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...
Takara and Amagi are high school students in same class. Takara is popular and constantly gets compliments from girls, while Amagi is just a regular lad but a happy go lucky kid. Of Latem the boy boys have been throwing secret glances at each other and one day after school, Amagi suddenly confesses his feelings to Takara on how much he likes him. To his surprise, Takara agrees to be his boyfriend. They begin dating, but their unlikely relationship remains a secret from the rest of the school. But navigating their own feelings v/s letting their friends know about it is a constant bone of contention between the two. Feeling troubled, Amagi shares these relationship problems with Katori, his best friend. Amagi speaks vaguely and never discloses Takara's identity. Yet, Katori figures out his friend's secret romance. Katori quietly supports Amagi, providing love advice without exposing the truth. Meanwhile, there is also sexual aspect where Takara feels physical intimacy is important, but every time he makes an advance, Amagi seems nervous and admits to being sexually inexperienced. Over a period of time, with use other friends, the truth eventually comes out and the couple carefully navigates their love and relationship filled with emotional and physical intimacy.
The beginning of the show was pretty lousy where we are shown a crying Amagi kind of breaking up. The protagonists seem insecure and oversensitive to little problems in their relationship. But slowly it starts to unfold why. But that's not the problem . The issue here is the background. We are never told why a standoff isa and such a duo character like Takara is so popular in high school. Sure he is good looking but he is got to be one of most boring and dull personalities I have seen for a lead character. Amagi, on the contrast, feels more chill, happy go lucky. This is an unlikely pair and I have mixed feelings about their romance unfolds on the screen. You have to remember thatches are mid teens who do not understand what love really is. They don't always respond to their feelings elegantly. They get upset, misunderstand each other, and stew in unhappy thoughts. However, working through the issues is a part of their journey to become better boyfriends. But unfortunately, the whole thing just keeps repeating in different scenarios for al the 8 episodes, where these 2 boys endlessly reflecting on the nature of their relationship, and on how that relationship would be treated by their social peers. So overall the narrative felt very aimless. I just wasn't sure what the makers are trying to go for here. The two good things about the show were the two best friends that both these guys had. They were colorful characters and deserve their own spin off. The repeated conflicts of the leads gets very tiring very soon. Overall, a show which is not sure in what it really wants to portray with two very boring charmless leads who don't even try to raise up the already boring plot. Its a shame, because Japanese folks know hw to make a decent BL story. (3.5/10)
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