Pure chaos and I'm here for it
This drama is pure chaos from the beginning to end - therefore, don't take it too seriously, lay back grab the popcorn and enjoy this rollercoaster ride.I love Wang Haozhen and Wang Ge Ge and they team up with an amazing cast. I think they all had a really good time being on set together and acting out this very funny drama.
There is sister spirit between the two FLs, I love a great friendship between FLs on screen. The men seem though but the FLs are dancing samba on their noses and loving every minute of it. FLs are ride or die best friends.
This is really an amazing drama which I look at differently than dramas where I expect some artistic refienery. The art her is in the dialogs, the plot and honestly - if there is an award for funniest lines in a drama: This one definitely would earn one.
A small employee is trying to guilt trip a FL and produces the weirdest succession of sentences leaving nothing but empty meaninglessness. I'd almost say this is Dada art :)
This drama will make you laugh and leave you feeling light-hearted and happy - which is why it is worth every second you spend watching it.
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You cry, I cry, we all cry
Well, this show was quite a ride. While watching, I could not tear my eyes away- glued to my screen, binging past bedtime every night. But by the time I came back the next day, I felt nervous and reluctant to resume.So first, yes, it was riveting. I couldn’t look away. But that's partly because I was trying so hard to figure out what’s going on. This show is on the confusing side. Even after you figure out roughly how the world works (which took me approximately one muddled story arc), subsequent story arcs still manage to introduce more jumbled backstories and secrets revealed in tangled ways. It’s hard to keep track of everything, and sometimes it’s not clear what’s plot hole vs world building vs important clue.
That said, each time the reveals are finally out and the pieces come together (minus a few lost along the way), I did find each story to be interesting and touching. So I could also say, the plot is full of twists and turns and is constantly moving, which keeps things exciting.
It also yanks your emotions around on a leash, which brings me to the reason I felt nervous to watch. This show is just too absurdly tragic sometimes. eg people suffering out of selfless love, kind people forced into heartbreaking situations, etc. If you pull out of immersion for a bit, you might call it emotionally manipulative. The characters were constantly crying, and so was I.
The saving grace is that it is pretty clear how to feel. Everyone- me, the characters, other audience- could all feel bad together. This doesn’t totally make things ok, and tragic story following tragic story really does get tiresome. But the sense of commiseration helps a lot. Ji Ling is a good example: I badly wanted the best for this super likable, sympathetic character, and it made me so happy to see other characters step up for him.
So the show is emotionally taxing, but not in a frustrating way. It’s nice that the protagonists are mostly on the same page, with minimal miscommunications, while the ultimate villain is pretty clear-cut and evil. There are five actors listed in main roles and the show really does have five leads- they all have their own backstories, personalities, and goals, as well as different interlocking relations. I really like how this show is able to distribute the focus and maintain so many different kinds of positive relationships. The two romances are very sweet. There are also some very likable side characters.
By the way, the two foxes seem to be going for an alluring, seductive, and otherworldly vibe, especially at the beginning. This distinct character type does match the classic nine tailed fox, but I wasn’t sure I could take it from main characters that I have to watch the entire show. Luckily it dies down, I’d say within 10 episodes or so, as the foxes get down to business.
The show gets wilder towards the end. The plot gets whiplashed around a bit, sometimes via deus ex machina plot devices. For example, dramatic sacrifices are subsequently undone by some world mechanism that was never hinted at until now, repeat again and again. But the show is only a trim 29 episodes so you just get yanked around for a bit and then it’s over.
Acting-wise, I think people in general did a good job. I really like Tian Jiarui’s character and that might be why I think he did such a great job, so adorable. Ju Jingyi is very pretty, but I’ll be honest, her classic-beauty aura is just not my thing- eg the way she will slightly tilt her face from here to there, like she’s letting us admire it from different angles. It might be the director’s decision to capture a certain vibe. I also, sorry to say, think Yan An is too good looking that it’s distracting. I kept admiring his face rather than focusing on what his character is doing (I ended up really loving his character’s story, though).
But in general I wasn’t a huge fan of the styling. I think Joseph Zeng and Chen Duling have both looked better in other shows. All around the faces were too pale and smooth- even more unnatural than the normal Cdrama.
