Another Cdrama to spazz about. Go, go, join me?

This is squid in the sea.

credit: Houston Chronicle

This is squid on a plate.

credit: The Wok of Life

This is Squid in this Cdrama.

I still don’t know why Tong Nian’s called “Squid” but here are the 6 things I do know about the show so far.

1. Love at first sight

As you all know, I’m allergic to the love-at-first-sight trope especially when it’s used as an excuse for two incompatible but horny people to “hook up.” (Check out the ditzy female and the patronizing male in “Devilish Joy.”)

But it works in this Cdrama.

The moment Han Shangyan (aka Gun) walks into the internet bar at midnight, Tong Nian (aka Squid) becomes instantly infatuated with him. He drops by the internet bar because he needs to de-stress after the young team he’s mentoring lost a cyber-hacking tournament.

Note: On a typical good day, Shangyan’s Mr. Grumpy. But on a bad night like this, he’s Mr. Frankenstein.

I was impressed that Nian didn’t freak out when she glanced up and saw his scary face glaring at her over the monitor. I know I would.

Ordinarily, too, I would find it far-fetched that a cheerful girl like her would fall for a grouch like him. But fall in love with him, she did. I doubt that lust entered her brain. She was too befuddled that she even had to be reminded to return his ID.

See that grouchy face? It didn’t bother her one bit.

In an innocent and inept way, Nian tries to make a move on him. This is the 21st century so I highly approve of her self-confidence in taking charge of her love life. Instead of mooning about in the corner, she schemes to attract his attention. But since she’s a rookie at this, most of her daring attempts end up with disastrous and hilarious results.

Like, prepping him this midnight snack.

Look closely now. Do you see how artfully she’s arrange those chicken feet to hold the brown balls on top of the noodles? Hahaha. Chicken feet gross me out so I immediately noticed her gourmet cuisine.

She wants to serve him this hot meal as an extra FREE service to get him to notice and talk to her. But her cousin, the owner of the internet bar, spoils her plan and charges the guy for the meal. It now appears as if she’s scamming the guy with unwanted services.

There are more hijinks to follow which make this show amusing and at the same time, embarrassing to watch.

Take for instance the way she pretends that he has won free internet hours at the internet cafe. She creates a site just for him called “Predestined Tonight Cafe” (lol) from which she sends him numerous text reminders to claim the prize. Some of them are downright cheezy like, “Predestined Tonight Cafe has a new activity to celebrate the owner couple’s wedding anniversary. From today on, if you reply ‘Happily together for one hundred years,’ you’ll receive a free gift!”

lol. She wants him to text her back.

Of course, he doesn’t respond to any of her text. But when his cousin offers to delete them for him, he declines.

Shangyan: Do you know how to block someone on WeChat? (shows him his texts)
Cousin: (reads his text) “Predestined Tonight Cafe”? Did you go on a blind date?
Shangyan: No. This is an internet bar. They were hard-selling me food and even added my WeChat.
Cousin: Then block them or delete them. Here. It’s very easy. Let me help you.
Shangyan: Forget it. It’s too troublesome. Just leave it.

lol. His cousin has already said that it’s easy to block the texts but, for some reason, Shangyan changes his mind and decides to retain the contact.

See that? She’s fallen in love with him but I don’t know what’s up with him that he tolerates her intrusion.

 

2. The flashbacks

One thing I didn’t enjoy so much about the drama was the frequent and extended flashbacks. I understand that the flashbacks lend us insight into the hero’s history which made him the way he is but the love story is more entertaining and the backstory is depressing.

For instance, we know that there was a falling-out between Shangyan and his rival, Wang Hao (aka Solo. Get it? The names Shangyan and Solo form Han Solo, the Star Wars dude.) Ten years ago, Wang Hao was his Team Captain and close buddy in Team Solo. ButShangyan abruptly dissolved their friendship and quit their cybersecurity competition team right after winning a championship.

Here’s his resignation announcement from Episode 2. The team was caught unawares.

“The past two years and three months, we’ve won and we’ve lost. We laughed and cried. We were suspected and we were gossiped about. We were reproached and plotted against. There’s no need to explain. Tonight’s festivity will eventually end. To achieve fame and success, absurdity on every side. I’m announcing that starting today, I’m formally withdrawing from Team Solo.”

Afterwards, there were gossips that he and his buddy fought over a female teammember but from the start that didn’t seem to be the whole story. It didn’t make sense that HSY would give so everything over a girl.

