[Mainland Chinese Drama 2020] Skate into Love 冰糖炖雪梨

[tdci]

11 minutes ago, themarchioness said:

 

@angelangie, I loved the book on which this drama is based and I love the actors playing the male and female lead (Zhang Xin Cheng and Wu Qian), so I was predisposed to love this drama anyway.  Heh.  Fortunately it's living up to expectations so far.  It's fun and cute.  

 

Some parts of the drama follow the book, and it's always a treat when I stumble upon a recognizable scene, but the drama is definitely making its own adaptations too.  Such as they've added an "annoying" type character by giving the female lead a cousin, who did not exist in the book.  I suppose changes are always inevitable when going from one source to another, particularly when you need to fit a story within a certain length and hook viewers' attention, but what's most important to me is that the drama so far has been keeping to the spirit of the book and that's something I really appreciate!  

So do I. I so love the written story and the leads (Zhang Xin Cheng and Wu Qian) so of course I am hooked into this comedy and a bit drama. Very impressed with the actor who plays Yu Yan. He is exactly as in the novel.

[Latte_Anyday]

Another C-Drama centred around youth, school and instead of e-sports, it's an actual sport - ice skating LoL. The otp offers nothin' new. They're about as predictable as K-Dramas now. There's the usual childhood connection with male lead bein' cold toward female lead before fallin' head over heels. What's new LoL. I like the female lead so I am just watching this casually...   

[themarchioness]

8 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

Another C-Drama centred around youth, school and instead of e-sports, it's an actual sport - ice skating LoL. The otp offers nothin' new. They're about as predictable as K-Dramas now. There's the usual childhood connection with male lead bein' cold toward female lead before fallin' head over heels. What's new LoL. I like the female lead so I am just watching this casually...   

 

A point of correction.  The drama's not about ice skating, really, as that's the second male lead's sport.  If the second male lead sticks around for the duration of the drama then I'm sure we'll see more of that sport.  But in the book, he's only involved in the beginning of the story and then we don't see much of him again until a brief moment towards the end -- just pointing that out to emphasize, this is not a ice skating drama.

 

In fact, i would not necessarily describe this drama as a sports drama in the sense that it will be about one sport and/or team.  The male lead is a hockey player and the female lead is a  former speedskater whom the male lead helps to return her to that sport.  As their athletic careers are a part of who they are as characters, I am sure their achievements in their respective sports will also be a part of their story, but we will have to see how much of a focus that is for the story. 

 

As for your question about what's "new" in this OTP,  I think there is definitely something fresh about their story.  Yes, he is being cold towards her, even treating her like a jerk at times, and yanking her around, but the difference is found in the why element of his behavior. 

 

What I loved in the book, and now the drama, is the reason why he now treats her as he does -- it's because she bullied him when they were kids and now he's getting his revenge!  It's not necessarily new, but it's hardly typical either, and that's what I find refreshing about this story.  And for anyone who complains that he's being too mean towards her now, I'll only remind that she gives as good as she gets and not everything is necessarily what it seems.  I think sometimes he's actually trying to help her when he pokes at her (like making her be his training partner; it's clearly to help her return to being a speedskater) and when he does poke at her, well, she knows how to stand up for herself!    

[sillyvivian_yo22]

just finished Ep 9. I still wish the FL to be portrayed a little more brazen and devil-ish like the novel lol... but i'll accept it for now....

-- the drunk venting scene of Tang Xue in Ep 5 is actually pretty nice... I kinda like it.. even better when the hilarious aftermaths of that scene LOL

I do like the casting choices so far.

• Janice Wu can pull off the bossy/sassy/devil/brazen Tang Xue;;; just need more of those scenes lol
• Zhang XinCheng has the mischevious look of how I imagined LYBing to be... this is kinda mean but I wish he was taller LOL [in the novel LYB is 188cm...]
• Yu Yan is like a freaking PUPPY!!!!!!
• Very fitting look for Bian Cheng as a cute nerdy first love look (heck he's taller than Li Yu Bing??? )
• Zhou Ran looking like a typical obnoxious enemy... [based on the opening credits, they may have her end up with BC.. like whaaattt?]

