dodoubleg1785

Another classic case of "don't listen to reviews and form your own opinion."

I came across this series a while ago when YT suggested it. After reading a lot of the reviews here, I put it off and put it off though still kept it in my "to watch" list because it was short and I figured if there was a night where I wanted a quick, low mental investment series, then I could pull this one out.

Well, last night was that night, and I have to say, I should have watched this sooner. The reviews for this series are unnecessarily brutal and, while it certainly isn't the best series I've ever seen, it sure as heck isn't the worst.

Was the acting great? Not exactly. Was the story original? Not in the slightest. Were there any groundbreaking moments that stood out at all? Honestly.. not even close.

But was it an enjoyable watch that met my incredibly low expectations of being entertained for 5 hours? Yes. Yes it was.

I also personally liked how the ending was left somewhat open: you don't know where Play and First will end up in either their relationship or their careers. But it does hint that they get their priorities on the same page of wanting to put their relationship first.

Even if the acting left something to be desired, the MC chemistry was actually really good and palpable. Some of the side characters were a bit annoying to me but I guess it was the series attempt at comedy to balance out the more emotional side. Plus I think some things got lost in translation because the subtitles didn't always make sense but you can get the gist.

Honestly, if you're looking for something cute and not too deep or intense, I'd suggest giving this series a try. Again, it's all about expectations and not holding the series responsible for what someone thought it should be.

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Do not watch when you're hungry...

Honestly, this show (along with other recent BL shows that featured food as a major plot point) makes me want to learn more about cooking in general. Every single thing they made looked delicious and I especially liked how they tied it into the story here. The idea of traveling the world through food is fun, different and challenging, especially when it requires ingredients that are not native to where you live. And the fact that Sota was doing this to honor his grandmother made it particularly sweet.

The smaller stories within the overall plot were nothing new.. office worker bored with his day to day, a coworker with a crush, the MC having a link to each other via past school life and unrequited love. What I liked was that Sota wasn't against being attracted to a man but rather he was confused because it had never happened before. I don't know how old he is supposed to be in the story but sexual awakenings can happen at any point and I liked that he wasn't just fighting against it because it was a man.

They had a lot of cute moments together though the parts that were meant to feel more intimate felt a bit flat to me. And the one kiss you get (if it can even be considered a kiss) was so anticlimactic.

But besides that, I enjoyed the series very much and would suggest it to anyone who enjoys BLs on the lighter, cutesy side of things.

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Highly recommend!

To start off, let me just say right off the bat that this review is for both We Best Love: No. 1 For You and We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd. Partially because I binge watched both back-to-back without stopping to write a review but also because it's practically impossible to separate the two once both have been seen. Some of that is due to the flashbacks and reminders in season 2 but also all the references and mentions of things that happened in the past, the series were clearly made with 2 parts in mind. When the first one leaves off with such an open-ended cliffhanger like that, there's no way they were ever considering ending it like that. And if they did, they would have had so much backlash.

Anyway....

As a whole, the series was very good. I thought it would be a quick watch, seeing as each season is only 6 episodes at 30min a piece. But each episode is so packed with content and things going on that were actually relevant that a 6 hour watch-a-thon felt like 2 days of non-stop watching. I'm not complaining, as I enjoyed every second of it... but I didn't realize how much of a mental break it is when a series is lighter and longer with fluff filler that seems so superficial. It makes watching a series with substance so much more fulfilling.

Speaking of which, I can't remember the last series I watched where I felt as empty and sad that it was over than I felt after watching this. I just didn't want it to end.

The pacing was really well done though there is that weird peek into the future at the end of season 1 that causes the whole tension for the beginning of season 2. Admittedly, I was watching season 2 thinking "the misunderstanding better not last for the whole season" and thankfully, it was somewhat cleared up by episode 3. I hate when series have misunderstandings to begin with, let alone using it as the main conflict for an entire run of a show. Thankfully, that didn't happen here. The only thing that never really gets cleared up is who the girl with the child were though it's clear to assume it is She De's half brother and step-sister from the mother's new marriage. I mean, we find out that the mom was pregnant when they arrived which would mean by the time Shu Yi went to the US, the child would have been just over a year old.

