Quite possibly revolutionary in the BL genre
UPDATE FINALLY???
24/8: POST EP9
Soul officially vaporised at Ep9.
Jaw hitting the floor, screaming, head buried in hands, you name it. Writing this after calming down.
It’s done right, it’s sensual, it’s a red flag that would never be tolerated in the real world. But for the sake of fiction, this BL drama has truly, possibly, allowed me to experience and recognise what passion is supposed to be.
It has succeeded in invoking this intense, fiery passion and emotion for not just a show, but understanding what lust is for another person.
Trust when I say, it’s strange, as if awakening something long forgotten internally, and as someone with anhedonia, this drama is a personal miracle in making me feel – right from Ep1 itself.
This was completely unexpected, and sometimes unexpected has its own perks. I for one, did not read the webnovel (very glad of it) and don’t intend to until the show has finished airing.
Not everyone will favour this drama.To adapt this work is a risk in itself in Cdramaland for anyone that’s involved (we’ve seen c-actors in “scandals” in 2020 and 2021), but no one possesses a stronger vision than the author themselves.
Nongjian deserves credit to make this project happen and since the opening, she has delivered what I believe many BL enthusiasts – of the quality and story – have been yearning for.
She understands what the audience wants to see, and works her craft in order to make THOSE scenes work, because they alone do not actually leave the desired effect (and it’s apparent now more than ever many BLs end up relying on this and assume it’s enough).
Dare I say Ep9 is merely a climax of many to come…
_________
Ep1-3 REVIEW:
The first 5mins of this drama has me on a chokehold. Not even exaggerating. The term Omegaverse has been thrown around in my radar but I never understood what it defines nor bothered to look it up. Curiosity failed to exist until seeing ABO Desire’s poster at another platform and on a whim, I decided to watch Episode 1 at 12am.
As someone who hasn’t the faintest idea of this trope, that first 5min is a delicious introduction to the world. The feeling is one that would be hard to forget, something like the jaw hitting the floor, thinking: WTAF.
It’s one thing to read about power dynamics through various story forms like manga and novels, and even come up with stories on your own, and another to experience seeing imagery that only existed in your head, to live in the screen. One could practically taste the absolute HUNGER from viewers at certain scenes, and it’s actually contagious.
Maybe there are different ways to centralise a story with Omegaverse, but in this case I absolutely go weak at the knees for a good hierarchy/strong power imbalance when done well (no shame in that).
That opening gave a taste of possible plot points to come (wealth divide, steamy scenes/slow burn, oh someone is going to get hurt, oppression and toxicity), and it provided more than enough reason to understand why this AU has garnered so many enthusiasts.
For Desire, it’s a world that is deeply unfavourable for the Omegas, who are either despised or lusted after, and in such an environment, how can a mutual, and safe relationship thrive between an Alpha and Omega that is more than just the Alpha abusing their dominance with “I want them, and I know I can have them” – I think that’s what this story explores. Already at Ep1-3, there’s been a lot of societal issues portrayed that is painful to recognise but commended, and it doesn’t just exist within the story. The theme of consent is very apparent.
So glad I clicked on this. In truth I was starting to tire from most BLs or DNF’d because most themes seemed recycled or include a lot of expl!cit scenes just for shock value.
It has been a whole year (I’ll call it a drought lol) since I watched anything of the sort. It was either immunity or lack of interest to continue the episodes. Personally it doesn’t seem so effective as intended when it’s hard to care for the characters.
The last quality BL I’d say remains as the gold standard is Semantic Error. Hope has dwindled since when it came to scouring every BL released to find one on par with this gem – one that does not depend on kiss or exp!c!t scenes to up the overall rating.
Looking forward to more, and will update. Just realised there are 16 EPISODES AT 50MINS EACH. Things really are changing for this genre.
If you are also new to Omegaverse, oh you are in for a ride (mostly gasping screaming crying on the floor with sensitive, anger inducing, even taboo themes that I never thought to see so boldly portrayed in a BL, let alone a cdrama). I’d suggest diving into Ep1 without any context or trailers.
Desire doesn’t just poke the boundaries of what had been allowed to be depicted in BL dramas all this time, they’ve been shoved more than expected. It is a miracle this even exists at all in Chinese dramaland.
And I just know for taking such a bold move in adapting this novel, success will be inevitable for the team behind it.
