young, bright and pink but she doesnt embarass herself only for the male lead to find it cute during 40 episodes .
She still has her composure and maturity.

The acting was overall very good, not as dramatic or awkward as some of the previous chinese dramas i've seen so its easy to get into the story.

The side characters are very funny, and even if the whole bromance aspect was a little overdone in my opinion, their story is still very interesting.
I laughed SO HARD at all the ridiculous situations in the club with the kids and also the interactions with team solo.

Anyway worth watching for sure !

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I don’t think I’ve ever paused so many times while watching a drama before just to cry tears of joy, sadness, relief, excitement and the occasional second hand embarrassment.

The amount of chemistry between HSY and TN is irrevocably beautiful to the point you’d expect them to be married in real life.

The story explores the past and future of professional e-sport players (ctf) Team Solo and their new teams SP and KK. How they navigate through life and their careers with the pain they’ve felt in the past and how they eventually learn to overcome it. Don’t get me started with the beautiful character development this drama created especially with HSY. with every episode you could see his cold heart slowly warm up to the people around him especially TN. Though I would’ve liked to see a lot more of of Wu bai and hoped he’d be more than a supporting cast the drama was still absolutely beautiful and I wouldn’t have it any other way

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I'm very amazed by their acting! I can feel all the emotions the actors and actresses felt. They portrayed the characters very well. I have rewatched several scenes from the drama and I can't seem to forget it. The male lead's acting is just soooo captivating.

The story is quite interesting and every episode makes me even more curious of what will follow. The downside is that the flashbacks are quite boring and takes too much of the screen time. Aside from the flashbacks, everything is just PERFECT!! Highly recommended to those who like romcom dramas. You'll have a good laugh XD

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i really like this drama.. this drama really makes me become carried away, when the sad part of me to cry, when funny i laugh and romantic when i smile to myself.
of all the Chinese dramas that I watched go go squid drama is the first drama that made me carried away in the drama.
after I watched it out I could not escape this drama, i can't forget this drama and move on this drama.
drama. my favorite songs in this drama are: 1. A Nameless Person (Chen Xueran), 2. Give To The Future (Li Xian) & 3. Milk Bread (Yang Zi). Everyday i listening and singing this 3 songs.
for the male lead is also very handsome, I fell in love with him. Han San Yan's character in this drama really makes a all woman fall in love with him.
Han San Yan's character seems to be the dream of women. has a cool appearance, handsome face, cool face, not clever in expressing his feelings, and stiff , but far from the appearance that he showed in front of friends han san who had very gentle feelings, caring, understanding, polite and kind.
정말 좋아에요~
真的很喜欢~最好的戏剧 ~

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I finished this a few days ago and I loved it.

I am not a fan of the Love at the first sight thing so while there were moments, especially in the beginning were I would have liked to shake Tong Nian and tell her to please behave a bit more reasonable and don't do some of the things she did, and the relationship was not perfect, I still had a lot of fun watching this.
It made me laugh so many times. Of couse we had the self sacrificing "I will pretend to not like you for your own benefit" in it for a short while, which really annoyed me, this is just something I will never understand and like in a drama, but thankfully that went by fast enough for me to ignore. The couple was essentially really cute.

I just loved all the funny, cute and amazing minor characters. They made me love this story just so much more^^ I fell in love with the whole K&K team and would have liked for them to have much more screentime , since everyone was so adorable and it was always fun to watch them.
I also really liked the relationships we had in this drama in general, not just the romantic ones but also the friendships. The K&K team and their friendship was always great to watch but also the girls, though I would have liked to see a bit more of that.
What I was sad about, was the fact that we didn't see more of the relationship between Yaya and Mi Shao Fei, those two were so cute and I really wanted to see more of them.

I also have to say, I loved the setting of the drama. The E-sports part of the drama was so much fun to watch and made it really interesting. While the romance played a big part in it, the drama was more than just the romance, with all the competitions and story revolving around the E-sports aspect of it.

All in all it is a fun, cute and easy to watch drama without to much unneeded and unrealistic drama. And it is not just about the romance but quite a bit more which is something I always enjoy.

