Chef’s kiss to plot line, angst levels and acting
Final update:
Wow! What a twist and turn filled drama, deserving of the hype surrounding it and absolutely brimming with utter angst. Chef’s kiss to how the screen writers handled this complex plot and the chemistry between the actors.
The drama follows two men who meet at school, fall in love and then spend 10 years dealing with the aftermath of being split apart by angry parents determined that their love was wrong and needed to be snuffed out and the emotional catalyst of how Lu Feng dealt with the trauma.
As I waited for the final two chapters I couldn’t work out how on earth Lu Feng could redeem himself in this intense drama but it all became apparent when Yichen stepped up and became the fearless and strong young man Lu Feng needed him to be - creating the perfect ending to one of the best dramas I have seen to date.
My only criticism would be the weird penultimate scene between Yichen’s younger brother and his lover Qin Lang. It added nothing to the overall story and just seemed a bit… I don’t know what to call it but irrelevant is up there as an adjective (and with zero chemistry) and led to me removing a point for story.
I’ve never read the book (haven’t been able to find it in English yet) but every part of the plot line has left me feeling sick with frustration and the knowledge that these two characters seem destined to rip each other’s hearts out again and again. Even so I still prayed that they’d get their happy ending.
The acting is utterly brilliant and painfully real and you quickly get pulled into a plot filled with toxic parents, sacrifice, guilt, crumbling sanity and jealousy. Would their love survive the trials it is being put under and would their siblings actually accept them for who they are? Even at 10 episodes in I still wasn’t sure how things would pan out.
The supporting cast are equally believable and compelling and although I hated Yichen’s mother, I can see why she piled on the massive guilt trip that led to him sacrificing his own happiness for his younger brother. Additionally I can also see why Lu Feng’s sister is equally determined to make her brother conform to their father’s expectations. Yi Chen’s brother and Qin Lang portray flawed and complex humans and throughout this drama they offer a level of family centred stability that was probably the reason why Yichen is able to be so strong for Lu Feng.
Up to and including episode 10:
I’ve never read the story (haven’t been able to find it in English yet) but every part of the story line has me feeling sick with frustration that these two characters seem destined to rip each other’s hearts out again and again yet naively I’m praying they get their happy ending.
The acting is utterly brilliant and painfully real so that you quickly become invested in a plot which follows the two main characters as they fall deeply in love while at school but are ripped apart by family expectations and loyalty. Toxic parents, sacrifice, guilt and jealousy, you name it, this drama has it all. Will their love survive the trials it is being put under and will their siblings actually accept them for who they are? 10 episodes in and I’m so desperate for them to get their happy ending even though right now, new road blocks block their paths back to each other. This is chef’s kiss angst.
The supporting cast are equally well acted and compelling and although I hate Yichen’s mother, I can see why she piled on the massive guilt trip that led to him sacrificing his own happiness for his younger brother. I can also see why Lu Feng’s sister is equally determined to make him conform to their father’s expectations. Additionally the second male leads are also on point - well cast and with depth to their characters. They portray flawed and complex humans and although initially Yichen’s brother is his biggest supporter and determined that he also deserves to be happy as time goes on I can see him doing a complete 180 as circumstances change in this roller coaster ride.
I’ve only ever binge watched BL stories before and it’s killing me that I’m having to wait a week for the next two episodes.
—————
Will I watch this again? Absolutely bl**dy right I will
Wow! What a twist and turn filled drama, deserving of the hype surrounding it and absolutely brimming with utter angst. Chef’s kiss to how the screen writers handled this complex plot and the chemistry between the actors.
The drama follows two men who meet at school, fall in love and then spend 10 years dealing with the aftermath of being split apart by angry parents determined that their love was wrong and needed to be snuffed out and the emotional catalyst of how Lu Feng dealt with the trauma.
As I waited for the final two chapters I couldn’t work out how on earth Lu Feng could redeem himself in this intense drama but it all became apparent when Yichen stepped up and became the fearless and strong young man Lu Feng needed him to be - creating the perfect ending to one of the best dramas I have seen to date.
My only criticism would be the weird penultimate scene between Yichen’s younger brother and his lover Qin Lang. It added nothing to the overall story and just seemed a bit… I don’t know what to call it but irrelevant is up there as an adjective (and with zero chemistry) and led to me removing a point for story.
I’ve never read the book (haven’t been able to find it in English yet) but every part of the plot line has left me feeling sick with frustration and the knowledge that these two characters seem destined to rip each other’s hearts out again and again. Even so I still prayed that they’d get their happy ending.
The acting is utterly brilliant and painfully real and you quickly get pulled into a plot filled with toxic parents, sacrifice, guilt, crumbling sanity and jealousy. Would their love survive the trials it is being put under and would their siblings actually accept them for who they are? Even at 10 episodes in I still wasn’t sure how things would pan out.
The supporting cast are equally believable and compelling and although I hated Yichen’s mother, I can see why she piled on the massive guilt trip that led to him sacrificing his own happiness for his younger brother. Additionally I can also see why Lu Feng’s sister is equally determined to make her brother conform to their father’s expectations. Yi Chen’s brother and Qin Lang portray flawed and complex humans and throughout this drama they offer a level of family centred stability that was probably the reason why Yichen is able to be so strong for Lu Feng.
Up to and including episode 10:
I’ve never read the story (haven’t been able to find it in English yet) but every part of the story line has me feeling sick with frustration that these two characters seem destined to rip each other’s hearts out again and again yet naively I’m praying they get their happy ending.
The acting is utterly brilliant and painfully real so that you quickly become invested in a plot which follows the two main characters as they fall deeply in love while at school but are ripped apart by family expectations and loyalty. Toxic parents, sacrifice, guilt and jealousy, you name it, this drama has it all. Will their love survive the trials it is being put under and will their siblings actually accept them for who they are? 10 episodes in and I’m so desperate for them to get their happy ending even though right now, new road blocks block their paths back to each other. This is chef’s kiss angst.
The supporting cast are equally well acted and compelling and although I hate Yichen’s mother, I can see why she piled on the massive guilt trip that led to him sacrificing his own happiness for his younger brother. I can also see why Lu Feng’s sister is equally determined to make him conform to their father’s expectations. Additionally the second male leads are also on point - well cast and with depth to their characters. They portray flawed and complex humans and although initially Yichen’s brother is his biggest supporter and determined that he also deserves to be happy as time goes on I can see him doing a complete 180 as circumstances change in this roller coaster ride.
I’ve only ever binge watched BL stories before and it’s killing me that I’m having to wait a week for the next two episodes.
—————
Will I watch this again? Absolutely bl**dy right I will
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