This review may contain spoilers
The War Prisoner
See, now this is why I poke love with a stick. I see it coming, I order an uber. Cuz what do you mean, Duan killed and conquered an innocent kingdom, so he can kidnap Shu He and go, 'I did it for you boo, cuz I love you.' And Shu He played along with that nonsense reason, gave away his cookie and married Duan, only to drink poison and die as the ultimate revenge. Fam? That being said, that was some next level hating. Shu He is a professional hater, and I respect that. Let me explain.First off, before I start my review, I'd like to say, Duan's brother is the worst. Mfker got hair and thought he was part of the team. Like, this ain't about you Sharon. Who even are you, and why is you talking? Like you are not important to this whole thing, go and sit done. I hate him so much, and if I knew where he lived, I hide in a corner and poke him in the eye on Christmas, just to ruin his holidays.
Anyway, you know that saying: 'holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die?' Shu He said, eff the other person, imma hold on to my grudge, drink the poison and die just to spit Duan. Mfker was playing the long game in the worse way possible and I felt bad for Duan, which is saying something, cuz after Duan invaded Shu He's kingdom, I was like: 'You know what, I forgive Hua Yong, turns out there's levels to this crazy possessiveness love thing, and he's only on level 7. Duan just obliviated the goddamn scale'. So yeah, I thought Duan sucked and deserved Shu He's anger and indifference, but this whole time Shu He was planning to hurt him where it would hate the most. The heart. And boy did it ever.
Listen, this drama hurt, but like in a bittersweet way. I saw the unhappy ending coming, what I didn't see coming was how deep Shu He hatred was. When I tell you my mouth was opened when we finally learned of Shu He's revenge plan? Dude was literally sleeping with the enemy, a man he loved but hated. He wanted revenge for his love, his brother and his kindgom, and I do get it, I really do, but really Janet? That's some next level of hatred.
Which brings us to Shu He's reason for playing the long revenge game. First off, his kingdom, sure, but didn't Duan's soldiers matched into that kingdom like they owned the place because literally no troops were at the gate, so they just made themselves at home? And Duan also mentioned Shu He's people were already planning on overthrowing him, even still, to some degree I get why he wanted avenge his kingdom. But DAFUG you mean you doing this to avenge your brother too? I'm sorry, in what planet does that crown prince deserve avenging? Somebody should have spat on his grave. The mfker was trying to kill you! He literally had your hand broken so you couldn't do the one thing you loved anymore, and oh, yeah, he murdered your father in cold blood. Like I don't get it? What was so special that prince that both Shu He and Huo Ying loved him and acted foolish?
The brother's in this show fucking sucked and did not deserve the love and devotion they got. Shu He's brother disgraced, hurt and attempted to kill him on multiple occasions. Then we have Duan's brother, you know the ex monk. Literally who the eff kept giving that dude the microphone? Like shut up Bob, this ain't about you. Every time he opened his mouth he made me wanna punch him in the throat. In the last episode, when he was sitting with them eating I kept going, 'Why is you here? You not part of this group? Who gave him a plate?' Arrrgggggg, dude was in the series for like 2.3 minutes and I hated him with a burning passion. Just the worst.
Duan Zi Ang & Xiao Shu He
Yes, I loved the main leads so much in this drama. Their love was beautiful and yet so tragic. In the last scene when they met in the afterlife and they were smiling I was like, 'Dafug is you all smiling and happy about, you are dead.' With how everything was going, I didn't expect them to have a happy ending. Cuz, literally the timeline of their love spelled out tragedy. They started their relationship with secrets and lies. Then they made us all sad when everything came out by stabbing and breaking up, and then there was the whole I destroyed your kingdom and shamed you in front of your people and ancestors cuz I love you crap, then being a war prisoner, Duan's impeding death, Shu He pretending to forgive, forget and love, that scene in the finale when Shu He played the zither and Duan danced? (the whole time I was like, dude is you not dying? why you posing for the camera and doing all that hand stuff? and what is up with that sun rays?) and finally him being a vengeful husband who drunk poison and died. So yeah, anyone who expected anything other than this tearjerker bittersweet ending must have not been paying attention.
Given all that, I still loved them, flaws and all. I understood Duan and why he did what he did. Of course his stupid head brother effed things up for him a lot, and made Shu He hate him even more. And I understood why Shu He couldn't forgive him and wanted to avenge all the wrong done to him. But at what cost people? All that pain, and really, all they both wanted was a little farm land somewhere, Shu He playing his zither and Duan fetching the water and keeping the house. Sounds so much like what Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian's wanted, and we all know how the Untamed ended so...
