Love Mechanics

Leads Insane Chemistry is the Lure......Plot/Story is Nonexistent

This is the first drama I've ever watched of this genre and it's not one I watch or like but what caught my attention was the insane chemistry of the leads. It was enough to give me pause and decide to watch. While I'm still not interested in anything in this genre going forward; the two actors themselves I have added to my following list because they are truly unique, multi-talented individuals. Their work, though regardless of genre, I will watch again in the future. For those unfamiliar with my reviews, I never read the source material so go in solely as a viewer.

Pros: As mentioned above, the chemistry of the leads is off the charts. After doing some research on Twitter and watching War's concert-like fanmeet, I realized these two are literally brothers from another mother and it's because of their close friendship and understanding of one another that it can translate so convincingly onto the screen. Both Yin and War embodied their characters very well, I just wish they were working with a strong script (that will be discussed below).

Out of all of their gaggle of friends, the only few I liked were Bar, his bf, and the Dr. Ana character as they were (to me at least), the only ones that were supportive of the leads no matter what and never had any hidden agendas or preconceived notions. Vee's parents win "parents of the year" for their acceptance and protection of not only their own kids but of Mark as well. Vee's brother was also great as both comedic relief and just in general. The lesson dad taught Vee by way of his motorbike should be taken into account in real life as well; if you break something, it's your responsibility to fix it.

The OSTs were also right on point save one that sounded like it belonged in a circus tent and not in the show. Every time it played like in episode 6 when Mark was sick and Vee was taking care of him after apologizing, it just threw the entire scene off. Another high point was the comedy; so many different scenes to choose from that just added a little bit of hope or just made you bust out laughing at the absolute nonsense happening.

Cons: Just as the title says above, this series had literally no plot nor storyline. It was essentially a group of university students acting out emotions. It was very unbelievable, considering that save for the two sets of parents, some thugs, the "token" straight female friend, and a little girl, everyone else was gay. You don't see that in real life; I may be straight but I have many close gay/lesbian/bi friends all over the world that I've met throughout my travels that can attest that's just not the way it is.

I saw someone in the comments saying that the characters getting plastered every night was a normal American thing in college and as someone with 2.5 degrees in America, I can tell you that's not the case at all. Are there parties, people going to clubs, getting wasted? Hell yeah! But not every single night unless they want to flunk out of school; especially blackout drunk. Every single episode or half of one ended with someone needing to be carried home or passing out by the toilet. These folks needed AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)!

The conversations were always about the same thing; I questioned the need for a script even; could have handled everything through improv. It was always who liked or didn't like whom, who should date whom, whining about being alone, innuendos up the wazoo, and what bar they should hit up that night; rinse, repeat, please pass the cheese. There was no ingenuity whatsoever. This script carried very little weight other then heavy on many emotions especially angst and a ton of miscommunication.

Tropes were insane (especially not closing the door in 9; like come on! That was beyond ridiculous and extremely foolish on the production's part) and the same situation kept repeating itself especially with Ploy; felt like we were on a hamster wheel getting very dizzy. Ploy was like a Jack in the Box popping up in the most in opportune of times and I do feel she overstayed her welcome. Also, a bunch of unnecessary characters like the creepy as hell boxer dude who was harassing Mark in episode 9; what was his purpose? Confusion, filler, to make Mark who stands up for himself always, forget how to speak words? Or those random girls hitting on Vee in 10 and then badmouthing Mark behind his back to make him have doubts about his relationship again? These people were completely unnecessary; made me question just how much and of what production was smoking.

The only thing I'll say about that crazy train second ending that I'm still trying to wrap my head around, is that it should have been incorporated a lot better then the way it was and perhaps in the middle of part 2 of that episode somewhere. The first ending really brought the relationship full circle while the second one turned Mark into a combo of Daenerys and a hyena ready to devour its prey with a side order of rock music lol!

Would I recommend it? This one is out of my hands. I leave it to the viewers discretion. For me personally, it introduced me to two young men who I see having very bright futures regardless of what paths they take in life and I want to see them succeed.

