Random Thoughts

A couple of months ago my friend told me she was watching and really enjoying a Chinese drama on Netflix that was:
- Just like a sports manga, except about online gaming
- Almost entirely romance-free
- Featuring a healthy dose of secret identity shenanigans

Sold, I said! Except that I'm very bad at watching things, so I decided to seek out the novel instead. It hooked me very quickly, and then I realised it was over 3 million words long.

Anyway so I read it all, accidentally through less-than-legal means because the officially-licensed site that hosts it did not make it at all clear that all chapters beyond 90 were behind a poorly-described paywall, not just a login requirement. I'm not going to say I read every word - a lot of the battle sequences (and there are many) I just skimmed for dialogue.

And then I convinced my spouse to watch the live-action drama with me! We're up to episode 20 and really enjoying it, with a couple of caveats:
- When the show is trying to be funny, it gets extremely cringey
- We really want to punch some of the antagonists in the face
- Sometimes the heartfelt speeches about the power of Glory get a bit cheesy

There is an animation available too (on YouTube, legally) that I would like to watch eventually if I can convince anybody to do it with me.

So, am I recommending this? If you love long drawn out sports power fantasies about being the absolute very best at the game while mentoring new and under-appreciated players into greatness, definitely check it out! If you don't, I don't know that it will make you a fan of the genre. It really shines in showing the way all the pro players know each other and relate to each other as friends and rivals both on and off the field (as it were), and the mentorship parts can be really touching. There are also moments that are completely heartbreaking. The protagonist is an asshole but somehow I love him anyway, and the secondary (and tertiary) characters almost all have distinguishable traits that makes them memorable and fun.