I Ship My Rival x Me, Vol. 1
Story: Pepa
Art: Qualia
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment (Print & Digital)
Translation: Mimi
Publication Date: November 2024
Rating: Teen
Genre: Manhua, Webtoon, Boys’ Love
This review contains spoilers for I Ship My Rival x Me, Vol. 1.
The full-color manhua (comic) adaptation of the hit danmei/Boys’ Love novel! A lighthearted romantic comedy about two rookie actors who learn they’re being shipped online.
Wei Yanzi and Gu Yiliang burst onto the acting scene together, igniting a rivalry fueled by their shared debut. But while Gu Yiliang dazzles with his acting prowess and idol-worthy looks, Wei Yanzi finds himself in the shadow with only his striking appearance to boast. Amid the barrage of online hate from Gu Yiliang’s fervent admirers, Wei Yanzi’s patience wears thin.
When Wei Yanzi stumbles upon an online community totally convinced there’s a romantic entanglement between the two actors, he is initially shocked but soon finds solace in their speculation as he immerses himself in their discussions.
Though their relationship is purely professional, Wei Yanzi can’t shake the growing sense that maybe the shippers are onto something. As he spends more time with Gu Yiliang, lines blur, and Wei Yanzi begins to wonder if there might, after all, be truth behind the fan-fueled fantasies!
I received I Ship My Rival x Me from my platonic wife as a Christmas gift, and it was such a delightful surprise. She knows me so well—of course, she’d choose a fluffy BL guaranteed to make me kick my feet and squeal over every cute, awkward moment.
Originally a novel by Pepa, I Ship My Rival x Me was adapted into a webcomic with art by Qualia. It follows Wei Yanzi and Gu Yiliang, two rookie actors cast in a period drama together. The manhua opens with Wei Yanzi watching one of Gu Yiliang’s earlier performances and lamenting, “I’m currently watching a reel of my rival’s first acting gig post-debut. His skills betray a lack of experience… Still, even though I’d been edited into the same scene, he was already much better than me.” Just as he’s about to praise his rival’s acting to his assistant Xiao-chen, Gu Yiliang walks in—and catches him watching! To make it worse, Wei Yanzi thinks he was watching a fan video shipping them together! (Spoiler: he wasn’t.)
Though they’re close in age and represented by the same company, their distant public relationship leads fans to create drama, namely, fan wars, where there is none. Each fanbase criticizes the other, but Wei Yanzi ends up falling down a rabbit hole of fan edits and ship posts. He gets way too invested in the Niangzi ship.
After a shared bubble tea moment, the two add each other on WeChat, sparking the start of a beautiful friendship. Hehe.
While filming, Wei Yanzi realizes again how skilled Gu Yiliang is. One crew member, probably a PD, tells him, “Yanyan, you’ve memorized the lines, but your acting still needs some work.” Gu Yiliang offers to rehearse with him, prompting Wei Yanzi to internally gush that his rival is now his “most reliable support system.” (Aw.)
Later, Wei Yanzi uses his assistant’s Weibo account to stalk Niangzi shippers, following big fan accounts and lurking in the supertopic. Meanwhile, Gu Yiliang writes in his diary, noting that a very intense fan keeps DMing him warnings about his “rival.” This leads him to imagine Wei Yanzi as a shady, scheming figure capable of slicing him down with a single slash. But in real life? Wei Yanzi is a delicate, polite sweetheart. Gu Yiliang doesn’t quite understand his fans’ hatred, but assumes their intentions are good. After receiving a text from his father demanding money and another DM from that fan, Gu Yiliang feels even more dejected, until an encounter with Wei Yanzi unexpectedly lifts his mood. He ends his diary entry by writing that Wei Yanzi is cute. Not once. Not twice. FIVE times. These two are down so bad, and they don’t even know it yet.
The next day, Wei Yanzi is happily scrolling through Niangzi posts when Gu Yiliang shows up to let him know they have a fan meet. At the venue, both actors are blissfully unaware of the quiet but intense showdown between their divided fan bases, while shippers vibrate with either fear or excitement… maybe both. When Wei Yanzi and Gu Yiliang arrive, smiling and carrying snacks, both sides are stunned into silence. Gu Yiliang casually helps himself to some of Wei Yanzi’s snacks to offer his own fans (he didn’t bring any). Meanwhile, Wei Yanzi’s fans had thoughtfully brought him gifts. He offers to reimburse them, but they insist they made sure none of the younger fans chipped in—something he’d apparently worried about before. Good beans, all of them.