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This is the best 2019 Chinese drama for me. Finished it in like 3-4 days and can't seem to move on from this drama and the handsome casts.
Living up to its hype and i started this drama purely because of the e-sport genre and plot, not knowing any of the cast, and it has been the best decision ever to watch this drama.

when you thought this is basically a rom-com drama in an e-sport based and pinch of competition then you are defnitely wrong.

The whole story is full of the balance of romance, comedy, competition, friendship, family, brothership, youth, dream and fighting spirit. AND definitely those handsome faces :)

Forever will I ever forget K&K Boys:
The Genius DT / Wu Bai
The Handsome Grunt
The Kindest 97
The Passionate One
The Cutest Demo / Dai Feng

The have brought so much joy, happy, calm, and lively atmosphere to the drama


and also
The Solo Team:
Gun God / Han Shang Yan
Solo
Apple Dog / Ai Qing
Xiao Mi / Mi Shao Fei
All / Ou Qiang

will be my go-to drama every then and now :)

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beautiful love

I skipped a lot of the storyline because I wanted to watch mostly the storyline for the ML and FL and because the extra stories alongside of the ML and FL, really didn't interest me.
but I did love the romance between the ML and FL. I understand the reasons for why people did like them but I'll tell you my reasons for why I did.
I've seen that people think their love and relationship is a little immature. but think about the fact that this is their first relationship ever, so of course it's going to be a little immature in some areas. but that's why it's so adorable and cute to watch.
the ML does have a tough and cold demeanor and exterior but he changes to warm and inviting whenever he is around her. she even says at one point that his cold exterior is not truly what is personality is and she's right. he only shows his true self when he's around her, especially as he grows more comfortable with her. she is helping his grow and heal from things that happened in the past and therefore he becomes a little more warm and inviting to people.
and she loves him the way he needs to be loved. he needs someone who can be a little silly to bring out the silly in him. someone who is a little "kid" still at heart to bring that back out in him. he's been serious for so long because of his past that the FL brings out the young youthful side of him he hasn't shown in a long time.
their relationship is truly beautiful.

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Not sure where to start with this review - I was going back and forth between an 8 and a 9 for this, so a 8.5 will do. I liked the message overall and enjoyed how it wasn't solely a romance. This drama was more about Han Shang Yan or Gun learning how to forgive himself and his old teams about what happened in the past as well as learning to love and let people back into his life. In disguise, this drama was less about Tong Nian or Nian Nian, and more about Team SOLO and their journey over the course of 10 years and learning how to forgive each other as well as themselves before they could reunite. Yes Nian Nian did some maturing in this drama and it was around 50% about her and her life, but I don't think she went through any major change. If anything, she was there to show unconditional support for Shangyan regardless how many times he tried to push her away.

At the beginning, I wasn't feeling this drama at all. I am not a huge fan of love at first sight. Especially when you have Nian Nian who is an intelligent graduate student, acting like a 13 year old fan girl who follows Shangyan around like a lost puppy, trying to get him to fall in love with her. Then you have the fake relationship that started it all so he could please his grandfather, when he knew that she actually had feelings for him. It was painful to watch her go along with all of this. But of course, we find out that he had fallen in love with her at first sight (kind of) which I call fake news on. It seemed like he wasn't at all into the relationship until after the first breakup, and then randomly after the 2nd, it was like he knew exactly how to treat her. While she stayed consistent, every time they got into a relationship, he acted like a completely different person. All good steps in the right direction, but every time it happened, I was like...who is this guy?

Overall, cute and slow paced relationship. It was about two people who have never been in love, figuring out how to be in a relationship and learning that there is no wrong or right way. It was cringy (especially all the kissing scenes - I feel like I was watching Love 020 again, with dead fish Wei Wei), but as expected with first love. But I thought it was super interesting about the relationships in this drama. A lot of the elders and some of her classmates gave her and Shangyan so much crap for their age difference. But literally no one brought up the age gap when any of team SOLO got with someone younger. Given, I shipped Mi Shao Fei and his love interest from the beginning, and would have loved to see more of them and their feelings blossom. Then we also have Appledog's possible romance. I thought she was going to play a bigger role in this drama, but she was very behind the scenes. We don't really see her and her possible romance until literally the last ep or two, which I thought was kind of cute, but at the same time, why the heck are all the 30 year olds trying to get at the 20 year olds. Maybe she was younger than Solo or Gun, but she couldn't be by much. It was hard to get behind anything she did because she only really interacted with the love interest twice in the whole drama. Plus the relationship he had with Solo and Gun is just super weird to me. Kind of like...a younger brother dating an ex. I am glad that they didn't put Solo with anyone because out of all the people in this drama, Gun a close second, he had to learn to love and forgive himself before trying to ask for love and forgiveness from others. He did the right thing in the past, BUT I believe he went the wrong way about it.