I enjoyed the transition from University life to the working world to see their growth as individuals apart from the relationship. Even the supporting cast was great to see in a different light. I almost didn't recognize Zhe Yu and Bing Wei at first but then was happy to see they were still hanging around Shu Yi, even in a professional manner. I thought all the actors portrayed their characters well though I was really impressed with Shih Chih Tian as Zhen Xuan. It is extremely hard to portray an affective disorder without being over the top with it but I thought he did a great job with little nuances and ticks that showcased his struggle with it all.

Some reviews I'd read thought a chunk of the intimacy (mostly in season 2) was unhinged and messy but I personally didn't feel that. I can only assume they are referring to when Shi De was drunk and it looked like he didn't know what to do with his hands. It may seem sloppy on the surface but, at least for me, it is pure and real and passionate. A good portrayal of wanting to cherish but also wanting to devour the guy that got away 5 years ago and you finally managed to have within arms length, even if you are three sheets to the wind.

Not only would I recommend this series but I would watch it over and over again; it was just that good. It's also one of those series that once you know the ending, you'll want to watch it again to see if there were any hints or foreshadowing.

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Have the tissues handy..

From the synopsis, it's pretty obvious this series would be an emotional roller coaster. However, when I managed to get to episode 8 without any tears, I thought I might just make it. Then episode 9 hits and it's nothing but the pulling of heartstrings in both happy and sad ways till the very end.

The story was well done from start to finish with no real unnecessary filler or plot points that barely make sense. There were a few storylines that were suddenly introduced out of nowhere and then resolved just as quickly that had me wondering if I missed something being mentioned earlier. But as long as the issue was resolved and not just introduced to create tension between the MC, I can overlook the randomness.

The acting/chemistry between the MC was fantastic and, while it is a slow burn, there are clear traces of it as it develops and blooms over time. The connections between them made sense and wasn't an overkill of coincidences which these kinds of stories could quickly turn into. The secondary couples were okay though it felt forced to me. Especially between Nathee and Keeta.. there was zero chemistry there in my opinion. It even had me wondering if Tae was at all comfortable playing the role in the first place.

I've heard some people compare this with Triage, especially since both series came out the same year. But besides being about doctors and having a more serious tone than a light-hearted BL, they had absolutely nothing in common and I don't know why one is even brought up whenever the other is. That's like comparing something like Cutie Pie and SOTUS just because the main character is a University engineering student. Or really any University BL, for that matter, which there are a lot of.

I believe this is definitely worth a watch. If I had to give any heads up, I'd say take it for what it is and don't overthink the ending. Sometimes, open ended isn't so horrible and I feel like it works well here.

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So many unanswered questions..

When will these writers realize that if a plot point is important enough to put into the show as a conflict, it should dang well get a resolution?!

There were so many ideas introduced into this series that just didn't get the attention or closure that they deserved. The ones that did got an off-the-cuff comment and that's it. I understand that the focus is on the main couple but as a viewer, we also became invested in Jack, Time, Thian and Thoop, just to name a few of the side characters who were used for drama but then discarded with no regard to their storyline.

Especially Thian and Thoop.. like seriously.. that's some serious stuff going on there and we don't know what comes of it. Did the stepfather go to jail? Did the mother leave him? If so, why did it take her until her son went to jail for one night instead of doing something about her daughter being attacked and driven to suicide?! WTF

And poor Jack.. nothing is done about the video game and his mental illness is kinda washed aside with a fleeting mention that he doesn't have to take the pills anymore.

I really wanted to like this series but there was just too much left out while there was too much introduced without going anywhere. The love story actually had a decent arc and I really liked that they were older in the work force instead of the typical high school/university students. The acting was good within the main cast and it was fun seeing Drake in a role other than "one of the firends."

