Addicted Heroin (2016)

So confused.

Edit: After taking the time to read one of the books this series was based on, I also highly recommend reading it. So much is explained in it.

There was nothing in this series that did not leave me confused and confounded.

Why YuoLin made his choices.
Why GuHai made his choices.
Why some stuff was cut by the censors and not other stuff.. which added to the confusion.
Why someone would need sleeping medicine at school.
Why none of these people can seem to take a hint even when it's outright stated.
What did I just watch? This was a story of the most lopsided relationship I've ever witnessed.
Just so many questions. I'd like my time back please.
Having said that tho, I'd probably watch a season 2 of this trainwreck for closure.

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Production Fault, Gu Hai and Yin Zi characters were performed well

This Drama Series Story had lots of potential to grow But the scriptwriter and director messed it up. There were lots of loopholes, and all the situations/scenes with supporting roles were left open. lots of the time you will be waiting for what will happen next but they totally cut down the scene from the last episode and just turn the story on the main character. character development was not enough. it felt like the main characters turned from classmates to good friends who live together. There was the potential of chemistry BUT dialogues between them were too general like close friends talking. Till the end, I was expecting to something happen but nothing happened, Simply put just too general.
This is not the fault of the actors but only the production's fault.

In Japanese setting dramas, they highlight the features of adults (teachers/parents' authority & strictness and feel proud in it but if you compare with Thai setting dramas they mainly focus on the main characters and the close relationship of the main characters, remaining actors, and situation become backdrops. which helps the audience to focus more on the story, production, and other things)

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You can tell this was a very low-budget web-series production. The progression of the story was very choppy, confusing, and incomplete at times (like what happened to the second couple?). However, the series made huge waves in the genre, which significantly changed how the topic was allowed to be shown in Mainland China (being banned and prompting censorship). This was one of my firsts within the genre as well, and I found the story pretty addicting. Although the main leads' story started out hella problematic, they eventually developed a loving and supportive relationship. I was forced to read the novel after watching the drama to actually understand what was going on. The drama left out a lot, but I'm glad they didn't follow some of the novel's plot points. The leads performed well, and they had great chemistry. I'm pleased to see that they paved their own way in the industry after this, especially considering the backlash they received. Good for them.

(Completed: 2016)

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Had potential.

When I began this series I thought it was shaping up to be something really great, and for the most part, I had fun with a good portion of it. Unfortunately, the last third of the series left me feeling uncomfortable and definitely confused. Overall my feelings about this series are quite ambiguous.

In the beginning, I enjoyed the irregular pacing. The breaks between scenes seemed natural, and seeing the little windows of their lives together gave it the feeling of real life. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, the segmented scenes felt fractured and disconnected.

The story itself has a lot of loose threads. I really loved the family aspect of this drama, and especially the dynamic between Luo Yin and his father. They also did a great job of displaying the emotional effects and dynamics of failed marriages.
This series is adapted from quite a long novel, so to fit into a web-drama would mean a lot of cuts (not to mention China’s ban on depictions of homosexual relationships). These cuts interrupted the flow of the story, as I often felt key details were missing, or if certain scenes & dialogue were included they ended up going nowhere. A lot of characters were brought in and ended up doing a whole lot of nothing. This was really unfortunate as I really would have loved to see more development for the supporting cast, especially Yang Meng.

Now looking at the most promising aspect, the romance between Luo Yin and Gu Hai. Both actors did an amazing job. There was a lot of tension between the two mainly due to their stubbornness and competitiveness, and clearly a lot of feelings under the surface. Timmy Xu did a great job showing Luo Yin’s silent affection. Johnny Huang did a great job portraying Gu Hai’s feelings as well. The chemistry was definitely there.
Now for the part which made me (and pretty much everyone else) the most uncomfortable: the non-con scenes. This really spoiled the great romantic tension between the two characters. Any intimate displays of affection were cut out, and all we are left with are straight-up jarring & uncomfortable non-con scenes. This led to Gu Hai and Luo Yin’s relationship to never quite feel fully developed. Not to mention the amount of emotional issues that were lost between the scenes and never felt truly resolved.

