ABO Desire

Where Acting Meets Art: A Drama Worth Watching

This drama is truly impressive in many aspects. The actors' performances feel incredibly natural and effortless, allowing each character’s emotions to come through powerfully and convincingly. Nothing feels forced, which makes it easy for the audience to become fully immersed in the story. The filming locations are thoughtfully chosen—visually stunning and perfectly aligned with the mood of each scene. Combined with beautifully crafted cinematography, every frame looks like a meaningful painting. The blend of heartfelt acting and visually captivating scenes makes this drama truly deserving of high praise.

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Groundbreaking Bl drama ( 1st Omegaverse)

I was shocked at the budget foremost, amazing. The story is amazing and did not expect an omegaverse to ever be adapted.
This drama drama is pioneering a new era like Tharntype did in 2019, the budget is amazingly high, music, characters, storyline, everything is amazing. This is a drama where months from now everyone will start producing omegaverse, but will not meet the quality and will probably start mass producing to copy. I wish I had started it sooner, only at episode 4 while everyone else is 10 episodes in. The characters are very handsome and alluring as well.

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Thank you for your service Gao Tu, but you only was not enough.

When I watched the trailer of this, I was really hyped, really excited...how silly I was.
I only started watching when they aired 15 episodes, so I was seeing the commotion around this, and made me think that I was missing so much, since I was not watching weekly. When I started watching, I wondered if I was seeing the same thing as everyone else, because it wasn't at all what I expected. I expected something good and found an empty story, with characters you hardly bond with because of their bad personalities. Hua Yong tried to be a manipulator with motives and people would like, but it didn't come off that way, just another boring character like any other. The main couple was boring and didn't entertain me at all. It made me super irritated to watch, it made me sleepy. The secondary couple was one of the things that made me want to keep going. Gao Tu carried the entire drama on his shoulders. He was the most interesting character in the plot, thus making Wen Lang interesting too. Their ending was so bad, vague, a waste of potential. I thought they would focus more in the pregnancy since this is point the audience were expecting, bust it was so fast that if you blinked you would miss, they couldn't close well the main couple, I was dreaming when I thought they could for the side. This drama was just a waste of people's time. I tried to like it, but it was very difficult. People asking for a second season, I dont think another season would fix, how boring this was.

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"Desire" to rewrite the second half again! A mess but a hot one!

I will keep this simple. Starting with positives-

✅ The Concept: My first proper dive into the ABO universe, and I will give credit where it’s due... it’s ambitious and intresting. A world ruled by pheromones, hierarchy and biological destiny isn’t an easy thing to pull off, especially in a Chinese production where censorship is a constant obstacle. The setup promised layers of politics, biology, identity, control and even if it didn’t deliver all of it, the foundation was fascinating enough to keep me curious.

✅ Hua Yong: Easily the most consistently written character in the drama. If I have to describe HY it would be manipulative , psychopath and effortlessly cunning! He doesn't chase control, but he is the control. He was the type who smiles while calculating outcomes, who comforts you just to see how easily you fall apart. Everyone else gets lost in their emotions, but not him. Somehow the little black flag was always one step ahead and disturbingly steady.

All this may sound like I don't like him, but I love him! Haha he was most consistent character who stayed true to his nature until the very end!

If the red flags of the BL world had a conference, Hua Yong would be the keynote speaker and Jaemin from secret relationships , Ming from My Stand In and Vegas from Kinnporche would be in the audience!

✅ OST

Now for what didn’t work (oh boy!)

❌ The Second Couple: This was the Achilles' heel. A colossal waste of potential. Gao Tu and Shen Wen Lang had a setup that could have explored prejudice, deception and redemption. Instead, we got a subplot that felt like deleted footage stitched together. Their chemistry was barely developed and the emotional moments were rushed.

I do get they were the second couple and won't get 50-50 screentime but this was 95-5! I would have not complained if they listed them as side characters and not mains! And those 5% felt like dry leftovers. we are watching them chase their own tails in perfect circles...no growth, no progress, just filler vibes.

