VIP Only (2023)

Could Have Been Better

Simple, Sweet but Ordinary

Gu Jing (Stan Huang) is a good chef who owns a creative and retro restaurant. He opens his restaurant anytime he wants. Gu Jing finds that there is a young man who always gets the quietest seat, and that is Liu Li (Chen Xuan Yu). Liu Li is a gay-themed novelist who rents a room upstairs from Gu Jing’s restaurant. Gu Jing starts to send Liu a bowl of spicy beef noodles. Slowly, Gu Jing becomes the person that Liu Li confides in, the person who keeps him company during his hard times. Gradually, Liu Li realizes that his fantasies may be different from reality.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/09/vip-only-series-review-ep-3-to-10/

Leia Mais

This is a cozy time BL.

Overall this is a cute story. This doesn't have anything large or overly exciting. This is a cozy story and would recommend it for people needing a break from the over-emotional and high-adrenaline based shows. We also had a cameo from the 'You Are Mine' guys at the end and I thought it was well placed and it didn't detract from the story.

I really liked the two main characters and the side characters were very amusing. I also liked though a possible relationship could happen for the side characters, they weren't in a relationship, nor did we have to shift any focus to them. I think the shortness of this show meant that we didn't have the chance to make the people and interactions more complex. The writing is formulated with tropes to be soothing and comforting. I can recognize with how some watcher may not like that it is cliche in a way, but i feel that the laid back nature of the show makes that not a bad thing in this show. I also wished we didn't have the 'knew you as a child / long lost friend' trope. I see it was properly used and not relied upon, i just didn't need it.

The obstacles for them being together is an awful mother on one side and a past unrequited love on the other side. The unrequited love was part of the driving force of the story, but when the dude came back, I was disappointed in how all the "adults" in the situation handled it. HOWEVER, it didn't last long and it did cause the catalyst and made for some amusing postering between the love interests. The mom portion was frustrating. The mom was a big problem in general but the MC didn't even know she was a problem until way too late. This led to us not seeing the MLs have conversations about it, and even if the situation was handled wonderfully, it felt out of character.

Other than these issues and wishing we got to see everyone's friendship more, this was a comforting, low key BL and I appreciate that. This wasn't meant to be anything more than a couple supporting each other and growing in and amongst each other. If you wanted anything more than this, you may need to look elsewhere for a show.

Leia Mais

Bluebird and origami

Well this was cute, quick to watch and utterly forgettable. Taiwan can definitely do better than this but I guess they must have somehow lost their touch in 2023 to produce a string of misses and a rare hit. This was a miss!

VIP Only is a love story between a chef and a novelist living above the chef's restaurant. It is wrought with tropes: falling into your arms, accidental kiss, helpful best friends, a third party, childhood connection, a mother-in-law from hell......there is nothing fundamentally wrong with tropes as long as you find a novel way to use it. Here, they just put one after another and called it a series! While I was watching it, I had a weird impression that, originally, the script was for a straight M/F romcom and they just cast a man as FL because his behaviour, his actions, his attitude, the way he talked and the way he was dresses in flowing oversized clothes, all screamed woman! I don't know, maybe the character is trans? Did I miss something? I know, those codes come from mangas! They'd tried and tested and we are fed up! Come up with something new, shake up the genre!!!!

More interesting than the main pair were their friends. They pushed and connived to get the chef and the writer together, and their interactions were funny. I would not mind watching more of them! When the writer's college crush reappears in his life, the chef feels threatened, and the way they bicker over the writer is silly and funny!

The cinematography was all over the place: from scenes that were too sharp and cold to dreamy scenes with lighting obscuring faces (really pretty) to some weird camera angles. The same goes for editing: sometimes smooth and other times jerky. And then there was the omnipresent music, all the time in the background, that boring elevator music not adding anything to the plot, just annoyance! The actors were there, going through the motions, chemistry rather weak but the cringe was minimal. Except for the surprise visit of the couple from a parent drama. The main actor Stan, reminded me so much (doppelgänger) of the ML from Hello Stranger(I have to find his name...), a pinoy bl!

Surprisingly so, I think I might rewatch this when I need something simple and silly to cheer me up.

