The King's Avatar (2019)

One word to describe this show: wholesome.

It was just an easy, fast watch. Distressed me completely, but at the same time, each and every episode got me hyped and excited. I was on the edge of my seat more often than not, even though I know nothing about esports. I'm not a gamer and yet this drama got me focused on all the scenes and I was never bored with the technical talk and in-game fighting scenes.

Best part of the show? The characters. I truly cannot express how much I liked each and every one of them (except Jia Shi's Team Manager, he can go). Ye Xiu is a dream male lead: mature, kind, driven, honest, hard working. Usually, this level of perfection drives me mad, but here I was just appreciating his existence. It would be hard to comment on every character, as the cast is truly massive, but one thing I can say is: with how unique and likable they all were, I'm sure everyone would find someone to relate to, appreciate and root for. Characters that caught my attention the most were Su Mu Cheng (loyal friend, but also a professional player), Huang Shao Tian (the talkative ray of sunshine), Yu Wen Zhou (the warm, supportive and understanding captain) and Wei Chen (the trickster that stole my heart).

That said, even though I loved the cast and the characters, there were some things that bothered me. One was Chen Guo and the fact, at some point, her constant mistakes made it hard for me to like her (even though by the end of the show I could clearly see how she fits into the picture perfectly). Another was a last minute redemption arc for one of the supporting characters. There was no character development done on screen to validate that.

Some people might feel overwhelmed by the number of characters showing up. I'm not lying when I say new faces were introduced every other episode almost till the end of the show. Everyone often wearing the teams' uniforms helps to distinguish who comes from where, but it still might be a bit too much for people who struggle with large casts.

The plot is simple: a path to glory. We follow Yu Xiu rebuilding his gaming character as he creates his own team and tries to fight his way back to the top of gaming league. While there is little to no development done on the male lead (he truly does not need it), he plays a crucial role in slow changes and the development of his team members. It was amazingly pleasing to watch them learn how to be a team, work together and support each other both in and outside of the game.

What's more to love? I have to applaud the effects in the drama. The game looks amazing. Not being a gamer, I would still love to play it. Even though it was not exactly realistic (the angles shown on the monitors would actually make it harder to play the game and the range of actions the characters could do was also "over the top"), it gave an amazing fantasy cinematic feel. If you ask me, I would love to watch a whole animated show about these game characters and their adventures.

I loved it so much, why not 10/10 rating then?
I had exactly 2 problems with this show. First was the ending. I know for a fact that the majority of people loved it and for those that will watch the show: will love it. Sadly, I am not one of them. It's hard to explain my reasoning, but the twist at the end, even though it made the drama even more wholesome and feel-good, stripped the show from a bit of the additional depth that the "original" ending brought.

Another aspect that made me lower the rating were episodes 32 to 35. I have no idea what happened. I know that the show needed some kind of breaking point and shift in dynamics, but the way they went about it just felt wrong. We saw the characters and their amazing development, just to see them back to their old selves for the duration of these episodes.

Overall, the show is great. The 40 episodes felt way too short, and I would love to see 40 more. I cannot wait for season two, hoping they will keep at least the majority if not all the original cast. The pacing was perfect, as I was focused the whole time I was watching, never feeling bored. The whole gaming industry in The King's Avatar felt like squad goals that I just wished to be a part of.

Leia Mais

Has apeal for a wide audiance not just people who like sports dramas.

I binge-watched this all the way through and the only reason it fell just short of a ten is that one episode slowed the plot down just a hair too much and they could have done just a touch better on the game graphics. Everything else was excellent. I love this drama and will defiantly rewatch it at some piont. So far this is one out of very few sports shows I like. I usually don't like this genre.

Casting - I have zero complaints about any of the actors they were al perfect for their roles.
Outfits - The outfits the picked for the different characters really set off each character's personality well.
Story - The plot was sound and the way it was executed was almost perfect.
Graphics - The game graphics could have been a little better but were still decent. Except for the skill graphics, they looked amazing.
Characters - the characters were all well written.

Leia Mais

I've never been to interested in series based around MMOs and esports, so I wasn't really expecting to like this as much as I did.

Storywise, The King's Avatar is super interesting. I really like that it only centered around the game and there weren't any romantic subplots. The focus is more on character evolution and they're all super likable. It probably has to do with the acting, which is pretty good as well. I'm particularly surprised with Yang Yang. I really didn't like him in Love O2O, but he does an excellent job here. Ye Xiu is a very fun character to watch.

