femslashedtires
usa
fantastically tight and entertaining lakorn bl
This is my first 10 star review on MDL and I really can't say enough good things about this show. Century of Love is the perfect example of working within your means to create a really solid, moving and memorable story. Between the charismatic cast, wonderfully witty script, and production that lived within it's means, this series is a definite hit. I almost wish it hadn't been on a twice-weekly release schedule so I would have gotten to enjoy it even longer. I'm new to both DaouOffroad and this production team, so I'm very happy to have a backlog to look and more to come in the future. Highly, highly recommend.
-The Full Review-
STORY:
I'm a certified lakorn enjoyer, so the I absolutely loved the tone of this show. Despite being highly entertaining and largely unserious, Century of Love always picked the perfect moments to ramp up the emotional connection to the story and provide a truly touching and beautiful scene. My favorite episode, episode 7, had me on the absolute edge of my seat and cycling through emotions the entire hour. It was very well balanced to provide joy and laughs without feeling empty or surface level.
In terms of the themes and execution of the reincarnation plot--I was so pleased. This is probably my favorite handling of this particular trope since Until We Meet Again. I've seen some anger at the primary concept (that the female love interest has reincarnated into a man, to the initial discomfort of her former lover) as well as some annoyance at the (in my opinon, minor) mysteries left unsolved at the end... but I don't think these criticisms hold much weight. The writers are careful to give weight to San's struggles and decisions, and his narrative arc is satisfying.
The true jewel in this show's storytelling is the connection to family. It's pretty rare, these days, for a BL to have such a strong ensemble cast (unless that ensemble is same-aged friends). San's and Vee's connections outside of their relationship really elevate the concept of a mature BL and cement their adulthood. It's a rare treat for this genre and one I very much would like to see more of in the future.
ACTING:
I don't have any prior experience with Daou or Offroad, but they both won me over almost immediately. It's a very fun genre for acting-- giving melodramatic, comedic scenes as well as much more realistic and emotional scenes. The balance here and the slide from one moment into the other was very well done.
For Daou, I really enjoyed his handling of the age of his character. While San is over 100 years old, his body and (in many cases) his mind have been static. The contrast between his graceful and wise stature when comforting Juu and his childish and petulant fights with Vee sold the premise well and were quite funny. There was a subtlety to his performance that shouldn't have paired as well with the lakorn styling of the show as it did, but it truly made him feel otherworldly when necessary.
Offroad has a more traditional lakorn acting style, but one that was very suited to his character. Young, passionate, and easily upset by the events of the story, his open-book expressions contrasted Daou's restrained performance perfectly. Their chemistry is quite obvious and exciting. While I sometimes felt like his acting was verging on the overly melodramatic, it never quite reached point. When the scenes truly did hit their most emotional, Offroad delivered a very sincere and affecting performance.
In the ensemble, there were no weak performances. In particular, I was delighted by Cookie and Xiang--both of whom added so much to the humor and heart of the show. I especially enjoyed the moments where Juu and San's age difference became very apparent. I also have to give props to young San who gives a positively hilarious performance. It's probably the most laughter a series has gotten out of me in a singular episode.
PRODUCTION:
I'm infinitely charmed lakorns god-awful SFX, so I found the production of this series to just fine. While the restrictions of the budget were definitely visible in the effects, I think they successfully leaned into a style that allowed the story to move past it. Beyond this, the production was really quite something.
I loved the locations chosen for this show, especially San's house and the Temple. Vibrant, visually interesting, and filled with set dressing that bridges the century gap quite well. Likewise, I thought the costuming was so fun. The cut of San's suits (and the style of clothing Vee began to dress in) was such a fun modernization of his original timeline. I loved the attention to detail there.
INTIMACY:
I really, really like this pair. The intimate scenes are not particularly spicy in this show, but I don't think that fits the tone most of the time anyway. What I found most effective was the way these characters orbited each other. Vee moving with and to San immediately, whenever he was injured was so well done. Likewise, both characters had such a natural way of slotting into one another--my personal favorite being how tightly Vee snuggles up to San after their first time. You could really feel the connection between these characters and their desire to simply be close. Really well done.