If the original source material lacked depth and scenes for them, then adaptation SHOULD HAVE filled that gap, not AMPLIFY it. I don't think this should be an excuse for the ending they gave us. Marketing them alongside the main couple was misleading because realistically they didn't even appear in few episodes together.

And Shen WenLang's backstory never saw the light of the day! Years of trauma was fed to us in normal day to day conversation with Hua Yong in barely a minute! His hate for omegas just felt like comical gimmick!

Again to the bed rock of my question, if you didn't want to address it , why introduce it ???!!!

❌ Both the alphas Shen and Sheng as characters were flat and frustrating. Considering S-Class Alphas are top of the food chain, they both were easy to deceive.
While I liked their chemistry with the their opposites, as an individual character i don't think they have any distinctive qualities to be remembered.

❌ Editing & Direction: Lighting choices were baffling. The editing felt choppy in the second half. I am sure censorship has a big role to play in this.
The fighting scenes between the two alphas were plain comical. While I appreciated the use of CGI for pheromones visuals, the balance was off.

❌ Writing & Pacing Issues: The drama started off so strong like peak potential, every scene hitting just right. But halfway through it started dragging or maybe it was a "me" issue. Don't get me wrong, there was so much going but yet it felt like nothing was actually happening. We are circling the same plot but never moving forward! I kept watching out of hope, not hype.

❌ All the business talks were boring and like background noise. Again, could have used that screentime for maybe something better!

⚠️ I understand this was ABO universe where consent doesn't work like human world and that is okay but the aftermath was never properly addressed and it took me out a bit! I have questions about the lore behind the NC scenes and it was never explained on screen.

⚠️ Acting: Not the worst I have seen, but far from great. Huang Xing as Hua Yong carried the drama with subtle menace and Li Pei En as Gao Tu was excellent in playing the damsel role a little too well while the other two alphas were hit and miss, mostly miss. You could feel the effort, but not always the conviction.

Overall, the concept was great but with weak execution. But it was a fascinating mess! I know it paved the way for ABO concept in BL world and it will always be remembered for that. However, the flaws cannot be overlooked.

Will I recommend it? That's a difficult question. For the new concept , definitely but go in with tempered expectations. As they say, it's better to be surprised than being disappointed.

Legend -
✅ : I loved it !
❌ : Better luck next time.
⚠️ : It wasn't entirely bad but could have been better!

Thank you for reading my review! If you liked the drama, please take this review with a grain of salt and one of the many opinions! :))

Please note - none of the criticism is a personal attack or HATE on the actors or the whole Desire team. I applaud the effort but somehow it didn't entirely worked for me. :(

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Toxic as hell but I ATE IT UP

* Trigger warning for sexual assault *

TLDR: This show is has a lot of problematic moments and isn't for everyone. However, it's well made and a lot of fun to watch so if you aren't put off by the toxicity, you'll probably like it.

Full review:

The premise is ridiculously wonderful. A virus that turned the world into an omegaverse? Hysterical. SIGN ME UP.

The acting, music and directing are all great. The show looks really clean and the premise is easy to buy into, I never felt taken out of the story, even when it got really ridiculous. The flowers on the hands were so funny to me though, my friend and I kept referring to them as the My Little Pony marks XD

The show did randomly switch up narrative style a couple times. For the first couple episodes we would get Hua Yong's thoughts written on a black screen but that was dropped early on and never happened again (that I can remember), and at the end Wen Lang's breakdown is just narrated by some random voice out of the blue lol, but these things didn't bother me, I just noticed them.

I'll go through my detailed thoughts in sections:

Hua Yong and Shao You (main couple):
Hua Yong gave me MAD whisplash throughout the show because half the time he was this cool, powerful mafia leader man with his Enigma powers, and the other half he was a pathetic, manipulative stalker boy who made me understand what 'getting the ick' felt like (e.g. the way he follows Shao You around and sends him so many letters after Shao You breaks up with him). Thankfully for the last few episodes he is the former and he was a lot of fun to watch.

