Skate Into Love (2020)

(Note: this review judges only the drama and will make no comparisons to the original web novel. Though, that would also make for an interesting discussion. Someday, perhaps.)

It’s a special type of emotional experience, watching a drama like Skate Into Love, which has solid strengths yet also a fair share of wobbly flaws. It took some serious consideration for me to establish how to reconcile all the positives and negatives; but after watching the conclusion, I can say that for its genre, Skate Into Love can stand tall in its field.

The basis of the plot is a concoction of classic rom-com tropes. The leads know one another from early childhood and, upon reuniting years later, their relationship becomes an “enemies to lovers” affair. This show's primary differentiating factor is its inclusion of ice sports, which dictates significant plot points and is crucial in the growth of several characters.

The first half of the show overflows with sweet and humorous moments between Tang Xue and Li Yu Bing as their constant bickering turns into genuine care for one another. Their romance is a strong force because they, as separate characters, are both independent people who have flaws as obvious as their strengths. They manage to grow together and are capable of helping each other because they understand the person opposite them incredibly well. It warms the heart to watch and you can’t help but root for them as a couple and as individuals.

That being said, there are some other plot points that beg to be mentioned:

One: third wheels. It’s a rom-com rule that they have to stick their head into the plot. Listen, I don’t make the rules. Take it up with the screenwriters upstairs. They’re the ones who insist on including several love rivals. Some of them can actually pique your interest as they evolve over time, so not all of them are a total waste of your attention. However, it’s my civic duty to throw one of them – Mr. Bian “creepy chuckle” Cheng – under the bus for starting as a minor headache, then evolving into a complete migraine by intervening in the main couple’s relationships in the most boring and inconsequential ways possible. He is, hands-down, the weakest link of this show. You don’t hate him because he’s an actual threat, you hate him because he could be interesting but just isn't.

Then, there are the side couples. Like the third wheels, I don’t even remember how many of them there are. But nonetheless, they pass around the baton for taking over the show every once in many a while. A key positive point about all the supporting characters is that the writers did try to make them more dimensional. Just like the main characters, they each have unique motivations and insecurities, making them feel a lot more human than what could be said for many non-leads in other shows. Whether it be friends, family members, or rivals of the main characters, I really liked how they all had their own lives and problems. That further helped make all of the platonic relationships much more enticing. Even so, it’s incredibly difficult to have a drama effectively focus on a main couple as well as multiple side stories – some will certainly feel like plot filler, especially in early parts of the show, because we don’t see their full development like we can with Tang Xue and Li Yubing.

There are also some moments involving the leads that feel a bit iffy considering their personalities. Don’t you just love when a relationship, consisting of two amazingly communicative characters who deeply seek to understand one another, abruptly crumbles due to external factors that existed but didn’t matter before? To have problems within a relationship is completely normal; and while I’m glad to see them addressed, the way that they’re depicted is sometimes too theatrical. I’m not going to lie. Seeing all the age-old melodrama cliches enter the picture and challenge the romance is almost entertaining – in the same way that watching someone slip and fall is entertaining after you told them beforehand, “careful, it’s slippery”: the ridiculousness of something happening when it shouldn’t is quite…amusing, to say the least.

These flaws aside, I overall found the story to be a good balance of being amusing (even hilarious) at times and serious during others. I liked how sports are involved in some of the characters’ lives, providing them with dreams and purpose. Part of me wishes that there were more competition scenes shown, as the action during them was fun to watch (and inaccurate, but come on. It’s people on ice with knives on their feet; that in itself is deserving of a thumbs-up). Much of that may be due to my own preference, though, since personally like some ice sports and would hardly object to seeing more of them.

As for the acting, I genuinely appreciated the life that the lead actors brought to the story. Tang Xue is a character who – if assigned to a poor actress – could easily be depicted as annoying due to her outspoken nature, but Wu Qian does an excellent job balancing that boisterous behavior with kindheartedness. Zhang Xincheng also shines in the role of Li Yubing. His depiction of a childish yet determined young man is spot-on. Together, these two actors created an excellent picture of a happy and young relationship, full of promises and hope for the future. When evaluating the supporting actors, I found their abilities sufficient for the roles that they're given and certainly wouldn’t mind watching their future projects.

