supertuna

Maybe because I've read and watched plenty of other yaoi manga, manhwa, manhua, and BL shows with absolute doormat bottoms, I didn't find Yi Chen that weak. The best example of an insufferably weak, doormat bottom in my opinion is Lu Xiao Fan from Bittersweet Love, I had to drop it. Yi Chen did at least make some attempts to stand up to both Lu Feng and his family, although he was unsuccessful. Shu Lang, however, is in an entirely different league. There are rarely any power bottoms written as well as him. Yi Chen isn't as strong as Shu Lang, but he also isn't that weak, in my opinion.

Subtle romance. Lots of yearning. Few hugs. No kisses.

I mean FX also forced YSL to live with him and there was SA involved, in a lesser degree than what Lu Feng did to Yi Chen but still. Anytime forced captivity and SA are involved, you can't come back from it, it's irredeemable in my eyes. But if YSL and Yi Chen chose to go back to their respective partners even after all this, then who are we to judge

I think the main reason is that YSL is such a well-written character. He is wise and has such a strong personality. He isn't just a tool, he thinks for himself. He knows how to stand up for himself. There are plenty of well-written red and black flag main characters, but there are rarely any powerful main leads like YSL. He isn't just a victim of his oppressor. He stands up for himself and makes the other party suffer. Every single one of his decisions is so interesting to witness as he goes through the entire cycle of falling in love, getting manipulated, experiencing abuse and toxicity, and then finding his way out of it.

If it's well written or not is subjective. My opinion can differ from yours, and vice versa. But most of the hate for the show comes from the fact that, for some reason, people went into it expecting a soft, fluffy romance and then started getting offended when the toxicity and darkness kicked in. That's what I've gathered after reading most people's comments and replies across various social media platforms. I've also come across a lot of constructive criticism points and they were valid, I agree with them but that's not the majority of people who dislike the show. The fact that people were expecting a soft romance from a show that has been marketed as a very dark and toxic romance since the very first trailer is what I find frustrating.

Please don't mention the name of the website publicly, please send a personal message instead

The fact that 95% of the scenes from the trailer were already covered in the first five episodes and there's still so much to uncover makes me so excited

Park Siwoo is gorgeous irl but the hairstyle in the show does not do him justice 😭

Her character is so pretty, so wise and so strong. The actress played her part very well.

I usually find romantic shows very boring but the chemistry between Gu Cheon and Princess Saeng Gang was amazing. The gradual development of their relationship was very beautiful to witness as an audience. Subtle romance as a subplot in a show focused on a larger plot is what I really love and this show executed it beautifully.

Same here :)

Did you find the dubbing in Double Helix bad? It seemed fine to me. Sammy's Children's Day was the worst, especially because it was Cantonese dubbing and the actors were speaking Mandarin and the sync was just bad.

It just annoys me that people who are not comfortable watching dark and toxic storylines go into this show expectating a soft fluffy story and then get offended when it's not. This is a show that has been marketed as a very dark and toxic story since the very first trailer. And it delivered what it promised.

OMG we're really getting THAT scene? I'm so excited! 😭

It's gonna get really dark and toxic in the later episodes, brace yourself! I think for a lot of people this show is just too dark and toxic and feels too real with the harsh homophohic families. I honestly loved it, it's one of my favorite bls this year. I enjoy dark romance shows like this because I like complex layered storylines with morally gray characters but I can understand why some one else would feel uncomfortable watching a show like this.

The awful dubbing is common across all Chinese shows since they prefer to use the dubbed voice instead of the actor's actual voice. It used to bother me a lot too initially but now I've become used to it.

Yes I have! They're stunning too! Kim Yoon Sik is a total snack! Park Si Woo is gorgeous irl but in the show that haircut does not do him justice 😭

I really liked the concept of a story within a story. It's such a fresh and unique concept. I don't usually like the same soft fluffy bls with a plain plot. Even though I was starting to get bored of Gao Zhun and Fang Chi's story initially and didn't like the fact that they were getting more screen time than the actual people Zhang Zhun and Zhen Xin, I still kept watching because I really loved the innovative concept. Now by episode 11, I'm absolutely loving it. It's probably one of my favourite bls this year. It comes under dark romance, with themes of sexual assault and manipulation included. So, as a dark romance fan who enjoys complicated, layered and toxic storylines, this is right up my alley. But I can completely understand why someone else wouldn't like it or would feel uncomfortable watching it. The dubbing is a common issue in Chinese shows since they prefer to used dubbed voice instead of the actor's actual voice and they don't always sync. It used to bother me a lot too initially but now I've become used to it. Other than To My Shore and Double Helix, I noticed the poor production in most other Chinese bls as well, they look and feel low budget, but I honestly don't mind it as long as the story is engaging and the acting is good. To me, this is one of their charms, even with limited budget, they make really good stories.

Is this the same actress who played the inspector's wife in Teach You A Lesson?

What do you not like about it? I'm curious.