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...
We meet Caz, who we are later told is a trans man, helping out trans people in community with various activities. People look uptown him. His lover is a famous sportsman, who is actually married. After his unexpected death, even after months, Can is heartbroken and doesn't know what to do. This is when he decides to move back to his town Rurangi to reconnect with his origin. It's been 10 years since he left the town. He is scared because he doesn't want the town to talk about him. He is surprised that people hardly recognize him, including his best friend Anahera, who is on her own journey to connect with her Māori roots, and high school boyfriend Jem, who is surprised but also very happy to see Caz back. He has been lonely and part of him still loves Caz as the person and not the gender. Of course the biggest issue is Caz reconnecting with dad. It seems that its not the transition that has ben a problem for him, but its the fact that Caz didn't even bother to attend hi s mother's funeral when she passed away few years back. He's also under a lot of stress because he's in the middle of a land rights dispute, with a lot of local people depending on him. IN a very sensitive, emotional and journey journey, we see how this group of people stand for each other and are there for each other in a beautifully executed journey and finale.
The core of the series/film is Caz's strained relationship with his father. It is touching to see the delicately evolving relationship between the two men from a state of indifference, to reconciliation, and then a lovely tenderness. And this has been done with so much respect and dignity without making it an over the top drama. Th beauty with which Caz's best friend Anahera takes him in and supports him is also done well. Of course she is also character who is exploring her sexuality. Having said that, Jem's character was one of my favorite in the film. There is a beautifully fluid sexuality and intriguing optimism about this character, who initially recoils at the suggestion that he might be something other than straight, but finds that old passions are easily re-ignited, regardless of gender. He is clumsy, falling over his words but something tells you how much in love this person is with Caz. The scenes involving the two of them are magical. This show is an authentic account of a specific trans experience that we have not seen very much on the screen before. It is an interesting character study. And the fact that all trans roles have been played by real trans people makes it even more special.
The series ends with Caz informing the town who is. I'd very curious to know how he will now eventually settle back into the community and how they will accept him. Definitely worth watching. (8/10)
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