Kill to Love

Good BL in a bad series

I fell asleep while watching ... Twice, mind you ... I also dozed off a few times and yawned my way through the whole thing.

That's how slow and boring this drama was.

Now I don't want to be unfair, because judging this as a BL, the love story is so good and well excuted also the chemistry was great.
Another thing that influences my judgement is I'm not a huge fan of Wuxia genre, whenever they hug and fly I roll on my couch and laugh like the joker.
I always find them very slow and full of unnecessary twists, I couldn't even finish one of the most loved Chinese bromance/censored BL ever made because of that.
So I knew I wouldn't give this a full mark, yet!! It's only 12 episodes so I was slightly optimistic, that's about the time I usually start to drop them so I thought it'll be safe, and judging by the recent Chinese BLs that are made without censorship, I was too excited ~~

Little did I know...

I won't go into the details because I don't want to get attacked by fans, but I'm giving my two cents here, the drama isn't really as great as edits made it looks, but it's a nice love story if you are a fan of Wuxia genre.

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Was it good to watch..?

My thoughts
About china producing bl drama
1. Chinese drama never disappoint with their production, especially when it comes to historical drama. Even when creating a non main stream genre which is also censored like bl, they gave their utmost sincerity.
2. When other country which mainly focuses on bl series, cuts down the production cost for the bl series, china, who put ban on bl is producing the best bl ancient drama in history.
3. As a person who has been a bl fan even before when the bl genre is main stream. I have watched hundreds of bl drama, thousands of bl novels and manhwas. In which my most fav stories came from china. And so, seeing china produce high end bl gave me extreme happiness
4. As a person who is a deep fan of bl, I watched bl with many tag, and if you are not just a new bl fan or just a bl watcher then you must have read many omegaverse aka abo drama, which even western, thai or any other bl industry hesitate to use was finally used by c bl industry which was extremely perfect.
5. As a person who watched many bl from thai, japanese, koreans, indonasian, Taiwan, western countries. But the satisfaction and affection I felt for those few chinese bl ( in which they turned many into bromance), made them rank no.1 even though thai have most drama and Japan came up with best story and korea have the most varieties.
(PS: I wish china put down their hatred towards bl industry and become more open minded, that those good bl writers from china can finally come in front line.)

About this drama.
1. As I said before an amazing story, good production, exceptional music, talented cast, beautiful costumes even the anime scene were top notch. Usually I always have some part I will point out as disappointed but here nahh.. in every aspects it was perfect. Though may be I will compain about not having 45min of series with 54 episodes.Even if don't have that much scenes still their wasn't any slow pacing of fast pacing in the series. It told the story perfectly in the few minutes.
2. Even when they showed trailer I never expected this much chemistry from the actor and the way portray emotions were the best, especially the top. He pulled of both as green flag and red flag exceptionally well. We can see from his face that how much he adore his love. Which once again proved to me that an best cast can bring the series to a new level. And to be a. Best cats they don't have to be the famous once too... This drama gave the backend actors a chance to be on mainstream.
3. And also when most of dramas in all genre will either drag on with main charector background story or will cut down the story soo much that we will get confused about the whole thing like "wait, what happened exactly". Here they gave perfect portray about both the casts background story without adding extra seasoning nor was it pale. Even the way villain manipulate the whole things between the royal brother was done extremely well.

About the story (extreme spoiler)
MC Top
An assasin from enemy kingdom enters the palace to kil the crown prince who actually killed the assassin's adoptive family. On the way of his escape, he meets the sixth prince who is extremely kind and didn't knew any martial arts and he forces the prince to lie to the pursuing guards by putting knife on the him. Between the conversation, he realised the prince was his childhood friend. And leave becuz of not getting an order to kill the prince just yet. And prince also allows him to escape just because of his kindness of not harming him but giving him his token.
Later in order to find his brother from adoptive family and to take his revenge he approached the sixth prince who is known for his kindness. Then he realises that sixth prince innocents and slowly become close to the prince and finally falls in love with him. And he takes the prince dream as his and dreamed to live an ordinary life with the prince after escaping from the royal turmoils after finding his brother. For that dream he was ready to sacrifice everything including his martial arts and revenge. Later he found his brother with the help of the prince and was ready to escape together.
But the fate had different thoughts. He realised his identity as an enemy kingdoms prince. And before he could confront it truthfully with the prince the unexpected rebel news interrupt their conversation. And he realises that his beloved is going to sacrifice his life for the kingdom and for his brother the crown prince who was also the rebel leader. In order to protect his loved one, he kills the crown prince even though he knew it can make sixth prince hate him because for sixth prince even his family is against him he loved them especially his elder brother who he always looked up on. But in order to protect his loved one he killed the prince. Which in return worsen his relationship with sixth prince who realised his identity as a enemy prince and he was send away by the sixth prince who hoped they should never meet again. And so he was forced to return to his country.
There he took on his role as prince and tried to contact the sixth prince who now become the emperor. He realises for him to get closer to his beloved he need power and become the emperor by killing his own father. Then he began to conquer the continent only to get his loved one. He even begged his beloved to give him a chance to meet but the reply of his complete rejection angers him and he decided to conquer the country of his beloved and took the prince back to his own country. He succeeded in it. But it caused the prince to hate him more.
He tried everything including threat to make the prince submit. And it cracked their relationship more and more. And his worsening health made the situation more complicated. Even against everyone, for the prince to stay with him, he even sends away the war prisoners.
Even though he knew very well that the sudden closeness of the prince is with no good intentions, he played along only for his love and forgiveness becuz he felt extreme guilty about his actions which he though will protect the prince and his dream of ordinary life but in fact the result was exact opposite. He tried to make amends even with his body which is slowly dieing. (Till ep 10)

MC Bottom
As a sixth prince of the country he never wanted the power/throne. His only wish was to clear his relation with his family and leave the royal family to live and ordinary life.
He didn't wanted to fight with his brother who suspected him becuz of the intentional misunderstanding created by the cunning ministers. He didn't want to take revenge on his family who killed his mother and maternal family for power. He only want a ordinary life and planned to escape the palace even it means to fake death or becoming a monk. But all his years of planning to escape got crushed when he met the assasin who tried to kill his brother. When he met the same assassin in the temple who exposed his identity as his childhood friend who saved him once , he took him in, even though he knew this was the same person who was the assassin who tried to kill his brother. Initially, he was suspicious about him and wanted to use him for stabilizing his escape plan but their developing relationships made him change his mind. He even postponed his escape plan so he can protect this friend. He later exposed the persons previous identity as an assassin and forgive him and gave him chance after confirming that he will leave after finding his brother.
Later their relationship as a friend become more than just friend. And he too fell for his friend. He hoped to escape here with his lover after finding the brother of his loved one. He succeeded in finding the brother and was ready to escape.
But his plan got destroyed by his beloved brother who rebelled against the kingdom and killed his father emperor. He was also ready to sacrifice his life so his brother can took the throne. He still hoped to meet the brother who cared about him since childhood and understood him the most. Even when his brother destroyed his hands which only used to play and paint he still didn't have any grudge against his brother who unjustly did everything. But the moment he realised his brother killed his father he knew that their is no going back and he want to die that day. But his lover came between and killed his brother in front of him. And knowing the real identity of the lover made him lose all the trust in his lover. In the end even though he could hill his lover for the betrayal. He let him escape and hoped to never meet again. He then took the position of the emperor unwillingly.
But later he heard his beloved becoming the emperor and beloved that he also become a cruel and ruthless person for power and their enmity increased. When he realised that the enemy kingdom attacked them and their kingdom is going to merge too, he wanted to sacrifice his life but was stopped by his lover who later took him back to the enemy kingdom. There he hated the emperor more and more. Then he begged the emperor for the release of his people from the prison. And he confront the lover about the current situation which was against all his dream which was actually crushed by the person he loved, which made the lover feel extremely guilty. And was surprised to find that later the emperor realised all the prisoner for his forgiveness, which can even put his throne in danger. Later he realises the sacrifice that person done for him and also realises his deep love. Even so he wasn't ready to forgive him for killing his family and destroying his kingdom. He wanted to get closer to the emperor to escape and take revenge. But the process of getting close made him more confused about his feelings and resolutions. (Till ep 10)

Conclusion
This story is about two princes who fell in love with each other. They wanted to live an ordinary life but the fate made them enemy of life. The plots tells their who struggles between love and hate. To tell the truth this is a typical story that we usually see in historical dramas. But seeing a bl version of the story with extremely good budget is another story. So, I watched the series even though I know, highly likely there won't be an happy ending. However much I think nahh.. 90% it's gonna be a sad ending where both of them are going to die. But I hope that 10% chance of happy ending can create a better ending for the series like the younger brother taking the throne and they escape from the kingdoms and live an ordinary life even by faking their death. The chance of this happening is very low by thinking their enmity came to a point where there is no going back and if they bring that ending then all those war and deaths become useless. And it will cause a disappointed towards MC Bottom who indirectly caused the destruction of his country and forgave the destroyer. And other ending which I hope to happen is them being reborn in the modern era and meeting again and starting a new love story. This is the ending I hope to happen but the chance is still low becuz it's chinese drama, where they won't create such a plot only for an happy ending. And so I don't have any hope for an happy ending, I just hope that the ending won't be rushed or unfinished.

All bl fans, watch it. It's good to watch a bl story produced by china. And seeing the real background of noval is showed truthfully in the the series makes me happy. I hope they produce more shows like this...

I completed watching (12 eps)
Should I be happy that how good my instict is or should I sad for how right I was.. whatever it was good and sad ..v

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A Bold Gamble

Hmmm… This is one of those dramas that is tricky to review.

It feels designed for a very niche audience within the rainbow community who would truly appreciate this genre. For a Chinese production, that is a bold gamble. Given the subject matter, the drama is highly unlikely to be broadcast or streamed openly in China . That is a massive domestic market lost at the starting line. Unless you have a VPN, good luck finding it. Well on this matter, I cannot find it streamed anywhere outside of China, except on YouTube.

I cannot help but wonder if the actors knew from day one that this was a BL drama. If they did, hats off for their courage—because the career risks are real. If they did not, well… surprise. Either way, they could face their future projects being blocked in China. Hopefully, they were paid handsomely for taking the plunge, though I doubt anyone is retiring early off this.

On the bright side, the drama does have some strong points. The male lead is exceptionally handsome and delivers a solid performance—his talent deserves much bigger stages. The ending theme song is melodic and the costumes are visually stunning (as Chinese costume dramas rarely fail in this department). The sets look authentic, and the cinematography is commendable.

But now for the less flattering parts.

Firstly, while I am not homophobic, the extended same-gender kisses and sugary displays of affection just did not work for me. Honestly, I would have preferred if Duan Zi-Ang had been written as a female character. That would have made the romance far more convincing in my eyes, being not in the target niche.

Secondly, the story is painfully simplistic. Who would really risk starting a war for a same-gender lover?

Thirdly, the background music was poorly balanced—rather than softening during dialogue, it often competed with their lines.

Lastly, the stiff, awkward acting from much of the supporting cast makes it all falls a little flat. Then again, I have seen Luo YunXi in a much worse drama before (not BL, simply a very poorly produced show with weak co-leads and support cast). Thankfully, he has since risen to become a well-established name, and I remain a fervent fan of his work.

Compared with The Untamed or Word of Honor, which handled BL themes with subtlety and finesse, this one is like a sledgehammer where a paintbrush would have sufficed. The production quality cannot compete either, which only makes the comparison starker.

As for its origins, this drama was produced in China, even if it was distributed in Singapore to dodge the censors. Some fan insists it is “Singaporean” because of the investment. But that is like saying Teslas made in Shanghai are American cars just because Elon Musk is American - by this logic, Trump should have taxed them twice.

If Singapore is indeed becoming the safe harbour for dramas that cannot pass Chinese censors, then please—by all means—give us Immortality next. Fans have been waiting far too long for its release.

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Good storyline

I like the acting,the costumes and the storyline. The 8'th episode is the best one so far,in my opinion. I'm excited to see how the story unfolds. The narrative intertwines a tender romance with a broader struggle for power. The characters don’t just fight for love—they fight for their ideals.

As an bl romance at the center of a wuxia-historical drama, Kill to Love brings rare representation to the genre, treating its central relationship with depth and respect.With only 12 episodes, the pacing remains focused, delivering dramatic arcs that feel both concise and resonant.

Some viewers may find the rapid narrative—especially the climactic, emotionally charged reunion—overshadowing character development in early episodes.
If you're not a fan of court intrigue or wuxia elements, the layers of political maneuvering might feel dense.

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Kill To Love - a perfect title for the drama!

He destroyed everything in his path to get to his Shu He and bring him back!

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Can't believe we actually got a Historical BL Cdrama! Wow...dreams do come true!
The year 2025 is the year of BL chinese dramas!
We got -
Kill To Love (Historical drama)
ABO desire (an actual omegaverse BL Cdrama!)
Revenged Love (my Dawei and Chi Cheng! Miss them so much)

Some of the dialogues of this drama are so beautiful and poetic 😍 makes me wanna print them out and hang up on my walls!

I liked everything about this drama, except that it's only 12 eps! Why 😭😭 I was hoping to get 24 eps like we got for Revenged Love cdrama.
The chemistry is good, and the acting is good too! The editing might seem a bit choppy, but overall, this one is a good drama with a simple enough storyline!
The main leads and their chemistry is absolutely terrific!
And we got ACTUAL KISSING SCENES IN A BL HISTORICAL DRAMA! like actual kisses and not dead fish lips kisses! OMG!!
The actors really looked comfortable doing the scenes and even the behind scenes look really fun!
I always knew that if we didn’t have the ban BL Cdramas would have been ruling the world right now lol! Well we at least got these dramas to satisfy our fantasies!

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The wedding scene was beautifully done 😍 and although it does have a sad ending, I believe this was the only way to end this series for this lifetime. Too much had gone down between the two ML, too many entangled emotions, love and hate and betrayal, making a mess of their past love and future. And apart from their afterlife reconciliation I don't think any other ending would have suited it.

This was a Historical BL well done! It’s like if Untamed was released in this day and time, it would be somewhat like this gem! Untamed part 2, where the 2019 drama finally gets the justice it deserved!

Definitely must watch!!
Rewatch value: 100/100

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this was one of the best series i ever watched!!!

This series felt like a breeze after all those repetitive topics and cringe script writing. Finally i got to really dive into something and try to analize it. This is my first time writing a review because i can not emphasize the fact that this was an absolute masterpiece. It was not boring in anyway and with the plot twists and the general story it was the best. And the actors they really understood the assignment the way that they delivered the emotions was just spectacular. Even with complex emotions some viewers might not understand they delivered them like they were living it. But i also have to warn you that this series might make you cry your eyes out. Even though i am a person who cries easily i do not usually cry while watching series. But this one got me so bad. I am not going to give major spoilers but if you plan on watching this i would say be ready for anything.

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Heart wrenchingly beautiful

Amazing acting. Amazing storyline. Amazing costumes. This story was so heart-wrenchingly beautiful, I just wish there were more episodes. I wanted them to have a happy ending, but it's okay not every love story ends on a happy note, sometimes fate is twisted, dark and ends in tragedy. There are only few bls which you can count on fingers, that touched my heart and I can definitely tell that "Kill to Love" is one of them and in my top list. But when Xiao Shu met Duan Ziang at the gates of the afterlife, it was so surreal and I cried both tears of joy but also sadness. Thank you so much to this BL directors and actors and everyone who was involved in this top-quality production. I appreciate you and thank you for giving us this bittersweet masterpiece. <3

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