We Best Love: The Runner-Up Strikes Back (2021)

Directing and writing chaos.

I truly have no idea what was the vision and direction for this show. What was the main conflict? What was the plot? What was the genre? It was everything and nothing.

Starting from the plot, I think Fighting Mr. 2nd does a huge disservice to season one - the cute, fun and a little bit dramatic story. Here we get full on makjang for the first episodes, that turns into corporation politics, and then into big old nothing.

None of the conflicts make much sense. Shi De agreeing to cut contact with the love of his life, because the dad said so was unbelievably stupid. Shu Yi trying to get his revenge at first made him one of the most toxic (for everyone around him) and unstable characters ever (at least that made sense, it was destructive but fitting). Then we have the "blond lady" misunderstanding and no true chat about it between the main characters. Not to mention the stolen files in the firm, which brought exactly nothing to the story - just stole the precious screen time that could have been used in a better way.

Zhen Xuan and Shou Yi romance could have been an amazing story, but it was simply impossible to do it justice as a side couple in a 3 hour story. Both characters were too complex and had serious underlying issues that should have been addressed in a more detailed manner. I am quite confused why they said Shou Yi has affective disorder though, since the ones that go into that category are stuff like depression, bipolar and manic disorder - mood disorders, so his lack of apparent empathy and incapability to form relationships with others was not quite fitting the label he was given.

Then we have the messy directing. What exactly was the plan? Was the dad supposed to be a scary controlling figure or a laughable, but a slightly obsessive comedic addition? Was the main romance supposed to be realistic struggles of the couple or over the top dramatic melo? I'm not saying you can't have comedy in the serious shows, or deeper topics in a lighter story - the tone needs to fit though. Here, it was a mess.

At the end we get to the problematic aspect of drinking on the set. For some it might not be a problem, for me it is. I see no excuse for drinking on the set. It puts the actor, co-actors and the whole production in danger. You don't just get your actor drunk for the sake of realism.

The only redeeming quality of the show was the acting and the music, and more specifically Unbreakable Love, which isn't even the original song made for the show.

Overall, season one was a good BL with nice characters and good pacing. This was just... a mess.

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A Whole Lot of Nothing

Things that I like about the series:
- I'm finally talking about this season! I've mentioned this in my review of No.1 For You, but season one was my introduction to BL shows. I fell in love with Shu Yi and Shi De the moment they appeared on screen. SamYu have reprised their roles, and as expected, they continue to embody their roles flawlessly. Both actors are extremely talented, and now we've added some new actors to help develop the story.
- Pei Shou Yi returns, and this time, we got to see more of his backstory with Yu Zhen Xuan. Honestly, they were my favorite couple in the whole series. I found their dynamic interesting, and I was intrigued if whether or not they would actually get together. After watching the special episode after the finale episode, I was deeply satisfied.
- Speaking of Zhen Xuan, I just want to say how much I adore this character! He was like a puppy who would bite you, follow you, adore you, and want to stick to you, or Shou Yi in this case, like glue. Also, as someone who has a younger brother with aspergers, I was thrilled to see some representation and accuracy in the character's personality.
- The cinematography improved since season 1. There were some beautiful shots taken that were simply beautiful.