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Heartbreakingly beautiful

Man... I feel emotionally drained after that roller coaster.. I can't fathom what another season / sequel is going to do to me. But it was so incredibly well done that I don't mind all the tears and pulling at my heart. I see why it's rated so high across the board.

In reading some reviews beforehand, I saw a lot of dislike toward Teh and, while I can see where the dislike is coming from, I can forgive him to an extent due to the fact he was confused and scared about his own feelings which is never a good combination. It stood out to me how much Teh was pacing back and forth in a lot of scenes as if he were lost. He was clearly struggling with his thoughts/feelings throughout the series. You could feel the frustration coming off him.

I definitely loved how Bas was not ashamed to be seen with a boy and I think both Oh and Teh really needed to see that in order to experience it themselves. Bas's monologue at the end of cram school was basically Teh's inner thoughts and feelings only Teh wasn't brave enough to say it out loud and it cost him his chance with Oh. While Bas laid it all out, it was such a beautiful scene because we watched as Teh realized it all too, even though he didn't say a word.

In that respect, I'm curious to see how many pages the script was for this series because I feel like there wasn't all that much dialog for 5+ hours. However all that they said with their expressions was deafening. The actors were really good at portraying their inner emotions.

I usually don't like series centered around high school age because I feel like I'm too old for that.. But this was amazing and I didn't feel like I was watching teenagers, if that makes sense.

Besides the acting, the cinematography was absolutely stunning and I liked that it wasn't set in the city. The music was great and really helped set the tone for each scene, especially the piano version of the song they sang together. A lot of little touches like that really helped with the ache the viewer felt along with the characters.

I'd definitely watch this again and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of frustration to go along with a truly beautiful piece.

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Well hot dayum...

So.. this was a lot to process, especially after binge-watching it over the span of 2 days. One of the rare times I actually see the merit in taking breaks between episodes but I guess if I had watched it while it aired, it would have been weekly breaks.

Anyway, going into this series, I hadn't seen any trailers or read any reviews though I kind of had an idea of what to expect.
Especially with a name like Bed Friend, I pretty much assumed it would be spicy though sometimes the spice is lost if the actors don't have the chemistry. But let me tell you, they had the chemistry in this series and then some. I like that the writers didn't put such a stigma around sex without love or looking down on the whole FWB arrangement. It was straight forward and, as far as their intimate relationship was concerned, they had fantastic communication with their expectations.

I kind of found it funny how in the opening credits, they had Tutor as if he were a major part and yet he only shows up in the last second of the series and says one line. I mean, I know they have their own series coming out but it just kind of stood out to me as if he was supposed to have a bigger role here than he really did. Likely they filmed the two series at the same time as they probably used a lot of the same locations and actors for both.

But I digress. The things I didn't like about this series: Pretty much everyone who interacts with Uea other than his work colleagues. Seriously, I feel like the writers were trying to think of all the possible negative relationship experiences a person could have (IE abusive parent, abusive step-parent, cheating ex, obsessive ex, sexual harassment in the workplace) and threw them all at a single character one after the other. And not every one of them gets resolved which is super frustrating. It's like they were addicted to traumatic drama without the redemption/resolution or lacked the creativity to actually give each problem a solution.... or both. By the second or third incident, it's obvious that they just want to show that King is there for him and is his rock. But by the 3rd or so time it's like "okay, we get it. Now can you please bring justice to these people?"

I also don't like that Uea never once thought to try and get his sister out of that situation as well. Plus the sister never really stood up for him either even though she saw what was going on with the mother and heard Uea's claims about the step-father. And yet she still asks him to come visit on behalf of her mother? That's messed up.