In Episode 2, we were given hints of the possible cause. His friend/Team Captain met him at the airport to give him his password and his share of the reward money.

Former Friend: This is your passport and your reward money.
HSY: Did you come here just to bring me money?

His former friend and captain nodded.

Han Shangyan stood up and read him the riot act. He said, “From now on, you cannot be any team’s captain. If you still want to participate professionally, you can only do so as an individual. I admit that you have the talent to be a captain, but you’ve wronged every one of us. You don’t deserve it and you also don’t have the qualifications to be a captain.”

Former Friend: I don’t deserve to be captain. In this lifetime, I won’t be a captain.
HSY: Remember what you said. (leaves without the money)
Former Friend: (shouting and crying) I promise you!

Ten years later, Han Shangyan still hasn’t forgiven his former Team Captain Solo. They meet again on a tournament because Solo has broken promise and has formed another team comprised of their former gang, except Shangyan.

The interesting thing to note here is it appears as if none of other teammates seem to mind about the rift 10 years later except for Shangyan. So, either Shangyan is over-blowing this whole affair or his teammates are still in the dark about the real reason of the break-up.

3. He’s sweet but psycho…errr…tsundere

This song is in my head nowadays because it’s the song I play during my morning jog. It adds a little more pep to my steps.

The hero of this kdrama seems to be perpetually constipated. His beetle-brows scare the team of kids.

But by Episode 2, we see that he’s actually sweet. He takes his mentorship role seriously. He’s a strict taskmaster but he cares for these kids’ well-being.

Also, he’s kind to strangers. There’s this instance when, through Nian’s machination, she and Shangyan end up playing a game online. He doesn’t know it’s her since she’s using another pro-gamer’s account. Meanwhile, he’s using an account of Grunt, one of the kids on the K&K team he’s mentoring.

Nian asks him online: Can I play with you? Can we not be opponents?
HSY: Sure.

They’re soon joined by two other players.

Nian is a newbie but she’s learning the maneuvers as they play. One of the other players notice her lack of skills and corrects her, “Hey you, the one with the double gun, why are you following Grunt? Why are you bumping into the walls? Is your mouse broken?”

Instead of ditching her though, Shangyan tells the others to work around her.

He thinks Nian is a kid who’s secretly using a family member’s account. So rather than outright accusing her of stealing the account, he lets her stay. The other players complain that they’re playing with one member down and therefore they’re at a disadvantage. But he tells them to consider it a challenge to play four on five.

Then, HSY asks Nian online, “Do you see the door ahead?”

Nian: (bragging) Yes, I can see the door clearly. My monitor is very good. I guarantee you it won’t lag.
HSY: Hide there, until the game ends.

Hahaha. She’s so bad that the only way to ensure her survival till the end of the game is to hide. lol.

As the story progresses, we see more instances of him being a softie. Despite his gruff demeanor and his furrowed brows, he’s a pushover especially with Nian.

Later in Episode 6, in yet another one of those flashbacks, his weak spot was talked about. The former Captain Solo observed how Han Shangyan liked a certain type of pet.

HSY: (talking to a fluffy cat) Did you not eat well again today?
Former Friend: I initially thought you’d like big dogs like a Tibetan Mastiff or something. But in reality, you like that kind that sticks to you for twenty-five (is this a subbing error? or a Chinese idiom?) hours, that frequently will cling on to you, and even use their little paws to tightly hold onto you. Those kinds of little animals.

After watching this scene with cat, I decided I would continue watching this show. It’s non-taxing to my brains and low-key romantic.

4. Fate conspires to help her.

I never thought second-hand embarrassment could constitute comedy gold in Cdramas till Episode 3. This one was physically confusing – and strenuous – to watch because I was cringing at her antics at same time, doubling up in laughter at how she survives each misadventure.

On one level, she seems to be stalking him, but on another level, she seems to be swept away by the lucky coincidences beyond her expectation.

She reminds me of Mr. Bean’s escapades, only she’s cuter than Mr. Bean.

Take for instance, the mistaken identity.

Nian is scheduled to go to Guangzhou (or is it Beijing?) for a meet-and-greet with her fanclub. She has a million followers on her Weibo for her music.

At the airport, she runs into Shangyan and his K&K team. They’re attending a cybergame tournament themselves.

She tries to catch him but spots him as their tournament bus rolls out the parking lot. She can stare at him with puppy eyes. lol.

