Mais e Menos (2022)

Les histoires d'amour simples ont tout autant de mérite à être racontées

Plus & Minus connaît pas mal de défauts et de critiques négatives. Pourtant, c'est une jolie façon de rappeler qu'il existe de simples histoires d'amour et qu'elles ont tout autant de mérite à être racontées.

Je ne comprends pas pourquoi les gens ont trouvé ce drama si horrible. C'est comme s'il prenait pour tous les autres alors qu'il n'est pas aussi mauvais qu'on le dit (7/10 est une bonne note pour moi).
D'accord, on compte un peu trop d'épisodes ce qui rallonge l'intrigue inutilement et rajoute du drame dans l'unique but de faire du drame, justement. La musique est au bout d'un moment gênante et trop forte par rapport à certains dialogues. De plus, l'intrigue n'est pas nouvelle et n'est pas surprenante sur son déroulement. Et malgré ce sac de défauts, ça reste un drama plutôt mignon.

Le couple principal est adorable. Tous deux avocats spécialisés dans les affaires conjugales, on aperçoit subtilement leur travail. Le plupart des affaires traitées et légèrement creusées ont pour le levier la prise de conscience de la part des personnages sur plusieurs aspects de leurs vies et relations.
Je reconnais que le passage de amis à amants est un peu neutre sur le moment, mais ok. D'un point de vue personnel, je trouve ça souvent plus sensé que la relation ne change pas trop au début, plutôt que roucouler du jour au lendemain. Sur cet aspect, ils prennent leur temps et j'ai aimé ce point-là. Après tout, ce n'est pas comme s'il fallait sortir des banderoles à chaque fois. Certaines personnes aiment être discrètes et c'est l'image du couple. D'ailleurs, c'est plus au moins (héhé) l'image de ce drama. Pas de grands artifices, pas de grandes révélations ou de retournement sortie de nulle part. Juste de la simplicité.

Concernant le couple secondaire, la magie n'a pas opéré. C'était sympa, mais leur dynamique m'a moins emballé, c'est tout.
Quant à la BO, elle m'a un peu rendu folle. Je ne veux plus l'entendre avant longtemps ahah.

Globalement, même s'il possède un scénario classique et un peu trop de longueurs inutiles, Plus & Minus rappelle que toutes les histoires, même les plus simples, méritent d'être racontées.

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So Much Unnecessary Drama

This drama had a lot of potential. The premise, while not groundbreaking, seemed solid. There was a level of interest with the characters being in semi-unique professions: the lead pair as divorce lawyers and the secondary couple as a bartender and laundromat owner respectively. Appearances were refreshingly deceiving in some cases, the character you never thought would be a kick ass fighter actually was. The acting, while not spectacular, was relatively okay considering most of the cast didn't have a ton of experience. And what it seemed like and what I hoped for when the lead couple got together relatively early on was for the rest of the series to focus on them as they settle into their relationship and figure out how to be a couple after having been friends for basically their entire lives. It would have been so delightfully refreshing. Instead, the story gets bogged down with unnecessary angst and an even more unnecessary and contrived break up.

Dramatic break ups are not unusual in any series and while I think its an overused trope, if done well, I don't mind. The break up here though was just so poorly done and so completely nonsensical. Ze Shou's father comes upon he and Li Gong together and isn't instantly supportive. To be perfectly fair, his estranged wife is in the hospital dying from cancer, so I honestly can't blame him for not skipping around in circles and throwing glitter in the air. Li Gong goes to visit him without Ze Shou and then later breaks up with Ze Shou. The impression given by that meeting is that Ze Shou's father was so against them being together that Li Gong felt the need to break up with Ze Shou so he can find happiness with a woman only to later find out that Ze Shou's father didn't really have a problem with their relationship and Li Gong basically acted on his own and everything got massively blown out of proportion. By the time both guys got their heads screwed on straight, I had pretty much lost interest and frankly didn't care much if they got together or not.

