Well this is it. History has been made. And I feel an honour being part of the first generation to watch a live action omegaverse. From the depths of fanfic websites to the big screen (well depending on where you watch it), it has been a concept many prayed to the Yaoi gods to be made into a live action while many had lost hope of it ever happening. But time has come! It has happened! A man with six-packs (I checked. Li Peien has them) said the words “I’m pregnant.”

A brief description of Omegaverse

Omegaverse is a world where gender identification is divided into two categories. First – Males, Female etc. Second – Alpha, Beta, Omega & Enigma. In this world alpha is the top of the hierarchy, then beta then omega. Enigma is something that exists outside this hierarchy system. As the name suggests, omegas are the focus for us in this world. An omega is one who regardless of their first gender can get pregnant. They can be impregnated by an alpha or beta but not the other way around. In some stories (like this one) enigma is included. An enigma can get anyone be it alpha or omega pregnant.

The mechanics of omegaverse is honestly very complicated. There are heats, pheromones, mated pairings and more. And different authors built their world in a different way. But the most important and unbendable rule of this universe is that – MEN CAN GET PREGNANT!!

ABO Desire – A Story of Obsession

This is the story of Hua Yong (Huang Xing) and his love obsession for Sheng Shaoyou (Qiu Ding Jie). Sheng Shaoyou is an S-Tier Alpha, the highest in hierarchy in this world. He is rich, has looks gifted by the Gods and a talented businessman. He has everything…or so it seems. His father has been suffering from pheromone gland cancer for the past two and Shaoyou has been doing everything in his capability to find a cure for his father. That means even consulting with his rival Shen Wenlang, whose company claims they have advanced the cure for pheromone gland cancer-one which Shaoyous’ company hasn’t been able to do. During his meeting with Wenlang, Shaoyou meets Hua Yong- a secretary for Shan Wenlang. Through coincidence, they meet some more time and Sheng Shaoyou falls for him. This Hua Yong is an omega that seems to have been created just for him. But in reality Hua Yong is enigma who has loved Sheng Shaoyou from childhood and has created an entire personality just to get close to Shaoyou. What follows is a series of lies, deceit and manipulation shown through a rose tinted glass.

The second couple of this story is Shen Wenlang (Jiang Heng) and his secretary Gao Tu (Li Pei En). Gao Tu is an omega pretending to be a beta who has been in love with Shen Wenlang for 10 years – since their school days. Unlike the other characters of this story Gao Tu is poor and despite working for Shen Wenlang, lives in a shabby apartment because all his money goes to taking care of his sick sister and gambler father. Unlike Hua Yong, he has terribly low self-esteem and Shen Wenlang’s hatred for omegas doesn’t make it easier for him. Their love story is that of heart shattering angst, longing and an accidental pregnancy.

This series was adapted from a Chinese novel and the writers of this novel are the ones who produced and directed this. So this is one of the few shows where you can see what the original author wanted to portray through their words. From the land of the strict censorship of mainland China, Nongjian (the authors) bring us a material which made many veteran bl lovers (including mine) question their eyes when they saw the news of this airing. For months the bl community stayed on their toes hoping this would not get cancelled and actually air. And when it did air I have to say it didn’t disappoint.

Now one should not expect ITSAY level cinematography, KinnPorsche level NCs or Sammon level story from it. That being said, it isn’t in any way mediocre. The sets are grand, the acting is good, the storybuilding is good. There are ups and downs here and there but it being a live action omegaverse show makes up for it. And 2 minutes into seeing Gau Tu (Li Peien) you will fall in love with his chubby cheeks and boba eyes. You will smile when he smiles and cry when he has to use an inhibitor inhaler to hide his omega nature. You will curse Shen Wenlang for being one of the dumbest characters in the history of television and laugh at his snarky comments. You will contemplate if you should use Hua Yongs’ ways in real life (you shouldn’t) and wonder if you can catch a Sheng Shaoyou through these methods.

Story and Characters

None of the characters are redeemable. Well except Gao Tu. They all have various levels of evil inside them. And Hua Yong is at the top of the list. His obsession with the idea of what Sheng Shaoyou should be is constantly sold as love. But it’s not. It’s years of long planning and a series of manipulative tactics taken out of a sociopaths’ book. One which ends in Sheng Shaoyou losing his bodily autonomy and his physical being changed forever. And while the show tries to convince the audience Sheng Shaoyou is a kindhearted person; to me, he just seemed like a typical rich guy. The characters of this show bask in numerous amounts of wealth so they seem quite out of grasp for a normal audience (if you ignore the omegaverse part). Gao Tu seems like a fish out of water in this barrage of ultra wealthy characters. While Shen Wenlang rejects a proposal worth billions of dollars Gao Tu struggles to collect hospital fees for his sister. But he’s also somehow the most intelligent character in this show. While Sheng Shaoyou keeps helping his half brother with his gambling debts despite him showing no signs of working on his addiction, we see Gao Tu reject calls from his gambler father and even turn off his phone. Which shows he has the emotional intelligence to know when one is lying but at the same time keeps making dumb decisions when it comes to Shen Wenlang. The vast wealth difference creates a contrast between the lifestyles and thoughts between them which I wish was shown in a more detailed way. But with an approx 700 page novel to follow and only 16 episodes with roughly 50 minutes for each episode lots get lost.

The story should be taken with the same value as ‘killing stalking’. It’s a psychological thriller sold as a bl because the characters present as gay.

Acting, Direction and Everything Else

The question of whether Huang Xing played Hua Yong properly depends on who you ask. Some say he has done an excellent job while others say he could have done better. Personally the feeling is all the actors could have done better. There are some instances where the acting feels like… acting. Emotions are not expressed properly, and the camera looms longer than it should at certain places. But the storytelling is a positive. Remember this is not just a regular BL. This is an omegaverse and the show has to introduce the concept of omegaverse first to set the scene. As a veteran fanfic writer I had no issues understanding the concepts of the show, but I feel a first timer would get thrown off at the mention of ruts, pheromones and men having morning sickness. The show does make efforts to introduce omegaverse and as the first one to do, so I give it a plus point for that. This show could be used as an introduction to the world of omegaverse to ones who have never known this world.

What does it mean for BL in China?

After years of heavy censorship we see 2 BLs coming out of China this year which caused a storm in the community (ABO Desire and Revenged Love). Crones would remember about a certain show called ‘Addicted’ and the consequences of it becoming too famous. One can hope China doesn’t shut down its gems again and we are left to fend for ourselves through imaginations of shanxia sex ones again. The good news is the pairings of abo desire have also announced they have become official pairings once again becoming the first in China to do so. And more so both the pairings have also stated they have started working on their next projects. So fingers crossed.

Lastly, the production of BLs means more than entertainment. It shows queer love unapologetically on the big screen. BLs can open the discussion of acceptance of queer rights and couples. This can definitely mean a positive change for the queer community of China.

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Gagaoolala