I really wanted to like this show and I did give it six stars, but so many flaws and missed opportunities makes it disappointing. Watching any series to the end means an automatic five stars from me.
All about different people trying to come together as a team, but many of the motivations and actions don't make a lot of sense. More troubling are the strange happenings. There are booths that each team goes into when playing and yet, someone dressed in black like a ninja can spy on a player, from outside the closed booth, and wirelessly report that player's position to the opposing player? The network/server room is unlocked so someone can go into in and unplug the network? There are no video cameras in the arena, booth or server room? The captain of a team can be detained by the "esports police" just as the team is getting ready to play a match? And, the reason isn't given until the final ruling (punishment) is given?
There isn't much suspense in the gaming. I greatly enjoyed the gaming portion of Love 020, which was more about jealousy, revenge, relationships, growth, etc. than it was about the game. In this show gaming takes a bigger stage, but we can't relate as well as to a game we aren't playing as we do to human emotions. There are people who cheat, hate, seek revenge, and try to blacklist other players and teams, but not much growth or self-reflection except for the players on the main team. Overall I found the gaming boring with a few interesting moments. And, just to be clear I've been gaming on computers since the 1980s.
A side plot is the aging of gamers, which makes them old in their late 20s. Just made me laugh, seems the pain of repetitive strain is seen as an age thing, not something that can be treated or prevented.
Good stories are all about conflict and often resolution, yet artificial conflict where someone cheats and lies against you then you instantly invite them to join your team?
The main team does learn that it is easy to like each other when things are going well, but much more difficult when faced with adversity.
While I don't dislike the lack of romance, in this case it might have helped make the show less boring. The show is slightly better than your average Asian series, but not in the league of the best ones. If you like gaming, can suspend disbelief, live without romance, put up with plot holes and illogical decisions then this show is for you.
All about different people trying to come together as a team, but many of the motivations and actions don't make a lot of sense. More troubling are the strange happenings. There are booths that each team goes into when playing and yet, someone dressed in black like a ninja can spy on a player, from outside the closed booth, and wirelessly report that player's position to the opposing player? The network/server room is unlocked so someone can go into in and unplug the network? There are no video cameras in the arena, booth or server room? The captain of a team can be detained by the "esports police" just as the team is getting ready to play a match? And, the reason isn't given until the final ruling (punishment) is given?
There isn't much suspense in the gaming. I greatly enjoyed the gaming portion of Love 020, which was more about jealousy, revenge, relationships, growth, etc. than it was about the game. In this show gaming takes a bigger stage, but we can't relate as well as to a game we aren't playing as we do to human emotions. There are people who cheat, hate, seek revenge, and try to blacklist other players and teams, but not much growth or self-reflection except for the players on the main team. Overall I found the gaming boring with a few interesting moments. And, just to be clear I've been gaming on computers since the 1980s.
A side plot is the aging of gamers, which makes them old in their late 20s. Just made me laugh, seems the pain of repetitive strain is seen as an age thing, not something that can be treated or prevented.
Good stories are all about conflict and often resolution, yet artificial conflict where someone cheats and lies against you then you instantly invite them to join your team?
The main team does learn that it is easy to like each other when things are going well, but much more difficult when faced with adversity.
While I don't dislike the lack of romance, in this case it might have helped make the show less boring. The show is slightly better than your average Asian series, but not in the league of the best ones. If you like gaming, can suspend disbelief, live without romance, put up with plot holes and illogical decisions then this show is for you.