“Feelings are feelings. It’s hard to tell where they’re from, a game or real life” -KO

Many of our readers know what a huge runaway hit the drama Love O2O is.  It was this drama that inspired CLKYTTA & I to check out this new Chinese movie.  For those unaware, Just One Smile is Very Alluring is the Movie adaptation that was released at the same time as the drama.  Wondering which was better?  Come find out as we do yet another Fangirl Movie Review!

SYNOPSIS:

What is it that makes a man fall in love with a woman at first sight? Appearance? Aura? Wealth? NO, when campus prince and gaming expert, student Xiao Nai first saw Bei Wei Wei, what made him fall in love was not her extraordinary beauty, but her slim and slender fingers that were flying across the keyboard and her calm and composed manner!!! Embarrassing, no? At the same time, gaming expert Bei Wei Wei, at this time and place is on the computer, methodically commanding a guild war, and won a perfect and glorious victory despite being at a disadvantage, and was completely unaware that cupid is nearby. Soon after the basketball player, swimmer, all-around excellent student, and game company president, Xiao Nai, uses both tactics on and off-line to take this beauty’s heart. Therefore, this romance slowly bloomed. *Movie version of drama Love O2O

Cast:

Angela Baby – Bei Wei Wei

Jing Boran – Xiao Nai

Li Qin – Meng Yi Ran

Wu Janice – Xiao Ling

Zheng Ye Cheng – Hao Mei

One Smile is Very Alluring Trailer:

WARNING:  Movie Spoilers Ahead

 

Cinematography:

KMUSE:It was pretty standard.  Had a few cool scenes in the video game world, but nothing that was awe inspiring.  This was definitely a movie that focused on the characters and their natural good looks.

Comparing The Movie to The Drama

Which Wei Wei is better?

CLKYTTA: I really liked Angelababy as Wei Wei.  She seemed natural as a beautiful brainy girl, and I was relieved there weren’t a thousand mentions about how beautiful she was.  Her interest in coding and gaming was very believable.

KMUSE: There isn’t even a competition on this one.  Angelababy is by far the best Wei Wei.  She totally makes me believe her character and has that natural beauty and grace that the drama version was missing.

Which Xiao Nai is better?

KMUSE: Jing Boran is a great actor.  That said, he is one of those men that takes a little while for a viewer to warm up to.  I remember watching Love Through a Millennium and not being overly impressed at first.  But before I knew it, I was totally in love with his character.  I think that two hours is just to short of a time for him to work his magic.  His charisma is more of a slow burn.  Which means the drama’s Yang Yang wins this round.

CLKYTTA: Yang Yang was perfect as Xiao Nai.  Jing Boran just doesn’t really appeal to me and I’m not sure why.  He was an adequate Xiao Nai, but it wasn’t as good of a fit as it was for Yang Yang.

KMUSE: The more I think about it, the more I wonder if it isn’t because Yang Yang has that classic Prince Charming look?  He comes across more as the untouchable king of the school character that I expected.

What do you like about the movie more?  What did you dislike?

KMUSE: The OTP (One True Pairing) felt so much more relatable  in the movie.  I totally had butterflies fluttering in my stomach as Xiao Nai created the larger than life wedding and New Years celebration for Wei Wei.  It had that special romantic vibe that I adore.  Not to mention their skinship was totally on point.  The elevator scene was HOT HOT HOT.

However, the story didn’t feel the same without all the wonderful quirky roommates from the drama.  I fell in love with those side characters so much that the movie counterparts fell really flat.  I especially missed the KO and Mr. Beautiful mini romance.  I still wish we could get a whole side drama just surrounding their two characters.

CLKYTTA: I really liked how much more natural the interactions between our OTP was.  I enjoyed the skinship, especially the kisses. I also liked that Wei Wei was much more believable as a gamer.  It was a smart move to have her spend more time at the computer room joining in to play with other gamers.

CLKYTTA: I really missed the side stories.  The relationship between Wei Wei and the guys was rushed in the movie and not as much fun as it was in the drama.  I loved KO and Hao Mei so much, I’m a sucker for a good romance. Some of the characters were combined for the movie and I understand why they did that, but I still missed the original characters.

KMUSE: The gaming vibe was also better in the drama.  That might be because everyone’s motions felt very stiff and CGI which made me think computer game, but it just divided the real world from the gaming world better.

CLKYTTA: They felt like gaming characters in the drama. They even changed some of their features to make them more exaggerated like game characters.  In the movie it was more fantasy movie like.  They were just dressed up with hairpieces. I did like the animal characters in the movie though.

Which would you suggest to readers?

KMUSE: As much as I love Angela Baby playing the character Wei Wei, I would still suggest the drama.  One of the things that make this story so enjoyable is the wonderful moments between all the characters.  I just felt part of the world more in the drama.  That doesn’t stop me from dreaming of a drama remake with the movie OTP.  That would be my ideal situation.

CLKYTTA: The drama, hands down. The drama is so well done with building the story and making you fall in love with the characters.  Angelababy is a much better Wei Wei, but the overall cast is better in the drama.  The movie is a must watch for hardcore fans though.  I’d love to see the remake with Angelababy as Wei Wei and Yang Yang as Xiao Nai, that would be my idea of a perfect pairing.

My Overall Review:

KMUSE: It was a fun and very enjoyable movie.  I am not sure it would be as enjoyable if I hadn’t already watched the drama since there are huge plot jumps due to lack of time.  I would suggest you watch the drama or read the novel first then come back and enjoy the movie.

CLKYTTA: I liked the movie.  It’s not something I will probably watch again though.  I enjoyed the drama a lot more and I really enjoyed the novel.  If I had a choice between watching the drama over again or the movie, I’d pick the drama.

Be sure to check out our other Movie Reviews HERE!

See you next time,

KMUSE & CLKYTTA

Save