ABO Desire (2025)

A flawed experiment that dared to dream — and changed the landscape of Chinese BL forever.

Omega verse… from China? Are you kidding me? No one could have imagined this would actually happen..... yet here we are. ABO Desire is groundbreaking simply for existing, and I’m rating it higher purely because of that bold step. It’s not every day you see a Chinese production daring enough to touch the Omegaverse genre, and that in itself feels like a huge leap for the BL community there. Credit where it’s due: Desire 4 deserves genuine appreciation for creating the first ever alpha-beta-omega-enigma dynamic in the Chinese entertainment industry. The courage to introduce such a world, one so layered with power structures, instincts, and emotional intensity — is commendable. I’m truly thankful to the entire team for pushing those creative boundaries and making it possible.

That said, if we strip away the excitement of the genre itself and focus purely on the series’ execution, the flaws become impossible to ignore. The editing was choppy, the pacing rushed, and the direction uneven. Certain emotional beats didn’t have the time to settle — everything felt like it was constantly hurrying toward the next scene. The final episode was especially disappointing, as the LangTu couple’s arc was cut and edited so poorly that it lost all impact. I was genuinely looking forward to their story, and seeing it reduced that way was frustrating.

Still, I can’t help but appreciate the ambition. For a first attempt at such a sensitive and technically challenging concept, the cast and crew gave it their all. The actors clearly put in effort — you can feel their sincerity, even when the production quality doesn’t always support it. I only wish the team had worked with a more experienced director and editor, because the raw potential here could have turned into something exceptional with the right guidance.

So yes ...... while ABO Desire falters in its storytelling and editing, it deserves recognition for its bravery. It broke barriers, opened new creative possibilities, and made people talk. I’m thankful to Desire 4 for giving this genre a voice in China, and I genuinely hope their next project builds on this foundation with stronger direction, tighter editing, and the same fearless spirit.

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Just another review

This was my first experience with the Omegaverse genre. Very fascinating world. I thought this series had potential, but it didn’t quite hold up.

Some scenes felt drawn out or unnecessary, for example, the meal scenes where very little dialogue or plot development occurred. They ate a bite and just nodded. I'm like okay, and? I’m also not a fan of the trope where one character manipulates another into falling in love. I would’ve preferred if Hua Yong had taken on more protective role behind the scenes, allowing Sheng Shao’s feelings to develop naturally. I understand he already does some of that but then the story leaned heavily on Hua Yong creating false scenarios and playing the victim, which left me frustrated and disappointed, especially knowing that Sheng Shao would inevitably forgive him. I just couldn't root for them.

The second lead storyline was what kept me watching. While Jiang Heng’s acting wasn’t the strongest, I enjoyed his interactions and chemistry with Gao Tu. I was really looking forward to seeing his reaction once he discovered his omega’s identity, but the show rushed through it, and Gao Tu just ran away, only to reappear briefly in the final episode for a quick hug. That ending felt disappointing and incomplete. I felt robbed TBH with all that waiting.

Unfortunately, I left feeling disappointed with this series. I would not watch it again but I'm grateful for a Chinese originated BL.

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An unfortunate let-down of a much-anticipated novelty