The cinematography is quite artistic (it’s a shame it came out right after Pursuit of Jade which still did better). The fighting is a good mix of CGI and performed choreography. I thought it’s done really well, both technique and choreo, and fun to watch. I really like how different demons and hunters have their own unique weapons, skills, and spells. This would make a super fun RPG.
But this show also really loves poses, wind machines, and thumping techno music. It actually worked on me a few times (ie I thought it was cool) but mostly I thought it was trying too hard. In fact, a lot of parts of this show are overly dramatic, like all the slow speech with lots of pauses, and the pretty-crying with a single tear. It sometimes made me cringe, just a little.
In general I liked the music (yes, even the techno!) The show tends to play soft and gentle tunes during the most dramatic or heartbreaking scenes, which turns out to be a sure formula to make me cry. The OST also played at all the right moments, to good effect.
Overall, I like this show because it’s emotionally engaging, has some really sympathetic and likable characters, and is just... riveting. It’s full of plot twists that kept me on my toes- in a steady haze of mild confusion, yes, but aside from some parts not quite adding up (perhaps it’d be clearer on a rewatch), things mostly straighten out into touching stories in which it’s clear who to root for. The excessive, nonstop tragedy gets a bit exhausting sometimes, and the overly dramatic plot whiplash towards the end is a bit much. But I guess the emotional manipulation worked on me, because even though I didn't particularly like the ending either, I felt so attached to the characters and story that I still walked away with a real soft spot for this show.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
The ending is... confusing? It’s not as tragic as this director is known for, but that’s not saying much.
Throughout the story, likable side characters were getting killed off left and right, so it’s no surprise that this trend continues right up to the end, even adding in some of the main characters. I was honestly kind of immune to the tragedy at this point.
But it is all undone by time travel stuff. The time loop makes as little sense as it ever did in a Cdrama. For some reason Wu Shiguang is the only one who seems to remember “old reality”, and we get some scenes from "new reality" but not enough for a clear picture of the situation. The time travel allows many people who died to be alive again, but this never made me feel better, because with a different set of memories they’re pretty much just different people.
WuWu couple still gets to be together, but Wu Wanyan has no memory of him. As for Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi... ok, I have no idea what happened inside that star thing. But at the very end there is some scene of them living as normal humans and meeting again. I don’t know if it’s an alternate universe or reincarnation or what, but since they don’t have their old memories anyways, as far as I am concerned the Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi we followed through the story are gone. ...which is actually really upsetting. Like come on, after all that?
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This review may contain spoilers
“A Romance Built on Lies… That Feels Real”
My Romance scammer is actually very interesting in its own way, especially if you like something a little messy and different.When I started this drama, I was really excited because finally I get to watch something where Junior and Mark are the main characters 🤍 And honestly, they did not disappoint. Their chemistry and the way their story developed made it easy to stay interested.
The story itself starts with two scammers, Tim and Yu, who enter relationships for money. But as everything goes on, feelings start getting real, and that’s where the problem begins 😭 What was supposed to be just a plan slowly turns into something emotional, and everything becomes complicated.
I also really enjoyed Yu and North’s side because their story feels more chaotic and funny, but at the same time, it still has its emotional moments. North especially is just unpredictable, and it makes their scenes fun to watch 😂 And from what I saw, Poon really fits his role well, which made it even better.
One thing I liked is that the drama doesn’t feel too heavy, but it still gives enough emotional tension to keep you watching. It mixes romance, trust issues, family pressure, and a bit of chaos in a way that keeps things interesting.
Overall, it’s not a perfect drama, but it’s definitely entertaining. It’s messy, a little dramatic, sometimes funny, and at times surprisingly emotional 💔
Short take: they came to scam… but ended up catching feelings 😭
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Good story, good plot twist at the end, but tw Rape
I became curious after watching the trailer. At first it was okay, but then came the scene where he raped the girl... He otherwise seems like a good guy to me, and yes, reality and imagination have become mixed up. But why this scene?... also with blood. It was portrayed as if she wanted it (through his Imagination or smth)... Without the scene, and perhaps without the scene that he very likely slept with a minor (nanako) I would rate the film higher.Was this review helpful to you?
