Silente 08
Netherlands
This review may contain spoilers
So I finally managed to watch this, after having planned to for several years! Good to hear some Mandarin again, after so much Thai ... I had followed the backstory of the series a bit and was really impressed when two years ago I stumbled across a huge advertisement with Timmy Xu in a shopping mall in Ho Chi Minh City; happy to know that he has had a successful career.
Anyway, what we got was pretty short (I'm more used to the 50-minute format), so I will keep the review short as well. Overall I really liked Addicted!The series sets a good mood in my opinion, in that it has a healthy mix of (sometimes surprisingly) comedic and emotional moments. I also liked the setting, even though it got kind of depressing (always cold and grey, reminds me of my home); it's pretty different from what I'm used to in Asian (mainly Thai) series. The main actors (by that I mean the two leads and their respective parents / parental figures) are convincing and seem very genuine in their interactions. Gu Hai had some really interesting lines regarding gender roles. Not to forget: the soundtrack is really memorable (I would have never expected to hear the Shameless title song in a Chinese BL series!).
Obviously, I have things to criticise as well. I realise that these 15 eps are basically just an introduction to what the series could have really looked like (without imperial intervention), but the cuts and jumps between scenes were already too fast for me. I find it hard to follow a story when it goes on at such a pace and with so many things never shown on screen. And generally speaking, the amount of drama wasn't big in this, so the story felt a bit "flat". Additionally, the supporting cast did either not get enough screen time to give a relevant contribution to the series or was pretty bland (Gu Hai's girlfriend, as well as his brother). Then, let's not forget that Gu Hai is quite abusive in some moments (both with his girlfriend and with Bai Luoying); it sure fits his character and makes him more interesting, but consent-related issues need to be made clearer (by the way, that ridiculous kidnapping was completely unnecessary).
The two lead actors, the setting and the soundtrack are big pros for me, while I am not impressed by the length (shortness, actually) and the absence of serious dramatic moments. I have a good overall feeling though and would definitely recommend this!
Anyway, what we got was pretty short (I'm more used to the 50-minute format), so I will keep the review short as well. Overall I really liked Addicted!The series sets a good mood in my opinion, in that it has a healthy mix of (sometimes surprisingly) comedic and emotional moments. I also liked the setting, even though it got kind of depressing (always cold and grey, reminds me of my home); it's pretty different from what I'm used to in Asian (mainly Thai) series. The main actors (by that I mean the two leads and their respective parents / parental figures) are convincing and seem very genuine in their interactions. Gu Hai had some really interesting lines regarding gender roles. Not to forget: the soundtrack is really memorable (I would have never expected to hear the Shameless title song in a Chinese BL series!).
Obviously, I have things to criticise as well. I realise that these 15 eps are basically just an introduction to what the series could have really looked like (without imperial intervention), but the cuts and jumps between scenes were already too fast for me. I find it hard to follow a story when it goes on at such a pace and with so many things never shown on screen. And generally speaking, the amount of drama wasn't big in this, so the story felt a bit "flat". Additionally, the supporting cast did either not get enough screen time to give a relevant contribution to the series or was pretty bland (Gu Hai's girlfriend, as well as his brother). Then, let's not forget that Gu Hai is quite abusive in some moments (both with his girlfriend and with Bai Luoying); it sure fits his character and makes him more interesting, but consent-related issues need to be made clearer (by the way, that ridiculous kidnapping was completely unnecessary).
The two lead actors, the setting and the soundtrack are big pros for me, while I am not impressed by the length (shortness, actually) and the absence of serious dramatic moments. I have a good overall feeling though and would definitely recommend this!
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