We Best Love: Forever the First (2021)

My introduction to BL

Things that I liked about the series:
- First off, let's talk about Sam and Yu, who plays Shu Yi and Shi De. Both men are talented actors, and have great chemistry. Right away that makes the show worth watching.
- I quite enjoy Shu Yi's antics with trying to prank Shi De, only for Shi De to outsmart him. It clearly shows why Shi De is always above him.
- What really got me the most about this show was how intimate and beautiful their relationship grew. What started out as blackmail, ultimately developed into a friendship with Shi De secretly in love with Shu Yi. Shi De was fine with that so long as he got to be around Shu Yi. That was enough for him. Eventually, Shu Yi discovers that he's starting to feel the same way for Shi De, which resulted in one of my favorite confessions in all of BL currently. Seeing Shu Yi shout out from a bridge that he likes Shi De, then their first REAL kiss with tears in their eyes is so beautiful and moving. I cried with them.

Things that I didn’t like about the series:
- There are only 6 episodes to this season, and they were all pretty short which hinders the show's pacing. I was pretty fast paced, but was pretty steady most of the time. The only part that I felt was too fast was Shu Yi's struggle with not only his sexuality, but his feelings for Shi De. It literally came out of nowhere and really didn't give him much time to process it. It the season had a few more episodes, I feel like it could've been used to show Shu Yi properly digesting his sexuality and feelings.
- While I love both leads, I found Shu Yi to be quite immature sometimes. I'm not going to be too hard on that given they're in college and I can understand the pressures of needing to be the best, especially in Asian culture. Doing a good job is not enough, you need to be the best, which ads to Shu Yi's struggle with always coming second to Shi De.
- Since I talked about Shu Yi, let's dive into my issues with Shi De. First off, him blackmailing Shu Yi was a little unnerving. I'm not going to fuss over it too much because I believe he would've never followed through on it if Shu Yi refused. He just needed the leverage to get close to him. That said, Shi De was such a schemer! He was always secretly plotting just for him and Shu Yi to spend time together, even locking themselves in the infirmary all night. At the same time, I know they weren't done out of malicious intent. Shi De never harmed Shu Yi, or forced himself onto him.

Overall Thoughts:
No. 1 For You was my introduction to BL, which also inspired this page. It holds a special place in my heart. I love Shu Yi and Shi De together, and I was thrilled to find out there's a season 2, and a third season already approved. Sam and Yu were amazing actors and I love them dearly. That confession scene will always make me emotional in the best way possible. I just wish the season lasted longer, and I wish they treated Shu Yi's sexual identity crisis better. I won't talk about the special episode here. I'll save it for my review of season two since it ties it in. Overall I love this season, and it deserves all the love.

Rank: 8/10

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PERFECT IN EVERY WAY !!!

Great acting, good dynamics, developed storyline, very well done!

It was the first BL I have watched by myself after a list of recommendations from my friend since I started watching BLs. I didn't have many expectations from it since I didn't even watch the trailer (i prefer not to) and it went HIGHER than I expect, MUCH HIGHER.

The storyline is well developed (more than the s2 honestly), since it's a mainly love-focused storyline (i know all are love focused but some are just more plot-story-focused than the couple instead) it was quite entertaining and catchy to watch, it makes you crave for more and more!

The two main leads Shuyi and Shide have strong personalities which make you fall in love with them quickly. They have an outstanding chemistry!! Also both have a very good relationship off-camera and that's a plus, they care for each other <3 Frankly, I was more focused on the main couple's relationship than the secondary couples, sorry. But they were good too! The entire cast did a great job.

The only thing that lacked for me was the soundtrack maybe, but I'm just being picky here.

Overall, i HIGHLY recommend this series because everything is perfect and you really connect with both of the main leads. I absolutely love this story and would rewatch it over and over again. This series deserves more recognition from the BL community I'm so mad.

Hope there's an s3 soon! can't wait to see more of them on screen.

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Will definitely continue to season 2

So there’s always room for improvement, a first episode is very crucial and this first episode of this series was not great. I say that because I just feel like it was OVER DRAMATIC. It’s a drama yes, but i almost felt like it was cliche and the ML was being overly extra dropping his backpack running off and then jumping into the pool. Like yes we can keep the pool scene but fr who just ditches their backpack on a college campus? That shit stolen and why did we need to drop it. I understand impulsive behavior but it’s a little choppy. And I feel like there was many parts that were very choppy and the ending definitely and there’s like a regular version and a special edition and the one I watched had me see the beginning of season two at the end of six and then see picnic scene in a 10 minute episode seven? This ends in such a cliff hanger way you obviously have to watch the next season unless you hated it which is cool. And I hope the next season fills these holes that happened at the end because I’m lost did they stop talking? Did one stop replying as much? I feel like it was rushed and not clearly explained for such a big plot, but maybe it will unfold more next season.

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Great acting made the story

This is a pretty regular rivals to lovers type of story. What sets it apart from others is the excellent acting from the main actors. Damn, did I feel that tension and every emotion from both main characters.
I always love the "you're my rival, why can't I stop thinking about you" type of realisation. It is so well done here.
I love how gentle Gao Shi De is. The way he shows affection is just beautiful. Zhou Shu Yi stubbornness really makes it stand out too.
I also really liked the progression of the story. How we could clearly see Zhou Shu Yi's reluctance melt away.
Once again - the actors made the story. Their delivery and chemistry was off the charts.

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I literally opened this account to review this series

I just wanna say it's my favourite bl series till now and lemme tell you I've watched tons of them. The story may seem like your typical College romance or something but no it has way more to it.
The acting, chemistry, viduals, the story everything is just so perfect. And I don’t really have enough words about the title track that Was actually sang by Yu(main lead). It's so good and soothing and literally keeps playing in my mind.
I want more seasons of it..
I loved this series so much and it's highly recommended. Go watch it people and thank me later ?