The rest is what I like/dont like about the differences between novel and TV versions.. I'll put it in spoiler just in case..

Spoiler

 

 

I'm not sure if I like the changes that were made to some of these characters: making Zhang YueWei potentially competing for the ML (in the novel, she's mainly just Tang Xue's skatespeeding competitor with a hidden crush on LYBing- I actually liked their bickering yet caring interaction in the novel;;; hope they keep that somehow or not make Yue Wei evil)... or making Zhou Ran Tang Xue's cousin... I prefer for her to stay extremely irrelevant like in the novel LOL

- I don't like how they add leg injuries to the main reason why Tang Xue stopped speedskating... That's too legitimate of a reason to drop pursuing her dreams compared to the Novel, where she was childish enough to drop her dreams to pursue her first love, hence her utmost regret of such immature choice.

- Papa Tang needs to be MORE SASSY like the novel lolll 

 

[Chinese-drama-viewer]

I am enjoying it right now. not getting enough of it. saw 5 episodes so far and want to watch more

 

[Sanju98]

I definitely miss Principal Tang from the novel. I was really looking forward to the father-daughter banter.

As for Tang Xue, yep Janice Wu is doing a great job and I love her, but I'm hoping for more of the scenes from the novel...

The part where You Yan goes to collect Tang Xue's phone and threatens Li Yubing in front of his friends... that would've been hilarious.

But overall, I'm really really loving the show. It has easily become the thing I most look forward to everyday.

[crackaddict]

I just started watching because I like Janice. I am very happy her character isn't more brazen or crude lmaooo cause I dislike such exaggerated characters. I think she's already a good balance of being tough, normal and kind. She's pretty believable as a person, even her regrets and sorrows are relatable. 

 

I love how she looks with the ML. They're so cute together. The ML is not a big guy but there's a nice difference in physical size between him and FL when they're very close to each other. I feel like I can reach into the screen and pinch their chemistry. And they're not even a couple yet lol. 

 

I'm on the episode where TX meets the speed skating team, and wow, somebody needs to teach those girls manners. I'm not interested in seeing girl drama, so I appreciate TX's roommates. The cousin is kinda catty, but she's not evil. So far, I appreciate that even if she's competing with TX, it's not through gossiping (not yet?). 

[mouse007]

Hey everyone!

 

Dropping by this thread for the first time. I'm surprised not too many are watching it. I think it's so good and I love the chemistry between Yubing and Tang Xue. I breezed through episodes 1-9 and am all caught up until ep 11. Now just waiting for subs to be available for ep 12 & 13 (can't wait!).

 

I'm so glad they're releasing new episodes every day. I can't imagine having to wait a whole week for new episodes!

 

 

[silvianage]

Hi every one

 

Glad find this forum.

I have watch untill ep 14 and like it so much eventhough there are some changes compare to the novel.

I especially like the changes in ep 14.

Anyone know the song title and singer for the song that Tang Xue sing please let me know 

edit found it already its Snow and Ice by He Xuan Lin

[sillyvivian_yo22]

3 hours ago, silvianage said:

Hi every one

 

Glad find this forum.

I have watch untill ep 14 and like it so much eventhough there are some changes compare to the novel.

I especially like the changes in ep 14.

Anyone know the song title and singer for the song that Tan Xue sing please let me know 

edit found it already its Snow and Ice by He Xuan Lin

 

the singer is the actress that plays Xia Meng Huan!!!!! 

[mouse007]

Aw thanks for finding the song! I love it as well!!

[Eunna Chae]

hii , i'm Janice's fangirl >.< been waiting for this drama for awhile and i'm lucky to be able to watch it raws ... 

 

you guys must watch the behind the scenes in YT , Janice and Steven were so cute , they chemistry were also no joke ..

