WARNING: THIS IS NOT MY USUAL, TAMED DOWN REVIEW BECAUSE IT HAD TO DO WITH THE MATURITY/ GRAPHIC CONTENT OF THE NOVEL. SO, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
I actually stumbled upon this series by accident. I liked Gong Jun after watching Word of Honor so I thought I watched this to see what his acting was like before that. So, yes, I dived in. It was interesting and showed potential so I continued on after the first episode. How was it? It was surprisingly good. I liked the chemistry between the two leads and the simplified story. Once again, because of the rules, they couldn’t do much but only hint. Yet I felt the production team had done their best in bringing out the characters and showing their strong bonds through various events. Although it ended abruptly yet it was understandable and I felt it was at a good point, so it wasn’t too choking. It did wrap up with the main story so the rest, we could imagine as the audience.
Main Cast:
- Simon Gong Jun (龚俊) as Xia Yao (夏耀) aka Yao Er (妖兒). His occupation was changed for the series but I actually preferred that, because I was a bit bored of their similar background in the novel regarding their occupations. Not to mention it became a joke because he was supposedly quite powerful or capable too yet the author made him weaker on purpose. Anyway, I thought Gong Jun’s acting in here was kind of raw yet showed great potential. At least, he didn’t overact.
- Xu Feng (徐峰) as Yuan Zong (袁纵) aka Da Zong Zi (大粽子). A bodyguard. He owned a company where they trained bodyguards and certified them. It was later revealed that he used to be in the army and later ventured into the bodyguard field because it was somewhat similar to his military background. (He had different jobs along the way until he built the current empire but the story started at the point where he was already stable.) Xu Feng was both charming and fierce in the way that his character allowed. There was also this gentleness of him that he didn’t show toward his sister, which established his relationship in regard to Xia Yao. He was protective toward his sister because they only had each other. Yet, with Xia Yao, it was a different kind of protectiveness.
Supporting:
- Li Qiao Dan (李乔丹) as Yuan Ru (袁茹). Yuan Zong’s younger sister. She was considered the woman of many men’s dreams and established her reputation among them. Her brother’s connection made some feared her. Yet others also felt the need to protect her because of her brother. Of course, there were other parties who took great advantage of the situation and wanted to harm hurt, trying to get through her brother. She was way over during the scene of springing those doctors on him (although the people at the bodyguards agency didn’t know) but I felt kind of bad for her. Mostly, because of the attacks from Da Yu and Wang Zhi Shui. (Some scenes were cut, it was never clarified yet she endured the brunt of their insanity because of their assumptions.)
- Meng En (蒙恩) as Xuan Da Yu (宣大禹). Xia Yao’s childhood friend but moved out of town. He returned recently to reacquaint with his old friend and catch up. He was very spoiled and had a temper. Yet showed a gentle, protective side toward Xia Yao, although Xia Yao was more than capable of protecting himself. He was so fierce and out of control at times that made it annoying. Yet, when I realized he liked Xia Yao, it made a lot of sense. Some stuff were still unforgivable, but it made more sense. (I figured that out before I read the novel actually, lol. Reading it just confirmed it for me.)
- Liang Xue Feng (梁雪峰) as Wang Zhi Shui (王治水). A thief. I don’t know what to say because I could only give the actor the credit, not the character itself. I was really annoyed with him, regardless of his tragic childhood and all. Yes, it had a lot to do what he did. But I found his character somewhat pointless regardless of version. He was only there because they needed to pair Da Yu with someone or he would be left out. Yeah, I know, sometimes in life, people’s actions didn’t make sense. Yet for him to be a major character, I needed there to be a redeeming quality. He had none. (He stole from Xia Yao shamelessly and even acted like that was his right. Yes, I said Xia Yao AND NOT Da Yu because that was in the novel when Xia Yao went to prison to visit him and he used trickery to steal from Xia Yao. He did return the ID cards and some items later BUT if Xia Yao didn’t realize his wallet was missing and went back to check, Xia Yao wouldn’t know. Not to mention Xia Yao didn’t have to go visit him or care but he went anyway, making sure Wang Zhi Sui was all right, fearing he might have been assaulted, etc. Yet Wang Zhi Shui took advantage of that.)
- Chen Xun (陈汛) as Peng Ze (彭泽). Xia Yao’s childhood friend. Mixed feelings. I guessed he was scared and unsure of the situation to advance forward with Zhen Zhen but his hesitation at times made it somewhat annoying. The novel elaborated even more that he succeeded in courting the other girl but found out too late that he actually enjoyed Zhen Zhen’s company more (and other stuff that I can’t really say it out completely here–even if I said this wouldn’t be a tamed review).
