Perfectly enjoyable until the finale

This series got way too much criticism for the first 13 episodes. Yes, the cast was a little messier but they were overall still very sweet and fun to watch. There were real genuine emotions there, and despite the feedback, it was a good season. The last episode then proceeded to ruin the entire show with one of the worst conversations to ever be put to screen and a series of editing choices that suggest the producers might have personal beef with several contestants. I am shocked not only be the behavior of one of the contestants in this episode but also by the very choice to show such a humiliating and vulnerable moment to viewers.

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Only Watch if You are the Target Audience

There was a lot of pearl clutching when this came out, but if stepbrothers trope if your bread and butter, this will be a solid (but flawed) entry into your list. . This one is for the girlies who love darker BL or who thrive on more traditional yaoi tropes. This is not for the girlies who don't want anything darker than 2Together - which is fine, but if you balk at the idea of a toxic possessive relationship, skip this entry in the series and go about your merry way.
We will start with the flaws in this series because they do exist and they can't be ignored. Overall, the writing for this series is a downgrade from the previous entries. Full stop. Even the mains less controversial storyline has some stilted dialogue and the show is not easy to get into. The writing improves as you go along but the first few episodes do not draw you in. This show also has shipping. Enough said. Then, we will address the elephant in the room: this series does contain SA (which later becomes less SA but is still SA). The show acknowledges this is SA and does not try to brush it under the rug unlike some modern BLs which disguise SA as something romantic (if you know you know). But it does happen and the two characters will become romantically involved later in the show and receive a happy ending. This isn't workable for everyone and you should be aware going in.

Now, onto what I liked. As a dark BL girlie, I actually loved the side couple the most. Yes, it's toxic AF and the SA was totally unnecessary to the plot, but once these two characters are together, they fit well. I will go on record saying that YongJie was my favorite. His complete obsession with XingSi, and his anti-social personality make him one of my favorite BL archtypes. While the SA is not up my alley, I will once again state that the show chooses to paint it as a negative experience and they are only redeemed once that is acknowledged. And while the main couple took me a while to get into, once you get past the initial premise with the stupid shipping nonsense, it's actually a really nice story. Himbo leads are always a joy to watch, and I liked that they're both working adults with adult worries.

The ending is sappy AF, maybe too much to some degree, but it hits most of the points I wanted.

In conclusion, the writing in this show isn't stellar and that will be evident throughout. But, it's still enjoyable as long as you understand what you're getting into.

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