Skip to main content

Journey With You (Chinese Series)

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...

His Bite Love (Thai Series)

Its a shame when you know that a show could have been better with proper editing and screenplay, but instead you get the same old drama, where all girls are made to be the bad people, almost everyone's BL be suddenly accepted because of these bad girls. There are almost 3 parallel love stories happening in the high school drama, but suddenly the makers decide to add. A murder mystery sort of elect , which is a total rip off of 'Elite", th famous show. It's impossible to endorse the tacky plots, toxic relationships, and vile behaviour in this show, but there are naughty and some goofy parts also to it which make it a bit watchable. If you don't take the show seriously, you may actually end u finding it bearable and watchable. The show has 6 episodes each of about 50 minutes, with a promise that they will come up with a sequel.

Ken and Shokun secretly hook up around school Since Ken is in football team , he doesn't want anyone to know but Shokun has had enough and eventually breaks up with Ken. Son, Shokun meets Matteo, who is the school student's body president. Shokun needs funds for music club, so he agrees to date Matteo to get those funds approved. But he doesn't know that Matteo is heavily into BDSM stuff. Despite his reservations, he goes all in, because at some point he also feels genuine love and affection also from Matteo. Our next couple is Burger and King. Due to a misunderstanding, King gets this feeling that Burger likes him and he starts pursuing it. It's only later he finds out that Burger actually likes a girl who in turn likes King and Burger was just trying to get the two together. Their friendship suddenly turns awkward because now King has fallen for Burger but his emotions are still not clear. And finally we have a guy names Saint, who is friends with Matteo. He has girlfriend but he is always hesistant to take into the next level of physical intimacy with her. Saint's half brother Hida lives with them and clearly has more than brotherly feelings for Saint, but he doesn't know how to make Saint stop seeing the girlfriend. In all this we have the girl that Ken is dating to keep his gay identity a secret and another girl , whom Saint was seeing, who is not as innocent as it seems. The final episode thrown in a potential murder situation where all these love stories and friendships are tested.

Supposedly set in high school situation, it was weird watching this show, because there is way too much skin in the show and I am not sure if it is supposed to be appropriate for the setting of the show. All th boys are forever in the shortest of shorts and pose seductively time and again. There are also quite. About of naughty jokes, some of which are funny and others just fall flat. It wants to be a love story, but often it feels plain sleazy. The whole Matteo and Shokun thing and Matteo being addicted to DBSM had no real relevance to the story, except trying to make the show scandalous. The show is unabashed about sex. These horny teenagers wanna screw each other! The series teases numerous saucy encounters that are visually titillating. The BL drama speaks candidly about erotic desires. Let's talk about the couples. Shokun, for all the love talks that he does and wants a boyfriend; bot hhis romances are shallow and strictly base don physical intimacy.Their scenes only revolve around sex instead of building an emotional connection. Furthermore, Shogun constantly equates his love to how much he can pleasure another man. The story Burger and King is the only decent one and it is worth watchable, primarily because of the actor playing Burger. His goofy, innocent personality comes live on the screen. The pair charms with their goofy exchanges and compatible chemistry, even though they do not get a clear ending and conclusion. The whole Saint and his half-brother situation felt very much like an after thought and had no real significance in my opinion. 

As mentioned before, the story suddenly turns to a murder mystery with two cops investigating all students and it's obvious it's a rip off of Elite. As tensions explode, the unhinged finale is messy yet morbidly entertaining. I have very mixed feelings about the show. It really has a baseless plot line and it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to execution, but then also it is after a very long time that I binge watched the entire series in one go. Was it because I was secretly enjoying it, or was it because I just couldn't wait it to end son enough. You make your own choice. For me, the show gets a wicked thrill from being morally depraved. Giving a high review score may implicitly support its harmful ideas. (5/10)

Comments

Golu said…
Miss.. not sure why your comments are not showing up here. This is so bizarre. Pasting here now

"Deja vu... I tried to warn you, really I did, obviously not enough :D Why did you punish yourself with this... thing - ? Have you committed some serious crime or sth?

I watched the E0 or "making of" before the actual show was aired and well, they talked the talk alright. They seemed to have some ideas and had an actual BDSM-practicing consultant on set, but the end result turned out SO fragmented and disconnected that it was painful to watch. Physically painful. The scene where Matteo ( = an underage teenager) opens his wardrobe and reveals what appears to be a filial branch of The Sex Machines Museum of Prague - I had a just expectation to feel nostalgia (it is a really well compiled exhibit and fits with the overall vibe of Prague) and I didn't. There were cringe after cringe after cringe and then the dead body. Like - what? I felt the "Elite" knock-off, too, just like you. It felt so out of the story and awkward.

