1
1
labcat
This review may contain spoilers
Solid first half and much weaker second half
I think Fighting Mr 2nd would work better if it had not been presented as a Part 2 of WBL. Still, I like the way it pushes the boundaries of BL a little.
The first two episodes (that's one-third of the series!) are a bit of a risk--you can either say that it intrigues the viewer or you can say that it confuses the hell out of viewers. The story takes place about five years after the end of No. 1 for You. But our main characters have not seen each other for five years, and we are left wondering what has caused Shi De to not return. In a way, it is effective because the frustration of not knowing is what the characters go through. Shi De does not know why Shu Yi stops replying him, and Shu Yi does not know why Shi De seems increasingly uncontactable. For me the first 3 episodes are very good even if they defy the expectations we might have after watching No. 1 for You.
It turns out that Shi De has faced problems that he can't tell while Shu Yi has misunderstood Shi De, thinking that he is in a relationship with someone else. Shu Yi seems to hate Shi De now even as Shi De enters his life again due to a coincidence. Their intense longing for each other, a longing that Shu Yi tries to hide, culminates in what's probably the best scene in the series: a drunken Shi De starts kissing Shu Yi, who can barely conceal the love that he still has despite not daring to show it. For me, the camerawork, music and acting work together very well here to show the emotions of the characters. I particularly like the performance by YU, the actor acting as Shu Yi in this scene.
Unfortunately, the story soon goes downhill after this point. The real causes behind their separation are revealed, and Shi De and Shu Yi soon make up. Their story then doesn't really get developed much further. The scenes between them are sweet and cute, but somehow don't seem to reflect the intensity of emotions that you can imagine will arise when you are reunited with the love of your life after a long separation that leaves you baffled, frustrated and pinning.
Furthermore, the series has to give some attention to the side couples. Despite the attention given, I still get the sense that the side couples' stories could have worked much better had there been sufficient development.
This series does end up to be quite likable because of its strengths. Its weaknesses still seem quite glaring to me, however. So I'm a little conflicted here.
The first two episodes (that's one-third of the series!) are a bit of a risk--you can either say that it intrigues the viewer or you can say that it confuses the hell out of viewers. The story takes place about five years after the end of No. 1 for You. But our main characters have not seen each other for five years, and we are left wondering what has caused Shi De to not return. In a way, it is effective because the frustration of not knowing is what the characters go through. Shi De does not know why Shu Yi stops replying him, and Shu Yi does not know why Shi De seems increasingly uncontactable. For me the first 3 episodes are very good even if they defy the expectations we might have after watching No. 1 for You.
It turns out that Shi De has faced problems that he can't tell while Shu Yi has misunderstood Shi De, thinking that he is in a relationship with someone else. Shu Yi seems to hate Shi De now even as Shi De enters his life again due to a coincidence. Their intense longing for each other, a longing that Shu Yi tries to hide, culminates in what's probably the best scene in the series: a drunken Shi De starts kissing Shu Yi, who can barely conceal the love that he still has despite not daring to show it. For me, the camerawork, music and acting work together very well here to show the emotions of the characters. I particularly like the performance by YU, the actor acting as Shu Yi in this scene.
Unfortunately, the story soon goes downhill after this point. The real causes behind their separation are revealed, and Shi De and Shu Yi soon make up. Their story then doesn't really get developed much further. The scenes between them are sweet and cute, but somehow don't seem to reflect the intensity of emotions that you can imagine will arise when you are reunited with the love of your life after a long separation that leaves you baffled, frustrated and pinning.
Furthermore, the series has to give some attention to the side couples. Despite the attention given, I still get the sense that the side couples' stories could have worked much better had there been sufficient development.
This series does end up to be quite likable because of its strengths. Its weaknesses still seem quite glaring to me, however. So I'm a little conflicted here.
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