Things that I didn’t like about the series:
- So in my review of No.1 For You, I mentioned one of the things that hindered the show was the limited number of episodes we were given, which made the pace messy at times. Unfortunately in this season, the pacing became worse. There was so much going on, not a lot of what was happening made sense, and everything just kept moving too fast to keep up. If you're going to give us 6 episodes, at least make the episodes longer than 30 minutes.
- I finished the season, but I'm still left trying to figure out what was the central plot to the story considering everything that I thought were major conflicts were solved pretty early on. Shu Yi and Shi De got back together around ep 3-4, someone was trying to steal their alpha program, but the suspect was found in ep 5. No major conflict came between Shi De and Shu Yi's Dad. Soooo, a lot of nothing was going on. What was the point?
- Speaking of Shu Yi and Shi De's relationship, I had a lot of issues with this particular conflict. One of them being the special episode after season 1 ended. For those who don't know, in the special episode, Shu Yi decides to surprise Shi De in America, only to find him having a picnic with a girl and a baby. For some reason, Shu Yi automatically thinks that Shi De had a secret wife and kid.
where the Hell did that come from!?! This completely made no sense to me, and that kind of conclusion shouldn't have even come to Shu Yi's mind. In season 1, Shi De has made it known that Shu Yi was it for him. If we're going to suspect anyone of having any kind of relationship with a female, it would be Shu Yi, considering back in season 1 he was the one trying to date a girl after Shi De confessed his feelings to him! Aside from that, the idea of having a wife and kid in that short of a tame frame is ridiculous. Come on writers, you can do better than that!
- While we're on this subject, the mystery surrounding Shi De's supposed "wife" was never discussed in the main series...HOWEVER...there is a deleted scene which shows Shu Yi and Shi De having a conversation about her. It was revealed that her name was Ashley, and she was Shi De's new stepsister. WHY WAS THIS CUT OUT OF THE SERIES? You made this whole misunderstanding such a huge deal in the special episode and partly the first half of season 2, but then you cut it out? That was a poor decision.
- It was clear right away that the writers for this series really didn't know anything about computers and programming, and it showed. Nothing about this alpha program of theirs made sense, and it was over as fast as it was mentioned. RESEARCH, PEOPLE! If you're going to touch on someone that you know nothing about, do your research!
- Okay, let's talk about Shu Yi's Dad...I have no idea what to make of him. His personality changed so much I felt like the actor was trying to play two completely different characters. And after all the trouble he caused with Shi De and the deal they made, nothing else came of it once Shi De and Shu Yi got back together. I'm guessing they're trying to save more of their conflict for season 3, which has already been confirmed is happening.
- The magic I felt in Shu Yi and Shi De's relationship in season 1 wasn't present in season 2. Even after they got back together, it felt boring. Okay, they had a cute moment or two, but when the overall chemistry is lacking, it's a problem. When I find myself more interested in a side couple than the main couple, that's when there's really something wrong. Not only that, but the fact that they got back together so quickly without really resolving anything made all the suspense built up about this 5 year hatred Shu Yi had for Shi De seem wasted, and not very believable.
- Speaking of side couples...so Zhe Yu and Bing Wei were back...but I barely noticed them. Seriously, they did practically nothing for the entire series. You could've cut them off completely, and the show would've still ran perfectly fine. Yet they got their happy ending in the last episode with that proposal, but since we saw no progression in their relationship, or pretty much anything from them, it felt very underwhelming.
- I'll be honest, the entire last episode was underwhelming. It was just a couple trips down memory lane, a proposal from a side couple that was barely around, and that was it. Boring!
- They recycled the same OST from season 1. Why? Even TharnType season 2 had new music.
- Shu Yi was a big brat in season 1, and clearly hasn't matured 5 years later in season 1. He still acts so immature and childish, which is even more pathetic in this season since he's supposed to be running a big company firm. Yet he put his own petty feelings before anything else, and makes harsh decisions because of his personal business with Shi De. And clearly has hasn't gotten better at trying to outsmart Shi De.
- Also we're back to romanticizing physical and sexual abuse. No...just no. Shu Yi repeatedly hitting Shi De in the face, and a drunk Shi De forcing himself on an unwilling Shu Yi were completely cringe, and made me lose some respect for both characters.

Overall Thoughts:
So I'll be completely honest, I was completely bored with this entire series. Not even my love of SamYu was enough to make me enjoy this series. The only thing that kept my attention was the dynamic between Shou Yi and Zhen Xuan. Everything else was chaotic, messy, and underwhelming. Almost none of the first season's magic was shown here. This season felt like a filler. All actors were incredible as always, SamYu still have their chemistry, and I love Shou Yi and Zhen Xuan as a side couple, but none of that makes up for the terrible writing, poor editing decisions, lack of research, and underwhelming ending.

Rank: 5.5/10

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Thought I Would Hate It and Loved It More Than Words Can Express

Oh my god, okay. Let's talk about this.

So season two begins and I start whining that Shu Yi and Shi De didn't stay together after "No. 1 For You". Instantly, I think: "ah shoot, I'm going to hate this, Shi De's betrayal is just too much to get over" and then... oh but then... it turns out to be uhh... incrediBLE??? The TENSION in the first few episodes is the single greatest thing this drama has to offer. I spent the entirety of episode two my jaw on the floor. Sam and Yu's acting is absolutely stellar. The way Yu does hurt and hatred so well, but in a flicker can express so much love and understanding.