- Xu He Ni (徐鹤尼) as Li Zhen Zhen (李真真). The most obvious character in here who was gay. He was hired by Peng Ze at first to play a couple so this other girl would be interested in Peng Ze yet he ended up liking Peng Ze for real. (Don’t ask me why the bizarre plan and how it even worked, but the author said so, so it worked.) Anyway, Zhen Zhen was probably the most comfortable about his sexuality although he was the youngest. He was also the most comfortable to discuss about sensitive topics and all. (More in the novel than on screen, of course. But it did show how he was with his attitude at times.) That was probably why Xia Yao didn’t like him at first because Xia Yao was sort of more reserved in a sense and was still coming to terms with his identity. Xia Yao actually warmed up to Zhen Zhen in the novel and conspired with him to get Peng Ze jealous. Xia Yao felt guilty later and confessed to Peng Ze about it. It was mostly because Zhen Zhen ended up liking this other guy too, because that guy treated him normal and didn’t discriminate against him. So yeah, Xia Yao wanted to rope Zhen Zhen back in and focus on Peng Ze instead. (LOL, it was actually one of the cute, bizarre moments of the novel that I wished could be brought onto the screen.)
Likes:
- The chemistry between Gong Jun and Xu Feng. I was surprised I liked them so much. In fact, I went back to watch the series twice more before doing this review. Yes, I was addicted. I only watched their scenes or what was relevant to them the second and third time around. It was such a shame some of the scenes had to be cut. I was sore about two scenes in particular. Or possibly three. The first was Xia Yao meeting with up Yuan Zong at his homeland and Xia Yao was so happy (that he found the place at long last), he jumped on Yuan Zong, forcing Yuan Zong to catch him. The other two had to do with the fairground they were at. The first was the one where Xia Yao was feeding Yuan Zong the cotton candy (the picture on top of the post). The other part was the one Xia Yao carried Yuan Zong on his back for a picture. What was the fourth one? It was the playful one where they fought after Yuan Zong tricked him about the sweetness of the fruit so Xia Yao used his martial arts on Yuan Zong yet both ended up crashing on the sofa. (It was too obvious with their stare down and the dialogues what was going on, so it had to be cut.)
- The music. The main theme was energetic and powerful. The ending theme was mellow and lighthearted. I still have the main theme stuck in my head, lol.
Dislikes:
- Cuts. Yeah, I know, I know, they had to abide by the rules. Yet it was a shame that the guys worked so hard on some of the scenes yet it didn’t make the cuts. I heard the production team edited all together so they have the full version somewhere. So, I guessed they got the closure and satisfaction of having a complete product. Still a shame the rest of us can’t see how it was put together. Although, it was easy to see where the cuts were at times with the sudden scene change.
Discussions:
- Novel vs. adaptation: This was one of those rare times I preferred the adaptation over the novel. Yes, it was that bad. At least, for me. This wasn’t due to the fact that the novel featured a lot of explicit sex scenes. I didn’t care for it and skipped through the majority of them eventually because it was just there to be there, not an essential. (I actually preferred love scenes where it was left up to the reader’s imagination than seeing the author attempting to describe all the acts like a boring manual. But that’s just me.) Obviously, it was a matter of preference to those who liked to read those or not. What irked me to no end was the lack of respect the main characters had for one another at various points of the story. I thought the writers of the adaptation gave the characters more respect for them as characters and for one another than the author did. However, I found out later through a bit of digging that the author also penned the script so was that a change of heart or because of suggestions from the rest of the production team? Since the info was from Baidu, I wasn’t sure how accurate it was. I know, I know, the characters and story were created by the author and she could do whatever she wanted with them. But there were tons of stuff that bothered me about the novel, which included the following:
