Rhea
Malaysia
Too Long!
When I saw that Hello, The Sharpshooter (你好, 神枪手) is 40 episodes long, it really made me think twice if I should give this a shot. My first instinct told me that it would be a drag. After all, if you have watched enough of Chinese dramas, you would know how common it is for them to stretch on longer than necessary even when the plot is pretty simple. So, I started this with much apprehension. The cast made me take the risk. Was my instinct right or is this better than I thought? My Hello, The Sharpshooter review below will try provide some answers.
40 episodes is indeed too long for Hello, The Sharpshooter. This could have been a much tighter story if the producers had cut it down to 30 episodes or less. There are many fillers and flashbacks which are not necessary. To me, the first 20 episodes or so seems monotonous. There is no excitement to make you crave for more as you watch. Although many Chinese dramas also tend to have boring stretches, there are usually high points or a feeling of anticipation here and there to keep your interest.
However, Hello, The Sharpshooter is pretty flat for half the drama. The story picks up only around Episode 21 when there are more happenings to drive the story forward. I wouldn’t term it as a bad drama but it is certainly nothing great either given the laborious way the story has been told. It is also predictable given some of the cliches and recycled plots.
Old And New Issues
Basically, the plot is about a guy who has selective amnesia and has forgotten about the girl although they used to be a couple. This amnesia theme is nothing new for a romance drama and you can easily predict what is going to happen to his memory loss. Viewers are not told what happened to this couple upfront. Instead, you are merely given hints every now and then through dialogues and flashbacks of their time together. The whole story of what happened to both of them is only revealed much later.
What is different though is the sport chosen as the backdrop to the story. We have enough of winter sports drama such as To Fly With You and Skate Into Love. They are also plenty of e-gaming ones including Falling Into Your Smile. Shooting certainly doesn’t seem as exciting. However, it is a sport that requires focus and mental toughness. Hence, the psychological issues that the drama bring up is an ideal fit for the sport. This is where there is something new being offered to the viewers as mental illness is not a common Chinese drama theme.
The downside though is not to expect much professionalism and in-depth exploration of the psychological disorder afflicting the protagonists. Just like in Dream Garden, if you start judging it through a professional lens, the protagonists’ recovery will seem overly simplistic and unreal. After all, apart from the psychological issues, the drama also has to give air time to the romance, training, friendship, and work. So, it is good as it doesn’t get bogged down with details but would be disappointing if you want a more serious psychological drama.
The Romance
I think most people who choose to watch Hello, The Sharpshooter are doing it for the romance. Personally, the romance of the main couple is sweet. It is also a gradual progress and the relationship is a very supportive one. They communicate with each other when problems arise. So, you can feel a deepening of the relationship as the drama progresses. The guy may be possessive and jealous but in a good and light mannered way. Some will even see it as cute and sweet.
However, what the romance lacks is passion. It is not a steamy kind of romance like what you would get in You Are My Glory. The kisses are limited to mostly pecks which kind of reminds me of Forever And Ever. it is understandable though because of the leads’ psychological issues and thus, the need to take things slow. Furthermore, it is a sports drama and the main character is supposedly a national athlete. So, I guess they have to keep it relatively clean. But that impulse and passion are certainly missing from this couple and as a viewer, it feels lacking in some way.
Acting And Chemistry
The role of Tang Xin is really nothing new for Fair Xing. The character is cute and chirpy and you will get the feeling that you have seen it all before in her previous dramas such as Put Your Head On My Shoulder and My Little Happiness. Therefore, if you are her fan, this one would seem familiar. But there is no breakthrough as far as her acting is concerned.
The same goes for Hu Yu Tian in Hello, The Sharpshooter. He is good-looking and you could be drawn to his eyes. But I find his acting to be pretty bland in this drama as there is little variation in his expressions. Maybe the director wanted it that way since he plays a top shooter who is supposed to have a calm and stable personality. His acting isn’t horrible but it doesn’t give you reason to be impressed either.
When the 2 leads are put together, you will find a big height difference between them. I really think it is time to stop pairing Fair Xing with tall actors as it is getting repetitive despite the supposed cuteness. Their chemistry is visible but nothing extraordinary. Hence, there is little motivation to rewatch their scenes unlike some other on-screen couples who have sizzling chemistry such as the ones in Why Women Love and Love At Night.
My Verdict – A So-So Drama
I think Hello, The Sharpshooter does require a bit of patience to sit through. The plot is drawn out especially for the first half. You can literally leave the drama running in the background while doing something else and you would still be able to follow the story. So, I won’t be surprised if this is tedious to watch for some viewers. For me, I took breaks in between before I completed it as it was too monotonous for binge watching.
Having said that, I can also see how this drama could have its fans. Apart from the leads, the main couple’s romance is a sweet and supportive one. It is a natural progress and not everyone likes a rushed relationship development. It may be slow-moving but each happening is like a building block to the complete story that goes back to their past. I guess if you really like the couple’s interactions and their stable romance, then you might find this enjoyable because the leads are together in most of the scenes. But if you find them to be only an average couple, then this will become a big bore due to the length of the drama.
