I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
Daniel and Mateo have been friend since they were little. Daniel has had an abusive father whose always beating his mother and Mateo comes from a broken family where his mother is forever working. The school they study in has a strict principal, who is very partial to her nephew Lucas , who is clearly the biggest bully in the school. Daniel has a crush on Mateo, and when Daniel see Mateo make out with a girl, he cant hold in anymore and tells Mateo about his feelings. Thankfully Mateo feels the same and they are both in a happy space in love. Meanwhile we see issues of Lucas and his friends bullying other students, like a obese girl, who Lucas ends up raping, a guy who likes to dress like girls, etc. Mateo joins a human rights group to protest against the principal but he doesn't get much support. when the girl who liked Mateo finds out about him and Daniel, she goes crazy and makes this information public. Daniel is too scared of his father so refuses to acknowledge his love for Mateo. Mateo eventually cant take rejection anymore and decides to end his life because he feels there is no point in living if you cant live the way you want to.
This could be an interesting study for adults. We need to love our kids, no matter what with unconditional love, unless of course they are rapists. You want Mateo to fight for causes and he does, but when he gets rejected by his ultimate love, he cant take it anymore. And this is not to blame Daniel. A lot of folks live in fear of their families, and this is a sad reflection of the arrogant and intolerant society that we live in. Young teens giving up their lives because of homophobia etc is not new but you feel bad when you see this happening. I wish the end of the film was more on a positive note which would at least give hope to young adults and not leave them in despair. This would be my one issue with the film along with the fact that the film was all over the place. I do feel though, that this could be a good portrayal in a digital series format because most of the issues shown are still quite relevant.
Don't expect a gay love story here. Yes, it is one of the themes, but the film is more about tolerance and high school bullying and discrimination, which of course talks about love between 2 boys at its core. (5/10)
Comments