At the end of the day, even though this drama had a good message and I enjoyed it, I feel like it dragged on. I feel like the director was going overboard with trying to make this drama very sentimental and emotional while going overboard with all the flashbacks. Yes, it was necessary for the story, but def could have cut out like 50% of them. Especially at the end when literally a good portion of the end episodes were all flashbacks. Normally, this would get me on any day. I suck at flashbacks. I don't care if it in a tv show, drama, movie, or even commercial. I am a complete baby, but this drama decided to take this idea and ring it dry, that scenes I know should have been emotional, such as the tub make up scene, just made me say ...meh ok. I think I might have a limit of how much you can mess with my emotions, but it was wild that I didn't shed a single tear. Like I told myself if Shangyan opened up and started crying, it would break me. Any grown man crying would break me, but instead I was sitting on my couch, cringing at him ugly crying, which I felt bad for after the fact cause it was such a turning point scene. After watching it, I think the only times where I almost cried were for Mi Shao Fei and Demo. I feel like they both got the short end of the stick for the majority of the drama, but once Little Mi joined K&K and once Demo got the encouragement from Gun that he didn't know he needed, both of them excelled. I also felt bad for ONE towards the end as well as GRUNT, but the writer did an amazing job with them getting a chance to prove themselves.

Overall, this drama was a lot better than I initially thought it was going to be. A story about a team from 10 years ago having a team of winning the championship together that year, but ending up getting their dream in a different way almost 10 years later. A story about a guy who felt like everyone abandoned him even after trying to be the glue that kept everyone together. About grown ass adults that just needed to sit down and apologize to one another. I think that is what I didn't understand about this drama. Why in episode 30-something that it took them 10+ year for GUN to tell SOLO something he already knew in order for him to apologize. Also Appledog randomly coming in the situation, and apologizing. Like everyone had 10 years to do this, and instead acting hella prideful and waiting until a drunk moment to do this. If I was GUN, yeah...I would be mad too. Only difference is that I cannot hold a grudge to save my life, so 10 years is very childish. Like the 20 somethings were acting way more grown up in this drama than the 30 somethings. Except for Zheng Hui. F*** that guy. Acting like he about to hurt someone in his final scene in the drama.

Not sure if I would rewatch this again. So much back and forth with the couple; when it was bad, it was bad, and when it was good...it was so good. The competition scenes were so well done and the emotions from the coaches and players were so emotional. Seriously, Little Mi needs to be in more dramas. Loved his character. Loved the moments when he broke down. He should win an award for those scenes.

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Adorable Dorky Drama

I enjoyed watching this drama, It was a refreshing change from the heartbreak dramas I usually watch. It was simple, cutesy and the chemistry between both main characters made it worthwhile to watch. At times some of the story felt rushed and I felt at times the some characters had unnecessary backstories but for 41 episodes it's kept me wanting more after every episode!

The story for Go Go Squid! was a pretty simple and lighthearted one with minor hiccups but that was a nice change from the confusing and heartbreaking storylines that most dramas have. The ending felt a touch rushed but overall it kept me hooked for all 41 episodes which is rare for myself!

The acting was stunning as most the relationships seemed believable and nothing seemed over exaggerated and the skinship felt real as well. All characters felt unique even though there were many characters in this drama, and they all kept it realistic.

Again with music, nothing good or bad, but I don't watch dramas for their music.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a lighthearted drama with no major twist and turns, even though it is a C-drama it still is amazing!!

