The Last Oath

They blew it

I'm sure many people will praise this series (the rating is very high), so if you want to read what's great about it, read other reviews. I will talk about why I dropped it near the end, and won't bother watching ep 23&24 (the finale) after seeing the preview.

So first, let's be honest: those characters are cliche. We have the good, naive, weak guy and the ruthless killer/tough mercenary. Nothing new under the sun. But since they did a fabulous job with the whole apocalyptic plot, there are a lot of things happening that create tension between those characters and gerat conflicts.

So we have different story arcs. First story arc: Lin Zai saves a wounded A Leh. They build trust slowly, you can feel the affection growing. Second story arc: Relationship changes completely since A Leh is now a kidnapper, and Lin Zai the victim. There is a lot of tension, lost trust, Lin Zai wants to run away, A Leh is very rough towards him. Third story arc: they get closer again, they talk, we get passionate love making. Until then everything was fine, and the series was brilliant. But then the last story arc ruined it all.

SPOILER! If you don't want to ruin your fun STOP READING.

So ... what happened? Lin Zai didn't want A Leh to know about him participating in the experiment to save his brother. His solution? Pushing A Leh away, breaking up with him and hurting him badly. And A Leh was hurt very badly. He was desperately trying to change and make this relationship work, he was willing to do everything, he was crying in his car. It was heart breaking. Most likely, Lin Zai was the first person to love him and be with him – and Lin Zai pushed him away. He said a lot of hurtful things, and even though, as a viewer, I got angry at Lin Zai for being stupid, unfair and weak, I have to admit he had a point. There was truth in his words. They had a lot to unpack and communicate to make this relationship work. But what did the writers do? They almost killed Lin Zai, and when he woke up again, he was like: Nah, I didn't mean any of it.
So what's the problem with this?

1) Lying to A Leh, hurting him just to push him away was very immature and questionable behavior of Lin Zai. Makes you think what kind of person he really is, and how he solves problems. He was feeling bad about it, but at the same time he was whining about himself not being able to let go. It was all about him and his brother and not about A Leh. Seeing his brother in this state was traumatizing for sure. So even though I disliked Lin Zai's behavior, it was a very tough situation with no easy solution.

2) Why did he even do it? After the near death experience he was suddenly very open and told A Leh the truth. A Leh's reaction? "Baby, I will help you and be a good and supportive boyfriend." WTF? They should have at least argued about it, since it was obvious at this point, the research can kill Lin Zai. So in a logical world with logical characters A Leh should have been even more against it now, since there is real danger, and only after Lin Zai desperately making his wishes, fears and hopes clear, he should have agreed to support him. But that didn't happen.

3) Imagine being A Leh. Just for a moment. There is this guy you really love, and he puts you through hell and back emotionally –just because he thought that's necessary (which it wasn't). Do you trust such a guy? A guy that hurts you on purpose, lies to your face with those cold eyes? Do you feel safe with him or are you like A Leh: "Baby, now we are together again, I'm so happy!" This makes honestly no sense that they suddenly are lovey dovey, everything is forgiven, and the ruthless mercenary is now the cooking husband who has to care for his sick boyfriend like good mother. Honestly, their honeymoon phase seems so awkward to me after everything that happened between them. It just doesn't fit the mood of the story. It's like a quick solution. They whole conflict feels fake and fabricated now – which it apparently was, since he didn't need to lie to A Leh in the first place.

They could have saved this easily by showing us a big emotional fight between A Leh and Lin Zai, where they both tell each other about their struggles und build trust again. But nope. The actors would have been capable of such an emotional scene, but the writing team said: Nah, not needed. Be lovey dovey instead, look happy (or sick in Lin Zai's case).

They also emphasized constantly that A Leh is a ruthless killer, that he is dangerous, that his hands are too strong, so he can hurt others (Lin Zai's words). Even during the love scenes he is very tense and passionate that it almost looked like he is forcing himself on Lin Zai, which he wasn't, since he asked for consent, but still, Lin Zai had to fight him off to make him stop twice (or three times if you count the kiss later). Why doing this? To make the story cool or what? They didn't go anywhere with this plot. I expected them to address A Leh's passionate and forceful behavior. They didn't. I also expected them to have a very soft kiss after they got together again which shows us that A Leh calmed down. They had a kiss, and Lin Zai initiated it, but it didn't have the impact I expected.