Even with all of that, I still really enjoyed the series and I would definitely watch it again. And yes, I admit, that's mostly for the hotness between the two main characters. They had a great push and pull dynamic going on outside of the bedroom, sure, but dayum the bedroom dynamic was off the charts. Give me a soft daddy and a power bottom combo and I'm a happy guy. LOL

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Where "simple" goes a long way.

This series is proof that you don't need a huge budget to make a great show. If you have an interesting enough concept, the passion and the talent to back it up, those ingredients are enough to make a tasty dish indeed.

To be honest, I don't know anything about the production of this series though it is pretty clear they were working with not a whole lot. I can only assume it was because of the pandemic and there was only so much you were allowed to do when it was at the worst. But this didn't need a huge cast nor did it need lavish sets or location shoots. If you have talented actors, give them a hidden microphone and let them run with it.

This is a first time for me for Gameplay's works and I have to say he did a great job. However I was completely blown away by Jeff and I'll explain why. I know he has a huge following since he has an acting and music career and yes, he is really talented in both. This is only the second thing I've seen of his (the first being KinnPorsche) and I honestly liked him better here. I didn't particularly care for his role or performance in KP as he was pretty "broody" the entire time. But here, he was playful, fun-loving and seemed all-round NATURAL to the point where I wondered if most of his lines were improvised. He had great timing and honest reactions and the most subtle of looks/expressions that had me unable to look away from what he might do next. This performance alone is enough to make me a fan.

I really enjoyed the simplicity of the series and truly wish they get to revisit it sometime again. Sure, it's not a sad ending nor is it a happy one which could be left as is for the viewer to imagine what happens next. But after such a fantastic ride, I would love to see a more solid (and preferably happy) conclusion.

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Good for a second season series, but..

.. the pacing was a little disjointed for me. Some parts dragged while the ending felt super rushed.

With the main obstacle/villain being Tee, I would have rather we get to see better justice for his wrongdoings, both against James and Ait as a couple but especially for what he did to Bas. All we see is the clip being played on the monitors at the press conference and Tee running out so we don't even know if he was ever held accountable for his actions or if he managed to get away in the end. It's super frustrating because he was an effective "bad guy" that we loved to hate. They practically spent the entire 2 seasons of the series showing us all the reasons to hate him and then we get no resolution, whether it's good or bad. It just simply does not exist.

Speaking of what doesn't exist, I wish James and Ait knew more about how much Bas was struggling. They were on his side and wanted the best for him and yet they didn't know he was contemplating suicide? To be honest, I could have done without James and Ait entirely this season as I absolutely loved Bas and Marco together. I preferred them over the other couple in the first season too even though they weren't acquainted yet. I found their characters were more interesting individually and then just got better when they were together. I thought Michael and Daniel were better actors overall too over Benz and Time.

Besides the ending, I still thought it was a good series overall and as far as the couples were concerned, they had satisfyingly happy endings, which I am a sucker for.

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Important message, even if it's exaggerated.

At the beginning, the show gives the standardized message of "this is inspired by real events but is dramatized for television" spiel. Yes, it is a drama that brings forward a lot of questions and possible insight but it is so much more than that. It's not your typical "actors are humans too" and leaves it at that. This really dives into the effect certain demands can have and not just in a relationships POV but in personal trauma and self image. Sure, they talk about shipping culture but, for me, the most important character and situation was Bas. Seriously, watch this just for him and you won't be disappointed.

At the time I'm writing this, I have only seen season 1 so I have no idea what happens going forward but I hope to all that is good that we get more Bas and Marco. Their arc is so beautiful and stunning made 100x better by Michael and Daniel's acting. I don't think I've ever hurt so much as I did when they were on the way to Bas' home and made a pit stop. (When you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about.)

The series had an overall vibe of an "artistic piece" where there were a lot of breaks in dialogue. I didn't feel like it dragged, though, because the cast was really good at communicating with looks and expressions that a lot was being said without being verbalized. The episodes average out to about half an hour each and the season only had 6 episodes, which seems like a very short time but I feel like there was good development all the way through with semi-satisfying resolutions at the end. I only say semi-satisfying because I'm sure they knew they were making a season 2 so they had to leave some things open.. I get it.

