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This one is good and rewatchable
Taiwanese bls dont het the hype they deserve. Some of the best bls if seen come from Taiwan. I actually appreciate them a little more because they tackle more adult characters and story lines. This was an intersting bl and I liked the dynamic of them being friends for decades not realizing or at least confessing until well into their careers. I hadnt seen it in a bl before. The main leads did a great job.Was this review helpful to you?
Enjoyable, but a bit too much side plot that takes away from the stars.
Plus and Minus is interesting as the two main leads have been high school friends. They now live and work together. Usually in BLs, either they love in high school, or they meet later in life. This makes the story pretty interesting from the start. Most of the characters are enjoyable, and the main couple is extremely attractive. You can tell they care about each other.Overall, the drama is fine, but spends too much time on the character's jobs instead of the relationships. This does make the story more realistic but less interesting. Maybe I am more excited for the love aspect rather than the divorce lawyer job aspect but I wish this was less detailed so their love could shine more. I ended up fast-forwarding a good part of the series.
When they do have couple moments its all really good. The kisses are very passionate and they look amazing. The ending was a little annoying but it was resolved so its good.
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Nice but average BL but still I enjoyed.
I think this series is not really keeping up with top-tier Taiwanese BLS out there. I feel like it has its own thing. The two main leads portraying as Zhe Zheshou and Fu Li Gong made me enjoy the series, them alone. I think I have issues with the flashbacks. I thought it would have been good if it's mix well within the first ep. I thought that without those two handsome male leads the scene felt dry and not that exciting. The second couple, uhmmm, nah not a fan of it. They're just unnecessary and lacking. They're my least likable second BL couple ever. Okay moving on. I found it dissatisfied to see Boris Wang rarely like bitch come on he's so eye-catching to look at. I don't care if he's just a supporting character but I would rather have him partnered with other actor and replace the second couple.The surprising cameos were nice. Not really expecting anything but I'm glad they're there. I'm conflicted with the feelings of both Zheshou and Li Gong. I thought it took years just for them to date each other. It's weird that Zeshou acted surprised when he saw the keychain in the little box hid by Li Gong. I don't think it doesn't make any sense knowing in EP 12.5 they both have it already. The blind dates are ridiculous, I don't even know why the hell they advised each other to plan double blind dates each other.
I'm okay with Nikita being like a love guru to the two main couples but when she dated Li Gong I was turned off and taken aback. It's just so downright weird . I thought that is best left as a concept rather than execution. I hate how sometimes Li Gong just broke up with Zeshou. It's so unfair for Zeshou knowing his mother just passed away and his father being indifferent about their same-sex relationship. I thought that just made it hard for me to sit through. Eversince that thing dropped one by one, I just can't help but have pity towards Zeshou. Besides the negative sides of this series I enjoy it.
I never expect anything I'm just enjoying the screen time of the two male leads. Overall this was a nearly decent but still mediocre series
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Not terrible...
but not great either.Gong was such a monotone character. No matter what was happening, happy or sad, he acted the exact same throughout the show. We were supposed believe he'd been in love with his best friend forever basically, but it just never came across to me that he had this intense love or passion. The only time I believed anything he was conveying was the love scene in the very last episode. The music ruined most scenes as well.
The side couple had more chemistry and better acting, but unfortunately their story was just as boring as the rest of the show.
I feel if this was actually shortened by half it would be an enjoyable bite-sized BL, but 12 episodes where almost nothing happens? I don't see myself coming back. I really wanted to love this!
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This review may contain spoilers
A Fiery BL Romance between Lawyers
Overall, I thought this show was quite creative and I quite enjoyed it (in spite of the crappy writing near the end of the show starting from episode 8).Positives
- The co-stars did a great job conveying the feelings of their characters.
- The first and second episodes were hilarious. I enjoyed Zheng's plan for rejecting blind dates.
- Episode 12 was well-written from the dialogue to the story to the setting, etc. It was likely the series' best episode by far (aside from Episode 13 (the special/extra)).
- Episode 13 was very enjoyable. I especially appreciated Zheng's character growth in the episode. It was funny and added a comical aspect to the show that bumped my rating from 7.0 to 7.5.
- Lots of skinship/kissing/contact. You see this a lot in Taiwanese BL but it is always more enjoyable compared to JBLs and KBLs as they tend to do away with much of the skinship.
- Great acting from the fathers of the co-stars. Especially appreciated the supportive nature of Fu's Dad.
- The story was good, made sense and was decently enjoyable.
- The music was catchy and well-suited to many scenes in the series. Opening theme was quite good too.
Areas for Improvement
- Chemistry was weak for the side couple (Kato Yuki and Jian Yingze). Did not enjoy their relationship as much as the main co-stars. Did not like that it felt like Yuki forced Jian into a relationship either; seemed forced and was too fast. Yuki was far too aggressive. This was unrealistic writing.
- As others have pointed out, the lighting in the camping episode was very off. It made it hard to watch.
- The owner of the bar was a bad character cliche. Did not enjoy her character though I thought she did a good job partly getting Zheng and Fu to realise they ought to be together.
- The sister did not have much of a role to play in anything besides the first few episodes. She deserved more as a female character in the show.
- I think the flashbacks were good for adding context to the show especially when it comes to how Fu's love for Zheng started but I think it lacked a lot of development. It was not developed well enough for us to see how Fu actually came to love him.
