I got interested in One Boat, One World (海洋之城) mainly because of Zhang Han. I was watching Sunshine Of My Life which is another drama of his and it automatically led me to this one as well. Furthermore, the concept of a cruise-based drama is something new for a mainland production and it piqued my curiosity. However, sad to say, I have to drop this one midway through. My One Boat, One World review below will list out my main grouse and why I gave up after watching more than 10 episodes.
My rating: N/A
Episodes: 43
Type: Romance
Aired: March 2021
Images Credit: Tencent
The Cast Of One Boat, One World
- Hans Zhang Han as Ding Kai
- Claudia Wang Li Kun as Tian Yue
- Lawrence Wong Guan Yi as Wang Zi Yang
- Zhang Ya Mei as Chen An Ni / Annie
- Guo Zi Qian as He Cai
- Guo Xiao Ran as Fang Da Wei / David
- Kenny Bee as Mr. Tang
Main Characters
Ding Kai
Ding Kai is the Chief Mate of a cruise liner, Dreamland of the Ocean, and reports to Captain Derek and Deputy Captain Olsen. He is mainly responsible for the security of the ship and passengers. Ding Kai is a talented seaman and takes his job seriously. However, he is direct and tends to offend his co-workers. He is also a very neat and tidy person with signs of having an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Tian Yue
Tian Yue is a fresh graduate who gets a job as a tour guide onboard a cruise liner. She is a kind and warm person but naive and clueless. Tian Yue is struggling to earn money as she doesn’t want to rely on her parents.
Supporting Characters
Wang Zi Yang
Zi Yang is an investigator at a cruise company in Miami before returning to Shanghai to become a First Mate onboard Dreamland of the Ocean. Hence, he is also Ding Kai’s colleague. Zi Yang is ambitious and wants to prove himself to Annie who is his love interest.
Chen An Ni / Annie
Annie is the Marketing Coordinator at the cruise company. She is also Mr. Tang’s foster daughter. Annie is interested in Ding Kai and quietly helps him in the background whenever he faces obstacles in his job.
He Cai
He Cai is a tour group leader and Tian Yue’s senior. She is ambitious and always looking out for opportunities among her rich clients who join the cruise.
Fang Da Wei / David
David is the Entertainment Director of Dreamland of the Ocean.
Mr. Tang
Mr. Tang is Head of the Asia Pacific region of the cruise company. He is an impartial man when it comes to choosing candidates to fill vacancies on the cruise liner although he values talent and has his preferences.
Synopsis
Ding Kai has just been accepted as a Chief Officer in charge of safety onboard a cruise liner called Dreamland of the Ocean. He is a talented seaman who has got the attention of Captain Derek and Mr. Tang who overseas the cruise company’s Asia Pacific market. However, his straightforward personality also earns the ire of his colleagues. The fact that he is Chinese further adds to the complicated working environment as the cruise industry is dominated by Westerners while the company is scouting for Asian talents to open up the regional market.
While working onboard, Ding Kai gets to know Tian Yue who works as a tour guide. She is new to the job and ends up creating troubles that Ding Kai helps her to solve. Together, they also get involved in the life problems of some of the passengers under Tian Yue’s care.
In the mean time, Ding Kai has been hiding his job from his mother who is against his career choice as his father died in a shipwreck years ago. When the Deputy Captain position is up for grabs, the other officers vying for the job try to sabotage Ding Kai’s chances.
One Boat, One World Review – Dropped!
I’m not one who likes to start a drama and then drop it when it doesn’t really suit my taste. Most of the time, I try to be fair and watch all the way to the end to give my readers a more comprehensive review. The last drama that I dropped was Fake Princess and that was almost a year back. So, I did try hard to continue watching One Boat, One World, but I just have to give up once I reached the middle of Episode 14.
A Poorly Developed Female Character
The screenwriters have written Tian Yue to be a clueless woman who lacks common sense. So, you get the feeling that she is kind of dumb and that makes it hard to root for her. For instance, Ding Kai is kind enough to allow Tian Yue to stay in his apartment temporarily when she has no money to rent her own place. He tells her that she can stay but mustn’t touch his stuff. She then suspects that he could be suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder and purposely breaks down a glass wall when he is away because she thinks it could cure him.
