Reviews

A Hypnotic Subversion of State-Enforced Conformity

ABO Desire is a fascinating, bizarre, and ultimately hypnotic mystery-horror-stalker mashup. While it utilizes the "Omegaverse" (Alpha/Beta/Omega) framework, it serves as a scathing satire of elite obsession, labor exploitation, and the rigid social engineering associated with contemporary Chinese power structures.

The series is anchored by an outstanding, intense performance by Huang Xing. He is a master of microexpressions, allowing a myriad of thoughts and feelings to flicker across his face to communicate volumes without a word. His hypnotic presence makes the "Enigma" reveal feel like a profound philosophical shift rather than a mere plot twist.

His Enigma represents a radical "Third Way" outside the traditional Alpha/Omega binary. By portraying the Enigma as someone who holds the most power yet has zero interest in titles or status, the show mocks the elite’s social obsession with rank. It suggests that true agency is only possible by subverting the patriarchal, hypermasculine power dynamics promoted by both the genre and contemporary Chinese state-aligned “gender policies.”

A particularly poignant metaphor exists in the secondary romance. The lower-rank character’s desperate attempts to "pass" as a higher rank serve as a universal reference for marginalized people—whether they are LGBTQ+ individuals in repressive societies or people of color in racist systems. It highlights the psychological and physical toll of a system that demands conformity for social survival.

This struggle is literalized through the brief, yet telling, inclusion of "ABO toilets." For an American viewer, they are a surreal and disturbing reminder of our own country’s current obsession with public restrooms. The policing of these spaces in the show mirrors the real-world attacks on transgender citizens, who, like the characters in the series, embody a direct threat to and an undermining of traditional hegemonic masculinity.

Written and directed by a female-led team, the series acts as a visceral condemnation of labor exploitation and the rigid social engineering that defines the fragility of "Alpha" status. The "domestic stability" found at the end is only achieved by completely dismantling traditional power dynamics. The two dominant male characters are forced to "grow up" and broaden their acceptance of others, proving that true dominance comes from intelligence and strategy, not CCP-mandated artificial masculinity.

ABO Desire is far from perfect—it is dense, messy, and requires a rewatch to truly grasp—but it is brave and essential. It proves that even a "fantasy" genre can be used as a razor-sharp tool to attack the foundations of patriarchy and social hierarchy.

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When I find Myself Wishing for More Episodes

Spirit Fingers is a wonderful coming-of-age Korean drama that stands out as an underrated hidden gem. It delivers heartfelt growth, self-discovery, and a slow-burn romance with a classic opposites-attract dynamic, all while emphasizing personal development and emotional recovery. The series shines through its warm, feel-good energy and creative flair. It follows a shy high school girl who finds her voice and confidence through an eccentric sketch club called Spirit Fingers, where members embrace colorful personalities and imaginative themes. The club’s meetings transform ordinary spaces into vibrant, thematic “sets” with spot-on costumes and cosplay-like elements that feel magical and immersive—pure enjoyment on their own. The romance develops gradually and naturally, balancing sweet tension with genuine character growth. Supporting relationships and friendships add layers of charm, humor, and heart. The show avoids feeling overly silly or circus-like despite its playful title and cover art; once you dive in, the “Spirit Fingers” concept reveals itself as a meaningful symbol of unity and personal spirit (each member linked to a color representing their essence).Visually creative, emotionally uplifting, and packed with laugh-out-loud moments alongside quieter reflective ones, Spirit Fingers left me missing the characters and world when it ended. It’s the kind of comforting, rewatchable drama you’d happily put on again or recommend to friends. I highly suggest it to fans of romance, youth stories, and light-yet-meaningful tales about building self-esteem and finding your people. Don’t judge it by the cover—this one surprises in the best way.

Spoilers

The only real detractor for me was the portrayal and resolution of Song Woo-yeon’s family dynamics, particularly with her mother and father. The parents came across as deeply toxic—Song Woo-yeon’s mother was clearly emotionally abusive toward her, constantly criticizing and tearing her down, while the father exhibited emotionally abusive behavior that felt like it could easily tip into physical territory. Comparisons between siblings in a negative light struck me as classic abuser tactics. Coming from the “spare the rod, spoil the child” generation where respecting elders was non-negotiable and parents weren’t expected to be their kids’ friends, I still believe there’s a healthy middle ground. A parent’s role isn’t to constantly criticize or diminish a child. The show leaned more into portraying them as overly stern rather than fully acknowledging the abuse, which softened the impact for me. Even more unrealistic was the quick turnaround at the end, where the family suddenly becomes supportive. In real life, deep-seated toxic patterns rarely resolve that neatly or quickly. If it were more realistic, Song Woo-yeon (and her older siblings) might have distanced themselves more permanently—perhaps her moving in with friends or leaning harder into independence, especially since her brother was already carving his own path. Other dramas handle similar situations with more permanent separation, which felt more credible here.That said, I deeply appreciated how the drama handled Song Woo-yeon’s personal arc. Her low self-esteem made complete sense given the emotional abuse from her mother. The Spirit Fingers club played a beautiful role in her growth, helping her gain confidence, learn to like herself, and finally stand up for what she wanted—insisting on staying in the club and pursuing her relationship with Gi-jeong was a huge, empowering milestone that showed real character development. I loved Song Woo-yeon’s alter ego/imaginary friend. It felt psychologically grounded; in abusive environments, people often mentally dissociate or create alternate mental pathways to cope, which can evolve into vivid inner voices or personalities. This element rang true rather than feeling gimmicky. The club’s creativity was another highlight: the thematic sets and costumes for each meeting were amazing and added so much visual delight. The way the club called out and ousted the bully girl was satisfying, as was the main guy’s strong stance against bullying in general. Song Woo-yeon’s little brother was adorable—smart, observant, and it was sweet how he eventually warmed up to the “big creep” (the main guy). The second couple felt compelling and well-developed, and there was a nice subtle hint of a third couple with the guy waiting for her return from Germany.