 

been following theirs interaction on weibo too , very cuteeee <33

 

i think they becoming close friends since this drama 

 

this drama airing 2 epi on mon-friday , 1 epi on sat and 2 epi on sun

 

for people that can watch it raws you can watch it on : https://dramaq.de/cn200319b/  (uploaded everynight)

[themarchioness]

Episode 16.  When Tang Xue sneezes on Yubing... who else, in this coronavirus world that we're living in right now, shuddered like me?

[crackaddict]

I'm still liking this a lot because I love watching LYB fall in love and try to get into the good graces of TX. Janice is such a good actress. I totally felt her shame, anger and sadness during the competition. The lead male actor is also very good. This young man is a wonderful romantic lead!

[skibbies]

I'm surprised that this thread isn't more popular, I thought this would be a hit with international audience mhmm. I'm a fan of Zhang Xincheng from My Huckleberry Friends and Young Blood, so I'm glad that this seem to draw more attention for him, idol dramas are great for them I guess. Wu Qian I've only seen in Le Coup de Fondre, haven't gotten around to her earlier dramas but I'll probably watch a drama or two after this is done.

 

I'm really enjoying the drama as a whole. I was rather surprised by the dynamic camera angles whenever they played sports, since I didn't expect much. I know it's not super realistic, but I think it's done well enough that it doesn't pull me out, but to be fair, I don't watch ice hockey or speed skating. While it's not a sports drama where it's mostly focused on the sport, I still like that the drama shows you enough of the sport that you understand why respective characters like the sport. Hell, same goes with other choice of career by supporting characters, like Xia Menghuan with animals, little bit of Liao Zhenyu with being a doctor or Bian Cheng with reporting. I rather like dramas like this where people's dream/career choice are given enough focus in addition to the romance, and not just a background thing. I also rather like the fact they study for exams, I know it's really minor but I'm always hilariously happy when I see drama students actually study so I know they don't just romance all the time and magically ace everything (it's one of the reasons I liked Love O2O). I appreciate that Tang Xue realised her passion lies elsewhere and changed majors promptly rather than trying to juggle both. 

 

Character-wise, OTP interactions are pretty great, from bickering rivalry to later on when they are more amicable but still playfully banter against each other. It makes the sugary fluff less saccharine and easier to swallow. I really like Tang Xue, which is great because we don't always get likable female characters that's layered. She's confident and super friendly, but she also have doubts about herself sometimes, and sings terribly. She was also overly self involved (?) that she didn't know she was being mean to someone she considered her best friend when she was little. The first few episodes gave an impression she seemed to be unknowingly bullying Li Yubing, but note that it's a coloured perception (the show even purposely made the school spider web covered and rundown to tell you it's a skewed memory). Later episodes show that she does help Li Yubing in various ways, started his love for skating/ice hockey, and that he fights back (e.g. the toy spider), it's just she didn't know it and thought it was funny and awesome. Li Yubing is awesome too, from a scared timid toy to a confident star player. They also both had their slump in their respective sports, but manage to overcame it with support from each other (and coaches/friends), much love to supportive relationships woo hoo!

 

Supporting characters are ace too. Yu Yan is so goddamn adorable, he's my favourite in the drama looks-wise. He has his personal journey that he's making, and even though I don't ship him with Tang Xue, it's totally understandable why he likes her. Tang Xue's two besties are awesome wingman, I've seen fair amount of people who don't like their bits, but I do, because life is more than just otp. I will always love supportive friendships, and even though their romance isn't as interesting, I still like them, since it's a different relationship dynamic to compare/contrast. Xun Yuewei is alright as a competitive rival in speed skating, she's never rude or underhanded. They start off with a bad impression, but she grow to grudgingly approve Tang Xue. As a romance rival, she stands no chance (to be honest, none of them do) but that's not really her fault. RIP to her secret admirer/Li Yubing's bestie though (I STILL don't know his name, god), I really him being sickeningly sweet with Li Yubing sometimes.

