This review may contain spoilers
Stockholm Syndrome III times over
Oh brother this review was a long time coming. I've put it off for too long and my brain won't let it down that I've never written a review about this series. This review will be a bit more personal than the others because I've actually read the first book and parts of the second and third books. I seriously cannot believe how awful of a writer this author is. ᇂ_ᇂ
Why on God's green earth did the author decide to make every. single. relationship so awful and toxic in their books? Day and Itt are one of the worst couples in both fiction and real life and yet, they aren't even the most abusive relationship that author has written according to other comments I saw. Somehow Kan and Beam take the cake on that one so now I can rest assured knowing I will never touch that book with a ten foot pole.
For any lucky soul that hasn't touched the books, just know that if you think the show is bad, that the books are many times worse. I swear this author incorporated as many problematic scenes as possible and anything else that isn't inherently problematic is awful in its own perverse way. Every single type of abuse you can think of is involved: sexual (A LOT THE MOST ABUNDANT I SWEAR), physical, psychological, emotional, and financial. No relationship is safe (except for maybe Fuu and his partner but I'm not sure because I was too afraid to read their story in Gear x Night's book because of the fear of my fantasy of them being healthy shattering).
The show portrays the toxicity but it never really shows what happened before Day and Itt got together. This is attributed to the fact that this show only adapts the third book and not the first two. It was most likely because the first two were too graphic and nothing but pure torture porn thinly disguised as plot points. One of the worst things I have ever read in my life. The show is vague but they do in fact meet after Day beats and sexually assaults Itt as his form of revenge for Itt and his friends being cruel to Day's little brother, Night. He never really punishes Itt's friends though (something the comments pointed out where I read it, thank god), and even allows one of them to date Night in the end. Oh and did I mention that he keeps Itt locked up in his room and repeatedly abuses him in multiple ways? Yeah, that happens. Couple goals!!!!!! (kill me)
The show must feel so confusing to anyone that never read the first two books because characters just seem to exist, villains come out of nowhere, and backstories make no sense. This is made infinitely times worse by the fact that the flashbacks in this show are horrendous and the sound design is atrocious. The music is so bad and I couldn't deal with the strange editing and scene jumps that they loved to use. Not to mention how the acting was stilted and Frank's wig was BAD!!!!
I liked Frank in 'Cause You're My Boy, but he is really bad here. Like, astoundingly bad. Of course, there wasn't much to work with character-wise, but I think he only made a lame character even worse. He doesn't even fit how I would picture Itt either. Itt is very handsome, arrogant, skinny, pale, and dependent. Here, he is overly exaggerated and doesn't feel like the rich son that is spoiled like how the books made him feel. Frank is cute, but he doesn't have this sort of fierceness to him that I think is what made Itt so attractive to other characters in the books. I think the Itt from Love Syndrome: The Beginning movie is far better of a fit than this one or dear lord the one in Unforgotten Night.
Day's actor was noticeably better, but still not groundbreaking most likely because of the terrible script. He seems to fit how I'd picture Day a lot more than the movie did and I'm not sure how he compares to the Day from Unforgotten Night because the way Day is described is hard to picture. Personality-wise, this show did better though. Unforgotten Night seems to paint Itt and Day as being a lot sweeter and healthier than they actually are. That might be in part due to how Kim views them as an outside that once loved Day, but it still doesn't change the fact that the casting in that mirrored that portrayal. The actor for Day in the movie was awful because they reused an actor from this! And guess what, that actor didn't portray Day! He portrayed some random one-off character that liked Itt from a bar or something.
Gear and Night looked really cute in this and you'd almost believe they were sweet on each other if you didn't read their novel. They are astoundingly attractive here however, and I think Gear's actor in this is far more suited for it than his in the movie's was. The movie version's actor was so out of place and didn't fit Gear at all. Gear is a handsome playboy that wins over the boyish Night. Night in the movie was actually decent though. He was cute and pretty, whilst the actor in this show was much more elegant and kind-looking. So, I think either could work.
Nick and Neil's actors are actually probably the best casting choices. I think they their descriptions in the novel well, and Nick is who I'd say had the best actor in the entire show and movie combined too. I think Neil's actor is the same in the movie too and that was good except for the fact that he gets like 2 scenes in that entire movie so it made virtually no difference whatsoever. They seemed genuinely cute in this but sadly the curse of the source material affects their relationship too so the reviews saying they were a healthy relationship are in the dark.