These types of conflicts driven by miscommunication are often insanely frustrating, especially in BLs, but I thought it was done pretty decently here, although I was very confused by the timeline of the events when Shu Yi and Shi De were apart. I'm still not sure I understood fully what happened when which is a shame but not crucial in the end.

Then, Pei Shou Yi and Yu Zhen Xuan are interesting and definitely an original story but I was a bit confused where they were going, if anywhere at all?

We don't get too much Zhe Yu and Bing Wei but they're cute, I like them.

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Many hits and also many misses, but the acting still carried this season home.

[REWATCHED SPECIAL EDITION 2024]

It's best not to compare it to the first season since the time skip and atmosphere of years past and adulthood change the story and character dynamics quite a bit. Personally I prefer the second season for the improved maturity level of the characters and storyline.

So, as a standalone season;
THE GOOD: I liked that they aimed for a mature atmosphere. The 'youngsters in love' trope gets old really fast, and in season 2, everyone is grown up and their emotions are not all over the place, their reactions to each other are more well portrayed as well. Of the main pairing, GSD in particular, doesn't come across as childish or immature (although he didn't really in S01 either). Also, all the actors maintain great chemistry and their on screen interactions are comfortable (both platonic and non-platonic). The sets are nice, modern and tidy, the story has pleasantly domestic scenes and everyone has a day job, like normal people do. The writers are also quite clearly trying to write something different than the usual, involving a variety of personal and interpersonal problems, some social issues, health problems, an active work environment, complicated parental relationships, etc. And it comes across quite well, mostly, however...

A little too much plot, too little time...
THE BAD: Too much going on, so nothing really gets properly developed or given enough time to feel as organic as it could, because in six short episodes, it can't really work that well. Excess plot ideas are also a problem, they tried a little too hard to keep it 'interesting' and instead succeeded in making it feel cluttered and messy in a many places. For one thing, GSD and ZSY moved on quite quickly from what had previously been then entire future plot at the end of S01. I did manage to surmise that Bing Wei and SZY were in a relationship, but I didn't get the vibe that they were in a 'stable' relationship, because we barely see these two interacting and honestly, SZY acts like a d*** to Bei Wing most of the time. And as for PSY and Yu Zhen Xuan...

Not enough time or research for my tastes, since I'm a stickler for detail and I like psychology based themes and ideas...
THE UGLY: It's a cute pairing in theory, but a pairing between two people with psychiatric problems needs its own fricken show, and getting a happy ending is very, very unlikely. A story like this would be fantastic, but it's not something you slip in as a side story, and especially not an inaccurately portrayed side story. Here we have YZX, who is an autistic character who behaves like 'L' from death note for some unknown reason, and PSY, who is written as having affective disorder and then goes on to behave as, and describe, what is actually an Empathy Disorder. It's not well thought out. The person who came up with this little plot bunny missed the mark. They should not go down that road if they can't give that story line the time and research it deserves.

That said, still a great BL series over all.
The acting is good and actually there are some specifically high acting points in s02. So, it's not a waste of time to watch it, because it is a likable show as long as you don't over-analyze it. And the cast is great.

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Decent season with somewhat decent ending.

Season 2 : Decent season with somewhat decent ending.

Honestly, I liked season 1 better, it was interesting, I was waiting to see what was going to happen next and actually was excited to see how they'll carry out the second season, BUT, I know that this was a continuation of the story and we got to see their development, and in the end ended up being nothing special. Of course, there were sweet moments between the couples, mainly between the main couple. We saw the development between the other 2 couples and honestly I wanted to see more of them, but actually the screen time was alright, so I can't complain about that.

The story: Well, it depends on your own personal taste. You really need to watch season 1 before you watch this. And I know that this was a continuation and we saw how they solved their problems( the main couple mostly), but it wasn't interesting, at least for me. I skipped some scenes because were too boring and I lost interest in some episodes. I'm going to say this again, there was nothing wrong with the story, but for me was kind a meh. The story is not over yet, so I hope they'll make the 3 season even better.
The only thing that I liked is that there was no unneeded drama from other characters, no love triangles or other crap.
The music was alright.
The cast was amazing and the acting was alright. The chemistry was amazing between the actors, especially the main couple.
This is getting a 7 from me, only because as a continuation of the story it makes sense and it was decent, not great, but decent, the cast and their effort to make something like this during this whole pandemic.