That being said, we should not forget Duan legit went crazy there for a moment there. Dude ended countless lives, his father's included because Shu He refused to reply to his letter one time. Then he duplicated the 6th prince home and wanted a thank you for it. Dude, read the room, you are literally the elephant. Like, which part of his hatred aren't you getting?
Anyway, after all that, they both dead and are happy in the afterlife, I hope. That crown prince is still there, so one can never be sure. I trust Duan to stab him again if he starts up his nonsense.
Crown Prince & Huo Ying
Another nonsense love I wish never locate me. Huo Ying being in love with the man who knowingly gave him an incurable poison, physically abused him and then sent him away to die was rubbish. Yes, yes, but forget those ingredients, cuz it was the least the Crown Prince could do. And all that time, Huo Ying had a very handsome, un-crazy, in love doctor making goggly eyes at him and bringing him candy, and homeboy was like, 'sorry, I hate sweets, I'm in love with a psycho, and I've decided to die a virgin'. All that for a dead man who waited in the afterlife for the brother he hated and didn't even ask about you. Pfft.
No. Cuz the eff you mean, that beautiful guard is gonna die alone and unloved cuz he was in love with a Crown Prince with the emotional stability of a fidget spinner and the IQ of a potato? And I say say potato, cuz how the eff you gonna commit patricide to usurp the throne from your father, then tell your soldiers to wait while you -tra la lala- down the road to go off your brother alone? Literally, that was the dumbest decision ever, and of course, he immediately got stabbed and shaved off a bridge. Like, what did he think was gonna happen? We need to be serious in this life peoples!
Plot-wise, I enjoyed myself with all the palace and political intrigued. The cast was great, the main carried the show beautiful and the side did what they were supposed to. It seemed there was a lot to tell, but not enough episodes so the pacing was fast, and we messed some stuff with time jumps and narratives, but I didn't mind it, cuz I was still able to follow the main plot. I still don't understand why Shu He loved his brother so much after all that, and even forgave and avenged him. Blood is thicker than water indeed, not my blood though, if it was me, I'd have ordered pizza the moment he hit the floor.
All in all, a very good drama, that I highly recommend, even with the bittersweet ending. I wish we get to see the main cast do something together again, either way I am seated for more work from them, liked them a lot. If you haven't watched this yet, hurry and give it a chance, you'd enjoy it, trust me.
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No Horror No Comedy
The movie is completely overrated. I do dislike zombie genre but I enjoyed Train To Busan, #Alive, All Of Us Are Dead and few others in this genre. I also scare easily so this movie completely fails as a zombie horror flick. It relies completely on it being a comedy and it was terrible at that as well. It feels childish and silly and even dumb.The plot was unique so I will give them points for that and that only. The acting was so-so. To be honest, I disliked the family from the start since they were scammers risking the lives of others for their business.
The movie really has no redeeming qualities from start to finish. A waste of time in my opinion.
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OBSESSION WITH BIT OF SELFISHNESS.
WOW!!! the main leads very amazing at acting. I loved how Zhang ZX express the emotions in drama.((If I'm to tell the truth.... he's my big type. Who'd dominant me and tells me when to live and when to die who'd destroy the world just to be with me. Honestly I'd love to be under the control of a person if he's the one I Love.))
Undeniably, Shuhe also love Duan Ziang.... But for to become a ruler of people he's really the kind of person that everyone want as a Ruler.
Ofcourse whatever Duan is doing seems more than just love....an obsession with slight addition of selfishness. Duan doesn't care about what the person he loves wants but all he cares about is, that person once loved him and he must love him now too. He's totally drowned in the ocean of obsession with no other thinking.
His blindfold shall be unfolded by the one who tied it.
EXPRESSING A GREAT APPRECIATION FOR YOUR WORKS 'KILL TO LOVE TEAM'
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The deepest cuts come from the closest hands..
Once hidden behind the curtain of censorship and the “bromance” tag, it’s awe-inspiring to see a new crop of Chinese BL dramas emerging ingeniously navigating loopholes. Kill to Love arrived quietly, with no major promotions, almost drowned out by the success of another hit, Revenge Love (one of the best). Yet it stood its ground, carried by the sheer conviction of its story, the strength of its acting, and the power of its music.It takes rare courage to push a narrative in certain directions, and I’m glad the writers delivered. The core theme of loyalty vs. love hits close to the heart, offering the leads a chance to sink their teeth into layered characters and deliver performances rich in nuance. From the twinkle in an eye to the faint downturn of a lip, the smallest gestures make you wonder what will happen next and that subtle tension is where Kill to Love shines.