By the end of the series it had lost a lot of its original appeal, and I found my finger resting on the skip button for the last few episodes. I would've enjoyed more clarity on their relationship especially as it evolved from enemies to friends to lovers. I also would have enjoyed it if they didn't give up on the story in the last few episodes, but god knows what happened with the production towards the end.

The only thing that slightly redeemed the last episodes were the "A husband who doesn't want to sleep with wife isn't a good one!!!" engraved onto two nail clippers because it couldn't fit on one. Really. If I had a rich lover, this would surely be my first demand.

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The show is titled after a literal drug so don't come in with the greatest expectations

The first part was pretty innocent and refreshing, and this part is what I enjoyed the most. It was very reminiscent of Meteor Garden -- there is a rebel rich guy who has nothing better to do than bully the one he likes, and a spunky poor guy who just wants to live peacefully (plus points that he's smart too). Gu Hai and Bai Luo Yin's interactions and cat-and-dog banter are funny and their chemistry is undeniable.

Now the second part of the show which comprises of the last 5 episodes, is where the problematic parts have popped up. These have indeed made me uncomfortable and I personally like to pretend it does not exist lol.

Still, for the majority of the show that I thoroughly enjoyed, I'm rating this an 8.

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The storyline is incredibly poignant, tugging at the heartstrings in a way that few dramas can. I must admit, I am not one to easily shed tears over a drama or series, but when I do find myself weeping, it is a testament to the exceptional quality of the show. To truly grasp the sheer brilliance of the story, one must experience it firsthand. It is truly a remarkable journey that will leave you in awe.

However, I must acknowledge that at times, the plot can become somewhat convoluted, making it challenging to fully comprehend the flow of the story. This complexity has resulted in a longer period of time for me to grasp the intricacies and nuances of the narrative. Nonetheless, this minor setback does not overshadow the overall brilliance of Heroin.

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Shocked and disappointed...

Firstly I was totally shocked to have seen that Johnny did a BL?
Secondly I am pissed at this ending 😑 how earth can we be left hanging like that?
Thirdly this was really an amazing and easy drama, to watch and had funny moments, the main leads were totally awesome and the chemistry was off the charts, had it not been for such a cliff hanging ending it would have scored higher.

The plot had potential, high school students with all their problems, pranks, jokes and relationships, but i feel the writers lost it a bit and just went down hill after that, much of the tension comes from how stubborn both main leads were.

I honestly watched this cuz of Johnny in and was shocked to see him in a bl that didn't have any merit in.

And the bloody ending was definitely the worst of this drama.

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Toxic, Confusing, Wasted potential, Overrated

Honestly I wasn’t planning on reviewing this show because I wanted to just binge watch this one and Stay With Me. But omg this show makes me so mad and I just have to speak about it. First of all I really despise the fact that this show is so glorified and overrated because it seriously isn’t all that it’s played out to be. I will admit the actors are good, the plot had somewhat potential but overall it’s mediocre and just a typical story. Nothing out of the ordinary. And the fact that it got banned and they had to remove scenes doesn’t help this case (though I don’t blame them for this since it’s out of their control) but still even the deleted scenes aren’t the best because almost all of them are just Gu Hai sexually harassing Bai Lou Yin and it just makes me so angry. There’s nothing cute or romantic about someone forcing themselves onto someone when they obviously don’t want anything intimate. And honestly half of the people who comment or leave reviews don’t talk about this and it’s so weird. It’s just a show, I know, but overhyping this show even though it has a mediocre plot and the only “romantic” content it shows is just pure sexual harassment is just wow. Usually I trust the shows that are rated lower on MDL than the higher rated shows because for some reason I tend to like shows that are usually rated like 7 and under rather than shows that are rated 8 and up. Idk what it is but that’s just how it works for me. I do like to give overhyped shows like these a chance to see what all the hype is about but everytime it’s always just very basic and disappointing or very boring and bad. But anyway, back on track another thing that I disliked was how Gu Hai was always treating Bai Luo Yin as property, an object or some sort of belonging. With the over jealous behavior and even getting physical with people when he felt jealous, also straight up telling Bai Luo Yin that he belongs to him and that he owns him is just huge red flag. This man is just toxic all over and it’s disguised by “romance”. But to contradict what I’ve been saying in this review I will state that I enjoyed the last episode the most out of the others and it’s maybe because the kisses and intimacy was more consented this time and more voluntary on both sides which was good, also things were starting to get interesting since Bai Luo Yin’s ex came back and you can tell if this show hadn’t been cancelled then it would’ve been really good and probably much better. But once again it wasn’t something they could’ve controlled so I don’t hold it against them. I will say that the chemistry was confusing, it felt like Bai Luo Yin didn’t really like him until episode 15 and that’s when he acted upon his feelings but I feel like at the same time he was forced to start liking Gu Hai. But at the same time he could’ve had hidden feelings for Bai Luo Yin and at towards each episode he realized that more and more but was a bit in denial or scared which is common. Regardless it was a bit confusing and that could’ve been portrayed or explained a bit better through actions or something.

