Be Loved in House: I Do (2021)

Just Watch It! (This is long).

This is my very first review, so please bare with me.

Story:
Regarding the story there were some plot holes here and there, and I feel like the running time of each episode was poorly used in many occasions, some added things felt unnecessary to the plot as a whole, and some things could've been explained in a better way.

Yes, the pacing...

I love a slow burn romance, the whole enemies-to-lovers trope, but watching this show week by week was actually painful, and not in a 'oh my God, what happens next?' kind of way. It was actually frustrating, and when I thought things were about to pick up, it slowed down completely.

Still, I have to say that I absolutely love the concept of "The Little Prince" involved in this story, and how he falls in love and ends up with the fox.

Acting / Cast:
Let me have my shallow moment...

The first time I saw anything about this series, what called my attention was how attractive both main leads were. They have different vibes, and I think they fit perfectly in what was presented, but the real question is, what about the often mentioned chemistry? Looks are not enough to measure weather there's chemistry between a pair or not.

Jin Yu Zhen is a complicated character, with unresolved and complex feelings, your seemingly stoic, heartless, asshole kind of character right there. I do think Aaron Lai nailed it, especially when we saw the transition of JYZ opening up little by little, showing his true colors.

Honorable mention to the last episode, I felt his desperation all the way through the screen.

Shi Lei is not only someone with that bright, beautiful, dimply smile, I like how he had a personality and how he wasn't afraid to stand his ground no matter what. Hank is a newbie as far as I know, and he did good, I like his acting.

Honorable mention to Shi Lei "coming out" to his mom, that scene was beautiful, and necessary.

So, in conclusion, they do have chemistry, a lot in my eyes, I liked to see how Shi Lei fell for JYZ little by little, how he had an "oh shit" moment, realizing he was caring a lot for him, and how Jin Yu Zhen reciprocated his feelings and cared for him just as much. They had a lot of cliche moments, but I didn't mind it at all. There was tension, and want and longing.

The second couple can be a big hit, or a big miss, sometimes they even steal the spotlight from the main couple, and this time I have to say they were cute and all, but I unfortunately didn't really care for them. There wasn't enough substance, I don't know how to put it better.

Yan Zhao Gang was a good guy, with good intentions and he mostly had some great things to say, the type of guy you go for advice, I like the actor playing him, and I don't think he's bad.

Wu Si Qi on the other hand, was the shy, young and inexperienced guy. Cute? Yes. Still, I don't know, but I cared even less for him, I felt detached. I don't blame it necessarily on the acting, but oh well.

The rest of the cast does the job, I found some of the meant-to-be-funny moments to be actually funny, and I liked their interactions.

Shi Lei's mom has to be mentioned, she was his wingman, the real MVP, a mother who cared for her son's happiness and well-being. It's refreshing to break from the stereotype of a mother who's disappointed, mad or angry, against the fact of her son/daughter being in love with someone of the same sex.

Music:
I love soundtracks, and I have to admit that the "I do, I do, I do" is catchy.

Rewatch Value:
I wouldn't mind re-watching the whole thing now that it ended, maybe it would feel different than watching week by week.

Overall:
I know this review is very mixed, I tried pointing the flaws, but also the good points of this series, at the end of the day all I can say is to each their own, don't let anyone else's opinions and thoughts stop you from watching something, do it, see it for yourself.

For me this series is worth watching, it's simple, it's cute, it's easy, and the end is refreshing.

Hope this helps.

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I've a love-hate relationship with this one

Loves:
1. The character, Shi Lei, is such a darling. He's one of those "straight guys" who fall in love with men that are common in BL, but I like how honest and cool he is about it. No silly gay panic moments
2. The cat in the cafe
3. The allusions to The Little Prince

Hates: The sheer wasted potential:
1. First of all, the side couple is really cute together. There are hints regarding Zhao Gang's past (which cause him to be hesitant to commit to a relationship for fear of being hurt), but that's where it stops. The side story could have been more moving and the side couple taken more seriously, but the potential went down the drain.

2, The story of the main couple is also not developed properly. The story actually starts off pretty well. But it fails by the time the fake crisis comes in. It is more than just hinted that Yu Zhen has been through a sad relationship, which serves as the main obstacle between him and Shi Lei. But it just doesn't add up. So he got into a serious accident while trying to get to his boyfriend who was leaving the country, and that was the end of their relationship for some reason. The accident, which is made to seem important, doesn't seem so important in the end. And it is not convincing that this guy would just end up imposing some ridiculous singlehood rule at the workplace.

4. The fake crisis: Yu Zhen's ex-boyfriend suddenly turns up, seemingly to win him back. By the end of Episode 11, however, it is obvious that there isn't time to develop the plot in this direction, so there's only one predictable direction for the plot to take: the ex-boyfriend is really here to help Yu Zhen and Shi Lei get together. I was hoping to be proven wrong, but I wasn't.

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