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I do not understand the hate this show has gotten in the reviews both here and on Viki. There really was not any plot point that wasn't addressed later on in the show. I found it to be great drama and want to address some reoccuring comments.Phone not being found at a crime scene? It wasn't a crime scene, it was an accident based on the video so they would not have searched for evidence...
Not kicking the guy out after turning the lights off when she fired her house keeper? She didn't share with the guy that he shouldn't turn the lights out, when she explicitly told her housekeeper not to. People give grace to their friends but not to those they employ like that. Also, he assumed they were all asleep and not hanging out in a secret room....
Missing romance? I didn't feel like they could have any romance until the ML learned the truth about the FL, even the ML commented on it before he left. They showed and had great chemistry instead and I'd equate this to a very slow burn thriller romance.
Dumb male lead? I don't think you paid enough attention to his character then. He showed his true colors numerous times up until you learn everything.
The acting was amazing and they were fantastic at mimicking each other. They swapped pretty fluidly. Personally, I think this is absolutely worth watching even with the over the top play on stereotypes.
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Does that mean you shouldn't watch it? Absolutely not, it's still a great watch but I do think viewers NEED to understand it's importance to BL and Mainland China.
There are a lot of comments and reviews about consent. I think every viewer is going to have a different understanding of how consent worked throughout this show, and the translations did not help in most cases. If you pay attention to what Luoyin says in each scene, your perspective will change. I am not going to do any spoilers, because I think this is a show you have to watch for yourself.
If you keep in mind that this is Mainland China in 2015/2016, with two strong characters on polar opposite sides of the personality spectrum, the situations work for the story and relationship building between the two. To me, this was a story where Gu Hai was completely confident in himself without caring what anyone else in the world thinks and was open and free in expressing himself. His obsession with Luoyin is what made him fall in love and want to be the person Luoyin could rely on for the rest of his life. Luoyin though, has so many walls built from living his life that nothing else but Gu Hai's obsession was going to tear them down.
This show also portrayed a very different side to China than you generally get to see, the lower class and how they live. Sure one of the main plot points is the dependency between each families wealth, but normally you see the poor kid living with the rich family. This was completely opposite, and truly part of what makes this show great. Gu Hai and Bai Luo Yin were better people than other character in this show, and deserved any happiness they could find with each other.
I hate unfinished stories, so if I re-watch it I will end it just before the final scene (about the last 3mins). At least then it's just soft conclusion instead of a cliff hanger.
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Oh to be a College Kid
Eh, this felt like a pretty solid college romance. They are all a bunch of people learning how to be adults and stand on their own.If you keep in mind some of the information shared quickly during brief scenes, like how the FL casually mentions to the ML she knows what his mother is like, or when the FL shares how much she knew the truth behind the MLs life and work to be an actor and his struggles, it really is not a surprise that they end up together. She was just waiting for him to stand on his own and he proved it to her.
So true on the fact that the women in the FL life are petty and jealous. Her roomie was definitely manipulated, but that doesnt excuse what she did at all.
The acting was well done and it felt like a college show, so i think overall it met its mark. I give it 8⭐ because they tried to jam pack it with so many different plots that it felt very surface level. If they had reduced the amount of plots and only focused on two or three things more deeply it probably would get better reviews.
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Level Up.....Your Entertainment
If you survive the epic number of plot holes and truly outlandish situations the characters find themselves in, this is by far one of the best and most ridiculous comedies I have seen in forever. Don't expect an ounce of accuracy in its portrayal of the gaming world, but you can clearly feel how great the actors are and how they make you feel engaged. They definitely knew how to dramatize and play up all the craziness.You absolutely experience high levels of ridiculousness, but it's pure entertainment gold.
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Sometimes it feels like I watched a different show...
You ever feel that way? You see all the hype and love for a show and then when you watch it, and you feel like you watched a completely different series. Here's my take on it.I was in it for the vibes of 80's gangster craziness, especially when they brought out those brick cell phones and suit jackets with shoulder pads, that completely disappeared by episode 5. But by episode 5 I'm was in it for the long haul. Which to me, impacted my liking of the main couple and show overall. As a montage 80's style gangster movie, it wasn't so ridiculous to think the ML could be a secretly kindhearted individual, but going into drama mode with a more serious tone made the love story clash with the plot(s) because there's no freaking way a leader of a Triad would be that way in a more drama focused story telling.
I don't understand the hype this couple has based on all the comments also. The slow burn romance is a bit too slow burn and nothing really happens until closer to the end of episode 8, but that's also because the ML's really don't interact alone together through most of the show. The ML's really needed more one on one time to build a deeper relationship to make it feel more reasonable why episode 9 happened the way it did. That's not to say they didn't have good chemistry, their interactions felt fluid and natural, not forced or uncomfortable at all. But I wouldn't say it was butterflies in my stomach or sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of them being on screen together levels. If you want some good anticipation and amazing chemistry between two characters, go watch To My Shore, it won't disappoint but it is dark as hell.
