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...
Alex is a misfit at school, enduring bullying and harsh scrutiny at the hands of the hall monitor. Alex takes solace in the world of puppetry and filmmaking. His neighbors are quick to judge his every move. At home, his father is a strict disciplinarian, constantly demeaning Alex and never trying to understand him. His mother attempts to bridge the gap, but Alex remains distant. She herself is dealing with issues of her own, dealing with identity crisis and likely extremely unhappy in her marriage. When Julius, a new student joins the class, things start to change for him. They have instant connect and friendship and start to hang out. As their bond deepens, their friendship blossoms into something more of an attraction with boys exploring each other's bodies. Can Alex accept his growing feelings for Julius, especially after they have an intimate moment together?
Alex is shown obsessed with puppets with thats not well explored in the film. The film focuses more on Alex's mother and Alex himself. Alex portrays the confusion of a teenager who does not really understand what’s going on with him or what it is that he wants, but we never know why is he so angry? Is it because of his parents situation or confusion around his own sexuality? Despite Alex having a gay vibe, the LGBT content takes forever to show up. There’s a scene early on where Alex’s mother hints that she suspects that he’s gay, but that doesn’t mean he is. It’s also not clear why Julius is interested in Alex. And it doesn’t help that Alex is such a loner. When Julius tries to get close to him, Alex pushes him away, causing the romantic angle to take a while to get going. Julius is also a bit of a mystery. He’s embarrassed to admit that he lives in a hotel and doesn’t divulge a lot about himself. We are never told much about him or his situation. Overall, the film feel more like a project done to learn direction and storytelling rather to make a coherent story telling medium. (2.5/10)
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