A couple of minor mysteries lingered: the exact situation with Gi-jeong's parents wasn’t fully explained, leading to an orphan-like assumption, and the ownership of the cafe felt a bit vague. I wonder if the show intentionally kept those details light and mysterious to preserve a magical tone.

Overall, even the absolute toxic behavior being under scrutinized and called out for what it was didn’t detract much from the experience. The show’s heart, the joyful chaos of the Spirit Fingers group, and Song Woo-yeon’s inspiring journey far outweighed the family resolution quibble. It’s a feel-good story that balances realism in personal growth with whimsical creativity, and I’ll definitely rewatch it someday. The title and concept make perfect sense once you’re in—it’s about collective spirit and unity, not anything cheer- or circus-related.

If you enjoy warm, character-driven youth romances with creative flair and meaningful themes of self-acceptance, Spirit Fingers delivers in spades. Highly recommended!

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DON'T LISTEN TO THE BAD REVIEWS GO WATCH IT!!

This show was sooooo good!!! The story is well written and very different from usual cliche BL plots. The cinematography is also in a different league of it's own. They truly know how to use lighting, where to put it, and are very knowledgable in creating beautiful colorful hues to add so much more to the moment. The acting is superb and the actors are very handsome as well. The only thing is that they switched the translation/dub from Mandarin to Cantonese so the lip-syncing is very off lol, but once you get past that it's an amazing show and I definately recommed it to anybody! I don't know why the ratings are so low honestly since it's an 100000/10. PLS I NEED THE S2 NOWWWWW!!

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Give us Season 2!!!

While the episodes were being released, I also read the novel. Honestly, the actors carried the show , especially Chusan, Luyi, Li Guangmin, and Xia Zhihua, . Their facial expressions, gestures, and overall acting were so on point that it felt like they had stepped straight out of the novel. Also the couples chemistry was on fire.🔥 🔥 🔥
While reading, I kept picturing the actor who played Li Guangmin every time his character appeared, he is so good.😫
Of course, it was clear that the budget played a role, as well as the director’s decision to focus more on the main couple and their storyline rather than the detective and crime aspects, which are actually a major part of the novel. A lot was cut, especially towards the ending, which made it feel somewhat
rushed and a bit confusing. If they’re not planning a second season, then they’re losing a significant part of the story.
That said, I want to highlight that the production team did a great job. The atmosphere of the drama and the visuals are truly captivating. The slow-motion scenes, the lighting - everything fits perfectly and is simply beautiful to watch.
I’m really hoping for a second season 🙏🏼😭

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Theerakit Kian Lee, you’re legendary!

Oh I loved this 😭 One of the things I enjoyed the most is how easily likeable and also different both male leads are. Peach is one of the most realistic characters I’ve ever seen, he’s so down to earth. He doesn’t have any big dreams but he’s not looking for anything different. He’s very altruistic and empathic and I enjoyed how patient he was towards Thee. His reactions towards Thee’s cringe actions and phrases was sooo on point too.

Thee, on the other hand, is sooo unserious and his scenes, intentionally, becomes the target of jokes by the script itself. I loved this! He's not supposed to be taken seriously. I think he and Peach made a great balance too because we have completely different characters that learned and accepted each other’s differences. I must say that between both, Thee was my favorite tho. He’s exactly my type of character. A mafia guy who is a lover boy and enjoys watching romantic soap operas? How can I NOT love him? He was also sooooo dramatic, funny, sensitive and treated Peach like he was everything in his life. Definitely one of my favorite characters recently.

The main story is nothing WOW but weirdly for me it was enough. I think Thee and Peach are such good characters that them can completely carry a story. Their chemistry was also good for me! Some might not like PondPhuwin duo but they work for me! WilliamEst couple was also so good ugh too bad that they only had a few scenes. PerthSanta couple was a bit whatever for me, ngl. But great acting for both!

In general it was a really pleasant BL! If you’re looking for something easy to watch and with good characters, I’d definitely recommend this one! I can completely understand why this one was a hit last year.

