Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...
Haiyuan and Zefang go to same university and despise each other. Although Defang is a bit of playboy and wants to sleep with the usually reserved Haiyuan. Once at their home visit (they are neighbors), Defang and his grandfather swap their should when they fall off the stairs. The body of grandpa dies but Defang survives with the soul dog grandpa inside. After various attempts at explaining this to everyone, Haiyuan is finally convinced about the soul swapping since there is considerable change in Zefang's behavior. Thus begins their cohabitation tenure because grandpa is decades old and doesn’t know anything about the kids from the current generation. As Haiyuan helps him to adjust to his current situation, feelings develop. Haiyuan likes this new Zefang and grandpa has a hard time accepting the fact that he is falling for a guy. Strangely enough, he is able to see the red thread connecting him to Haiyuan. He assumes that Haiyuan might be his late wife’s reincarnation and that makes it easier for him to accept Haiyuan’s affections. Then there is this other story of Defang used to have another boy as his boyfriend in university, so where does he fit in all this? Obviously, their bond extends beyond this belief as grandpa comes to terms with his owns feelings & prejudices. Towards the end there is an accident where Zefang with grandpa's soul comes face to face with Zefang's soul but I was confused whether the soul swap happens back or not. I think it does not.
The first few episodes of the show are interesting and show an interesting premise. I also liked the fact that the love and respect and admiration that the old Zefang and Huiyang start to have one another is gradual and you can see the build up. Actor playing Zefang is really the scene stealer here. He does an excellent impersonation of older man stuck in a young body. Everything from his demeanor to his posture, spells how much he has embraced grandpa's characteristics. He wears outdated clothes, is clueless about Gen Z slang and ways, which generate a few chuckles early on. Despite all this, the love story of an older man (ok, I understand it is an old soul, with teen body) and a young man is a bit that somehow is hard for me to swallow. But I guess, in BL shows, we have seen all kinds of things and scenarios so will take it. The parallel story with Zefang's ex-boyfriend was a bit convoluted. Also to make that guy Haiyuan's step-brother was totally not necessary. If you keep the story aside for a moment (which is hard to do), the acting, production value and everything else was decent, as you would expect, but then story is the soul and if somehow you do not connect with the basic premise itself, this is not going to work for you. It’s messy, emotional, thought-provoking and left me with an unsettled feeling. (4.5/10)
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