My advice if you’re watching this Cdrama for the first time is to just breeze through these first few episodes and rewatch them later. If you’re like me, all the characters’ names and faces, not to mention the video game slang went whoosh over my head.
The drama opened with Yu Tu sitting in a committee hearing. It seemed like he already gave their project proposal and defended it in a committee meeting. His team was waiting for the final verdict, and the committee unanimously denied it on the grounds that “aerospace belongs to systems engineering.” According to the director of aerospace, the project was unquestionably innovative, but its prerequisite was “an engine with high specific impulse.”
Now, I don’t understand all this gobbledygook, but it seems to me that the director and Yu Tu had a difference of opinion on the purpose of aerospace engineering. The director and the committee wanted to harness aerospace technology for “practical” purposes like satellites for weather forecasting, traffic navigation, and telecommunications.
That’s why the camera panned out to show satellites in space as different voices spoke in turns.
Voiceover 1: Due to a cold weather front, expect a drop in tonight’s temperature in Shanghai.
Voiceover 2: Welcome to the navigation interface. Traffic jam expected. Please leave earlier.
Voiceover 3: Welcome everyone. I’m currently in the Shanghai Exhibition and Convention Center. The anniversary event of Penguin TV shall begin soon. A resplendent night awaits us here.
These are just some of the sectors or industries which employ aerospace technology. However, Yu Tu was different from his director because he was purely enamored with the exploration of interstellar space. His fascination with stars was the reason he pursued aerospace engineering.
That’s why I like the sequence of camera shots of Yu Tu here. The camera was telling us, visually, with no words involved, the central focus of this Cdrama.
His eyes…
were solely fixed on the stars.
But he was boxed in (see the rectangular tiles on the floor) by his organization, and he was tethered to the ground.
The camera zoomed away from him to show the immense space and unreachable stars…which were off-limits to him.
He was powerless to achieve his dreams because his goals were different from that of the bureaucracy’s.
The camera then transitioned to JingJing’s assistant skipping down a corridor. The voiceovers we heard just a few seconds ago announcing the weather and traffic were actually playing on her phone.
She entered JingJing’s room and informed her that warm clothes were needed later.
Visually, the point here was that JingJing was a beneficiary of all the advancement in aerospace engineering — not only because of the weather and traffic advisories — but because broadcasting and telecommunication from which she made her living, relied on satellite technology.
That’s why there’s a computer graphics of her walking on a path in space made up of millions of weibo accounts and texts. Without satellite technology developed by aerospace engineers, her adoring fans wouldn’t be able to interact with her through social media on the internet.
Now, that’s *my* interpretation of the opening scene. You’re free to have yours, of course.
Let’s move on to the story itself. I’ll limit myself to three since this was only a 30+ minute show.
1. JingJing’s unflustered demeanor
To be honest, I didn’t know what to make of her. It’s only now, after I saw a strong female lead in “Hospital Playlist 2” reduced to a simpering, repressed idiot (What did they do to you, Songhwa??), that I appreciate JingJing’s unruffled and self-possessed reaction to news of her unrequited love. Her poise is what I expect of a smart, confident 30-year-old.
Manager: Look at this! Your high school friend said that you were humiliated and rejected by a guy in high school. (incredulous) Some of your high school friends are haters?
JingJing took the phone from her to read the online gossip.
In summary, a high school classmate wrote that JingJing wasn’t at all that pretty back in those days. In her opinion, another girl in their class was the prettiest. They also had a smart and handsome classmate to whom she confessed. But he rejected “mercilessly,” saying that he wanted someone smart. He chose to date the other girl because she was smart like him and they went to the same prestigious university. They were a “match made in heaven.”
JingJing played it cool as she read all this. Her facial expression revealed that she was a great actress, indeed. It must have stung — even a teensy-weensy bit — to be reminded of her youthful indiscretion, but she didn’t allow any resentment, embarrassment or peevishness to show.
Assistant: This is crossing the line; he can’t slander her like that.
Manager: Calm down. (telling JJ) The fans already came to your defense.
JJ scrolled down and read one of her defenders’ post. It said that JJ graduated from an elite class and went on to a quality university, too. She was no bimbo.