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ARE WE SURE THESE TWO AREN'T TOGETHER? BECAUSE IT FEELS SO REAL...

It is more than obvious by now that these two have an undeniable chemistry, but in this season specifically, they sure have outdone themselves. It was off the charts! The tension between them was electrifying, every kiss was stimulating and every time they looked at each other you could feel every emotion that was put into their acting. It felt so real that I started to wonder if they aren't really together. This is how great they were. Storywise, let's be honest, it was slightly lacking but with the cinematography, the music and the overpowering acting that this drama has, you can easily ignore it. Overall, this drama is definitely worth watching and I hope we will get to see them reprise their roles once again in the third season.

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I don’t recommend

Okay first of all i love this couple. I absolutely adored their chemistry and story in first season. But in this season honestly everything gets so messy like literally nothing makes any sense. They are dropping a bomb actually couple of bombs and waiting for you to understand everything happened in the past 5 years and now. Like where is the character development??? How can they act like it just had been 2 days or nothing has happenned?? Sorry but the side couples were so irritating too. It’s just a shame that couple like them wasted in a season like this. If you don’t want to get frustrated and sad i don’t recommend this season all you gonna get is pain.

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Quite a mess

As per usual, Taiwan doesn't miss when it comes to the acting and/or chemistry. If you enjoyed the acting and chemistry in the first season, the second season has good moments as well.
The one main issue is how they handled the conflict in this season. It's understandable in that some characters have difficulty coming face to face with the problem, but the execution felt like it was lacking. It was frustrating to watch and a bit of a reach. You'll understand what I mean upon watching it.
The side couples' development is also a frustrating part of the show. It was nice to see the dynamics at play with the characters, however some parts felt rushed. It is likely due to there only being six episodes.
There isn't much of a story in this season other than what was happening with the main couple. Again, there were parts that became pointless or felt like silly fillers in between.
Overall it was a disappointing season, but it is rare to find a second season successor, so it wasn't much of a surprise. Just a bit of a disappointment.

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I'm buying all of it!

I'll admit that I was quite shocked at the 5 year gap. Actually, I was pretty pissed off. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that GSD would have willingly been gone that long from SY. But...I took a deep breath & braced myself for whatever they were going to throw at me. Upon first mention I may have been skeptical of the crappy agreement that was unwillingly made but I easily bought into it.
I loved the whole show. Admittingly, I'm not sure if I would have loved it had the acting not been so f&ckin phenomenal. Sam is just unbelievable & the drunk scene totally solidified this show in my heart as amazing. Yu says everything with his eyes & he was nothing short of perfect in getting every message through to us. The chemistry of them together is fire & you feel it all.
I will say honestly that I had a love/hate feel for ZX & PSY. While I adored every scene with GSD & SY, ZX & PSY's scenes together I felt were never given enough time. However, towards the last 2 episodes I truly enjoyed their understanding of each other.
Sometimes I felt the music didn't match the scene & maybe should have just gone away. I thought they could have explored the father/son relationship a little more...like maybe SY could have had a few choice words for dear old dad. Definitely more screen time for Bing Wei & Zhe Yu would have been welcome as the end scene of the proposal would have hit a little differently had we'd been shown more of their story.
Did I cry in almost every episode? Absolutely. The acting of these 4 was exemplary. I am honestly thrilled that there is talk of a season 3 & will tune in & buy whatever they are selling!