 

Zhou Ran is probably the character that's easiest to hate, but her attempts to win Li Yubing have all been casually avoided/dismissed by him (A+ my boy), which is absolutely hilarious to me, it's always nice when your main character just avoid misunderstanding/pitfalls by themselves. I thought it was little weird that a cousin would be the mean love rival, but I think it's to give her valid reason to be so. Her achievements being ignored/overshadowed by Tang Xue's seems a little petty, but couple that with Tang Xue unknowingly taking away opportunities for her to shine/pushing her to do something she doesn't like, and you have to grow up together and can't avoid her, I sort of get it? It's uncalled for, but at the same time she's never super awful (as per usual for her archetype) so while I don't like her, I think she's alright. Bian Cheng is the scheming type that's actually more my type (particularly in novels and anime, not so much in drama), but I actually don't really like him here. I like the could have been that he had with Tang Xue, and he had valid reasons to reject her, equally valid to try again now that they are both in Uni, but I guess it's just they didn't really interact in school, so it could have been one of those being in love with an image thing yknow? I think the actor could have been more charming (mannerism or looks), because I feel like he's not selling the role enough for me. I ship him with Zhou Ran though, since they are peas in a pod, would absolutely read a story/fic with similar characterisations.

 

Tang Xue's philosophical/poetic roommate whose name I don't remember is rather cute, not huge on all the quotes but it's quirky so I'm fine with that. She seem to be paired with Deng Jianguo (?), Li Yubing's chubby roommate. I like him trying to sell his romance expert side and he's secretly rather poetic, but I don't really him reacting so differently based on appearances. I mean I guess it's a cliche and it's to contrast with later, but I'm just not a fan. Actually you know, while I like that there's multiple pairings, and they all have different dynamics and at different stages of relationship, I also kind of wish there's not so many? I don't really care for the entire drama filled with all these people paired off, it's okay to be single! Oh yeah, the various coaches/teachers are pretty different but good guidance, I wish they didn't have the flamboyant manager, since it's still the stereotypical gay image, but that's a minor thing. The parents have vastly different parenting styles, and Zhang Xincheng once again gets the best parents (he had them in My Huckleberry Friends too). Yu Yan's mum is super controlling, which is nothing new but totally explain Yu Yan having no friends, it's part of his journey of growing up/having a world outside of figure skating, which I guess we'll see later. Tang Xue's parents is going to be center of ongoing conflict, so I'm going to reserve the comment for later.

 

I think the humour is fairly natural, from friendly banter, to unexpected reactions like Li Yubing to Zhou Ran, or unexpected situations (Li Yubing getting romance advice + him executing them terribly) or just exaggerated faces like when Li Yubing is younger. I really really like that misunderstandings or conflicts are resolved super quickly! I think this is the quickest I've seen in a drama? Apart from characters straight up side stepping something, there's also pretty straightforward rejections and apologies once the cat is out of the bag. The longest is the different perception of childhood + Li Yubing going to different school. The former was unfolding steadily during the beginning while we see the otp start off with wrong foot, and it sort of resolve itself as Li Yubing/we get to know more sides of Tang Xue. Li Yubing tried to explain multiple times with the latter once they were friends, but was interrupted, I didn't find it too frustrating even though I knew it was a time bomb. I was very surprised how quickly the bomb dropped and then they just got over it, there's no prolonged drama and angst about it, which is SO very much appreciated. I'm seeing some frustrated comments about Tang Xue's dad but I'm only on ep 24, so I'll come back to that.

 

What else...? Oh yeah. I'm ehh about the OP, which sucks since the last few modern dramas I liked all had great OPs. The ED is amazing though, and there's a LOT of insert songs, which is encouraging since that means dramas are paying more attention to soundtrack now. I like that they sometimes use the instrumental version so it's not overly invasive, and I think I've counted maximum of two insert song in any given episode, so it's not too cluttered either (I mention this because this stuck out to to me in another drama >___> and I still remember the terror of almost paaaradise from Boys Over Flowers a decade later). Oh, minor complaint, in initial batch of episodes, I thought the balance of sport and relationship stuff was well done, but I think lately, there's bit too much focus on relationship side? The sport bits aren't stagnant, like they compete and train, and there's progress but I feel like there should be more scenes on them? Oh they had a LOT of professional athletes doing cameos (I think ED showed at least like 30 of them) which I found pretty cool, notably Tang Xue's idol Wu Dajing is an Olympic speed skating gold medalist and Tang Xue's teammate, Li Hongshuang is a speed skating champion (the one that's slowest on the team, but got tarot reading saying she'll be a champion one day, I think). Good easter egg, drama!

