Cross Fire (2020)

Drama about dreams and youth

When I first watched the trailer of this drama, I didn't expect that this drama would be so different than what they promised, but in a good way

The trailer only show us that this drama is about esports with a little bit of time travel element in it. But what this drama never tell you is that it has a mystery element, strong friendship element, even with a bit a dash of romance which is so satisfying

You started the drama by meeting the two male leads, Xiao Feng and Lu Xiaobei, who seemed to live in different timeline. But you soon enough realize that they're connected through the game called Cross Fire, where it allows them to sort of communicate with each other. Their story started to unravel from there, which reveal the story about chasing dreams, being youths, and also about friendship

Good things about this drama:
1. Strong characters. There are many times I get mad at the drama because they just don't treat their characters right. But for Cross Fire, all the characters are strong in their own way. Xiao Feng's team and Xiaobei's team both have their own shortcomings and also their own problems, but you will definitely come to love them. I was prepared to roll my eyes if they treated their female characters like a trash, like many dramas usually do, but in this drama the female leads are very headstrong. They're capable of standing on their own two feet without having the support of the male leads. I fell in love with the 3 powerful female leads who are strong and capable in their own way. Even Xiaobei's mother is also very good
2. Mystery plotline. Like I said, this drama is not only about esports and time travel. There's also a mystery that's hinted since the beginning of the drama until the end. There's this one bad guy and you are led to hate him, but at the end, I felt some sympathy to him because his life ended in a way that's just so pathetic. And the mystery is actually very intriguing, even though a little predictable, and it will keep you on edge each episode
3. Engaging storyline and clever editing. The plot of this drama is very tight, very good, and also very engaging. Believe me that chasing this drama one episode per day almost make me go insane because my fragile heart can't handle all the cliffhanger they throw us. It feels like they're playing with our hearts with each episode and you would end up screaming in frustration because the drama is just so good that way
4. Realistic gaming sequence. This might be one of the things that make me stay watching this drama. It's so good that it prompted me to actually watch CF championship (it's so fun!) and wanted to try the game myself. But my laptop is too slow and not designed for gaming, so I have to forget this desire

Bad things about this drama:
1. This drama has the time travel element, so somehow, this part itself is not really realistic. I think there are many times when we have to fill in the blank ourselves since it's not explicitly being explained. The VR part is a bit ridiculous as well, and even though it brings the plot moving forward, I still think that it's a bit weird and a little bit of a stretch
2. Episode count. Of course, being 36eps, there are some parts that could be considered as filler, especially the love triangle that come out of nowhere. You might be confused with some of the storyline as it didn't even make sense (like how XIaobei could get better)

Overall, I think that this drama is worth to be watched and worth you wasting your time for it. I wish everyone would have the courage to actually pick it up and sit through it, and I'm sure you'll love the drama as much as I do. This drama will be my favorite in 2020. Even though the drama is not too logical and there are some parts that make you just feel that it's silly, I'm sure you'll end up loving all the characters and would cheer for their success at the end

Score: 8.5/10

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