While signing autographs, one fan asks Wei Yanzi about the Niangzi ship. He masterfully dodges by referencing Niangzi A-ha lyrics from “Temptation of the Gentleman.” Gu Yiliang then swoops in like a true ship-feeder, calling Wei Yanzi over to take a photo together. This sends Wei Yanzi’s shipper soul into overdrive—did he do that on purpose?!
As the event ends, a Niangzi superfan approaches for an autograph. Wei Yanzi recognizes her as the author of spicy fanfics and thinks, “So while you guys were pretending to be my fans… you were secretly imagining my rival on top of me? Why am I the bottom?” (LOL Because you’re a delicate flower, my love!) Then Gu Yiliang strolls over and suggests they both sign it. He even writes his name right next to Wei Yanzi’s image! The fan and Wei Yanzi both short-circuit, and the fan runs off shouting that they shouldn’t smear the “work of art.” Iconic.
Back on set, Gu Yiliang learns Wei Yanzi can memorize everyone’s lines after reading them a few times, though he forgets them quickly to avoid “wasting brain space.” Impressed, Gu Yiliang invites him to practice together. Cue more chaos: Xiao-chen overhears something about a “shower” and jumps to wild conclusions. He even texts Wei Yanzi to ask if he’s seducing Gu Yiliang to rob him of his money or bodily autonomy. Wei Yanzi blocks him. (Temporarily. I think.)
That invitation to practice together turns into a dinner invitation after Wei Yanzi scolds Xiao-chen for dropping all his makeup. Xiao-chen, flustered, insists he’ll cover for them. Gu Yiliang wonders if this is a skit, but Wei Yanzi grabs his “rival” and runs. On the way out, Gu Yiliang yanks a partially opened drink from Wei Yanzi’s hand, warning him it could’ve been tampered with. Wei Yanzi insists it was probably just misplaced by accident. Gu Yiliang, dead serious, warns him that people can take things too far—and those consequences last.
At dinner, Gu Yiliang sweetly orders honey tea for Wei Yanzi, who internally swoons: “He even remembered that bottle of honey tea I didn’t get to drink earlier? Three cheers for that boyfriend charm!” The two eat together in sync, constantly reaching for the same dishes. Absolute couple behavior.
Afterward, during a smoke break, Gu Yiliang takes out his phone to snap a selfie (does anyone say “wefie” anymore?) when Wei Yanzi spots a cat photo. He blurts out, “Is that the cat you found in that video?” accidentally revealing that he’s been watching Gu Yiliang’s videos since before they became friends. Busted.
Before they can recover from the moment, a classically beautiful woman appears, looking for Gu Yiliang. Wei Yanzi, feeling awkward and a little jealous, recalls how he ships Niangzi—even though both men are straight (allegedly).
The woman scolds Gu Yiliang for not greeting her, prompting him to grimly say, “This is my stepmom.” With absolutely unhinged comedic timing, Wei Yanzi blurts out “MOM.” (Even the comic makes a note of this.) Gu Yiliang stifles laughter while Wei Yanzi corrects himself to “auntie,” deeply offending her because she doesn’t feel old enough to be called that way.
While Gu Yiliang talks to her privately, Wei Yanzi eavesdrops. She demands 30 million yuan, on top of the 300,000 he already sent to his father. She threatens to leak documents to the press. Wei Yanzi volunteers to read them—and absolutely shreds every single point. Shocked, she asks, “Are you his manager?” and he smiles, “I’m his rival.”
The final document references a hit-and-run medical report. Wei Yanzi grills Gu Yiliang about it, but learns none of it was his fault. He then scolds the stepmom, saying her leverage is useless, and even vows to spend 30 million himself to clean up Gu Yiliang’s image if needed. In the end, Gu Yiliang agrees to send 300,000 yuan monthly. As his stepmom is about to argue, Xiao-chen appears with security like a ninja.
Later, Gu Yiliang asks how Wei Yanzi remembered everything. “I just have a good memory,” Wei Yanzi says. Then Gu Yiliang hits us with: “So, it doesn’t take up any space in your brain to remember things about me?” And Wei Yanzi replies: “Actually, it’s the opposite. You’re all I can seem to think about.” AAAAAHHHH!!!
I Ship My Rival x Me is an absolute delight—a feast for the eyes and the soul. The art is gorgeous, with chibi moments and hilariously exaggerated expressions sprinkled throughout. Every character, especially our beloved Niangzi couple, feels unique and memorable, both visually and in personality.
As I said before, I love fluffy BL. There’s something so special about it that captures the feeling of falling in love for the first time. This is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who feels the same.
I Ship My Rival x Me Vol. 1 was released on November 19, 2024, by Seven Seas Entertainment. Volume 3 is slated for release this month, on the 13th.
