Innocent Playmates (2023)

A STEP UP TO LOVE

Probably the best Chinese BL Drama adaptation of the year 2023 so far. Addicted Heroine had issues back in 2015 after the NRTA stripped it down from airing before it was even concluded for having way too many bed scenes which was very tragic and since the beginning of the year didn't go well for shows like A League of Nobleman and Justice in the Dark which suddenly stopped airing without any news, Stay With Me has not only taken me by surprise but I'll highlight everything that makes the show splendid.

This time round, Stay With Me has a much darker tone attached to it than the original series and not to mention the longer run time gives us a more deeper understanding of the series since a lot of more scenes have been included to make it more interesting.

Secondly, the chemistry of the main leads is second to none and they have a more realistic evolution from enemies to lovers the fact being that each of them is a lonely and broken individual that eventually ends up finding refuge in the other, as the show progresses we can feel there compatibility becoming more and more intense.

Thirdly, boyslove is boyslove and we'll keep it at that, very much like the untamed, despite the fact that the series was deficient in kissing scenes one could literally read the sincere affection of both characters, Su Yu and Wu Bi have delivered it best yet again as I last felt the intensity of such a lovestory back in 2021 with the dramas KILLER AND HEALER and WORD OF HONOUR which I find to be the most appealing construct taking boyslove to a whole new and more humane and meaningful level as something more than casual sex between boys to a development of sincere and intimate feelings.

The wuxia fighting scenes were pretty much unexpected for a modern drama but as it wasn't overdone, I found them slightly more interesting to take in. While the Characters played by Su Yu and Wu Bi are more captivating since aside from being scripted, there is that understanding that can be seen on the screen instantly and felt that the actors opened up more sincerely to themselves and embraced their characters to give them the best reality. This for me is the most intense forbidden true love weathering the storms of life and standing the true test of time.

Finally, besides not being an overdone romantic show, Stay With Me is mature with very many heartwarming scenes, clear character development and growth, unrestrained compassions and bitter moments, feelings of regret and reserve which narrate the common, unseen hardships of life which make it a more realistic coming of age drama as we have gone through most of this in real life and watching the show is like a therapy that enables us best understand the characters played on top of just enjoying them.

Ultimately, Stay with Me has that urge that keeps you wanting more and more of the show, not boring at all but every scene only suspensive will have you on edge worried about what will happen next to keep you fully indulged which makes it so far my favourite Cdrama of the year 2023 having set a milestone in this industry and even perhaps my drama of the year but most importantly because it impressed me in more ways than I could have imagined.

At this rate, nothing can stop me from longing for a second season.

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They did us dirty with the way it ended

I’ll preface this by saying I haven’t seen Addicted, nor have I read the piece(s) the series is based on. I am not going to compare it to anything, but I will simply judge it on its own.

The plot is interesting. It’s not something we often get in BLs (yes, I know this is a censored version, but it’s still a BL), and even if we do, it’s rarely done well. Stay With Me has executed it amazingly! The plot is not nearly as simple as it seems at first, which was a really pleasant surprise. While the development of the relationship (romantic or not) between Wu Bi and Su Yu is at the front of the series, it’s not the only focus. We also get to follow how other relationships change and develop over time, mainly those of their family members and close friends.

Wu Bi & Su Yu: I love seeing them together. The two might be quite different but they have an amazing influence on each other. Wu Bi might appear cold, arrogant, short-tempered and uncaring, but in reality, that’s all a front he puts up to protect himself. We get to see him open up more once he gets closer to Su Yu and his family. Su Yu lives only for school because that’s his ticket out of poverty. He is not a demanding child, he never asks for help or anything from his father, because he knows his father is trying his best. He does become more carefree as he gets closer with Wu Bi. He becomes more open and willing to talk about his wants and needs, especially with his Wu Bi. The two might have started off as enemies, rivals, but the way things change was done very well. It was well thought through. Their actions had clear intentions and reasons, as did the way their relationship progressed. I think both actors did great in their roles, they had great chemistry.

Now, this might have been a censored work, but it didn’t really hide what kind of relationship the two have. Their looks, their touches, the little kisses, the way they gravitated towards one another, the innuendoes that were being thrown left and right… they might have left a lot up to our imagination, but they made things as clear as they could.

I absolutely love Su Yu’s dad, miss Zhou and Duo! With all the flaws that Su Yu’s dad had, he has always been immensely proud of his kids – Su Yu, Wu Bi and Dou – and all of their achievements, no matter how big or small they were. He was incredibly supportive of them and always there when they needed him. The same goes for miss Zhou. As for Duo, she was a little ray of sunshine who is always ready to share her words of wisdom with her two older brothers. This was the found family all of them needed to thrive, not just the boys. Not all of them were blood related, some not even by law, but they truly showed what it means to be a family, to love each other, to support each other.

On the other hand, I don’t think Su Yu’s mom and most of Wu Bi’s family have any redeeming qualities. There is something about the cousin that I disliked from the start. Might be his arrogance or just the overall vibe he had, but I don’t think he cares about anyone but himself. His uncles are horrible. They treat everyone around them like dirt and that didn’t really sit well with me. Wu Bi’s father lost any right for redemption once we learned he has been abusive towards his son after his mom passed away. And Su Yu’s mom lost the right for redemption the moment she decided to abandon her child. I don’t care how much they tried to make us sympathize with the two, I think both of them are bad parents.

Which brings me to things I disliked. One thing was Su Yu’s dad saying how all parents love their children. Not all parents do and not all of them deserve to be respected as parents. Children do not owe love and respect to their parents if that is not something they received from them. I know Asian cultures are big on respecting your elders, but it’s actually a very damaging idea. I think certain scenes were very bizarre and didn’t make much sense or were done in an over dramatic way that just made them hard to watch. There are also certain things that I feel lacked proper closure or explanation why it happened like it did. Or how it was even possible. And I am not even talking about the ending here.

That ending though… they better give us a S2, because I am not happy with how it all ended. It does feel like it was a setup for another season, especially how it was all left in the air in the end. It was a scene I knew was coming based on the trailer, but I did not expect it to be left unfinished like that.

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slice of life done well

Overall: this is a slice of life series set in 2005/6 and follows the characters from age 16-18. The writer is the same writer as Addicted (and the book it's based on). The plot/characters are extremely similar but I'm going to rate this on its own and not as compare/contrast. 24 episodes 30 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala & Viki.

BL, Censored BL or Bromance? the answer becomes more and more apparent as the series goes on, I really hope that "lip balm" was brand new lmao

Content Warnings: past murder, attempted murder, attempted rape, sexual assault, torture, mutual bullying/pranks, violence/fights/beaten up/punches, blood, manipulation, intimate partner violence, side couple under 18 and over 18, non con picture taking/posting/cyberbullying

What I Liked
- clear characters/motivations (and showed realistically why characters' feelings towards one another changed, showed why the cousin made the decision that he did)
- showed why Wu Bi was immediately interested
- Wu Bi was impulsive/hot tempered but he did apologize for his actions (later in the series he says that he acts tough but is soft hearted which is true)
- sweet moments
- some funny moments
- happy Wu Bi did that to his uncle
- episode 3 fight scene was not realistic but it was super fun
- Wu Bi and Su Yu clearly communicated at the end of episode 4 and several times during the series
- production value (some really beautiful use of light and reflections)

Room For Improvement
- should have taken out that whole bizarre doctor playing/injuring thing with the kids in episode 4
- nonsense things: could have given the thugs a reason to target Su Yu (like his dad owed them money), also no one called the police with a group of thugs running with weapons in broad daylight? the guards just walked behind Wu Bi, how did Wu Bi know it was that 1 guard out of all the guards
- I disagree with Su Yu's dad, not all parents love their children and even when they love them, if they are awful people then the children do not owe them love in return
- the dubbing, especially with that Taiwanese character
- not a fan of the song with the little girl singing
- the series covers 2 years and it felt a bit choppy at times/more like vignettes
- the green screen at the beach
- although I understand the ending is true to the book, a second season is definitely not guaranteed and that's not a good way to end a series (maybe they could have made a short special episode in case season 2 didn't get made or something)

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they better stay with me

did i love addicted? yes.
do i love this even more? shit, i might.

but then again, i am absolutely a sucker for found family, and this is just that. also, the tension between wubi and suyu? it it clear they're drawn to each other, in the most beautiful way ever, i'm not sure they're even aware of it most of the time themselves, but it is clear, that they'd do whatever it takes to save the other, no matter what happens to them - which is also, more than clear in the last episode.

and with that said - what the fuck was that last episode? i think i might still be sobbing, currently writing this through my TEARS. there better be a season two - and soon.

wubi and suyu deserve nothing but happiness and all of the love in the world.

is this a hard BL? no, but is it still a BL? most definitely, which was obvious to me, very quickly - the stolen touches, the stolen glances? the possessiveness? we don't always need kisses, we don't need physical touch for there to be love.

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Refreshing

people are saying it's a twink version of addicted, I've not watch that series so I don't know much about that but this is really interesting, refreshing and heartwarming series. I don't care if it's bl or not their chemistry is everything to me, story is interesting first I thought wubi know that suyu is the son of his stepbrother that's why he is purposely teasing him but turns out he didn't know god knows what will gonna happen when they both get know that they are actually stepbrothers. I also got to know about the govt thing I don't understand why are china govt so against to LGBTQ community, Chinese bls have so much potential if they got chance seriously

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Goodby Lonely Heart...

first of all, yes it's definitely a romance!
While up to episode 20 you can still speak of a very intimate friendship/brotherhood (with many subtle), this line is crossed at the latest from episode 21.
Because what happens then can no longer be other than a love affirmation, because you have kisses, cuddling, dirty jokes and even a confession on the beach and thereby the series goes very tame but still further than some KBLs I've seen recently.
And the relationship itself is probably one of the most romantic things I've seen lately, as you really see two soul mates who would give anything for each other.
But just in the middle are a few lengths and a few plots that are not bad in themselves, but could not fully convince me, such as the story of Wu Bis's birth mother or the girlfriend of Wu Bi's brother.
Apart from that, family has a special place in this drama and especially the scenes with the chosen family of the two with little Dua are always very heartwarming.
All in all, "Stay with me" is a more than positive surprise and I personally like it better than the other version "Addicted" but I don't know if it lives up to the current hype.
Apart from that, I'm not that happy with the ending, even if it is the technical end of book one, especially because a second season is not guaranteed.
And also that at the end of another more explicit version with extra scenes should come out, I'm happy of course but I hope the whole project does not fall victim to censorship before.

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AN ADAPTATION THAT SURPASSES IT'S PREDECESSOR!

I was hesitant to watch this adaptation of "ADDICTED:HEROINE" because I just knew that it will end the same thing just like it's original material. But boy oh boy I was so wrong!!! Everything I hoped for was met and maybe even more! As I was watching every single episode, it somehow took me back from "addicted" but it did even better. From the scenes, acting, settings, mood and from this great actors especially jiongmin and xubin, it's like watching a movie that was meant to be an hour.
In all social media, people are kept asking over and over again. Is it a BL or Bromance?? Honestly, it doesn't even matter. Given the fact that this two great actor had a chemistry from the beginning, that alone satisfy me in its simplest way. It made my heart fluff and jump, it made me crave for another episode, that in itself if a job-well-done from this actors.
But.....is it just me or some may think that it's a BL, Wubi fell first then Suyu. The possessiveness, overly protective brother it's just so heart warming. I wish i had a Wubi in my life! LOL!
The last episode was a roller coaster, it turned out the jealousy of one person made everything fall into pieces. I cried so hard when i saw Wubi soaking in blood, Suyu is desperately carrying him, doing anything in his power to bring his brother in that ambulance!
I swear to God!!!! If this series won't be getting any season 2.... I will fly to China and kick some writers or producers assess!!!! I've been seeing and hearing rumors that they renewed for another season. Please I know this is a dumb assumption but this things is possible in every series, PLEASE BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL CAST!!!!!!!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT CONFUSSED THE VIEWERS!!!! BRING BACK XUBIN AND JIONGMIN!!!! AND MY BABY MAOCHUNG! LOL

IN CONLUSION......THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST BROMANCE/ BL SERIES THAT CHINA HAD EVER PRODUCED ! I AM NOT SURPRISED ON THE RATING. I THINK IT DERSERVED 9.0 BUT STILL GREAT THAT PEOPLE LOVED IT.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES!
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEASON 2!!!
HAPPY VIEWING!!

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One of the best BL series of 2023

[Original review]

Oh my God. Where to start?
This was a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting to love a censored, probably bromance-y chinese series I knew nothing about (apart from the edits on TikTok that convinced me to watch it), but here we are. To be honest, I'm devastated.

When I started it, I didn't know it was an adaptation of an already existing series, so I didn't have that to compare it to. Immediately I fell in love with the funny and quirky acting, the pacing, the story and production. The actors have great chemistry, the music is amazing (I found myself humming along to that one song that was used in almost every episode lmao) and the story covers important topics such as found family, grief, messy divorces and remarrying after the loss of a loved one, jealousy, friendship and much more. I loved that the relationships were portrayed as realistic, nuanced and sometimes toxic (for example, Su Yu's mom and Wu Bi's dad's dynamic was really interesting to me). I also like that both actors for Wu Bi and Su Yu look like teenagers, even though they are 22 and 25 years old. I'm usually bothered when they cast actors who look way too old to play highschoolers, but it wasn't the case here, and I'm grateful.

Because of the censorship, this show is very different than other BLs I've watched, where you usually get a good amount of kissing, as well as direct admissions of love. However, this didn't bother me. It still doesn't. I understand how difficult it must be to put out BL content in China, and I appreciate the entire production team's efforts to avoid censorship while still getting the message across. In the end, we got plenty of physical interactions (wrestling, hugging, even a good amount of cheek-kissing! Which had me dying if I'm being honest), and their emotional bond is more than enough to satisfy my expectations from the BL genre.

Everyone should watch this series. Did it break my heart into tiny pieces? Yes. Will I still rewatch the hell out of it? Also yeah - except from that last episode, I think I might never recover from that ending (hence the rewatch value score is a little bit lower).
Hoping that we get a season 2. I need to know they'll be okay after what happened.

[Edit about a year later]
I'm lowering the rating bc this is objectively step-sibling incest. While I enjoyed the chemistry between the main leads and the found family aspect of it all, the incest is there and it would be a much better series if they weren't related (in any way). Still a pretty good series if you can ignore that.

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A perfect classic.

First we really can't avoid to immediately compare it to the first adaptation and it has a very special place in my heart.

This time, well what can I say... the best adaptation I seen for a while. The story and pacing is good. The cast are amazing. Songs are remarkable. Chemistry is top notch. Acting is spectacular. I was invested like I am part of the family. I love everything about it, and I can't explain it in words. I just know that I am not myself after this. It influenced me, inspired me, and taught me things that I can't comprehend. So, thank you and will surely wait for its continuation.

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Honestly not the worst thing I’ve seen, but I disliked it more than I liked it.

The first and larger portion of this series was an annoying cycle of fight, friends, fight, ignore/pine and repeat. The last portion of this series was 50% dramatics and 50% wholesome montage.

I liked the found family aspect and watching how everyone’s relationships change and grow. The story itself isn’t half bad, and some episodes were definitely better than others, but the delivery was uninspired and cliche. This series takes itself pretty seriously, but as a viewer it is very hard to take the cheesy montages, over-the-top dramatics, and editing seriously.
For example, what can a gang of 20 bodyguards do to one pretty young man seeking revenge for his sick boyfriend? Nothing apparently.

By the end of it, I was just wondering if there was any reason for it to be this long? I don’t mind watching a long series, but do I really have to watch the entire parent-teacher conference?! I didn’t really have the desire to watch the boys dance to Mario Kart-esque music either.

When it comes to the relationship between our main characters, I understand their situation is delicate, but at times their relationship was so fragile I could blow on it and it’d fall apart. One day these boys are two peas in a pod, and obsessed with each other, and the next day their relationship is beyond repair. Every time they resolved their problem, it wasn’t because they were honest and talked it out, but rather they decided they weren’t angry anymore.
This felt like running in circles. I thought you were best friends, brothers in arms, but no, they can’t even say two sentences to clear the air. And they want us to believe there is something more going on?
Their relationship was cute once they were dating, but still not satisfying because we never really got to see progression of their romantic relationship. I understand that this is because of the tight rules and censorship, but for most of the series their relationship was swampy and vague. This made the skip to hinting that Wu Bi and Su Yu were intimate with each other feel unbelievable, and most of the time it came off as fan service or a montage that checks the boxes for what is "supposed" to happen in a "BL relationship." Despite the tropes their relationship fell into, it still had a few endearing moments.

The acting and dialogue was really stiff, and this was actually emphasized by the editing. This was one of the fatal cheapening flaws of the series. A lot of conversations would finish and then the camera would hold a pause until cutting to the next scene. Sometimes it just felt like the actors were standing around until they remembered their queue.

I just finished watching this today, and looking through my notes has proven to me that I have already forgotten half the plot.
Overall, it’s just too soapy and melodramatic. I would say the highlight of the series is Su Yu’s face and the low point is Wu Bi’s face. I’m joking, but I really do wonder how they found a face that can look that miserable. In his defense, he looks much happier once he has a boyfriend.

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