Audacious proposal but deeply flawed. Hua Yong is such a memorable character!
How astonishing is it that we got a CHINESE Omegaverse BL ?! It was on the 2025 bingo card of no-one and still here we are...Kudos to the production team and cast for this wild proposal.Having said that, was it fully successful? Unfortunately, no. There were a lot of issues with this series and if I can give flowers for the daring choice to bring to light that relatively obscure universe, I cannot go past through some fundamental issues that hindered my enjoyment of the story overall.
There are some major issues :
- Pacing is atrocious. The series spent a tremendous amount of time on business talks rather than on the relationships progression.
- The secondary relationship is frustrating and has little to no screentime to the point I'm left to ponder if the series would not have been better without it.
- Ending is a real let down (and even more a deception for the ones that were fan of the secondary relationship).
There are also some minor flaws :
- The series does a commendable job explaining the lore as I found it pretty clear while being a complete newbie on the topic (beside just having watched Pit Babe). However, it felt a bit too much like a tutorial than really well interleaved into the story.
- Some of the special effects linked to the genre (the marking, the scent...) as well as the few fighting / action scenes felt really cheap and poorly executed.
- Casting is a mixed bag : Huang Xing (playing Hua Yong) is clearly the MVP of the series. He literally carry the show on his shoulders. It is a shame that I cannot say the same for his three costars that ranged from average to mediocre in terms of acting skills...
Of course, not everything is negative and there are quite a bit of positive as well.
- Following the series while it was airing was really entertaining.
- The universe in itself was quite interesting, even if I am still on the fence on some aspects. It was intriguing and felt fresh to me.
- Hua Yong character with his unhinged and obsessive love was amazing !
- Chemistry was quite good with the main couple. Even if I feel they tamed down some of the NSFW scenes, passion and feelings were quite believable.
Given all its flaws, I would not necessarily recommend this to people unless you are a fan of the genre and want to see it live-action. With a better pacing, less useless business stuff, more consistent storyline for the secondary couple and overall better writing, the quality of the series would have drastically increased.
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Series that wouldn't exist if every character got therapy
Or alternatively: Man Has A Crush For 15 Years & Makes It Everyone's ProblemHoly shit this was a freaking rollercoaster. I don't even know how to properly start this review???
Okay let me begin by saying that this is my first ever ABO/mpreg media I've watched. And it is a wild experience and what really helped me was doing some research (lol) into what ABO actually means and entails.
Knowing that history really helps see what the tropes are, how characters act and how sometimes it gets subverted.
The story was pretty good in the beginning but the ending really flopped. The story also got complicated by bad editing: the flashback scenes were sometimes hard to distuingish and in episode 14/15 they suddenly use a voiceover/narrator which felt really lazy. It was a prime example of telling vs. showing and it really ruined the vibe and the feel, which is a real shame since the overall production value up till then was quite high.
The casting was done great and I really liked the actors. I wish we'd gotten more scenes about Shen Wenlang's family since there's a whole weird complicated backstory with his two dads. I also thought the introduction of the random cousin of HY was so unnecessary and didn't make sense to me at all except for serving to show that HY wants to start a family.
A family which he would very eagerly abandon fyi !
Luckily SSY doesn't die so the family stays together but wtaf man, it is exactly something Edward from Twilight would do - kill the child/himself to be with Bella...sigh
As for my review title: if you watch it you'll agree. Holy crap those characters are messed up but each in their own unique way that hinders them to form healthy relationships. HY and SSY definitely don't have a healthy relationship in the beginning and even at the end I'm kind of like 'wow i cant believe these two are together'...of course on the other hand if they weren't together they would be wreaking all kinds of havoc on the world so maybe it's for the best that these 2 fcking freaks are married. And Gao Tu and Shen Wenlang...don't get me started. The ending was absolutely ridiculous. The fact that SWL doesn't even know GT's relationship with his dad is just so telling. Most people would start to pick up on that if they had been friends for 10 years. Of course GT is excellent at keeping everything secret so maybe it's a bit unfair to blame SWL.
But when I tell you I screamed when GT and his son reappeared on the screen??? I FK SCREAMED!!!!
I don't think I would watch this again since the pace is kind of all over the place and the chemistry is just not enough to keep me coming back. All in all, if you want to watch a new kind of drama and are into the omegaverse you should watch this!
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2Overall, I loved the series.
I had read the original novel, so I knew roughly what to expect, and I was very surprised at how well it had been adapted. It preserved the essence of the original work and was wonderfully transformed into a live-action format.
The only negative for me was the last episode, as the short running time meant that some scenes were left out that I would have liked to see on screen, thanks to the excellent work of the actors and directors.
