The Whirlwind Girl Synopsis: a girl’s whirlwind journey to mastering Yuan Wu Dao and three men’s journey in pursuing that whirlwind girl.
Overall tone of the drama is light and breezy. You’ve got three guys chasing this one girl. The girl is pure and angelic; the guys are either a serious dude, a cocky dude, or a kind dude. Pretty much standard stuff. The drama balances out the romance and the sport element rather decently.
The Characters
Ruo Bai (Yang Yang)
This boy is pretty. I did mention how I’m not a particular fan of his acting and that remains true even after finishing the drama. HOWEVER. He manages to breathe life into his role with the scenes that mattered. Man, the tears I invested on this guy… His devotion for Bai Cao is unparalleled. The things he does for her without her knowing makes me wish this kind of guy can actually exist. His love for her requires no action, no gratitude, or even recognition on her part. His love for her is quiet, but resilient.
Fang Ting Hao (Chen Xiang)
Fang Ting Hao comes in with a bang. He meets her dramatically, and she comes to hate him quickly. You know, that love-hate relationship that most of us are suckers for. On that note, he also won me over the quickest (out of the three suitors). At one point I really wanted Bai Cao to choose him despite knowing he’s not the main character. And I rarely have second-lead syndrome. I blame it all on his lopsided smile.
More objectively speaking though, Chen Xiang’s acting tops the other two and his character is always smiling. It’s much easier liking a happy character over a broody one. Initially he’s cocky but he redeems himself. He’s flirty to all girls and he’s especially flirty to Bai Cao, but there’s sincerity mixed in there. However, he’s got his darker side of the story to overcome too. With such an interesting character how can I not love him?
Yu Chu Yuan (Bai Jing Ting)
Out of all the suitors he’s got the least interesting character and yet he gets quite a bit of screen time. However, that’s mostly because he has the most complicated past that the show insists on uncovering. While the other two pursuers benefit Bai Cao a lot, it’s only him that causes her problems, albeit indirectly. The most obvious problem he creates is a jealous Fang Ting Yi
Fang Ting Yi (Zhao Yuan Nuan)
She’s Fang Ting Hao’s little sister and she’s got a one-sided crush on Yu Chu Yuan, but since he likes Bai Cao, this girl is always finding ways to go against Bai Cao. However, I don’t hate her much because her antics are aimed at separating Bai Cao and Chu Yuan, which is something I’m completely on board with.
Like her brother, she’s also a genius at Yuan Wu Dao and she takes it for granted. I like how her character redeems herself later on, proving her worthy as a formidable competitor.
Xiao Ying (Tang Song Yun) and Hu Yi Feng (Wu Lei)
Aside from the main characters, it’s really the synergy of the cast that kept me invested. Especially Xiao Ying’s character in connecting everyone around her. She’s such an easy character to like; she’s over-the-top and yet grounded; an awesome friend and an amazing stalker. Her being partnered with Hu Yi Feng is the cutest thing in this drama.
Guang Ya (Yu Ting Er)
There’s also Guang Ya (Qu Xiang Nan’s daughter) whom I wished the drama could have made her character more pivotal. She would have been a great foil to Bai Cao’s angelic nature.
Qi Bai Cao (Hu Bing Qing)
Last but not least, the main of our main characters is Qi Bai Cao. Strictly speaking, she’s a very boring character. She’s your very typical hardworking and earnest girl and she just happens to luck out meeting all these awesome guys. Why they love her is a mystery I’ll never solve. If you want to love this drama, it’s best to not even attempt to solve it. Except maybe, just maybe, I can understand why Ruo Bai is so devoted to her. In the very first episode he says he loves Yuan Wu Dao and he loves those who persevere. That is literally the definition of Bai Cao if you can find her in a dictionary: she loves Yuan Wu Dao and she’ll pursue it by all means.
The Story
Bai Cao’s growth in mastering Yuan Wu Dao was satisfying to watch. The drama emphasizes hard work and consistent effort is the key to success. Bai Cao and Ruo Bai’s character are built on this very foundation that they aren’t born with natural talent but their love for Yuan Wu Dao has propelled them to achieve the impossible because with consistent effort they made the impossible possible.
I enjoyed all the fight scenes and how Bai Cao improved after each competition. I also loved how the drama delicately handled each competitor. No one was sacrificed to advance the plot, something that I find absolutely rare in Cdramas.
The romance also surprised me. I was expecting to be drowned in cheesy romantic hijinks since we’ve got three guys pursing one girl but there’s none of that. The love story is simple and not overdone. It’s only near the end do things get more romantic, which I don't mind.
Last Comments
Expect a well-balanced drama focusing on the character’s growth but turn away if you want an earth-shattering romance. Great drama to pass your time with. You won't particularly hate anyone, in fact they're all like-able (at least for me) and that's the strength of this drama: the likability of the entire cast. However, the downside is that no one particularly stood out. The main girl is a wall flower.
One more thing to add: if you’re planning to watch this drama, be aware that there will be a second season, which means the ending of this season is geared to make you yearn more in anticipation for the next season. Nonetheless it’s still considered a happy ending and I don’t regret watching it.
One more thing to add: if you’re planning to watch this drama, be aware that there will be a second season, which means the ending of this season is geared to make you yearn more in anticipation for the next season. Nonetheless it’s still considered a happy ending and I don’t regret watching it.
Related Posts: