Revenged Love

Wasting 24 episodes

Honestly, the series is good and interesting, or at least most of it. The chemistry between the characters is interesting and captivating. However, the last few episodes significantly lower the rating in my opinion. I feel like they wasted the potential of those 24 episodes. The action starts slowly at the beginning, only to pick up too much towards the end. They should have balanced the story more.

The writing in the last few episodes is truly poor and weak, as if it was written in a hurry because there wasn't enough time. In the last three episodes, I couldn't help but feel that a large part of the story had been removed, making it a bit boring to watch. The action was artificially sped up, and yet not everything was explained (I still don't understand why Wang Shuo engages in a water pistol fight with them in the last episode).

I have a terrible feeling that people are overrating this drama because it's uncensored Chinese BL, not because it's actually that amazing. I understand the hype; a high rating might encourage more Chinese BL dramas to be made. On the other hand, inflating the rating just for that reason is akin to inflating the ratings of a series just because you like the actors.

Well, that's just my opinion. I'm someone who rates a show based solely on how much fun I had watching it. The series was a solid 8.5/10, but the final episodes may have dropped the quality. So, my final rating is 7.5/10

English is not my first language, but it is the only language in which I can watch dramas, so I hope my opinion is understandable.

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COORNDINATED BOT ATTACK ON GENUINE AND NEGATIVE REVIEWS OF THIS DRAMA

Cringe acting, Unnecessary scenes of SA in a low quality script riding on BL dopamine and politics (this was the original title)

Is there a way to somehow report harassment on MDL because I wrote this review long ago but have to update a lot because this is very different from other drama fandoms....there is constant harassment. Sometimes, one person replies twice or thrice under one comment and these are generally hostile. (There's also clever attempt to call people homophobic for saying that no means no ...even if its a man assaulting a man ans there's no need to whitewash or downplay or romanticise it)

The script has the quality of those 5 minute short dramas. Its pathetic. Its straight up rejected wattpad script.

I agree with Sarina's review here because this entire community is busy in BURYING AND DOWNPLAYING R*P* . The ML is actually orders gang rap* of a man in the first episode. This pretty much establishes his personality in the beginning and he has zero concept of consent for his partner.
Later on, he violates the consent and body of the ML many times and as pointed out by several people here, he does it many times after first episode.

The PR of this drama is busy in defending that by telling people that its actually like watching murder mysteries when its not! The script portrays him AS A ROMANTIC LEAD and not as a r@p*st. If this drama was about a r@p*st then, I would have agreed with them. Its quite shocking that people are being shamed for having basic respect for the character's dignity and autonomy.

🌟The PR is even comparing it some of the most well written things you have seen on TV and cinema.. for example, game of thrones, Godfather and other genres which AREN'T ROMANCE genre at all and even the writer might feel ashamed of a rejected wattpad script being compared to it by the PR. GOT shows incest,grooming of minors in times in fake land and nobody romanticises it "ships" them together unless they are in the same relationship in alabama and need some coping. This drama romanticises lack of consent and abuse. People want to see them "together happy forever" . They also have the audacity to compare ancient barbarians with MODERN ROMANCE which is a testament to the fact thar the ML has acted like a barbarians in matters of consent. This is early onset of complete madness. The denial of romanticisation of rapist and abuse is very real🌟

To add to this, every valid criticism of reinforcement of the most toxic and mysogynistic themes and romanticisation of it has been hit with the most immature "bl vs non bl" argument. Of course, sinophobia (quite obvious even for a non chinese like me) and political drama between west and east is also a part of this discourse which adds to the popularity of this drama. There's a lot of people who believe that they are fighting Chinese govt and its okay to support the abuse and mysogyny in this fight against the chinese govt. They have been using "China will ban it" 🚫 as a marketing campaign for this drama to create hype. Romanticisation of abusers while pretending to be allies is nasty. This is not it. That's counterproductive and anti progress. Genuine reviewers are being harassed for not liking this drama because

🌟1) they found the acting to be loud an cringy
🌟2) the script romanticises abuser and the direction tries to whitewash his character which is a valid criticism of both writing as well as direction
🌟3) It was marketed as a funny drama but honestly, other than being cringy, its very disturbing as well.Its hard to laugh at at an abusive relationship or an abuser. So, a lot of people didn't find it funny.

(You can see that almost all negative reviews of this drama which give relevant points about why they were put off by it, are harassed)

Otherwise, its nowhere close to the the BLs that have come out this year...let alone being called the best BL of all times ☠️

The discourse that romanticises all problems and boring part of this drama has been dominated by non cdrama or non asian audience on western social media and that's where I recieved my recommendation from. I excitedly DIVED INTO IT WITH CHILDLIKE HAPPINESS UNTIL THIS DRAMA GOT BORING, CRINGE AND PROBLEMATIC (which started from the very first episode). PR has been asking for support by exploiting the sentiments of a lot of folks which is why you will see that not only the drama but the horrendous original work of the author also has widespread support among international audience.

It has terribly high rating because international fans consider it "China's BL comeback"
when in reality, its just a comeback of mysogyny, abuse,age old concept of patriarchy but most importantly (for drama audience) hostile marketing of LOW QUALITY PRODUCTS😔The women defending all of this are laughable.

If you are one of those women who get excited by two men being all over each other and your entire pull depends on sexual chemistry.. ..or you are a teen, you might enjoy it. That too, isn't as great as some Thai BLs to be honest.

This should also have some tags like 🚫 "Ra***t romanticisation". I know that would be quite bold but if they can show it, why not say it?

This drama definitely doesn't deserve a rating of 8.9 ....the rating at best should be at 4 at best though I don't even consider it worth watching !! If you like some quality in scripts, stay away from it.

Its highly disappointing!
I dropped this in the first half.

There's a lot of overrated chinese dramas here and I have called them out but this one takes the cake for being the most overrated if we consider its rating and quality

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Not really worth it and its completely overrated

Ps: this is just my opinion so don't take what i say to personally i will be saying the things i liked and the things i didn’t like.

THE THINGS I LIKED: (why its at a 7)
- i liked how there was a child made it seem like they where raising the kid!
- i liked the visuals there was many attractive characters!
- very expensive houses and decor, accessories, clothing etc looked rich when it needed to be and poor when it needed to be.
- there was some cute touchy moments
- kisses seemed real and authentic / genuine
- creative and different jobs like sugar making and owning a decorative company which is unique i loved that
- i loved how they where rude to their exes and weren’t letting them slide with things
- i also liked how there was different plot points for an example losing your mother and going to jail
- loved how there where snakes i thought it was cool
- cute intro
- episodes came out 2 times a week and the last 6 episodes where put every day so it was a last week of episodes.

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE (why its at a 7)
- music was horrible always playing the same song
- chi chengs and wu so Wei's arguments never get solved they just out of nowhere are good again
- voice overs and dubbing is horrible and unfunny made me cringe multiple times
- way too long 24 episodes? 30 to 40 minutes? is way to long for a series that in my opinion might not be worth the time cuz for me it wasn’t worth it
- not giving us a recap of the previous episode
- confusing characters and there names where very similar so it was hard for me to tell who is who
- very overrated
- plans that they where making to get chi cheng was confusing
- i thought some points or senes where childish i thought that wu so weis character acted a bit childish
- wanted more spice there was barely any spice
- chi cheng and go cheng yu where not good in the beginning but out of nowhere they are like brothers
- chi chengs ex was a confusing character i never knew what he was trying to do and what his intentions where he was poorly executed

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Started strong and ended lukewarm

I feel like this is the ending and the last episode is the thing that kills so many BL’s for me personally it was clear that the production just wanted to do what people truly wanted and give them a happy ending of all characters.full of mystery, emotional tension, and sharp writing. Unfortunately, Episode 24 falls flat in comparison. The payoff never matches the early intrigue, with rushed resolutions and character arcs that feel forced or abandoned. Plot twists lack impact, and emotional moments fail to resonate. What began as a promising, layered drama ends with a whimper, relying on clichés rather than the bold storytelling it teased at the start. For a show that opened with such fire, the finale is disappointingly lukewarm.