Wherein both main characters annoy a certified grump to the near-ruination of the series...
Duang With You is neither good enough to recommend without reservation nor terrible enough to warrant a scathing review. Per its cutomary business practice, Domundi has once again manifested a knack for pairing together cute actors whom BL fans will obsess over. Also per its customary business practice, Domundi has burdened another bright-eyed, eager duo with a script short on actual substance. Of course, well-crafted BL series can get by with minimal narrative substance. All they really need is some sort of idealized romance anchored by barely post-pubescent actors, sufficiently winsome and nubile, who exhibit good chemistry with one another. If the storyboard now and again spices up the whole affair with alluring NC scenes, then enough of the audience will swoon to guarantee a commercial success. Good news for the subset of BL fans who dote on couple pairs and just want to see cute boys kiss! Duang With You delivers more or less exactly those things, which means many reviews of this series will glow so brightly one might conclude it is the most brilliant series ever.This review, however, was written by a certified grump who has grown jaded after consuming the genre for six years. I need more than a fluffy idealized romance: I crave a fluffy idealized romance that evinces some flair in the telling of the story and that makes more than token attempts at developing characters. Duang With You manages neither, which leaves me to deliver a tepid review of a tepid story with tepid characters. If you enjoy a bit of fluffy romance that you can enjoy with your brain switched off, Duang will likely keep you entertained. Sometimes that is all any of us need. We all of us have a few questionable choices listed among our sentimental BL favorites. So fine by me if Duang works for you. Should you, however, wish for any level of complexity, seek it elsewhere.
As far as the plot, Duang With You is a basic BL. That observation is not intended as a slight. I just mean the plot returns to the genre’s basic roots. There is no murder mystery to solve. No reincarnation twists. No one has swapped bodies. No one possesses supernatural powers. The world is not ending. The storyframe revolves around two young men, college students Duang and Qin, pursuing first-love. That back-to-(BL)basics set-up has worked plenty of times in the past, and the “opposites attract” storyline almost works here. Sadly, Domundi is too busy marketing its ubiquitous couple pairs to invest in quality screenwriting. As a result, episode after episode delivers scenes in which the boyish actors, sufficiently winsome and nubile, gaze adoringly into one another’s eyes. (To be fair, all of that frippery works well here most of the time. Credit to the boyish actors, winsome and nubile.) Nevertheless, in presenting so many instances of Duang staring with mindless devotion into Qin’s eyes—a blind devotion unwarranted by their actual level of human interaction—the series forefeits meaningful attempts to build either character (or their attraction) into more than a cardboard caricature. The best “basic BLs” work when the script delivers delightful characters with interesting lives. For me, the failings in character development, even more than the skimpy plot, prevent Duang With You from exemplifying the best that “basic BL” can be.
It is a problem if neither main character wins the viewer over. In this case, both Duang and Qin became stumbling blocks to my enjoyment. I never warmed to either. Duang is preternaturally ebullient. Qin, preternaturally sullen. Opposites, see? It could work. Maybe, it should work. Yet the relentless cheer of Duang quickly becomes tiresome. By contrast, Qin starts out tiresome. He never drops a gloomy mien. The characters were written this way—that is their schtick—so I am not knocking the performances. At the risk of redundancy, if you enjoy the evident chemistry between the actors, the whole series will likely work better for you than it did for me. A belated attempt to provide Qin’s taciturnity a backstory, one obviously calculated to induce viewer sympathy, fell completely flat for me. A nanny that horrible? Too stupid to be plausible. Even Qin, her ostensible victim, knew the story was absurd, saying at one point, "The nanny never bothered me. I just wanted a hug from my mommy." Well. Those were not his exact words, but they may as well have been. Yes, all that morose glumness stems from a sad childhood because his parents are as implausibly neglectful as Evil Nanny was implausibly hateful. Judging from the comments section, people who liked the series devoured these revelations as if they revealed profound secrets of the Universe. No. It was just hyperactive TV drama doing hyperactive TV drama things. Any character quirk that requires such over-the-top groundwork to justify simply strikes me as an effect in search of a cause. That is to say, the writer began with an idea: “I want a main character who is morose and sullen and silent,” then concocted a backstory to deliver the desired result. Small wonder Qin’s personality felt contrived from start to finish—his peculiarities were made to order for an “opposites attract” storyframe and simply come across as unnatural .