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Snackable BL

I really loved the main couple in the show. I felt like their enemies to lovers story line was a bit fast paced, but the chemistry between the two actors really carried over to their characters and it hooked me in. It’s a short, snackable BL at only six episodes, a small bonus episode making 6 1/2. I thought the acting was great, considering what this genre usually serves up. The couples were attractive, which no doubt helped with their chemistry. The storyline wasn’t a hundred percent unique for sure. But as you’ll see in season two I think they improved a lot on the unique storyline. I would’ve been mad if season one ended the way it did but they redeem themselves with continuing the story in a season two, which is usually unheard of in a BL. Definitely be ready to watch season one and two back to back for complete satisfaction. I will definitely rewatch this again. Hoping there is a season three to flesh out all the couples and their stories.

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Awesome

Wow this drama was totally amazing, I loved every part of this drama, the chemistry between the main characters and the second couple, were felt and seen.

The story was a bit cliche, and in unrequited love, SY and SD coming together was a bit of a cliche, the things that he did to his attention or just to be noticed by him was kinda cute. The music was good throughout the series and at the right time. Also the fact that we got an under water kiss in the first episode itself, not to say in the first minute of the series.

I loved this series, this unrequited love story just hit difference in Bl, not only did do they ba phenomenal job they were Hot. This series flows nicely every scene seems meaningful, there is no boring moment.

Loved it

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Worth watching

Overall, it was a good drama. I liked it—especially the cast. The chemistry of the main leads was so good. But I didn't like a few things, for example, the ending of 1st season and the start of 2nd season. It was a bit unclear. But the 1st season was so good, worth watching again. The acting was also excellent. Long story short, I enjoyed the show very much.


Zhou Shu Yi is a really cute and kind of sassy person also very adorable but stubborn, and Gao Shi De is a calm and caring person. Gao Shi De is in love with Shu Yi for a long time but he never showed his attention. To stay in front of him, he always beat Shu Yi in competition. But he wanted to be friends. He just wants to be close, and that's really sweet. He finally gets a chance, also he's always stalking him LOL. but later Shu Yi found out that Shi de loves him he was scared because he thought he might have feelings for him too.... but he doesn't want to fall in love with a man. So he decided to go on a date but couldn't really focus on her, because in his mind there's only one. Later he acknowledges that he likes Gao Shi De and his absence really bothers him. He misses him. also tries to find him but Gao Shi De vanishes.

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Typical BL that is quite nicely produced

I actually like the series but I find it hard to pinpoint what I like about it.

WBL No. 1 for You and WBL Fighting Mr 2nd seem to work better as a single series than divided into 2 parts. Breaking the story up into two (or more?) parts has resulted in some unevenness.

In No. 1 for You, the ending is a little rushed and some things feel unaccounted for. The basic trajectory of the story is also not altogether original, though it probably belongs to the sort of storyline that will always have a place in love stories: someone with one-sided love pinning for another person. How good the story is, then, depends on the characters and how movingly the story is told.

In this case, Gao Shi De's one-sided love is quite moving as we look at the little things he does for Zhou Shu Yi and the back story of how he falls in love with Shu Yi.

WBL: No. 1 for You falls very much in the safe terrain of BLs: the characters are young university students, the love is innocent, there is a lot of cuteness even as we feel bad for Shi De because of his one-sided longing for someone who regards him as a competitor. Perhaps it is sufficiently light-hearted because we are likely familiar with the genre: the one-sided love will be reciprocated at some point. Yet, it is also after the couple become boyfriends that the story becomes a little weaker. It seems to be leading somewhere but it doesn't get anywhere by Episode 6, the last episode. It does get somewhere in Fighting Mr 2nd, but that's also why it's hard to take No. 1 for You as a standalone series.

While the of No. 1 for You isn't very adventurous and doesn't stretch the limits of the BL genre, the telling of the story and the acting are quite good, making it quite a good BL to watch. At first, I found the way the actor for Zhou Shu Yi speaks a little odd. However, his acting is quite on point and I realize that he's half Japanese, so Mandarin may not be his best language. (The character has a similar background, so I guess it all works in the end.)

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Simple BL story quite wholesome, in a classic way - looking forward season 2 !

The drama is quite classic in its form and content: it is a BL story in a college setting, with a rivals-to-lovers trope. It could have been quite mundane due to its very typical concept but it managed to keep my attention all the way.

I really enjoyed the pairing of the two main actors. They are handsome and had a good chemistry together. Acting-wise, it was not perfect (with a bit of over-acting) but they managed successfully to transmit emotions in the more painful scenes. I found them believable, even though the relationship progressed quite suddenly (which was expected given the length of the show). I was less convinced by some of the monolog scenes, they were a bit too explanatory. Once again, it was a case of "telling" rather than "showing" the feelings of the characters.

The soundtrack was not memorable but still quite nice with some lovely romantic and sorrowful ballads as well as some classical music. The production value was standard for the genre, it is low budget but effective.

I would recommend this to people looking for a simple BL story quite wholesome, it is super short and bingeable. The tropes are classic but well executed, it will give you all the feels.

To be noted: There is a Special episode 6.5 to complete the Season 1 story as well as a "Special version" of the whole season 1. (=> So either watch the "regular" version of S1 + its Special episode 6.5; either you watch the "special" version of S1).

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Hands down my favourite BL!!

This is hands down one of the best bl I have watched...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...and after finding out that it was YU's first acting project I was surprised because it didn't feel like he was doing this for the first time..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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