A young swimmer tries to stage a comeback three years after a scandal. Tang Yi Bai is a former champion swimmer who was wrongfully accused of doping that derailed his competitive career four years ago. He returns after a four-year hiatus to compete for the South Physical Education College alongside his best friend, Qi Rui Feng, against their biggest rival, Heng Ou Yang, of North Physical Education College. At the competition, Yi Bai meets rookie sports reporter Yun Duo, who is assigned to cover the competition but has a fear of water due to a near-drowning incident in her past. Yun Duo also happens to rent a room in Yi Bai’s family home, and the two become good friends. Can Yun Duo encourages Yi Bai to prove his innocence in his past scandal and regain his swimming glory?
mydramalist
- Starring: Seven Tan | Dylan Xiong | Huang Sheng Chi | Wang Zi Xuan | Johnny Zhang
- Episodes: 36 (45 Min.)
- Aired: July 30 – August 24, 2017
- Network: Hunan TV
What do you do when you’re in the mood for the corniest cheese ever? You find a drama about a College (I think) swimming athlete, his friends and the sports reporter he falls in love with. On paper, this drama kind of works, until it doesn’t. There were parts about this that I fell for. I am a sucker for a friend group drama and slow burns don’t really bother me all the time and I know when you have shows over 20 episodes, you really have to drag out plot points, but sometimes it’s ridiculous the lengths shows will take to achieve it.
The plot, as promising as it was, it isn’t anything too wild. Yun Duo is an apsiring sports reporter who goes to cover a college swim meet and ends up in the water instead. Saved by the charming and oh so sweet, Tang Yi Bai. From there it goes into this whole long drawn out love story with a few twists and turns. Some I liked and some made me want to pull my hair out.
The good things, like how Yun Duo ends up renting a room in Tang Yi Bai’s house while he lives on campus. The friendship between Tang Yi Bai and his other team mates was also good. I was expecting this weird power struggle between him and Qi Rui Feng but it was nice how they were supportive of each other. Only thing I wish was better with them were their acting. And the highlight of comic relief was Tang Yi Bai’s mother. She was so hell bent on guilting Tang Yi Bai about not being home enough but then she wanted him to date Yun Duo. She was a laugh riot.
That’s where my love affair with the show ended because certain things kept happening and my annoyance just kept growing. For one, I understood that Tang Yi Bai’s storyline was one of redemption. Yes, he was framed for doping and I wish they would have went more into that storyline or made it more of a concern. Maybe it was Dylan Xiong’s acting, but he seemed to not give a fuck, so I didn’t. Along with him, everyone involved in that storyline was annoying. From his ex-friend who ended up in a coma and then amnesia, to her brother who was this rich business man who was pretending to be an news intern to get closer to Yun Duo because she saved him once. Like, bruh, no need to get all creepy and stalkery because she was a good Samaritan.
Anyway, at the end of it all, I ended up not even living Tang Yi Bai like I initially did. He started to come across as misogynistic and not even charming. I think it was the writers who kept trying to force connections through out the show that made the little chemistry that was in the beginning start to fizzle away. Oh well, I guess I get what I ask for, corny on a stick.
Acting : 5/10
Story : 5/10
Music : 5/10
Overall : 5/10
Recommended For : You have a thing for the Olympic Swim Team
Fave Song : ‘Whoop it Up‘ by Dylan
Unbothered Unnies 