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...
Glitter is a wannabe clown from a wealthy and privileged family who just wants to go to circus school in Paris. His mother just wants her son to do something reasonable with his life. And then we have Doom, a gloomy and a struggling songwriter, who believes every tune should be dark and/or sad. Is fathe his out of picture and mother is in prison. The two men meet purely by chance. Their eyes meet, and soon enough, they're at a night club where they dance and sing through the night, closing out the bar, moving on to a restaurant where they talk about the idea of making small talk, and apparently falling for each other simply because this is a musical romance. The film follows their meeting, romance, trials and tribulations, and familial struggles. Doom is scared of getting too close; Glitter is determined to escape his current situation, angling for a professional opportunity in Paris. Both have complicated relationships with their mothers. Both have every reason to be together, yet are constantly inventing reasons not to be. It’s a frustrating back-and-forth given the razor-thin plot.
Honestly, I dont know anything about the Indigo Girls, so I am no one to comment on songs or how they were presented, but I am going to do my review purely as a story and what I saw. The film completely lacks a deeper emotional hook. I never cared for its leads to get myself emotionally invested in them. There are a lot of stylized scenes and indulgences, all sorts of fantasy sequences, a backdrop that's so idealistic that the mountains have an infinity pool and even the prison looks idyllic; but of there is nothing deep to connect audience, then what is the point of all this? More humor would have gone a long way, as the existing comedic elements fell flat. The good thing is that both the leads are extremely cute and make for a wonderful eye-candy, but really there was nothing worth watching in this film. There was not even proper romance or kiss or love story even to keep you hooked. (2/10)
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