*This review might contain spoilers*
I am a sucker for a well developed friends-to-lovers story. In romancelandia and even the BL world, the overrated enemies-to-lovers trope is way more popular, probably because the spark is more evident from the beginning. But, Plus & Minus is a fantastic example of why friends-to-lovers works so wonderfully if done well and its definitely in the 10 best shows I have watched this year!
The story of Plus & Minus is pretty straightforward—Zheng Ze Shou and Fu Li Gong have been friends since they were kids. They have been BFFs through school and college, and are now roommates, colleagues and brothers to each other. They are both lawyers in the same office and practically spend all their time together. We find out that Fu Li Gong has always liked Ze Shou and the drama shows us how these best friends fall in love with each other.
Immediately, I loved this show for not showing Fu Li Gong as a pathetic sappy lovelorn friend to Ze Shou. Li Gong loves Ze Shou, but he treasures their friendship a lot more, and stands with his friend no matter what. He is not just waiting around hoping his friend returns his feelings. In fact, he has pretty much accepted that his love is one-sided and plans to keep it a secret for the sake of their best-friendship. It is simply fate that Ze Shou comes to like Li Gong back, and their romance begins.
Plus & Minus is not love at first sight but the magic of love at 1000th sight. Ze Shou and Li Gong have a warm, emotionally intimate and close relationship full of trust and support before the love story even begins! This means that when their relationship does start, it’s a happy and strong relationship based in a lifetime’s worth of shared memories. Their’s is a relationship based on the simple fact of enjoying each other’s company, instead of something more superficial or shallow.
Their hesitation and confusion seems incredibly real and nuanced as well. You feel for Li Gong as he struggles with his feelings because he does not want to rock the ship and lose the most important person in his life. And when he does reveal his feelings, Ze Shou reciprocates because he feels similarly for Li Gong. These two are soulmates, whether as best friends or romantic partners. I also loved seeing them slowly transition from being best friends to being lovers—it was just them layering on more physical intimacy on the strong foundation of love and trust they already had.
Max Lin and Shi Cheng Hao as Ze Shou and Li Gong are INCREDIBLE. Seriously, these two have rocketed up the drama power-couple’s list to be in my top 5, easy. I know I have talked about chemistry with other actor pairs, but these two take it to a different level. They are just so obviously comfortable with each other—there is no embarrassment whether its an intimate scene or a moment of vulnerability. They don’t hold their bodies back from each other and so their kisses and touches feel like you are watching a real couple. The BTS shooting takes are a testament to this fact.
Speaking of the skinship, its A+. Seriously. Ze Shou and Li Gong are not a couple where they have one or two steamy scenes while acting distant the rest of the time. No. They look at each other with pure, unadulterated affection and like any real couple, they are constantly physically close. Their kisses are great, but it does not end there. They always have their hands around each other, give each other small pecks for encouragement, give kisses on the cheek etc. that makes their interaction feel so wholesome and believable!
I think Max Lin and Cheng Hao threw themselves in these roles because they do a phenomenal job. Their friendship is just as believable as their romantic relationship and that is so important for this story. Their relationship does not feel shoehorned in but like a real evolution of their feelings and mutual respect for one another.
Relatedly, I LOVE this drama for ending the show with Ze Shou and Li Gong’s marriage. It is such important representation for same-sex couples but also it makes so much sense! These two have known each for a lifetime, so they just skip the “getting-to-know-you” phase. It does not feel rushed at all because the history is there. Honestly, I did not like the second couple in this show because its a love-at-first-sight trope which felt too shallow and inconsequential in front of Ze Shou and Li Gong’s beautifully intimate story.
I cannot recommend Plus & Minus enough. This is one of the best, least-problematic BL shows I have seen. In fact, it’s just a great romance drama that would suit any asian drama viewer. My love for the show has only increased knowing that Cheng Hao and Max Lin have actually started dating each other in real life as a consequence of working together in this drama! Can we please have more dramas where these two are paired opposite each other? I just need to see more of them looking adoringly into each other’s eyes.
This one is a definite must-watch! ❤