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Love is a battlefield, fr

Do I love and adore dubcon? Not really. Do I pray for an infidelity trope? Absolutely not. But I love good story and this was a pretty damn good story.

Acting:

WOW. Everyone was absolutely amazing in this. Everything just felt so real. It was a pretty raw story that called for some seriously deep emotions and everyone delivered on that tenfold. I was blown away in general. No flaws to be found here in the acting. Just BRAVO.

Writing:

This was painfully real. Like, damn. With the exception of the over-the-top drama trope inclusions like the dubcon intro, the crash, and the attempted mugging, of course. The basic concept to this plot was just so well put together. I’m so surprised I ended up loving this. I honestly expected to hate everyone and call it a day, but this was very well written and executed. There were a couple little things besides the obvious drama tropes that were a bit iffy, but overall I really enjoyed this as a story.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

The chemistry between these two dudes is SO GOOOD. They are amazing, 10/10. This was a surprisingly fantastic romance story. I don’t typically love a realistic fiction type romance (I love a wild tale) but this was very satisfying. The kissing was superb through and through. Loved it, they are fantastic at portraying love and desperation through kissing. BRAVO.

Music/SFX:

Some serious corny drama music in here. Not my favorite, but I can’t complain too much as it is a drama after all. SFX were good throughout.

I’m so happy I ended up giving this series a chance. It did not disappoint whatsoever.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Ya’ll, I’m STRESSED about that #1 infidelity tag going into this, don’t piss me off
- So dub con from 2 minutes in, huh
- My poor baby just tryna get him the man of his dreams awwee
- *I'll be drunk again to feel a little love*
- This is TOXIC TOXIC
- JEEEESUS
- Awwee honey nooo that’s so awful
- NEIGHBORRRRRRSSS????????????
- This is MESSY MESSY
- We really dove right in no pretext, huh
- I already hate it here
- Don’t piss me off
- AHHHHHHHHHH MESSYY TOXIICCC
- Emotional staring contest
- *And I know that he knows I’m unfaithful and it kills him inside to know that I am happy with some other guy*
- *Hey jealousyyyy*
- *Johnny's daddy was takin' him fishin'. when he was eight years old*
- They are so cute, but this is SO MESSYY
- That is pretty tough pill to swallow but you also cheated so like…
- Baby is passive-aggressive posting lmao
- He’s not gonna do it, he’s a coward
- JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJUST BREAK UP YA’LL ARE A MESS
- Boy is a MESS
- Keep. Your. Word.
- COWARD, YOU ARE A COWARD
- *Baby really hurt me, crying in the taxi. He don't wanna know me. Says he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm. Says it was poison*
- Actions speak louder than words, brother
- Obligatory guitar serenade
- Manipulative little shit saying I love you like that
- BRO YOU GOTTA BERAK THINGS OFF OFFICIALLY WITH GIRLY
- I’ve got a bad feeling about this
- CALL BABY RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME
- CLEAR THIS UP
- CLEAR IT UP
- GO
- JUST SAY WHAT HAPPENED. WHY ARE WE NOT BLURTING OUT THE TRUTH SO DUMB
- Just. Explain. What. Happened.
- Okay, you got me, there are tears
- Alright, fine. You’re getting a playlist
- Ahh yes, a car crash. Classic.
- Someone literally anyone tell Mark what happened or I’m gonna snap
- That hurt me and Vee fr
- Wait, no… This hurts jesus christ
- I’M GONNA FUCKING LOSE IT TELL HIM OH MY GOD
- I get it, I drove a ‘98 little green Rav 4 in high school and college with a rusted frame that only passed inspection because I knew the auto shop owner personally
- Who is this tall dark and disgusting
- Ya’ll are NOT in the same weight class tho so…
- Bros gonna get Ko’d so quick
- Again, not the same weight class … Like not even close
- Bro thinks he’s Mignon
- How does one fuck up Som Tum tho lmao
- Mark the minxxx
- Lucky you didn't show up 15-30 minutes later, you would’ve gotten quite the show
- Bro is an engineering student, not an aspiring philosopher. Like, relax, he’ll do fine. Also, they both got into the same engineering program
- This went from a drama to a DRAMA real quick lmao
- This better be 30 minutes of fluff for this last episode
- Just tell him you have a job that isn’t odd
- A RIIIING YESSSSSS
- Not the after credits roleplay lmaooo

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Happy times… unhappy times… happy times!

