not the best, but #1 in my heart
This is my first (and probably only) review on MDL and it’s going to be very very subjective, but I wanted to contribute. You’re probably looking at my ratings and going wow this person is nuts. Well, you’re not wrong. Anyways, I’m not the best at words, but I still want to give my honest opinion of this drama as I think it has too many negative reviews in and outside of this website.Aside from the terrible and rushed production, questionable editing that is all over the place, way too many shots of the city & buildings as a lame excuse for a transition, and the background music that cuts off weirdly, I still really enjoyed the show.
I haven’t read the novel, but from the many reviews I’ve seen of people that have read it, they all mentioned that it is one of the best written Thai BL novels. And even though the directing of this drama falls behind and feels as if a high schooler directed it, I think they managed to get the essence of the story.
Before starting this drama, I was already interested in it because of the plot and had it instantly added to my watch list. I’m a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers (light on ‘enemies’) trope turned into FWB and then there is the PINING. So much pining! To be honest, if anything, this drama’s plot feels a lot like a fanfic come to life and that’s one of the appealing factors for me. I saw some negative views that said this show “doesn’t have a plot.” But the plot /is/ Uea’s daily life, his love-related struggles, and him working to overcome his trauma. And even if it’s not an overly fancy plot like other dramas have, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. Sometimes the life and struggles of a character are engaging enough to just have that as the story.
Before I started watching the drama, I wasn’t yet a fan of NetJames, but watching some clips from the first couple episodes, I knew they’d instantly become a favorite. And NetJames are definitely the reason this drama has a hold on me like no other. Their chemistry is some of the best I’ve ever seen, and they truly bring King & Uea to life. King is hands down one of the greenest of flags in a BL and for that alone, I would recommend this drama to anyone and everyone. And Uea? Uea is such a strong and wonderful MC, we as an audience really feel for him and his never-ending trauma and horrible luck. Overall, King & Uea’s relationship, although it started out as FWB and could have gone a lot of (wrong)ways, they turned out to be one of the most wholesome, healthy, and sweet couples.
While the directing and editing team could use an upgrade (or change altogether), they certainly brought up a lot of good topics to address in the show. From the episode with KingUea going to get tested after their one night stand, to the positive portrayal of seeking a therapist and taking medication for Uea’s trauma, it’s nice to see all these things normalized on the big screen.
And lastly, for some negatives, the most disappointing thing for me (aside the aforementioned second paragraph), were of course the many scenes cut out from the show. Whatever their reasoning may have been, it’s a pity that so many of their more intimate scenes were cut even in the “uncut” version of the episodes. The fans can only hope they would make it right by adding them into a future DVD set version. And maybe redo some(all) of the editing overall.
Production: 2/10
Visual fx: ??/10 (Though I do want to say, the whole budget went into the graphic design projects Uea & Jade were working on. At least it wasn’t a blank screen.)
Background music: 4/10 (sometimes too much, sometimes stops weirdly, what is going on no one knows)
OST: 10/10 I have to say Feel Fan is one of my most favorite theme songs out of all dramas.
Acting: 9/10 for NetJames, questionable for some of the others.
Rewatch value: for me personally? 1000/10 I honestly could watch King & Uea’s story for a million more episodes.
An objective overall rating? Around 6/10 or 7/10 if we’re being sincere. But my subjective overall rating will stay at 10/10 because despite the many shortcomings, I haven’t felt this way about a drama in more than 10 years. And that in itself is enough for me to give it the highest rating.
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Not even an exaggeration but this is the greatest BL of my lifetime
I took a break from BL dramas for a little while and one day an edit of this caught my eye on TikTok. At first I was like, "Oh a Chinese BL that's uncensored? Maybe I'll give it a try." And then a few days later that maybe turned into "This is consuming me mind, body, and soul and it will be all I care about."Despite the low budget, this team gave us the greatest story, the best characters with the greatest ever character development, the absolute most insane chemistry between both the main and side couples, and some of the most beautiful (and soul wrenching) OST songs that I'll forever cry when I hear because I'll miss this cast and show viscerally.
Ziyu and Tian Xuning went above and beyond in their portrayals and their chemistry on and off screen is so insane, it's got me living in delululand for months. It's a pity they will never act together again, but at least we got them in this lifetime and it has been the greatest gift the world of BL could give us. Not to mention, they are feeding us "Season 2" through the BTS clips and that's like a whole other drama of TianZiyu falling in love. Enjoying them in at least two parallel worlds is a gift I'll treasure forever.
Others wrote much better reviews and this one is kind of/ partly to myself so I can look back on it in years to come and relive the love I have for Revenged Love.
Do not be afraid to watch this show. It is life changing.
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