Saturday, February 25, 2017

Just One Smile Is Very Alluring 微微一笑很倾城 (2016)



Background:
Alternative Title:  Love O2O
Broadcast Period: August to September 2016 (China)
Episodes:  30
Status: Complete

Executive Summary:

A Love Story of Xiao Nai, the Campus Prince who falls in love at first sight with Bei Wei Wei when he sees her playing an online game.  In the end they get married.  

In the beginning Bei Wei Wei is playing the online game with Zhen Shaoxiang, a rich guy where they are married in the game.  He later wants to meet up but due to her power going out she doesn't respond and thinking that she is ugly he decides to divorce her in the game.  Bei Wei Wei is reserve and was just wants to play the game so she does not care.  However during Zhen Shaoxiang marriage to Yu Yao in the game, Bei Wei Wei accidentally shows up in their path without knowing when she suddenly walks away from her computer.  Everyone thinks she is making a scene as rumor spread she is ugly or a transvestite in the game.  When she finds out she quickly pretends she is selling items at a discount in the game.  The wedding continues and she suddenly sees the Number 1 player in the game, Xiao Nai.  He suddenly proposes that they get married in the game and she accepts.

Throughout the episodes they play the game with his room mates without knowing each other identity except for Xiao Nai.  The slowly fall in love.  Later when they play a couple fight competition that makes it to the finals Xiao Nai gets into an accident and doesn't show up which she later finds out.  Back online after she avoids the game and later finds out he was in an accident he suggests they meet.  She later finds out when they meet he is the campus prince that everyone likes (episode 10).  They date in real life.  Later on she attends a gathering unknown to her and everyone finds out that she is the Wei Wei in the game and that she is a beauty.  Zhen Shaoxiang finds out but has lost the opportunity and upset he lost to Xiao Nai.  Being an executive at his father's large gaming company he compete for a contract for an online gaming upgrade with Xiao Nai who his a owner of his own online gaming company.  Even with unknown underhanded tricks of his father he still loses to Xiao Nai who is a genius at what his does.

Er Xi is Bei Wei Wei's room mate and best friend.  Thru misunderstanding Cao Guang, foreign language expert thinks that Er Xi is Bei Wei Wei in the game.  He likes Bei Wei Wei but she rejected him. Er Xi falls in love with him but later is crush when he kills her in the game with the self made gift she gave him.  He thinks she is two timing when the real Wei Wei is dating Xiao Nai in the real world while dating him just in the game.  He finds out that he though she was Bei Wei Wei.  Later on he finds out it is her and realizes he actually did love her.  At the end they end up together.

Hao Mei is the 1 of 3 friends for Xiao Nai.  He is the gaming expert and programmer at Xiao Nai's company.  KO was the cafeteria chef and night stand cook but he is really the Number 1 Hacker in China.  He likes Hao Mei and later works for free 1 year at Xiao Nai place due to a bet Xiao Nai that if he loses a hacking competition to him he would work for free (I think he lost on purpose).   At the end he moves in with Hao Mei when he says he can cook, clean, wash dishes etc if he lets him stay.  Personally I think Hao Mei is clueless about the relationship.  We later find out that they were actually gamers in another game in the beginning and Hao Mei balled out when he found out the partner was not a girl.  KO was never able to find out until Hao Mei mentions it to everyone about his past gaming experience.


Movie:
Followed the similar plot line but just much quicker.

Thoughts:

I was surprised by this series and actually marathon watched it.  It was light-hearted and funny at times. I definitely recommend this one.  The actors were pleasing to the eye.  I actually liked the series more than the movie.  I felt the movie was rushed.  At least since I show the series first it helped filled the gaps in the movie.  It is hard to squeeze 30 episodes into and 2 hour movie.  The only major difference was the Cao Guang and Zhen Shaoxiang become 1 person in the movie probably due to limited plot development time.  The roommates almost are non-existent in the movie.  But overall they kept with the plot probably since they needed for follow key plot lines of the original manga.  I like the fact that in the series it ends with them in the internet cafe that will be the new office.  Xiao Nai first fell in love with Bei Wei Wei at that cafe and he tells her about it.  This was a nice touch to wrap up everything.

No comments:

Post a Comment