This review may contain spoilers
I finally watched it after hesitating
I finally decided to watch this series after some hesitation, fearing it would suddenly be banned mid-stream.
This first review focuses on the storyline. I apologize, I haven't read the novel, but I've only seen a few spoilers. I found the story of this series interesting and quite fresh for me (since I've been watching ThaiBL more lately). The story begins with someone seeking revenge on their ex, but then finds true love. It might sound simple, but the story seems to change the personalities of many of the characters, which is very interesting.
However, this series has some toxic plot points that may be triggering for some viewers. There are several abusive acts explicitly depicted in the story. While some may be interested in these scenes, others may not. Unfortunately, the resolution of these abusive acts is poorly delivered, creating plot holes in the series. Like when Chi Cheng punished his subordinates who betrayed him to the R*** gang, but after that, there was no further explanation about his situation. After rewatching it, I felt that part made Chi Cheng's character feel uncertain. Initially, they wanted to show Chi Cheng's dirty and abusive character, but after that, they didn't continue, making it seem like his character was just a normal red flag, when in fact, it was more than that.
The second one is not delivering Xiao Shuai's trauma well. Even though they are only the second couple, I think the story should be highlighted well. Especially when there is a trigger that should trigger Xiao Shuai's trauma but in the scene it seems normal, such as when Weiwei's prank scene was about to commit suicide and Xiao Shuai found out. It would be better to show Xiao Shuai experiencing a trigger for Weiwei's actions, such as anger or crying. Besides that, when Meng Tao came and apologized to Xiao Shuai, it was not delivered well so Xiao Shuai's angry and annoyed emotions were not shown even though I as a viewer felt annoyed and hit Meng Tao who didn't know himself.
The third one is more of a personal assumption. While watching this series, I was a little curious about the relationship between Weng Shou and Weng Zhen, as well as Chi Cheng and Cheng Yu. It's a shame that they only gave a little description of their relationship and their feelings for each other because while watching, I wondered what kind of relationship they were trying to describe, and it seemed like it was still hanging until the end of the story. If only they had screentime for their past flashbacks, it might have been very interesting.
Next, I'll discuss the acting. Overall, I think each actor's acting is quite good; they're quite good at getting into their roles. They're also quite good when filming begins, so the audience can be drawn in without feeling awkward. However, there are still some actors who are stiff and lack fluidity.
Roles:
- Chi Cheng: The actor is good at getting into the role of CC, even being able to express himself as a Red Flag.
- Suo Wei: I think the actor is quite good at delivering the role of Wei Wei to the audience. Although there are still some stiff and awkward expressions, he has managed to portray Wei Wei well.
- Xiao Shuai: I think the actor still feels stiff when acting. Sometimes the expressions in some scenes don't match, so they don't convey the desired atmosphere. However, after a few scenes, we can see quite good development, especially in the final scene of episode 24. I was quite surprised by that episode.
- cheng yu: I'm quite amazed by the actor who is very expressive and really brings the role of CY very well. I feel like he really lives the role with great detail. Even in every scene he delivers well. Anger, touched, sadness, smoking, drunkenness, 18+ scenes, etc. all work well. He also seems to guide the character of Xiaoshuai so that it can develop well.
- wang shuo: The villain character successfully annoys me and wants to grumble every time he appears. The actor is very good at delivering this character without seeming awkward and like a pro player. He can convey the emotions of anger, depression, annoyance, spoiled, and troublemaking well to annoy the audience. It's very cool.
- wang shen: Honestly, he's a mysterious character and the actor brings this character to life well. Unfortunately, his screen time is limited and there is rarely any dialogue. but he can carry his role well because the audience can feel the feelings of the character Wang Zhen where he admires Weiwei but on the other hand he has feelings for Wang Shuo which ends up choosing to protect Wang Shuo. with not many scenes he is good enough to show those feelings to the audience.
The next part is for music and visuals. I really like the OST of this series and enjoy listening to it repeatedly. For the cinematic visuals, I think it is very good. The lighting and space director are very good. Throughout the series, the audience is treated to a very epic indoor and outdoor space arrangement. The lighting background used also seems good and suits each character who is acting. As a result, I really enjoy it as a viewer. Because sometimes the BL/Bromance story genre in China usually has a low budget and is minimal. But in this series, even though some fans say the production house uses a low budget, for me this is really a proper budget. Maybe they cut costs on makeup and clothes because there are some characters whose clothes are rarely changed and not full makeup, but that doesn't matter because they are all handsome without excessive makeup.
Overall for me this series is very good and good, considering the story of chai jidian which was adapted into Live Action did not end until it was finished and hanging. while this revenged love can be shown until it is finished and happy ending we need to appreciate it. The actors who acted in it have also never acted BL with that much skinship so it is understandable if there are scenes that seem stiff and strange but still very enjoyable. is this drama worth watching? YES VERY WORTH it. but keep in mind that there are several scenes that bring the trigger of "toxic relationship".