Leia Mais

Fluff with chemistry

This drama had the right amount of fluff (especially at the end) with a big splash of chemistry, a sprinkle of drama and a lot of sassy energy!
The story itself is taking you on a journey of past crushes, how to overcome those feelings and choosing a new path to walk together with the right person beside you. It is uneventful but not boring, proplems are quickly solved and everyone is acting their age and that was refreshing as fuck! They are all adults, had their own reasons behind their actions and could explain them very well. The friends are a great support and their biggest fans and I loved them!
The chemistry was flowing and I had butterflies flying around my whole body. Their skinship is so natural, it was a blast to watch them just being a happy couple!
And I think I have a thing for cute pouts... The actor who plays the novellist has such a cute mouth, I couldn't stop starring at it everytime there was a close up of his face... Just like the Thai actors Boun (Between Us) and Nut (Oxygen, Pit Babe)... and the Boss.... what a sexy man! Big, slender, mature, bearded... swoon worthy!

All in all I recommend it! It is an easy watch, no big drama, but full of soft feelings, vulnerable characters and a great ambiance!

Leia Mais

So sweet, I died

My headline says it all, it literally is just that lol

This is a very simple show, no major plot twist or drama. A sweet, fluffy, cute BL.

Despite that, it's very nice to watch, especially if you're taking a break from heavier dramas.

I do love the little twist when I found out that they know each other since childhood. That little details add flavor to the otherwise a little too bland show.

I enjoy this overall. Watch it and judge it for yoruself!

The only thing I wish for is a 2nd couple which didn't happen, but that's just minor detail. I still love watching their interaction regardless.

Leia Mais

Interestingly Cute

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

So far, this is the best one out of the compilation series. It was very cute and interesting.

The positive: Considering the short running time, this had a well-developed script. It did a great job slowly introducing the characters’ backstories and the pacing of the main story was perfect. The actors did a great job with their characters and portrayed them in a very likable fashion.

The negative: The only negative aspect for me was the conflict scenarios were too predictable. However, this was a minor problem for me.



******Spoiler Alert******
Even though it had the one story element I hate (love triangle), it wasn’t that bad and was resolved quickly.

Sorry, I already knew that the mother would become a source of a conflict after the first scene. Thankfully it to was quickly resolved.

Leia Mais

ho abbandonato la serie al quinto episodio

la serie inizia male con diversi clichè fastidiosi, tra cui il clichè dell'ubriaco tirato molto per le lunghe; poi si riprende abbastanza con alcune metafore letterarie interessanti; l'episodio 4 è pessimo: Liu Li è infantile in maniera esasperante e inverosimile e Gu sembra un padre che si prende cura del proprio bambino e non un uomo che sta corteggiando romanticamente qualcuno; nel quinto episodio ancora peggio, Liu chiede a Gu di iniziare una finta relazione in modo che Gu gli faccia da modello-ispiratore per il personaggio principale del suo nuovo libro: è chiaro che entrambi provano qualcosa nei confronti dell'altro (anche se messo in scena molto male nell'episodio 4), quindi perchè iniziare una finta relazione e non una vera? ...ovviamente a causa del solito clichè del pensare di non essere corrisposti nonostante ogni evidenza contraria. Poi Gu bacia forzatamente Liu senza motivo (dei baci tra l'altro veramente imbarazzanti per quanto sono finti e realizzati male). A quel punto ho abbandonato la serie, davvero pessima: clichè estremamente scontati; ritmo molto lento; dinamica tossica seme-uke; caratterizzazione dei personaggi ridicola, in particolare di Liu, che dovrebbe avere circa 25 anni, ma per come si comporta ne dimostra 12; baci forzati non condannati ma romanticizzati.

Tra l'altro ho letto dei commenti che parlano di un peggioramento della serie a partire dall'episodio 7, con l'aggiunta di personaggi e complicazioni di trama incongruenti, quindi sono contento di essermi fermato prima, perchè per me la serie è diventata inguardabile già dal quinto episodio (probabilmente anche prima, ma ho voluto provare ad andare avanti per qualche episodio).

Leia Mais