Of course, Ding Kai is furious when he gets home. They are not in a relationship and far from it. In fact, the 2 of them have just got to know each other because of work. To purposely break down his wall in his own home when she is just a guest is just kind of stupid. More so when Tian Yue doesn’t understand what it means to respect Ding Kai’s privacy and boundaries.
The same thing happens again in Episode 14 when Tian Yue intrudes into his private matters and relationship with his mother. I’m sure the problem is solved eventually but I have stopped watching because her cluelessness is too much to take. I don’t know whether she will grow to be more mature as the drama progresses but after 14 episodes, I have had enough. Basically, Tian Yue’s character is just very poorly written that it is hard for viewers to relate to her actions.
Casting And Chemistry
I have not got to the stage where the leads begin dating. But from what I have watched, it is hard for me to feel any chemistry for the main couple because of the way the female character is written. It just erases any romantic vibes between them. I also feel that the casting could have been better as Claudia Wang just doesn’t seem to be the ideal candidate for the role of Tian Yue. She is too old for the role as Tian Yue is supposed to be a naive young woman. Hence, Claudia Wang has to act clueless and cute but it just doesn’t suit her age anymore to be playing this kind of character.
Therefore, it is not so much the acting that spoils the drama for me but the character and casting. Perhaps a younger female lead may make the drama more watchable just like in Sunshine Of My Life although the age gap will become more evident then given Zhang Han’s maturity.
One Boat, One World vs Sunshine Of My Life
As both dramas are being aired concurrently, which one should you watch if you have to pick one? Both star Zhang Han as the male lead and I know he does have a legion of fans due to his good looks. For me, Sunshine Of My Life is a much better drama to watch. Yes, it could be a little draggy but at least, the female lead is a talented and independent woman with a high level of maturity in that drama. The chemistry between Lulu Xu and Zhang Han is also more natural and evident.
However, the downside is Sunshine Of My Life is a typical romance drama with a fairy tale-like feel. It is sweet but it also has nothing new to offer. On the other hand, One Boat, One World has a less explored theme revolving around a cruise ship. I guess if you want freshness in your drama, One Boat, One World could offer something different while Sunshine Of My Life sticks to the tried and tested when it comes to a love story. Moreover, Zhang Han plays a domineering CEO yet again in the latter after doing so in Here To Heart and Boss & Me.
My Verdict
I can’t give a score for this One Boat, One World review as I didn’t finish watching it and it wouldn’t be fair to do so when I have only completed about a third of the whole drama. But I can tell you that it is a little different from the usual productions. Different characters are introduced as passengers for different voyages. The leads will then get entangled in their lives and problems due to the nature of their jobs. So, to a certain extent, these cases will need to be interesting in order to carry the drama all the way through. Up to Episode 14, this part of the drama is not exactly boring but it lacks the intensity to make you really hooked. If it did, perhaps I could have overlooked the female character’s weaknesses and carry on watching.
I think One Boat, One World could have been a highly watchable drama with the beautiful sceneries, top cruise liner, and refreshing theme. It is just a pity that the producers have marred it with a badly written female character. I guess you could try watching a few episodes and see if the female lead resonates with you if you are a big Zhang Han or Claudia Wang fan. Otherwise, I would say forget this drama and pick something else to watch instead.
Oh, one last thing before I end my One Boat, One World review. This drama has an element of racism being depicted. It stereotypes Westerners as racist which I think is unnecessary. I know racism happens in real life but the way it is projected in the drama is just overdone. It feels forced rather than being smoothly blended into the story if it is indeed integral to the plot. Overall, One Boat, One World just falls drastically short for an enjoyable watch.
I totally agree – I was disappointed in the weak character of Tian Yue and for me this was established in the first episode. Sounds like it is not going to get any better. Paired with Zhang Han was a disappointment.
Agree. Most disappointed in this character. Kept watching to see whether there would be a twist and that the real leading female would be Annie Chen. One thing to be silly and dumb, but this character had no personality, nothing endearing; just a vapid, selfish creature. I love Zhang Han but cannot watch this to the end.
I totally agree! Just couldn’t stand the female lead’s character. I too have reached 14th episode n feel like giving up. Just skipping to the scenes of Zhang Han. Wished the writers could have sketched out a more likeable female lead character.