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I finished watching this yesterday, (i understand mandarin so i didn’t watch it with english subs) and i must say it’s a pretty okay drama.
Starting with the story,
I didn’t read the novel, but i’ve heard many say that it actually included extra scenes as compared to what is in the book. The story flowed out really nicely. Although... sometimes i do find it draggy, maybe it’s because i don’t usually watch dramas with 30 and above, but other than that, i cried a fair bit so :D
Acting
Male lead was pretty cool saying how he could make me feel so annoyed with his character at the start :D
Female lead was amazing too!!
Music
hM nothing much to say here, but i really do enjoy the opening track !!
Rewatch value
Probably wouldn’t want to rewatch the whole thing but maybe just for those few sweet moments ????????????

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First, if you're watching for an exciting plot, you might want to go somewhere else.

If you like nerdy stuff and you're all about characters. come in and let me tell you about this drama. First and foremost, it is freaking ADORABLE. It features one of my favorite tropes: the grumpy one is soft to the sunshine one. Our hero is a cold person who cares only about winning CTF (capture the flag) championships in the beginning, but then our heroine locks onto him, and she is is DELIGHTFUL.

She's really smart at techy stuff, plus she's successful with an online singing career as well. You'd think she would be super effective at flirting too, but now, she turns into an awkward pudding, as soon as she gets around our icy hero, who steals her ability to speak / think. Yeah, she falls for him at first sight (not a spoiler), and she's a bit dingy in chasing him, but I found all of the comedic twists amusing. Stuff just kept happening to them, and he was so confused, but she was so much like a helpless kitten that he couldn't bring himself to ice her out, like he did with everyone else. Soon, he's ridiculously in love with her and the SKINSHIP. I'd rank it alongside Healer for scenes where you just want to curl up in their love like it's a warm blanket.

Was it perfect? No. It has its ups and downs, pacing-wise, but you should stick with it. The lead couple is worth watching, and I wish this actor had a ton more dramas for me to devour because he's amazing.

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"A person with a dream will forever be young" ~ Go Go Squid

Go Go Squid was more than a romance drama: it was a motivating story that told of the characters' heart-wrenching past, their friendships, and their everlasting, enduring dreams. I've always been drawn to esports or computer-related dramas ever since watching Falling Into Your Smile, and I can see the parallel events between the two dramas. Both were amazing, but this one has a special place in my heart. Whether its the K&K members that always had me burst out laughing, or the cute scenes between the couples that made me smile, or the nostalgic flashbacks that left my heart aching at their regrets, or the OSTs that made me contemplate on the lyrics, this drama pretty much had it all. For my personally, the most important wasn't the romance between the main couple; The dream shared by the K&K members, everyone else in the CTF field, and of course, the one who carried it all on his shoulder, Han ShangYan, touched me the most. This drama had many lessons that deserves their recognition, and it motivates me to chase my dreams as well.

**Story**:
The synopsis tells the storyline of the drama, so I won't elaborate too much about it. However, I do want to mention a few details that contributes to the overall story. The story is mainly set in ShangHai in addition to a few places where the teams compete such as BeiJing, GuangZhou, and SanYa. Go Go Squid isn't actually about esports. It revolves around a complicated competition called CTF (Capture The Flag) that requires skilled professionals to defend computer systems and solve challenging cyber security problems. Most outside of the field don't understand what it is truly about and their mistaken the professionals as people who waste their time and lives playing computers. The team members don't bother with others' misunderstandings, but they work hard and train to not make money but to bring glory and honor to their country. Underlying their mischievous and playful personalities is a shared dream: to secure the world champion. Their determination, persistence, courage, and hard work really touched me in the drama.