Another surprising thing about The King's Avatar is the animation. The game segments actually look like a game. They're also very cinematic and visually pleasing. Music is also great. There are some nice themes here and there.

Overall, I'd say The King's Avatar is worth a watch. It's a little long (although average in length by chinese drama standards), but it's also fun to watch.

Leia Mais

This was my first Action fiction series. Since I love to watch Romance fiction, this drama was not my first choice to watch. But as I read reviews, I wanted to watch this drama as the reviews were pretty good. I thought that I wouldn't be interested in this drama but the first few episodes got me hooked. I already saw Yang yang in Love020 so I as thrilled to see his role here. It's completely different from Love020. The pace of drama was also good. It wasn't extremely slow or extremely fast.
The one thing I enjoyed the most was of course the battle scenes. It was nail biting and I felt nervous everytime Yei Qui was performing. Each character had it's own growth over time. Each member of Team Happy had their own personal growth. I was happy to see the team work of Team Happy. Everyone did justice to their roles. Some characters were negative but at last they learnt something so that was the good point of this drama.
Another thing I liked about this drama is that every captain was immersed and dedicated to Glory. Everyone appreciated each other although they were rivals. I loved how Ye Qui was friends with every captain of the rival teams. Their unity was what I loved the most.
So overall I really loved this drama. And although his was not my fiction, I don't regret watching this. I hope there is a season 2 with the same cast. ❤❤

Leia Mais

So, it nice that the adaptation show how hard it is and how much work it takes for people to reach the top of e-sports. But at the same time it almost as if the writers never played a game in their lives, or watch e-sport, this is the largest game in the world and that is the amount of fans that show up? and many, many more things that should never happen (spoilers). Also that is not even close to have a mmorpg would be structured or how a tournament would be held.

However it is a power fantasy, it was fun and enjoyable to watch despite all the flaws.

Leia Mais

i decided to watch this only because of YANG YANG in the first place.

I don't watch many dramas till the end I watch the first episode and the last one, then I decide whether watch it or not. only a few have passed my taste. as for this drama, I didn't watch the last episode from the start, it really had something interesting.

storyline: Amazing! it has a lot of inspiring things like teamwork and friendship. how to trust each other and pursue your dreams no matter what the future will be.

characters: yang yang as ye Qiu is the best thing ever. even the other characters were amazing. I really liked when ye Qiu came to Xin xing net cafe as a manager and loved their friendship bs between Su Mucheng Ye Qiu and Che Guo. their chemist is amazingly awesome

songs: 1000 out of100. honestly I loved all the songs, they fit perfectly with the drama. after I watched the drama I kept listening and listening, and even put one as my phone's ringtone

Leia Mais

Very Inspirational and “happy.”

This drama had many great lessons and quotes. Definitely one for the underdogs needing a pick-me-up. I’m happy there was no romance between the two main leads. Although I did ship Ye Xiu with Su Mu Cheng. The actors held great consistent chemistry. But it was refreshing to see platonic friendships develop between the characters. What I really appreciated was that it kept the focus of the main plot of gaming. Watching them play made me want to participate in the game “Glory.” One thing I’m surprised to see is all the 10 star ratings for the music. although some of the songs were nice and went well with the story, it was amateurishly paced. Made the drama seem low-budget at times. Since it was too distracting when they’d talk sometimes. That is until you see the expense was not spared on the gaming, costumes, and set. I can forgive the artificial feel, since it’s based off a manga. I personally wouldn’t rewatch. Once was enough, but I would recommend. The whole cast was so fun to watch I’d watch them in other roles. This site shows there might be a 2nd season. If that actually happens, I’d definitely continue watching, hopefully they’ll hire a better sound engineer.

Leia Mais

Nail biting

Ye Xiu is the bar we set for ourselves when it comes to personal comportment. His understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, the unfailingly professional way he treats everyone, especially his opponents, the way he supports his teammates and friends. Yet, we ache with him when it comes to the estrangement with his father, the regard he had for his best friend, we shed tears for his pain.

