Chinese Drama to Miss: Love 020 (2016)

Love 020 (2016)

Grade: C

30 Episodes, 1 hour each

Platform: Netflix

Bei Weiwei is a college student studying computer science and is the top in her class. She particularly enjoys the MMORPG “A Chinese Ghost Story," where she has an in-game husband. Meanwhile Weiwei and her roommate are trying to find internships for the summer break, and when Erxi uses one of Weiwei's accounts to look more like a nerd to get picked for an internship, it creates a big misunderstanding. Amid some in-game rivalry, Weiwei's in-game “husband” breaks up with her in order to “marry” another player, at which point the server's best player proposes to her. Unbeknownst to Weiwei, this top player attends her university in real life, and he is about to start his own computer company with his friends. 

What happens when this real-life attraction leads to some unwanted real-life attention from jealous classmates? Will Weiwei be able to navigate this new relationship in her life without losing her friendships? Will Erxi be able to fix the misunderstanding and subsequent gossip?

*This drama was a real slog to get through. There is no character growth, and while everything is technically well-done in terms of cinematography, music, and setting, this Chinese drama lacks the passion and direction of a Korean drama. It's as if someone took incredibly detailed notes while watching a Kdrama but didn't understand it. It's a slow meander through 30 episodes of content where not much actually happens. Then there is the way all the other characters revere the male lead's aloofness (they call him “Lord”) - it's almost as annoying as his lack of development. The scenes of the actors as video game characters were neat, and it reminded me a lot of my WoW (World of Warcraft) days – but that wasn't enough to make the show worth it. The casual references to communism were bizarre, too. I wouldn't watch it again, or really recommend it.*