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Journey With You (Chinese Series)

By Golu
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...
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Kaze to ki no uta (Japanese) [The Poem of Wind and Trees]

By Golu
I had no idea that anime films have been there for such a long time. This film came out back in 1987. The film is a very bizarre story of two male lovers, if you can call that, probably inspired by manga. A tragic romance between Gilbert and Serge,  two students at an all-boys boarding school in late 19th-century France.

The film is set in late 19th century in France. Son of a viscount and a Roma prostitute (both deceased), Serge is intelligent, sweet, talented, and alienated by his family due to his heritage. Upon being sent to his new school, he rooms with Gilbert, a gorgeous loner of a boy who sells his body for reasons unknown. He is ostracized by the school's pupils and professors for sleeping with most men in the school. We are never told the reason. His promiscuity is the result of a lifetime of neglect and abuse, as perpetrated chiefly by his ostensible uncle Auguste Beau. The man has physically, emotionally, and sexually abused Gilbert since he was a child. His manipulation of Gilbert is so significant that Gilbert believes that the two are in love. Despite threats of ostracism and violence, Serge perseveres in his attempts to bond with Gilbert, and the two eventually become friends and lovers. Gilbert is unable to escape the trauma of his past, and descends into a life of drug use and prostitution.

Honestly it was a little odd to watch an anime film not set in Japan. The insights and references to nineteenth century rural France add to its charm. The two main characters are realistic and it's nice to watch something different in the Boy's Love landscape. This story centres around how the young characters deal with their burgeoning sexualities, especially in regards homosexual desire and love in a society where love and sex between two men is considered taboo. The story also has a second major theme: that of dealing with the past. Either the version I saw, or maybe I am lacking context here, but the film seemed rushing from one scene to another. Gilbert comes out more as a slutty boy who just loves sex in an all boys school (imagine what would happen with such a boy today) and also its not really clear as to why Serge falls for him eventually. Anyway, the reason I saw the film was for pure nostalgia and curiosity how was a gay storyline handled back in 1987. I have to say it was no holding back when it came to sexual scenes. (3/10)
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