Manager: And now I’d like to ask the victim in question: Is the news item real or fake?
JJ: (composed) Some are real; some are fake. (pause) The one about me being ugly was fake. (nonchalantly)
To me, she was being flippant to show that she was over it.
JJ: (continuing) I’ve always looked this good, okay? Also, he rejected me but it wasn’t because I was ugly. He was really polite.
I like that he was “polite” when he turned her down. She remembered how he rejected her and in my opinion, she was sardonic here. Yes, he was polite — in the sense that he didn’t laugh in her face. But he was insolent to imply that she couldn’t keep up with him. In a way, I think it would have been better for her ego, if he’d rejected her because she was ugly because his reason would indicate his shallowness.
Manager: (shocked) So you admit that you confessed to him but got rejected.
JJ: (unbothered) Yes.
Brava! She wasn’t embarrassed to admit that she tried but was turned down.
JJ: (recalling) That guy…was cute and really smart.
Manager: (shocked) So did that guy really think that you’re dumb so he chose another girl over you?
JJ: I’m not dumb. You are. I graduated from a 211 university.
She then texted her best friend and sent a screenshot. Her friend, being a friend, zeroed in on the critical element of the gossip and texted back, “You have always been pretty.” Love this! Of course, beauty was important to JJ because she was an actress. But the bestie added for good measure, “You were just a bit…unpolished.” lol. Her bestie then reported that Yu Tu and his girlfriend broke up in their fourth year of university, and that they were together only for a year. More importantly, Yu Tu was in Shanghai.
See that? That’s what besties are for. They know how to pick you up when you’re down, and they know all the juicy gossips to make you happy.
At the end, her bestie texted, “Do you think Yu Tu regrets rejecting you?” She meant that JJ was so successful now, and beyond Yu Tu’s reach, that it must suck for him. Too bad he missed his golden opportunity.
Beyonce’s song…
But JingJing took the high road and texted back, “Don’t be childish.” That said, she couldn’t help remembering how he rejected her.
In her flashback, his every word mattered.
JJ: Yu Tu, do you have a moment? I have a question.
YT: Sure, go ahead.
JJ: Do you want a girlfriend now? If so, what do you think of me?
YT: Sorry. I want someone who can work together with me.
Nice. I like the director’s decision here. We were shown JingJing’s expectant face, but we weren’t shown Yu Tu’s cold answer. Instead, we heard it as a voiceover. If we had seen his face at this point in this drama, it would be hard to erase from our memories.
Also, note that in the background of this shot, there was a big billboard of JingJing. I thought it displayed the difference between her “unpolished” look a decade ago, and her glamorous look in the present time.
Reflecting on his answer, she couldn’t help thinking that the girl he found in place of her didn’t stick with him till the end.
I don’t think this is childish. It’s just human nature to dwell on her success vis-à-vis his mistake.
2. “Honor of Kings”
JingJing accidentally create a PR crisis when a video was leaked online of her playing horribly at game she was endorsing, “Honor of Kings”
Manager: Of course, this isn’t the worst. You’re an actress. Endorsement is just a side job. What’s more important is the leading actress role for Mr. Li’s latest movie. Do you know the title of this new movie? “Authenticity.”
JJ: Are you saying that someone stirred this up to get a role for…
For damage control, the Manager told their “Honor of Kings” contact that JJ was merely practicing a game hero she wasn’t familiar with, under an “alternate character” or secondary ID/screenname, “Xiao Qiao.” The character wasn’t her “primary” ID when she played the game.
To stem the crisis, JingJing agreed to play a casual match at the World Championship ceremony. She’d team up with two randomly selected players, and two professional players.
I liked that she realized that she’d been set up but chose to be proactive with dealing with the crisis. She didn’t blame anybody. She issued a statement on weibo that it was normal not to be good at all the characters in the game and try to learn a role on the side. She planned to prove her detractors wrong by learning to play the game and mastering it in time for the competition.
And most of all, I like that she was doing it for “honor” just like the name of the game. She’s playing for the “honor” of her fans.
JJ: In the comments, my fans voiced their support. If I lose in the match which will take place in a month, not only will I be mocked, my fans, too.