Overall, would I recommend? No. It’s not horrible, trust me I’ve watched worse. But it’s an unfinished show, along with its censorship, but even with censorship poor Bai Luo Yin is just getting constantly sexually harassed, then the plot is just mediocre, the whole show is just Gu Hai chasing Bai Luo Yin and it makes me so irritated cause the feelings don’t feel mutual for like the entire show until episode 15. So yeah, don’t waste your time and watch something better. It’s really not worth it and wasted potential. And let me tell you they did not lie when they named this show Addicted because that’s just what Gu Hai is towards Bai Luo Yin. Addicted.

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Attractive leads, natural acting, but ABSOLUTELY TOXIC AF!

SPOILERS AHEAD - READ AFTER FINISHING DRAMA

I think it may be possible for some to enjoy this show because both of the leads are attractive and their acting is skilled/natural but that toxicity just will not fly in today's age. Like I'm not gonna lie and say that they aren't attractive. Or that the chemistry isn't there. Because that wasn't true. And also that their acting was so natural that when that one part at the beginning of episode 9 popped up with the actors talking about a fan meeting that I was caught off guard because it truly felt like I was watching the characters live out their stories in real life. Although none of that can be denied, there were still several issues.

Gu Hai and Bai Luo Yin's (BLY) relationship is almost symbolic of a real-life abusive relationship because you know that there's a good side (Gu Hai taking care of BLY in thoughtful ways, caring for BLY's family, gift-giving, making sacrifices for BLY, etc.) but then there's also the bad side that outweighs all that (forced intimacy, blatant sexual assault, stalker behavior, unrelenting/violent pursuit of BLY, obsessive tendencies, frightening jealousy, uncontrolled rage, LITERAL KIDNAP, psychological trauma, drugging drinks, etc.) You might keep wanting to go back to experience the good side but then the bad side is there to damage you in ways that you yourself keep choosing to return to. I don’t know how BLY didn’t run away in fear of his life at some point. Anyway, romanticized toxicity is not cute so hopefully, all future dramas will hop on the consent train. It would be so much hotter than whatever this drama is trying to do.

Another issue: the women/girls in this show were all portrayed and talked to so pathetically. It was so disappointing to see these women pining endlessly over their crushes, being uncontrollably driven by their emotions, being unable to let go of the past, being described as having an "unwilling to forgive attitude", having their only worth and roles tied to a guy, etc. I didn’t feel that there was a single strong female lead. These dramas can do so much better than this. No person or group has to be put down to raise up the show's quality.

The cancellation is very disappointing fr! I guess I'm not certain how show production and episode releases work but if I had the choice, I would've just ended it after the phone call BLY makes to his ex confirming he has Gu Hai in his heart now. Other than that I mainly just wanted to see how they'd end the show, but also kept in mind everything that was problematic about it. As an instructor, I'd definitely use this in a sex ed class on what to do and what not to do in a relationship.

But yeah watch at your own risk. Maybe "it's just a show" but the stuff you consume really can influence you. They say your thoughts become your words which become your actions which become your habits which become your character so just be careful. :)

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