The King's Avatar — the 2019 drama with Yang Yang
At a glance40 episodes
In July 2019, The King's Avatar became a 40-episode live-action drama, aired on Tencent Video from 24 July to 30 August. Yang Yang plays Ye Xiu and Jiang Shuying plays Chen Guo, the owner of Happy Internet Café.
Production and behind the scenes
The series was produced by Tencent Penguin Pictures and Linmon Pictures and directed by Shi Yiyue. It arrived two years after the donghua's success, at a time when esports was gaining visibility in China. The challenge was to show a video game on screen: the series alternates live scenes with CGI sequences for the battles inside Glory.
How it differs from the donghua
The drama simplifies the world and focuses on friendship, romance and team life. Ye Xiu's past and the club intrigues are rewritten, and several characters are merged or changed. The series also tells the creation of Team Happy its own way, along a different path from the novel.
Reception and success
The drama drew a large audience, helped by Yang Yang's popularity. Fans of the novel criticised the plot changes and uneven visual effects, but many enjoyed Yang Yang's performance and the internet-café atmosphere.
Trivia
- Yang Yang had already played an online gamer in Love O2O in 2016.
- The same year, 2019, saw the release of the animated film For the Glory, a prequel to the donghua.
My take
The drama plays like a romantic comedy set in esports, without trying to match the novel. Yang Yang is charming and Jiang Shuying is convincing, but the series loses the finesse of the matches. Worth a look after the donghua, out of curiosity.
Who is it for?For fans of Yang Yang and youth dramas rather than novel purists.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan