Be Loved in House (2021)

[insert some smart metaphor about the little prince and the fox]

I knew what I signed up for when I read the plot summary, but I still found myself quite frustrated at the whole "single rule" thing. It never made any sense, no matter how much Jin Yu Zhen and the writers bend over backward. But I choose to not take it too seriously.

The main couple has good chemistry and falls more under the slow-burn category which is one of my favorites actually. The side couple though wasn't my tea at all. I don't really like couples that not only have a noticeable age difference but also further the power dynamics by making the younger one inexperienced, shy, and dependent on the older guy. So that was a no from me. The straight couple had like two scenes together and were only there to set up some sort of conflict.

Through the show, we encounter quite a few clichés that were mostly executed as you would expect them. Therefore, there aren't a lot of moments that genuinely took me by surprise. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I guess. I didn't mind it, since most of those tropes are one of my favorites (e.g. one bed), but a little bit of creativity never hurts ;)

The intro "I do, I do, I do" was quite catchy and I would recognize it and immediately think about this show, so that's a good thing.

The rewatch value is actually surprisingly high, thanks to the main couple who is carrying this whole show on their backs (and Shi Lei's mother of course).

Leer más

Be aware: you may get obsessed with two main leaders

One must know that I do not have a lot of experience with BL dramas. Before watching, I read some comments and reviews saying that there are a lot of things that should be included or improved etc and I was not expecting much from the show. This is probably the first Taiwanese drama that I watched at all (normally, I watch Korean dramas) and I didn't know the actors at all, but oh boy, after that? And mind me, I watched the ENTIRE thing in one evening, I bingle-watched that on one breath, I'm now OBSESSED with the two main leaders, because I have not seen such a chemistry between main leaders in YEARS. You should totally watch Aaron Lai and Hank Wang together being interviewed or behind the scenes, their chemistry exists out of drama and that is probably why I'm missing them already. I actually miss the feeling in my real life that they have here. Everything was perfect for me, except the second couple, sorry but I skipped their scenes. The show was too short and that's too bad, the story has such potential. Would love to see more of them and in a more slow-burn way. But I'm greedy here, of course.

Leer más

Mediocre plot but in BL standards its considered pretty average

Sept. 4, 2021

If I am being honest, I think I just kept watching this due to the actors and the cast since I love them so much. Honestly, the acting is so good and it definitely carried the show in my opinion. I feel like the plot is very weak and a lot of episodes have filler arcs so I was skipping a lot especially in the latter part of the series. The first half was okay in terms of writing but I think the writers just gave up in the last part. So many weird slow-paced parts that did not make sense at all. Like I love slow-paced arcs like in other dramas but I think the writers just kept throwing little subplots that did not really keep me interested or hook to watch the subsequent episodes.

However, I must say I definitely loved the main couple than the other couples in the drama. I really like how strong their chemistry is. Honestly for BLs sometimes, we have to lower our expectations since the budget is usually limited so I did not mind if the production is not as elegant as what other reviewers have pointed out.

THAT BEING SAID, I still recommend this drama for those who like shows in the category of "thrashy-romance" type.

Leer más

Run of the Mill BL

**Brief Synopsis**
T (Boss): Yu Zen
B (Employee): Shi Lei

- Beginning: B is a normal employee and T is his new boss. They start their relationship on the wrong foot because T is a perfectionist with OCD and needs everything done his way. B is not impressed by his boss no dating rule. However, when B gets kicked out of his apartment with no where to go, his boss lets him stay at his apartment.

- Middle: At first, B was only supposed to stay one day and after that no longer have any other contact with the boss outside of work, but they start spending more and more time together. Feelings starts to develop and they start getting more intimate.

- End: Before they could have their happy ending, T’s ex appears. It is revealed that the ex’s departure was the source of T’s trauma and the reason he didn’t want anyone dating in front of him. Unfortunately, T still couldn’t let go of his past despite loving B. B finds out and distance himself from T until he figures himself out. After realizing he might lose B if he didn’t act, T finally let go of the past and went to find B to confess. The series ends with them happily together.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- I really like the concept of enemies to lovers in a company context. I like boss-employee relationship stories as well.
- I like how T changes throughout the series, from his closed self to being more open with B.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- I just didn’t like how the plot was executed. I really didn’t like the angst introduced towards the end of the show.
- The plot is just so predictable and simple with no memorable moments.

**Conclusion**
This is a show I won’t be revisiting.

Leer más

The writing could be better

The show overall was very enjoyable to watch. The actors did a great job with the material they were given. I have just two criticism and it's at times a bit illogical plot structure and the OST.
Some of the "conflicts" seemed exaggerated to the point of not making sense whatsoever. And I totally understand that a show like that will present not very realistic scenarios and it will make some things much bigger than they should. I went into this show with that expectation. It was still waaay too much at times.
There were some plot holes and at the end some of the unfinished story had me asking questions.
Some of the dialogue felt a bit stiff and unnatural, but Idk if it's the translation error or not.
All of that I blame on the script, cause the actors were splendid. I really liked the main characters chemistry and tension they managed to create. It was really nice.
My other issue is the soundtrack. There were moments where the sound effects or the music really didn't fit. And again, I'm used to shows using weird sound effects for the comedic value. This wasn't it. Usually I don't really notice the soundtrack, unless the songs are very good. This time I noticed the soundtrack, cause it wasn't that good. It's a shame really.

Leer más

Not Compelling, But a Fluffy Sweet Love Story

The storyline is not very interesting, but the sweet fluffiness of this story and its pleasing visuals make it a worthwhile watch if you're interested in short, sweet love stories. The main actors do have chemistry, but their romantic scenes together felt on the brief end. The side characters are good fun, and don't exist merely to fill up space and time but are more fleshed out. I did end up skipping about half of the plot-heavy scenes at a certain point. The addition of a red herring-esque former ex-boyfriend at the end of the show felt deeply unnecessary, which was a tad frustrating, but it didn't throw off the endgame romance plot. Don't expect much, but enjoy the fluff.

Leer más

A big fat meh.

I'm a fan of Taiwan's efforts in the BL genre but this was underwhelming for me. After a few false starts I persevered and it did improve as it progressed. The acting was fairly amateur in the first episode and the cast took a while to iron out their rough edges and warm up. The story is fairly standard: unreasonable, arrogant handsome boss + affable and super cute employee struggling to work together in an office environment. What other tropes can we throw in here? Oh, wait, of course, let's make them housemates.

Some redeeming qualities - the lead couple did a fairly good job considering the mediocre story line and support cast. Hank Wang as Shi Lei was especially likeable and I largely saw this through because of his gallant efforts. The whole metalworks office thing was interesting and there were a few enjoyable moments. The second couple were like a tepid cup of coffee (kerpow!) and don't get me started on the other couple in the office. I swear the BL industry is out to make women the most unlikeable and unreasonable characters on the planet.

Look, the tropes are there for a reason - we love them and we love watching them time and time again. I understand Taiwan shows usually have fairly modest budgets to work with but the His Story and We Best Love franchises have proven that with some creativity, a good story and a strong cast, greatness can be made! I hope to see Hank Wang in better shows.

Leer más

Snooze fest

I really wanted to like this series as it seemed very promising from the trailers/clips. Unfortunately it was extremely boring. Probably one of the most boring and least innovative BL's I've watched so far. The acting was bearable but my main issue was the writing, it felt lazy, monotonous and very cliche. Which saddens me because Taiwanese BL's are usually very good when it comes to the actual story/writing. The only favorable thing I can say is the cast is very beautiful, however there's no real passion or believable connection between any of the characters so it's like watching pretty robots interact. If by chance there is a second season I hope they hire new writers and put more of an effort into making it feel authentic.

Leer más

Wasted potential

This started great tbh. The premise was nice. The old enemies to friend to lovers trope. The acting was great, ost was great and chemistry between the leads was also great. So why does this has such a low rating. The pacing, story and logic is all over the place. First, this series is so slow, I for one like it better because I watched it late and could watch it all at once but to be one of those people that had to wait for a new episode every week, I would have seriously dropped it. The problem that existed in the first episode became a problem till the last episode. They drag the problem of the main lead for too long. They made them become a couple till the last fucking episode and they thought that they could make up with us with a sex scene lol. I am thirst but not that thirsty to turned a blind eye to ridiculousness. Now the logic with this series or actually main lead makes no fucking sense. So there is rule that there should be no office romance. Stress on the OFFICE pls cause this mf thought that he has the right to ban an romance, doesn't matter if the person they are dating is an employee or not. The lead thinks that he can make them single forever lol logic where? Also the thing that I fucking hated the most was that they did not made the main leads a couple at the end of the episode but they also had the fucking audacity to make Yu Zhen and his ex have more chemistry and couple scenes than Shi lei do in the entire series. This was my breaking point of actually thinking positive about this series. But despite the terrible story and plot pacing. It did manage to make me entertained, laugh and smile at the main leads chemistry. But ehh, another series ruined by terrible pacing. The only reason the rewatch value is high since the main leads chemistry is cute and there were a lot of shirtless scenes and the everyone is attractive.

Leer más