Shao You was well written and well acted. The actor is a fantastic crier, like damn. I enjoyed his motivations and characterisation, and I also enjoyed his reaction to finding out about Hua Yong's lies. There was at least an ATTEMPT to set boundaries, which in a show like this, is already an achievement. Based on the premise, I found their getting back together believable and satisfying (though the consent of the marking scene was dubious at best, at least we got a scene showing Shao You being ok with it later). Despite the whole relationship being toxic as hell, Shao You is aware of and accepts Hua Yong's psychotic tendencies by the end (even calling him his 'Little Psycho') so at least he knows what he's in for. As a FICTIONAL romance I enjoyed them, although I only really started supporting them as a couple around episode 12.

It was around episode 12 when Shao You accepted Hua Yong as not an Omega and they get together without any lies or pretence. This is where they get really fun to watch. I loved Hua Yong protecting him from his brother's attack and the following pregnancy reveal. I love a good dynamic flip, and I feel for the most part it was done really well with Shao You.

My only major gripe with them is their rape scene in episode 9 which DID NOT NEED TO BE THERE. It doesn't forward the relationship or the plot. Shao You would still have figured out Hua Yong wasn't an Omega without that scene and their first time could just have been after the marking. The pregnancy thankfully came from a later, consensual love scene. I know it was supposed to make Hua Yong feel guilty and be more careful or something, but then just do a close call, I dunno, the way it was filmed all romantically as well just frustrated me.

Gao Tu and Wen Lang (secondary couple):

I use the word 'couple' lightly because they never actually get together. I've seen a lot of people complain about this but I LOVED it, it was so unexpected in the best way! If Hua Yong and Shao You were toxic, these two were irredeemable. To me, the big difference is that as a rich CEO and an S-tier Alpha, even though he's being manipulated, Shao You still holds power and a way out if need be. Gao Tu has none of these luxuries. He's poor, has a pheromone disorder and has to hide his status as an Omega from his abusive, phobic boss, and predatory, gambling addict father. Plus he has a sick sister he needs to provide for. Gao Tu has it rough, man. He also has my heart. Best character by far. So sweet and gentle and patient, and the way he makes the right decision for himself and his baby in the end made me so happy for him because the whole show all I wanted was for him to get away and be happy.

Wen Lang SUCKS SO BAD. STRAIGHT TO JAIL. To be fair, Hua Yong and Wen Lang both belong in jail but at least Hua Yong is fun evil (usually), Wen Lang is just a hot loser with money. He's constantly verbally abusive to Gao Tu, RAPES HIM, and then has the audacity to BLAME IT ON HIM. When he eventually finds out that he's pregnant (through Gao Tu's dad trying to extort money in exchange for aborting the baby against Gao Tu's will), Wen Lang, the man who has known Gao Tu for over a decade, believes his dad over him??? Gao Tu was right to run away and never look back. I cheered. Their ending is open-ended and I am open to believe they maybe co-parent their child in the future but I just can't see them together unless Wen Lang gets a personality transplant. I did enjoy him being the uncle figure for the main couple's kid though, it was nice to see he became a bit friendlier over the years at least.

I will say that unlike with Shao You and Hua Yong, the existence of the rape scene for these two doesn't bother me as much because it's somewhat essential to the plot. It's how Gao Tu gets pregnant, which is a major part of the reason why he leaves. Wen Lang is shown to be a scumbag and doesn't get the guy in the end, so it doesn't feel so unnecessary or romanticised as it did for the main couple.

The secretaries:
I loved the secretary characters and what their thoughts on any given situation might be. I particularly loved Pin Ming getting teary during Shao You's crying and birth scenes. My friend and I like to imagine Chang Yu, Pin Ming and Gao Tu having a secretary support club where they gossip about the crazy stuff their bosses get up. Especially after Shao You and Hua Yong get together, I like to imagine Chang Yu and Pin Ming become good friends so they can suffer their bosses' drama together lol

The ending:
I liked everything that happened in the ending, I just wish we'd gotten more detail. I feel the show could have been 18-20 episodes, rather than 16. I wonder if they ran out of budget and had to rush the ending or maybe the book really is written like that. I would have loved to have seen some of Gao Tu's life after he leaves since he's so unwell and unhappy most of the show, I really wanted to see him living a better life. It's implied of course, but it would have been nice to even have one scene of it.