3. Playing with Yu Tu
How she got added to Yu Tu’s team is still murky to me. I think Yu Tu added her by accident because she was on his QQ group. (QQ seems to be the Chinese’s copycat of the yahoo group.) But I also think it was written in the stars that they’d end up together.
She and Yu Tu were once classmates in high school. However, he rejected all her “invites” or friend requests. The only reason he added her to his friend group was because she persisted. She googled his QQ ID number “120581314” and found it an aerospace forum.
Talk about stalking!! loll
She then changed her screenname to “Galaxy” and said that she was a forum user from Space Fans.
Soon after that, Yu Tu responded and added her on his friends’ group.
So ten years after that, it was Yu Tu’s turn to request her to join him on the 5 vs 5 game on “Honor of Kings.” Although she knew she was a newbie, she didn’t hesitate to join his group and saddle him with her zero skills, as payback for messing her up back in high school
She was impressed, though, that no matter how she sucked in the game (essentially, her team was playing 4 vs 5), Yu Tu kept winning for the team.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
That’s it for my highlights. Stay tuned for my next one.
Wow amazing analysis of the beginning sequence!! Watched it several times trying to get a better sub. I liked how accurate the satellites were-the lowest was the weather satellite and then the navigation followed by the telecommunications satellite.
I agree JJ was pretty cool after being attacked both in the car with schooldays story and with the game drama – that’s how a mature woman should act. She’s definitely proactive !!
I haven’t watch HP2- was waiting to see if it gets better after reading all the analysis you’ve been offering and it seems it hasn’t 🙁 what a disappointment.
Can’t wait to read the rest of your analysis. Love YAMG.
Yes, watching this was also a crash course for me in gaming, as I’m not a gamer. I kept my phone next to me when watching and Googled gaming terms that appeared in the subtitles (e.g. jungling). I was pleasantly surprised to learn how much theory and strategy go into successful gaming.
Nice highlights for this episode!!! Yays!! Loved reading your views on it, in particular the play of the word “honour”. She would be the honour among queens.
I fast forward a lot of parts in the beginning because I also didn’t understand how these games were played and sometimes they talk so fast I just let the dialogue pass. The space talk also escaped me. A lot of people tend to drop it after a few episodes because of the esports thing but I guess it is to set the reason for how they met. (and also PPL for Tencent’s own game?) It gets much easier to understand after ep 14/15. Which also means I end up rewatching because I want to understand the show better.
QQ is also Tencent’s product, instant messaging, like WeChat in China. Because the game and messaging platform is from the same company, they can link up by allowing you to choose the friends in your contact list so it is easier and more fun to play with people you know instead of strangers. YT must have added JJ into the game without thinking because she is in his “friends” list. Still, it is like a stroke of fate after 10years for them to connect in such a way.
Thanks @PM3!!! You can see here that JJ is a good sport and she did not really think bad or bore a grudge on YT turning her down years ago.
I had to refer to the novel to understand how JJ got added into YT’s game. As she was trying to set up another account in the game (and be incognito to practice), she remembered she had an old QQ account. As she was refreshing it, she noticed that YT is in her friend list and recalled she made this account especially for him in HS. She started practicing solo games and then suddenly got a request from YT for a 5v5, most likely because she was online at that time. If your game account is linked to QQ (even FB games has this capability), it will show a list of folks in your friend list who are currently playing the game and YT mistakenly clicked hers. It was meant to be… timing is everything.
Someone explained on the open thread to me (because the site I was on didn’t translate the written phone conversations) that YT’s online name hadn’t changed since High School. That’s how she recognised him. JJ’s online name in High School was something like Bling but she changed it back then to Hand Picking Stars to fool YT into interacting with her. Hand Picking Stars as a handle, is meta from Love020. (Hao Mei, Mr Girly, was looking for a player with a name like that to pair up with.)
But shouldn’t Shin/Lee study this drama for aspirational adults characters?
I liked how the director has JJ hear YT’s voice for the first time when she was requested to turn on the game’s online chat. She realises that he is admirably good at the game. She can’t see him, but then we do; sitting at home with his slippers on.
