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...
Hira is a socially awkward teenager who has never found himself fitting anywhere and is happy being invisible to everyone. In his final year in school, his parents move abroad, leaving Hira by himself alone at home. When new class starts, he is scared to introduce himself but entry of Kiyoi helps him from getting mocked at. Kiyoi soon becomes the most popularly in class and Hira finds himself getting extremely attracted towards him. But Kiyoi thinks Hira is creepy and gross and him along with his friends bully Hira all the time but Hira is more than happy to oblige since he thinks of Kiyoi as his king/master. One day Hira confesses his feelings to Kiyoi who is disgusted (although he does occasionally show some warmth to him). On the last day of school, Kiyoi even kisses him, only to snub him immediately after. In college, one year later, Hira has a new friend Koyama and it seems they both are in love. One day when they both are out watching a play, Hira sees Kiyoi as an actor there and all his feelings for him return back. Kiyoi still has the same magnetic effect on him leading Hira to even lie to his boyfriend. But in the end we finally understand that Kiyoi also has always loved Hira, but because of various reasons, he could never express himself. Even though Hira thinks of him as his master, but Kiyoi wants to be loved as his equal and not as his king.
As you can see from the story, this is not your typical BL drama. The characters here are extremely flawed. I mean, our lead falls in love wit his bully and the more he bullies, the more he gets attracted to him. The sinister narrative is interesting and makes you wonder about the psyche behind both these individuals. It actually made me think of the whole master-slave relationship in the gay world and what possible drives the slaves. Not to mention that Hira here is slave but its pretty much close. But the problem is that Kiyoi has genuinely insulted and bullied him on purpose, so in the last episode, him just confessing his love and justifying his actions didn't seem appropriate. If he was so much enjoying the attention he was given by Hira, I would have thought a different reaction rather than belittling your admirer. And Hira on the other hand is an extreme example of such low self-esteem that he falls for his bully to an unhealthy extent. As Hira's college boyfriend asks “I don’t understand why you like him,” I think this is a question that every single audience member will ask.
Even though the ending of the show is a happy one, I personally wish it was more realistic. The couple clearly can't have a future together, given their such difference in personalities and their compatibility. There are red flags all around. Hira would have been much better off with Koyama. This love story is toxic and ugly. I may not agree with it, but I am glad that someone tried to show a different facet of BL story and just for that I would recommend watching this show. (6.5/10)
Comments
Seeing "the effect" drama right before/after is definitely worth it for the more realistic and gloomy possible version.