Reviews

Addictive & Unique with Toxic Red Flags

This is my first uncensored BL and with it being an omegaverse, I can definitely say it was a wild ride.

POSITIVE:
- Black flag male lead. More than a red flag, Hua Yong was the unhinged, possessive, manipulative, sexy, toxic, unpredictable, multi-layered character that I love to watch. It’s extremely rare to find a lead like him and he has easily become one of my all time favourites.
- Main lead’s relationships. The chemistry, development and execution of the scenes such as the lie reveal and forgiveness were done fantastic. From beginning till the end, their story was captivating and fun to watch.
- Unique concept. The omegaverse made this hella interesting with the pheromones, ruts, heats and all that. In the past I’ve been a big fan of werewolves so it was relatively easy to understand the concept.
- Relationship pairs. One of my favourite things was the unusual pairings. The seemingly masculine men turned out to be the “wives” while the more gentle and lean looking turned out to be the husbands. The angst between the couples was great too!
- Fight scenes. They were absolutely a ridiculous clown show and guess what. I was entertained SO MUCH. Yes, if you crack me up that much, I’ll put you in the positive pile.

NEGATIVE:
- Second couple - a massive wasted potential. Their development was non-existent. From the start till the end it was the same miscommunication again and again and again and again. Their ending was extremely unsatisfying, especially having learnt from others how it was in the novel. I don’t know why the writers couldn’t spare at least 5 minutes for them to have a normal conversation and lay out their feelings. Their open ending was a poor choice and it made me feel like their relationship was a waste of a watch. There was no regret, no reflection of the consequences of their choices. No proper backstory of why Shen Wenlang was so hostile (I only learnt bits and pieces from novel readers). Don’t get me started on the zero brain cells this man had. If they had inserted a flashback of him having a head trauma, it would have made more sense why he was the dumbest, of the dumbest, of the dumbest characters ever.
- Voice over narration. It was very out of place and made the scenes comical rathar than emotional.
- Bad editing.
- R*pe scenes a.k.a unexpected rut/heat encounters. These sensitive scenes were not done with care and their execution was extremely poor. Again, I had to learn from novel readers why some things were the way they were to make it easier to stomach this.
- Ending. It was very rushed, too much black to fade transitions that make the episode super choppy and of course, the second couple’s unfinished storyline made it VERY unsatisfying.

OVERALL:
I’m glad I gave this drama a chance because I was hooked from the very first minute of episode 1. Watching this while airing (1 episode a week) was absolute torture and it made it very addictive and obsessed. I loved the concept of mpreg, the character’s dynamics, and of course Hua Yong, who was the star of the show for me. The last few episodes did lose some steam, still up until the finale it was a solid 9.5. But the ending made me lower my rating, which is a shame. Choices were made and they were poor. Having said that, it was still an enjoyable ride. I recommend this and hope to see more cdramas like this (in terms of concept and characters).

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the cursed bin of dogpoop

Yes this is how i want to describe this show ,when i watched secrets happened on the litchi island trust me i was literally counting days for revenged love and abo desire to air expecting these two to look atleast mildly like the secrets happend on the litchi island. Then RL happend and lets not go there tbh', it was pure garbage, then i pinned all my hopes on ABO thinking maybe it will compensate but bitch SURPRISE it was just a diffrent flavour of dogpoop (dont ask me how i know the flavors shhh) wasted potential :- the concept was so cool and knowing china is producing this it should have been at least watchable? but the execution was so bad i wanted to kms. acting:- where? is it with us in the room? it made me physically cringe like wtf, the audio quality and dialouge delivery was so bad lmao. Toxicity was the main element of this show, nothing felt natural or romantic in any way cmon china you can do better. well i forced my self to watch this show till ep 12 waiting for it to get better but it never did i feel super sad and robbed by this show it could have been such a good show if they handled it nicely.

Toxic fans stay the fuck away from me, you critise a show which legit has sexual assault in it and suddenly yall want me to take therapy and die, like girl i need therapy beacuse of THIS show

3/10
if this is china's game i would stick to my thai bls
disappointed

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not good :/

really good premise that they did absolutely nothing with it.the story of the angel/genie was interesting& they could’ve developed that into so much more but instead it was all done half heartedly. IMO, Suzy’s acting was 10/10 in the emotional scenes and at times she was even comical but I don’t think she ever seemed like a psychopath . the young actor who plays her did it so well but I felt very disconnected with Suzy’s m blank stare/energy. of course she had terrible writing to work with so perhaps she did her best😵‍💫the acting, overall, was the best part of this show. 5/10.

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Michelin Star: 1

This could have been a good drama but it fell so flat in so many ways. First of all, I do love a good time travelling trope especially if it is executed well (Mr. Queen, anyone?) but this was just such a mess. I was curious how the story would unfold so I kept watching, but the ending really disappointed me.