I was also pretty frustrated with them skipping over the birth of the main couple's baby. Shao You has a dangerous birth due to being an Alpha and another trope I really love is a character's life being in danger and everyone worrying about them but ultimately they make it, so this could have been SO GOOD and exactly the kind of drama you need for an ending. But sadly they do a three year time skip right after they take him to the hospital. It would also have been such a great opportunity to finally have Hua Yong cry when Shao You wakes up from the birth because they built up his inability to cry so much and then never did anything with it. The main couple's baby finally being born, Shao You almost dying and surviving, Hua Yong finally crying, the friends celebrating, there would have been SO MUCH emotional pay off in this one scene it actually boggles my mind that they didn't make it. So much so that I decided to just write a fanfic to fill in the gaps for myself lollll

In conclusion, I loved it, twas incredibly entertaining. If not for the main couple's unnecessary rape scene and the rushed ending, this would have been a 9.5/10 for me. Despite that, I will definitely be rewatching this, and I will also be reading the novel.

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A reasonably good dive into the Omegaverse

I’ve been a fan of the Omegaverse for a while and enjoy reading novels that explore this theme. However, I was a bit hesitant to start this one because I didn’t know what to expect; I realised it could either be really well done or really poorly executed.


Fortunately, it landed somewhere in the middle. While it’s not incredible, it’s also not too bad and does explore some interesting aspects of this universe.


The story features two couples with four different dynamics – alpha, omega, beta and enigma. Although I felt that some parts, particularly those involving Wen Lang and Gao Tu, were rushed, other sections of the story were well thought out and somewhat cohesive.


It’s important to note that the relationships are quite toxic! There's no avoiding that, so if you dislike possessiveness, dubious consent, manipulation, emotional coercion, ownership, and other significant red flags, you might want to skip this one or proceed with caution while watching it.


However, if you’re open to exploring a different theme and can look past the toxicity in these romances, the series is somewhat entertaining. None of the characters are truly innocent in their interactions, which may make it easier to overlook the problematic aspects than you might think.

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it’s bad

If you liked this, then I have nothing more to say. A story line like this makes it seem like children are fighting. And the story line is even worse, and the acting is even worse.And the biggest thing is that the fight between the two S-style Alphas, which is shown to be a fight, seems like a childish fight. And when you see the stories that are arranged later, you are interested in knowing what will happen at the end of the episode and you have a very beautiful desire in your heart. There is nothing like that in this story line that can create an attraction towards it.

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This show deserves an award!

For being one of the worst queer shows ever written.

The only joy I found was knowing it'd be over today and that I could finally move onto the next life of queer shows and find inner peace. Yet, the ending was so terrible that I can't even achieve inner peace without turning into a vengeful spirit. Fuck this show. It will haunt me for years to come.

There are so few positives to my watching experience that I can't even make a pros and cons list because the ratio of awful to passable is so unbalanced that it'd be like beating a dead horse whose carcus has been pecked at by vultures and ran over by a fucking monster truck.

Usually I can watch a terrible show and find genuine enjoyment in how awful it is, yet this show just pissed me off exponentially because of the moronic glazers in the comment section. That's right; I made the daring and piss-brained choice to interact with the MDL fandom via the comment section after new episodes dropped. And dear god.....one of the worst mistakes a human being can make. If you even DARE voice your dislike for this show in any damn way then expect pitchforks and torches outside your house. Meaningful discussion was impossible in that comment section and I cannot bear with these people acting as if they speak for the entire fandom and acting like they know everything about ABO just because they read one ABO fic. ABO is NOT just meant for fetishes. It's really telling when people classify it as just that. Decent writers use it to express class structures and gendered systems in a meaningful and unique way; not to mention the appeal of queer relationships being normalized and women being able to be considered as top of the class structure. Stop acting like you know everything about the genre and spreading misinformation that will cause people to avoid interacting with the ABO in the future as well as future ABO adaptations.