**Acting/Cast**: --this is going to be long--
Han ShangYan (Actor: Li Xian 李现) is a retired CTF member who now owns the K&K team and is the boss to the K&K members. To me, he was the most interesting character. Throughout the entire show, I found myself trying to understand him and figure out his past and what he held at heart that he refused to reveal. His hidden pain, dreams, regret, sadness, and loneliness created the emotionless, cold character that we saw in the beginning of the show. That is, until he met Tong Nian, to whom he finally opened up to. He had one of the brightest and warmest smiles in the show; I can't express the happiness I felt seeing his smile. The few emotions he showed (later in the show) had me in tears as well. Han ShangYan is also one of the most selfless people I've ever seen...in his own way of course. He gave up on his dream and learned his lesson but he now devotes his life to help what he calls "kids" to achieve the dream they share. I don't think nothing in the show could express the amount of pressure and pain he felt from his past. He was lonely and sad but full of passion and dreams. In addition, the five main K&K members (97, Demo, One, Grunt, and DT) view him not just as their boss, but also their older brother who cares for them, shares their dream, and helps them fight for that dream. There were a few scenes in the drama where Han ShangYan went into their room at night to help clean up their mess, tuck them in bed, and make sure they get rest and were healthy; Those simple scenes touched me a lot because it illustrated their strong relationship. Even though the five K&K members were shown to be "afraid" and feared Han ShangYan, one could easily tell that they truly respected and understood that he cared for them from the bottom of his heart. Li Xian did an outstanding job portraying such as tough character. In real life, he is happy and full of smiles, so to act as someone who is mean outside but warm at heart is tough, but I can't imagine another actor doing this job. Not to mention, his smirks and facial expressions in the show had me squealing at times.

Tong Nian aka You XiaoYu (Actress: Yang Zi 杨紫) is the complete opposite personality of Han ShangYan but they attracted like a proton and electron. She became the only person who truly understood the thoughts and pain of Han ShangYan, as well as his desperation and dream of helping the K&K "kids" fulfill their dreams. She was so understanding and supportive. Although there were some parts I questioned or got annoyed regarding her decisions and personality, I chose to overlook them because of the cute relationship she had with Han ShangYan. Tong Nian excelled at her studies, and she was extremely well-liked by the K&K members, who called her "sister-in-law". I found this to be super cute and wholesome, for they respected her at first glance and accepted her. I've seen a few of YangZi's dramas, such as Battle of ChangSha, and I know she's been acting since she was young. She fulfilled this role beyond my expectations. Her crying scenes were on point, and at times, I couldn't believe how real the scenes seemed. An indeed well done!

I would like to commend each of the K&K members. They honestly were amazing, and to me, the show was complete with them. Every time the five of them were in the same frame, I knew that they would bring a smile to my face. They were so contagious and spread so much happiness. I admire their strong relationship as they trained, ran, played, and joked with each other. This kind of friendship is rare nowadays. I feel that it would not serve them right to not mention them:
*DT/WuBai (Actor: HuYiTian 胡一天）was quite the character. He was very similar to his brother: quiet, serious, and rarely showing emotions. I'm going to admit, I found myself falling for his attractiveness, his smirks, and those eyes...Anywho, DT was, once again like his brother (actually cousin), smart and #1 in the field. He had a ferocity and hunger in his eyes to win as champions with his team. As the leader, he had power and earned the respect from his team. Yet, he became the funder for his cousin's relationship. In the second season (Go Go Squid 2: Dt and Appledog's Time), his relationship with SP's Appledog was elaborated. Although I have not watched it, this first season already left me in butterflies. Wu Bai's first smile and inspiration comes from AppleDog. Hu YiTian did a phenomenal job portraying WuBai. I first watched him in "A Love So Beautiful", but his portrayal in this drama was absolutely amazing.
*97 (Actor: Li MingDe 李明德) was definitely one of my favorites. He was one of the strongest advocates for Han ShangYan and Tong Nian's relationship. I found myself cracking up on his expressions, jokes, and roller skates, but I was touched by his serious attitude and perseverance in training as a professional competitor. I was first introduced to the actor Li MingDe in the 2018 film "When We Were Young" (highly recommend) and saw him once more in "Lovely Us" (also recommend). He did wonderful in both, but I really enjoyed his acting in this drama. I look forward to more of his works in the future!
*Grunt (Actor: Wen YiFan 文苡帆) had the looks. His glasses, hair, and outfits were on point. He also always brought a smile to my face but left me in tears at certain points in drama. I can't believe the actor was 31-32 when he filmed the drama because it looked like he was 20 haha but he was also wonderful!
*One (Actor: Xu LeXiao 许乐骁). His determination in training and his humble attitude when the inevitable came really taught me a lesson. There's people out there who are talented at certain things, and sometimes, hard work can't beat that. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't work hard because you will always have a chance to chase your dreams. One has taught me that with his experience in the show. The actor also did a nice job portraying him!
*Demo (Actor: Yu ChengEn 余承恩) was definitely one of my favorites in the show. The trio (Demo, 97, and Grunt) had me cracking up at times; They were definitely the highlight! Demo was the baby of the team, and I found myself loving him like he was my child. He was so cute, innocent, hard working, and it seemed that he was too young to understand certain things like divorce and love. He always put others before him, and he knew that he had his "older brothers" who would look out and protect him. Yu ChengEn was one of the youngest in the cast (around 20), but he did amazing. I look forward to more of his works!!

