Notable Actors/Actresses
Xiao Zhan: Xiao Chun Sheng
Li Qin: Tong Xiao Mei
Chinese Title
夢中的那片海
夢中的那片海
That Ocean in My Dream
Network: Tencent Video
Cast
Xiao Zhan: Xiao Chun Sheng
Li Qin: Tong Xiao Mei
Liu Rui Lin: Ye Guo Hua
Cao Fei Ran: He Hong Ling
Zhao Xin: Ye Fang
Cui Hang: Chen Hong Jun
Zhang Ling Xin: Xiao Yan Qiu
Lu Nuo: Qi Tian
You Xian Chao: Guo Hei Zi
Gao Yuan: Zhao Xiao Hui
Romcom/Romance Checklist
How much of the plot is angst/romance?
0 / 1.5 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5The ML:
Cold–Lukewarm–Warm / Timid / Falls in Love First / Noble Idiot / CEO / General /The FL:
Bold / Cute / Cool & Independent / Falls in Love First / Better Than ML / Noble Idiot / Describe the Relationship (the tropes):
Bickering Start / Childhood Connection / Cohabitation / Contract Marriage or Fake Couple / Enemies to Lovers / Hidden Identity / School to Adulthood / Love Triangle / Married Couple (Real) / Secretly in Love (F/ML) / Star-Crossed Lovers / Relationship Progress (officially together; first (official) kiss; breakup*):
Ep 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 / 33 / 34 / 35 / 36 / 37 / 38 / 39 / 40(They do kiss, but I forget which ep)
# of CPs (including main CP):
0 / 1 / 2 / 3
0 / 1 / 2 / 3
Ending:
Happy / Sad / Open Happy / Open Sad / BadReview/Rant
!! Spoilers in review !!
My initial appeal.
The drama isn't focused on romance, but if I am watching this, it's because of the romance. It's not like anything else was truly interesting ....... I knew it was going to be mild, but I love Xiao Mei's love for Xiao Chun Sheng, which is like a mountain. Massive and immovable. She's quietly passionate about him and all the while he's pinning the wrong girl! But she was also barely there. Although she's barely there, I felt her presence in the script because everything Xiao Chun Sheng is with the FL, I will always be thinking how much better he would be with Xiao Mei instead.
The first scene that caught my eye was when Xiao Chun Sheng was skating and the way he smirked at the ladies. That was a little dashing, and a little cringey, but cringey enough that it was fitting.
Although romance isn't the focus, somehow drama is filled with couples. While the main romance is exactly like a mountain – barely budging, luckily, the secondary cast fills the roster with their atypical romances with their grounded characters. Each couple was entertaining.
The most boring parts were ML's short part-time job arc and his military career in the absence of his gang.
But man is the second half depressing.
It started out with friendship and loyalty and then they became each other's worst enemy.
Hul. How did that happen?
Because ML is an insufferable Gary Stu. Throughout the entire drama, he remains pure, glorious, righteous, loyal, and altruistic. He’s flawless, and the winner in life. Meanwhile his friends are jealous losers. I hate who they become but I also get where they come from. To them, ML never gets off his moral high horse. And then when they betray him, he should hate them, but no, our ML is the bigger person, utterly forgiving. It is his saintliness that suffocates them to no end.
It’s not just ML, FL is on high pedestals too. The two of them are flawless and gracious to the point that it’s unrelatable. The secondary characters turn into the worst possible versions of themselves. By the end, there's no one left to love and relate to.
It’s not just ML, FL is on high pedestals too. The two of them are flawless and gracious to the point that it’s unrelatable. The secondary characters turn into the worst possible versions of themselves. By the end, there's no one left to love and relate to.
Show, what do you want to convey? I can’t have petty emotions like envy and jealousy for someone who’s doing better than me? If I can’t have values like the ML or be his loyal follower, I'll get punished and forever be a loser? Because those are the two fates in the drama. Either be the ML or don't be the ML/'s follower (and therefore losers).
And romance was better undeveloped.
And romance was better undeveloped.
The last insufferable Mary Sue character I watched was in The Rebel Princess. But it had a deliciously mature romance that I could not deny, which grappled me for days on how to rate that show as a whole.
The romance here, well. I have nothing to hesitate about the rating then.
Most of them divorce. The only two couples who stay together are the ML's and the ML's sister's relationship. Notice the pattern? Only people related to ML get happy endings.
I was most excited about ML realizing FL's love for him, and I was anticipating how he'd find the bookmark, the proof that she's his first love. I was SO DISAPPOINTED. He finds the bookmark like any boring person would find a bookmark. In a book. On a desk. Oh my Juliet! 🙄 No creativity.
It was also questionable when ML fell in love with FL. In Ep27, he said that it wasn't when she returned to Beijing with him because of his injury and that perhaps it was much earlier that he realized she was his first love. Well. Before Beijing, he was dating 2FL. So tell me again when he fell in love with our FL? While he was dating 2FL, I see.
I also, again, don't understand what this drama wants to convey in regards to romance. I'm against Xiao Mei sacrificing nearly everything for love. She risked her doctor career, her dream, to accompany Xiao Chun Sheng and his journey towards recovery. Drama fixes up her story nicely that she refined her dream in the process of caring for ML. No. That's because you're lucky and you're privileged, hun.
I never liked 2FL (He Hong Ling). It's how the actress acts this character, but she fits her character 100%. But I'm so upset about how show wrote her character as Xiao Mei's foil. What is wrong with HHL choosing her career over love?! She's nowhere nearly as privileged as Xiao Mei to give up her career. Is it not love if she doesn't sacrifice something equally important? Why is she punished by the drama in the end? It's not like she cheated on the ML. From day 1, she was passionate about her dream. She deserves a better future than that marriage/divorce. Couldn't she be an independent woman without marrying?
Again. Show, what do you even want to convey? I wholeheartedly disagree with your principles.
The verdict?
Watch for how an inspiring man depresses everyone else? Or I mean, you could always watch for Xiao Zhan.
P.S. I should have known that any show excessively using Mr. Deep Voice to narrate scenes cannot be good.
Rating: 1/5
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