The boyish actors, winsome and nubile, gamely sell the quirks of their characters as they pretend to fall in love for the camera. Their effort makes Duang With You a serviceable BL. Ultimately, however, little distinguishes the final product from a host of other forgettable series starring other sets of boyish actors, sufficiently winsome and nubile, who also manifest compelling chemistry. Again, if that's all you need from your BL, you will enjoy Duang just fine. But for me? File this as the latest example of "watch, then forget." Next!
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If only the girl paid more attention.
I know she was busy with work but the dismissive, nonchalant and unsympathetic way she handled the situation was what led to all of this. And instead of hearing him out first, talking it over with him, she seemed to have more time to spend with another man who obviously was interested in her.In the end, she never did try to understand him. She was just there but her heart was not in it.
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Hilarious comedy
Wang CuiHua transmigrates into a drama she was tasked to improve, only to find herself cast as the villain in a Xia kingdom palace. Worse still, her character does not have a happy ending. Deeply in love with Prince Duan, she is instead offered to the emperor by her ambitious father, who hopes to climb the ranks through her.The emperor is known to be a ruthless tyrant who does not hesitate to kill his consorts. Brought before him to serve, CuiHua is nearly cast aside and buried until she begs for her life. To her surprise, she discovers that he is also a transmigrator.
Armed with only a skimpy knowledge of the drama—having rushed through the script—she must now not only save herself, but also the emperor, who was assassinated in the original story. They begin to suspect that there may be other transmigrators as well. It is a precarious situation: both of them were villains in the original plot, surrounded by enemies. If others know the story, they would likely try to eliminate them. Worse still, as they plot their course, the story begins to change and deviate from the original, leaving them uncertain about what lies ahead.
This drama appears to be a remake of a similar 2025 production, which was rated much lower at 7.5 on MyDramaList. I nearly skipped it on iQIYI, as I usually avoid dramas rated below 8. Fortunately, a second search led me to this newer, better-rated version. Having not watched the earlier one, I cannot make a comparison. Also, the trope of being drawn into a play and becoming a character is all too familiar—another reason I almost passed on this drama. As it turns out, it is well worth watching.
The drama is both hilarious and comical, yet at the same time intense. At its core is a three-way power struggle among Prince Duan, the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor. The Emperor begins as the underdog. Transmigrated at a young age, he was raised by the Dowager as a puppet, with no real authority or military backing. In contrast, Prince Duan controls the military, while the Dowager dominates the court. The arrival of CuiHua, however, shifts the balance. With a capable strategist by his side, the Emperor finds himself in a more advantageous position. How it all unfolds keeps the tension high.
Wang Chu Ran's and Ryan Cheng's on-screen chemistry is excellent and carries the story effectively. While the second leads also perform well, Una Jingru You, a support lead, deserves special mention for convincingly portraying both male and female personas. She plays in one of the most heart-rending moments - the death of a comrade, who, longing to see better days for the kingdom, succumbs to illness on a snowy winter day before that hope can be realised.
The music, however, feels somewhat monotonous. Many tracks share the same sweet, sentimental tone and are not particularly memorable, though a couple do stand out does stand out a little more.
Overall, this is a well-produced drama—with lovely costumes especially for the main leads, realistic CGI, excellent acting, and an engaging power struggle. It is certainly worth the time: entertaining, intense, and filled with moments of genuine laughter.
I debated between an 8.5 and a 9, but ultimately decided on a 9.
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Perfection All Around
This drama is so freaking good!I honestly would’ve loved to see the adaptation have some more of the original plot regarding mental health struggles. I think that is an important topic, and it still would’ve had a happy ending.
the actors were phenomenal. the chemistry between ALL the characters was incredible. the 2nd male lead was portrayed well and I’m happy he didn’t get left out in the story. no one did honestly.
my first BWS drama where he’s the ML and he killed it!!! Top 10 for me.