I had so many thoughts and feelings whilst watching Love Mechanics and I still do even after finishing. Some of the characters’ actions were definitely questionable. Vee can be a bit impulsive and not think things through fully but he’s definitely not a bad person at all, if he thought about things, was a bit more honest from the very beginning, I think things would go a lot more smoothly. Mark, honestly at the beginning and kind of throughout, I feel like he sets himself up for heartbreak. But the two of them went through a lot… A LOT… and they learnt to love each other more and respect each other more, would I still worry about the characters in the future? Yes… and because of this, I would LOVE to see a second season of Love Mechanics. We got happy moments but they were soon ruined by bad things that happened. So I want to see more of Vee and Mark having happier moments and memories. Also, Vee’s parents… BL parent goals. His father’s advice, his mother’s support. What a great family! I really loved this drama but I do wish we can have another season of them! Because War and Yin are such GREAT actors!!

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Flawed characters but realistic storyline

I came here right after finishing Jack and Joker! This series definitely had its toxic moments, especially with all the flawed characters. Vee, for example, he cheated on his girlfriend with Mark, and then his girlfriend also cheated on him. Yeah, messy!

Some people might not be okay with all the red flags, but honestly, I found it pretty realistic. Stuff like this happens in real life, and that made it more interesting for me. I’d rather watch a show with drama and real issues than something with a flat, predictable storyline, haha!

In the end, though, it still wrapped up with a happy ending, so I can’t complain too much.

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Odd plot with amazing acting and chemistry

Gonna start by saying that I really did not enjoy the idea of the series and frankly only watched it for Yinwar. Cheating is such an odd plot point to base a romance around and the thing is... I actually hate how much I liked this show for the simple fact that the idea is so horrendous. It took a lot for me to not think about how messed up the entire start of Vee and Mark's relationship was, especially because they were so so cute together. If the actual plot was literally anything else, this show would've very very easily have been an 11 star show.

Things I liked:
Chemistry - For watching this show for Yinwar, I can say that I was certaintly not disappointed by their chemistry. They were absolutely amazing and their scenes together felt magical and real. It's a shame it was wasted on Mark basically being a side chick for the beginning of the show. If you can look over or not think about that, then it's truly enjoyable
Consistency - I liked how they kept going back to small details, as odd as it sounds. It made it feel a little more real and put a smile on my face. (Ex: the white bridge and the rooftop) I feel like it's tiny things like that that can make the show just a little better

Things I didn’t like:
Cheating plot - I almost had to stop watching for the simple fact of what the heck is this plot? I think this may be top ten worst things to base a couple around, and the thing is, they did it in the worst way too. While I think in general its a bad plot idea, I think you can also make it work, but this show really didn't. It felt like nobody really thought that Vee and Ploy cheating on each other was a big deal. For dating for 3 years, Vee really didn’t act guilty for cheating on her, especially right after he did it, since he kept wanting to mention it to Mark. I feel like it's so unrealistic, and that's what made it even worse.
Drunk nc scene - The very first scene frankly really put a bad taste in my mouth because it almost felt like assault, and it honestly mightve been. They were definitely both drunk, but do I think that Vee was conscious enough to not sleep with a very clearly blacked-out drunk man who even mistakes him for someone else? Yes, especially because of his reaction towards what they did the next morning, which really pissed me off as well.

Overall: Its not the worst show I've ever watched and I actually really enjoyed it after basicslly getting over the first like 4 or so episodes. I also think that if it wasn't for Yinwar, I would've dropped it 2nd episode. Some parts of the series were extremely questionable and unrealistic, but I think their chemistry and their relationship in the end makes up for it.