The second couple was kind of cute and I was invested in them at first, but I never felt like there was much depth to their relationship and I eventually just kind of tapped out. Their attraction to each other just seemed very surface level, and I needed more to really get why they fell in love with each other. I will say it was refreshing to see someone more ordinary looking like Ying Ze end up with someone like Yuki. It seems like most of the time in BL's most of the men are equally gorgeous. The discrepancy here gave some credence to the idea that their love isn't just based on physical appearance. I just wish more time had been devoted to their developing relationship as I think it could have been a really great addition. I also found the fight they had to be more realistic and less contrived. While Ying Ze's devotion to his job was a tad odd to the point he kept clothing that hadn't been picked up in 10+ years, based on his personality, I could get behind his anger at Yuki for getting rid of those clothes a little more. I think it was blown out of proportion and he stayed angry way longer than was necessary, but it worked better than the lead couple's break up.

The chemistry between all the couples was lacking for me. The more intimate scenes just fell flat for me. The actors were obviously committed, but I just didn't feel a spark.

I would have really liked if this drama had used its women better. I'm used to BL dramas using their female characters as props but this drama in particular did them dirty. The male leads go to great lengths to get rid of the women they've been set up on blind dates with and while I get its meant to be funny, I also can't help but feel bad for those women. But I feel like the real injustice is done to Xue Ching, Ze Shou's sister, and Nikita. Xue Ching essentially serves as her brother's punching bag. He doesn't really let her get a word in edgewise and constantly shuts her down. She seemed like she could have been a fun and interesting character so I was disappointed she didn't get a chance to shine. Nikita started out as the cool, unruffled bar manager. I really liked her and her insights and the way she just seemed to observe everyone. She kind of came across as that bartender who'll really listen to you and give you solid advice. And then they went and had her like Li Gong and just ruined her. Those scenes just seemed so completely out of character and also out of the blue. As with a lot of this drama, it felt very contrived.

The less said about the music the better, especially the opening song. It just did not do it for me.

There are a couple of positives in addition to the negatives. I really enjoyed seeing the characters in their work environments. It added an extra dimension to their characters and was genuinely interesting, particularly the law aspect. Ze Shou and Li Gong quoting law to each other was a fun addition towards the beginning of the drama and I wish they'd continued it throughout. Seeing them working as lawyers and working with their clients was a unique addition and one that I appreciated. The cinematography was overall pretty good, and there were a number of well done shots. Honestly though, the highlight of this drama for me was seeing Aaron Lai and Hank Wang from Be Loved in House: I Do. That is one of my absolute favorite dramas and I was so happy to see them again.

This drama could have been decent if it had stopped around Episode 8, things just started to go downhill afterward before completely imploding. It kind of redeems itself in the end, but not enough to warrant ever watching it again. Its short enough that you can pretty easily binge watch it which is what I did. The relatively short length is the only reason I stuck with it to the end. Its decent enough to warrant watching at least once, just be prepared for the train wreck that is Episodes 9-11.

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Chemistry A+ Story B

I must say at first I wasn't going to watch this show but I ran out of BL's to watch and decided to give it a go and I must say it's quite heartwarming and I'm pleasantly surprised by how good it was.. will give this show a 7.5/10.. though I'm confused why the show has 12 episodes.. feels like it could wrap up by episode 9.. there isn't a major plot there. Side note : the lead looked so familiar and then I realized he was one of the boys in Bo Xiang's friend group in History 3 : Make Our Days Count. happy to see he got such a big role.. he was my favorite when I saw him in that.
The story could have used some work but I would recommend this to BL fans. I'm obsessed with Shi Cheng Hao who plays Li Gong and I hope we see more of him in the future.

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la maldicion del capítulo 11

Iba re bien. A mi no me suele llamar mucho el childhood friends to lovers (o el friends to lovers en general) pero me parecio re chu esto. Como siempre, en el capítulo 11 hay un confilcto completamente forzado y absurdo que me caga todo.

