Plus & Minus (2022)

Where’s the Sizzle?

Just my opinion, there’s no chemistry unlike Beloved in House I Do.. They tried to correct the formula with the main pair falling in love early on. But the problem is the main pair’s chemistry is just not there….
The most interesting among the main actors for me is Yuki. With his long luxurious locks and sweet smile, He has this quiet lovable charm like that of Shi Lei. But where is his Yu Zhen? Or the confident mature shop owner, Yan Zhao? I’m sad to say that his Jian Ying Ze has little redeeming value except for his daughter. I wanted to ship Yuki to Fuli Gong.

With the soundtrack similar to Beloved, I kept missing Shi Lei and Yu Zhen. And this is not good for a series if I am thinking of another one

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Positive multiplied by Negative is equal to Negative

Each show has its own pros and cons, some overcome it but some don't. Just like how Plus & Minus started up in a good run but began to stumble in the middle and failed to re-sprint in a recovery state.

A BL roaming around the field of law is quite fresh yet the storyline ruins the chance of it to be unique and memorable. The vibe has a lot of similarities to the previous BLs I’ve watched such as Beloved in House: I Do and HIStory 4: Close to you, that loses the spark of the show to cater its own impact. Nevertheless, one thing I’m grateful for this show is by reuniting some of the prominent characters from the other famous Taiwan BLs. Seeing them made me reminisce about their own story from their respective shows.

Connecting the title to the two couples, I must say that Plus goes to the main one and the Minus goes to the second pair. The lack of chemistry between the side couple and the nuisance acting along with the baby girl is a cringe. I skipped their scenes since it mostly distributes an uninteresting flow of story.

Fortunately, the main couple saves it but it isn't enough to save the whole show. That accidental kiss on the sofa was the only romantic scene I adore from them and the rest are pure plainness. The downfall of the show starts on EP07, all episodes prior to this one are good ones. Then I began to get really bored of the later episodes. Nevertheless, the finale was fine. Helding a wedding ceremony is a good execution not only for romance but also for showcasing the legalization of same sex marriage to their country, Taiwan.

Ending this with a positive statement that the Plus and Minus pendant is so cute!

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Mostly Minuses, But Not The Worst

Another story ruined by the irritating "I spoke to your family and now we cant be together" plot. "Its for your own good" plotlines rarely come across as anything but supremely irritating and this was no exception. I was okay with this show up until that point, then I began aggresively skipping and turned it up to 2x speed. I didn't even finish the episode before I had to accept that I really was too disenchanted to be bothered with the rest of the show. So, let's talk:

This show is slow. The plot is thin-- not spider silk thin, but it's not going to make you feel much. There is a gargantuan amount of fluff but with no plot to support it, it feels.....it's just missing something. I was suspicious of Yuki for almost seven episodes just because he decided he was in love out of nowhere. I was constantly looking for the additional plot in every situation only to find that it is always a matter of what you see is what you get. It is as deep as a tablespoon.

The main couple was cute up until the bullshit. The tension of "will they, wont they," was resolved in less than an episode, but the amount of emotion they resolved it with made it seem like theyd been apart for at least three (and they really should have been), so it felt a bit bizzare. I liked the side couple a decent amount despite the utter lack of....anything behind their relationship, but then they also got hit with the trope-mobile and had a misunderstanding three minutes of conversation and a five minute walk could fix. I'm being harsh, but these characters are all, presumably, close to or over 30. This shit would barely strike me as acceptable with college kids, I dont really have the tolerance for it at their ages.

The best part of this series was the cameo from Be Loved In House, and I dropped that series too, so make of that what you will. I am surprisingly disappointed with this series, most likely because the reviews implied it was much more put together. Which is why I normally ignore the reviews, but I suppose I hadn't been burned by them in awhile and forgot. There is a correct way to do slice of life and this was not it. The pacing is eclectic-- relationship things are rushed, but the surrounding plot (or lack thereof) is glacial. Characters lose or gain traits to better accommodate random conflict.

I had some good things to say about this, so I'll get to that and then wash my hands of this mess. I am always a staunch advocate for relationship building. Plus & Minus does a good job of showing the platonic bond between the main couple. They use key moments and habitual behaviors to show the weight of the years between them instead of a quick montage and, as a proud hater of montages, I really liked that.

The sets were always appealing to the eye, which matters very, very little to me, but I did notice it. I enjoyed the little things the main couple did for each other. A lot of BL make it seems like getting together is the happy ever after, or just have no idea what to do with a couple once they are together. This is not necessarily an exception, but they did cute little things for each other, and that, specifically, was nice to see.

Outside of that, nothing else stood out particularly much, definitely not enough to be worth mentioning so I guess thats it, bye.

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Cheesy, Slow & Stupid

The biggest problem with this series is that nothing ever happened! The few times an attempt was made at some type of drama it simply fell flat.
The actors may have been good, I can't really say, because they were not given much to work with. I didn't feel any real chemistry between them and the love making scene was slow and awkward - with the worst ever music, I think they tried to use the music to make it more passionate, but it really made the scene worse.
There was no note worthy music throughout, the child actress was not really cute and appealing... but...
The worst was simply a poorly written, overused ideas script.
I also personally did not really care for one of the main leads, personal preference, you know.
The secondary couple was also very weak, with nothing really happening, and drama was over some old clothes that got donated... really?
No rewatch value for me, I barely made it through the first time.

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