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To fall in love with a rival... but as for who that rival is, Wu Su Wei isn't telling.

"Revenged Love" is certainly a peculiar show. My viewing experience with it was very different from other series. It’s been a long time since I followed a show weekly as it aired, only to then take a long break and wait for it to finish before binging the final 10 episodes. It was a fragmented viewing journey and not my usual style, but thankfully, the show did not disappoint.

I think a series like "Revenged Love" in 2025 is a truly unique breath of fresh air. It combines character tropes straight out of 2015 with plot points that feel uniquely its own, all filtered through modern sensibilities. This blend creates a show that is simultaneously humorous, endearingly silly and cringey, cliché, and charming. The funny thing is, I always felt like I was watching novel characters performing a play, as the series is so strongly reminiscent of danmei (BL) from a decade ago. And I mean that as a compliment; it's been a while since I've seen a show that pushed its character archetypes to the absolute maximum like this.

When talking about "Revenged Love," I want to divide it into three parts—the beginning, middle, and end—each with its own adjective: Interesting, Conflicting, and Serene.

The first part, roughly the first 10 episodes, was perfectly paced for weekly viewing, leaving you eager to watch the behind-the-scenes footage while you waited. The character interactions were cute in that cringey, shy, and awkward way that makes you both laugh and squirm with delight. Wu Su Wei's journey to woo his rival was a process I’ve never seen in any show before, simply because the characters' train of thought is truly one-of-a-kind. It was incredibly cute and silly.

The second part began to unravel the past of the main trio: Chi Cheng, Wang Shuo, and Guo Cheng Yu. This is the section that made me put the series on hold. Partly because I didn't want my opinion to be swayed by others, and partly because the piled-up misunderstandings felt a bit illogical and weren't quite to my taste. I'm a big fan of angst, but these angsty arcs felt dragged out and the execution was peculiar, unfolding in ways I didn't expect. The complicated relationships of their past made me a bit hesitant.
Fortunately, when I binged the entire second half in one go, the initial warmth and charm returned, concluding the series with a sun-drenched warmth that successfully warmed my heart.

After saying all that, I just want to affirm that "Revenged Love" is a very different kind of show, both in my subjective viewing experience and in a more objective sense. It is a rare Chinese BL drama in today's market, pioneering a new path for a genre that has been "shunned" in mainland China. The show caused quite a stir during its run, and witnessing that, I feel it has truly laid a brick in the road ahead. Where that road leads is anyone's guess—it could be a resurgence of BL dramas in China and the world, or it could lead to even harsher censorship. But regardless of the path, I believe "Revenged Love" has undeniably etched its name onto the landscape of television.

Honestly, "Revenged Love" is a simple series, meant purely for entertainment. It succeeded in its role of delivering laughter, fluttery feelings, emotion, and food for thought to its audience. And that's everything a show like this needs to be.
As for the cast and characters, the chemistry is solid, especially the main couple in the early episodes and the side couple in the later ones (and throughout the whole show). I hate to admit it, but I found myself leaning a little more towards the side couple by the end. And, though I know it's an impossible wish, I often thought that Zi Yu and Tian Hu Ning would be perfect for a campus romance series; perhaps a role like that would feel more effortless than their characters here.

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