Loved the food and how the episodes were written around them. The effects when they tasted the food were pure comical but I guess that's the point. I did not feel such great chemistry between the two leads though. I was not entirely convinced of the two of them being passionately in love or into each other. I mean, I do adore Lee Chae Min, he did a great job with the role. I just didn't think the two of them made me feel anything special. As for Yoona's character, I mean, for someone who came from the future and knows the future - she really did not do anything much except with the food. It was such a letdown. How can you time-travel to the past and not try to change things with the knowledge you have?

As for that ending, I can't accept that they just left it like that. Such a cop out. I just felt like it was rushed, not overly thought of, and they just decided they didn't need to explain it. The end. So frustrating.

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What I think about the series

Overall the series was good the couples have good chemistry and the plot was also good plus I’m a fan of omega verse stuff, but I have one dislike about the series and it was the ending the ending for sheng Shao yu and hua yong was a good ending but the ending for gao tu and shen wen lang wasn’t really that good because the story for them didn’t really end like they barley got any screen time the got like 5 minutes in the whole episode and their ending was really weird because like they hyped us about them having a happy ending and then changing it so shen wen lang was with gao tu for the pregnancy but they didn’t have that the only thing they had was shen wen lang hugging gao tu and it was like after three years of the storyline i wish they maybe talked about their misunderstandings and how they feel but we didn’t get that and they really left us puzzled about what happened with them. They should have a season 2 or special episode with more Shen wen lang and gao tu solvin their problems and stuff like in the novel.

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Confusing

I knew nothing about the Omegaverse, and I can’t say it ever really appealed to me. When I saw that this series flipped the roles — the prey actually being the hunter — I thought, “Let’s give it a try!” While that aspect is interesting, it’s not enough to hide the discomfort I feel toward the genre itself: violence in intimate relationships, dominance, animalistic behavior, and so on. I can definitely say it’s not for me.

As for the series itself: terrible direction, ultra-cheap special effects, and average acting. And to top it all off, it doesn’t even have an ending — literally. I’ve never seen a show just stop in the middle of nowhere like that!

Honestly, ABO Desire won't stay in my memory.

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Terrible direction with a rape to romance trope

This show was recommended to me so I was initially excited to watch something new (Omegaverse) even though I had minimal prior experience with such plots. And for a first experience this was a really disappointing one.

The story revolves around 4 people or at least it is advertised as 4 main leads with 1 of them (Gao Tu) getting minimum to no screentime (so don't get invested). The original source (which I hadn't read but got plenty of insight on during the course of the show) had potential and the director could have improved upon it. Not only did they not improve it but there are so many scenes that simply make no sense if you have never read the original novel. It means the director did not hope to attract any new fans with their work. For example, the intro to omegaverse is rushed, the new vocabulary is never explained (which a good storyteller can do during the show), crucial scenes that were supposed to depict darkness are shot in extremely bright lights with those lights in clear view, unable to show passage of time which also leads to confusion, etc.

Regarding the rape/noncon trope - this truly got to me. Not only because these things make me uncomfortable but because it is normalised in this drama through omegaverse. "They can't help themselves" is such triggering messaging. Worse is one perpetrator is supposed to be in love with the victim and can see his love interest is in pain but is enjoying that and even laughs at their misery. The other doesn't know who his victim is and is victim blaming them for seducing them. I truly don't care that it is fantasy. To me this omegaverse felt like an excuse to normalise rape by using pretty and handsome faces.

Red flag characters. Both Hua Yong and Shen Wen Lang are toxic. Though I have enjoyed BLs with toxic characters too, the problem is again normalising it rather than calling it for what it is. All's fair in love and war? No. That's an excuse.

Hua Yong is an extremely manipulative character who has no trouble lying to the man he loves. All he cares about is the end result. Think stalker who succeeds in his goals. If you have never been stalked, let me say that it can be very harrowing and distressing and not at all romantic. Though the stalking is a bit downplayed, it is one of his most minor sins. The manipulation and lying and rape are far more egregious sins. He could have been the character you love to hate but it's more terrifying that he is portrayed as heroic and lovesick, rather than insane. Romaticising this character felt shocking since they are never really apologetic or empathetic.

Shen Wen Lang is horrible but nothing compared to Hua Yong because he is portrayed as a dumb guy who reacts on emotions and makes decisions as per his ego and arrogance. He constantly makes Gao Tu feel horrible about himself and want to hide and protect himself. SWL is also supposed to be caring but he simply is incapable of expressing it. Though he has some softer moments as opposed to Hua Yong.

The only characters I liked were Sheng Shao You and Gao Tu, who became my favourite despite barely given much of a presence. He still managed to make an impact. Shen Shao You has the most range of emotions in this show. Though he has his arrogant moments, ultimately he is a caring, nuturing and protective person. To be honest, I think Gao Tu deserves someone like him. These two characters don't really interact with each other.

ABO universe - in this universe, because men can get pregnant, 2 men being with each other is considered normal just like a heterosexual couple. What is considered abnormal is 2 of the same kind like two Alphas being together. So it doesn't really deal with the issues that real life LGBTQ couples face. Instead you have class issues where the rich look down on the poor, the alphas look down on omegas, etc. Again this isn't explored much on how society deals with these class injustices because it causes a character to hide themselves for their whole life.