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WHAT AN AMAZING, CUTE AND FUNNY BL.
This drama was my first Japanese BL ever and I can say I enjoyed watching it, the couple are so cute together, their personality is kinda different but they fit each other perfectly. And it's everything so fluffy and pretty, their love is so calm and innocent, and the actors transmitted that so well, they're truly amazing here. The drama is also funny, I can't count how many times I laughed watching it. The other characters were amazing here too. I looooved this drama so so much. I recommend to anyone who hasn't watched it yet.Was this review helpful to you?
So, yes, I don't mind the wonky audio quality or how the change between scenes is often less than smooth. I can focus on how the actors do their best (and mostly succeed) and on the interesting camera angles.
What I do mind is if the script is not good. You don't need a high budget to write a good script -- you need a vision. And I think this is where the weakness of this film lies.
The three stories are very good -- on their own. The shy and confused boys experiencing their first love feels very grounded in reality, the close-ups and the wonkiness of the camera work support the viscerality of the story. The second changes genres -- from slice-of-life to horror: And this, too, has interesting lighting and camera angles, and is quite well written, with somewhat of an open end even. And the third returns to a more sensitive topic, and this screenplay makes us feel for all three men in just twenty minutes.
In the last few minutes, the script tries to tie the three storiess together -- but ultimately fails. There's a theory in the comments on MyDramaList, but the mental twisting it requires to make it work (and even then there are too many details that just don't fit) makes me think that these originally were three seperate stories, maybe even sperate projects.
letterboxd lists three directors for this project, and the difference in styles in the three stories indicate that each one was directed by one director. I suspect that they only noticed at the end of their work that they maybe should try to make the stories into one, which is why things don't really fit together.
In my view, they did their project a disservice by doing so. Each of the stories is not bad on its own; this could have been a simple omnibus. Each of the stories shows a different age in life already (teenagers, young adults, adults). The Thai title เพราะรัก...ไม่สิ้นสุด "Because Love ... never ends" would make a perfect starting point for a journey through the stages of life; just choose some middle-aged actors for the third story, and you already have it.
The three directors chose to do differently, but I don't think it works well enough.
Was it good?
Each of the stories were not bad for an indie production. The whole doesn't make sense, unfortunately.
Did I like it?
If I pretend that the stories are independant from each other, then yes.
Who would I recommend it to?
To those who want to peek into the history of Thai gay cinema. Not to BL fans who are used to recent productions and want everathing to have the same production quality.
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Pattaya, pop psych, real psych, pastries, planes, and bike pedals--lots of bikes to pedal
This series swirls around three adoptive brothers. One is a psychologist. One is a former pilot suffering from PTSD after an accident. Now he works as as a bike mechanic. The third brother works at a host bar, where he sells his companionship to the highest bidder each night. The family, which also includes their mother and a much younger sister, operates a combination bike shop and cafe. The brothers' love interests turn out to be an exchange student suffering from PTSD related to childhood trauma. A baker so deeply in debt that he will take any job at all. And a client at the host bar harboring a secret. The series makes good use of its setting in the beachfront city of Pattaya--in fact, it makes such good use of scenic overlooks and city beaches that one surmises that the Pattaya tourism office helped underwrite the production. Not a complaint, since that is how BLs get produced in Thailand, but the city promotion was quite noticeable here. In nearly episode, after all, one or more characters spends the episode biking around the city and its environs.Somehow, the psychologist fails even to notice his brother's PTSD, but he induces his new acquaintance the exchange student into therapy by episode 3. Then, he promptly passes the new patient off to another doctor in the same practice. Unfortunately, it takes until the finale before the student realizes the doctor punted on his treatment for ethical reasons, even though everyone in the audience twitted to that reality almost immediately. On the bright side, let us cheer a Thai BL production that acknowledges professional medical ethics so directly instead of building a fantasy romance around a psychologist dating his own patient. Will eight episodes be enough to cure the patient's PTSD? You've seen BL before. Guess for yourself.