As far as rom-coms go, Skate Into Love is satisfactory. Though it occasionally stumbles, none of that changes how it put some of the biggest smiles on my face out of many of the rom-coms I’ve seen thus far. You really just have to go in prepared to brush off all the cliches, because what’s underneath all that dust is a very sweet story that is worth sitting through.

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It’s been a while since I have completed a drama series, but this was a great one to start my 2020 year (I know it’s already April, but college has not allowed me to truly binge-watch any shows; please forgive me).

Story/plot: -8.5- I enjoyed the storyline for the most part. The focus on ice sports was a unique twist to this show and was one I have not seen in specifically c-dramas yet. Loved the main leads, and adored the supporting characters. The lessons each character learned throughout the drama were unique to each individual, and it was heartwarming. It was a great rom-com mixed with the touching aspect of each character striving to reach their goal while having strong support from friends, family, and loved ones. With that being said, there were a few points I wanted to address. 1) 40 episodes for this drama was, in my opinion, a bit too much. It was bearable to sit through, but barely. I think the reason for these added episodes is due to this next point. 2) There were too many side couples. Although I did appreciate and adored each side couple, it took some time away from the main leads. Each couple might have not had that much time to themselves, but when you accumulate 5 different side couples each with let’s say 30 minutes of screen time and story building, that already adds up to 150 minutes, or over 3 episodes. The focus was switched between the different couples so many times, and I wished they used that time to instead focus more on the main couple, especially after that climatic scene around episode 33-34. With that being said, 3) That climax around episode 33-34? Unnecessary and semi-frustrating. The relationship between Tang Xue and Li Yu Bing afterwards honestly did not come back to like what they had before the incident. They tried to resolve it afterwards, but I felt like there was some kind of awkward tension between them that was never truly “resolved.”

Acting/cast: -10- Initially, I was hesitant about the main lead pairing of Janice Wu (playing Tang Xue) and Steven Zhang (playing Li Yu Bing) because I was still caught up with them playing different characters in other dramas. However, just after the first episode, all of my doubts were disregarded because these two were honestly perfect for their lead roles! Each individual played their role very well and altogether created a great and memorable cast. I suppose the one thing I wish was focused more on was the transition between Tang Xue’s past self and her realizing how she acted towards Li Yu Bing; I felt like Li Yu Bing just accepted that she was different back then, has changed to a better self overtime, and that’s it (but this is more of a plot concern rather than a cast concern).

Music: -10- The soundtrack for this drama was truly perfect. They knew how to fit the mood of each specific scene with the song that accompanied it; best one I have heard in any drama yet! I loved the outro song, “The Moment I Met You” (当遇见你) and have been listening to it nonstop; if you are interested, you can find it here on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRmyqGE0zw8&list=FLqDXyD0Srhes9ywsutKGnDg&index=2. I am still looking for the piano piece that was played throughout the drama, so if you know the title of the piano piece I am referring to, please comment it down below!

Rewatch value: -7- Adored it the first time through, but I can not rewatch this entire drama from episode 1-40 over again. I already had the urge to skip many scenes (don’t worry, I did not) when I was watching it for the first time, so I know I will be skipping many scenes if I do decide to rewatch it. There were many cute scenes between Tang Xue and Li Yu Bing that I would rewatch, but other than that, this was more of a one-time-enjoyment type of drama.

Overall: -9- This drama caught my attention, and I was glad I was able to enjoy binge-watching it through a stressful time right now between being stuck indoors and stressing over finals week for college. It left me feeling empty after finishing it, which is a good sign since that meant I enjoyed watching the series. Although I believe there were some things that could have been altered, I still fangirled throughout watching this and thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you are looking for a rom-com where each character learns how to grow into their better selves, I would give this drama a go! If you have already finished this drama and are looking for something that revolves around rom-com and sports, I recommend My Mr. Mermaid (it is centered around competitive swimming)! Thanks for reading :)))

Chào for Now!
Lily L.

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