[Personal Review] Go Go Squid
I am finally emerging from the caves of darkness to bring you this very fun review. Just a little heads up, I might be a little over the top with the fangirling because I might have fallen for your lead actor over here. another thing is I am a huge fan of the brand he’s wearing in this drama too and I’m also a bit of a sneakerhead so apologies in advance.
Anyhow. Hello! So, I’ve been eyeing this drama for a year now and I was a little hesitant to watch because I know in my heart that I would not be able to stop and I was right. A little backstory, I came across a fanmade video of this drama, a compilation of their sweet moments and kissing scenes and stuff so, I saw that and 4 other more and then completely forgot about it for a few months then lo and behold here we are writing this review after I decided to watch it at 3 in the morning. Mind you, this drama has 41 freaking episodes and how I was able to finish that in 30 hours is still a miracle for me, to be honest.
I noticed his outfits and it was purely from the brand, PUMA and I am not affiliated with them or what but I do own a few pairs of shoes and some apparel and I really am a huge fan of the brand so it really was no question that I would watch it and I really am telling you, he really looks good in those clothes.
Cast: Li Xian as Han Shangyan / Gun, Yang Zi as Tong Nian, Hu Yitian as Wu Bai / DT. Well I thought that this was the first time I saw Li Xian but apparently, I’m wrong (LOL) he was in the movie version of Love 020 and he played the lead’s best friend apparently (I still prefer the drama but knowing that he’s in the movie makes me hate it less and well Angelababy too.) I can’t really compare the acting because he’s not in the movie as much as he is in every freaking episode of this drama and I would say that for a Rom-Com, his performance was amazing. He was definitely funny and as for the Romance, oh he definitely has it. The way he delivers some of those cheesy lines really got me. [OFF TOPIC: He kinda looks like the son Tony Ahn (H.O.T.) and Wooyoung (2PM) with like little hints of Park Seo Joon,] Yang Zi, on the other hand, I honestly have not seen. I brushed through her long list of dramas and movies but I genuinely have not seen one. She was definitely funny but I personally not really into the “aegyo” type but she was cool and did bot overdo the whole cutesy thing but the baby talk did bother me a little, however, I love her chemistry with each of the characters and with Li Xian of course. I also saw some behind the scenes clips and they look lie they’re having fun so I’m a happy camper :). Hu Yitian on the other hand, I am very familiar with; his performance in A Love So Beautiful was everything compared to this one however his role here is somewhat important (?, I guess) but it was just I saw very few of him but whenever he shows up, he knows the right words to say I just wished I saw more of him and maybe a little hint about his love life too.
I’m not including the whole cast because we all know that would be very confusing and it would take up half of the word count of this post.
Story: It started with love at first sight which, in my opinion, is very rare to be reciprocated back but yes, it started with love at first sight. Han or Gun is a legendary esports player that eventually established his own club, K&K. He’s this cold, arrogant and dark man who everybody is afraid of because he gives off this devilish aura plus he doesn’t really show interest in women or man, just work. Tong Nian on the other hand is a popular online singer that’s cheerful, approachable and everybody loves her, basically. She might look a little ordinary but she develops programs and would level up with Han’s knowledge and IQ. The two cross paths when Han goes to Tong Nian’s cousin’s Internet Cafe and she just fell for him, hard when she saw his face (I MEAN WHO WOULDN’T) and she did not hold back and did every trick up her sleeve to get his WeChat ID [We Chat is a messaging app like WhatsApp but this one is exclusive to China. We actually use this for work but I mean he’s free to add me too. lol] and their complicated love story starts there. I won’t be going into Han’s background because it will be completely covered in the drama.
The story for me was okay, I think the focus really was more on Han’s story since they did have a LOT of flashback scenes and they covered most of the questions or reasons why Han transformed to this dark, dark man. The flow for me was okay too, it had your usual family problems and forbidden love theme going on but it had a lot of friendship and forgiveness too. It did have some side stories but surprisingly as you go through the episodes, they just try to sneak in some but mainly revolve on the leads.
Pairings: [SPOILER ALERT]
Han Shangyan / Gun & Tong Nian (Li Xian & Yang Zi) – I promise not to overdo this but the chemistry works for me. It’s just the right balance of colors I guess because he can be so dark and she gives color to his life. She also gets more mature, understanding and learns how to be tougher so I think it’s just the right balance. I remember the scene where she was drunk the first time and she kept on hugging him and he just put all his guards down and caressed her hair made me realize that he too fell hard for Tong Nian. Let me add that f**king expensive bracelet that he just gave to her. I also saw a clip about one of their kisses being not in the script. I think it was one in the hotel when she was against the wall and I kinda knew beforehand since I saw it like months ago and it still gives me the butterflies. [ UPDATE : I’ve been rewatching and I noticed this thing that LiXian does, he likes to tap her nose or something and it gets me every single time. It’s a little gesture but it’s super sweet.]
Mi Xiaofei / Xiao Mi & Sun Yaya (Li Hongqi & Jiang Peiyao) – This fan/idol couple is every fangirl’s dream, I can attest to that since I’ve been one for 13 years and when these two finally came together I was super happy and I felt like she represented all the fangirls of the world when her idol fell in love with her. It’s funny how she also helped him understand that being a fan isn’t just idolizing but you really do support and love your idols unconditionally.
Team K&K and Han (Grunt, Demo, One and 97) – This lovely bunch of boys is so adorable together and they really give out that little brother vibe but Han treats them as his kids and they know how much their boss loves them and I think in their hearts, no matter how much they hate him for being so mean in the beginning, they see that he’s isn’t so mean once they understood where he’s coming from.
Team Solo (Solo, Appledog, Xiao Mi, All, Gun) – This team really is what it’s all about, they all started from the bottom and they worked their way up but unfortunately, sh*t happens and they go their separate ways but I admire how they really tried to rebuild their friendship throughout the series and how they need to sort out their differences being adults.
Wu Bai/DT & Ai Qing / Appledog (Hu Yitian & Wang Zhen’er) – This pairing is hidden as a forbidden treasure. They’re not basically a couple but you get hints through the series and we all know he has the hots for her and she does too. The IST (Invisible Sexual Tention) on this one tho, very intense they have these looks at each other that means something more and omg I wish they would have a season 2 just for these two. I want something to happen to them.
My thoughts: Hands down, a re-watch for me. – before I continue I felt like I need to explain why you see more of these CDramas compared to KDramas. I think this quarantine is taking a toll on everybody’s mental health and I’m not an exception and I felt like watching lighter dramas might help, in my case. I do have anxiety and I’m not sure if I have depression as well and you guys know how Kdramas are heavy on the DRAMA part like they really do live up to the drama part and I would want less of the crying, for now. Plus, seeing other dramas really did widen my expectations on what to expect and how different cultures handle your usual topics like family, so yeah. in short, less drama. 
– It was fun and I really did not mind the 41 episodes (I skipped most of the boring parts, tbh) because I got to see more of Han and his adorable smile. They also did not shy away from the flashbacks which in my case, again is a good thing. However, there were a ton of characters and it gets a little confusing as you go along but aside from that, I’m not complaining. I am rewatching some clips especially the sweet ones and I still get giddy.
I also mentioned that Li Xian was wearing PUMA and that really did it for me because I am in love with that brand plus I LOVE a man in black, I don’t know why but it gives them a mysterious vibe and I just think it’s hot.
I hope I didn’t bore you with all my ramblings but if you’ve seen this drama, let me know what you think. If you haven’t seen it, do give it a go and let me know what are your favourite parts. Happy Watching ^^v
