The Gaze

Typical toxic chinese BL...

It ended without much fanfare... While it was interesting in the beginning, it was overly toxic and the redemption arc was not well done. I felt like Mr. Toxic doesn't want to change for real and he still behaves like the asshole he is to anyone not connected to his love-interest.

I can't complain about the production quality, that was very high, even when they used too much blur for my taste in many scenes. So it felt a bit artificial. OST is excellent and the best point of this show.

Besides that I have not much to say. The kissing was lackluster, there aren't any nc-scenes and many say it's an adaption of another work but altered so they don't have to pay for a licence to use it. So that also leaves a bad aftertaste. Overall it's too plain and too ordinary to leave a lasting impression, it's average at best. If you are into the toxic tropé there are much better chinese series than this.

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Toxicity Meets Inevitability

there is something so immediate and tense In the way, the story unfolds. The male leads's ferocity Will take you by surprise and admittedly, is a little offputting. It relies on some of the semantics we've seen in other dramas of this kind, But the interplay between the male leads has me riveted. I've only watched the first four episodes, so it's very possible. They won't stick the landing but right now, this is a must watch.

The second couple tap dances on the line of being very tropey, But manages to never cross it. The second male lead artist is an enigma of a character. I can't wait to see his true motivations be revealed.

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What a letdown...

At first the plot did intrigue me as it was for once something rather new (apart from wandee goodday) and i was indeed hooked during the first 4 episodes, but then everything slowly went downhill... the story had so much potential but ultimately the writers/directors didn't do it justice. And it also didn't help that the characters felt 2 dimensional and rather stiff. None of the couples' chemistry felt natural and ultimately failed to pull me in. I can overlook a boring plot or plot issues/holes as long as the chemistry between the characters is good, but in this case there was nothing that kept me entertained and it was simply my (stupid) will to finish this series that kept me going until the very end.

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So much potential...

What a shame, this could have been so much better. I still enjoyed it, but i also anoyed me.
The story was good, the visuals and music beautiful. But the production was bad!
The actors did a good job acting, but it was a bit destroyed by the voice overs. It felt flat.

There was chemistry with both couples, but i really dislike it when one of the actors at least tries to give good kisses, but his partner hardly moves his lips.

And i have two things that were really bad:
Li You En was taken by the loansharks, Zhai Qiu Yu goes in, and saves him. Then he asks the loansharks how much is owed, he reaches for his phone and transfers the money. A nice gesture, but where did he wire the money to? He didn't ask the loansharks where to wire it to. Just a little mistake, but i hated it when such mistakes are made, it makes it less realistic..

And those pour goldfish!!! Kept in a bowl so small they couldn't even move in it! Animal cruelty at its max, no wonder the goldfish died!

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promising start that devolved into terrible communication

Overall: I thought I had found an obsessed ML I could vibe with, but the series is lost me with neither lead able to talk to the other for many episodes. 10 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on YouTube

Content Warnings: past violence & blood, coercion, near suicide, kidnapping, violence, non con kissing/touching, mental health struggles, beginning sexual assault, manhandling

Watch Suggestions
- at whatever point you start to lose interest skip to episode 10 15:55 minutes and watch until the end

What I Liked
- visuals
- the initial set up of an obsessed ML
- the brother relationship

Room For Improvement
- I've heard from several people that this is plagiarism of Jinx. Instead of boxing it's tennis, instead of a grandma it's a brother but the plot is practically identical including some dialogues. The production either needs to say they bought the rights to Jinx or they should have written their own story.
- characters were continuously stupid and refused to communicate, a 1 minute conversation would have cleared everything up
- characters went hot and cold
- choppy at times

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Very cliché but i love petty angst

This series is lowkey giving Jinx in its first episode, just with a different sport. But after that, you'll realize it's actually very different from Jinx.
Honestly, there's not that much special about the storyline, but I'll be honest... I got hooked. Hahahaha. Why? Because the story is cliché, but it's giving the classic Wattpad stories we read 15 years ago. The angst is cliché too, but sorry, that's exactly the kind of angst I'm weak for. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
The second thing I like is that the main lead took a long time to forgive the other. Yes! Let him suffer! Let him yearn!
I didn't like the ending, though. They could've given us more.
So overall, I wouldn't really say this is a great series. It just happens that I'm weak for this kind of angst. Hahahaha.

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Don't expect anything intense or dark

I saw a few clips of this show before I watched it, and it turns out they were all from the side couples' scenes. After finishing the series, I get why; they definitely had better chemistry than our main couple. Kisses were stiff either way. I liked the back hugs and cuddles, though.

I liked that I actually learned something from this series; I had never heard of Hyperventilation Syndrome or Aplastic Anemia before, and it was nice to learn more about them. I'll remember them, whereas I probably won't remember most of the other details of the show. Not that it wasn't a good show, but it was . . . safe. I feel like this show was sold as something much darker with a toxic, obsessive, and possessive romance, and it did the bare minimum with all of those things. I had really been looking forward to those darker tones.

OST was good; it made me feel like I was watching an anime at times.

The acting was good. I have no idea who played Xiaosi, but he did a great job. I loved his character and the relationships he had with Li and Zhai Qiu Yu. Li is his most important person, and he wasn't going to give Zhai Qiu Yu an inch.

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Literally the live action of the webtoon JINX minus the NC

I am not sure why we don't see credits to Jinx but this is literally Jinx to the core. They have switched up the sport probably cz they had a hard time finding a lead as buff as JK to cast but they've kept the eyebrows. They've switched the grandma to brother. Potato is now a photographer and the actor is an artist. The plot remains the same but cz they've removed NCs they've had to make some minor changes.

The NCs are barely there so JK doesn't seem as bad as the webtoon he seems like a normal tsundre ML who is unable to express his feeling🤭🤭 which is kinda cute. The only reason i am giving this an 8 is cz i love the webtoon a lot especially the boxing and the granny... so the change kinda makes me uncomfortable. Overall it's a good drama but the acting needs a little work in some places

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unfortunately, i guess i will have to drop, i find myself pushing myself to watch so thats a sign that im not much interested in whats happening, i think the ml Zhai Qiu Yu is extremely annoying (im talking about the character behaviors obviously), overall i think its an execution problem, i feel bored? im sure it could have been made in a way that can be more interesting,
i find myself liking the second couple more, but i dont feel like anything is captivating me enough
but anyway i wish success for every cbl as they work hard to make them in the conditions that they are in ^^
note: i heard that its Jinx manhwa live action without the acknowledge, im not sure how much true it is as i didnt check the manhwa but if its true then i hope they give credit to it

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It's basically Jinx manhwa live action without the acknowledge

Honestly, I've got some moral issues here...

This series isn't just similar with Jinx.. it's literally the same. The are only 3 differencesn

1. Joo Jaekyung is tennis player
2. Kim Dam took the job offer for his brother
3. There is no 🍇 (yet) and I don't think it will be

True, the story is much less toxic, it's technically a green flag version of Jinx, but it's still pretty much the same. I saw only 2 episodes and I really do wish I was wrong, but these two episodes are exactly the same as first chapters of Jinx. The exact same scenes in the exact same order with almost the exact same lines.

It makes me sad, because the actors have perfect chemistry and the story is capturing, but as someone who has read Jinx since there were only 8 chapters (100th chapter was released today), I just can't overlook this fact no matter how much I want to...

So I really so wish it'll change in next episodes...
(I will delete or edit this review if they prove me wrong.)

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