2025 is shaping up to be a remarkable year for Chinese BL dramas. I hope the industry continues to push boundaries and deliver quality stories despite obstacles. And may the universe bring these leads together again in another brilliant drama ,they truly deserve all the love in the world
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This review may contain spoilers
A masterpiece that deserves more hype!
They got married, but at what cost??Nah, but for real… even though I wanted a happy ending, I think a bittersweet ending was fitting for these characters. Even though Shuhe loved Ziang deeply, he couldn’t live with himself after everything that happened. It was heartbreaking to see how Ziang trusted Shuhe until the very end, only to be betrayed in the most devastating way.
The acting in the final episode was absolutely phenomenal, easily one of the highlights of the entire series.
My only gripe is that some plot points felt rushed or skipped over entirely in the last ep. For example:
How was Huoying suddenly wandering around freely in the Northern Palace with no explanation? And why was Ziang’s brother suddenly besties with them out of nowhere?
Despite these gaps, this series is incredibly underrated, especially considering the insanely low budget (confirmed by the actors. They didn't have enough money to hire extras and their screenwriter had to play the doctor Shen Song). With more funding, we could’ve had additional episodes to flesh out the story further, maybe even a reincarnation epilogue!
But alas, they still managed to make it work and deliver an absolute masterpiece. After waiting so long for a historical/wuxia-themed uncensored BL, I can confidently say it exceeded my expectations in every way.
A beautiful, emotional series that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
10/10.
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a pain so beautiful?
KILL TO LOVE WAS A BEAUTIFUL TORTURE, i loved every second of it thank you to the actors, team and production for bringing something so painful yet so beautiful to life i love every single minute and second of it, i really want to see them in another project together even if i have to pay with my own money! they had a low budget but that don’t matter because it was well done and the acting was out of this world, ABSOLUTE CINEMA IF YOU ASK ME❤️Was this review helpful to you?
Clingy, Forbidden, Perfect: Why I Can’t Stop Watching Duan Ziang & Shu He
When I first started Episode 1, I wasn’t impressed 😅 It felt slow and a little dry, and I wasn’t sure where it was going. But by Episode 3, everything changed! Duan Ziang and Shu He’s relationship started to shine ✨—their affection, the little gestures, the tension between them—it was all so real and captivating 🥹. I even went back and rewatched Episode 1, and suddenly it made perfect sense.This BL actually delivers on love 💖. You can feel it in their actions, not just hear about it. The historical setting is gorgeous, the drama feels uncensored, and every moment carries genuine emotion—sweet, messy, and at times heartbreakingly real 💔. The ending was satisfying, and I would absolutely love to see Duan Ziang and Shu He cast in another BL, whether modern or historical. They are just that good 🔥.
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This review may contain spoilers
kill To Love
I've never cried at the end of a series the way I did with this one. The ending was profoundly moving. It felt like the show reached out and pulled me into its meaning. I wasn’t just watching. I was feeling every moment. I'm absolutely blown away by how beautifully this story was written, portrayed, and brought to life by the actors. It’s truly a masterpiece.The only way they could finally be free, finally be together, was through death. When Duan Zi Ang held Xiao Shu He in his arms as they were both dying, and whispered, "Shu He… you deceived me. You’ve deceived me your whole life." It wasn’t anger. It was love. A love so complicated, so deep, that even betrayal became a kind of devotion. It showed just how far they were willing to go, not to hurt each other, but to protect the love they had for each other. That moment destroyed me. Because as painful as it was, it was also inevitable. In the world they lived in, this was the only ending that could bring peace.
Then came the scene with Xiao Shu's brother, waiting on the other side of the door for years. When Xiao Shu He told him, "I want to wait for someone too. When I died, I was in his arms." I was completely broken. That single line held so much meaning. In every lifetime, no matter how much pain or separation, their souls would always find a way back to each other. When Duan Zi Ang finally crossed through that door… not making Shu He wait. Not for days. Not for years. He came as soon as he could.
Their final smiles weren’t just happy smiles. All the pain, the loss, the fear… gone. In that moment, they had everything they were denied in life.
