Beloved Enemy (2017)

This is adopted from a proper BL novel  but is not BL and though they do a good job with taking the story in a non-BL direction, some flavor is still missing in my opinion.
The novel is so much more convincing when it comes to the main relationship, the Beloved Enemies because in it Gu Qing Pei is actually gay and is extremely attractive to other gay men that surround him (His foxy cunning is so alluring). Yuan Yang is young and brash and initially has non consensual sex with GQP, but the passion in their relationship gradually is very convincing. But that is the novel.
This Drama is a separate beast altogether. Though the main relationship remains explosive with unresolved sexual tension that is very palpable, in absence of actual sex a real mentor and pupil relationship comes to a forefront and the progression of said relationship is very realistic. As a rule the story deals with two very different and lonely people who have no one they can trust, as they are thrust into a situation they both don't want while being chained by their temperaments and positions., And the show does very well with the options it got. I mean, I would watch it for the suiting (costumes) and visuals alone, but it also has an intriguing plot and some good arcs and a great eye-candy cast. So kudos to this. I know it's futile, but I hope that one day we will get a proper BL adaptation of this too... *sigh*

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- The Story -
I really enjoyed it!  It was very well-done, I thought, & decently-paced, in a way that really drew me in, if perhaps while implementing plotlines & characters that one could perhaps say have been done before.  However, personally, I have to disagree with the people who are saying there is absolutely no BL(Boys' Love) present at all; I think you just have to go into it without certain expectations & aware of the ban on any [so-called ]"abnormal" sexuality from being depicted on TV & such that is current in Mainland China at the time of this series' release.  Sure, the more explicit/physical side of the relationship is almost completely sterilized...at very least from what is actually seen or even too directly-implied, but the more I learn about the novel the more I see that it lines up almost exactly with everything that I was able to pick up from the tv series. And I had NO knowledge of the novel's storyline prior to watching the tv series to give me any clues that were not actually present within the tv series itself.  I think people sometimes forget that there is much more to BL & to relationships in general than just outright declarations or the explicit/physical sides of things; and I think at times people also tend to forget that SUBTEXT can also be a very real & canon thing that's used within a story deliberately, not just something which is solely dependant upon people's own personal interpretations or imaginings regardless of the actual canon intention or lack-thereof.

I loved the note that it ended everything on.  I thought it tied all of its introduced story-points up pretty well, and the cameo appearance of a certain actor in an episode as the character he played from another BL movie was I thought a nice little easter-egg to include.

 - The Acting -
I thought the acting, at very least of the two lead males especially, was very powerful and welldone & very compelling; I thought they also had excellent chemistry and played very very well off of each other.  From their facial-expressions, to their vocal-tones, & their overall body-language & everything...it was all so excellently conveyed by these actors that, in my opinion, it crossed into that silver/golden line where really great acting actually becomes completely surreal & even almost UNreal to watch for me in how perfectly & how POWERFULLY portrayed it is..when in reality it is actually a pretty rare person who actually conveys their emotions so well or so flawlessly that it is nearly impossible to so-easily mistake except perhaps if you aren't really particularly attentive or learn'd to such specifics or detail.  (But, it wasn't just the leads, many - if not even all - of the rest of the cast also acted very capably well.)  I thought the whole cast embodied their characters well, although - I suppose - I can not truly compare the characters from the tv series to those in the novel...nothing I have heard of the novels so far has really deviated from what I had personally seen in the tv series. Of course, every reader of any novel will have their own ideas regarding that anyhow, I'm sure.

I need to give a special shout-out to the actor who played Da Li though as well, the friend with the headphones worn almost all the time, for really standing out to me by conveying so much in what few scenes he did have even without having much dialogue: he was a total scene-stealer.  He has really expressive eyes, too.

 - The Music -
I only rated the music a little lower because, even though I don't recall outright disliking it or anything at any point & in fact I actually quite liked it generally, I don't recall particularly thinking it really stood out as "Wow! this music is ESPECIALLY amazing &/or perfect" at any point  either.  So, for me, I guess the music was good & not bad....but, personally, not particularly outstanding or exceptionally memorable either?.

 - The Rewatch Value -
Truthfully, I have already seen the entire series twice -- The first time I watched it without subtitles(& I can barely speak or understand even one word of Chinese myself), and the second time I watched it with subtitles just to doublecheck if I had really been following it properly without the subtitles(which I pretty much had - & I definitely attribute that fact to the skill and prowess of the acting & everything itself).  And I would definitely rewatch it yet again, & I most likely will  very soon, and probably more than once.  I could definitely see myself still revisiting it again, sometimes, even in future years to come.

 - Overall -
I'm not saying that it's perfect, but personally I really really liked it!...

