This review may contain spoilers
I was torn about giving this a low rating...but
I was really torn about giving this a low rating because the acting is great and the chemistry between both couples is genuinely strong. The overall execution and production aren't bad either...
[spoiler]
...BUT the story itself is just so extremely toxic. Even though the final episode tries to excuse the EXTREME abusive behavior by blaming it on Lu Fengs psychological state, it is just too much. Xiao Chen is written with no self-esteem or self-love and actually possessing no real personality traits other than being "weak" and maybe "too nice". Meanwhile Lu Feng is self-absorbed, egoistic, and extremely abusive. From the very beginning Lu Feng pressures Xiao Chen into everything, including his first time, without showing a bit of compassion. I honestly see no reason why Xiao Chen would stay in love with him after everything he did. Lu Feng abuses Xiao Chen in every way possible, including SA, physical violence, stalking, and severe mental abuse that eventually drives Xiao Chen to attempt self exsit. He even pushes Xiao Chen’s younger brother down the stairs, nearly paralyzing him. The brother (and his partner) is actually the only healthy person here, while he made a mistake early on out of inexperience, it came from a place of protective love. He has a healthy relationship and understands self-love, and in the end, he was entirely right about Lu Feng. I cannot overlook this horrific behavior just because the last episode reveals Lu Feng is mentally unstable, trying to excuse all of this in the final episode as a "mental health issue" to force a happy ending is insulting.. Suddenly shifting to a "love-dovey" conclusion makes no sense. There was nothing genuinely good about Lu Feng, his actions weren't "extreme love", they were just dangerous obsession. In the end the amount of toxicity and abuse completely ruined it for me.
[spoiler]
...BUT the story itself is just so extremely toxic. Even though the final episode tries to excuse the EXTREME abusive behavior by blaming it on Lu Fengs psychological state, it is just too much. Xiao Chen is written with no self-esteem or self-love and actually possessing no real personality traits other than being "weak" and maybe "too nice". Meanwhile Lu Feng is self-absorbed, egoistic, and extremely abusive. From the very beginning Lu Feng pressures Xiao Chen into everything, including his first time, without showing a bit of compassion. I honestly see no reason why Xiao Chen would stay in love with him after everything he did. Lu Feng abuses Xiao Chen in every way possible, including SA, physical violence, stalking, and severe mental abuse that eventually drives Xiao Chen to attempt self exsit. He even pushes Xiao Chen’s younger brother down the stairs, nearly paralyzing him. The brother (and his partner) is actually the only healthy person here, while he made a mistake early on out of inexperience, it came from a place of protective love. He has a healthy relationship and understands self-love, and in the end, he was entirely right about Lu Feng. I cannot overlook this horrific behavior just because the last episode reveals Lu Feng is mentally unstable, trying to excuse all of this in the final episode as a "mental health issue" to force a happy ending is insulting.. Suddenly shifting to a "love-dovey" conclusion makes no sense. There was nothing genuinely good about Lu Feng, his actions weren't "extreme love", they were just dangerous obsession. In the end the amount of toxicity and abuse completely ruined it for me.
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