For this Hello, The Sharpshooter review, I would give it a score of 7/10. It tries to bring up the issue of a mental disorder in a romance which is something refreshing. But it still couldn’t run away from a memory loss cliche which makes it predictable. Overall, it is a case of being a so-so drama – neither entirely good nor bad. In other words, it is forgettable once you have completed the whole 40 episodes with no real urge to rewatch despite a logical layout to the story.
40 episodes is indeed too long for Hello, The Sharpshooter. This could have been a much tighter story if the producers had cut it down to 30 episodes or less. There are many fillers and flashbacks which are not necessary. To me, the first 20 episodes or so seems monotonous. There is no excitement to make you crave for more as you watch. Although many Chinese dramas also tend to have boring stretches, there are usually high points or a feeling of anticipation here and there to keep your interest.
However, Hello, The Sharpshooter is pretty flat for half the drama. The story picks up only around Episode 21 when there are more happenings to drive the story forward. I wouldn’t term it as a bad drama but it is certainly nothing great either given the laborious way the story has been told. It is also predictable given some of the cliches and recycled plots.
Old And New Issues
Basically, the plot is about a guy who has selective amnesia and has forgotten about the girl although they used to be a couple. This amnesia theme is nothing new for a romance drama and you can easily predict what is going to happen to his memory loss. Viewers are not told what happened to this couple upfront. Instead, you are merely given hints every now and then through dialogues and flashbacks of their time together. The whole story of what happened to both of them is only revealed much later.
What is different though is the sport chosen as the backdrop to the story. We have enough of winter sports drama such as To Fly With You and Skate Into Love. They are also plenty of e-gaming ones including Falling Into Your Smile. Shooting certainly doesn’t seem as exciting. However, it is a sport that requires focus and mental toughness. Hence, the psychological issues that the drama bring up is an ideal fit for the sport. This is where there is something new being offered to the viewers as mental illness is not a common Chinese drama theme.
The downside though is not to expect much professionalism and in-depth exploration of the psychological disorder afflicting the protagonists. Just like in Dream Garden, if you start judging it through a professional lens, the protagonists’ recovery will seem overly simplistic and unreal. After all, apart from the psychological issues, the drama also has to give air time to the romance, training, friendship, and work. So, it is good as it doesn’t get bogged down with details but would be disappointing if you want a more serious psychological drama.
The Romance
I think most people who choose to watch Hello, The Sharpshooter are doing it for the romance. Personally, the romance of the main couple is sweet. It is also a gradual progress and the relationship is a very supportive one. They communicate with each other when problems arise. So, you can feel a deepening of the relationship as the drama progresses. The guy may be possessive and jealous but in a good and light mannered way. Some will even see it as cute and sweet.
However, what the romance lacks is passion. It is not a steamy kind of romance like what you would get in You Are My Glory. The kisses are limited to mostly pecks which kind of reminds me of Forever And Ever. it is understandable though because of the leads’ psychological issues and thus, the need to take things slow. Furthermore, it is a sports drama and the main character is supposedly a national athlete. So, I guess they have to keep it relatively clean. But that impulse and passion are certainly missing from this couple and as a viewer, it feels lacking in some way.
Acting And Chemistry
The role of Tang Xin is really nothing new for Fair Xing. The character is cute and chirpy and you will get the feeling that you have seen it all before in her previous dramas such as Put Your Head On My Shoulder and My Little Happiness. Therefore, if you are her fan, this one would seem familiar. But there is no breakthrough as far as her acting is concerned.
The same goes for Hu Yu Tian in Hello, The Sharpshooter. He is good-looking and you could be drawn to his eyes. But I find his acting to be pretty bland in this drama as there is little variation in his expressions. Maybe the director wanted it that way since he plays a top shooter who is supposed to have a calm and stable personality. His acting isn’t horrible but it doesn’t give you reason to be impressed either.
When the 2 leads are put together, you will find a big height difference between them. I really think it is time to stop pairing Fair Xing with tall actors as it is getting repetitive despite the supposed cuteness. Their chemistry is visible but nothing extraordinary. Hence, there is little motivation to rewatch their scenes unlike some other on-screen couples who have sizzling chemistry such as the ones in Why Women Love and Love At Night.
My Verdict – A So-So Drama
I think Hello, The Sharpshooter does require a bit of patience to sit through. The plot is drawn out especially for the first half. You can literally leave the drama running in the background while doing something else and you would still be able to follow the story. So, I won’t be surprised if this is tedious to watch for some viewers. For me, I took breaks in between before I completed it as it was too monotonous for binge watching.
Having said that, I can also see how this drama could have its fans. Apart from the leads, the main couple’s romance is a sweet and supportive one. It is a natural progress and not everyone likes a rushed relationship development. It may be slow-moving but each happening is like a building block to the complete story that goes back to their past. I guess if you really like the couple’s interactions and their stable romance, then you might find this enjoyable because the leads are together in most of the scenes. But if you find them to be only an average couple, then this will become a big bore due to the length of the drama.
For this Hello, The Sharpshooter review, I would give it a score of 7/10. It tries to bring up the issue of a mental disorder in a romance which is something refreshing. But it still couldn’t run away from a memory loss cliche which makes it predictable. Overall, it is a case of being a so-so drama – neither entirely good nor bad. In other words, it is forgettable once you have completed the whole 40 episodes with no real urge to rewatch despite a logical layout to the story.
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