Next, I would like to mention the Solo Team...the OG group that carried the most stories, accomplishments, and pain. Consisting of Solo/Wang Hao (leader), ALL (Ou Qiang), Gun (Han ShangYan), Appledog (Ai Qing), and XiaoMi (Mi ShaoFei), they were the ones that started off in the CTF field and brought China into this competition. They fought off all doubts, hatred, accusations, and mockery from others. They started off from nothing. Living in a big city, they fought to eat, stay clothed, sleep, but they were motivated by their dream: world champions. Sadly, life struck them and they were forced to disband. Each going their own ways, some kept playing, some retired, some left completely, and some chased the dream on a different route. Han ShangYang retired at the best age. Appledog lost her love and also retired. Solo had to assume responsibilities as a dad. XiaoMi left and went home, thinking his dream was gone. ALL kept fighting, but without his team, it was different. Life forced them all to grow up. Ten years. What hit me was seeing the flashbacks and how young and free they each were as they fought for their dream. During their youth, they laughed and enjoyed life despite not having money or other's approval. Yet, ten years later, they all drastically changed. It was unbelievable for me to see this comparison.
*XiaoMi/Mi ShaoFei (Actor: Lee HongChi 李鴻其) was one of my favorites. He thought that he would never achieve his dream and almost gave up. Life hit him hard because he had to face the reality that he was getting older and the younger generations were dominating. On the bright side, he had a wonderful girl, Sun YaYa, by him who encouraged and supported him in whatever he did, and most importantly, she helped him achieve his dreams. The actor was one of the best. He crying and scenes where he yelled and expressed his anger left me in awe. Words can't explain how well his acting was.
- Sun YaYa (Actor: Jiang PeiYao) was a bright, encouraging, and cute girl. The relationship between her and XiaoMi was one of my favorites; I can say that at times, I liked them more than the main couple. Also, the actress was just gorgeous; Her smile was stunning...I don't blame XiaoMi falling for her at first sight.

Lastly, I want to commend the rest of the characters (and actors/actresses portraying them), whether it was Su Cheng, Nan Wei, One's mom, Tong Nian's parents, Han ShangYan's mom, or the cats, they all were awesome. And of course, Han ShangYan's grandpa was the ultimate supporter and matchmaker. Han ShangYan and Tong Nian owe him one for their relationship haha.

**Music**:
I am a very big music person, and the OST of a drama contributes a lot to how I feel about it. This drama had some touching OSTs, and their lyrics were just astounding. Here are some of my favorites:

1. "Nameless Generation“ 《无名之辈》sang by Chen XueRang, aka cdrama OST King. Many of my favorite OSTs in dramas are sung by him, so I wasn't surprised when he sang this powerful song as well. His voice is just breathtaking. This song was definitely my favorite in the drama; I didn't skip the intro because of how much I loved this song. The lyrics made me tear up at times: "It doesn't matter who is forgotten. Who doesn't fight until the end of life? It may be tiring and exhausting. It may be humbling, a lifetime of waiting. It may never become your glory...Continue to chase it. Whose glory is not accompanied by tears?" This song depicts who Han ShangYan is as well as what life it. The song is full of emptiness and loneliness, like Han ShangYan was. No one understood him, and he didn't care if anyone understood, but Tong Nian did. He was forgotten and became nameless, but it didn't matter. He kept on chasing his dreams.