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I didn't cringe once

Sure, there's some things I don't agree with. I wish they didn't just brush off that part, it's horrible and shouldn't happen..no matter what the reason is. I know it's fiction, but I wish they would be a little bit considerate, like putting some disclaimer or something. Because , that's basically a crime, one of the most horrible thing you can do to anyone. I was taken aback at first, almost dropped the series because of that. The minus point is only because of that scene. Aside from that, it's a great bl I have seen in a long while. The acting and chemistry are excellent. I hope it will only gets better.

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ITS TIME TO LET GO, BUT...

Imagine your ex leaves you for a wealthy man, and you believe the two of them are mocking you for being poor. At first, you plan revenge. But then, something unexpected happens—you start falling for the very man you once saw as your rival.

Revenged Love, also known as Counter Attack, is a Chinese BL drama adapted from Chai Jidan’s web novel.

The story mainly follows two couples. The first couple is Zi Yu as Wu Qi Qiong (also known as Wu Su Wei), a poor young man who is heartbroken after his ex-girlfriend leaves him for a wealthy heir. Angry and humiliated, he plans to take revenge by targeting her new man. That man is Chi Cheng, played by Tian Xu Ning—a rich, arrogant heir with a love for snakes, who is even forced into marriage with Wu Su Wei’s ex. Wu Su Wei originally sees him as the enemy, but as their interactions grow, he never expected that Chi Cheng would also develop feelings for him. What begins as a revenge plot slowly turns into an intense, complicated romance between two.

The second couple adds more sweetness to the drama. Zhan Xuan plays Guo Cheng Yu, Chi Cheng’s loyal best friend. While chasing after Wu Su Wei at a clinic, he crosses paths with Jiang Xiao Shuai, portrayed by Liu Xuan Cheng. Their chance meeting blossoms into another love story, giving the series a lighter and more romantic balance alongside the main couple’s tension.

𝗢𝗦𝗧
One thing that really stood out to me is the OST. This is actually the first time I created a playlist on my YouTube Music just for a drama soundtrack. Every song feels meaningful and emotional, and I enjoy playing it every day. The music really captures both the tension and the softer moments of the story.

𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗧
This is the first BL I finished this year and honestly it surprised me. I tried watching some Thai BLs but couldn’t complete them because they didn’t meet my standards, yet with Revenged Love I didn’t even hesitate. Normally I need to check clips first before committing, but this time I just pressed play without thinking twice. Some people called it cringe, but for me it wasn’t cringe at all, not even once, and I enjoyed every episode.

At first I thought it would be just another BL, short and rushed, maybe fun but nothing that would really stay with me. But Revenged Love proved me wrong. With 24 episodes, each over 40 minutes, it still managed to keep me watching until the very end, and the fact that I finished the whole thing in just 3 days shows how much it hooked me.

It wasn’t perfect of course. Some scenes felt choppy, the transitions were sudden, and sometimes it was obvious that parts had been cut, which pulled me out of the story when I really wanted to stay inside it.

Even so, I couldn’t stop watching. The characters, the chemistry, the emotions—they pulled me in again and again. When I reached the last episode and saw Chi Cheng’s parents finally accept them, I felt so warm inside, like everything had been worth it, but at the same time it felt too fast. I wanted more time with them, more moments of family, more happiness shared together. The ending left me smiling but also a little empty because I wasn’t ready to let them go.

Still, this drama made me laugh, ache, and care so much, and that’s why even with its flaws it gave me something truly special.

Overall Revenged Love may not be perfect, but it’s absolutely worth watching. It’s longer than most BLs, it carries real emotion, and it leaves a story that lingers even after it ends—and for me, I already miss them.

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waste of time

Since everyone keeps saying how fantastic this is, so I binge watched what’s been released so far (6 episodes). It’s terrible! I kept waiting for it to get good but it doesn’t.
The plot is ridiculous— I get he loves his snakes but wtf? The acting is horrible too! I honestly don’t understand how other people are watching the same thing I’m watching and saying the acting is amazing. Maybe people just like it because it’s Chinese BL which is normally shunned… but the maker’s perseverance in the midst of obstacles does not negate the fact that everything about the show is awful.
I’ve never been so upset with wasting my time on a bad show as I am with this.

