Effie_Joon

No honestly I get you. Dark romance can be really fascinating when it’s done well because it pushes everything to the extreme emotionally, but sometimes the line between toxic obsession and actual love gets so blurred that it leaves you emotionally exhausted after every episode.

And honestly that’s exactly why I personally love dark romance in general. It explores emotions and dynamics that are messed up, intense and uncomfortable in a way lighter romances usually don’t. Double Helix is especially brutal because the show doesn’t really soften the damage. The tension and chemistry are insane, but at the same time it makes you sit with how disturbing the relationship actually is instead of romanticizing everything completely. That’s probably why it feels so addictive and uncomfortable at the same time. You’re basically suffering every week but still counting the days until the next episode 💀

Hahaha, let's praise my baby Fan 🤣

Second Friday without them... 😞

Seems like never 🥹

Yes, I’m sure it’s the kind of series that would appeal to a wide audience, just not to the extent of the ratings and hype it got. The story didn’t win me over at all, and I think I dropped it around episode 6. And even though I think they suit each other as a pairing, I still feel like they both need a lot more work when it comes to acting.

Ugh, personally I’m way too impatient. I can never wait for them to finish, so I always end up waiting week by week 😩
Here are the links. It’s in three parts, and the series is going to cover all of them.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/219540564-double-helix-a-round-trip-to-love-1-long-way-home
https://www.wattpad.com/story/224752646-a-round-trip-to-love-2-separate-routes
https://www.wattpad.com/story/237047406-a-round-trip-to-love-3-if-only

Exactly! We want more mature BLs, and I do not mean ones packed with nude scenes necessarily. That is probably the last thing I care about. Unfortunately, I have not watched that many psychological BLs either. I honestly do not think there are that many out there. If you have not seen them yet, I would definitely recommend 4 Minutes, My Stand In, The Eighth Sense, History3: Trapped, Tokyo in April Is..., and Spare Me Your Mercy. I cannot think of any others right now though.
Oh, and you should definitely check out this new CBL that is airing right now, Double Helix. I have read the novel, and it is pretty toxic and really intriguing 🤭 The first two episodes were amazing.

I love Kiseki: Dear to Me! Although it’s been years since I watched it. I’ve seen it 3 or 4 times myself and I also read the novel back then. I’d definitely put it among my favorites, though I liked the main couple just a tiny bit more than most people seem to 😅
I definitely loved Sammy's CD even more though, even if I think I gave them the same rating.
I have a lot of favorites, but these are the ones coming to mind right now. Sammy’s has definitely made it into my top list, but my absolute favorite by far is To My Shore, which you probably already guessed from my avatar. I Told Sunset About You is definitely in my top 3 Thai BLs too, now that I’m seeing your avatar 😅
Addicted, Unknown, Our Youth, and Revenged Love are also among my favorites. Oh, and My Stand-In too! In general, I tend to enjoy darker or more psychologically complicated storylines a bit more.
Lately I’ve been especially obsessed with CBLs. Pretty much everything they’ve released uncensored since last year, I’ve really enjoyed. I think it’s mostly because of how unique their storylines are.

Haha, honestly the first reason I started Sammy’s CD was to see more of that brunette boy 🤣
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not usually that shallow, and if I didn’t like the series I definitely wouldn’t keep watching just because of Yanchao’s looks.

I’m really glad you’re giving my boys a chance! What I actually think makes To My Shore worth it is how intentional it feels with its characters. The morally grey elements aren’t just there for drama, they’re tied to real consequences and emotional logic, so even when you don’t agree with what a character is doing, you can usually understand why they’re doing it.
It also handles tension and pacing really well. It doesn’t rush relationships just to get to the cute moments, but it also doesn’t drag things out unnecessarily. The push and pull between the characters feels very natural, which makes the emotional payoff hit even harder when it finally comes.

And I think you’ll appreciate that it doesn’t romanticize the messy parts in a weird way. It leans more into showing flaws and letting the audience sit with them instead of pretending everything is idealized.
Plus, the character dynamics are really at the center of it all, so if you like complex relationships and redemption arcs, it builds on that in a way that feels satisfying rather than superficial.

If you do end up watching it, I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts on it afterwards 😊

Personally, I tend to give higher ratings to shows based on how they make me feel rather than whether they’re flawless in terms of cinematography, directing, and so on. That said, I do think this particular series also does really well on those fronts, which is why I gave it a 9.5. For me, it’s one of the best BLs I’ve watched, even with the open ending. And if there is a second season and that’s actually how the first one ends, I honestly think it’s a pretty clever move.
I don’t really care how other people choose to rate things, but I completely agree with what you said. Everyone should be free to share their opinion as long as they’re not insulting others, and they definitely shouldn’t be attacked for it.

I, on the other hand, still can’t wrap my head around all the 10/10 ratings I see for other BL series that have super cringey scenes, at best average acting, and basically no plot like Only Friends, Me and Thee, and so many others.

I absolutely love reversible couples!
I really hope we see more couples like that in the future because the classic trope of the dominant top and passive bottom is getting old.

I watch pretty much every genre in general. Of course I have my preferences when it comes to the type of series I like, but honestly, no matter the genre, if it’s well made, has a creative script, and strong performances, I’ll enjoy it. I think I’m just going through a phase these past few months, which is why I’ve been watching only BLs. I’d like to believe it’ll pass eventually, that I’ll get tired of it at some point and go back to my old self 😅

As for BLs, I watch pretty much everything, though lately I’ve been watching fewer Thai BLs. I find them kind of shallow and repetitive now, and I usually end up dropping them after two or three episodes. But ever since last year and especially after Revenged Love, I’ve become seriously obsessed with Chinese BLs. I’m not exactly sure what makes them stand out so much, but I think it’s mainly the writing.

Still, when it comes to Japanese BLs, even though I didn’t become as obsessed as you did, I also haven’t seen anything better than Our Youth so far.

With Sammy’s CD, what really got me hooked was mainly the story (and Yanchao 🥵). Not that I didn’t fully enjoy everything else you mentioned too, because I absolutely did, but their story affected me emotionally in a way I didn’t expect. I know it’s not the most original plot and we’ve seen similar stories before, but here it was structured so beautifully, and combined with the gorgeous directing, it felt really special to me. I ended up loving the boys way more than I expected, to the point where I’m even following them on social media 😅
It’s only the second time in my life that I’ve followed a BL couple like this. The first time was with the boys from TMS. So yeah, it’s going to take me a very long time to move on from this one.

As for TMS, from the little I’ve understood through our conversations and from comments of yours I’ve seen here, I honestly think you’re going to love it. But! It’s not exactly a pleasant watch. It’s actually a very dark romance, with two of the most morally gray characters I’ve ever seen. There is redemption though, and it’s one of those series where, if you truly understand the depth of the characters, it completely pulls you in and stays on your mind long after you finish it. I think that’s why it has such a passionate fandom. Not necessarily a huge fandom like Revenged Love or The Untamed, but definitely a very devoted one.

https://futiledevices.blog/chusans-liuyi-childrens-day/

Oh, I see, you replied to me though

I know, I've read it multiple times 😅

Hahaha, I can't help it 🤭

So proud of them 💛

I'll come for help

Yes, both couples. In the extra chapters set years later, Chusan learns from his dear friend Guang Ming that he and Jia Hua are a reversible couple, and he gets jealous because Liu Yi never wanted to top him. So he ends up waging full on psychological warfare against Liu Yi until he finally gives in. Chusan ends up liking it, and from that point on they start switching things up regularly 🤣