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Okay, I'm pretty sure people will not like what I have to say, but this season is a mess. To make it short: everything that I enjoyed in Season 1 is ... gone. Season 1 was fun, cute, innocent, emotional, charming. Season 2 is dark, depressing, sappy, overly dramatic and cold. Watching Season 1 I felt in love with Shu Yi. The character was so lively and cute, vulnerable and strong at the same time. A bit cocky on the outside, but with a big heart on the inside. Yu did an incredible job bringing this character to life. In season 2 I don't see his charms anymore. It's not Yu's fault. The author decided to make a stupid time skip just to put two characters with the same name in a different environment. And this environment is booooring. I HATE this cold apartment with those concrete walls, the white kitchen with the transparent chairs, that dark sofa, that depressing bedroom with the depressing decoration. I HATE the office environment with the boring workers, the boring colors - they are constantly wearing blue, gray, beige, black or brown. It's all the same color scheme - and it's COLD. It didn't bother me watching the first two episodes, but after that it annoyed me every time a bit more. The story about their jobs and the companies is boring too. It's just done to move the plot forward, but it's not presented in an interesting or engaging way. They both were very talented in school, Shi De was good at drawing, Shu Yi played the piano, they were good at swimming - and now we see them doing boring office work. While I know they were studying for those kinds of jobs and Shu Yi had to take over the company of his father - it's still depressing to watch. Enough talk about environments and colors. The characters changed a lot. Season 2 starts with Shu Yi being angry and Shi De behaving like he saw him just yesterday - despite being separated for YEARS. They seriously messed this first meeting up. Shu Yi isn't the kind of guy to get angry like this. Being cold and arrogant/cocky towards Shi De would have made more sense. Shi De on the other hand - how stupid can you be? We then get one piece of the puzzle after another, so we know what happened. It doesn't make sense. They started the plot somewhere in the middle, and then they tell the story backwards with short and cryptic flashbacks and those sappy dialogues where they slowly solve all those misunderstandings. This is just lazy storytelling. I like some good angst (I love it!), but knowing everything that happened - it feels so unnecessary. All the drama - for what? This became so dramatic, and I have a hard time to relate to it. There is no emotional depth. There was none in season 1 either, but there it didn't matter, because they weren't trying to be so serious. Sam and Yu are still enjoyable to watch with their very unusual chemistry, and especially Yu has a way of embracing and kissing Sam ... it's really heart-warming and beautiful. But yeah, the characters, the plot, even the production went downhill. They still gave us some beautiful scenes (the kissing, the embracing, the cuddling!), but the flow of the story became strange, and I must admit I skipped some scenes. I hope to see Sam and Yu in another production. I don't want to see season 3 of this. Will we get more stupid misunderstandings? I also don't want to see them happy and domestic. This kind of plot lacks any excitement. They should just do a different series with a more mature plot. But knowing that apparently there is no good BL writer out there, I don't have much hope. About the other couples: They are doing an okay job. Nothing mind-blowing, but they are enjoyable to watch. I want to rate it higher, but I can't. I enjoyed episode 1 and 2. Episode 3 was okay, I disliked 4 and 5, and now I'm tired and wonder if I will even watch episode 6, because I couldn't care less about that Alpha that was stolen or whatever. Sam and Yu's story was finished in episode 3 anyways. It's a shame that the author ran out of ideas so early.

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some nice fluffy moments but also a lot of "yikes" moments

the storyline is pretty typical and kinda trite. Evil rich father separates lovers blah blah blah.... it was so boring and over the top that i really wish they hadn't used the trope.
The conflict could have come just from separation and family obligations on both sides without the homophobic father who comes around in the end without really having learned anything.
the dynamics between the the 2 MCs at the beginning was hard to watch. I understand anger but i don't understand why it is acceptable for men to display it so violently. Slapping, throwing each other around, force kissing... I disliked that part and found it hard to watch. So the first 3-4 episodes were the worse for me. Once they started actually talking, it became a lot more interesting and deep.
I also found that the way they depicted neuro divergence and personality disorders really poorly done.
it's a split for me, the end of the series felt like the first season and i enjoyed it but the beginning was quite jarring and poorly written for me

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Just Awesome!!

This is hands down one of the best bl I have watched...I loved the first season..where that was more on a cute side...this season is more intense...heavy with the emotions...I loved both the seasons..the acting was another on level....most of the time the biggest problem I have whenever I am watching a BL is the acting of the actors not being even average...but this was just great...both the Main leads did a great job especially Sam...omg he was amazing..all the other actors also did a great job...even tho it's only 6 episodes they managed to complete the story with the right pacing...to me it didn't felt rushed at all...the actor's chemistry was great and I can't wait to watch the next season... everyone on the show did a great job...the songs used in the show were also great...

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