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...
This one is a bit different from your typical time-travel show because the main guy actually dies and then wakes up in the past with a chance to fix everything that ruined his life. Since it’s a BL, you already know there’s going to be tons of romance and drama. The plot really moves at the beginning and the very end, but the middle is mostly just watching the two leads fall in love and dealing with some random problems to keep the show going. There are 10 episodes, and they’re pretty long—about an hour each—so it’s a bit of a time commitment.
The story starts with Armin, who’s this huge celebrity at the top of his game. But then his world falls apart: he finds out his partner is cheating, gets into a fight with a rival, and ends up dead. Turns out, someone actually poisoned him. Next thing he knows, he’s back in his early 20s as a struggling nobody. He’s wandering around confused and almost gets hit by a car, but this rich, handsome guy named Tada saves him. In his "first" life, Armin only knew Tada as a mysterious fan who went by "TD." Now, Armin is suspicious of everyone and tries to stay away from the people he thinks caused his death, but Tada keeps popping up to rescue him whenever things go wrong. Eventually, they fall for each other, and Tada uses all his millions to help Armin’s career. Armin eventually tells him the truth about coming from the future, and they have to deal with Tada’s evil stepbrother, who’s obsessed with ruining them. After one last murder attempt by the villain, they finally get their happy ending.
Tada is basically the ultimate "extra" boyfriend—he’s always doing these massive, grand gestures to win Armin over. Armin clearly loves it, and their chemistry is actually really good. It’s a mix of cheesy, sweet, and some pretty steamy moments. What I thought was cool was that the last episode shows things from Tada’s side. We find out that when Armin died in the first timeline, Tada was totally heartbroken, so when he got a second chance, he decided to stop being a secret fan and just go for it. On the flip side, the villain was so over-the-top that he was almost funny, especially in the big finale. The show is definitely predictable and felt like it had way too many characters running around at one point. Honestly, the middle felt a little slow and could’ve been cut down. It probably would’ve been way better as an 8-episode series instead of 10. Most of the "twists" aren't really surprises, but at least it’s a little more interesting than the usual fluff you see. It’s probably not a show you’ll remember for years, but if you can get past some of the slower parts, it’s a pretty decent watch for a weekend.
It's a sweet second-chance story that gets a bit bogged down in the middle, but the leads are cute enough to keep you watching. (6/10)
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