I actually liked what everyone else seems to dislike, the introduction of the police as the next plot point. I felt like this was better for the overall story then the continued gang conflict that really wasn't working any more for the change in tone. Story progress picked up at episode 8, which is what made the ending of episode 9 so jarring. The twist, in my opinion, really wasn't much of a twist.
Overall if you enjoy watching absolute craziness that tapers off into a slow burn romance drama, this is probably a great show for you. But if you are looking for that craziness all the way through, sorry but this show will disappoint. I don't think this was a terrible show and I enjoyed every second of it for it's intention and ambition, but I definitely don't agree with the majority of reviews this show has gotten.
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What the hell did I just watch?
Absolute gold, that's what. Okay, hear me out. Just like everyone else you have GOT to watch this wild f**king show. WARNING: while it's labeled an omega-verse story, if you are an avid omega-verse reader then this is not your normal story. They handle some parts of an omega-verse story well, but absolutely butcher other parts and it sucks. If you can survive that, then great! But there's more. Male Pregnancy. This is a pretty uncommon theme for romance readers but if you have read it, they do a TERRIBLE JOB WITH IT. Trust, you will laugh when you see how it's handled.Okay for the actual review. I absolutely loved the male lead characters. Once you learn who everyone really is, every interaction changes completely from the tone that is set. I could not stop laughing EVERY TIME Sheng Shao You played into Hua Yongs hands the scene was supposed to be romantic and sweet but in reality it's a cunning, manipulated interaction that just somehow...becomes comical. This is another villain love story, for the psychopaths.
The second male lead set however, that was the most TOXIC relationship I have ever seen. That was wrong from start to finish, and I am personally glad the writers did not put them together. Like WHAT THE F**K. Oaf, had to get that off my chest. Okay, you really can't help but feel sorry for those two idiots, but like what the hell guys. USE YOUR DAMN WORDS.
You have to use your imagination in a few scenes, like really suspend your belief, but it's absolutely worth it. The ending however, did not feel like an ending to a series. It felt like the ending to a season and was VERY abrupt. The main leads storyline was finished up well enough that it was acceptable, but absolutely not for the second leads. Be warned!
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Sweet, cute, and all the Innocence.
This is such an adorable, light-hearted story and I re-watch it for the feel good vibe it has. It can feel a little awkward at times, but it kind of just adds to it's charm. Expect the cheesiness to remain throughout every episode.Plot was definitely paper thin, but I didn't need a diverse or in-depth plot to enjoy this. I would love to see a continuation that dives into a heavier plot like how To My Star got a second season, but that's just hopes, dreams, and pixie dust. Anyway, this is permanently on my rewarch list.
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Where did this show even come from?
It came out of far left field without any warning. Listen, these dramas really need to come with trigger warnings like how books do, because this is not a show about good people. If you don't like a bad guy being the ML character in a romance, and expect there to be some sort of character growth into a "good guy", then this show is certainly not for you. This is a story about bad guys, finding other people who love them despite being bad guys. A villain story, through and through.For those of you who like to suspend belief in reality and enjoy the types of story's that dive into different depths of humanity, and are okay watching a villain get their love story, then this show is absolutely for you. As other reviewers share, you NEED to get to episode 3 before the drama really kicks off, but Chi-Wei will drag you along kicking and screaming. Sure, there are definitely some hang ups through out the show, that you don't really realize you never get a real answer to until it's 4 episodes later. But by then, it doesn't really matter because you're already invested in the next drama shenanigans. And there are a lot of shenanigans.
Be ready for your heartstrings to be wretched several times by the leading men, but don't forget that all the characters reap what they sow and that's a major plot throughout the entire show. The second male leads were the perfect example of this, as they only sowed good between them so they didn't have any of the drama the main male leads had. Those idiots were idiots through and through, but it really worked for their development as a couple. The actors behind each of these characters clearly know their craft well and put so much effort into these roles; I can only hope they all revisit BL dramas in the future. They did not shy away from bringing each of their characters to life no matter how good or bad they were, and I wish other BL dramas out there learned from them on how to show passion and intensity.
Don't forget, villain story here. There were a lot of problematic themes that anyone should be aware of before entering: implied sexual assault, homophobia, victim blaming, clear parental abuse, the lying...OMG the lying, so much manipulation (everyone to each other for reals), and the list goes one. Don't enter if you can't handle these things because you will hate this show. If you are a romance reader, particularly in the dark fantasy or villain, this show will become a re-watch staple.
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