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we could’ve had it all
honestly, i really enjoyed desire but my rating is simply because of the ending. the production team had every chance to give us a better ending for gao tu and wen lang and they ruined it. i’ve seen some people mention the manga to lessen the blow but unfortunately i could care less. the pacing was always off but choosing to wrap upthis whole drama in under an hour and give us no real “happy” ending was a choice. at the bare minimum we deserve a special episode but i know we won’t get it.
anyway, the best part of the last ep was just hua yong as always..
oh and i’m not saying don’t watch this drama but just be prepared for a horrible and rushed ending!
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Not As Expected_Not recommended...There are many better BL series compared to this
Its getting worst due to main lead with every passing episode. I would have dropped it by now but watching for second pair only.I have to revise this review and overall rating as well. It think story is deteriorating every new episode, specially of main couple. Its getting worse. I am only watching for second lead couple and specifically skipping to second couple part of episode. I hope second lead are paired as main couple in any new series.
I started this with high hopes, specially with new ides of Omegas and Alpha but as series progressed it started disappointing me. Honestly story of main couples seems boring and does not even look like love story to began with. Its more like forced love and full of lies.
However I am only impressed by story of Gao Tu and Shen. I think their story should have been main story line with more screen time. I see this only for them and their story otherwise main character story is disappointing.
They need to learn from "Revenged Love" Series.
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Addictive & Unique with Toxic Red Flags
This is my first uncensored BL and with it being an omegaverse, I can definitely say it was a wild ride.POSITIVE:
- Black flag male lead. More than a red flag, Hua Yong was the unhinged, possessive, manipulative, sexy, toxic, unpredictable, multi-layered character that I love to watch. It’s extremely rare to find a lead like him and he has easily become one of my all time favourites.
- Main lead’s relationships. The chemistry, development and execution of the scenes such as the lie reveal and forgiveness were done fantastic. From beginning till the end, their story was captivating and fun to watch.
- Unique concept. The omegaverse made this hella interesting with the pheromones, ruts, heats and all that. In the past I’ve been a big fan of werewolves so it was relatively easy to understand the concept.
- Relationship pairs. One of my favourite things was the unusual pairings. The seemingly masculine men turned out to be the “wives” while the more gentle and lean looking turned out to be the husbands. The angst between the couples was great too!
- Fight scenes. They were absolutely a ridiculous clown show and guess what. I was entertained SO MUCH. Yes, if you crack me up that much, I’ll put you in the positive pile.
NEGATIVE:
- Second couple - a massive wasted potential. Their development was non-existent. From the start till the end it was the same miscommunication again and again and again and again. Their ending was extremely unsatisfying, especially having learnt from others how it was in the novel. I don’t know why the writers couldn’t spare at least 5 minutes for them to have a normal conversation and lay out their feelings. Their open ending was a poor choice and it made me feel like their relationship was a waste of a watch. There was no regret, no reflection of the consequences of their choices. No proper backstory of why Shen Wenlang was so hostile (I only learnt bits and pieces from novel readers). Don’t get me started on the zero brain cells this man had. If they had inserted a flashback of him having a head trauma, it would have made more sense why he was the dumbest, of the dumbest, of the dumbest characters ever.
- Voice over narration. It was very out of place and made the scenes comical rathar than emotional.
- Bad editing.
- R*pe scenes a.k.a unexpected rut/heat encounters. These sensitive scenes were not done with care and their execution was extremely poor. Again, I had to learn from novel readers why some things were the way they were to make it easier to stomach this.
- Ending. It was very rushed, too much black to fade transitions that make the episode super choppy and of course, the second couple’s unfinished storyline made it VERY unsatisfying.
OVERALL:
I’m glad I gave this drama a chance because I was hooked from the very first minute of episode 1. Watching this while airing (1 episode a week) was absolute torture and it made it very addictive and obsessed. I loved the concept of mpreg, the character’s dynamics, and of course Hua Yong, who was the star of the show for me. The last few episodes did lose some steam, still up until the finale it was a solid 9.5. But the ending made me lower my rating, which is a shame. Choices were made and they were poor. Having said that, it was still an enjoyable ride. I recommend this and hope to see more cdramas like this (in terms of concept and characters).
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WHAT WAS THIS?? Huge potential - wasted opportunity
well well well,TDR.: Haven´t laughed so hard in a very long time - the thing is, this isn`t supposed to be a comedy. As Omegaverse enjoyers we were very dissapointed at times, disgusted at most. We wanted to see men pregnant, but not like this.
**
Two words. Hua Yong: why was he invented?? Back in our days there was no "Enigma" and we didn´t need that as well. The whole show would have been so much better if it would have focused on Goa Tus storyline.
