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...
Continuing with watching DramaBox series, this is another series of multiple short episodes stitched together as a movie in vertical format so it is easily watchable on phone. As I might have mentioned before, these shows are total guilt pleasures and they beautiful fit within a 90 minute range (plus or minus) making it an easy watch.
The shows starts with one mafia taking over another's business and agrees to let him love, as long as his son Pietro can get married to his daughter Alice. 15 years later, Alice's brother Augusto can't stand that Alice will marry to mob son Pietro. He finds. Loophole in the contract and instead says that he will marry Pietro. What Augusto doesn't know is that since they were kids, Pietro has always like Augusto and he changed the contract to have that loophole. So Pietro very much loves Augusto but he doesn't believe it. Also with this marriage, the entire mafia community goes against this bog mafia family because they don't accept gay relationship. The rest of the show is about how slowly Pietro makes Augusto realize that he truly loves him and this is not some kind of game that he is playing. Pietro's team thinks that Augusto is a softie, so he also needs to prove he is worthy of being a member in the mafia organization. The two clash frequently. Moments of vulnerability surface, hinting at a deeper connection that neither expected, while Augusto also trying to understand that Pietro truly and deeply loves him despite all his philandering ways in these past years. In the process we see how both. Their fathers eventually agree to their relationship and accept their love.
Like all drama box shows, this one also looks polished with some really good looking actors. You do not need to take any of it seriously and just enjoy for the sake of it. This story actually had a bit of ups and down, since we see how Pietro has to convince his husband of his true love, while Augusto not only has to see that love but also train himself to prove that he is worthy of being in the Mafia. In addition to all this, he also has to take some mafia tests put together by Paietro's father, only post which he will be fully indoctrinated in to the family and mafia business. Total guilty pleasure, we do get see two hot guys, a lot of shirtless scenes, some sexual scenes but nothing very sensual. Just enough. Sadly there are not many kisses which is what I would have liked to see. Augusto with his chiseled face here is the real charmer and actor playing Pietro brings in this Spanish kinda Mafia charm. Overall a decent time pass and something to watch while you are traveling easily on your phone. (6/10)

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