The subs in this show sometimes go by in a blink, so fast that even rewinding multiple times doesn’t make them legible, you have to pause at the correct split second to read them. But for me watching carefully paid off in convincing me that JJ is serious about learning the game in all its facets, and through hard work developed expertise. She wasn’t just using the game as an excuse to hang out with YT, she was a good student. She had a goal–to perform well in the competition–and she was serious about achieving that goal. My respect grew for her because of her commitment. I’m convinced YT also recognized her resolve, admired her for it, and was willing to sacrifice his time and efforts in support of it. Despite JJ’s success and beauty, and their shared past, I believe YT would have stopped mentoring her if he sensed she wasn’t serious about learning the game.
I think you are spot-on, @Welmaris. She is driven to do well in the game so she can hold her head high in the competition for herself, her fans, her agency. She wants to learn quickly – getting more experience in addition to the mentoring by the husband of her manager. Plus, she is enjoying the chat and banter by the team members.
@Welmaris, You said what I felt about JJ that I couldn’t seem to put in words. She is hardworking on her own and even though she is chasing what seems to be very superficial, fame and fortune, who she is as a person shines through all that. This is a reminder that while we may not be good at everything and sometimes it is hard to be good at some things naturally, the effort and diligence with a good mentor makes it possible. For JJ, her sheer determination, commitment and of course, her handsome and talented mentor made it all the difference. 😛
On a side note I love how JJ skilfully navigates social situations and knows how to say things to suit her purpose, or say things to avoid awkward situations. In the show, they talk about having EQ. YT has high IQ and her..high EQ 😛 A match made in heaven? hmm…
I think it brings back to how we as fans view our favourite actors/actresses. I admire them for their character, how they treat others and being hardworking.
I’d be like Jingjing too if someone told me that the person who rejected me before was single so I would want to know how he’s doing. hehehe
I have to agree about the game, I’ve seen a few esports cdramas but I’m still dumb with it. LOL! Though, LoveO2O was the easiest to understand and probably because it wasn’t very fast.
@agdr03, I didn’t have the impression that JJ was gloating, but, as you say, just curious, in a ‘Isn’t life ironic?’ kind of way.
I had a lecture from my older daughter about e-sport fanbases yesterday. They seem to be as irrational as drama and pop fans.
@Fern, yes, it’s more curiosity than anything. It’s not gloating. ☺️
Oh what did elder daughter say about esports fan bases? Exactly like the way Falling Into Your Smile are showing it?
Agree, @Fern. JJ was NOT exactly gloating. Gloating would imply conceit or ego. It’d would mean being smug that she’s famous and he’s not.
But she wasn’t exactly smug.
I think it’s more awareness, like “Oh, so that’s how the cookie crumbled.” “Funny how that turned out.”
YT was judgmental and his mean words definitely stuck. She would have to be a saint (and she wasn’t) not to feel some sort of cosmic karma going on in the reversal of fate. She was famous and well-loved by fans. He couldn’t even be loved for lone by one woman.
That’s why I said I found it hard to place JJ. She is NOT all sweet and fake kindness, like other heroines. She’s “normal.” Did you see how she talked to her assistant and manager? She could be waspish, petulant, diva-ish, too. But she could turn on the charm offensive pretty well.
Re. Esports.
I don’t get Chinese dramas fascination with esports. Is it really a big thing in China? With the way Americans glamorize athletes in basketball, football, and baseball, playing a VIRTUAL sports with imaginary avatars would be considered…how do I say this diplomatically…puerile. It’s money-losing proposition, too, since sports-based corporations won’t sponsor esports.
For me, the first time I watched esports was in Go Go Squid. And I found that weird already. I tolerated the drama bec of the romance…errr…the guy. But the set-up was weird for me as me falling in love with a professional boxer. Sorrynotsorry. Not gonna happen.
I liked Love O2O because the end goal of Xiao Nai wasn’t to compete in esports but to create a computer software. And his software could have other applications.
Welcome to the blog, @librismuse.
Yes. I like JJ because she’s relatively normal. Back in HS, she liked the guy, and she did what a normal, hormonal, pretty, gutsy high schooler did. Go up and ask the guy. 😂
I’m tired of these shy, timid, stuttering, mealy-mouthed heroines. They’re so last century.
