Somehow I managed to complete this series, but in all honesty it was a hurdle, occasionally made sweeter by the acting of Shaopeng’s actor and cute moments of the main couple. In general, though, this drama was one hot mess. The pacing was all over the place, the entire mafia plot was cringe-worthy and the second couple – after original “bang” of a beginning – had almost no development (and the one they had was so predictable, I stopped caring halfway).

Even Shaopeng and Zixiang – as much as they were the saving grace of this show – had some of the most ridiculous chemistry “building” I’ve seen in the couple of first episodes. The amount of time these boys fell into each other’s arms due to some sort of accident was the largest I’ve seen on any BL. One episode could have three such events. I understand it's a genre trope and I get it that it's an easy shortcut to develop attraction, but the creators really pushed it too far for my liking.

The show is beyond silly, the writing and plot are all over the place, with some developments making no sense whatsoever. Case in point being, Jonathan and Zixiang are initially really cautious about their hide-out remaining a secret only to later on allow a self-proclaimed assassin just move in with them. And that’s not even the worst of it. The creators really left that for the very end, with a subpar soap opera grand finale on the roof top featuring guns and ultimatums and dramatic sacrifices. I’m seriously just wondering: was it necessary? Couldn’t we just keep See Your Love as a heart-warming story of finding love, self-acceptance and understanding (be it between lovers or parents), without this forced gangsta plot?

So, if I disliked it so much, why did I even finish this drama? Well... originally I stuck with it guilty pleasure style. Then I gradually developed growing appreciation for Jin Yun’s acting as Shaopeng. This never changed and even became bigger in the second half of the show, culminating probably around episodes 8 to 10. I truly wish all the best for this kid’s career, hoping his potential will not go unnoticed. The role of a person who couldn’t speak is challenging enough simply bcs of the very fact that one big part of the way most of us communicate our emotions is completely taken away. I do think Jin Yun did a really good job tackling this challenge.

Speaking of second part of the show, once the two main protagonists actually got together and stopped tripping and accidentally falling into each other’s arms, their interactions were actually really cute, touching even. Like that beautiful moment with Shaopeng feeling the vibrations of Zixiang’s adam’s apple while saying his name or the very fact that Zixiang started learning sign language because it was Shaopeng’s language.

I also appreciated some of the themes the drama tried to explore (usually not indepth enough to my liking, but points for trying, I guess). Shaopeng’s struggle with self-acceptance and society’s dismissal as well as the heartbreaking subplot of his never realized love between him and his female friend were nice ideas. I wish they were presented within a better setting and explored deeper.

In the end, a talented, promising actor, a few good ideas and some beautiful scenes between two main protagonists do not make for a good series as a whole, when they’re accompanied by really poor quality surroundings. Sadly, See Your Love was one of the weakest BL dramas I’ve watched in recent months and I can’t in good conscience give it a high rating, when shows like The On1y One, Our Youth, Love in the Big City or even Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo were released around similar time.

Generally, if someone asked me around ep 9 or 10 what I thought abt See Your Love, I would’ve said that the show gets better towards the ending. However, the arrival of Zixiang’s cousin and the following focus on this mafia plot dragged it down at least one whole star for me (and I don’t care if the cousin has Nat Chen’s face).

Still, Jin Yun’s acting alone probably earned 1,5 star for this drama, with at least another half going to the great chemistry between the leads in the later episodes of the story. Coupled with a few good ideas and scenes, they were enough for me not to go with a completely abysmal rating. If not for them, however, I would’ve dropped this show way before its ending.

Oh, another (this time positive) thing. The title’s really nice, once you’ve watched the final episode and the scene with Shaopeng and Zixiang confessing feelings while standing on opposite sides of the street.