Honestly, this show was so fucking sad to watch because I was expecting my first ABO live action series to be a funny and memorable time (no, Pitbabe does not fucking count as an ABO in my eyes. It never even properly attempted to be one so it doesn't deserve the label as one). I've read trashy BL manhwa that write better ABO plots than these writers could manage with SIXTEEN episodes.

Though, the worst part about this show, in my humble opinion, was that motherfucker Sheng Shao You; "How can I accept being used as an Omega by another Alpha?" basically tells you everything you need to know about this guy. He's rude, entitled, selfish, classist, sexist, violent, arrogant, and so very...very gullible. How this man ever managed to get where he is can only be explained through nepotism. He is everything wrong with the trashy ABO stereotypes personified into one character. This douche really does somehow check off requirements for different cliches and that might be the most impressive thing about his character:
- Rich CEO that somehow has free time and takes over the company before the age of 30.
- Attractive pale man with dark hair and eyes. Classic cliche.
- Deep, husky voice.
- Daddy issues.
- Mommy issues.
- Mistreatment of omegas.
- Entitled asshole.
- Thinks he's such a Casanova.
He was so annoying and I was lowkey hoping he would keel over at the end because he was such a douchebag. And before anyone says "Erm, actually, he's supposed to be a stereotypical alpha-" that does NOT make him likable. He wasn't even entertainingly bitchy like Shen Wenlang; he was just gross. You know he's bad when the guy with the highest societal rank; Hua Yong, is more progressive than him and has to call him out on his shit. Ugh. Can we leave this trope in the past, please? I seriously got the ick when this guy was hating on his own SIBLINGS for being illegitimate children. Ah, yes, it is completely logical to hate on people born out of wedlock because they had the ability to spawn themselves into existence in the womb of their choice. And they TOTALLY choose to "homewreck" your parents' legal marriage......WHAT?!!?!?!? Not to mention that he's heavily implied to be a pervert that likes watching omegas cry and in misery for some reason. Like, yuck. This guy seriously thinks he's so hot that he should be able to just swap out omegas at ease once he gets bored of them. Yet, the only redeeming thing about him was his hair and money.

Hua Yong was the classic obsessive stalker seme whose whole life revolved around his love interest. The only added twist was that he was absurdly pretty. I was fucking dying when he tried to justify Sheng Shao You being a kind and genuine person just because he was being nice to a stray cat. LMAO. They really thought a "save the cat" moment would really redeem this man in my eyes. Hua Yong is obviously an unreliable narrator in those scenes, but the show's objective was clear; and it was clearly absurd. Tons of terrible people are friendly to pets, but that doesn't mean they are good people. The show was just terrible at justifying Hua Yong's love for Sheng Shao You and that is detrimental to him since his entire character is obsessing over the guy. I would've loved to see more of what his life was like without revolving around Sheng Shao You, such as when he interacted with his omega cousin; the only member of his family he seemed to get along with. The best (and only redeeming) part of their relationship was how the "dom" was more feminine and progressive. The only scene I really liked of him in the latter half of the show was when he was visibly disappointed and lightly called Sheng Shao You out on his prejudiced gender views, serving as the only time he really seems to not bend to the will of the guy regardless of how absurd he's being. The streets won't like me for saying this but Hua Yong just felt like a watered down version of Hua Cheng from Heaven Official's Blessing. What they both have in common is their two-dimensionality and personalities existing solely to cater to their love interest, yet having endless potential for depth outside of that.

