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This is a feel good series and one of my faves in Muteluv
This isn't groundbreaking, but it's sweet and funny and cute. BL tropes abound, but they are well executed and satisfying. The mains are endearing. There's no question where we are headed from the beginning but it was still a fun ride. There is enough tension to move the story but not so much that its distracting or annoying. And the characters behave in a way that's believable in the context of a tv series. It's so irritating to watch bl's where couples are doing ridiculously foolish things that manufacture conflicts that no two people have ever found themselves in. (I give more leeway to comedies, but even then there are limits that some shows fail to respect.) The chemistry is good. So good in fact that the scenes without kissing show the warmth between them as effectively as the scenes where they do kiss. This hit all the right notes for me. It's warm and fuzzy with a few laughs and an appropriate amount of conflict. So simple and yet so good. It made me look for more places to watch the main couple and also got me interested in other miniseries within the larger Muteluv series.Was this review helpful to you?
This is their love story start to finish and I can't stop watching it!
I watch a lot of bl. This is a really good one. It's a love story from beginning to end. It's not a breakup and makeup story. It's not a coming out story. It's not a story of betrayal and redemption. It is about communication, friendship, life struggles, love, sex, and commitment. To me, it feels somewhat unique in this genre.I get the sense that some of the unimpressed reviewers should avoid (this brand of) Japanese bl because the flow of the story isn't for them. No disrespect to the haters here. It's just that there are different flavors of bl, and this can be both well done and not to your liking at the same time.
For me, this series was spot on, and I miss these two so much. I cannot even remember how many times I've watched it already. I enjoy the story, which I do not think is about a toxic relationship. Clumsy, but not toxic. This is the arrangement they entered into. It's not master/servant, but it is dom/sub or brat tamer or something of that ilk. (I will leave the finer points of that assessment to someone with a deeper knowledge of such things.) If that's too much for you, ignore that piece and focus on the plot: one person is desperately wanting to be reassured that they are loved and appreciated while the other wants to be reassured that their complete devotion is understood and reciprocated. It's actually very sweet and loving. And sometimes it's hot, sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's heartwarming.
I also think the acting is strong, the production is good, and the writing flows. The leads are gorgeous and have good chemistry, but that won't carry the whole project without the other pieces in place. This is one of my all-time favorites. You should watch, especially if you like Japanese bl. And don't give up before the end! You need the entire story to truly appreciate this drama.
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This was a gem even with the constraints of censorship.
When I started watching this it felt a little wonky. But every episode made me want it more and more. I'm so in love with the main couple, and I'm so over the censorship issue! These actors did a great job, and I feel really cheated that they didnt get season 2 or a storyline in Love After Addiction. Their relationship was rough and tumble, and it could have come through as cartoonish or melodramatic. But for me, they portrayed it in a way that felt so believable and ultimately warm. Chinese bl is good, and China should celebrate that. Hats off to cast and crew.Was this review helpful to you?
I needed more time with these two!
I'm deducting half a star because it needed more time to stew. Other than that this was 10 of 10 for me!The mains are delicious. I loved their chemistry. The supporting cast was hella good. Really great acting. The writing was good except its so short that things felt rushed sometimes. I wasnt given enough time to sit with my feelings before they moved on.
I also wanted one more NC scene. I dont say that because they were hot, which they were. I say it because the sex scenes reflected where they were in their journey, and I think there was one more milestone that needed commemoration. Again, I blame the short format for robbing us of that moment.
Overall a pretty satisfying watch! Love to see more of them both in future projects!
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A good watch for those not easily triggered
This wasn't easy to watch. It made me angry a LOT. But I kept tuning in because I wanted to know what happened to Lu Feng!The story was tortured in a lot of places. There were some acting fails. But I loved the chemistry between the mains when it was humming. Honestly, I disliked pretty much every character other than Lu Feng (although he made it hard too), including Yi Chen (Xiao Chen?). And the show's treatment of mental illness was shit. It was such a missed opportunity to really shine. Ugh.
Overall I enjoyed myself. It kept me wanting to know what was next. Not perfect but still a solid watch.
And I am unapologetically team LF! Look, I watched the whole thing. I know all the facts. And I stand by my decision despite his atrocious behavior (for which I wish the series had explicitly made him account).
First, his story was compelling to me. He's struggling but he never strays from his objective. He's absolutely devoted and completely obsessed. Second, he grows over the course of the series. He makes mistakes (that's an understatement, folks) and learns from them. Third, his suffering at the hands of every other character shredded me. Despite his despicable behavior I felt for him.
Also, my shallow side will never get over how beautiful the actor who portrayed LF (Ayden Sng) is. He's approaching He Yan Zhao (Sammy's Children's Day) gorgeous. He's Takeuchi Ryoma, Bible Wichapas, Apo Nattawin level gorgeous. He's Denzel Washington gorgeous. As my list suggests, his type is not my normal bias; I like 'em melanated, chile. But here we are.
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The wind up was longer than I wanted but it really was worth it
So many episodes of unrequited love! It almost lost me, honestly. And Qin was actually pretty mean about it at times. I say that both as a warning and as encouragement to stick with it, because it really does pay off.Duang is earnest and genuinely sweet. I wasn’t fully on board with his fixation on Qin at first, but I came around. And once they decide to actually figure things out, they commit (as did I). There are still obstacles, but they’re not drawn out or overly contrived. It settles into a story about two men falling in love, which I appreciated.
The intimate scenes are fire—and not just for the obvious reasons. There’s actual dialogue, and something about the delivery and what they were saying made those moments land in a deeper way. The actors felt comfortable with each other, and the staging, especially in the final episode, was incredibly effective. It was intimate without feeling gratuitous, and it did a great job showing how close the characters had become.
I also liked how the second couple developed. Their progression felt natural, and I found myself invested in their story as well. The friend group added a lot of warmth overall.
Definitely worth pushing through the early episodes for me.
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