The story is such a feel-good one, celebrating triumphs, losses, personal achievements, camaraderie amongst a group of strangers whose bond at the end is stronger than ever. Their ups and downs, their joys and bad moments. Each one has a ladder to climb, a challenge or two to overcome, a loss to come to terms with. Every story is a teachable moment.

I’m not into gaming at all so I’m not even a beginner when it comes to judging the graphics however they look so good to me. I wasn’t bored at all, in fact, the tactical moves by each team were a delight to watch.

Last but definitely not least, what an absolutely wonderful portrayal of Ye Xiu by Yang Yang, he’s a consummate actor. Not only is he the foundation, he is also the load bearing wall. It is a joy to watch his calm demeanour, his myriad of expressions. His on-screen presence is so powerful. I’m so glad this isn’t a romantic drama, and that we get to see so much of him in every episode as he plays such a central character.

I’m so stoked for the sequel!

Leia Mais

Decided to binge this series and I managed to complete it within 2 days, each episode is about 40 minutes long and this series is available on Netflix. First of all, I was very skeptical about the drama, as I've read the novel and also watched the anime version and know that probably some of the details will be left out furthermore, the character development itself will most likely be in a different pace.

First of all, the characters, Yang Yang as Ye Xiu was a proper match, they did a good job in casting him as Ye Xiu, while for the others I'm not really sure, but the timid-healer guy caught my eye! As for the story, it is not too fast and not too slow for me, 10/10 for the animations.

Side note, I've played many types of games and I'm quite disappointed that in every team match they always aim for the carries instead of the supports/healers/clerics and they smashed their keyboards on every match. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this series!

Leia Mais

I actually read the manga first but tbh it was a bit confusing at first so i wasn't into it so much, but i still find it good. But the translated chapters are incomplete so I went to watch the drama... and it was amazing.

I was rly captivated and i decided to reread the manga and i was able to appreciate it so much. Then i watched the anime but it wasn't enough. I didn't touch the novel at first cause i thought i dun hv the patience to read 1728 chapters!! But i was wrong, i actually finished it and one word again: AMAZING!!

Now let's go back to the live action. Tbh if i didn't read the novel, I'll give it a perfect score. But after reading it, i was a bit disappointed in some of the changes in character personalities as well as some big changes in later eps. Don't get me wrong tho, i still find it good but it's just a shame they didn't include this and that or why they change that chara's personality. Lemme list the things i like and dislike in the live.

Likes:

- The music was awesome. Every bgm was so good too.
- Ye Xiu as Yang Yang was a good choice (though after reading the novel, i feel like ye xiu's shamelessness personality doesn't fit yang yang lol)
- actually i find it nice and cute that Chen Guo is a total fangirl of ye xiu (even tho in the novel, not so much, she likes su mucheng more)
- The way Glory game was portrayed. Tbh at first i thought the actors are gonna cosplay or something so i was a bit hesitant to watch at first lol if it wasn't for that wonderful game portrayal, it would be hard to imagine what it looks like while just reading the novel.
- The internet cafe!!! It looks so awesome compared to the manga heh
- Chen Yehui actor is actually a very convincing antagonist lol I rly hated him!!!!!
- Overall it's a nice watch!!

Dislikes:

- Qiao Yifan portrayal. When i watched the live first, i actually felt sorry for him most of the time tho not rly strong impression. But after reading the novel, maaan, the way they made yifan in live is so WEAK!!! Such a waste... iirc he always lose in matches in the live or always no confidence but in the novel it wasn't like that at all!!!

- An Wenyi portrayal. This... i actually didnt like him much in the live tbh cause his personality was kinda a turn off. But after reading the novel, hes actually a good chara!! Idk why they made it in the live that an wenyi is bullying yifan (like their first meeting). In the novel, ye xiu scouted him in game (hes a member of Tyrannical Ambition guild) nvr did he had an argument with yifan.

- Wu Chen portrayal. Even tho he only appeared in later eps, that time he cheated was actually very ooc of him if u compare his chara in the novel. Tho i didnt mind it much when i first watched the live. But after reading the novel, i prefer his chara in novel, cause he didn't do that at all!!

- When Myriad Manifestations Umbrella broke. Honestly i was heartbroken when it broke in the live, i couldn't accept it. Even tho it was fixed in later eps... still... but thank god thats just a filler scene. It nvr happened in the novel.