- The lack of boundaries and respect different characters had for one another, especially the main leads. I’m so not talking about the light banter or pranks they pulled on each other at times. I’m talking about other more serious situations. I guessed the author wanted to create this angst or intense feeling for both characters thus allowing some sparks or chemistry between the two. Yet for me, it was so toxic at times that I just read to see what else was similar to the series to do the review. Seriously. Maybe, those were in there for foreplay or the author was into BDSM. But it lacked consent major time that I felt the point was missed. (BDSM requires consent and a great amount of trust.) Not to mention how the author seemed to solve most of the two main leads’ conflict by one forcing the other into sex that it was frustrating on many levels. Then it was dismissed and justified that the other actually wanted it or was turned on. (Yes, the “he wanted it” justification. Sounds familiar?) I get people like to escape and read naughty stuff at times for their own entertainment or whatever. You can also say I don’t understand their light banter/courtship or kinks. (Yes, the author also used that as another justification for the two’s behaviors at times.) But some of the scenes were beyond the naughty line and had violated so many boundaries that it was disturbing. If they couldn’t talk about things like mature adults or give each other spaces (when needed), then it just seemed like a joke with whatever else. It didn’t matter how much the author tried to prove that the two main characters cared for one another (which some had made it into the series to reserve the essence of the story), the toxicity just undid all the effort of those scenes. Things often escalated to violence or other use of force when there were misunderstandings or just some silly banter. So that didn’t go well with me. I tried to analyze it differently and often justified it myself by saying they were men after all, so they were programmed different or they weren’t that overly sensitive. Yet the authors had wrote the details herself and had described all the vulnerability the characters went through at times too. So, why was it all right to subject one or the other with all the toxic behaviors from the supposed person who cared for them? At one point, Xia Yao broke down and cried and reminded Yuan Zong that Yuan Zong promised not to force him (Xia Yao) into anything (regarding the reveal of their relationship to others) yet the latter was breaking that promise. Another part was how Yuan Zong seemed to overpower Xia Yao no matter the situation and wanted to be the stronger one–regardless. It didn’t mater that it was explained he wanted to protect Xia Yao and kept Xiao Yao out of danger. It was like he shut Xia Yao out anyway and didn’t care for Xia Yao’s side of the story or wanted to have a serious discussion regardless. (I didn’t blame Yuan Zong when Xia Yao’s mother wanted Xia Yao out of danger though because he acted on a request from a caring mother. Yes, I was annoyed that both treated Xia Yao like a kid and made their own plan to trap him and caused his emotional breakdown later. Yet there wasn’t much Yuan Zong could do at that point but listened to Mrs. Xia so she would calm down. But the other stuff was toxic and disrespectful as hell.)
- Breaking up was forbidden. It sounds extreme that I say it that way but it seemed that way in the novel. At first, it was a joke and Xia Yao was just jealous. Yet Yuan Zong immediately threatened him and told him to never utter such words again. Later, through other more serious misunderstandings that led to their real breakup, Yuan Zong actually choked Xia Yao to the point that he turned white and almost died. Yuan Zong did let go at the end yet it was really scary. In fact, it was terrifying to see how Yuan Zong always let his temper got the better of him. Once again, even if one say that they were both men, so they reacted to things more differently yet that was still scary no matter how you wanted to dismiss it. Not to mention how the author could never make up her mind about the relationship dynamic. One minute, saying men this and that and that was how they were yet another minute, throwing out their relationship dynamic as letting Xia Yao being the more feminine character and referring him as the wife and Yuan Zong being the stronger one and presenting him in the husband role. That went back to how Yuan Zong didn’t care to include Xia Yao in different discussions or decisions yet just made it on his own, wanting Xia Yao to sit aside like the helpless “wife” so he could be a hero. What Xia Yao wanted was to stand by his side to fight with him but was made lesser than, not an equal. It wasn’t a matter of ego yet it was a matter of being partners and trusting one another and going through the hardships together. So, I didn’t blame Xia Yao for being jealous and feeling inferior to Tian Yan Qi (a character in the novel yet didn’t appear in the series). Was Xia Yao so innocent at times with inciting some fights? No. Was he perfect? Again, no. But when it came to important things that he was wanted to discuss with Yuan Zong in a serious manner, he was dismissed and shut out. Again, the author’s decision, but it just irked me to no end. Yet I guess I’m in the minority (like always) because I read (yes, my mistake for searching around for stuff and reading comments) about how much people enjoyed the author’s styles, etc.