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Rape in the first episode. How is this dubcon? How does this show how so many good reviews?

Funny how everyone is either calling what occurs between Vee and Mark in literally the first episode "dubcon" or completely glossing over what happened completely.
What happened in the first episode is rape, pure and simple. It wasn't even dubious consent? Mark is still drunk to the point of stumbling and falling, and completely mistook the person he "slept with" for someone else. Vee was sober enough to drive the both of them to his place, and completely ignored how Mark literally could not consent. I can understand a drink or two, or a character sobering up on the ride home/after getting home, but he literally doesn't even act like he's sobered up at all?

Not to mention the morning after Mark is so freaked out. He's angry, calls Vee a villain like 10 times, and runs off AFTER Vee threatens to kill him if he tells anyone what "they did" last night. Which to be fair, obviously to Mark and the viewers he isn't really serious about doing something like that and he just wants Mark not to tell about his "infidelity only", but imagine someone sleeping with you when you're on the cusp of black out drunk and then making this kind of remark to you the morning after?
AND NOT TO MENTION Mark goes home and the first think he does is scrub his skin over and over in the shower.
I feel kind of disgusted watching this.

Watch what you want I guess, romanticize what you want (I guess?). But don't downplay what happened to make yourself feel better about continuing to watch this fascinating mess of a relationship.
Dont be a coward lmao, call it what it is.

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Thanks for covering sensitive topic like cheating, inferior complexity and etc. What a rare gem.

Dislike
They both cheated on each other but only vee part was shown
Cheating is choice, i think we should stop glorifying cheating, once a cheater always cheater,
Even mark slept with someone when he is perusing someone
Well if we do what vee did with mark i mean following desperately everywhere people will file case against you

Like
Like the way they include all the sensitive top like inferior complexity, cheating, trust issues, trauma, depression, pain, social insecurities, and list goes. These topics are very rare is asian bl series. So kudos to makers for showing actual real life story especially what we go through just coz of one cheating
The way actors protray their character it was good. Its hard to see bl actors with amazing acting skills especially vee and mark.
Even though this drama was set in university, I like this drama is different unlike other university where handsome and popular fall in love, they fake their relationship and carry guitar.

Yeah we have our taste which genre we gonna watch. But according to story and acting we should stop giving negative review. At first i avoided this drama coz i saw so many negative review and i avoided till yesterday but when i started to watch I finished this series in one day. This drama is rare gem.

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Surprisingly good

I did enjoyed the series, because is from 2022 and i have watched Yin and War in Jack and Jocker ,to my surprise i found this pair as a ML in both series amezing.
Not because of chemistry only, but they are excellent actors, the correlates in they acting mechanism and the both have skills and understanding to carry their characters.
Kudos to the actors and those who worked on both projects.
Just on personal note, do we have to be sympathetic to a character like Ploy? I wonder, because she seems (and her character is)manipulative .
And my sweet boy Mark how many heartbreak you have to go through, to be able to build your self esteem? You broke my heart, baby boy.

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Loved, loved, loved it!!

This is one of the best drama's i've seen. I already liked the En of love version of Love mechanics, but this extended version is so much better.

It's not a complicated story, but in my opinion that is not nessasary to make it a fantastic drama. Some people are nitpicking on drama's but i am not one of them. For me a drama is great if i am enjoying it from start till end. There is not always need for a complicated storyline, a simple one can also be very satisfying.

I don't understand people rating it low because they say it's rape in the beginning. Mark was seducing him ( thinking he was Bar) and pushing him to the limit, they both had to much to drink and Vee eventually (after pushing Mark away several times) went for it. No rape involved in my opinion...

This is a story that tells about commitment and love. And also how hard it can be to leave a bad relationship just because you are so long together and are used to care for a person for so long.

Yin and War are amazing together, their acting is so natural and the chemistry is off the charts. They are a match made in heaven, one of my favorite BL couples.

I will definatly watch this more times in the future.

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