I have to start off by saying there's a lot of valid criticism for ABO in the first place. A lot of the time it seems like an attempt of straight women to eroticize the abuse by men against women by using feminine gay bottoms as a proxy to not feel personally victimized by it. That's always been off-putting to me because I will never understand why women, who are so often assaulted by men, would find the fantasy of it hot and want to be dominated by men without the ability to not consent as in the ABO universe.
Having said that, if you're going to do an interpretation of The most stereotyping genre of fiction then you have to do justice to its base archetypes. Call me a tradjoshi but I don't want to see the alpha and omega being of the same height and proportions, the sub-genders being reversible (since when was that ever an option in ABO) or the omega-looking and acting enigma turning into an alpha top. In that case what is even the point of even making up such normative sub-genders? So I suppose my main gripe with the show is the writing and the source material itself which defeated the whole premise of having these supposedly fixed sub-genders and their innate traits and came across as very unconvincing and all over the place.
I would have loved to have seen a powerful secretly independent dominant omega who has the alpha wrapped around his finger with his charms (and pheromones) alone rather than what we got: an all-powerful, borderline sociopathic, manipulative, r*pist 'enigma' turned alpha who was simultaneously too gentle, poised and feminine to take him seriously in that role, again considering the very distinct rules of the ABO verse.
The r*pe scene (or should I say scenes?)Is what killed any interest I had had for the show. Because there is a way to make dubious consent at least somewhat tolerable and sensual in ABO by making the alpha and omega so overcome by their hormones, pheromones and cycles that they mutually cannot resist each other. In this case though, particularly between the main couple the enigma just r*pes the alpha who is not in his right mind because of the heat the enigma artificially started in him, who thinks the enigma is a stranger and verbally says he does not want it. Amidst all the boring business jargon and pointless plotlines, this moment is when the show really took a dive for the worst. The enigma's acting as a top wasn't believable either and the alpha looked visibly uncomfortable with being the bottom till the end so their whole dynamic was just stilted and weird.
Li Pei (aka Gao Tu) was the only good actor in this show but to be honest I didn't find the chemistry between Gao Tu and the alpha good enough or their story compelling enough to want to see a continuation of it. Not a fan of the bigot and his victim becoming lovers trope either. Overall such a let-down of a show which seemed quite promising. Still, I have to commend the showrunners for getting this made at all despite CCP’s hideous homophobic censorship and will be looking for better gay media from China in the future. Would love to see proper gl as well.

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A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

I must confess that I knew nothing, and I mean nothing, about the world of Omegaverse especially as it pertains to the BL genre. I found, overall, this diegesis confusing and the dynamics of the plot messy, empty, and frankly hard to follow. However, that is not the only reason why I so intensely disliked this series. It is a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’, which I detested even more. Whether one likes to admit it or not, this story is filled with pervasive ugly bullying, abuse of all various kinds, toxic masculinity, rape, rampant sociopathic personality disorders, over-the-top arrogance, and perceived entitled overindulgence. Why is all this not seen? Because of the stunningly handsome men who sugar-coat it with wit, charm, astonishing good-looks (eye-candy), and persuasive discourse. In a sense, these super-rich guys can do no wrong for the sole reason being the status of who and what they are. If this series had been portrayed with other than handsome men (e.g. pot-bellied, acned-faced, balding with missing teeth middle-aged guys instead), what would our reaction be?

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This serie is sooooo addictive. I watched the first episode and got so addicted that I read the whole novel in 3 days...

First of all, yes it a fucking black flag. Hua Yong is a manipulative psycho. So be aware about it.
Actually, I'm not gonna be that much sad for Sheng ShaoYou. A player getting tricked into becoming head over hells for someone. No fair enough.
We failed you Gao Tu.. I wanted to go in the screen to protect you.
I'm actually sad for Shen Wenlang, yes he is an ass toward Gao Tu. But get in his shoes, Gao Tu, his long time crush - even if he isn't aware of it - is in love with someone else and leaving him for them. Ofc he is gonna hate the smell of this supposed omega.

It's a bit rush toward the end. The show is a great adaptation of the novel. Sadly I expected a little more of Gao Tu, because I wanted more of them in the novel :c They give us a little more but didn't do a proper end

Btw can we not normalize using rut and heat to excuse SA... I know it's omegaverse blablabla but no.

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⭐ 10/10 ⭐
ABO: Desire the Series completely exceeded my expectations. The story is addictive, emotional, and beautifully written. Every episode kept me hooked, and the chemistry between the characters is unforgettable. Sheng Shaoyou, played by Kipuka Qiu, truly stole the spotlight, his acting is raw, powerful, and full of heart. The production, soundtrack, and cinematography are stunning, making the whole drama feel like a masterpiece. This isn’t just a romance, it’s an emotional journey that explores love, pain, and growth. Absolutely worth watching, easily one of the best series of the year!

Sheng Shaoyou team fr 😻
Love all cast tho

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I appreciate the effort, but...

Where I can appreciate a new type of story line in a BL without all the usual tropes and cliches, this show fails on every level on it's own. The universe that this BL takes place in, is interesting, but the execution, characters and acting is dreadful and not entertaining at all. The episodes are super boring and the show drags and is repetitive. I found the actors could seriously be replaced by cardboard cutouts and voice overs and no one would notice. If I have to read a novel first to understand what is going on in a series, then the director is not very good at story telling. I give up. For those that like this show I am honestly happy for you, but for me, this series is not my cup of tea.

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