Speaking of which, it's time to move onto the next one!

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Cute story with minimal angst

Despite a couple of small grievances I have with certain plot points, this was still sweet and a good watch overall. For the most part, it felt very organic and most of it progressed at a pace and direction that made sense.

The first three quarters flowed well with the relationship building of all characters and the development of the story overall. One of the aforementioned grievances is in how there was so much emphasis placed on Bai Lang's trauma, to the point where it was the driving force of the entire show, and then once he decided he wanted to pursue XunAn, it's like it suddenly disappeared. Which is kinda too bad because Andy did a great job at conveying how powerless he was against his anxiety, only for his efforts to be completely traded for the bumbling younger guy chasing a serious older man trope.

The other issue I had was with XunAn's parent's storyline. I'm sorry but beating your child who is now a grown man living out on his own is pretty ridiculous. And for the wife to make excuses for him and apologize for him is even worse. If you don't agree with how to raise your child, that is some serious deal breaker. I honestly don't understand the use of this trope where the parents are so at odds with each other and yet they don't separate. How could she live with that guy after he beat her child with a cane? But, anyway, luckily that was only in the last episode and not a recurring thing as I likely would have dropped it otherwise.

I really liked the friendship Bai Lang had with Alex and enjoyed all of their interactions together. They bicker like siblings which made for some hilarious dialogue and then you can see how much they actually care for each other in the more somber moments. I would have liked more time with Alex and RJ's development but I understand they were just a side couple.

Even with the few things I personally didn't care for, I would still recommend this as it was a short and sweet piece full of heart and feels.

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Not bad but not great

It's hard to rate this because on the one hand it was a bit of a mess as far as the story went but on the other hand, I still found myself entertained enough to keep watching.

There were a few plot holes left open and some of the timeline doesn't fit right which I think is more of an editing problem than a writing or acting issue. Continuity could sometimes make or break a series and in this case, it certainly didn't do it any favors.

Although, with that being said, the acting could have been better for a few of the cast. (I do have to thank whoever first mentioned they watched shows at 1.5 speed because that really helped.) There were a lot of times where someone was standing there as if they forgot it was their turn to speak and yet the director just said "Keep rolling" anyway. Although the director certainly knew how to best showcase Film's.. ahem.. assets to full potential. Honestly, I liked Thee and Jet's relationship better than the main couple.

I can't really see myself watching this again although I am glad to have given it a shot. If nothing else, it was a cute, mindless story to spend a day binge watching.

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Wow. Just... wow.

I don't tend to give 10s out easily but I couldn't, in good conscience, give this show anything less. It was one of the best BLs I've seen to date and I'm so glad I came across it.

At first, the serious tone of the show had me putting it off for a while, thinking I needed to be prepared emotionally before getting into it. However, even though it was a more serious and mature plot, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

The story was intriguing and kept a steady pace of being interesting and exciting all the way through. I was afraid that it might get confusing when there are twins and hidden identities but it was super easy to follow and Gun did a phenomenal job at portraying the personality differences between Black and White; even when White is pretending to be Black.

In fact, the acting from the entire cast was great and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job in any role. There was a range of characters who were both good and bad in their own ways. It's nice to see a very human response from these shows where we are reminded that no one is perfect and, while we may have similar goals in mind, different people will act differently to achieve those goals.

As far as the music goes, I never really pay attention to soundtracks since it's always the same 2 songs throughout the series. This show, however, had an awesome and diverse soundtrack.. so much so that it was probably the first time I ever took notice of the music in a BL.

With a show like this where there are hidden identities and plot twists, it could either have a high rewatch value where the viewer wants to go back and see if they catch the foreshadowing or a very low rewatch value where the viewer is left feeling unsatisfied after investing all that time just to find out a cop-out ending.