Everytime he came (haha) on screen we hated every moment. We questioned our life choices. How can a character be such a bitch ass slut liar??? We hate and love him at the same time, like a drug we can´t get clean from. But you can not convince us that this was a love story...lies, blackmail, gaslighting, grape, identity theft, manipulation.... pack it up bro
The acting was atroucious - no emotions were shown... no shade, but they had only one singular expression on their face to work with. The fight scene reminded us of the power rangers and the time Mr. Shen fell out of the window I fell out of my chair from laughing.
The most heartbreak happened at the last five minutes, there was hope, but it was taken from us. The end was rushed and left unanswered so many questions. WHY THE FUCK IS MR. SHEN IN PRISION??? He lost soooo many aura points when he was banging on the doors like a minecraft golem -
One thing: WHY were they reading the same fucking book the whole fucking show???? Like couldn´t they afford more props??
But still: a thank you: this was a true bonding experience and wonderful introduction into asian drama series.
Lots of love,
V&S
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The BEST on it's own
When you aren't omegaverse fan but become obsessed with omegaverse series is something that i've never imagined it in my life .a perfect CAST that made me fall in love with all the 4 male leads (huang xing , qiu dingjie , ocean jiang , seekyli )
their beauty and their acting and the way they protrayed their role perfectly and making me be obsessed with them is all what i need and the story that's more unique than i expected it would be .
nothing is perfect and the only thing that made me worried was the editing team despite the hardwork of the actors and the author but this didn't affect me at all to love the series and being my favourite bl .
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The series is just a bombshell!!
The drama is just perfect. Chemistry between the couple alpha and enigma are justIt's unreal.🫠❤️ I'm watching just for them. Even though the enigma and the red flag, he never never physically hurt his alpha.Yes, he's obsessed, but all he wanted was for his love to love him back, and for them to be together. History Alphas and omega are typical. Omega is in love unrequitedly, She gets pregnant and runs away. And all because he made up something for himself there. You love his, how will he understand if you don't say it yourself? Stories like this are always surprising. He made it up, was offended himself, and ran away himself. He didn't try to be together at all, he never tried to confess.If none of them takes a step to be together how will they be together? Alpha is always jealous, and omega is always silent, well, what a couple.🙃 That's why I liked the enigma×alpha couple, at least someone makes a move to be together. Sometimes love is a It's not perfect, but love is love. I can't wait for Alpha to get pregnant.😩🔥 Enigma will be overjoyed. 😏😆Was this review helpful to you?
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Bad editing, depiction of forced toxic relationship. (EDIT)
Overall thoughts:I always like to watch something new and exciting, this being the first omega verse live action i couldn't miss it. It did make me angry though many times so i cannot rate it too high.
genres should be: Thriller, psychological and possibly Stockholm syndrome towards the end due to the forced permanent marking.
Manipulation, hidden identity, cheating, stalking, verbal abuse, classism, grape (multiple), coercion, power imbalance, psychological abuse, physical abuse, Love trapping by force, love trapping with pregnancy ( victim didn't know he could get pregnant and therefore was in denial, partner new this and didn't care to help him come to terms and make his own decisions).
Pretty sure second male lead is a psychopath as he doesn't appear to be able to feel or express love - its more like possession, jealousy, control and dominance. He shows no guilt for his crimes and no remorse. Does not comfort or support his partner without some form of pheromone warfare. No communication or full explanations offered for his actions. Keeps his partner in the dark about his true intentions.
EP 1-3:
So far this is very exciting, we have two couples with hidden identities. The enigma in disguise as an Omega to woo an alpha is intriguing, this would mean the dynamics would completely change as the enigma goes from shy, delicate omega with manipulative tendency to full on dominant enigma with irresistible pheromones to overpower the S class alpha who has always up to this point been the top dog.
The moody alpha and the Omega disguised as Beta will be a rocky journey as this alpha HATES omegas. The omega does everything he can to hide his true identity with risk to his health. I am looking forward to how this couple develop and how the moody alpha can be swayed to the omegas arms.
This is a very fresh take on the BL genre pushing the boundaries of gender roles and biology in this fantasy ABO world. It takes some time to go an look up the rules of omega verse otherwise this could very much confuse you. The dynamics are very diverse with the mention of an alpha female and omega male couple coming in future episodes which is something not often appearing in even the omega verse literature.
The acting a pace are really good, Elliot is fantastic as the beautiful, manipulative enigma. The cast perfectly match their roles, i hope to see more ABO series in the future!
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EDIT: I started at 8.5, I knew what i was getting into with this being omegaverse and more of a 'predator/prey' than a romance however I don't know why they made the forced heat cause Mr Sheng to just go unconscious, They could have him acting on more desperation and showing more need for his partner like we saw the very first time he went into an alpha Rut. When he is forced into Heat by the enigma, he just acts sedated which is hard to watch as it is very date r**e and S/A. I know they could have done better with this to lighten the load but we instead got full on sedation and S/A. (Yes we know Mr sheng uses omegas like a toy but this does not mean his being assaulted is ok).