- Dancing apparently is a provocative activity and anyone doing that is a slut. Don’t come after me, the author presented it that way. There were at least two scenes that triggered Yuan Zong because Xia Yao was dancing. Once, Tian Yan Qi wanted Xia Yao to dance during a charity event to help liven the atmosphere. That actually got Yuan Zong all riled up and ended up grabbing Xia Yao elsewhere to escalate the matter. He accused Xia Yao of doing the sexy dance on purpose, asking who he was trying to seduce, etc. (It turned out the author wanted to introduce a sex scene yet didn’t know how to ease into it except to slut shame Xia Yao and then making it okay because Xia Yao eventually accepted it anyway.) Another part was during the party hosted by Xuan Da Yu regarding his filming project. This was some time after Xia Yao and Yuan Zong’s breakup. Xia Yao was there to support Da Yu and Yuan Zong was invited by Wang Zhi Shui (just a polite invitation and he didn’t expect Yuan Zong to show up but Yuan Zong did). Xia Yao was seen dancing with some guy and that guy was told off by Xia Yao eventually because of his advances. Yuan Zong not only beat that guy up yet also proceeded to grab Xia Yao and steered him into his car (Yuan Zong’s car) and stripped Xia Yao naked, asking him what he was trying do, who he was trying lure, etc. One, they already breakup, it didn’t matter if Xia Yao was out there flirting or whatever (which he wasn’t). He was just there to support his friend and trying to move on after the breakup. Two, Yuan Zong once again let his temper get the better of him and resorted to violence (for the umpteenth time, I lost count already). So, after the confrontation, he told Xia Yao to just go. Xia Yao, now only in his underwear, was beyond livid (which he had the right to) yet swallowed his anger (and convinced himself that he was a man after all, so appearing in only an underwear in front of the public would only cause a brief embarrassment). Luckily for Xia Yao, Xuan Da Yu appeared at that time, having just left the reception and was just in time to lend Xia Yao his coat and drove him home.
- Rape jokes. It was an ongoing theme throughout. This was the top reason why I hated Xuan Da Yu at first. It didn’t matter if Da Yu was mad that Wang Zhi Shui robbed him, joking about rape was unnecessary. They also made light of it at times. Xia Yao even joked with Da Yu about it at that time. Well, more like he glossed past the comments and didn’t take Da Yu seriously because Da Yu was upset, but didn’t really express his stance either. Several characters in here almost got raped or did get raped, so the author knew the seriousness of it yet still chose to let jokes slide in. Yuan Ru almost got raped during the abduction but Xia Yao was persistent on chasing the van down and forcing them to let go. If not, the worst would have happened. I was glad they didn’t include that in the series for the sake of traumatic experiences. (I know stuff like that happen in real life, but I don’t want to see it. It’s very scary. So reading about it was nerve-wracking until I learned Yuan Ru was saved.) The second situation, it happened to Tian Yan Qi because he was drugged (he accidentally drank it and thought it was water) and Bao Zi took full advantage of it and eventually used the recorded clips to blackmail him yet he released the clips himself and turned the tides, sacrificing himself and eventually seeking revenge toward Bao Zi. The third time also had to do with Bao Zi. He drugged Xia Yao and Xia Yao almost got raped but Bao Zi stopped and let the doctors treated Xia Yao because Xia Yao was too stubborn and held on for too long, causing him to bleed out of various parts of his body. It was another traumatic part. Both the second and the third situations broke Xia Yao in different ways later on. It took him a long time to recover. Even recounting it right now made me shake a bit and had to pause several times. So, yes, it was really distasteful that rape jokes were included at one point. If you wanted to say those scenes weren’t that extreme in the novel and I exaggerated, it was my own reaction to them and why I don’t like those situations, NOT trying to morph the actual scenes to get people to agree with me. But Xia Yao’s reactions to them also showed those were indeed traumatic situations, I didn’t make it up.
- The stereotypes and the portrayal of gay men in general. I know, not a a gay man, so I have no right to speak up for them or criticize the author. But I did some research (just enough for this review and not claiming to be an expert) and found out some of the reasons why it irked me. Although some of the authors out there included some of the similar stereotypes, I felt their stories revolved around the characters as individuals and let us learn about them through some journey. This one, I felt it exploited on their identities as gay men too much and magnified that to the rest of the story. Whether it was the oversexed bit or the over dramatic scenes.
- Other stuff from the novel: Didn’t fit in the above so I had to split them since it was just trivial stuff or unanswered from the series.
- Xia Yao and Yuan Zong actually met buying a pack of cigarettes, not a pack of gum like in the series. Yet that was a minor detail. Possibly because the leads didn’t smoke so they didn’t want to include it? Or public image? Whatever it was, I didn’t care for it so it was fine with the change.
- The person who jumped out to save Xia Yao during Yuan Ru’s kidnapping was actually Bao Zi. Because he was interested in going after Xiao Yao after witnessing how much guts Xia Yao had to go against his men and not fearing death in such dangerous situation (with the car moving and all). This scene was shuffled around in the series because they needed a reason for the siblings to change their opinions about Xia Yao and pulled them all together at the beginning somehow.
