“Nothing But You” has a pretty good balance of romance, sports and business. I really like watching both badminton and tennis, and learning about the training and experiences of these professionals. Compared to many sports romance dramas, it should be noted that the business side of things do take up quite a lot of the drama time. If you are just looking for romance and don’t like business, you might be bored. I personally enjoy the balance of it all.

I think the best thing about this drama is casting Leo Wu and Zhou Yu Tong as the main leads. I am so happy to see Leo Wu in a modern drama again after “Cross Fire” (amazing drama I strongly recommend) and in a role where he can act his age. As much as I love seeing him as a tough prince or general in “The Long Ballad” and “Love Like the Galaxy”, it’s nice to see him act as a 22 year-old. It’s refreshing and he’s so adorable.

I was initially concerned about the age gap, since noona romance is not my favorite. The male and female leads reminded me of the leads in “The Rational Life”, but better and more compatible. Even though Song San Chuan (ML) is only 22 years old, he’s gone through enough in life to be quite mature. I also appreciate his character to not be always portrayed as the forever mature and act-older-than-his-age character either. I love that he can still act young and sweet, and Leo Wu is the perfect Song San Chuan. On the other hand, Zhou Yu Tong played the more mature Liang You An very well, too. Professionally, she’s experienced and mature, but when it comes to love, she can still act like a little girl. Even with a 10-year drama age gap between the lead characters, they make a very compatible match as both can be mature and childish at the same time. Leo Wu and Zhou Yu Tong have great chemistry. It did take a while for them to be officially together, though there’s enough sweetness and affection throughout the drama. Viewers' patience is rewarded with many cute and sweet scenes between the leads once they are together as a couple. I can’t help but smile whenever they are both on the screen acting cute.

I really like how Song San Chuan and Lian You An support each other professionally and personally. They have honest and open communication. You won’t find misunderstanding or miscommunication. They are not afraid to verbally express their affection for each other, while also showing their love through actions. Towards the end of the drama, San Chuan supported You An through a difficult time when a family member was sick. I already like San Chuan, but what he did here put him in my “Ideal Man” custom list. In fact, all the characters in this drama are super supportive of each other. There really isn’t any annoying, irritating and selfish supporting character that I hate. I might find FL’s sister a little annoying in the beginning, and wasn’t that interested in her romance, but she got better throughout the drama. I love the bromance between the 4 Top Smash players, the sismance between FL and her best friend, and especially the stepfather/stepson dynamic.

The pacing of the drama is good and there’s enough happening to keep me engaged and focused. It’s evident that Leo Wu and other actors put in a lot of hard work in the preparation of their roles as professional athletes. I greatly appreciate their dedication, and their muscles and abs. LOL The badminton and tennis playing scenes look pretty realistic.

If I have to criticize this drama, I would say I am a little disappointed in the injury subplot. I know it’s hard to not show any injuries in a sports drama, but still, it was quite predictable. I also felt that the pain issue was resolved rather quickly and then all of a sudden the player is back at the top of their game, and we’re informed by a few quick news articles. Maybe some scenes are edited out? I would have liked to know more about the other two male players, rich boy Chen Zhe and high schooler Dai Yi. I also wanted a little more romance between FL’s best friend and the coach (maybe a little less time on the secondary couple). Towards the last ¼ of the drama, the dubbing got worse. I appreciate the actors using their own voices, but the post production got sloppy and the lips don’t match the words. Censorship again?

Overall, I had a great time watching this drama. I like both Leo Wu and Zhou Yu Tong, and love their chemistry and playfulness. I enjoy the equal screen time of romance, sports, and business and find the acting to be pretty good overall.


Completed: 4/15/2023