And holy bagpipe, those mini shorts :D That takes the cake here. If these were skirts instead of shorts, an inch shorter and they would have been called belts :D Fascinating how one piece of clothing can cause such a huge visual clash - like kindergarten kids discussing BDSM. Creepy.

@Sailor Maan - congratulations, you have created A TERM :D I hope you are ready for fangirling translators :D"
Golu said…
you are absolutely right. This was almost feeling like a paedophile watching high school kids in their tiny short shorts and talking about BDSM in what. was a display of a professional.
Miisu said…
Exactly - I feel strange enough about myself most of the time, suspecting myself of pedophilia is not a thing I'd need, chrissake. OK, I understand that in a hot climate it's not healthy to incubate the crown jewels, hence the short sleeves and breeches, but these children in those extra mini mini shorts... Eww. Reminded me of "Diamonds Are Forever", when Bond said "That's quite a nice little nothing you're almost wearing."

Speaking of suspicions - why am I smelling "50 Shades" here...
Golu said…
50 shades in a very kid sort of environment.
Sailor Maan said…
Ok not my favourite, but not as horrible as I first thought it was. I had tried to watch it a first time and couldn't finish first half of first episode, totally feeling like a dirty pedophile lol. Then after your review I decided to give it another chance and it wasn't that bad after all. It's unexplicably endearing, I wanted to know the end. I still think they crossed the line though. Those tiny shorty shorts orgy will kill me. I actually got surprised (and momentarily relieved) when one of them wore pants once.
I believe characters are supposed to be 16-17 maybe? That's the medium age for first sex experiences so nothing wrong here, actually it's even nice they talk about it. Boy we were no angels either. Except they emphasis on way too much skin. And sorry but Burger and King look 12... When they stay on the cute part I liked their story, when it drifts on the sexual part I really felt incomfortable. I kept thinking "if anyone comes looking what I'm watching right now, they would be shocked for good reasons" ^^;
Golu said…
The ending Is left open and we are teased for season 2 follow up :)
and yes, imagine us watching the show and some one be like "wha the hell is wrong with you people"

Popular posts from this blog

The Tuxedo (Thai Series)

When I saw this series with 8 episodes of about 20-25 minutes each, I thought, good: Finally someone has come to senses and made a show which is not stretched out and they have tried to squeeze in a decent storyline in a good small episode format. But unfortunately, despite a decent premise on hand, the clunky writing, bad screenplay and an extreme tasteless portrayal of mental illness makes this show, not a fun watch. By the time it finishes, you just want to laugh off at the entire absurdity of it all. Aioun is talented tuxedo designer and very much in demand but he has handful of clients and he builds suits only for people who he feels a connection to. One night when his younger brother is about to get mugged, he is helped by a total stranger named Sichol. Since he tears his suit in the fight and has an interview the next day, Aioun gifts him a suit form his design as an expression of thanks. Sichol's interview is for. Personal assistant of a man named Nawee, a wealthy heir to h...

Heartstopper: Season 2 (Web Series) (UK)

Heartstopper Season 1 was a universal hit. You could not have read one bad review or heard from anyone who has seen the show not liking it. It was the kind of series that is easy to love, with sweetness exploding out of every scene without overwhelming you. So naturally, when Netflix greenly Season 2, expectations were naturally high and the same happened with me. I didn't know what to expect, but I had high expectations of this very very sweet teenage love story. And with eagerness and being a little late to the game by a few days, here I am, pouring my t thoughts down having just finished one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The second season also has 10 episodes and has all of our loved ones from the original season. The show continues from where it had left off in Season 1. Charlie and Nick are a couple and only their very close circle of friends know about it. This includes Charlie's best friend Tao and his trans best friend Elle. The center of the show is still ...

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Filipino Series) [Like In The Movies]

Pinoy BL series seem to be catching up to the popularity of the Thai shows. And I must say that they are doing a pretty good job at it. Where Thai series started to get repetitive with so many shows based in a college setting with seemingly similar storylines, Pinoy series are offering the viewers with new and interesting stories and some really good sets and surroundings. This series was 8 episodes of about 25-20 minutes each. Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for th...