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I felt no BL at all. Nothing of any sort. Just pure weird friendship between two entirely different people. That is that. Watched and hoped till the end and IMHO, there was none. I did not feel any chemistry between the two characters too, the Gu Qing Pei's character was annoying to say the least, the plot could have made him kickstart the BL between them but to my dismay, the series ended up with "business and corporate" thing.

Acting was good but the story dragged the act below sea level.

Music was negligible to the point that you don't even notice it is there.

Won't rewatch.

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The story is almost okay.. not really good,, since it is not BL... but that is not all why I really hate this series..
First: I hate how it ends.
They dont give much justice for Gu, and the last episode mostly focus about that bullshit Yuan.. I hate him so much., after all the dirty things he did to Gu,, he just appeared as if nothing happens.. never I heard him say sorry to Gu.. and that ending bullshit.. Giving Yuan such an easy redemption is not okay.. never okay.. his Character is almost unforgivable for me.. such a bratty hard headed full of himself bastard.
Anyway I will try to read the novel instead than this one.. maybe I just hate how they portray his character..

Second: I hate after so many mistreatment Gu received, he seems to let them just passed away.
I don't like it.. His character is too good to be true.. Such professionalism is impossible..
I just want to see more of Gu and gives him more of what he deserve.. peace and happiness. So .. Yuan you should be the one to get lost... okay. forever.

Third: I hate it that I even started watching it, hoping for the best.
So much disappointments.The feels that I wanna kicked the director or writer..
Hate it so much that even though I never write reviews ,I have to let out my anger.

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The fact that I couldn't stop watching one episode after the other until I finished it in one sitting, tells me that this one is so good! I loved the series so much and I'd definitely watch it again. Yes, we all wanted more "BL scenes" but that completely depends on how you view "BL" to be. I gotta tell you, I too was hoping to see some of those explicit romance but nonetheless, if you read between the lines, you can clearly see the chemistry and the love formed between the two main characters, Gu Qing Pei and Yuan Yang. For me, "BL" is not just about skinship...it's also about love that forms trust, security and how much your partner has changed you for the better. That's why for me, this is totally BL! I love seeing their relationship grow and for me the pacing is just right. I you pay attention to those two, you can really see the hints that they're starting to develop feelings for each other...and it was just so sweet! I must say, the actors really done a great job...everyone was believable. One thing I didn't like is how the last part of the ending was pretty rushed. I kinda wanted more of a redemption for the two main actors especially Gu Qing Pei. Don't get the wrong idea, I love the ending, but a proper reconciliation I think could've added a bit more feels into it. But if anything else, the way they hit if off in the last part shows that their bond was just strong and pure as ever that nothing has to be said despite everything that has happened. ^_^

And just to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, Gu Qing Pei and Yuan Yang never had any love interests aside form the ones pursuing them. But the feeling was only one-sided and they remained single. But although the two never dated each other, but in the end, decided stay with each other, tells me otherwise. <3

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Just to fall with the door in the house ... terrible in 1 word.I might have thought something of bl in it but there is just really nothing. When the series started I immediately hated pei. What a nasty guy that was.The things he did were just horrible. Unfortunately he stayed that way and there were a few episodes where I liked him but that was actually too little. Furthermore, the ex wife did not add anything. No chemistry, no romance at all. While advance braverly, no more bl was , the chemistry splashed.

So for me I would never watch him again. I didn't even notice the music. Most players were so forgotten. Even some storylines were not solved properly in my eyes. A father who only thinks of his own and when there something happened, everything is forgiven. No, unfortunately I hope to see a nice bl series again soon with real feeling in it. They don't have to touch each other but you have to feel that they like each other.

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Taking advantage of people is NOT romantic

I know about the original novel but I would like to review this drama as an independent product.

At first the show was quite intriguing but then 4th episode happened. It showed plot's biggest flaw — Yuan Yang character. The problem is that motivation behind his actions doesn't justify them or at least makes me care about him.

Yuan Yang decided to do business because he promised it to his grandmother but we know so little about their relationship, I don't have any idea what did that promise mean to him. Flashbacks told as almost nothing and we can't see him as a man of principle (like Gu Qing Pei). The whole hotel situation is inexcusable as things GQP did and the "lesson" YY decided to teach him are NOT the same. The fact what he started blaming GQP for what happened makes the character more unlikable. Yes, YY understood what it was wrong later but he almost didn't get any backlash for this.

