K-Drama 
This review may contain spoilers
The Case Against Luan Nian: A Character Analysis of The Early Spring
Disclaimer: Luan Nian is a character in a TV show. Any resemblance to your brother, your boyfriend, your situationship, or the guy you're still texting at 2 a.m. is entirely coincidental and legally not my problem. Let's respect each other.The show wants to gaslight us into believing Luan Nian is a good romantic partner when he is not.
The Early Spring has become a global phenomenon, and with that comes a debate in comment sections everywhere: is Luan Nian a romantic lead or a red flag? I'm firmly in the red flag camp. Here's why.
He tries to control what Zhang Shitao wears with the lace dress, telling her she is not free to do as she pleases. He uses sex as a means to shut her up before a discussion when he senses it is coming. He "punishes" her with more work or overtime when he gets jealous, abusing his position as her boss to get back at her in the public sphere. He never saw her as an equal.
When she tries to make their relationship official and public, he rejects her in the most arrogant way possible, out of his irrational jealousy. The company finds out about their relationship, and the discovery gives them a clean reason to hand the title to Song Ying. But the title was Song Ying's anyway: her father pledged 250 million in ad budget to Lime. The relationship discovery wasn't the cause of her loss, but a cover.
In the end, he is completely wrong, because it doesn't even cross his mind to ask her what she thinks. It is a selfish decision, not something to help her. What she wants is respect from the company and from him, and neither gives it to her, so she leaves both.
This is an excerpt from a longer analysis I wrote. You can read the full essay on my blog here: https://angryessays.substack.com/p/the-early-spring-the-case-against
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This review may contain spoilers
To My Shore: Fan Xiao, Portrait of a Monster
Disclaimer: Fan Xiao is a fictional psychopath. Any resemblance to your ex, your current stalker, or the guy who "just wants to know where you are" is entirely coincidental. Please do not accept gifts from strange men, and do not give out your door code. Let's respect each other in the comments.When you start To My Shore, you don't get the impression that it is a romance—at least, not past the opening song. In that sense, the script doesn't try to coat its male lead in a golden varnish. There are no misunderstandings that act as "excuses" for his behavior. Fan Xiao is a beast. Let's acknowledge that first.
Fan Xiao is attacking on several fronts. He wants to tie You Shulang financially so he has the excuse to see him whenever he wants and a card to play against him. He is building a hamster's labyrinth, and You Shulang is the hamster. He seems to be helping him, even seducing him, but the goal is control.
But Fan Xiao adds his own twist: he seduces You Shulang as a game against him. If he can seduce Shulang, he has won. You Shulang is part of a game he doesn't even know he is playing. Bit unfair, isn't it? This is why I call Fan Xiao a coward: he wants to play games, but not on an even footing with his opponents.
In the end, Fan Xiao has a redeeming arc. He learns to put the needs of another person above his own. But his greatest atonement is not death; it's staying away from You Shulang for life. Because it was never You Shulang's task to reform a monster.
This is an excerpt from a longer analysis I wrote. You can read the full essay on my blog here: https://angryessays.substack.com/p/to-my-shore-fan-xiao-portrait-of
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