looked good but felt empty inside
Just when I thought Taiwanese BL dramas had set a consistent standard for me, Exclusive Love came along and shattered that streak. I started watching the first episode without much background reading, curious and open-minded. By episode two, I had to pause and actually read the plot synopsis and even then, confusion hit me like a truck.
Initially, I thought there was going to be a ghost element involved because of the prank in episode one. Turns out, that was the first and last time any “ghost” even remotely made sense. The entire funeral company concept, which should have been central to the story, was barely shown and poorly integrated into the plot. It felt more like a narrative afterthought than an essential part of the characters’ journeys.
As for the main leads, their performances were serviceable at best. Not terrible, but not memorable either. Their chemistry was almost non-existent. You’d think a strong character background would save them, but the execution was so scattered that you couldn't even enjoy it properly. There was no emotional hook to latch onto between the leads.
Surprisingly, the second leads offered a bit of hope. Their chemistry was more believable, enough to make me wish they had more screen time. Still, their subplot about sabotaging a wedding dragged the quality down even further instead of lifting the story.
There were TOO MANY missed opportunities. Important story arcs felt half-baked. Did Wang Zhan actually overcome his deep-seated fears? Did the brother die or not? Also, what happened to the "training" that was supposed to help the main character? If you call a one-day crash course “training,” then I guess they technically ticked the box, but not convincingly.
To give credit where it’s due, the cinematography was clean and visually appealing. You can tell they invested effort in the technical aspects. The soundtrack, too, was genuinely good. If anything, those were the only things that kept me from quitting immediately.
Overall, I've seen WORSE (yes I'm talking to you Sunset X Vibes), but that's hardly a compliment. Exclusive Love was more disappointing than entertaining. It wasted a decent premise and stretched 12 episodes into what felt like an endless loop of "what is even happening?" I even found myself skipping about 40% of it, and it still felt too long.
Initially, I thought there was going to be a ghost element involved because of the prank in episode one. Turns out, that was the first and last time any “ghost” even remotely made sense. The entire funeral company concept, which should have been central to the story, was barely shown and poorly integrated into the plot. It felt more like a narrative afterthought than an essential part of the characters’ journeys.
As for the main leads, their performances were serviceable at best. Not terrible, but not memorable either. Their chemistry was almost non-existent. You’d think a strong character background would save them, but the execution was so scattered that you couldn't even enjoy it properly. There was no emotional hook to latch onto between the leads.
Surprisingly, the second leads offered a bit of hope. Their chemistry was more believable, enough to make me wish they had more screen time. Still, their subplot about sabotaging a wedding dragged the quality down even further instead of lifting the story.
There were TOO MANY missed opportunities. Important story arcs felt half-baked. Did Wang Zhan actually overcome his deep-seated fears? Did the brother die or not? Also, what happened to the "training" that was supposed to help the main character? If you call a one-day crash course “training,” then I guess they technically ticked the box, but not convincingly.
To give credit where it’s due, the cinematography was clean and visually appealing. You can tell they invested effort in the technical aspects. The soundtrack, too, was genuinely good. If anything, those were the only things that kept me from quitting immediately.
Overall, I've seen WORSE (yes I'm talking to you Sunset X Vibes), but that's hardly a compliment. Exclusive Love was more disappointing than entertaining. It wasted a decent premise and stretched 12 episodes into what felt like an endless loop of "what is even happening?" I even found myself skipping about 40% of it, and it still felt too long.
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