Suggestions?
- The side couple was unnecessary. It felt like they did it to only increase the show's screen time (same goes for the break-up).
- The break-up felt unnecessary because it was based off of a cliche and did nothing to make the show more enjoyable; another fight/argument between the two would've been better if they were looking to implement conflict.
- The support characters could've played more important roles in the story, they were largely quite 2-dimensional.
- Could have added more flashbacks that focused on Fu's growing love for Zheng; perhaps the 18th birthday was the largest contributor but it was not good enough for me.
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A sweet, feel-good BL that was way better than expected
I'm typically not the biggest fan of the childhood friends to lovers trope, but this series somehow just got it really right.I had a lot of fun watching this show, and rooted for the main characters and the side couple to get together the whole time.
I was tuned into the sentimental moments, but also the fun ones.
Watching it made me feel like a lot of love went into creating this show and I absolutely appreciate it.
I can see myself revisiting this show, and recommending it to my friends.
I think it'd actually be a great show to get people into BL.
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Plus Cameos, Minus Chemistry
This show was the epitome of aight. The stories didn't really grip me, the couples were both okay. This show just wasn't really memorable, except for the numerous cameos from other actors in it. Which was hilarious, considering I reacted outrightly stronger to seeing them than anything going on in this shows plot! I saw Aaron and Hank from 'Be: Loved in House' which I loved. I saw Charles from 'HIStory 4' which was a callback to him working in the wedding industry. And finally WAYNE and HUANG from 'HIStory 3: Make our days count' which as many know is one of my favorite BL's ever. I almost cried seeing them, what random appearances by all of these guys! Either way, this show is worth a watch but there's much better Taiwanese shows out there to binge.Was this review helpful to you?
Where’s the Sizzle?
Just my opinion, there’s no chemistry unlike Beloved in House I Do.. They tried to correct the formula with the main pair falling in love early on. But the problem is the main pair’s chemistry is just not there….The most interesting among the main actors for me is Yuki. With his long luxurious locks and sweet smile, He has this quiet lovable charm like that of Shi Lei. But where is his Yu Zhen? Or the confident mature shop owner, Yan Zhao? I’m sad to say that his Jian Ying Ze has little redeeming value except for his daughter. I wanted to ship Yuki to Fuli Gong.
With the soundtrack similar to Beloved, I kept missing Shi Lei and Yu Zhen. And this is not good for a series if I am thinking of another one
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Positive multiplied by Negative is equal to Negative
Each show has its own pros and cons, some overcome it but some don't. Just like how Plus & Minus started up in a good run but began to stumble in the middle and failed to re-sprint in a recovery state.A BL roaming around the field of law is quite fresh yet the storyline ruins the chance of it to be unique and memorable. The vibe has a lot of similarities to the previous BLs I’ve watched such as Beloved in House: I Do and HIStory 4: Close to you, that loses the spark of the show to cater its own impact. Nevertheless, one thing I’m grateful for this show is by reuniting some of the prominent characters from the other famous Taiwan BLs. Seeing them made me reminisce about their own story from their respective shows.
Connecting the title to the two couples, I must say that Plus goes to the main one and the Minus goes to the second pair. The lack of chemistry between the side couple and the nuisance acting along with the baby girl is a cringe. I skipped their scenes since it mostly distributes an uninteresting flow of story.
Fortunately, the main couple saves it but it isn't enough to save the whole show. That accidental kiss on the sofa was the only romantic scene I adore from them and the rest are pure plainness. The downfall of the show starts on EP07, all episodes prior to this one are good ones. Then I began to get really bored of the later episodes. Nevertheless, the finale was fine. Helding a wedding ceremony is a good execution not only for romance but also for showcasing the legalization of same sex marriage to their country, Taiwan.
Ending this with a positive statement that the Plus and Minus pendant is so cute!
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Mas o que realmente me conquistou foi a história do casal secundário Yuki e Ying Ze. Yuki é um personagem muito sensível e perceptivo, conseguindo entender rapidamente as emoções e os sentimentos das pessoas ao seu redor. Amei como ele percebe os sentimentos de Cheng Ze Shou e Fu Li Gong antes mesmos que eles percebam. Amei a maneira sutil como ele conquistou Ying Ze, um pai solteiro reservado que leva uma vida comum cuidando do seu negócio e dividindo a custódia de sua filha. Novamente temos dois atores que estão muito à vontade juntos e dão vida a dois personagens muito sensíveis.
Amei como os relacionamentos homoafetivos são aceitos com naturalidade, sem nenhum drama pesado, sem nenhum estereotipo, exatamente como deveria ser.
PS: A beleza de Zheng Qi Lei já havia me conquistado em Kiseki: Dear to Me. Foi ótimo vê-lo como ator principal da série! 😍😍😍
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The chemistry between the actors is soo good. Why didn't I find it earlier??!! I regret finding it, this late.
Every interaction between the main characters especially after confirming their relationship left butterflies in my stomach. From deep kisses to light ones they are electrifying.
I recommend everyone to watch it.
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Amazing Show!
Such a sweet show!One thing that bugged me was the fight scene....how did Fu Ligong single handedly take on all the men with baseball bats....? Other than this, I loved the show. I also loved the surprise cameo by a couple from another show (did not play the characters from the other show, but a new couple- so awesome)!
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