This first review focuses on the storyline. I apologize, I haven't read the novel, but I've only seen a few spoilers. I found the story of this series interesting and quite fresh for me (since I've been watching ThaiBL more lately). The story begins with someone seeking revenge on their ex, but then finds true love. It might sound simple, but the story seems to change the personalities of many of the characters, which is very interesting.
However, this series has some toxic plot points that may be triggering for some viewers. There are several abusive acts explicitly depicted in the story. While some may be interested in these scenes, others may not. Unfortunately, the resolution of these abusive acts is poorly delivered, creating plot holes in the series. Like when Chi Cheng punished his subordinates who betrayed him to the R*** gang, but after that, there was no further explanation about his situation. After rewatching it, I felt that part made Chi Cheng's character feel uncertain. Initially, they wanted to show Chi Cheng's dirty and abusive character, but after that, they didn't continue, making it seem like his character was just a normal red flag, when in fact, it was more than that.
The second one is not delivering Xiao Shuai's trauma well. Even though they are only the second couple, I think the story should be highlighted well. Especially when there is a trigger that should trigger Xiao Shuai's trauma but in the scene it seems normal, such as when Weiwei's prank scene was about to commit suicide and Xiao Shuai found out. It would be better to show Xiao Shuai experiencing a trigger for Weiwei's actions, such as anger or crying. Besides that, when Meng Tao came and apologized to Xiao Shuai, it was not delivered well so Xiao Shuai's angry and annoyed emotions were not shown even though I as a viewer felt annoyed and hit Meng Tao who didn't know himself.
The third one is more of a personal assumption. While watching this series, I was a little curious about the relationship between Weng Shou and Weng Zhen, as well as Chi Cheng and Cheng Yu. It's a shame that they only gave a little description of their relationship and their feelings for each other because while watching, I wondered what kind of relationship they were trying to describe, and it seemed like it was still hanging until the end of the story. If only they had screentime for their past flashbacks, it might have been very interesting.
Next, I'll discuss the acting. Overall, I think each actor's acting is quite good; they're quite good at getting into their roles. They're also quite good when filming begins, so the audience can be drawn in without feeling awkward. However, there are still some actors who are stiff and lack fluidity.
Roles:
- Chi Cheng: The actor is good at getting into the role of CC, even being able to express himself as a Red Flag.
- Suo Wei: I think the actor is quite good at delivering the role of Wei Wei to the audience. Although there are still some stiff and awkward expressions, he has managed to portray Wei Wei well.
- Xiao Shuai: I think the actor still feels stiff when acting. Sometimes the expressions in some scenes don't match, so they don't convey the desired atmosphere. However, after a few scenes, we can see quite good development, especially in the final scene of episode 24. I was quite surprised by that episode.
- cheng yu: I'm quite amazed by the actor who is very expressive and really brings the role of CY very well. I feel like he really lives the role with great detail. Even in every scene he delivers well. Anger, touched, sadness, smoking, drunkenness, 18+ scenes, etc. all work well. He also seems to guide the character of Xiaoshuai so that it can develop well.
- wang shuo: The villain character successfully annoys me and wants to grumble every time he appears. The actor is very good at delivering this character without seeming awkward and like a pro player. He can convey the emotions of anger, depression, annoyance, spoiled, and troublemaking well to annoy the audience. It's very cool.
- wang shen: Honestly, he's a mysterious character and the actor brings this character to life well. Unfortunately, his screen time is limited and there is rarely any dialogue. but he can carry his role well because the audience can feel the feelings of the character Wang Zhen where he admires Weiwei but on the other hand he has feelings for Wang Shuo which ends up choosing to protect Wang Shuo. with not many scenes he is good enough to show those feelings to the audience.
The next part is for music and visuals. I really like the OST of this series and enjoy listening to it repeatedly. For the cinematic visuals, I think it is very good. The lighting and space director are very good. Throughout the series, the audience is treated to a very epic indoor and outdoor space arrangement. The lighting background used also seems good and suits each character who is acting. As a result, I really enjoy it as a viewer. Because sometimes the BL/Bromance story genre in China usually has a low budget and is minimal. But in this series, even though some fans say the production house uses a low budget, for me this is really a proper budget. Maybe they cut costs on makeup and clothes because there are some characters whose clothes are rarely changed and not full makeup, but that doesn't matter because they are all handsome without excessive makeup.
Overall for me this series is very good and good, considering the story of chai jidian which was adapted into Live Action did not end until it was finished and hanging. while this revenged love can be shown until it is finished and happy ending we need to appreciate it. The actors who acted in it have also never acted BL with that much skinship so it is understandable if there are scenes that seem stiff and strange but still very enjoyable. is this drama worth watching? YES VERY WORTH it. but keep in mind that there are several scenes that bring the trigger of "toxic relationship".
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