It's... fine. Kind of.
The Good ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Found family dynamics are nice. That message was nice.
The acting, for the most part, was good. Especially in the earlier episodes, which were more focused on the 4 main characters rather than the larger plot, the acting created a good balance between the comedy and the heartwarming messages about finding family in friendship. The lighthearted vibe of the early story paired nicely with the acting style and dynamics - so when the story was focused on comedy, some of the acting was exaggerated, but they reined it in nicely for serious scenes to make them all the more touching.
The first ~6 episodes were pretty nice, fun, and pleasant to watch!
The Bad ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The writing was really a mess, especially at the end. We have multiple plot holes, things felt rushed at times and slow at others, and while I don't mind a little suspension of disbelief every so often, a lot of this didn't make any sense.
The way serious subject matters (kidnapping, murder, mental illness, and trauma/victimization) were portrayed was uncomfortable at best and disturbing or even harmful at worst. On top of it just being very clumsy, the show actually gets preachy at times, but the messages it sends don't make sense and send damaging messages. An attempt to be progressive gone wrong. Not sure whether the writers just did surface-level research, or if it's an issue with the source material, or if they had limited time and simply misused it, but it comes off very abrasively and makes the show much less enjoyable to watch.
The villains. Their characterizations were super inconsistent. An attempt was made to generate sympathy or pity for them, but it really fell flat.
Is it worth watching? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... Maybe. If you're sensitive to unrealistic portrayals of trauma, victimization, murder, kidnapping, and/or mental illness, I'd say no. If not, and you've got nothing else on your list to watch, it will probably be an alright distraction for you.
If you're looking for a BL, with a focus on two guys falling in love, this isn't it. If you're looking for a show with some gay representation, this one has it. One of the main characters is gay and while his portrayal isn't perfectly wholesome, I didn't find it bad either. 7/10 for Weir's gayness I guess. I liked that they didn't hide it, didn't love the whole "I make straight men gay" thing but also it was on the tame side of that trope - it was lighthearted enough, not super aggressive, and felt like it became a sort of sarcastic inside joke to some of the characters after a while.
Found family dynamics are nice. That message was nice.
The acting, for the most part, was good. Especially in the earlier episodes, which were more focused on the 4 main characters rather than the larger plot, the acting created a good balance between the comedy and the heartwarming messages about finding family in friendship. The lighthearted vibe of the early story paired nicely with the acting style and dynamics - so when the story was focused on comedy, some of the acting was exaggerated, but they reined it in nicely for serious scenes to make them all the more touching.
The first ~6 episodes were pretty nice, fun, and pleasant to watch!
The Bad ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The writing was really a mess, especially at the end. We have multiple plot holes, things felt rushed at times and slow at others, and while I don't mind a little suspension of disbelief every so often, a lot of this didn't make any sense.
The way serious subject matters (kidnapping, murder, mental illness, and trauma/victimization) were portrayed was uncomfortable at best and disturbing or even harmful at worst. On top of it just being very clumsy, the show actually gets preachy at times, but the messages it sends don't make sense and send damaging messages. An attempt to be progressive gone wrong. Not sure whether the writers just did surface-level research, or if it's an issue with the source material, or if they had limited time and simply misused it, but it comes off very abrasively and makes the show much less enjoyable to watch.
The villains. Their characterizations were super inconsistent. An attempt was made to generate sympathy or pity for them, but it really fell flat.
Is it worth watching? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... Maybe. If you're sensitive to unrealistic portrayals of trauma, victimization, murder, kidnapping, and/or mental illness, I'd say no. If not, and you've got nothing else on your list to watch, it will probably be an alright distraction for you.
If you're looking for a BL, with a focus on two guys falling in love, this isn't it. If you're looking for a show with some gay representation, this one has it. One of the main characters is gay and while his portrayal isn't perfectly wholesome, I didn't find it bad either. 7/10 for Weir's gayness I guess. I liked that they didn't hide it, didn't love the whole "I make straight men gay" thing but also it was on the tame side of that trope - it was lighthearted enough, not super aggressive, and felt like it became a sort of sarcastic inside joke to some of the characters after a while.
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