There are few moments of humour that I enjoyed. The opening theme song is beautiful too. These are the main positives in my eyes.

The finale was extremely lackluster and anti-climactic. It simply didn't feel like a finale. Imagine watching this show spanning months and you don't even get a satisfying ending? When you have 16 episodes, you don't get to make excuses of not having enough time especially when you have time to add in supporting characters in the end that don't really support the plot.

Final thoughts - this show could have been made well but the director did not have the presence of mind on how to depict their source material. They invested a lot into locations which are grand but the scenes especially romantic ones are more or less slow or really blurry shots (no passion from the characters nor the director). The characters all speak slowly, mostly dispassionately and everything seems quite toned down. I haven't seen the other works of these actors so I don't know if it is them or that is the direction they were given. But I'm going to blame the director since it is their reponsibikity to get the required emotions out of their actors. They just wanted everything subtle. Whether it is pain, fear, anger or love (exception being SSY).

Bottom line - Quite disappointing. If you are fans of the main couple, you might have a better time watching but otherwise, not something I would recommend.

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Gao Tu and his little screentime

Showcasing the A-B-O Universe was a fresh concept for me. I find myself entertained and learn new things with this creative approach of pairing, or what is known as mating in their world. I love Gao Tu, and I am always looking forward to his story every single EPs. Even though there are EPs wherein he has minimal to no exposure, I hold to the drama solely because of him. Li Pei En is so handsome and the most charming actor from the cast. I was mesmerized by his beauty.

As someone who hardly kept his Beta-identity for all those years, simply because Shen Wen Lang hated Omega, it was a very fascinating dedication to stay by the side of his crush, even though he thought that it was one-sided. I am always thirsty between Gao Tu and Shen Wen Lang’s scenes, and the production never failed to disappoint me until the finale. That was the end? It was obviously rushed, without a proper conclusion, for my best boy, Gao Tu, and when Shen Wen Lang was finally able to hug him for the first time in eternity, with their child witnessing the dramatic reunion.

For the sake of Gao Tu and Shen Wen Lang, I stayed. Not gonna say anything with other characters as I just come to the point to not mind them at all. I wasn’t a fan of the main couple’s story; every person has their subjective reasoning and avoids pushing others to like something that they don’t like.

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A tentativa de algo

A única coisa que torna esse bl “suportável” por 16 episódios é apenas a premissa de ser o primeiro bl abo, fora isso, tudo nessa história é mal feito. o roteiro é uma bagunça, cheio de mini tramas que não agregam nada para história. o casal secundário é simplesmente ignorado o bl todo, e todas as chances de desenvolver algo decente são descartadas apenas pra reafirmar coisas óbvias sobre a relação deles, que já foram mostradas várias vezes durante a série. para uma história abo, desire não foge do normal, mas parece que a produção não se preocupou em adaptar a história original para a série de uma maneira que fosse interessante para o público, pois nem tudo que funciona em um livro, funciona na tv, e talvez seja por isso que abo desire falhe tanto em vários quesitos.

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It was just as good as the novel

I don't even no where to begin with😍 ravings 😍about this series.
From the OST to the acting of the main cast as well as the all the support characters.
Having already read the novel several times🤭 and with the series only being 16 eps
I knew how this was going to go but I wish they was able to make the final ep at least
70 - 80 minutes long. Also with it only being 16 eps they could've tried to make ShenWL
just a little less of a moron in the final ep. He sees GaoT and the almost the first thing he
does is accuse the man of plotting. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Talk about being an idiot.. a moron and a fool and
being a consistent one throughout the entire series. Also just for the series purposes I wish
we could've got Hua Yong in his Enigma mode where it was seen fully especially by ShengShaoYou
after they officially got together. As for GaoT and ShenWenLang overall I'm satisfied with their
story but they really could've did better in the final ep even if they had to make a change here and there.
I do wish they had more songs for the series OST but all in all this series is beyond a 10/10.
If you have a chance to give the novel a read. 😊

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Better than Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938

The opinions on this show are really polar - people either really love it or really hate it. I don't get the hate. I rate this as an in-between. This show is entertaining but not something I'd want to rewatch. But it's tonnes better than Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 which I wouldn't even call a drama. I'd call that a series of comedy skits - strung together pieces of acting that don't have a cogent storyline or plot. It's just watching famous actors say stupid lines with a nice backdrop for scenery. And that got a 8.8, go figure.

This is similar - famous actors and very nice scenery (ep1 in Dubai), however, has a semblance of a plot. The hate probably comes from the fact that there's no young love and young idols to swoon at, and has an anti-social theme. I do notice that fantastic anti-social dramas that feature blood, gore and murder tend to do very poorly on this platform. However the humour is on-point. I love the clever in-jokes eg the digs at the whole Marvel vs Netflix universes and copyright! Maybe I'm also partial to shows set in the countryside.

The only downside is that everything quite verbose and it makes my head hurt. Thankfully the entire season has dropped all at once. I wouldn't be wanting a second season but I enjoy binge-watching this.

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