In the world of BL, there are rarities that actually manage to capture the heart of the story it is trying to tell. Mr. X and I: Be Here For You is one of those rarities.

This story is able to encapsulate a great coming of age story about a teen who falls for his straight best friend in the matter of two hours. We feel for our male lead, Xu Zhengxi, as he struggles to deal with his burgeoning feelings for Tao Ye, his best friend. It's a story that tackles the topic of homosexuality, friendship and love in a subtle and careful ways that are adaptable to the country they live in but also manages to tell the story properly.

What I love the most about this movie is its importance to love. Love is such a prominent emotion throughout the course of the story. The love presented isn't just romantic but also platonic in the forms of its friendships. Like someone in a previous review stated, the friendships in this story are beyond precious, especially that of Xu Zhengxi and Ai Tong (she's so precious and adorable and wonderful and she's the best friend anyone can have). However, the romantic love presented in here is also special as Xiao Bu, who ends up falling for Xu Zhengxi, protects him from the heartbreak at all costs. It's these little sweet moments that make the story all the better.

Is the story a happy one? That depends on how you see it. I will say it's realistic, considering that this is something that can happen and we have to consider where they're living. Things dont go well for Xu Zhengxi and Tao Ye and their friendship is never the same but they are able to find solace eventually. Xu Zhengxi gains a loyal and caring boyfriend in Xiao Bu and, despite his hurt with Tao Ye, he is able to confront it at Tao Ye's by singing a song about that heartbreak and crush he used to have. It's more of a bittersweet story but it's done well and realistically that it ends the story well.

I will say though that there are a few things that conflict me. One of them is Tao Ye. I don't know whether I'm supposed to dislike him or not. He is inherently straight for the most part but there are moments where he seems to feel something for Zhengxi and leads him on a lot of the times. It's something that angered me about him. I get not knowing your own feelings or being too scared to admit them but leading on someone just to break their heart is just cruel. It's not just one moment, it's multiple. Tao Ye was also indifferent to Xiao Bu and did not like him around Zhengxi and wanted to take Zhengxi away from Xiao Bu, for himself. Tao Ye could not make up his damn mind and it was frustrating. I also did not like the typical mean girlfriend trope. It's a trope that's been done to hell and I'm ready to see it go. Theres also the scene transitioning and shoddy camerawork but that's more a technical thing and that doesn't and shouldn't take away from the quality of the story. There are some moments that also more unclear than others and you have to decipher a bit.

Overall, this is a BL story I highly recommend, just for the essence of being a great coming-of-age story. Most BLs rely on gratuitous sex scenes and unnecessary plot devices to appease a certain portion of people watching these stories. Be Here For You does not do that. It's a story about love and how it can hurt but also how it can heal.