They were finally home. Finally together.
Just “you and me.”
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This review may contain spoilers
I thought I knew where this was going....I was dead wrong.
This drama hooked me from start to finish. While some parts felt deliberately slow, they served a purpose — inviting the viewer to reflect on the complexities of the human mind. It explores how selflessness and greed can drive people to shocking extremes, even leading them to turn a blind eye to the ones they love most.Legally, the protagonist committed a crime — yet without his actions, the situation would have spiraled from bad to worse. He is neither purely good nor purely evil; he exists in the gray, forcing us to question morality, justice, and the choices we make when pushed to the edge.
The entire cast delivered outstanding performances — each actor fully embodied their role, adding depth and authenticity to the story. As someone who’s only recently begun watching Chinese dramas, I’m completely captivated by the level of acting talent on display.
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Lucky seat
Every student knows how stressful it is to prepare for a difficult exam. I used prayer a lot :) In this movie, we have two grown-ups who need to pass the civil service exam because so much in their lives depends on it. But instead of just focusing on studying hard, they discover a “lucky seat” and waste their precious energy trying to steal it from each other.I was quite disappointed in this movie, especially since the legendary Kim In-kwon is in it. As a comedy, the film didn’t make me laugh at all, and there weren’t many original ideas with the lucky seat or the overall plot. This is just a generic B-movie that is only barely watchable thanks to its short runtime. But hey, I added another Korean movie to my “watched” list.
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Become like God
Surprisingly fun superhero movie with a strong focus on action, comedy, and some science fiction. The science fiction part is the one I probably liked the most, although it wasn’t developed as much as I would have wanted. The main story follows a group of people who suddenly receive different superpowers and become superheroes. The powers are reminiscent of earthly elements like wind, water, and fire, but here they are connected to human organs. I wish that had been explained a little better.This is the first real superhero movie in Korean cinema, and I appreciate that. I mean, we’ve had movies where people have superpowers, like Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009), Haunters (2010), Psychokinesis (2018), The Witch: Part 1 and 2 (2018, 2022), and oh, there’s also Lightning Man (2016). But this is the first time I felt a true superhero vibe, similar to Marvel or DC, in a Korean movie.
The name of the movie and the superhero group is Hi-Five. The name sounds catchy, but the way it was introduced in the movie felt a bit cringy, I must say. Picking the superhero names for each character, though, was done comically well. One scene in particular showed how superheroes might appear to other people as gods. So imagine becoming a god that others look up to—how would you use your godly status and treat other people?
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One of the best law dramas I watched in the last years
So I didn't wanna write a review until I saw all the bad reviews that were posted after the last episode just because a lot of people wanted the leads to be in a relationship (and the romance tag misleaded a lot of them into thinking this was a romance drama).Actually I didn't want to watch this drama initially because as we all know there are a lot of bad shows with lawyers out there, but my mom watched the trailer and said that I would like it so I gave it a try and after the first episode I was very intrigued! The cases are so interesting and in every episode we have something new and entertaining, they were kinda realistic and the lawyers were giving pertinent arguments for solving them. And I am saying that as a law university student, the dialogue, the ethical and legal matters were really good.
Of course the legal procedure wasn't realistic and it was a typical legal drama from that point of view and by that I mean that they were having an "enemy law firm" who represented the opposition in the main cases and also the matters were resolved quickly (not like in months or years like in everyday life), but after all this is fiction and we need entertainment and "Beyond the Bar" offers that in many ways.
The relationship between all the characters is so nicely written, starting from the friendship of the main leads with the side characters and how they were so loyal to each other and ready to help one another. I liked that they also portrayed the competition between some of professional colleagues of the lawyer profession or from the same firm, but also the support and the idea that you can get really close to some people even in the adult life, and how you don't know what difficulties everyone has. This drama also portrays family life in such a relatable way sometimes and I love how it discussed some issues. And we also have a good representation of diverse disabilities and hardships the characters go through, which makes this drama very sensible and emotional sometimes.
As like other people said, this legal drama is about a lot of genres: thriller, psychological, social realism, melodrama, even romance (between the second leads tho!) and from my perspective, the production had success in making them work together. Like I said, every episode is different and it explores several issues of the guest characters, but their problems were really tied to the secondary and main characters' lives in profound ways. Everyone has a complicated life and they don't exist only to make the plot work, but to present life in different ways.
