I won't lose. Lu Xia always says that. He's almost always right.

PoT is a 2019 release that is rated 8.4 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 40 45-minute episodes, and is based on the Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. It's also an anime… A movie… A musical! …It's a HIT.

A Chinese show that is based on a Japanese manga invariably makes a tennis club seem more like a martial arts sect. That's the spirit, the vibe, the plot, and the appeal. The characters are the show’s strongest assets. They are likable, being written and acted out well. Moon ascend volley. Snake ball. Twist serve. The Australian Formation. Celestial Drive. The vibrating Ball (it's an optical illusion). Their signature super-shots have amazing names. Some of these balls don't even bounce up, but spin on the court like they will bore a hole through the clay. One team works so hard to be able to defend the Snake Ball ~🐍~ only to be hit with the /boomerang/ snake ball!

Peng Yu Chang (I Am Nobody) is ML, Lu Xia. His father was a tennis star - a stratospheric one. All he wants is to beat his dad. He's the only freshman to make the starting team. His father appears to be a cheerful goof and their relationship is intermittently competitive (more on Lu Xia's part than dad's) and supportive. Ireine Song (Ever Night, Different Princess) plays a girl, Qi Ying, who's infatuated with him. She is a tiny, adorable thing. He doesn't seem to mind her presence around him at all.

Dong Li (Arsenal Military Academy) is Qiao Chen; Zhang Yi Jie (Scent of Time) portrays Zhuo Zhi; Xie Bin Bin (Please Be My Family, The Code of Siam) is Mu Si Yang; Zhu Zhi Ling (The Sleepless Princess-9.1) portrays Chi Da Yong; Xu Ke (The Last Immortal, A Love So Beautiful) plays Tang Jia Le; Wu Xu Dong (The Eternal Love) is Zhang Bai Yang; Herman Li (Detective Samoyeds) portrays Yan Zhi Ming, Fan Lin Feng (Good Bye, My Princess) plays He Xing Long; and Ireine Song (Ever Night, Different Princess) is Qi Ying. Their personalities are all over the place. One is a sweetheart until he picks up a Racket. Some are morose, others dutiful, cheerful, coldly analytical, playful, angry, aggressive… They are a team of distinct individuals. In addition, Xiang Yun Long (My Roommate Is a Detective) makes an impressive appearance as Tian Zi Long, an anger-riddled competitor with dramatically white streaked hair.

TPoT reinforces teamwork and individual achievement. It asks competitors to reflect on their motivations. It incorporates a cycle of mini-dramas set around tennis matches. The soundtrack and soft spoken Mandarin seem to be designed for a peaceful effect. I found the characters likable yet I had trouble focusing as the show went on. Halfway through the show I had involuntarily stopped giving it my full attention. I think if I just watched an episode or two a week I would have been able to stay with it better, but It was leaving Netflix and I had to watch one or two episodes a day. It's lots of cyclical plotlines where each match and story arc looks quite a bit like all the others, so it started feeling redundant.

They ramp up the drama and the players’ special skills. As it's based on manga, that is to be expected. For a team with near super-powers, the show still felt slightly pedestrian. Viewers who prefer realism should take their ball to another court. Actually, viewers who prefer realism wouldn't like nearly anything that China puts out; they may have to avoid the country altogether. Viewers who like manga, sports- tennis in particular, relaxing soft-spoken voices, and low drama may like this show.


QUOTES📢

Someone who doesn't want to admit their weakness can only show their evil side to the whole world.

Losing is not a frightening thing. What's terrifying is that we can't learn a lesson from it.


〰🖍 IMHO

📣6 📝7.3 🎭7.5 💓5 🦋3 🎨5 🎵/🔊6 🔚? It goes on… 🤗3 ▪ 🌞5 ⚡4.5 😅3 😭2 😱1 😯2 🤢1 🤔4 💤5

Re-📺? I couldn't give it 100% attention the first time.

Age 9+
Language: d@mn


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