2. "Sky" 《海阔天空》sung by Beyond. When this song first played in the first episode, I cried. Beyond was a generation, just like how Solo was a generation. This was their song and millions of others around the world. It tells the pain of chasing one's dreams and to never, ever give up: "Chasing dreams in wind and rain...facing vast sky, wide ocean, would you and I change (who is not changing?) How many times have I faced the cold-eyed and ridicule? Never have I given up my heart's hope and ideals...Forgive me, I have been unruly and a love of freedom all my life. I too, fear I might fall down someday. Anyone can abandon their dreams. I'm not afraid if someday there's only left you and me (chasing our dreams)...Still I am free and independent. Forever singing my song, traveling thousands of miles." This song forever holds a special place in my heart.

3. "Glory" 《光耀》sung by Lara Liang. This is a very upbeat song that I believe belongs to the teams in CTF as they stand and fight on stage. The lyrics are very motivating: "I've decided to stand in this unknown distance...let's go together...when dreams have come to this perspective...Let the brave reveal the endless pride and glory. Your firm gaze is always forward...Overcoming new difficulties and new heartbeats...Let your teen spirit shine". Specifically, I think this song if made for the K&K team and its members. They are a team and that team spirit was unbeatable. It was so amazing to witness as they stood together, trained, worked hard, fought, chased, and won together. The feeling was unbelievable. I found myself as nervous as they each were before a competition, as sad and disappointed but not hopeless when they lost, and as happy and excited as they were when they won. A truly amazing feeling.

**What some may DISLIKE**:
Some may find the reason for Solo team's disband to be absurd. I won't spoil too much, but I do want to say that they were young and yes, they made their decisions based on anger and how they felt at the time. This led to a lot of regrets, which were clearly illustrated in the drama. Who didn't make a stupid decision during their youth? If not, were you ever young before? This was obviously a big decision and many lessons could be learned from it. Also, some might find the main girl's personality a little frustrating or annoying at times because I did sometimes as well, but I chose to overlook it. It you are not a fan of some cringey scenes or lots of sweet scenes, this drama may not be your cup of tea, but who knows? You might like it, so don't hesitate to give it a chance.
At first, I was a little annoyed or bothered that Beyond's song was sung in Mandarin Chinese and not in Cantonese since the original version was in Cantonese. For me, even though I don't speak Cantonese, it hits harder. I assume it's because of copyrights, so I soon got used to the Mandarin version.

**Life Lessons/Things I've Learned**:
1. Life is full of regrets. Don't dwell on them because they will make you lose hope. Instead, transform them. Change them into lessons you can learn or points in life that helped you grow. Rethink decisions and avoid making decisions based on feeling.

2. Never, ever stop chasing your dreams. Life is going to hit and throw obstacles at you. People are going to ridicule and doubt you, but show them. Show them that you are capable of achieving beyond your dreams. Yes, there are more talented and smarter people out there. Sometimes, you may work so hard but not reach their level. But that is OKAY! It doesn't mean you shouldn't try. You should always try...so you won't live a life of regrets.

3. Never give up on your friends. Keep fighting alongside them. Open your heart sometimes and let those worthy to see what it's inside. You might be surprised. Love. Have fun. Enjoy life.

**Favorite Quotes**:
1. "In the past two years and three months, I have won, lost, laughed, cried, been questioned, criticized, shady...never justified, and need not be justified. Tonight, the Huayan is finally over, and success and fame are achieved, and the eyes are full of absurdity." -- Han ShangYan

2. "But I can't claim success because I gave up. So I sincerely hope that you don't give up halfway. In the face of any game in your life, you must do your best... No one wants to leave, all choices are forced and helpless, the cruelest is the end of the hero, so I hope you, in your final days at a good age, fight hard and count as far as you can, so that you will not leave regrets in this life." -- Han ShangYan

3. "It's like when two people go for a walk, you don't need to say anything, but slowly the pace will be the same, and you will see the scenery you each are admiring" -- Tong Nian's mom

**Rewatch**:
9/10. Whenever I need motivation for my dreams or want a powerful song to listen to, I know which drama to come back to. This drama pretty much has it all. Whenever I miss the K&K team, small Demo, the trios, Han ShangYan's smile, the cute romance between the couples (especially XiaoMi and YaYa), and DT's smirks, I know where to go. This drama deserves its recognition and this rewatch value!! Thank you to the cast, crew, writer of the novel from which the drama was developed from, and everyone else contributing to this masterpiece!

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