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...
Tadashi is a high school student struggling / figuring out his sexuality. He is in love with his best friend and is actually called names like pansy and stuff by the schoolmates which force him to go deeper in his shell. One day while he's riding the train, he sees a gay couple and he follows them just out of curiosity. While one of them goes for his job, the other goes home while Tadashi is following him and the gets in an accident. Since the couple is not officially married, the hospital calls his mother. If not for Tadashi running to inform his partner about the accident, he would never have known. There is also a plot line about the gay couple themselves, and how they feel like they are being treated by society, and their families. The gay couple also has a close friend who sleeps around and stays with different friends and often complains about not having a boyfriend. When this guy meets our boy Tadashi at hospital, he feels there is a chance. The few days Tadashi spends with the couple boosts his confidence. He becomes confident of his sexuality and tells his closest friend he is gay and proud. The film ends with the couple getting married and Tadashi and the couple's friend getting together on a date.
As you can see the story is pretty basic here. At first I felt there are some parallel stories going on because we see Tadashi's angle, the gay couple angle and then the couple's friend who is forever flirting and looking for sex and complaining about not having a partner. Its only after sometimes it all comes together. But despite a short running time, some of these scenes feels so stretched out unnecessarily. There are more than a few scenes where this friend spends time in bars or at other people's houses, which doesn't add much to the story except probably highlight that he is quite lonely. The gay couple spends a lot of time talking about job and whether or not to get married. There are also two very awkward sex scenes. I have seen in a couple other Japanese films from old school, where they would grab the other person's dick and play with it. I don't know whey but such explicit sexual scenes in this (including one scene in the beginning where Tadashi fantasizes about his best friend raping him) were so not needed in an otherwise story which is trying to make a statement. The acting was strictly ok. (4.5/10)
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