They had so many conflicts, trust issues (Lin Zai lied to A Leh because he didn't trust him) and unresolved problems, and the writers decided to not address them. Unbelievable. It makes me think that all those great conflicts and the incredible tension between the characters was not the result of brilliant storytelling, instead it was just pure luck. The story just developed like this, and the writer didn't even understand what gem they created.

They blew it. After episode 20 I lost interest in this series.

For people who don't care about good storytelling and just enjoy two good looking guys kissing and being in love –they won't be bothered by this big mess as much as I am bothered by it.
Talking about kissing and making love: the 2nd couple is terrible. Bad actors, bad story, and I don't want to see two people making out, when one of them is a zombie. It's disgusting. How they tried to force that couple onto us, is very strange. But again, those writers aren't serious people, they are just making a cute little BL series with lovey dovey ending and a 2nd couple to check all the boxes.

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So good and epic

I went into The Last Oath with basically no expectations and somehow ended up watching both episodes without even realising how quickly they went by 😭🧟‍♂️ There is something strangely addictive about watching two attractive men slowly get tangled up in each other’s lives while the entire world around them is falling apart 😂 The show can be dark and violent one minute, weirdly beautiful the next, then suddenly give you a small moment between the leads that makes you go 👀❤️ I also appreciate that nobody feels completely safe because these zombies MOVE and things can go wrong ridiculously fast 💀🏃‍♂️ The whole cast already has an interesting energy together, and I’m curious to see who I end up loving, who annoys me and who actually survives 😂 Two episodes was nowhere near enough. I need the next ones immediately 😭🍿🧟‍♂️

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The Last Oath Was Not What I Expected

i started The Last Oath mostly because the idea of mixing BL with a zombie outbreak sounded unusual, but I was surprised by how quickly the story pulled me in. What really works for me is that the show takes its survival setting seriously. Finding somewhere safe, searching for supplies and dealing with the infected actually matter, so there is always a feeling that something could go wrong. The zombies are fast and threatening, the action is surprisingly good and I really like the abandoned locations surrounded by nature because they give the series a strong atmosphere. LinZai being different from everyone else adds an interesting mystery, while ALie is easily one of the most intriguing characters so far. Their relationship is only just beginning and I actually prefer that because there is plenty of time for their connection to develop naturally alongside the survival story. The supporting characters also feel like part of the plot rather than just being there to fill space. There are a few small production imperfections, but nothing that bothered me enough to take away from how entertaining these first two episodes were. It feels fresh, ambitious and completely different from the BLs I normally watch. An easy 10/10 start for me and I really hope it keeps this quality.

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good starting episodes - reels you into the story a bit

Episode - 1
First episode was good reels you in a bit, felt a bit too fast at the start with everything happening and the whole Lin Zai brother situation was quick, thought a bit more context or some flash backs to before the apocalypse or when it just starts. The equipment 'A lie' (Chen Ming Hao) is carrying seemed quite good considering the apocalypse started 22 days prior (might be reading to far into that + might need some back story or explanation) but so far i'm invested. Was a bit taken aback by scenes that look like AI but other than that it was good. (Also need to know the song name that was played throughout the last few minutes of this episode).

episode - 2
This episode was okay though I feel like things are happening fast once again considering this drama will have 24 episodes but they are short either way we’ll see what happens in the upcoming episodes. definitely a bit of tension between ’A Lie’ and ‘Lin Zai’ at the start, curious to see were that goes. I like the concept of Lin Zai being immune though I’d like to see where it goes, also love whenever bows and arrows are included in combat type dramas.


overall - I’m intrigued to see where this goes

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Chinese zombie apocalyptic series? SIGN ME UP

I love zombie apocalyptic series so like when i saw this series has dropped i know that i have to watch it. I believe that they use AI elements to produce this series like the music or some parts of the series to enhance the zombie faces but honestly its not that bad like the acting and the plot as of now is quite decent.

