No. 1 For You – Drama Review & Episode Guide

OK story

The story in No. 1 For You was…fine. It was a pretty typical story for a BL drama. Originally, I liked the exciting premise behind No. 1 For You, which focused on the two rivals competing against each other in school, sports & everything else. There could've been so much storytelling potential in the competitive dynamic between Shu Yi and Shi De. Unfortunately, they didn't explore this concept beyond a small handful of scenes.

What we got instead were a bunch of ordinary plots about love triangles, unrequited crushes, and obsessive stalker plots masquerading as romantic gestures. It's such a shame because they had an opportunity to tell a unique BL story from a creative angle. Instead, No. 1 For You squandered all the potential with the most generic storylines possible.

Shi De

I had a particularly hard time connecting with Shi De's character. Here's a guy blessed with good looks, athletic genes, high intellect, and an unbreakable winning streak. By all means, he should be calm, confident, and capable. Yet, Shi De is so peculiar, emotionally stunted, and socially awkward around Shu Yi. What we see outside on the perfect package doesn't seem to match the damaged goods that we get inside.

Shi De goes overboard in all his interactions with Shu Yi. The kissing, the blackmailing, the stalking… He's super intense and it's way too much. While Shi De is a very smart and calculating character, nothing he does feels logical or sensible. His actions don't make sense, his feelings don't seem authentic, and he just doesn't behave like a real person. I don't understand why Shi De is obsessed over some infantile childhood crush from over a decade ago. I don't understand him at all.

Shu Yi and Shi De

I do like Shu Yi and Shi De as a couple, but it took them too long to get together. It's weird how slowly their relationship progressed, because there were so many instances that Shi De made his feelings blatantly clear. He literally kissed Shu Yi on the lips by the end of Episode 1! He outright professed his love to Shu Yi in Episode 3! I don't know why it took Shu Yi until endgame to notice that Shi De has been crushing on him pretty hard. Um hello, it's pretty obvious? Did you not notice all the hints along the way?

Once they officially got together, that's when No. 1 For You hit its stride for me. As a couple, we got to see a different side to the main characters. Plus, all of Shi De and Shu Yi's interactions were adorable together. Unfortunately, this was also the final episode, and it's such a pity that we didn't see more of their relationship until the end.

We really didn't need five whole episodes of Shi De pining after Shu Yi. They could've become a couple sooner, and a few of those episodes would be better utilized to portray their relationship scenes instead.

Bing Wei and Zhe Yu

Okay, here's a secondary romance that got almost no development. I didn't know who these two irrelevant characters were, and didn't care about why they were attracted to each other. Apparently, Zhe Yu was supposed to have a secret crush on Shi De, which was so strange because they barely shared any scenes together.

Both Bing Wei and Zhe Yu felt like entirely disposable characters, like a footnote to the main romance. It's clear that No. 1 For You didn't care much about developing their relationship. For me, they should've just scrapped this romance altogether.

Decent acting

The acting was pretty decent. I thought both actors did an acceptable job with the material they were given. The script itself is a little limiting, so it's tough to evoke a strong acting performance from these basic storylines.

The best part about the actors is their kissing. You can tell they're very immersive with their kisses, and it's refreshing to see from BL actors.

Shu Yi

Out of everyone, Shu Yi felt like the most authentic character in the series. Yeah, he's moody, immature, and a little mouthy, but that actually makes his personality more believable. Most of the other characters in No. 1 For You were pretty one-dimensional, whereas Shu Yi seemed a lot more dynamic. He had character development, an emotional complexity, and a natural likability that made him interesting to watch.

Shou Yi

Sorry for being completely shallow, but please allow me the opportunity to fangirl over THE HOT DOCTOR. 🤤 I was pretty much obsessed with Shou Yi's character from start to finish, and it was all because of superficial reasons. Look at this tall drink of water, just oozing raw masculine sex appeal without even trying. I was salivating every time he appeared on screen.

A fun piece of trivia is that Shou Yi's actor (Ray Chang) starred in the 2006 movie Eternal Summer, which was one of the pioneers in LGBT films in East Asia. He won a Golden Horse Award for his performance.

Shirtless

There was a lengthy scene with lots of shirtless actors in the first episode. A swimming competition was taking place, so it was the perfect excuse to showcase the actors physically. We got to see a lot of pecs, abs, and V-shaped abdomens. However, this was the only shirtless segment in the entire series. Nobody strips off in the rest of the episodes.

Stalking

I can't be the only one who thought Shi De came across as a creepy stalker, right? Remember the time he deliberately broke all the doors in a room, so that he'd get locked up inside with Shu Yi overnight? Um, that's like something I'd expect while watching a serial killer before he kills his victim… 😨

Your mileage may vary, but I found Shi De's feelings towards Shu Yi to be unhealthy and obsessive. The intensity of his actions seems disproportionate, especially since Shu Yi didn't reciprocate these feelings from the start. In the real world, Shi De's actions would warrant some sort of lifelong restraining order.

The kiss at the bridge

I love all the kisses in No. 1 For You, but the kiss at the bridge was definitely the most memorable moment. At the end of Episode 5, Shu Yi confesses his love for Shi De, culminating in an emotionally charged kiss on the bridge. They picked the perfect time and location to shoot this scene. There was a gorgeous view on the bridge, overlooking the picturesque city landscape in the middle of the night. The aesthetics looked so modern, so elegant, and so special.

This kiss was the much anticipated climax of the love story between Shu Yi and Shi De. No. 1 For You nailed the moment perfectly with a powerful emotional buildup, beautiful cinematography, and a very intimate kiss. Everything I wanted out of this moment was divinely executed, and this has to be the most successful scene in the entire series.

The secondary characters

I thought most of the secondary characters in this drama were uninteresting and undeveloped. No. 1 For You should have trimmed the supporting cast, because they just didn't have enough material for all five secondary characters. They served no purpose and their content was really stretching thin. Definitely keep the hot doctor character, but we could've easily scrapped (at least) two of the four generic friends, combining all their storylines together.

With a smaller cast, each secondary character would get more development. Plus, the storylines wouldn't have felt as scattered and all over the place.

Poor ending

The ending in No. 1 For You was pretty lacklustre, to be honest. Just when the two guys finally got together, they had to separate again because Shi De must go to America for a few months. Sure, they continue having a long-distance relationship, but it's such a weird, open-ended way to conclude the show. Technically, Shu Yi and Shi De are together, but also not really?

If you watched the side story special, the ending is even more confusing. Shu Yi randomly sees Shi De holding a baby with some woman, and then decides to break up without any other explanation. Okay, that makes NO sense whatsoever. I don't know if the special is supposed to be part of the canon storyline, but it was a sloppy mess.

Sequel

The good news is that No. 1 For You has a sequel series, Fighting Mr. 2nd, which takes place a few years later. This means the ending we see here isn't the actual conclusion, but more like a stopping point in the middle of the story. For this reason, I'm going to be more lenient towards the unsatisfying ending in No. 1 For You, knowing that the story will continue in another series. I'm actually kind of excited about this sequel, and hope that they made some improvements over the first season.