The Chinese drama series Amidst a Snowstorm of Love attracted me because way back in my youth I used to play billiards quite a bit (and was pretty good at it, too.) That should be a warning upfront as well; if you don't enjoying watching snooker or other pool games you are definitely going to be bored by this one. In addition to that, this thirty-episode series is a slow-burn slice of life romance that may not move as fast as everyone likes, but has a lot of lovely moments in it.
An up and coming billiards player, Yin Guo (Zhao Jin Mai) heads overseas to settle her brother at college and compete in a local nine-ball tournament in Hel (the location of the city is definitely in Finland.) Before she can start training, however, a sudden snowstorm leaves her stranded with Lin Yi Yang (Leo Wu), who appears to fall in love with her at first sight. Yin Guo and Yi Yang have a nice budding little romance that continues after the storm passes, but eventually she discovers her boyfriend was once a famous (and notorious) professional billiards player who was considered a genius, but left the sport when he was very young after a fight with a referee, who just happens to be Yin Guo's mother.
I liked the subplots in this drama almost as much as the romance; all the characters are interesting and their stories just as absorbing. Yin Guo's older brother is especially cool when he makes a 360 degree flip to help his sister with getting acceptance for her new boyfriend (who happens to be an old friend of his.) You also get lots of group dynamics and nationalism, but it's appropriate and not annoying as the usual stuff. Some of the games kept me on the edge of my seat, especially at the end. All of the settings are pretty much mundane and yet still manage to be very attractive.
The few problems are so minor they're hardly worth mentioning. There are probably more billiards games than anything else, and that can be boring if you don't care for the sport. In preserving the Chinese ideals of female moral character Yin Guo does resist intimacy a little too much for someone otherwise so in love with her guy, but that gradually stops. I think the reverence for Yi Yang's former teacher and mentor, Mr. He, will seem over the top to Westerners, but it's probably close to the real deal in the East. This is a slow and lovely romance amidst one storm and a lot of pool. Available on Viki.com.
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