Seven Shades of Manhua Danmei

...Do I even need to summarize this, c'mon y'all. I knew of this before I even got back into reading BL during the lockdown. I'm pretty sure this and Yuri on Ice were the BLs that started making mainstream society soften towards this genre.

This was a nice surprise, as this was the first time I've read a Taiwanese danmei. Premise is simple, with 1 and 0 both being influencers. 0 is easy-going and openly kind, a stark contrast to aloof and rigid 1 who puts up a cutsey front for his viewers. But 0 soon finds his way into 1's heart. It's a good story that adds something fresh to the typical 0 and 1 roles.

Spin-off to manga right before this one! This was a fun read, especially for the first chapters. 0 is a total slut who lives for pleasure. 1 is totally devoted to 0 and lives to serve him. One day, 0 realizes 1's feelings and that leads to him becoming a ho only for 1. It did end up kinda disappointing; 0's friends drugged him and it was all swept under the rug. Makes me cringe thinking just how bad 0's past was + how pitifully in love 1 was and is.

Yo, one of the few danmei I read through, completed, and really enjoyed. Probably also because this has sci-fi elements to it, which chinese in particular excel at. 0 was a spoiled asshole when he first met 1, but circumstances changed him to someone thoughtful and hardworking. 1 grew up repressing all emotions possible, even including his budding love for 0. They get a second chance through 1 getting amnesia, thus able to freely fall for the current 0. It's great.

I feel bad for not liking this as much as I could've. Seriously, I loved the grey morality and apocalyptic backdrop but...I read the novel and the ending gets. Weird. It's like author-shi tried to follow the impact of No. 6 with the Elyurias reveal, but couldn't quite reach the same level of pacing or message. I still liked this, I just felt disappointed at the direction in the latter half of the series.