And I also loved the relationship between the main leads, which started from tension, respect and disagreement in work life to a deep friendship, solidarity and loialty. Even if there were little scenes which could have leaded people to think of a romantic relationship between them (I was also confused in some bit parts), I think we don't know what the future will hold for them and also you can love someone dearly at some point in your life and don't want a romantic relationship with them.
And yes, I wasn't satisfied by the end either, but that's because it ended to abruptly (even the last line, that wasn't nice, dear writer) and I would have liked to see even a 30-minutes finale only about our main and second characters.
This show was about all types of love and I think that's what more people should understand. Not only romance is important, but every other way of loving someone is just as important.
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Heart wrenchingly beautiful
Amazing acting. Amazing storyline. Amazing costumes. This story was so heart-wrenchingly beautiful, I just wish there were more episodes. I wanted them to have a happy ending, but it's okay not every love story ends on a happy note, sometimes fate is twisted, dark and ends in tragedy. There are only few bls which you can count on fingers, that touched my heart and I can definitely tell that "Kill to Love" is one of them and in my top list. But when Xiao Shu met Duan Ziang at the gates of the afterlife, it was so surreal and I cried both tears of joy but also sadness. Thank you so much to this BL directors and actors and everyone who was involved in this top-quality production. I appreciate you and thank you for giving us this bittersweet masterpiece. <3Was this review helpful to you?
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"Sweet like honey, and sharp like mint"
First and foremost, let me kowtow to our mighty prince-general couple, whom I so adore and respect. 🙇♀✨ [Shadow Love] will be remembered as one of the most unique Chinese dramas of the historical romance-fantasy genre. The WHOLE drama really lived up to its name, which can literally be translated to "With Jin Chang'an". If we look back to the earlier episodes, when the leads first met, Shuang gave our ML the name "Jin An" in the hopes of establishing "perpetual peace and stability for the Jin dynasty", the era they live in. Their main goals were to "resolve the crisis and help people live in peace and prosperity" all along, and by episode 38, they brought peace to both Taijin and Da Yao kingdoms, their citizens, and also to themselves..These references can be found in this article ➡ (https://news.mydramalist.com/article/ryan-cheng-stars-alongside-another-female-general-in-shadow-love)
Now, let me tell y'all what impressed me the most. ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ💓
One, is the unique character designs (obviously, ain't it? X3). We get to see a lovable and obedient Jin An; the mysterious and wild Xuan Yi Ke; and lastly, the dignified Prince Annan of the Yao kingdom, Duan Ao Deng~ Cheng Lei delivered ALL of these roles with brilliance! 'Dislike' is not even an option here. The role was custom-made for him. The same goes for our FL, Li Shuang, portrayed by Song Yi. Despite the harsh criticisms aimed towards her, 'Li Shuang' wouldn't be perfect if it weren't for our actress. Next is Lu Xin and Mo Yin, our beloved secondary couple, who brought extra smiles to the viewers. I love how sarcastic Lu Xin can be, and how she can handle her man well~😝 No less than our great general Li! Then we have our Qiao'er and Ouyang Jun, the couple we failed to protect😿. Lastly, the person who had the most character development imo would be Li Ting (Shuang's younger brother). He started as a bratty younger sibling who'd always bring trouble to a determined individual who is worthy of respect, and Wu Yu Heng made it convincing~ This link here is proof that they nailed their roles with precision ➡ [ https://youtu.be/rprG6F82cqI?si=dU9_d_EERQaTaLMS ]
Second, there are the tight-knit bonds of various relationships, both platonic and romantic. Li Shuang's love for Jin An (ML) and the male lead's devotion towards her know no bounds, despite the outside influences and his inner turmoil. Their journey was not futile, and every moment was valuable for them to face off the looming angst. Apart from these lovebirds, the most heartwarming bonds can be found in the brotherhood of ML and his Emperor brother, Papa Li and his tiger cubs (Shuang'er and Ting'er), as well as the friendship between Lu Xin, Shuang and Jin An.
Lastly, we can't forget the magnificence of the beautiful settings and CGI, elegant wardrobe choices, hairdo, and makeup, as well as the pleasing OST music from start to finish. Some of my favourite OSTs are Sole Love by Liu Yu Ning, Beyond Fate by Jane Zhang, and Bringing Peace by Huang Xiao Yun~ All the intricate details the editing department has added bring life to not only the characters, but also to the world they live in~✨ It's a fantasy world, but nothing is overdone~ ^^
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