Shen Wen Lang and Gao Tu got washed so bad by the writers' room that it made me feel extremely disappointed. They were way more interesting than the main couple SOMEHOW since at least the two of them had personalities outside of just being sexist and simping. It was definitely the more classic ABO pairing, yet I found it more exciting than whatever the main couple had going on. How the actual fuck do they have less scenes than shows with MULTIPLE SIDE COUPLES??? My Engineer had given more depth to every single couple and it was SHORTER THAN THIS SHOW!!! Chief, don't make a side couple pairing if you don't have the energy to see it through. The ending was insulting to them as they don't even get into a relationship. Like??? Who thought this was a good idea??? They were so disrespected that they didn't even get screen time in a few episodes and it made me wanna cry. You know I was grasping at straws to find any enjoyment in this show when the cliche ABO couple (for both the good and bad reasons) is what was giving me hope that the story could be slightly passable. I liked both of the characters in this pairing leagues more than the main two and it wasn't even a competition by the end. Shen Wen Lang is a sexist and tsundere, yes, but at least the guy is kind of funny? And slightly relatable? Sheng Shao You had nothing for me to like; but Shen Wen Lang's attitude appealed to me because he was transmitting my exact thoughts half of the fucking time with his reactions to the nonsensical bullshit that the main two were doing. Salty as fuck that he didn't get to humble Sheng Shao You because of Hua Yong's cockblocking. Gao Tu was pathetic but in an endearing way; probably because of how well his actor delivered his emotions. I could feel his longing and related to his yearning for affection and stability. I found his long-term love to be way more believable than Hua Yong's since Gao Tu's self-deprecating nature and attachment to his only friend would definitely explain his unobtainable love for Shen Wen Lang.

The rest of the show was just pure nonsense. Dishonorable mentions are the exposition dump in episode 1 that literally went in one ear and out another when I made the premature decision to watch it under the influence of sleeping meds. There was also the random voice-over for Hua Yong's backstory near the end that caught me so off-guard since I swear it didn't exist before then. I also can't for the life of me recall Hua Yong giving his glorious king's watch back but my memory might just be failing me. Intro was too loud and boring; music followed suit. Fight scenes were cringe and I was holding back my laughter at how they really wanted you to take it seriously and find it cool. Outfits got progressively worse and Hua Yong's teddy bear white shirt at the end will haunt my eyes forever. The ages made it hard to believe; like they seriously want me to believe that Hua Yong is the big bad CEO at the ripe young age of 23. Get out of here with that; at least make him Shao You's age. All of the sets were overused and boring except for Gao Tu's run-down house. All of the actors were fluctuating from passable to cringe except for Gao Tu's and maybe Hua Yong's. The absolute lack of logic in making a male alpha able to give birth that ABO authors just can't seem to write a decent explanation for. Episode 9 could only be enjoyed by Redo of Healer enthusiasts and blind people would be insulted by how characters can't discern voices of their supposed loved ones and literally ANY attributes of the person in front of them DESPITE the lights being on. Huh??? Like what was the point of adding in the noncon with the main couple WHATSOEVER, and why didn't they make the side couple's scene at LEAST dubcon??? Did these writers not research ABO and just blatantly ignore the loopholes they could abuse with the common rules of the verse??? Oh, and the ending was an affront to the entire audience when they just jump from Sheng Shao You's death fakeout and the side couple not even getting to have a meaningful conversation for five seconds before blue-balling the audience.

The only redeemable aspects of this show were Gao Tu's actor, Hua Yong's looks since day one, Hua Yong and Shen Wen Lang's frenemies to lovers sexual tension (yes, I shipped it), and Shen Wen Lang's inexplicable glow-up near the end. Oh and I think that Hua Yong is a really pretty name that is surprisingly easy to pronounce. No idea what it means other than something involving flowers. Gao Tu's husky voice mixed with soft boy pining was also exquisite on my ears.