- Happy vs Excellent Era team competition in challenger's league. Tbh when i watched the live, i didn't like it very much!!! It wasn't that exciting cause they're always on the losing side. Iirc they only won the championship there cause of the additional point of damage that ye xiu did (i think?) But im happy that in the novel it wasn't like that at all!!! Sun Xiang actually even forfeited cause he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat ye xiu.

- They didn't explain Heavenly Domain much in the live. In the novel, it was a big deal. Iirc in the live, they rly nvr talk abt levels of their chara right?? Cause level cap was at 70 (later on 75) and an unspecialized chara can only level up to 50 in normal servers and they can only continue leveling up in heavenly domain. Ye xiu entered heavenly domain at level 50!! It was a big deal in glory world that time.

- How they made ye xiu's fake identity such a big deal. In the live he almost couldn't attend his match right?? In the novel, it wasn't a big deal. In fact Tang Hao (boss of Excellent Era) was the one who is worried most cause Excellent Era's 3 championship was under Ye Qiu's name.

Hmm now that i think abt it, i think i still hv a lot of things i wanna list but those are just minor things. These are the major things i dislike in the live after reading the novel.

Anyway!! Im actually glad i watched it first than reading the novel first cause i didnt hv anything to compare it with plus i rly came to love the live. But if i did read the novel first then watched the live, i think ill just end up comparing without appreciating woops.

Leia Mais

Keeps you rooted till the finale.

Should you? Would you? Could you?

You should watch this one (YES! )
You would recommend this to others. (YES!)
You could watch this again. (YES!)
Ending: Happy

How did I miss this gem? Am glad I took it out of my treasure box and finally watched it.
Firstly, the imagery and graphics of this drama are mind-blowing. The life of “Glory” is so well animated. The matches literally come alive. You feel as if you are actually a part of a video game. It’s that detailed! And each match and each game is so exciting. You can’t not get involved and you can’t escape that knot in your tummy when it's your favorite team member playing.

Yang Yang as the male lead, Ye Xiu, just fits into the role perfectly. He portrays the role of the fallen leader to an internet café manager to the leader of Team Happy effortlessly. His character is a strong one who decides to take his supposed downfall as a challenge and is determined to come out a victor. His love for the game Glory is what brings that victory to him. He seeks the same passion in the new team that he builds. I love the way each team member is introduced one by one with their own story given due importance and their due airtime.
I love the relationship he shares with the leaders of the other teams. It's healthy. It's competitive. Its rivalry at its purest.

While there is no romance between the main leads (Ye Xiu & Chen Guo), we can feel glimpses of it. A fleeting comment, a look but it's there. It's subtle. I like it a lot. Maybe there is a possibility of it coming to the fore in the sequel but that’s again not something whose absence will take away the essence of this drama. The focus is on gaming and esports and it delivers that beautifully.

It makes us reflect on a lot of life lessons if we actually listen to the dialogues carefully (thanks to some amazing subtitles) ….my best one being “The key to winning is not the tactic you choose but to find one that suits you”

It’s a drama about perseverance, about fighting for your passion, for doing what you love, for team building, and finding your own strengths.

You won't get bored!

Leia Mais

Not a wasted moment in 40 episodes

I'm reviewing this as someone who hasn't read the novel or watched the animation. I discovered this show because Netflix recommended it to me. I didn't know any of the actors, and while I do like video games, I first gave it a skip for a long time because of other shows. But then I eventually decided to watch it and I was not disappointed. All the things I thought would be in it and would irritate me, failed to happen. It was fantastic.
To keep to the point:

PROS:
No drawn out excess filler in the episodes
Great characters (male and female)
Great character development
Great character relationships
Great acting
No romance (thank goodness, because it generally makes the characters behave like idiots and doesn't contribute to the plot)
Not too predictable at all
Exciting
Good feels
Humorous
Some suspense
Great OST
Great pace
Great action/CGI fight scenes for the in-game play
Clean, attractive sets
Great casting all around

CONS:
'Happy' is a really lame name for any sports team (but it's hardly a dealbreaker and doesn't change how great the show is)

I'd recc this for anyone who likes video games and also good shows that represent a good balance of fun/humor/drama/plot with consistent acting, and I'd probably watch it again sometime. Looking forward to a season 2, I hope they stick to this formula though, or it'll lose it's great vibes.

Leia Mais