Nan and Mac actually have two books dedicated to them and they are quite toxic too. Nan definitely was Day's protege except the only difference in this one is the added cruelty that Nan doesn't even have any personal grievance with Mac. He only tortures him because Day wants him to and then he continues to do it because he enjoys watching Mac squirm. The show made no sense by giving them their "happy ending" at the end because it makes no sense whatsoever without the details of their novels. I think Mac's casting was good as he has a unique attractiveness, "dog" face (affectionate), and is very pale too. His actor also portrayed his dismay well I think. Nan's casting was a bit different because I'm pretty sure Nan is supposed to be very well built and have tattoos. They probably couldn't find someone like that though. Not surprising considering what happened with Kamol's casting in Unforgotten Night (yes I know these two shows were not produced by the same people but I don't care because the similarities in poor quality speak volumes of their source material).
The villain being Pee must be so fucking confusing to watchers-only because only readers would understand his significance. He was the first main villain of book 1 that tried to get Itt to leave Day for him. I actually kind of liked him in the book because it was quite obvious that he only wanted Itt by the end because he wanted to one-up Day. It was a pissing (no pun intended) contest between them to have ownership over Itt and was about pride over anything else. Pee was Itt's father's friend's son (dear lord this was tough to type) that was around Itt's age. He was kind of crazy even in book 1 and was always testing Day's patience. He was kind of fucking hilarious with how he would completely ignore Day just to talk to Itt excitedly. I never read far enough into book 3 to know what he's like when he returns, but I think the show portrays him poorly as an antagonist. He was far more entertaining in the first book yet he is so one-note in this and has the cliche manic villain laugh. I also have no idea why Pee's father allows him to keep causing problems. What a poor excuse of a father for letting his son attack his friend's son and partner TWICE!!! He literally kidnapped Itt in book 1 and shot both Day and Itt. Now in this we see Day's friends (besides Fuu for some reason I guess) repeating history to show up to save Day this time from Pee's antics. Because this author just loves reusing plot points. Itt was also fucking useless in that fight.
One thing I really hated was how the author clearly wanted all relationships to have an established "Uke-Seme" dynamic. Every single couple has this. There is no exception to this rule. Day and Itt are probably the worst offenders of it too. Itt is such a constant damsel that needs saving in the novels and Night follows this pattern too. It makes me sick how this author is such a clear fetishizer of mlm and how demonized female characters are in their works. The way women are described and treated feels very misogynistic and Day is (from what I've read) the worst offender of it. Not surprising considering his toxic masculinity but it was still hurtful to read as a female viewer. Hated the toxic masculinity that was portrayed constantly as well as the romanticization of abusive behaviors CONSTANTLY.
Also, why the fuck does Itt have such a harem??? He had so many men + women going after him in all three of the books listed. There were loads of unnamed women, Meen, Mac, Day, Pee, Ball, Korn, and probably some other people I'm forgetting that either got or wanted a slice of that Itt pie. I have no idea why either because he wasn't very likable to begin with and was obligatorily spoiled and ungrateful. Day even jokes (maybe only half) about basically putting a chastity belt or "pheromone blocker" on him. Side note: thank god this isn't set in the omegaverse. Genuinely surprised the author didn't add that in too.
I also really hate Itt's parents in the novel. Moreso his father actually because he is so selfish and was so against Day and Itt (only because it was gay not because of any knowledge of what happened between them) but then decided to allow only if Day could rake in the profits from the side business Itt's father was opening by setting unreasonable standards and not even telling Itt anything about it. Itt thought Day had abandoned him out of nowhere and was left thinking like that for like SIX MONTHS!!!!!! I also really hate how the author wrote (multiple times!) that Day and Itt's father are alarming similar in personality. Especially when it came to pursuing their partners. What the fuck. That just makes their relationship infinitely times creepier and creates an even worse power imbalance to picture especially when I recall a comment describing how Day groomed Itt to be like his little brother (except that he could fuck) because his brother was now grown up and didn't need him as much and Itt looks up to Day like his father and depends on him like one. It was so ew.
This show was just awful and the only thing I kind of liked were parts of the fight scenes. My brother was in the room when that bar fight happened and Day put Itt on the pool table. That was a blast to watch together. Try explaining this poorly produced show to someone without causing them a headache (or yourself) I dare you.
This review is too fucking long and I knew that it would be too. I had a lot to express regarding this story and none of it was good. Would I recommend this show? Fuck no!!! The production is bad, acting is either alarmingly bad (Itt) or stiff, characters are dogwater, plot is a dumpster fire, and the sound design is the worst I have ever seen in something. Not to mention that weird ass fight of Day against the 8 ft fighter at the end because what even was that???? I was so flabbergasted trying to comprehend what was even going on, man.........but would I recommend the source material????? Even more NO!!!!!!! I SAW A REVIEW SAYING THEY WERE GONNA READ IT AND I HOPE THEY OPTED OUT AND DECIDED NOT TO BECAUSE NO HUMAN BEING DESERVES TO GO THROUGH THAT MONSTROSITY!!!!!!!! I believe I can now watch any romance regardless of toxicity because of what Love Syndrome (both the book and show) put me through. I have never felt stronger.
Final statement: ╰༼=ಠਊಠ=༽╯┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽(￣x￣;)⋋| ◉ ͟ʖ ◉ |⋌
Why on God's green earth did the author decide to make every. single. relationship so awful and toxic in their books? Day and Itt are one of the worst couples in both fiction and real life and yet, they aren't even the most abusive relationship that author has written according to other comments I saw. Somehow Kan and Beam take the cake on that one so now I can rest assured knowing I will never touch that book with a ten foot pole.
For any lucky soul that hasn't touched the books, just know that if you think the show is bad, that the books are many times worse. I swear this author incorporated as many problematic scenes as possible and anything else that isn't inherently problematic is awful in its own perverse way. Every single type of abuse you can think of is involved: sexual (A LOT THE MOST ABUNDANT I SWEAR), physical, psychological, emotional, and financial. No relationship is safe (except for maybe Fuu and his partner but I'm not sure because I was too afraid to read their story in Gear x Night's book because of the fear of my fantasy of them being healthy shattering).
The show portrays the toxicity but it never really shows what happened before Day and Itt got together. This is attributed to the fact that this show only adapts the third book and not the first two. It was most likely because the first two were too graphic and nothing but pure torture porn thinly disguised as plot points. One of the worst things I have ever read in my life. The show is vague but they do in fact meet after Day beats and sexually assaults Itt as his form of revenge for Itt and his friends being cruel to Day's little brother, Night. He never really punishes Itt's friends though (something the comments pointed out where I read it, thank god), and even allows one of them to date Night in the end. Oh and did I mention that he keeps Itt locked up in his room and repeatedly abuses him in multiple ways? Yeah, that happens. Couple goals!!!!!! (kill me)
The show must feel so confusing to anyone that never read the first two books because characters just seem to exist, villains come out of nowhere, and backstories make no sense. This is made infinitely times worse by the fact that the flashbacks in this show are horrendous and the sound design is atrocious. The music is so bad and I couldn't deal with the strange editing and scene jumps that they loved to use. Not to mention how the acting was stilted and Frank's wig was BAD!!!!
I liked Frank in 'Cause You're My Boy, but he is really bad here. Like, astoundingly bad. Of course, there wasn't much to work with character-wise, but I think he only made a lame character even worse. He doesn't even fit how I would picture Itt either. Itt is very handsome, arrogant, skinny, pale, and dependent. Here, he is overly exaggerated and doesn't feel like the rich son that is spoiled like how the books made him feel. Frank is cute, but he doesn't have this sort of fierceness to him that I think is what made Itt so attractive to other characters in the books. I think the Itt from Love Syndrome: The Beginning movie is far better of a fit than this one or dear lord the one in Unforgotten Night.
Day's actor was noticeably better, but still not groundbreaking most likely because of the terrible script. He seems to fit how I'd picture Day a lot more than the movie did and I'm not sure how he compares to the Day from Unforgotten Night because the way Day is described is hard to picture. Personality-wise, this show did better though. Unforgotten Night seems to paint Itt and Day as being a lot sweeter and healthier than they actually are. That might be in part due to how Kim views them as an outside that once loved Day, but it still doesn't change the fact that the casting in that mirrored that portrayal. The actor for Day in the movie was awful because they reused an actor from this! And guess what, that actor didn't portray Day! He portrayed some random one-off character that liked Itt from a bar or something.
Gear and Night looked really cute in this and you'd almost believe they were sweet on each other if you didn't read their novel. They are astoundingly attractive here however, and I think Gear's actor in this is far more suited for it than his in the movie's was. The movie version's actor was so out of place and didn't fit Gear at all. Gear is a handsome playboy that wins over the boyish Night. Night in the movie was actually decent though. He was cute and pretty, whilst the actor in this show was much more elegant and kind-looking. So, I think either could work.
Nick and Neil's actors are actually probably the best casting choices. I think they their descriptions in the novel well, and Nick is who I'd say had the best actor in the entire show and movie combined too. I think Neil's actor is the same in the movie too and that was good except for the fact that he gets like 2 scenes in that entire movie so it made virtually no difference whatsoever. They seemed genuinely cute in this but sadly the curse of the source material affects their relationship too so the reviews saying they were a healthy relationship are in the dark.
Nan and Mac actually have two books dedicated to them and they are quite toxic too. Nan definitely was Day's protege except the only difference in this one is the added cruelty that Nan doesn't even have any personal grievance with Mac. He only tortures him because Day wants him to and then he continues to do it because he enjoys watching Mac squirm. The show made no sense by giving them their "happy ending" at the end because it makes no sense whatsoever without the details of their novels. I think Mac's casting was good as he has a unique attractiveness, "dog" face (affectionate), and is very pale too. His actor also portrayed his dismay well I think. Nan's casting was a bit different because I'm pretty sure Nan is supposed to be very well built and have tattoos. They probably couldn't find someone like that though. Not surprising considering what happened with Kamol's casting in Unforgotten Night (yes I know these two shows were not produced by the same people but I don't care because the similarities in poor quality speak volumes of their source material).