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Loving the Leads, Hating the Message

I would wait until the end of the show to write a review, but halfway through this drama is good enough. I doubt anything will alter what I have seen so far. Here we go:

Besides everything I'm about to highlight, you will find yourself loving the drama and the incredible lively personality of the lead character and support character Wu Suo Wei and Jiang Xiao Shuai. I found myself gravitating to shipping these two, but 🤷‍♂️. I loved the other lead and support character too - great acting. Beside my critique in the following paragraphs, the rest of the story is good, and the acting and execution is decent and among the best for dramas of the same genre and culture and region.

But here's my real take: It's sad that this show learns nothing from many before it, and it's sadder that it got so popular yet rooted at its core is a glorification of rape culture. This reflects a disturbing pattern I keep seeing - too many BL productions have an unsettling fascination with abuse, assault, and romanticized Stockholm syndrome. Asian LGBTQ+ media seems particularly drawn to these harmful tropes, and frankly, it's gross and shouldn't be tolerated.

My heart broke watching sexual consent get thrown out the window in this series. Literally every romantic interaction - save for maybe one or two by episode 13 - was non-consensual. What the hell? Perhaps the community often consumes this content anyway because of severely limited representation on screen - that is at least true for me. And with so few high-quality queer productions available, viewers feel they have no real choice.

Why do writers, directors, and producers keep romanticizing rape? Is this supposed to be entertainment? What kind of fetish finds this content worthy of an 8 or 9 rating? The broader story has potential. But this needs to stop. This should be the last series that suggests forcing yourself on another person through threats, brute force, or manipulation is remotely acceptable.

I'm a BL fan, and I genuinely found myself enjoying parts of this drama. But these scenes and storylines robbed it of any special place in my heart.

While I should be talking about the funny moments in the drama, or portrayal of genuine love(don't hold your breath), nuanced societal and cultural themes on LGBTQ, good acting, I'm reduced to rant about how repeated rape could ever possibly be a show of love.

Oh, and this drama is another of those - gay person falls for a straight person who then "turns" queer.

irl, gay culture is often marked by experiences of inequality, societal ostracization, and lack of legal protection or acceptance worldwide - which unfortunately includes cultures of assault and abuse. This drama mirrors that reality and, worse, glorifies it.

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Drags on after a while

There's a mix of just barely enough of a story, a stunted communication trope, SA, the fake-out to the dark themes, and a rushed ending that overall made it fall flat, it seems that you need to watch the behind the scenes to get much enjoyment out of this. To me, the plot was killed off way too soon, and the "dark" underlying theme to it took on too much of a bubblegum effect as episodes went by. The more we were left with the pieces to the story, the less they make sense or add to the series. I understand one of the main underlying themes is that Chi Cheng changed, shed that cocoon he had wrapped himself in to wallow in misery, but I would've liked more in-depth scenes to this change he went through. I would've liked to have a full-circle moment where they actually communicated for once, but the viewer is kind of left to fill in those gaps on their own. Maybe it's the subtitles, I don't know.

Though the second pairing weren't that much better, I did find them a lot more palatable even though they were a struggle to get to that point of enjoying their story.

And a bit off topic, but the dubbing and breathing constantly added to Chi Cheng (like when he'd drink) drove me up a wall.

Overall, I would not watch it again, but it was good to see a sense of progress for Chinese BL, and I am glad the cast had so much support from international audiences too.

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I still don’t understand the hype

Subpar writing, average acting and a cliche plot progression; Revenge love turned out to be one disappointment after another. It's essentially a melting pot of my most hated bl tropes:
-SA treated too casually and not taken seriously;
-One dimensional female character who's only role is to be the most annoying and abonxious love rival:l;
-No brain side charcters who easily play into the MC's simplistic schemes;
-Ex that's been gone for years suddenly returns and wants to get together with the ML.
I've been reading BL for 10 years now and I've seen this same plot progression play out a hundred times over. People are overly lenient because it's a chinese drama with a beautiful cast who has great chemistry with each other but that’s not enpigh to balance out all of its other flaws.

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