i was thinking "he screwed up" like every 20 min, but also love, you know?

the bad:
some of the details make this movie so cringey (her name, for one). i know it's supposed to be a romance movie, but the male lead makes several questionable decisions: giving up the swim championship match was just... maybe it's just because i can't think about this movie from a truly romance perspective and am too realistic, but isn't this movie supposed to be realistic? also, who invites their ex who they have a very deep history with to their wedding? i know it sets up for the end, but it feels weird. zhang ruonan's acting also feels a bit lacking; i don't think she's horrible, just average, but when acting across from greg han, the difference is more evident.

the good:
as a romance movie, cute scenes are a must, and there are plenty. my personal favorites include the fireworks scene, the fireworks scene, and the fireworks scene. but this movie is surprisingly deep. it's about how fate sometimes seems to just not be in your favor and how you can't control everything; it's about letting go of things, love and otherwise; it's about learning how there are two sides to everything and how feelings aren't games you can win or lose. i liked how the characters really did mature over time. the wedding scene at the end was beautiful. not having watched the Korean version, i was still able to predict that the ending would not result in them getting together; however, i could not predict how touching his speech was at the end. sometimes you just need to let go.

i think it'd be really interesting to see the movie from you young ci's POV - i can only dream about that.