I am also not feeling any genuine love from Hua Yong at the point of ep 8, the actor is doing a great job but it comes across as fully dominant even when he's faking it, I fail to feel any warmth from him towards Mr sheng except that he wants him for a toy that he had an eye on for years. It has crossed over the line too far into obsession which is blocking out any genuine feelings of love. I cannot rate this higher because of these points, it just doesn't feel right. I read the book and it was much easier to digest as Mr. sheng is depicted as 'giving in' and welcoming the onslaught instead of just laying there unconscious (this is still very S/A and doesn't redeem it much but it lightens the tone slightly).
(S/A is always wrong and lowers my liking for dramas)
EDIT ON EP 9:
The direction and editing are really off. Shen Wen Lang was supposed to be drunk out of his mind when finding Gao Tu but he seemed completely sober yet still failed to recognise him in a brightly lit room. They could have shown him stumbling around following the scent and getting more and more intoxicated but it was just so rushed. The main couple scene was also very rushed and behind a heavy filter which is more censoring than I've seen from most BL dramas, we could hardly see anything and it was just a couple of lines of dialogue for the most part. I also wanted to see Sheng Shao You fight back more, i loved the punch but i needed to see him fighting more before being subdued.
Mr sheng is being treated like a sex toy by hua yong - after he grapes him, sheng wakes up at home feeling violated and seeking comfort from his partner but hes no where to be found and instead there's a note that he has given his body to get the cancer curing drug for Mr sheng and that he is 'breaking up with him'. This is emotional torture and abuse along with physical assault. There is no point in this drama that Mr sheng actually has a choice. He is love trapped by the permanent mark and then baby trapped which is even worse as he's in denial that its really happening. This sounds like literal torture! imagine if he was a woman.
At the end of ep 9 Hua Yong arranges to meet with Sheng Shao You to pass over the cancer curing drug or something, but when this happens i want Hua Yong to see how injured Sheng shao you is and feel guilty but they probably wont go that far. It seems alot of the direction for this show has the actors being cold towards each other. If hua yong is supposed to care deeply for sheng shao you then why is he so unfazed whenever he sees the physical damage he caused him and emotional damage from messing with his pheromones and mind.
Ep 10:
Not a bad episode, except the special effects being cheap with the Styrofoam concrete. Its good to see Hua Yong suffer here even though its still hard to believe as he is so fake towards Sheng, who knows what's real and what isn't? The build up to the 'reveal' was lacking and if i don't see Sheng still pushing back and being difficult in the next ep imma throw hands at the director. This is the opportunity for Sheng to show his dominant side and make us see why Hua Young felt he had to work so hard to trap Sheng. Its the time for a bit of role reversal with Hua Yong begging sheng with apologies and explanations.
ep 12:
The fighting scene at the beginning is so poorly acted its just atrocious, when hua yong comes to permanently mark sheng, he shows no sadness or emotions at all! Hes not even worried for him, his face is literally deadpan! Their 'second time' is also non-con as Mr sheng is completely drugged out of his mind and practically unconscious, there is nothing sexy about watching an unconscious person being used. even though sheng says he wants hua yong, hes not in his right mind and this makes it non-con.
I'm disappointed that they didn't show sheng as being more alert, it comes across as very uncomfortable to watch. Its like his ability to make choices is removed as soon as he is marked.
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There are two important parts of the novel that weren’t shown: from the moment Shaoyu was admitted to the hospital until the birth.
Wulang actually believed that Gao Tu planned for 10 years just for the pregnancy and asked him for money? Why? What was going through his mind? And the video that hwa yong was watching—what was the meaning of that? Also, Guo tu never defended himself. His personality is always overwhelmed, never happy. Always fainted, depressed, suffering, because of pheromones or Wulang’s bad treatment.
And the ending? A quick meeting in an amusement park? No dialogue? Just a five-second scene? Why? I was waiting for this moment the whole series! The series was great, but they ruined it in the end.If I were the writer or director, I would have divided those parts of the novel and placed them appropriately, two episodes before the end, leaving space to heal the relationship between Wulang and Gao Tu. There was no need to rush. The story deserves 20 or 24 episodes, not 16. People loved the series and would have accepted longer episodes.
The director has the power and resources for another episode
Honestly, today they really upset me… 😢😡Yes, they could have made a much better and more beautiful ending than what they gave us. Even if they release special episodes, it won’t make up for it, because they skipped many important stages and cut a lot of the novel’s ending scenes. The series turned into a mess with no clear conclusion.
If there’s a second season without removing the last episode, then it’s pointless in my opinion — the last one was way too messy and completely unorganized.
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