- The construction worker Xia Yao saved appeared later in the hospital to visit Xia Yao and expressed his gratitude. His name was Han Tian Wang. He was also revealed to be the guy who was involved in the cybersex con nine years ago, causing Xia Yao to have psychological effects against women with long legs. Xia Yao wanted to beat the guy up to avenge for his past trauma yet stopped because Han Tian Wang revealed a lot of stuff that creeped him out. Han Tian Wang mentioned about knowing some fortune-telling stuff and even revealed some of Yuan Zong’s secrets so even Yuan Zong was shocked after some initial confrontation. Yet they didn’t linger on that matter because they had other things to take care of. But it was something the novel revealed that the series didn’t.
- Suggestive dialogues: This was both in the novel and the series, but, of course, they had to get creative at times.
- The birds were a big hint at times where their relationship was at during a particular point. At the beginning, they were annoying one another. So, the birds were yelling shut up/won’t shut up and get lost/won’t leave at each one another. Later, when they somewhat made peace and Yuan Zong bestowed his bird for Xia Yao to take care of, Yuan Zong’s bird changed its tune and kept saying “love you” and some more. (LOL!) It was like a confession to Xia Yao. On a very sad note, the birds died in the novel. Xia Yao’s bird died because he wasn’t able to get the bird medical help in time (since he was trapped in the house and then when he finally escaped to go, he was kidnapped by Bao Zi briefly). Yuan Zong strangled his own bird and killed it because he claimed the birds were a representation of him and Xia Yao, they had to be together always. There was a major argument about it. I won’t go into details but it was extremely disturbing and equally traumatizing, considering how Yuan Zong made the whole situation about himself while Xia Yao was still going through the loss of his bird and what happened at Bao Zi’s place.
- One of the obvious (or not so obvious if your mind is not corrupted yet) was the part where Yuan Zong returned from his training trip and visited Xia Yao on his balcony. Xia Yao wanted Yuan Zong to take the bird back so there was a little back and forth. They squeezed in this really naughty joke that took Gong Jun ages to keep a straight face during filming. (If you get it, you get it, I’m not going to tell you.) It was hilarious and somewhat tragic too. It played out like so:
- Gong Jun: Feng ge, let’s practice our lines.
- Xu Feng: Okay.
- (Normal interaction at first.)
- Gong Jun: Take your bird back.
- Xu Feng: Isn’t it enjoying itself here? Let it accompany you more.
- Gong Jun: I don’t need it.
- Xu Feng: Why not? Don’t you like birds?
- Gong Jun (laughs)
- Xu Feng (hitting Gong Jun lightly): You’re not supposed to laugh here. It’s my laugh.
- Gong Jun: I know it’s your laugh. (laughs) Can’t stand the dialogues. (laughs again)
- Xu Feng (repeating the previous lines): Why not? Don’t you like birds?
- Gong Jun: I do like birds but not your bird. (laughing hysterically) So filthy.
- Xu Feng (resuming his line): Why not?
- Gong Jun: Kill me now.
- Xu Feng (repeating his line): Why not?
- Someone in the background: The “Kill me now” line is not in the script.
- Gong Jun: Because it’s too big.
- (Both guys broke into laughter at the same time.)
- The condensed version of the novel. Okay, it seems repetitive but I wanted to put it in as a separate point for discussion. I was actually really glad they shuffle some stuff around and didn’t include some of the later parts. Why? It was getting really repetitive and I felt it was just placed in for the purpose of having additional sex scenes for the novel. (I eventually just categorized it as erotica because it was too explicit. Also, because it read like a sex manual gone wrong because it was getting too technical yet unrealistic. And I think the over exposure to the sex scenes made me sick and tired of it. I wasn’t against it completely but it was too much that it became tiring and predictable and unnecessary.) Then the conflict with Bao Zi was getting really repetitive and senseless. What was with the plastic surgeries and all, which happened to three characters about four times. Not to mention several traumatizing parts I mentioned above. Yes, it happened in the second half of the novel. The novel did end on a happy note but it was because more time passed.
Recommended? I can’t say hardcore novel fans would love it because I read lots of complaints about how abruptly it ended. (It seriously wasn’t the production team’s fault this time. The waves were crashing down on them, they had to cut it and run.) I think it would be safer to say it’s more for Gong Jun and Xu Feng fans. If you love them and want to support one of their past dramas, yeah, this was a gem.