Meanwhile baker and bike mechanic enter into a tempestuous relationship. (The story drops the pilot angle after e 2, until it abruptly resurfaces in the finale. Silly me. I had forgotten it existed at all.) Ostensibly, this duo manifest an enemies-to-lovers story frame, but the enmity comes across as artificial, even forced. Their early interactions consist of throwing punches, then fucking. Naturally, true love will not be far behind. The debtor's financial situation drives the most dramatic scenes in the eight episodes, as the whole family deploys familial solidarity to defeat the cruel debt collectors. Does any of it make sense? Shh. We are watching BL, and all that matters in the end is the good guys win. Oh, and that baker and bike mechanic grow closer because of the crisis. That matters, too. But they will still throw punches in the finale, just for the nostalgic callback value.
Finally, we have the host and his owner--err, his client. I don't have much to say about this plot, as it is the least compelling of the three and least impactful on the other characters. In keeping with the rest of the series, this couple's sublot also features a serious problem that requires fixing. Like all other problems in this series, the solution arrives too easily, too prettily, and with too much reliance on a convenient deus ex machina. The result proves less than completely satisfying. But it's nice they went through the motions.
In short, Love Like a Bike ranks as a below average BL. Not terrible, but in the end, the final result lacks the complexity in execution that the ambition of its multi-faceted storylines would suggest. To its credit, the series manages to feel different from most of Thai BL, whether by escaping the environs of Bangkok or by focusing primarily on adult non-students. I would not dismiss it out of hand as a complete waste of anyone's time. Well, unless you have important things that need doing. But if you're looking for a brainless lark while on holiday or just want an excuse to procrastinate, you could do a lot worse than this one.
One other note: Netflix has suddenly decided to grace North America with proper BL series. That gives an additional motivation to watch this series--so they keep giving us more. Sooner or later, they're bound to buy an excellent one, right?
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Restart and rewind
There are some great seeds of storytelling in this fantasy tale, but it is a winding road from beginning to end, and not enough is explored more deeply to be truly profound or memorable among the myriad fantasy shows out there. Themes of belonging, love, and brotherhood are touched upon but then are dropped amid the tendency to focus on sudden shock reveals and reversals that may be exciting for the moment but then are ultimately a bit empty in the return. Some parts are redundant when focused on a particular character that did not give any more added weight by the 3rd or 4th time the same aspects of the character were reemphasized. At the end, we arrive at the beginning, and one has to wonder if the whole journey was worthwhile.Still, this is a pleasing production bolstered by a talented cast that make you care about the characters even though not enough is spent developing them all. The music is creative and certainly adds to the world and makes it come alive. The middle of the story was the standout to me - all the strands of the story build together nicely to an exciting mid-story climax. I only wish I could say the same for the finale.
Ultimately, this is worth checking out for the cast and for its sumptuous visuals and sound design.
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So good chemistry
The chemistry between the leads is absolutely precious. I love the whole 'cold on the outside, but a total softie for her' vibe from the male lead, and the female lead is just a ray of sunshine—so honest and cute! Seeing them naturally fall for each other while working the cases together was everything. I honestly wish we got more romantic scenes, but I still loved every second of it. I heard they’re starring in another project together soon, and I’m so hyped to see that chemistry on screen again!Was this review helpful to you?
Great standard for cdrama
Kudos, to the production team!! A good mix of romance, comedy and mystery.So many people have come to watch this series because of Wang Xingyue, me included. He has stared on three mystery shows but this one is the most well balanced. Good story, good cast. It focus on how the story developed and doesn’t overwhelm us with visuals. What I love best about it because it’s something I personally think most cdrama are lacking is that the script extracts all actors full potential. They act well without having to sell their looks to get famous, to outshine each other. Everything is harmonious.
The story is interesting and easy to digest. An easy watch after work. I appreciate the efforts they put in to make the crime scene realistic. The lightings, music and settings are all wonderful. Good transitions between scenes. Portrait the 19th century China do well. I can see how much they put in the effort to capture the essence of that time through small details in their office, cafes and hospitals. Good costumes and designs.
This is how series should be made. Excellent team. Well made. Respect audiences. Much underrated. I hope more people discover this gem.
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