24/8: POST EP9
Soul officially vaporised at Ep9.
Jaw hitting the floor, screaming, head buried in hands, you name it. Writing this after calming down.
It’s done right, it’s sensual, it’s a red flag that would never be tolerated in the real world. But for the sake of fiction, this BL drama has truly, possibly, allowed me to experience and recognise what passion is supposed to be.
It has succeeded in invoking this intense, fiery passion and emotion for not just a show, but understanding what lust is for another person.
Trust when I say, it’s strange, as if awakening something long forgotten internally, and as someone with anhedonia, this drama is a personal miracle in making me feel – right from Ep1 itself.
This was completely unexpected, and sometimes unexpected has its own perks. I for one, did not read the webnovel (very glad of it) and don’t intend to until the show has finished airing.
Not everyone will favour this drama.To adapt this work is a risk in itself in Cdramaland for anyone that’s involved (we’ve seen c-actors in “scandals” in 2020 and 2021), but no one possesses a stronger vision than the author themselves.
Nongjian deserves credit to make this project happen and since the opening, she has delivered what I believe many BL enthusiasts – of the quality and story – have been yearning for.
She understands what the audience wants to see, and works her craft in order to make THOSE scenes work, because they alone do not actually leave the desired effect (and it’s apparent now more than ever many BLs end up relying on this and assume it’s enough).
Dare I say Ep9 is merely a climax of many to come…
_________
Ep1-3 REVIEW:
The first 5mins of this drama has me on a chokehold. Not even exaggerating. The term Omegaverse has been thrown around in my radar but I never understood what it defines nor bothered to look it up. Curiosity failed to exist until seeing ABO Desire’s poster at another platform and on a whim, I decided to watch Episode 1 at 12am.
As someone who hasn’t the faintest idea of this trope, that first 5min is a delicious introduction to the world. The feeling is one that would be hard to forget, something like the jaw hitting the floor, thinking: WTAF.
It’s one thing to read about power dynamics through various story forms like manga and novels, and even come up with stories on your own, and another to experience seeing imagery that only existed in your head, to live in the screen. One could practically taste the absolute HUNGER from viewers at certain scenes, and it’s actually contagious.
Maybe there are different ways to centralise a story with Omegaverse, but in this case I absolutely go weak at the knees for a good hierarchy/strong power imbalance when done well (no shame in that).
That opening gave a taste of possible plot points to come (wealth divide, steamy scenes/slow burn, oh someone is going to get hurt, oppression and toxicity), and it provided more than enough reason to understand why this AU has garnered so many enthusiasts.
For Desire, it’s a world that is deeply unfavourable for the Omegas, who are either despised or lusted after, and in such an environment, how can a mutual, and safe relationship thrive between an Alpha and Omega that is more than just the Alpha abusing their dominance with “I want them, and I know I can have them” – I think that’s what this story explores. Already at Ep1-3, there’s been a lot of societal issues portrayed that is painful to recognise but commended, and it doesn’t just exist within the story. The theme of consent is very apparent.
So glad I clicked on this. In truth I was starting to tire from most BLs or DNF’d because most themes seemed recycled or include a lot of expl!cit scenes just for shock value.
It has been a whole year (I’ll call it a drought lol) since I watched anything of the sort. It was either immunity or lack of interest to continue the episodes. Personally it doesn’t seem so effective as intended when it’s hard to care for the characters.
The last quality BL I’d say remains as the gold standard is Semantic Error. Hope has dwindled since when it came to scouring every BL released to find one on par with this gem – one that does not depend on kiss or exp!c!t scenes to up the overall rating.
Looking forward to more, and will update. Just realised there are 16 EPISODES AT 50MINS EACH. Things really are changing for this genre.
If you are also new to Omegaverse, oh you are in for a ride (mostly gasping screaming crying on the floor with sensitive, anger inducing, even taboo themes that I never thought to see so boldly portrayed in a BL, let alone a cdrama). I’d suggest diving into Ep1 without any context or trailers.
Desire doesn’t just poke the boundaries of what had been allowed to be depicted in BL dramas all this time, they’ve been shoved more than expected. It is a miracle this even exists at all in Chinese dramaland.
And I just know for taking such a bold move in adapting this novel, success will be inevitable for the team behind it.
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