In all, I am so pleased with this show. I pick the best of the shows I watch and rewatch them with some friends, and Century of Love has LEAPED to the top of that list of possibilities. I'm so excited to rewatch already and hope this brings nothing but new opportunities to everyone involved. I can't wait to see them again.
-The Full Review-
STORY:
I'm a certified lakorn enjoyer, so the I absolutely loved the tone of this show. Despite being highly entertaining and largely unserious, Century of Love always picked the perfect moments to ramp up the emotional connection to the story and provide a truly touching and beautiful scene. My favorite episode, episode 7, had me on the absolute edge of my seat and cycling through emotions the entire hour. It was very well balanced to provide joy and laughs without feeling empty or surface level.
In terms of the themes and execution of the reincarnation plot--I was so pleased. This is probably my favorite handling of this particular trope since Until We Meet Again. I've seen some anger at the primary concept (that the female love interest has reincarnated into a man, to the initial discomfort of her former lover) as well as some annoyance at the (in my opinon, minor) mysteries left unsolved at the end... but I don't think these criticisms hold much weight. The writers are careful to give weight to San's struggles and decisions, and his narrative arc is satisfying.
The true jewel in this show's storytelling is the connection to family. It's pretty rare, these days, for a BL to have such a strong ensemble cast (unless that ensemble is same-aged friends). San's and Vee's connections outside of their relationship really elevate the concept of a mature BL and cement their adulthood. It's a rare treat for this genre and one I very much would like to see more of in the future.
ACTING:
I don't have any prior experience with Daou or Offroad, but they both won me over almost immediately. It's a very fun genre for acting-- giving melodramatic, comedic scenes as well as much more realistic and emotional scenes. The balance here and the slide from one moment into the other was very well done.
For Daou, I really enjoyed his handling of the age of his character. While San is over 100 years old, his body and (in many cases) his mind have been static. The contrast between his graceful and wise stature when comforting Juu and his childish and petulant fights with Vee sold the premise well and were quite funny. There was a subtlety to his performance that shouldn't have paired as well with the lakorn styling of the show as it did, but it truly made him feel otherworldly when necessary.
Offroad has a more traditional lakorn acting style, but one that was very suited to his character. Young, passionate, and easily upset by the events of the story, his open-book expressions contrasted Daou's restrained performance perfectly. Their chemistry is quite obvious and exciting. While I sometimes felt like his acting was verging on the overly melodramatic, it never quite reached point. When the scenes truly did hit their most emotional, Offroad delivered a very sincere and affecting performance.
In the ensemble, there were no weak performances. In particular, I was delighted by Cookie and Xiang--both of whom added so much to the humor and heart of the show. I especially enjoyed the moments where Juu and San's age difference became very apparent. I also have to give props to young San who gives a positively hilarious performance. It's probably the most laughter a series has gotten out of me in a singular episode.
PRODUCTION:
I'm infinitely charmed lakorns god-awful SFX, so I found the production of this series to just fine. While the restrictions of the budget were definitely visible in the effects, I think they successfully leaned into a style that allowed the story to move past it. Beyond this, the production was really quite something.
I loved the locations chosen for this show, especially San's house and the Temple. Vibrant, visually interesting, and filled with set dressing that bridges the century gap quite well. Likewise, I thought the costuming was so fun. The cut of San's suits (and the style of clothing Vee began to dress in) was such a fun modernization of his original timeline. I loved the attention to detail there.
INTIMACY:
I really, really like this pair. The intimate scenes are not particularly spicy in this show, but I don't think that fits the tone most of the time anyway. What I found most effective was the way these characters orbited each other. Vee moving with and to San immediately, whenever he was injured was so well done. Likewise, both characters had such a natural way of slotting into one another--my personal favorite being how tightly Vee snuggles up to San after their first time. You could really feel the connection between these characters and their desire to simply be close. Really well done.
In all, I am so pleased with this show. I pick the best of the shows I watch and rewatch them with some friends, and Century of Love has LEAPED to the top of that list of possibilities. I'm so excited to rewatch already and hope this brings nothing but new opportunities to everyone involved. I can't wait to see them again.
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