A drama about love, relationships, and sex. Before watching Netflix's new Taiwanese Drama, Let's Talk About CHU, here's what to expect.
Taiwan produces the best sex-positive dramas. Their open mindset towards love and sex is a rarity on this side of the world, so real and touching dramas like ‘Let’s Talk About CHU’ are hard to come by.
I hesitated before watching this one since my last Taiwanese drama, ‘At The Moment,’ really raised my expectations for Taiwanese dramas. It was raw and relatable and I worried Let’s Talk About CHU wouldn’t match those standards.
I watched Taiwanese dramas growing up, so I remember them being sappy romcoms with an insane plot twist haphazardly thrown in. But Taiwan’s really been embracing these more realistic and touching stories lately, and I’m all for it!
Let's Talk About CHU has some classic tropes, but they lay the foundations for a deeper story instead of being the main plot. We have the professor and student trope, the prince and pauper trope, and the straight man turns out to be gay trope. Let’s Talke About CHU combines them to discuss the hard reality behind these tropes.
How Many Episodes of Let’s Talk About CHU Are There?
There are eight episodes, each lasting one hour. You can easily binge the entire series in one day or weekend. Netflix describes it as a light-hearted family comedy that's perfect for sitting on the couch and unwinding.
Is Let’s Talk About CHU Worth Watching?
The drama's main cast comprises Chan Tzu-hsuan, JC Lin, Wu Chien-ho, Kimi Hsia, and Miao Ke-li—a mixture of established and emerging talents. The acting was done well, making the story raw and believable. I especially enjoyed Chan Tzu-hsuan’s portrayal of the complex emotions she experienced in the show's latter half.
Beyond the cast’s work, the storyline is compelling and worth the 8 hours I spent watching it. The plot follows the story of 3 siblings, each experiencing their own troubles in paradise while also trying to salvage whatever’s left of their parent's marriage.
There's not a lot of intense dramas in this one, but a lot of sex. Everyone’s outlook on relationships and sex is different, so if you’re not open-minded on this subject, please be warned.
However, if you want a more realistic portrayal of sexual relationships, you’ll enjoy this light-hearted drama. While most dramas play on sexual tension and drag it out for our entertainment, this drama cuts the BS and goes straight to what happens after Cinderella and Prince Charming get married.
From friends with benefits to marital affairs, it covers many situations and emotions many can relate to.
While there are multiple steamy scenes and lots of talk about STDs (be sure to watch the credit scenes), I found the sex was quite meaningless in advancing the plot. It was more of a sex-positive message for the audience; which I can appreciate and was refreshing to watch.
With a low MyDramaList rating of 7.8/10, it might not be your typical cliche drama, but it hits all the right spots and gives you good vibes;) Bonus points to the editors for the lack of sappy romantic BGM during kiss scenes.
Potentially one of the most underrated dramas of 2024, it’s definitely worth a watch in my books.
SPOILERS AHEAD - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
What is Let’s Talk About CHU About?
While Chu Ai’s story dominates the series, we still learn much about her family and their stories. Depending on your own experiences, you’ll likely find one character more relatable than the other, but all their stories are intriguing and enjoyable to watch.
Chu Ai was traumatized as a child and doesn’t believe in love and long-term commitment. Her story is the most relatable for the younger crowd since most can understand the fear of commitment in today’s dating scene; it's rough out there.
Chu Wei is the older sister who married her college professor, but the sparks stopped flying as time passed. Her story has many similarities with their parent's story. Both relationships are tested by time and temptations.
Finally, the fan-favorite Yu Sen’s story. Yu Sen struggles with an unsatisfying relationship where he suppresses his own needs for his boyfriend. But this card shark eventually meets his perfect gangster, and the two eventually find fulfillment in one another. If you’re a BL fan, you’re gonna like this one!
Will there be a Season 2?
The short answer is probably not. Taiwanese serial dramas often only have one season. This season also ended with all loose ends tied, which means there was no intention of a second season.
If Let’s Talk About CHU season 2 does come out, it’ll likely be on Netflix. While I doubt there will be a second season, I do wonder how they would continue this story. Would they add new characters or dive deeper into the original stories?
What's Next?
This is usually the part where I recommend other drama reviews. But since I currently have none, I’m dismissing class early and letting you all be free from the doom cycle.
If you’re looking for something to soothe your craving for another sexy but not too-sexy drama, try Hit the Spot next. It's another mature drama about finding pleasure and fulfillment in a relationship.
