A stunning, complex drama that manages to deliver even with a limited episode count.
I discovered Kill to Love by finding the trailer a couple of days before the first episode was due to air. The trailer alone intriqued me enough to want to check this title out, and my interest only grew as I researched more into it. An uncensored Chinese BL show, sharing the same director as the one from the Untamed? A story that reminded me very much of Priests' Qi Ye ( Lord Seventh), in that it carried a political background to it that intercepted into the romance plot line? A romance that dissolves into enemies and lovers about half way through?
This show had everything it needed to grab me, and I'm so glad that it delivered what it set out to do nearly perfectly.
Yes, I did say nearly perfect.
There is only one tiny nitpick I have about Kill to Love, and that is that 12 episodes feels much too short for this type of story. Now, I completely understand why the low episode count - and we should count our blessings that we even got this show show in the first place - but there's so much going on at times that for me, personally, I felt more time dedicated to expanding and letting the story and political intrique grow would have helped move this show up to a 10/10 rating.
Knowing that Kill to Love is based on a webnovel titled 'The Eternal Silence of Mountain and Rivers' (山河永寂) and which spans over 100 chapters, there's obviously a lot that happens in the story that we don't get to see developed fully or really hear about. And it can lead to confusing plot threads at times if the viewer isn't paying full attention. I feel like even a 20 episode count would have helped provide the time to flesh out the scale of things, especially during the second half of the drama after a timeskip takes place.
But again: this is a personal nitpick. While Kill to Love is shorter than ideal, my enjoyment was not any less because of it. There is still so much about this drama I loved, from the gorgeous costume designs and cinematography, to the incredible talent of the cast here. I have to give a major shout to Zhang Zhexu; who manages to portray the complexity of a caring and affectionate Duang Ziang who appears as the perfect husband for Xiao Shuhe, only for his actions of love later turning warped, obbsessive and controlling. He is truly a standout in this hugely talented cast, and with the chemistry he shares onscreen with Mi Jin it isn't difficult for the viewer to quickly find themselves growing invested in their characters' love story together.
If you're interested the slightest in this drama please do yourself a favour and give it a chance. I will warn that this doesn't have the happiest of endings (although there is an additional scene at the end which tries to leave the viewer on a happier note than the main story does) so be aware of that's not for you. But if you want a short, good show with a really engaging story and fascinating characters, this deserves a chance. I don't think I will ever stop recommending this to people, and I'm so very thankful that the show found a way to air uncensored.
This show had everything it needed to grab me, and I'm so glad that it delivered what it set out to do nearly perfectly.
Yes, I did say nearly perfect.
There is only one tiny nitpick I have about Kill to Love, and that is that 12 episodes feels much too short for this type of story. Now, I completely understand why the low episode count - and we should count our blessings that we even got this show show in the first place - but there's so much going on at times that for me, personally, I felt more time dedicated to expanding and letting the story and political intrique grow would have helped move this show up to a 10/10 rating.
Knowing that Kill to Love is based on a webnovel titled 'The Eternal Silence of Mountain and Rivers' (山河永寂) and which spans over 100 chapters, there's obviously a lot that happens in the story that we don't get to see developed fully or really hear about. And it can lead to confusing plot threads at times if the viewer isn't paying full attention. I feel like even a 20 episode count would have helped provide the time to flesh out the scale of things, especially during the second half of the drama after a timeskip takes place.
But again: this is a personal nitpick. While Kill to Love is shorter than ideal, my enjoyment was not any less because of it. There is still so much about this drama I loved, from the gorgeous costume designs and cinematography, to the incredible talent of the cast here. I have to give a major shout to Zhang Zhexu; who manages to portray the complexity of a caring and affectionate Duang Ziang who appears as the perfect husband for Xiao Shuhe, only for his actions of love later turning warped, obbsessive and controlling. He is truly a standout in this hugely talented cast, and with the chemistry he shares onscreen with Mi Jin it isn't difficult for the viewer to quickly find themselves growing invested in their characters' love story together.
If you're interested the slightest in this drama please do yourself a favour and give it a chance. I will warn that this doesn't have the happiest of endings (although there is an additional scene at the end which tries to leave the viewer on a happier note than the main story does) so be aware of that's not for you. But if you want a short, good show with a really engaging story and fascinating characters, this deserves a chance. I don't think I will ever stop recommending this to people, and I'm so very thankful that the show found a way to air uncensored.
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