"Copywriting | Sesame Editor | Finally, the premiere of 'The Hope' has arrived. The drama tells the story of Lei Ming (played by Zhang Ruo Yun), a gold medal teacher who has experienced a low point in his life and returns to the campus to lead a group of rebellious teenagers in achieving their dreams of taking the college entrance examination. Unlike other school dramas, 'The Hope' focuses less on creating a tense and oppressive atmosphere and instead turns the camera towards the examination takers who are lost in confusion, rescuing them from their predicament.

From the few episodes that have aired, 'The Hope' has shown high standards, logical coherence, and a compact pace, garnering positive reviews. However, when she appears again, she is called out by her mother, and to be honest, I sensed impatience on Xu Ruo Han's face. I couldn't finish my words of praise because of Xu Ruo Han's performance below.

Even when Xu Ruo Han realizes that her luck is part of the teacher's well-designed plan, she merely looks coldly at the desk and then turns her head. When Li Ran deliberately wears the uniform of a good student in an attempt to deceive the teacher, one would expect some panic, but not Wang Qiang. He stands straight, reciting his lines loudly without any signs of nervousness, as if he were taking an oath.

When the opportunity for revenge finally arises, Li Ran confronts Lei Ming, preventing him from taking the stage. Li Ran's satisfaction and indifference to the situation, as well as Wang Qiang's lack of interest in spectating, are absent. The fourth member is Huang Yao (portraying Sang Xia).

Huang Yao, who won the Best Supporting Actress at the Bai Yu Lan Awards for her role in 'Shan Hai Qing,' is unfortunately confined to her familiar acting style in 'The Hope,' just like Zhang Ruo Yun. In the new drama, Huang Yao plays a psychology teacher named Sang Xia. Based on her conversation with the school principal, it is evident that she has been working at the school for some time, but Huang Yao portrays her as a naive female student.

When conversing with the male lead, Sang Xia attempts to reason with him using the route to the cafeteria. It should have been a soul-cleansing dialogue, but unfortunately, Huang Yao's performance is overdone. She shakes her head and exaggerates her expressions while delivering her lines, capturing all the audience's attention without conveying the actual message. This important character, under Huang Yao's interpretation, becomes a mere bystander, seemingly indifferent to the situation. It is truly a pity for this role.

The fourth member is Zhang Ruo Yun (portraying Lei Ming). With his remarkable performances in 'Joy of Life' and 'Sword Snow Stride,' Zhang Ruo Yun has successfully risen to the ranks of leading actors, earning recognition from many viewers and fans of the original works. However, viewers cannot perceive any sense of experience or the maturity of a young man with white hair from Zhang Ruo Yun. This is also thanks to the makeup artist's efforts.

Furthermore, after playing numerous historical roles, Zhang Ruo Yun maintains the same exaggerated and affected style when performing in modern dramas. In particular, during the scene on the playground where he motivates the students to strive and join Class 11, he constantly waves his arms and recites his lines without any movement on his face except for his mouth.

In the segment where he advises the students to study hard, I believe both approaches can express the character. One is carefree and seemingly casual, which aligns with the unconventional teacher's portrayal. The other is genuine and wholehearted, genuinely concerned about the students' future and not wanting to see talented individuals go astray.

When Zhang Ruo Yun performs this segment, he tries to appear casual but ends up seeming artificially profound. This deliberate attempt at relaxation is rather awkward. In conclusion, there's no need to emphasize how important an actor's performance is in a drama. Unfortunately, the performances of these actors in 'The Hope' are subpar, dragging down the overall quality of acting and leaving the audience disappointed. It is understandable that less experienced actors like Xu Ruo Han and Wang Qiang may have shortcomings in their acting skills, but Zhang Ruo Yun and Huang Yao, recognized by the industry and the audience as talented actors, failed to demonstrate their true acting abilities, which is truly difficult for the audience to accept.

However, this drama has only aired two episodes, and with the progression of the storyline, the quality of the plot might overshadow the shortcomings in acting. Who do you think has better acting skills?