 

Side note, this is actually a drama to celebrate 2022 Winter Olympics and help promote winter sports, which is part of why it could broadcast on two first tier tv station (there's only five) prime time slot on top of Youku. Youku is actually not that great of a platform out of big three, because it's just not very good at promoting them, so dramas are often not as popular as they could be. There's let's see 8 other webdramas airing that have various level of splash on top of the two other prime time TV dramas, but it topped online ranking 9 days out of 15 (Mao Yan's popularity ranking) which is pretty damn good, considering its platform + how many new dramas is popping in. On days it's not no.1, it's usually 2 and the first is a new drama. As for the station ratings, Zhejiang TV is the higher of the two (0.4 to 0.5) and Jiangsu TV hover around 0.2. I'm using Ku Yun EYE's rating for this, they used to quote CSM 59 but that uses sampling and all the major stations have been buying them like crazy since second half of last year, so it's super unreliable.

 

NRTA actually started posting ratings Dec last year, but they are once a week and they include CCTV's stations, CCTV have a much bigger base due to coverage/watching habits in rural areas/older audience, last week it was 4th. First was Jin Dong & Jiang XIn's If Time Flows Back (Beijing TV & Shanghai's Dragon TV), which broadcasted right after Sun Li & Luo Jin's Your Home is My Business which was a smash hit. If Time Flows Back have actually been nosediving since first episode cos it's kind of terrible (according to my mum, who watches almost everything), but Jin Dong has a pretty big fanbase amongst the mums, so we'll see. Second & Third was CCTV dramas, Hunan TV which is often rating king is airing some drama related to reducing poverty I think so they are 5th (also cos NRTA just add two station ratings together). Wait wait, never mind, I just checked Ku Yun, it's Dragon -> Hunan -> Beijing -> Zhejiang -> Jiangsu at the moment, lol rip. Hunan TV is slated to air Daylight Entertainment/Wang Kai & Jiang Shuying's Lonely Held in Castle/Serenade of Peaceful Joy in a few days, so Skate into Love is going to get even more competition rip.

 

omg why do i always massive textwall, should have just broken this down and post bits every other day

[softestfairy]

^^^^ Basically every thing above.

 

 

I actually relate the most to Wei Wei's character. From being kinda tomboyish my whole life to yes, having a crush on one of my close guy friends for years and never telling him and dealing with that heartbreak.  She's a really cool chick. I hope they don't force her relationship with her other friend if she doesn't like him in that way.

[tdci]

Ep. 26 is fantastic with the victory kiss. I read the novel and did not notice much but the drama brings out this scene perfectly. Love the main couple. 

[morningdew]

The heart break episode

 

[hush puppy]

On 3/27/2020 at 2:06 AM, crackaddict said:

I just started watching because I like Janice. I am very happy her character isn't more brazen or crude lmaooo cause I dislike such exaggerated characters. I think she's already a good balance of being tough, normal and kind. She's pretty believable as a person, even her regrets and sorrows are relatable. 

 

First time in this thread. Just started watching a few days ago. Loving it.   Hi crackaddict!  Great to see you here

 

On 4/3/2020 at 7:30 PM, skibbies said:

I'm surprised that this thread isn't more popular, I thought this would be a hit with international audience mhmm. 

 

It is not easy to know which drama is good to watch.  So takes time for some people (like me e.g.) to discover.  But suddenly there are quite a few good dramas now - and a few good ones coming out soon

[crackaddict]

good to see you here, @hush puppy lol!

 

im still watching this, but I put it on pause for now. the subbers are quick for this one, so I anticipate that buy the weekend, i can binge watch many episodes lol.