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This is basically the cdrama version diluted with a lot of drama cliches.

Some top upvoted reviews are claiming that this is based on the novel not the Chinese drama, but as someone who has actually read the novel I can tell you that is false. This is 100% based on the cdrama, but sadly the new writer diluted the plot with a great many cliches & highlighted the competing love interests a lot, like gosh it's horseflies everywhere. Basically the original drama often sidestepping cliches is its strongest point, here other than the livelier characters & overall more emotional presentation everything else is worse.
Worse not really meaning bad though, it has just fallen down to mediocrity, but compared to the typical lakorn it's still great.

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To talk about the novel a bit, there the 2 main characters have very significantly different personalities, as opposed them being fairly close to the cdrama characters in the Thai show.. Yes the second ML is a hint closer to the novel here than in the cdrama, but it's a very small difference, he is still far worse there as far as I can recall.

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Amazing story, great cast, beautiful to this eyes… the best show I’ve seen in a long time

Veil of Shadows is the best thing I’ve watched in god knows how many years. I think I was born to love everything this director does, cause the last time I felt close to what I’m feeling right now was with Fangs of Fortune and I was also mesmerized when I watched The Yin Yang Masters. But Veil of Shadows is even better, I really have no words to describe. It’s a great story and I absolutely love the cast. Honestly, I don't know how I will move on from this show, I feel really attached to all the characters, specially Ji Ling and Wuyi.


I like all the details about it, the costumes, the scenarios, the fighting scenes. Everything is so beautiful! The two female leads were so cool and strong and I love how beautiful was they’re relationship. The romances were also very well constructed, cause in the beginning, I didn’t really feel real chemistry between any couple, but I saw the chemistry being constructed step by step and by the middle I was completely obsessed with both couples.

Also I’d like to say how great is Tian Jiarui acting. He portrayed a million characters in this and they were all so well made. I love how Ji Ling wasn’t the dragon, he wasn’t strong and wasn’t the chosen one, he was just a little fox who carried the world on his shoulders. It’s so sad that he and Wuyi couldn’t be together in that lifetime, but I’m happy they found each other in another life. I think this is happiest end this director can give us.

I haven’t been writing reviews in a while, but I really felt that I had to say how much I loved this (and I’m already watching again). I don’t think is only the best show of the year, it’s the best that I’ve seen in a really long time.

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Too long look into the lens of the past

this drama has its good points if you can see beyond the fashions and expressions of 40 years ago but　 while for koreans probably it is nostalgic、 for non koreans it is maybe just dated。
for me it went on too long and became difficult to finish。
frankly Shi Won's character was so awful and embarrassing it became tough to watch closely followed by her father Seong Dong [at least they got the genetic relation right]。 she's the type you want to arrange the divorce papers before the marriage、 as for the marriage how could it survive the permanent war zone and the child would need child rescue service。Yun Je should have grabbed Jun Hee while he had the chance (!）
I like korean humor but not when it degenerates just into constant shouting and name calling and the level of flatulence。it is too easy to stereotype koreans as all extrovert loud and jokey in a rough way but with hearts of gold but this is no doubt a function of the soap drama genre which is really what this one evolved into。
flashback has its place in drama and I understand here it was part of putting lives in context looking back but、 when it becomes so repeated and intrusive it breaks the dramatic continuity in a big way and just causes confusion〜
not one for re-watch though with some interest。 it was good they ventured a LGBT mini sub plot but the way it was treated was very dated。

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Killer App

I watched If Wishes Could Kill and honestly it’s really interesting but kinda dark. The idea is super cool—like people getting their wishes but with bad consequences—and it keeps you thinking “is this even worth it?” The story pulls you in quickly and some moments are actually intense.

The characters aren’t perfect at all, which makes it more realistic, but also a bit frustrating sometimes. I liked how it shows that getting what you want isn’t always a good thing. It’s not a super light or fun drama, it’s more the type that makes you think.

Overall, I’d say it’s worth watching if you like darker, suspenseful stories 👍

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Ended in a cliffhanger...

The elefant in the room with this series is the lip-syncing of the whole audio. For me it always felt out of place. They could not transfer all the emotions of a scene in a believable manner. Unexpectable the kissing was not good either.

The finale was a bit of a bummer. We get a cliffhanger for a 2nd season and I always hate it, when they do that. Chances are good with all the support this series gained it will happen. But to wait for a year for the continuation of this story suxx.

Besides the couples and the girl, I also think the acting was lacking. They choose to implement silly moments in such a dark story and I'm not a fan of it. Production quality was top notch, besides the lip-syncing.

We get a story between a "soft" gangster boss and a "innocent" student who is the pride not only of his family but of the whole neighbourhood. It's quite clear from the beginning that the student is drawn to the gangster and it's typical BL cliché that the gangster boss has to struggle to accept his own feelings. So nothing new there and nothing which does justify all the hype about this series..

Overall it was good entertainment but for me it was not stellar. And to have to wait for another year for the conclusion (or again 9 episodes with a cliffhanger) pisses me off.

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