The villain being Pee must be so fucking confusing to watchers-only because only readers would understand his significance. He was the first main villain of book 1 that tried to get Itt to leave Day for him. I actually kind of liked him in the book because it was quite obvious that he only wanted Itt by the end because he wanted to one-up Day. It was a pissing (no pun intended) contest between them to have ownership over Itt and was about pride over anything else. Pee was Itt's father's friend's son (dear lord this was tough to type) that was around Itt's age. He was kind of crazy even in book 1 and was always testing Day's patience. He was kind of fucking hilarious with how he would completely ignore Day just to talk to Itt excitedly. I never read far enough into book 3 to know what he's like when he returns, but I think the show portrays him poorly as an antagonist. He was far more entertaining in the first book yet he is so one-note in this and has the cliche manic villain laugh. I also have no idea why Pee's father allows him to keep causing problems. What a poor excuse of a father for letting his son attack his friend's son and partner TWICE!!! He literally kidnapped Itt in book 1 and shot both Day and Itt. Now in this we see Day's friends (besides Fuu for some reason I guess) repeating history to show up to save Day this time from Pee's antics. Because this author just loves reusing plot points. Itt was also fucking useless in that fight.
One thing I really hated was how the author clearly wanted all relationships to have an established "Uke-Seme" dynamic. Every single couple has this. There is no exception to this rule. Day and Itt are probably the worst offenders of it too. Itt is such a constant damsel that needs saving in the novels and Night follows this pattern too. It makes me sick how this author is such a clear fetishizer of mlm and how demonized female characters are in their works. The way women are described and treated feels very misogynistic and Day is (from what I've read) the worst offender of it. Not surprising considering his toxic masculinity but it was still hurtful to read as a female viewer. Hated the toxic masculinity that was portrayed constantly as well as the romanticization of abusive behaviors CONSTANTLY.
Also, why the fuck does Itt have such a harem??? He had so many men + women going after him in all three of the books listed. There were loads of unnamed women, Meen, Mac, Day, Pee, Ball, Korn, and probably some other people I'm forgetting that either got or wanted a slice of that Itt pie. I have no idea why either because he wasn't very likable to begin with and was obligatorily spoiled and ungrateful. Day even jokes (maybe only half) about basically putting a chastity belt or "pheromone blocker" on him. Side note: thank god this isn't set in the omegaverse. Genuinely surprised the author didn't add that in too.
I also really hate Itt's parents in the novel. Moreso his father actually because he is so selfish and was so against Day and Itt (only because it was gay not because of any knowledge of what happened between them) but then decided to allow only if Day could rake in the profits from the side business Itt's father was opening by setting unreasonable standards and not even telling Itt anything about it. Itt thought Day had abandoned him out of nowhere and was left thinking like that for like SIX MONTHS!!!!!! I also really hate how the author wrote (multiple times!) that Day and Itt's father are alarming similar in personality. Especially when it came to pursuing their partners. What the fuck. That just makes their relationship infinitely times creepier and creates an even worse power imbalance to picture especially when I recall a comment describing how Day groomed Itt to be like his little brother (except that he could fuck) because his brother was now grown up and didn't need him as much and Itt looks up to Day like his father and depends on him like one. It was so ew.
This show was just awful and the only thing I kind of liked were parts of the fight scenes. My brother was in the room when that bar fight happened and Day put Itt on the pool table. That was a blast to watch together. Try explaining this poorly produced show to someone without causing them a headache (or yourself) I dare you.
This review is too fucking long and I knew that it would be too. I had a lot to express regarding this story and none of it was good. Would I recommend this show? Fuck no!!! The production is bad, acting is either alarmingly bad (Itt) or stiff, characters are dogwater, plot is a dumpster fire, and the sound design is the worst I have ever seen in something. Not to mention that weird ass fight of Day against the 8 ft fighter at the end because what even was that???? I was so flabbergasted trying to comprehend what was even going on, man.........but would I recommend the source material????? Even more NO!!!!!!! I SAW A REVIEW SAYING THEY WERE GONNA READ IT AND I HOPE THEY OPTED OUT AND DECIDED NOT TO BECAUSE NO HUMAN BEING DESERVES TO GO THROUGH THAT MONSTROSITY!!!!!!!! I believe I can now watch any romance regardless of toxicity because of what Love Syndrome (both the book and show) put me through. I have never felt stronger.
Final statement: ╰༼=ಠਊಠ=༽╯┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽(￣x￣;)⋋| ◉ ͟ʖ ◉ |⋌
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