Hey! You’re more patient that I was, @Welmaris. I just skipped over the gaming words. It also helped that I was looking at Yang Yang’s face instead of trying to understand the game. 😂
Thanks for the info, @grace. I’ll edit my post and add the bit on QQ later.
Thanks, @Janey. I’ll add your explanation to my post later.
It’s 9/11 today 😞 and I’ve a memorial event to attend. See you later.
Thank you so much for recapping this…eagerly awaiting the next episodes.
FYI Gu Man (the author of both LoveO2O and You Are My Glory) seems to be an avid gamer, that’s why it shows up a lot in her novels. Yang Yang said in an interview once that they are friends irl and often game together (probably play Honor of Kings). She basically wrote the novel with YY in mind for Yu Tu.
For those of you who don’t know, this game is played by a very large portion of the Chinese population mainly because you can play with any of your contacts from family to friends to even your boss. A lot of Chinese celebrities are also very good at this game, and there are televised matches they often participate in. It’s kind of like when everyone and their moms were playing Pokemon Go. So for Chinese audiences, they are all too familiar with the game aspects of this drama. It really is harder to digest for the international audience. I guess they do take gaming pretty seriously considering how this drama was basically praised over there for respecting gamers while Falling Into Your Smile was completely trashed by the entire e-sports community.
It also make perfect sense how they’d meet so easily in the game so many years later. He really must not have even realized the person he accidentally invited to play with them was the random person asking him all the questions about aerospace ten years ago. Her QQ name back then was Hand Picking Stars, but since that username was taken in the game, she changed it to Hand Picking Cotton.
I know a lot of people found the gaming parts really boring, but I loved seeing him actually teaching her and her actually improving, you know the original intent of having him there to coach her (not just so she can look at him all day). There are too many dramas that have the main leads fall in love and job? what job? we just care about being together. It’s much more realistic and shows a lot of about their character.
You nailed the description of JJ @PM3! I kept thinking she is “human” but “normal” is the word I’ve been looking for. Devoid of the fame, she is just like us, ordinary people with normal aspirations to do well in their jobs, have a good relationships. That’s what guided her on their wedding choice, too. She just wanted them to be an ordinary young couple getting married to each other. I love the way her character was written and is so relatable even if not all of us can (or want to) be a famous actress. And as @welmaris said, she works hard for it.
As @dramaluvr said on this game, it’s really famous in China. My friends there play it. They also agree that it was depicted well in the drama and that it’s used as a mode to also date people – even a better platform than dating sites! LOL. And the game avatars are actually named after Chinese heroes (although they don’t look like it). The novel translation provided pictures of the avatars used and a brief description of what the hero did in real life. Reminded me of Love O2O’s mission to include cultural aspects in their games.
@packmule3, I think we belong to at least one generation past those who appreciate gaming. I had no idea, until about a year ago, that professional e-sports existed. That is when I read an article about a secondary school student from this country who became famous internationally.
@agdr03, my daughter told me about the behaviour of Minecraft stans on YT. I felt like one of the parents in the dramas about gamers – I am clueless. Yet the prize money for e-sports is due to increase past the level of top footballers (soccer) in a few years.
Thank you @Packmule3 for this beautiful analysis of the opening sequence of the first episode.
I must also admit that I wasn’t familiar with this whole game universum so it took me some time and several pauses in order to check up the details on Wiki to understand it. I wasn’t aware that the game required so much strategy thinking and team work.
I liked both main characters and their development. I like Jingjing bc she’s so energetic and cheerful. She’s been also a hardworking person and instead of choosing the easiest way of damage control when the video was leaked, she just decided to take the challenge and learn to play better. You could also see the same mindset when she was was rejected by YuTu for the first time. She asked for his reason and tried to fulfill his requirements by learning more in order to get better grades. I also liked that she tried to connect with him by getting involved into his interests ie the galaxy. One could say it was too much but I think her joining the space forum wasn’t only an instrumental attempt to get in contact with him by any means. She tried to get into his orbit and it was his passion for the universe that made her fell in love with him in the first place like in the OST: I loved your eyes looking at the stars, I loved the universe in your heart.She failed to catch his attention back then but when they met again he got smitten by her personality very quickly.