I know that some people are turned off with the idea of AI being used in the series so I can understand why people wouldn't like or give this a watch. It's a valid reaction but it doesn't mean that you should hate on the series because the people who worked on this series also tried to give the best as they can. Even if i don't fully support ai being used in films, there shouldn't be any directed hatred towards the actors and people who made this series happened.

That's all i have to say for now and i can't wait for more episodes to be released! Thank you for reading my review have a great day lovely reader.

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Zombie Apocalypse BL + Good Romantic Chemistry & Plot?!

And acting too?!!!! Hong Kong, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!!

This is EXCELLENT!!!! Oh, it is such a good watch and a bit underrated??? Because why did it take me this long to watch it?

I remember starting it though, when it first aired but I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, so I put it aside, but decided to go back to it today! I’m so glad I did!!!

If you’re like me and you don’t know if you should give this a chance or not, PLEASE DO!

It’s the type of story I say I’ll watch even if it weren’t BL (there’s not much like this)

The story is SO GOOD! There’s just so much to look forward to. Each episode leaves you wanting for the next one.

And the romantic chemistry?!!! I usually don’t like “love in the time of war” tropes, but this one does the romance really well.

I can go on and on about how good this series is. But just to give you more perspective (I am sleep deprived) but this series still kept me up and I started around 11:00 pm, twelve episodes later, it’s 3:42 am right now. I stayed up binging the entire 12 episodes.

You get what I mean? DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS ONE.

Haha, pun unintended lol

As always, I’ll edit as I watch but I have a very good feeling about this series and I’m so happy we are getting 24 episodes!

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An underwhelming start, but gets better and better with each episode

I was really intrigued by what seemed to be the first ever Zombie-verse BL drama and that whole 'the boy who lived'- thing...the trailer looked quite good too...but, the first two episodes disappointed...but it improves from episode 3 onward and becomes better with each episode

BL-Needle Score: 7.5 Reasonable BL-ness so far

There were too many script loopholes in ep 1 & 2, and the tone was swinging between serious and unsure where to go....and then, some scenes seem almost comic...I think the makers were confused whether to make a show with completely serious apocalypse tone, or make use of the 'zombie' to poke some fun...as it is, no matter what shows they make about zombies, almost all of them mandate those weirdly comical hand-body movements as SOP for all zombies across nations...which kinda takes the seriousness away

The leads are not bad and A Lie, the one hunting for the immune one seems good...but one can only do so much with intense stares, etc. when the script is bad. For e.g., They give absolutely no explanation as to A lie he wanted Lin Zai to feed him the food when he could easily use his own hands for that death-grip on him right after he woke up and thought Lin Zai was a threat...there are many like that all through the first two episodes, but it improves somewhat after that

I have continued to watch for the novelty of the theme and since the storytelling just gets better and better with each episode

Verdict: Yes, Watch

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Very entertaining!

I love zombies and I'm always waiting for the next series that captures my attention like All Of Us Are Dead did or Happiness or The Walking Dead.

The setting and story are all I had hoped they would be, even though the visuals are not as dark and stylish as horror stories usually are. The tone is rather light and has more romantic vibes than survival vibes. But I like that the characters at least act reasonable and take precautions and think about how to keep the zombies away. And there are some dangerous situations, but they are far from the intensity of the other series I have mentioned. There are still enough fight scenes for the genre to work.

The characters are sympathetic, but start to act selfish at the beginning (in a low key way), but it gets resolved quickly. They also trust each other way too fast. But I think that's cute for a change. Especially since it looks like this might be a theme in the future.

Despite this being less dark, it works for me, since the love story starts beautifully. There is lots of tension in the main characters' looks and touches. And the relationship starts out with lots of conflict that they will have to overcome. While they are on their way they not only have to fight external forces and survive, they also have to do it while probably fighting each other, since one kidnapped the other.

I was entertained throughout and thought the episodes went by way too quickly!

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