A must have seen series - a new gold standard for BL Series!
REVENGED LOVE – Review
A must have seen series - a new gold standard for BL Series!
A first long go, now showered out in fast pace, we came to an end of something which set nothing less than a new Gold Standard for BL Series. Given my rating system, I must admit, this series crashed rating system of mine. What a run! What is there to say that can give justice to this? To paraphrase the words of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings: A day may come where we see a better BL Series, but it is not this day – and it will hardly be one I can foresee.
First, the daring to go through such a long and complex story of no less that 24 episodes each around 40 minutes is much time to fill, and it wasn't a single minute I felt was uninteresting or anything but breathtaking. It is probably what Lord of the Rings is for Fantasy for Boys Love. In a year blessed with many new great series and a generally huge step up for the BL genre, I have no doubt this will long be remembered as THE series that demonstrated how well BL stories in more than „mere love“ can be. The many ups and downs of each of the character, the development of both characters and story were all nothing short of breathtaking. A cast entirely perfectly chosen, and I am sure few can doubt that Zi Yu, the actor of Wu Suo Wei demonstrated a range of acting worth any great movie or series production you can imagine, and despite all MCs being very good, he shines over the entire series giving it his imprint and in many ways making it his story. So we can only wish that this series brings to him and all MC actors a well deserved career in the future.
The music scores, the camera use, the many sets and places – all are of equal high quality, convincing and superb. From the side streets where Wu Suo Wei sold his sweets over his mother's family house and garden, the 181s clinic serving as a story hub to the many houses, clubs and landscapes; nothing of this was other than perfect, as was the pacing and change from drama to happiness, back and forth to a nice and well deserved happy ending for everyone who deserved so. I tried to think of the best moments, but the show had so many, I can't pinpoint any. Each meeting, each conversation, each glance and look so subtle to emotional strong scenes of crying and joy, all were in so many variations, it satiated every desire and style.
The one sad thought is as commonly known, that mainland China while bringing forth such great actors and so perfectly a series, does not recognize it, but we from outside China can hope and wish that „Revenged Love“ will contribute to a change both in the making of BL and maybe in a bit more acceptance of gay people someday, someway. For, as once I read, politics is downstream of culture, and were it not bards of old, the storytellers from times immemorial whose stories shaped minds? Plato once said, those who tell the stories rule the world. And as such I hope it changes hearts and attracts people to watch it, who maybe usually not find BL interesting. At least that is what I wish and this series is a great ambassador for both BL series, for the art of great storytelling and acting, and what Chinese culture can bring forth, if they put their effort into it. Revenged Love will be a game changer, a measure to which all who aspire for great BL series – or even series at large – have to measure themselves with. And while surely the small stories, the short wholesome others have equal place in the BL universe, this was like reading one of a great drama of epochal measure, put into the frame of a Asian-Chinese modern BL story. It is one of these series which after the end leaves the watcher with a longing, and empty place and a great memory. If I could I would change the rating scale just to highlight this series with all aspects. While we don't know what the future holds for actors and crew, I wish their careers find justice in their future as it left us with a great memory of what I regard as nothing but perfect BL story which goes way beyond the boundaries of BL itself. As such my rating is a glowing “must have seen”
10/10
A must have seen series - a new gold standard for BL Series!
A first long go, now showered out in fast pace, we came to an end of something which set nothing less than a new Gold Standard for BL Series. Given my rating system, I must admit, this series crashed rating system of mine. What a run! What is there to say that can give justice to this? To paraphrase the words of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings: A day may come where we see a better BL Series, but it is not this day – and it will hardly be one I can foresee.
First, the daring to go through such a long and complex story of no less that 24 episodes each around 40 minutes is much time to fill, and it wasn't a single minute I felt was uninteresting or anything but breathtaking. It is probably what Lord of the Rings is for Fantasy for Boys Love. In a year blessed with many new great series and a generally huge step up for the BL genre, I have no doubt this will long be remembered as THE series that demonstrated how well BL stories in more than „mere love“ can be. The many ups and downs of each of the character, the development of both characters and story were all nothing short of breathtaking. A cast entirely perfectly chosen, and I am sure few can doubt that Zi Yu, the actor of Wu Suo Wei demonstrated a range of acting worth any great movie or series production you can imagine, and despite all MCs being very good, he shines over the entire series giving it his imprint and in many ways making it his story. So we can only wish that this series brings to him and all MC actors a well deserved career in the future.
The music scores, the camera use, the many sets and places – all are of equal high quality, convincing and superb. From the side streets where Wu Suo Wei sold his sweets over his mother's family house and garden, the 181s clinic serving as a story hub to the many houses, clubs and landscapes; nothing of this was other than perfect, as was the pacing and change from drama to happiness, back and forth to a nice and well deserved happy ending for everyone who deserved so. I tried to think of the best moments, but the show had so many, I can't pinpoint any. Each meeting, each conversation, each glance and look so subtle to emotional strong scenes of crying and joy, all were in so many variations, it satiated every desire and style.
The one sad thought is as commonly known, that mainland China while bringing forth such great actors and so perfectly a series, does not recognize it, but we from outside China can hope and wish that „Revenged Love“ will contribute to a change both in the making of BL and maybe in a bit more acceptance of gay people someday, someway. For, as once I read, politics is downstream of culture, and were it not bards of old, the storytellers from times immemorial whose stories shaped minds? Plato once said, those who tell the stories rule the world. And as such I hope it changes hearts and attracts people to watch it, who maybe usually not find BL interesting. At least that is what I wish and this series is a great ambassador for both BL series, for the art of great storytelling and acting, and what Chinese culture can bring forth, if they put their effort into it. Revenged Love will be a game changer, a measure to which all who aspire for great BL series – or even series at large – have to measure themselves with. And while surely the small stories, the short wholesome others have equal place in the BL universe, this was like reading one of a great drama of epochal measure, put into the frame of a Asian-Chinese modern BL story. It is one of these series which after the end leaves the watcher with a longing, and empty place and a great memory. If I could I would change the rating scale just to highlight this series with all aspects. While we don't know what the future holds for actors and crew, I wish their careers find justice in their future as it left us with a great memory of what I regard as nothing but perfect BL story which goes way beyond the boundaries of BL itself. As such my rating is a glowing “must have seen”
10/10
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