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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
- 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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