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but ABO: Desire is an insult to the omegaverse tag. How can cringy Ao3 teenagers write better fanfics with this setting than a team of adults??? Still better than Low Tide in Twilight and Love is an Illusion; not to mention the atrocity of Kiss Me Liar....but that bar is quite literally in the seventh ring of hell. I am LIVID that I didn't get my expectation to laugh my ass off in guilty pleasure met (thought, some did). This show isn't even worth rewatching unless I feel like inflicting self-torture. Never let this writer cook ABO again. There are SO MANY better Chinese BL novels that deserve adaptations, yet we get this monstrosity.....the queers deserve their favorite GOOD stories to be adapted. China, I beg, please let Thousand Autumns and Little Mushroom get adaptations before more slop like this gets to see the light of day. (T⌓T) (.づ◡﹏◡)づ. ┐(ಥ ͜ʖಥ)┌





Notes/Edits: Minor grammar fixes + Much needed clarity for the future influx of comments that will come after my review was linked in the comments section:

- Was my review harsh: Yes.
- Was my rhetoric exaggerative and dramatic for the sake of entertainment and fun: Also yes. I would've thought that using phrases like "vengeful spirit," "horse carcus pecked at by vultures," and "ran over by a fucking monster truck" would have indicated that my review wasn't trying to be ultra serious.
- Do I still stand by all my dislikes and disdain for the writing of this show: 100% and I would never lie on my scoring nor reviews just to cater to certain people. All of my reviews are fueled by my raw feelings and sometimes that strikes a chord with people under certain shows that don't have many reviews willing to be honest about the lapses in writing in series' that are flooded with 10's across the board.
- Did my review target any actors/staff: Not even once. I can't tell where people got the idea that I was trying to dissuade any actors from being in BL again, nor do I understand where they got the idea that I was trying to send hate to them. You can separate art from the artist, people.
- Am I a Shen Wen Lang apologist: Nope; nor did my review ever say I loved him. I simply stated that I liked him and Gao Tu more than the main two since they could have scenes that weren't solely reliant on their romance with each other. Also, me saying that Wen Lang was *slightly* "relatable" was because of the reactions he'd have to the hijinks the main two got up to since I often had similar reactions and inquiries. Also, he was funnier which made him more entertaining to see on screen. It didn't feel like he was taken as seriously as Shao You and that made it easier to ignore his few scenes of douchery compared to Shao You's abundance of screen time with his bad personality. Also, since when is it justified for a guy to despise ALL illegitimate children (even those he is not related to) just because ONE of his half-siblings despises him? To be honest, the only character I genuinely liked as person by the end was Gao Tu, and he was also the closest to using the ABO concept creatively.
- Am I a "crazed 2nd couple shipper": No??? Where did people even get this idea from??? I only said I liked them more but I still admitted they were cliche and I never put them on a pedestal. Those that preferred them are allowed to be sad at the lack of closure they received at the end too.
- My paragraph talking about the crazed fanatics is only getting proven true by the people that target me alongside others that voice our dislikes of the show even after it's finally just finished; which would be the prime time to voice any criticisms alongside the vocal praises. Yet, the vast majority of 10's get left alone whilst the few scores that go lower than 7's get attacked and shamed with insults, I received some such as "toxic ex gf," "delusional," "throwing a tantrum," and "needing a therapist" (as if needing therapy is even something that should be used to insult someone if you think they are having a "cry for help"). Do you guys not see the irony in this? I personally didn't even comment under anyone's praises even if I disagreed because I understood that there was not point starting any cheap wars over a simple difference of opinions; something half of you guys need to learn.
- Also, I understand this was Chinese and that producing a BL with actual queerness is difficult, which is why I never insulted the (consensual) intimacy. Though, I never give special treatment to a story simply because of what country it came out of, so I don't care if it was a Thai or Chinese BL; it was still terribly written.

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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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hua yong obsessed

people who are hesitating to watch this....DONT start this right away because its that awesome...i found the end a little incomplete but its common in chinese bl. the end was good but they can do better. and actors omg they can make a room hot with just by their eyecontact and smirks of hua yong. omegaverse is not common in the dramas especially in bls but it was worth it. when it comes to second lead i hated that they are gonna end up together. i hated shen wen lang so much and he didnt deserve gao tu at all.i just didnt like that wen lang regeted it that much i wanted to see him regret so much. but overall it was a roller coaster ride.

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