"Counterattack" was a drama that took me awhile to want to watch. Addicted(Heroin) introduced me to Chinese gay web dramas and when you start with an amazing drama such as that, its kind of hard to top. This drama's name came up a few times in conversations about Heroin like the series where a buy one get on free deal but the poster to me just didn't look like something that would replace the gapping hole that Heroin left in my heart. Being a homosexual with a desire to support certain things gay caused me to break down and finally take a look at "Counterattack".
Take a poor guy who is dumped by his girlfriend for a rich gangster and give him a revenge plot to seduce her new boyfriend and you have Counterattack. A great story idea for a gay drama but does the production and acting tell this story well enough?
I'm guessing "Counterattack" was filmed mostly in Shanghai China as the outdoor scenes give off that muggy city appearance. You only see the same four or five places besides the sudden walking scenes with our couple but Chinese web dramas know how to take a little and make it a lot. A popular spot was the doctor's office owned by one of the main character's friend who is cute as a button but a know it all at the same time. I'm confused if this doctor's office turned into a hotel at night because it always seemed to be our couple meeting here and spending time together. All the gay web drama probably film in the same club cause its starting to look similar. Adding a random couch chair here and there does not account for it being a different club. I do love how the club was actually a gay one this time around. 10 points to you mister director. Other scenes include mister gangster's mother's home or mister gangster's personal home. Both are very expensive looking homes so much so that you wonder how a person had to kill or what stripper pole his mother swung off of in order to get such houses. I enjoyed the outside scenes when the two guy where walking in a park full of nicely colored green grass and forest filled trees with huge leafs.
Directors of these type of web dramas love their peeper stalker shots when presenting their work to an audience through the eyes of their cameras. Those corner shots during scenes that the nasty was being done in the doctor's office(??) left a very good view of some rear end action. You better have the tissues ready for that blood that might come sliding out of your nose. You will thank me later. I also noticed a scene when the two main actors are on the balcony of gangster guy's house talking to each other. The camera shot catches the couple from far away like we as the audience are stalking them from behind the trees. I feel dirty now. Just because this director is a perv doesn't mean he is skimpy with the close up shots of our fellow actors and actresses. He gives you many chances to take in all the emotional interactions you need. Sometimes I couldn't handle the shots showing all the pined up sexual frustration that the acting portrayed.
We might as well discuss that acting aspect of "Counterattack" while we're on the topic. Nothing really to write to the Oscars about to be honest. Everyone was believable but not enough for me to but my heart into their character's lives. First, this guy wants to take revenge of his ex girl friend by seducing her boyfriend but he doesn't actually know how to go about it. Can't say I believe a guy with his type of personality would follow through with a plan like this in real life. He is a complete airhead for one and he could keep his girlfriend so he going to call himself seducing someone? I think I like him because he is so carefree but that carefree side causes his character to get too easily influenced by others around him. Having your friend give you advice by pulling the cover over your eyes while he leads you to get raped by a very manly guy is not the way to go. The Doctor friend was hurt for more of a storyline and it was kind of say. He pretty much just played coach who watched his friend form a relationship with a guy who could break him into piece then put him back together as many times as he wants. Gangster guy made the whole drama with is rough approach to communication. He didn't care about anything expect making the poor guy his emotionally and physically. The physical part seemed to override everything else considering he didn't take "No"for answer. I loved everything about his solution to his acting for each situation. Push me and I'll push back twice as hard until you give in, this seems to be his ideology. That smirk of his will make anyone run for the hills because thats the warning that he's coming after you. That might not be a bad thing for some of you. *wink* *wink*. Our female leads are so annoying that you could see why nobody wanted to mess with them in the drama. I don't feel that they serve any real purpose as only to fill in scenes to take up time that could have been spent developing other character's stories. I enjoyed mother and son with family scenes because you learn more background info but each episode is only eleven minutes in length. I still don't know much about where the Doctor's story begins or ends. A relationship is suppose to be there for him somewhere.
The Chinese government and their censor system fucks up most great gay web series with their editing. "Counterattack" was edited so much that you became confuse on what stance the two guys had in their relationship. A big part of their conflict was being intimate with each other. Also putting everything on the line and being a real couple. All of these elements got spoiled when a kiss or a sex scenes was taken out because it was deemed "unfit" for viewing in China. Then viewers are left in the dark and confused on why a certain actor is acting the way that he is causing you to search for the unedited version to see what you missed. None had any growth except the main couple by the time season one was concluded. It was interesting to see a guy with nothing but revenge turn into someone with confidence and is loved by someone with such force that he doesn't realize how much this love changed him for the better. Life takes you to unplanned destinations all the time. Remember that.
"Counterattack" was expected to disappoint me with a cliffhanger during it's season final causing the whole series to feel horribly incomplete but the extra episode saved the series. Not to mention the kick ass ending to the season that had me on my feet cheering. The extra episode gives the series a little more of a ending than if you were just left wondering if this couple turned out happy. I recommend you not compare "Counterattack" to "Addicted". The comparison will only create reasons for you to not like the drama based on bias. Go in with an open mind and experience this drama for what it is, a fun dysfunctional train wreck.
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