Gifs courtesy of @kimp05’s tumblr:

She’s scanning the window of the bus for a sight of him.

There he is! But he’s focused on his phone. The rest of the K&K team seems her though.

She tries, timidly, to attract his attention by flapping that white thing on her sleeves.

But the bus moves away.

This is a cringe-worthy scene because she looks like a pathetic fangirl whose idol doesn’t even know that she exists.

But as it turns out, that bus scene saves her day. The K&K kids see her attending their tournament and speaking to their boss, and they add 1 + 1 = 11.

They conclude that their boss has a girlfriend who follows him on trips out of jealousy. They think that they’re dating but keeping a low profile.

To me, Episodes 3 and 4 were fun to watch because Nian and Shangyan muddled through mistaken identities. She tries to keep her crush on Shangyan secret while Shangyan tries to get to the bottom of the confusion.

I like dialogues when characters are talking at cross-purposes with each other. It’s like watching a verbal sparring but the viewers also get to learn about the personalities of Nian and Shangyan as they respond directly to each other’s questions and answers.

For example, the “Moment of Truth” in Episode 4 happened under duress.

Gifs are from @kimp05’s tumblr.

Shangyan: (wiping his hands and approaching her) You like me?
Nian: (backs away with answering. she doesn’t meet his eyes.) Huh?

Shangyan: What? Did I misunderstand something?
Nian: (shakes her head) No.

Shangyan: What do you like about me?
Nian: (she stumbles on her luggage and doesn’t answer)

He thinks she’s lying to cover up for another teamplayer, Grunt, so he’s “forcing” her to tell the truth. Note: she lied out of embarrassment. Despite her series of missteps, she actually cares about the appearance of being too bold and brazen in pursuit of him.

Shangyan: If you don’t know how to answer…alright, I’ll ask in another way. (leaning in) What’s there to like about me?

And just like that, she spills the beans and tells him how she really ended up at the tournament. She finally realizes that telling truth is far LESS embarrassing than insisting on keeping her crush secret.

Nian: I saw you at the airport. Saw you and a group of people wearing uniforms. I was very surprised. Later my friend told me there was a competition. So I thought if you guys were by any chance in the competition, I could come and watch you. About Grunt, I thought you were Grunt! I thought you were having gastric bleeding, so I just wanted to see if you were alright. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m sorry.

Hearing the whole story, Shangywan wonders what the fuss is all about and why she didn’t admit it in the first place. Her crush on him didn’t need to have been revealed if she admitted from the beginning that she wanted to see him and the team play. A lot of people paid to watch them compete, anyway. lol.

Shangyan: What are you afraid of? Am I that mean?

Here, Shangyan is annoyed that she has a negative impression of him when he had been nothing but gracious to her since he noticed her watching their tournament.

I also found it cute too when the K&K players who were all around Nian’s age, respectfully called her by the title “Sister-in-law” because they thought she was their Boss’ girlfriend. It was reminiscent of Love 020 when Xiao Nai’s guys insisted on calling Weiwei “Third Sister-in-law” as a sign of deference.

5. She’s not an idiot.

In Episode 4, we discover Tong Nian’s impressive resume during the first meal together.

She sets her dinner plate across from Shangyan and immediately he frowns when he sees the small amount of food on her plate and asks her if that’s all she’s eating. She fakes it and says, “I don’t have a big appetite in the evenings. I only eat a little.”

He suspects that she’s running scared of him so he orders two of his players to join his table and talk to her to make her feel at ease in her company. The two chattiest guys come over. He calls them a “chat companion.”

Kid 1 call her “sister-in-law” or “Da Sao(?)”

Shangyan: (stares at him) Sister-in-law??!!

lol. He really doesn’t like them calling her “Sister-in-law” but I wish he would tell them how he wanted Nian to be called. Ms. Tong? Ms. Nian-nian? Hey? Hey, there?

Kids 1 and 2 panic. “Do not call ‘Sister-in-law”? Then call… call “Sister-in-law…then… then I’ll call…”
Kid 1: What’s your name, Sister-in-law (SIL)?
Nian: Just call me Tong Nian. Tong Nian.

Kids 1 and 2: Childhood? (her name sounds like childhood) What an awesome name. (they start to sing a children’s song called “Childhood.”)

Kid 1: Tong Sister-in-law, what a great sounding name. (Lol! They forgot to use her given name.) SIL, your outfit looks so good! It says “hello” on it.
Kid 2: (waving at her) Hello!

