BL RATINGS

Okay, I actually have A LOT to say about this one, so buckle up because I fear this review is about to turn into a criminal investigation against Fan Xiao.

For starters, I love my fair share of dark romance. I usually like it extremely dark, but to the point that it’s usually doomed so there isn't any fantasizing about the fact that this is a normal ok relationship to have but this one... oh lord!

There is one thing I will NEVER tolerate, and that is romanticizing or normalizing SA, dr*gging someone, sabotaging their relationships, and lying to the person you're supposedly in love with. I already have a complicated relationship with love triangles because why am I watching two people fight over someone when they could simply communicate like functioning human beings? But watching Lu Zhen and You Shu Lang's relationship get sabotaged because of Fan Xiao's selfishness genuinely tested my patience.

Now, I'm not here to invalidate anyone who enjoyed this series. Trust me, I have my fair share of questionable BLs, series, and movies that I've rated 10/10 and would happily watch a thousand times without getting tired of them. I can defend my personal favorites with the confidence of a lawyer who knows their client is guilty. I understand that taste is subjective, and what works for someone else might not work for me. However, speaking entirely for myself, I found this series incredibly boring, frustrating, infuriating, and, at times, downright unrealistic. The acting was decent, the music was decent, and the cinematography was genuinely nice, but the actual story? Yeah, no. Unfortunately, pretty visuals can only carry a show so far before the plot starts asking me to participate in its delusions.

And speaking of delusions, I genuinely don't understand all the hype surrounding Revenged Love either. Like, WHAT is going on with Chinese BL's lately? We finally got a taste of CBL, and now I'm approaching every Chinese BL on my watchlist like I'm entering a haunted house. I'm scared to press play because so many of them seem to revolve around similar toxic dynamics, manipulation, revenge, and characters who apparently believe emotional stability is a human rights violation. Obviously, not every CBL is the same, and some execute these storylines much better than others, but I've noticed enough similarities to make me hesitant. At this point, I need a psychological evaluation before adding another one to my currently watching list.

And yes, I KNOW this is fiction. I promise I haven't forgotten that these characters are not real people and that Fan Xiao cannot personally come to my house and ruin my day. However, fiction can still influence how certain behaviors are portrayed and perceived, and there's a difference between exploring toxic relationships and presenting harmful behavior as something romantic or desirable. You can write a terrible person as a compelling character without convincing the audience that their actions are somehow justified because they're in love. Those are two very different things, and I wish more stories understood that distinction.

ANYWAY. LET'S TALK ABOUT FAN XIAO BECAUSE THIS MAN IS SINGLE-HANDEDLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY DECLINING BLOOD PRESSURE. Actually, scratch that. My blood pressure is probably rising.

I genuinely despise this man. He drugged You Shu Lang, SA'd him, lied about his involvement, and allowed someone else to take the blame. Then, as if that wasn't enough, he proceeded to seduce You Shu Lang's boyfriend, sabotage their relationship, and eventually get You Shu Lang for himself. SIR????? Is this romance or a criminal case? Because I feel like I should be taking notes for the prosecution.

And THEN he has the audacity to hurt Lu Zhen even more by essentially comparing him to a flower or a dead beetle, or whatever the hell he's drawn, because he supposedly falls in love with his paintings. I'm sorry, WHAT? First of all, if you supposedly LOVE someone, why are you treating them like an object you admire rather than an actual human being with feelings?

And don't even get me started on his sob story. I understand that trauma and difficult circumstances can shape a person's behavior, and I'm not saying characters aren't allowed to have complicated pasts. But having a tragic backstory doesn't automatically absolve you of accountability. Some genuinely good people have lived through horrible circumstances and somehow managed not to drug, SA, manipulate, and sabotage the people around them. SHOCKING, I KNOW! Apparently, Fan Xiao missed the mandatory class on personal responsibility.

And listen, I KNOW I sound ridiculous passionately prosecuting a fictional man as if he's about to appear in court tomorrow, but the level of anger I feel toward him is genuinely one of the main reasons I cannot continue watching this series. The other reason, of course, is that I'm simply not interested in the story. Imagine being so insufferable that you manage to be both morally reprehensible AND boring. Pick a struggle!

I CANNOT romanticize a relationship like this. I don't care how the story unfolds later or how much character development we're supposedly going to witness. If my partner eventually revealed that they had SA'd me, lied about it, let someone else take the blame, and deliberately sabotaged my previous relationship to get me for themselves, I would not be kicking my feet and giggling over our love story. I WOULD BE CONTACTING A LAWYER. BLOCKED, REPORTED, AND REFERRED TO THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES. Goodbye forever.

I don't care how beautiful the soundtrack is. I don't care how gorgeous the cinematography looks. I don't care how many sad flashbacks you give me. YOU ARE GOING TO JAIL IN MY HEAD!

But seriously, I'm not going to let this series ruin my entire mood. I can acknowledge that the production has its strengths, respect the effort that went into making it, and understand why other people might enjoy it while still admitting that the story simply does not work for me. I don't think the series is objectively terrible in every aspect, and I'm not going to pretend my personal feelings are the universal truth. I just found the writing frustrating, the central relationship difficult to stomach, and Fan Xiao almost impressively unbearable.

At the end of the day, I can appreciate dark romance without believing every toxic relationship deserves a happy ending. Sometimes a character needs therapy, sometimes they need to face the consequences of their actions, and sometimes I, as the viewer, need to close the tab before I start filing imaginary legal documents.

Overall: 7/10 from a more objective perspective

Personal rating: 3/10 because I am, in fact, a hater