I just learned from the comments episode 9 was the last... I'm in shock. The pacing is definitely the biggest flaw of the show as I had no idea years were passing. The actors are so good, though. He Yan Zhao is a gem. There's some good class analysis here from He Chu San that Xia Liu Yi was product of his material conditions and not because he - or others on that path - was inherently bad. Looking forward to any continuation in a year or two.
Dated tropes, abusive cliches, internalized misogyny, unimaginative plot, emaciated leads, queer fetishization I thought was left in the 90s... This series made me wish there was harsher censorship. Really thought BL had matured since the weak story lines I read 25+ years ago but here is Revenged Love. Got about 2/3 of the way in to see where the quality was. Never found it. Hope low bar BL is actively suppressed.
I'm a filthy commie so I love me some CPC propaganda. Shove it down my throat. I am so serious. So when I tell you I was wholly unprepared for how gay this was, believe me. I usually love the default romance in republican era dramas, but this one resurrected the BL fangirl of my teenage years... I couldn't watch the apprentice scene in one sitting because it made me so shy. Whereas there was zero tension for the male/female lead. Every time they were brought up it felt like getting whiplash. The only exception was when they were Jiangxi. And it turned out to be prophetic: have you seen the news about tungsten? It eclipsed gold and copper in the market! Never mind - no prophecy - just good socialist economic planning. Happy May Day!
I need a 10 part sequel of Gao Tu being treated like the precious Omega he is! I expected this series not to be anything special but the class analysis with Huang Xing's creepy acting sold me. Hua Yong does not believe in consent. Poor Gao Tu quickly became my sole focus. He was in love with a literal bigot. The ending is terrible - unanswered questions, no closure - but they were likely running out of time or money. Still solid for the most part.
Just finished. As a communist, my interpretation of the ending is both possibilities because this is the story of all party members. Following liberation, some never found their family while some did. They all, however, sacrificed everything and would gladly do it again for the sake of the new generation.
The pacing is definitely the biggest flaw of the show as I had no idea years were passing. The actors are so good, though. He Yan Zhao is a gem. There's some good class analysis here from He Chu San that Xia Liu Yi was product of his material conditions and not because he - or others on that path - was inherently bad. Looking forward to any continuation in a year or two.
So when I tell you I was wholly unprepared for how gay this was, believe me. I usually love the default romance in republican era dramas, but this one resurrected the BL fangirl of my teenage years... I couldn't watch the apprentice scene in one sitting because it made me so shy. Whereas there was zero tension for the male/female lead. Every time they were brought up it felt like getting whiplash. The only exception was when they were Jiangxi. And it turned out to be prophetic: have you seen the news about tungsten? It eclipsed gold and copper in the market! Never mind - no prophecy - just good socialist economic planning. Happy May Day!
I expected this series not to be anything special but the class analysis with Huang Xing's creepy acting sold me. Hua Yong does not believe in consent. Poor Gao Tu quickly became my sole focus. He was in love with a literal bigot. The ending is terrible - unanswered questions, no closure - but they were likely running out of time or money. Still solid for the most part.