2
mikimika101
This review may contain spoilers
Great Potential, but it's Chinese Bromance more than anything
I'm not a big fan of Chinese films or series and I've only heard rumors about Chinese BLs, so I wasn't expecting too much. This was the first Chinese BL for me and the only Chinese film I've ever managed to completely finish that isn't some Kungfu film. I mainly watch Japanese, Korean, Taiwan, and Thai films, so if my review turns out to be a little biased because of my lack of understanding for Chinese films, I apologize.
STORY:
It's pretty much as the synopsis says, however I wouldn't call Chenghan girly. I would say he's a romantic that wears his heard on his sleeve, while Yuwei is stoic and doesn't really express himself well. That being said, Yuwei is a popular romance novelist online, but his pen name makes it seem like he is a woman, which of course he doesn't confirm or deny. Chenghan is a fan of his novels, although he doesn't know that Yuwei is the author and believes that "she" is his ideal wife and is a beautiful woman. When Yuwei transfers into Chenghan's class they are seated next to each other. Yuwei initially finds Chenghan to be lazy and annoying, but they soon become friends. Yuwei tutors Chenghan in Chinese, while Chenghan tutors Yuwei in Math. As they become closer they find themselves slowly attracted to each other.
Personally I found this story to be innocent and cute at first. I was very interested in seeing them fall in love, but alas, this is a Chinese BL. There is no real kissing or hugging, just lots of Bromance. There are a lot of things that are implied via visuals, but are not really spoken. Even the ending isn't clear.
The first half of the film is great with lots of potential. Yuwei and Chenghan have lots of attraction towards each other and it feels like a genuine BL. However, the moment Yuwei's mother is introduced everything goes downhill. She forbids him from seeing Chenghan and Yuwei obediently agrees. She then tells him to meet his female cousin(?). Chenghan sees them together, gets jealous, but forgets about it later because he is preoccupied with Yuwei ignoring him. Suddenly out of nowhere Chenghan's grades drop. His teacher calls his mom. His mom calls Yuwei's mom. Chenghan's mom gets all preachy to Yuwei's mom about not controlling their kids and let kids be kids. Yuwei's mom, who was so against Chenghan, suddenly tells Yuwei they can be friends again. Yuwei and Chenghan make up, only to be separated again because they are going to different colleges....
Are you lost? I am. It's a rollercoster.
Anyways, the ending is so annoying. It's just your typical Chinese Bromance BL. There is no clear answer for the future of these two. Clearly Chenghan is in love with Yuwei, but we don't know if Yuwei is 100% on the same page. He gives hints, but there is no definite answer. (I'm sorry, but if my boyfriend doesn't confirm or deny is love for me that is a big red flag!) This is annoying because the first half of the film had so much potential!
Acting:
I really enjoyed the acting of both Yuwei and Chenghan. It wasn't Oscar worthy, but it was decent. You could see and feel what the characters were feeling. I especially liked Chenghan's acting.
The only issue I had with the acting is BAD DUBBING! I understand sometimes dubbing is necessary, but do you need to dub the whole film? The dubbing had practically no emotions, not to mention that the dub was so clear and sometimes didn't match their lips it was obvious that they were in a studio to do it.
(On a side note: If you watch Give Me to the Wolf Director which has the same actors as a couple again, I think their voice dubs/pitch switch. Chen Henry who plays Yuwei has a lower pitched voice here, but is higher pitched in the other. Tan Jun Ho, Chenghan, has a high pitch here and lower voice there. Why? Is it signaling who is more dominant than the other? Now I'm wondering if these dubs are even their real voice!)
Overall:
It's a nice film to watch if you like Bromance, but if you like to watch Thai, Korean, Taiwan, or even Japanese BLs with characters actually getting together and sharing a kiss (or even a hug would be nice!), than this might not be for you.
STORY:
It's pretty much as the synopsis says, however I wouldn't call Chenghan girly. I would say he's a romantic that wears his heard on his sleeve, while Yuwei is stoic and doesn't really express himself well. That being said, Yuwei is a popular romance novelist online, but his pen name makes it seem like he is a woman, which of course he doesn't confirm or deny. Chenghan is a fan of his novels, although he doesn't know that Yuwei is the author and believes that "she" is his ideal wife and is a beautiful woman. When Yuwei transfers into Chenghan's class they are seated next to each other. Yuwei initially finds Chenghan to be lazy and annoying, but they soon become friends. Yuwei tutors Chenghan in Chinese, while Chenghan tutors Yuwei in Math. As they become closer they find themselves slowly attracted to each other.
Personally I found this story to be innocent and cute at first. I was very interested in seeing them fall in love, but alas, this is a Chinese BL. There is no real kissing or hugging, just lots of Bromance. There are a lot of things that are implied via visuals, but are not really spoken. Even the ending isn't clear.
The first half of the film is great with lots of potential. Yuwei and Chenghan have lots of attraction towards each other and it feels like a genuine BL. However, the moment Yuwei's mother is introduced everything goes downhill. She forbids him from seeing Chenghan and Yuwei obediently agrees. She then tells him to meet his female cousin(?). Chenghan sees them together, gets jealous, but forgets about it later because he is preoccupied with Yuwei ignoring him. Suddenly out of nowhere Chenghan's grades drop. His teacher calls his mom. His mom calls Yuwei's mom. Chenghan's mom gets all preachy to Yuwei's mom about not controlling their kids and let kids be kids. Yuwei's mom, who was so against Chenghan, suddenly tells Yuwei they can be friends again. Yuwei and Chenghan make up, only to be separated again because they are going to different colleges....
Are you lost? I am. It's a rollercoster.
Anyways, the ending is so annoying. It's just your typical Chinese Bromance BL. There is no clear answer for the future of these two. Clearly Chenghan is in love with Yuwei, but we don't know if Yuwei is 100% on the same page. He gives hints, but there is no definite answer. (I'm sorry, but if my boyfriend doesn't confirm or deny is love for me that is a big red flag!) This is annoying because the first half of the film had so much potential!
Acting:
I really enjoyed the acting of both Yuwei and Chenghan. It wasn't Oscar worthy, but it was decent. You could see and feel what the characters were feeling. I especially liked Chenghan's acting.
The only issue I had with the acting is BAD DUBBING! I understand sometimes dubbing is necessary, but do you need to dub the whole film? The dubbing had practically no emotions, not to mention that the dub was so clear and sometimes didn't match their lips it was obvious that they were in a studio to do it.
(On a side note: If you watch Give Me to the Wolf Director which has the same actors as a couple again, I think their voice dubs/pitch switch. Chen Henry who plays Yuwei has a lower pitched voice here, but is higher pitched in the other. Tan Jun Ho, Chenghan, has a high pitch here and lower voice there. Why? Is it signaling who is more dominant than the other? Now I'm wondering if these dubs are even their real voice!)
Overall:
It's a nice film to watch if you like Bromance, but if you like to watch Thai, Korean, Taiwan, or even Japanese BLs with characters actually getting together and sharing a kiss (or even a hug would be nice!), than this might not be for you.
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