Personally, I'm more the former in this situation because I feel like any and all revelations and occurrences were believable and only made the story better. That's a really hard thing to do when dealing with issues where there are so many opinions; not just among viewers but within the show itself and it's characters. Even if you don't agree with a characters method, you can still understand them and their motives. They even address that within the show by asking if the gang are vigilantes or heroes and it walks a fine line throughout. Some people might be put off by all the political talk but it is thought provoking and important, IMO.

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"Meet Cute" overload

This was a very funny and cute series. It basically takes the piss out of the world of BL and how the smallest "Meet Cute" could lead to a relationship. It has all the tropes everywhere you look but done in a way where the main character is practically pointing them out for the audience.

It's almost as if they made this series as an introduction to the world of BL however I find the humor is in the fact that BL lovers have seen all of this done multiple times and we know the truth behind the joke that it is overused. I feel like anyone can enjoy this, whether they are new to the BL scene or a seasoned watcher.

I read some reviews where people thought the ML's relationship kinda happened out of nowhere and was too short but I didn't feel like I missed out on anything. The show is completely centered around that idea of the first meeting and so I think it ended perfectly where he finally succumbed to letting that first meeting evolve into asking the guy out on a date. It still came around full circle. I know there is a second season (which I haven't seen yet as I write this) but I feel like this ended on a good note and I don't feel like it needed more. I'll still watch the second season just because I liked this one so much.

Last thought... I could watch the opening song countless times and not get tired of it.

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Second time around

I originally watched this a few months ago but held off writing a review, knowing I would watch it again when the sequel (Drama Special) came out. Part of me wanted to see if I felt the same way about the series the second time around and, for the most part, I did.

The premise seemed interesting and it was nice to have a BL not centered around University life. (Even though Kuea is in University and there are plenty of scenes with him at University, it's not centered around University life, seeing as Lian is older.) But even though the characters are older and supposedly more mature, they sure didn't act like it half the time. Take the misunderstandings that come with school dramas (the ML thinks the other lead is in a relationship with pretty much anyone they talk to) and replace it with a different kind of miscommunication consisting of lying and keeping secrets from each other. This really stood out to me the first time I watched it although it didn't hit as hard this time around. I mean, I can see they had their reasons but those reasons didn't seem like enough to justify the lying to go on the entire series.

It would have been so much better if, after Kuea first calls off the engagement in the first episode, that he actually does what he said he'd do and be his true self. In the first episode, we see him as a total bad-ass, riding motorcycles and playing drums but putting on a masked persona around Lian. Then, when he wants to call off the engagement, he still tries to seem obedient around Lian, even though he supposedly decided that he doesn't want to be married to him anymore and shouldn't care about his opinion. Because, let's face it, Lian was an ass to Kuea when all he wanted was reassurance that their marriage would mean something.

All that being said, I still enjoyed watching the show. There was enough investment in the side characters to help break up the constant lying of the main couple. (Excluding Diao and Yi who had their own issues that pretty much mirror the above.) I really loved the relationship between Diao and Kuea; that best friend who will drop everything (even at the risk of being scolded) to help each other out. And the engineering crew was hilarious. I enjoyed their interactions with each other and always laughed when they all would murmur "sadhu" when Syn would say his words of wisdom. I liked the healthy, professional rivalry between the Pentagon and Gemini and the interactions between Jay and Lian. They had respect for each other even though they were essentially in direct competition. Jay's support of Kuea's music career was nice to see as well... pretty much Jay brought in a good balance of what healthy relationships looked like against all the messed up stuff going on with the two main couples.

The music was enjoyable and catchy. At times I felt like this series was more of an attempt to launch NuNew's music career rather than his acting career but, either way, he deserves it.

Now that I've seen it twice, I don't know if I'll watch it again, to be honest. When the next sequels/spin-offs come out, I may browse through it on those respective couples (with pit stops along the way to see Jay) to refresh my memory on what we've seen of them so far.

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