Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating Review
Danmei Web Novel Review: Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating by Jiàng Zi Bèi
The Story
Jing Huan is a handsome young university student whose favorite cousin, Liang Ran has encountered some problems. While dating in an online game she was accused of being a mistress and attempting to ruin someone else’s relationship. This leads to her being harassed online. She ultimately decides to delete her game account, take a break and leave the country for a while.
Jing Huan is livid. While plotting ways to avenge her he learns that she's not the only one having relationship problems. Lu Wenhao is Jing Huan’s friend and former dorm mate. The boy recently found out that his online girlfriend is actually an older man and he’s devastated. This gives Jing Huan the not so brilliant idea to catfish his cousin’s former online lover. The plan is to pretend to be a girl then seduce and swindle him before finally revealing that he’s a man so that the other boy will be heartbroken.
He investigates the situation himself and learns that her ex-boyfriend is known as Yearning For. Yearning For is one of the game's top players, but when they meet in the game he’s nothing like the rumors say. Yearning For does not act like the womanising scumbag he’s supposed to be.
Jing Huan also instantly makes enemies in the game, because the account he bought has a notorious reputation. It turns out that his plan won’t be that easy to accomplish after all.
Who’s it for?
Try this danmei if you’re in the mood for a light, modern romantic comedy. Fans of online gaming might like it as a large chunk of the story occurs in a game with the rest of it taking place in a university setting. The comedy is on point and the second hand embarrassment is real. Jing Huan gets himself into so many ridiculous situations that it's hard to look away from.
The Downsides
This story is fueled by misunderstandings. Many of the conflicts that occur could have been avoided through basic communication skills. Asking more questions or allowing the other person to finish their sentences could have solved several problems. Misunderstandings are common in romantic comedies but too many of them can get tiresome. I don’t think this web novel crosses the line into being too annoying though.
The bigger problem is how shallow and prejudice the story is. It’s blink and you’ll miss it but the gender stereotypes, colorism and fatphobia are in there. The main character’s views about how women are supposed to look, sound and behave are a bit insulting to women.
The fatphobia is probably the easiest thing to spot. When Yearning For's friend tries to trick Jing Huan about the other boy’s appearance he uses a picture of a short, fat dark skinned man with glasses. Then there’s the way Lu Wenhao is always made to be the butt of the joke. He’s the one who got catfished by an old man in the beginning of the story. The one whose heartache only matters to Jing Huan because it gives him an idea about how to get revenge for his cousin. Lu Wenhao's cries are compared to the squealing of a pig. His friends also compare him to pigs and cows. These things are played off as jokes, but it all feels mean-spirited to me.
The Romance
The relationship is built on lies so it’s kinda messy. Jing Huan spends a lot of time chasing Yearning For. At first it’s with impure motives but genuine feelings develop over time.
I appreciate the way Jing Huan handles his feelings once he realizes what’s going on. I also like that the male lead is not a psychopath. It’s nice to take a break from the psycho male lead trope sometimes.
Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating is a lighthearted read. Try it, you may like it.