Kids 1 and 2 pay her compliments effusively because they’re uncomfortable eating with her and their Boss. “You’re so pretty! Eat some more, SIL. You’re so slim! Your physique is great. You don’t need to diet. Eat some more!”
Kid 1: Tong SIL, what have you been doing lately?
Nian: Me? I… guess I’m considered a network singer.
Kids 1 and 2: Whoa! I know what that is. Really? My classmate from before was one, too. It’s very popular nowadays. Really?!

Shangyan gets irritated with their noise but he just pulls out his phone and starts checking his messages. However, in future episodes, we find out that he remembered this conversation because he WOULD search for her in NetEase Music. lol

Kid 1: SIL, where can I search for you songs?
Nian: You guys can go to NetEase Music and search “Little Squid.” That’s my name.

Kids 1 and 2: Okay. Let’s search for it.

Kid 1: Boss, are you searching for it, too?

Shangyan just gives him the death stare and shows him his iphone. He was checking his emails. Kid 2 is amazed at the internet search.

Kid 2: Holy cow! A NetEase artist! So many fans. (She has over a million fans)

Look at her glance at him to see if there’s any reaction from him. But he’s busy eating and he keeps his head down. Something tells me that he’s deliberately avoiding eye contact. That coward!

Kid 1: Right? She has way more than us.

Kid 2: She’s a verified user on Weibo, too. And she’s on Baidu Baike (the copycat of Wikipedia, lol).

hahaha. I thought this is funny! She’s more popular than K&K because of her singing. She comes in 4th in popularity ranking.

Kid 1: Niiice! Boss has got game! (meaning he’s got skills or talents to grab a girl like her.) When our boss doesn’t show his hand, it’s nothing. But when he does, he snatches a gold-lined adorable girl. Our Boss is eating so calmly.

Kid 2: He doesn’t even give SIL a look.

Kid 1: Look! SIL keeps staring at the boss.

Facepalm… these two kids are giving a blow-by-blow account of the reactions of their Boss and SIL as if the two aren’t seated 10 inches away from them. Of course, Shangyan and Nain can hear them but I think they’re having a battle of wits at this moment.

Kid 1: Say, if I get SIL to add me on Weibo, would I get more fans? You ask her!

Kid 1: Tong SIL, I saw in your personal info that you are majoring in bioengineering and electrical engineering. Then, did you just start university?
Nain: Those are my double-majored undergraduate degrees. I’m a post-grad student right now.
Kid 1: Double major? Then, when did you enter college?
Nain: When I was fifteen.
Kids 1 and 2: Fifteen?!!

Shangyan sneaks a glance at her — That annoyed look, though! 

and she looks back at him, like “Huh? What did I do wrong?! That’s the truth?”

This tells me however that he’s been following the conversation all along. He’s shocked to learn her age. If she started college at 15 and is now in grad school, she’s at least 19 years old. And he’s pushing 30. lol.

Kid 1: How come when I was 15, I hadn’t even graduated from junior high school?
Nian: Because universities have a junior college.
Kids 1 and 2: A top student (or nerd.)

The two guys ask to be introduced to her friends and she says the problem is many of the girls will be focused on studying. They talk about gaming and she says that’s bad at it.

Kid 1: How could that be? Boss has never played games with you?
Kid 2: Boss?

Shangyan continues to ignore them. She, on the other hand, doesn’t want to reveal that she played with him before when he took Grunt’s account.

Nain: No. never.
Kids 1 and 2: Then you can come to our team. We can teach you.

And that’s when Shangyan puts an end to all their nonsense. He already found out the essential info about her, like her age. But he absolutely doesn’t want her to be on their all-male team.

Shangyan glares at the kids then at Nain. Seriously, watching this character frown is giving me wrinkles.

Shangyan: If you’re done eating, then go. The driver is waiting at the entrance. And you, too, (addressing the kids) from now on, you’re not allowed to call her “Sister-in-law” in the future.

He leaves the table in a huff. lol.

From the beginning, he indicated that he didn’t want her to be called SIL, but the kids just couldn’t help calling her SIL.

7. So, is this worth 41 hours?

I believe so. The script is much better written than I expected, and the personalities of the two main leads are deliciously quirky and opposite that we can expect sparks to fly when they learn to adapt to each other. And none of the actors annoys me. (Not even Yang Zi’s “Miss Bo Peep” look irritated me. Ha! That’s a feat.)

I think this will be fun series.