"Wow conozco a este chabón por 20 años que me lleva gustando hace una decada, finalmente me confesé y empezamos a salir. Voy a terminar con el abruptamente pq quiero que el sea feliz!!!" HAY ALGUIEN CON SENTIDO COMÚN ACÁ POR DIOSS

Aparte, yo JURABA q Nikita era lesbiana, la mas lesbiana de todas y iba a terminar con la otra bartender esta. DE LA NADA, DE LA ABSOLUTA NADA ME DICEN Q GUSTABA DEL BOLUDO ESE???

Dejando lo malo, la pareja secundaria me encantó. Siento q avanzó MUY rapido pero eran re chus. Un señor divorciado con una hija y el bartender q trabaja en el bar q está al lado de la lavanderia del otro. Que más puede uno pedir? Despues de eso, no es muy buena. Pero es corta asi que tampoco creo que sea una perdida de tiempo total verla.

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when the actors saved the show.

The 3 episodes are totally boring but from 4th, the episodes become very catchy... the production had a genius idea a law firm that solved marital problems, yet during 12 episodes, we had 3 cases and the rest of the show a boring dialogue, skipped.

The scenario is sorely lacking in depth and solid background, for example the character of "Zheng Ze Shou" accepts the love of his friend just so as not to lose his friendship with him which dates back 20 years, something illogical and useless... His father who refuses his homosexual relationship, instead of deepening this, he is treated as (old fashion) as if his son is following a fashion (personally I was shocked)... The character of "Fu Li Gong" is in love with his friend since high school, and "Zheng Ze Shou" knows it very well yet when he accepts "Fu Li gong's" illogical and bogus argument and part ways with him... frankly, whatever.

For me, the Great Discovery is the extremely talented actor "Shi Cheng Hao", very deep in his acting, his emotional traits or his intimate scenes, something extremely rare with handsome actors who hide their bad acting in the scenes. intimate (like the Bl Thai) ... or who are good actors but too reserved in the daring scenes Bl.

The actor "Max Lin" is an excellent actor too only if he stops his extremely theatrical way of acting which does not adhere at all with his character or the romantic series.

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Mundane, but Good.

This is more of a the life story of two divorce lawyers who've gone through thick and think together their whole lives.
What's good about it? The leads definitely. Their characters are just the opposite of each other, but their genuine care and understanding for another was excellently portrayed. (I've yet to see a Taiwanese series with mediocre actors. These two were really good.)
There are several scenes where they talk about how they view their profession and divorce which I found enlightening.
The second couple was Yuki, a laundromat owner whose name I still do not know and his daughter Ling Ling. They depicted a different side of life - one of them being cool and unafraid of changes while the other adamantly sticks to the ghosts of the past.
Plenty of supporting characters, both big and insignificant play a role in shaping their actions, so, skipping some parts of it might be not the best idea. (I did it and had yo backtrack and rewatch to know thr context.)
While I did like the couples, the cases and the parental relationships, there were episodes which could've been significantly shorter. Mind you, this is roughly 25minutes each, but the episodes following EP7 where unfortunately, a bit too... ad nauseam? This is a common problem in dramas as a whole, LGBTQ+ or not. Once the main point is done, they fumble around. But, the pacing did pick up, but the drama lost me at EPs 8 - 10.
I'd recommed this if you just need something to cool off.

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Doesn't even come close to the current standard for BLs

I chose to give the series a 6 instead of a 5 because, at the end of the day, I was able to watch the whole thing. I want to list the things that I liked about it in case you're undecided but you're looking for reasons to start watching.

- The main characters look good together. I felt that their scenes were pretty cute, enough to keep me engaged. I also heard that Max and Hao are an actual couple in real life (cmiiw): if that's true then watching the series is a good way to support queer representation from people who are actually queer themselves.
- The story is straightforward and there's no risk to lose track of anything going on. The episodes are also about half an hour each, so it doesn't take too long to finish either, in case you're looking for something that isn't too demanding.
- In case you're a fan of Taiwanese BLs, you can find a few cameos from different BLs, more specifically: "Be Loved In House: I Do", "HIStory 3: MODC", and "HIStory 4".