The kidnapping episode despite showing that "new" YY hasn't improved and continued using violent and non-legal actions to solve his problems is completely meaningless. YY hated that GQP was contacting with a member of another company. However when he was fired because of video that YY has filmed (he also knew that his father was planning to replace him), he had a chance to continue working with them. So he literally didn't have a right to be mad at GQP. Another thing I've noticed that YY hasn't improved traits which GQP was scolding him for: he continued using violent methods, we never saw him understanding real value of money and etc.

So in the end his improvements are little and he didn't pay for his actions.

-- Story --
Either they didn't know or didn't care but business part of the drama is kinda weak. It seems to me that it was written by somebody who has basic image of how business works. Maybe our focus should have been mostly on romance but because of censorship we were left with this.

The best that this drama has is female characters. I like ex-wife's storyline, it was properly ended and she improved quite realistically, the scene on a roof really touched me. The colleagues were quite nice and Wang Ran is awesome.

--Acting/Cast--
Shang Bai (the actor who plays GQP) is one of the reasons I continued to watch drama until the end. The actress who plays ex-wife is good too, I could feel all the pain her character was feeling.

--Music--
Kinda okay. However music when YY was coming back for GQP is completely out of place.

--Rewatch value--
I personally wouldn't rewatch this, as there aren't moments that worth it. Chemistry between characters is really weak and sometimes they behave themselves completely illogical (especially GQP, sometimes during watching I thought that he had some kind of Stockholm syndrom).

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My first impression of this drama when i see their trailer it is like "ohh this bl might be really interesting and have a good plot story" and then i decided to watch this bl and the first episode i watch i said to my self that "this drama is so interesting" i really like when the two main character meet it is like "wow their are both handsome" and how they interact with each other it is so extraordinary. And the best scene i like is when Gu Qing Pei ask Yuan Yang why he hate Wang so much and Yuan Yang said to Gu Qing Pei that "I hate when someone try to steal what is mine" and it is clearly that Gu Qing Pei is the one who Yuan Yang is mentioning that what is his. And from that scene i thought that oh boy the real story of bl is going to start here but in the next episode their are no bl scene except when Yuan Yang drugged Gu Qing Pei and until the story end i don't see any bl scene that is why i'm kinda disappointed on how they adapt the original novel to drama because in the novel Gu Qing Pei is gay and have more bl scene compare to this drama and i don't know if the reason why their are no much bl scene is because of their country and from what i know their country is kinda strict about LGBT so maybe that is why this drama has restrict to really being a bl drama that is supposed to be. And their is still one thing that i'm not satisfied and that is the ending in the ending their is a CEO that show up and i have a bad feeling about that CEO and the most suspicious is that he just show up and gone in the last scene their are no much information about him and after that i'm always thinking if Gu Qing Pei and Yuan Yang will date or not because so far as i know this is a BL DRAMA and if they are not going to date or something then why did this drama have a BL genre if their are no BL.

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I felt complicated for this drama...actually I kinda feel the chemistry between the leads, it is very slow at first but as I watched more episodes, it is slowly building up as they start to care about each other. Yuan Yang is an arrogant a**hole and his character is supposed to be like that and even though the actor (Gao Ming) was kinda stiff and over the top at first, his acting is getting better in later part. Shang Bai is also doing quite a good job, he definitely has the look of the proud and elegant Gu Qing Pei.

But the reason why I gave low rating is how the story ends!! It was only 15 eps and the ending was so abrupt and just left me with the feeling "what the hell is going on? that's it??". There is no closure, no conclusion..it just ends like that. Maybe it has something to do with the China's censorship, I'm not sure about that. But it was such a pity since I believe that if given chance for longer episodes, it might actually get better.

The original novel is popular and loved by many fans, the two characters' relationship in the novel is very complicated and intense, especially Yuan Yang. He is so possessive of Gu Qing Pei, but it is very touching to see the development of their characters after they met and how they affect each other's life. If you felt disappointed with the drama, I suggest you check out the novel (it is available in English in Wattpad) to sooth your broken heart :)

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it was fine

I started to watch this show because it is based on a BL, but even though I never really got to see the BL it was still very well done. The two main characters don't have a story that hasn't been done before, however, the pacing was done so well that it still was refreshing and believable. They started off at a very slow pace of just general hate for each other but Yuan Yang back story of why he is so untrusting of people claiming to want to help him, was actually heart-breaking, but so simple. Their little war is very entertaining to watch as Gu Qing Pei genuinely wants to help Yuan Yang but Yuan Yang is such a mess that he can't even accept it. On the other hand Yuan Yang has some of the most ride or die friends I have ever seen in a series, those boys were on point from start to finish. Their methods may not have been the best but they are the best to him. They lil stupid though, but nobodies perfect.
While we never get to see a real romance between the two male leads, they do have a pretty good bromance and in the end it seems like it did overcome all, with some limitations.

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