Unfortunately the good things I can say about this series end here. Now, for what I found disappointing:

- The plot. The main trope is "childhood-friends-to-lovers", which is a very popular trope, but I believe that one can easily work with the most popular trope and give a creative spin to it. This doesn't happen in P&M, where it looks like the writers just filled the story with tropes and clichés and expected them to work on their own, without proper writing. The events arrive one after another without any sort of smooth transition, build-up, or even logic. I felt like I was watching a live-action fanfic, and I'm not talking about the good kind of fanfic.
- The two main characters are supposed to be best friends, but to be entirely honest they looked more like colleagues who get along. Their so-called chemistry was nowhere to be found, unless you consider cheesy set phrases and kisses "chemistry". The development of their feelings and thoughts is not there either, so I felt confused the entire time about whether they actually liked each other or not, since it looks like they're just going with the flow.
- The secondary couple, if possible, was worse. I felt like they could have been replaced by two mannequins, and the plot would still work somehow. As crazy as it might sound, I thought that Li Gong and Ze Shou's fathers were a better romantic couple than them, without even being a couple in the first place.

Overall, it felt sloppy. I can see the potential in a story like this one, so I don't believe that it's complete rubbish, but the result overall feels undercooked. If refined and taken proper care of, it could be MUCH better. As it is, I can't bring myself to recommend it.

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Theme driven. Characters and plot are superficial

There was good stuff here. Some interesting themes and thought-provoking ideas. A pretty good mix of humor and angst. The actors did a good job. And I always adore childhood-friends-to-lovers. Overall, it was pretty good. But I was a little disorientated by some choices. It appeared the show was more invested in exploring the nature of divorce generally, than focusing on the MCs, their relationship/s, or any character specific plot. Which isn't wrong. Some people might enjoy it. But I felt some important moments weren't quite given the attention they deserved.

I loved the main couple, individually and as a couple. The start of their relationship was great. I loved that we got hints they'd both been in love forever, but Fu Li Gong became aware of it much, much earlier—which fits their characters. Given Zheng Ze Shou's personality, I'm not surprised he went turbo-fast once he became aware of his own feelings. Li Gong's freak out in the second half also made sense. He hid his feelings for a long time, scared of how their relationship might change; then everything did change, very suddenly, without any warning, and he didn't have the chance to process the changes or the consequences of the changes. A freak out at some point was inevitable, and I probably would've been disappointed if it hadn't come. Even so, I think the show didn't handle that entire conflict as well as it could have. Even though I understand why Li Gong reacted like he did, the show only presented the surface level. They accidentally make his anxieties seem shallow, and like he came to that decision unbelievably easily, given how invested he was in the relationship. The resolution is also a bit too easy, given the big emotions must have been going on. Given how long these two loved each other, and how much they had to lose if things went wrong (which is the entire point of the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope!!) the whole conflict kinda played out like just another disagreement and reconciliation. That being said, I like that Ze Shou eventually called him out (gently) for lying.

I don't really have much to say about the second couple. They were okay to watch, but I didn't get invested in them. Don't know why. They just didn't grab my attention.

In summary, I'm glad I watched it, and I might re-watch it to see how I feel the second time around. If my opinion changes I'll add a note to the end of this review. It's possible I was just thrown off by how unusual the show was in it's approach. Normally, a show that explores a super deep and emotional concept like divorce, will mirror that depth and emotion in the relationships. This show didn't quite match the energy. They went deep on the concept, but didn't mirror that intensity at all in the relationships, so I was left feeling the relationships were surface level and lacking (even though I might not have otherwise felt that way). All that said, I'm not sure that this approach would suit my taste anyway. I can like shows that keep things light. I like shows that take things deep. But if I can only have deep themes or deep relationship, I'd rather a deep relationship with light themes, than heavy themes with relatively surface-level relationship. But that's just me. If I end up re-watching it (which I'm not sure I will) I'll let you know if I change my mind on anything.

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