Ash

STOP AI!!!

people have to wake up!!! I don’t care if i’m seen as dramatic but please don’t normalise AI.

it’s not just a few minutes scene, it literally replaced actors. humans. and if you let this slide, companies will keep going, AI will be more powerful and we won’t even recognise/spot the difference between the real things or AI things and many people will lose their own jobs. we only will have AI everywhere, it’s already replacing artists, music, creativity, motivation, people’s work..
(i did see 4 eps not 9 i keep changing it to 4 but it won’t submit it at all…)

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My First Hong Kong BL and What an Epic Premiere. Ash Has Action, Romance, Crime and Insane Chemistry

I grew up watching Hong Kong 🇭🇰 TVB dramas throughout my childhood, so I have always had a special attachment to Hong Kong dramas. When Ash was announced, I was incredibly excited because this is my first Hong Kong BL, and after watching first 3 episodes, I can confidently say this drama has exceeded my expectations. You can watch Ash on Youku or YouTube, with Episode 1 available for free. And despite the “Miniseries” tag, this definitely does not feel like a typical miniseries. Episode 1 is around 50 minutes, Episode 2 is around 45 minutes and Episode 3 is 43 minsutes, so we are getting a proper full length viewing experience.

And WOW, what an epic premiere! I already had a feeling Ash was going to be good after watching the trailer, but the first four episodes completely sold me. This drama gives us action, crime, romance, police investigation, undercover work, fighting, suspense and intense chemistry all in one package. We have Hui Leuk Tou, our CEO, and our undercover police officer. During his undercover operation, the police officer goes by Cheung Wai Keung, complete with his dyed hair and completely different appearance. Once the operation is over and he returns to his life as a police officer, he takes on the identity of Mok Fei Foon. I LOVE this dynamic because it genuinely feels like we are watching two different versions of the same character. The change in appearance, personality and circumstances makes his character so much more interesting.

And then he meets Hui Leuk Tou. Their first encounter, especially the moment their eyes meet, immediately gave me love at first sight vibes. Their fighting scene together was also SO good. The action was well done, and I already knew these two were going to have incredible chemistry. Then we got the white singlets, and that scene alone deserves its own review. 😂 The chemistry between them was so hot and intense, especially when they were taking care of each other’s wounds. The slow romantic music playing in the background made everything feel even more intimate and sensual. And when they lit each other’s cigarettes? THE EYE CONTACT. THE TENSION. THE CHEMISTRY. I also love that this drama does not waste time dragging out the romance. Within the first 30 minutes, we already get an intimate moment and a kiss. There is no endless waiting around or unnecessary dancing around their attraction. The drama knows exactly what we came here for and gives it to us. And that intimate scene with the belt? WOW. The restraints, the kiss, the music and the chemistry all came together so well. It was intense without feeling disconnected from the story.

One of my favourite emotional moments was when they had been missing each other and finally reunited in the alley. I also love how the drama plays with perspective. At the end of Episode 1, we see the events from Hui Leuk Tou’s perspective, and then Episode 2 begins by showing things from Mok Fei Foon’s point of view. That was such a clever choice because we get to understand what both men were experiencing and feeling rather than simply following one side of the story. The flashbacks also work really well and gradually give us more context about their relationship and everything happening around them.

One thing that made me especially happy is hearing both leads speak fluent Cantonese throughout the drama. They are Hong Kong actors and the series was actually filmed in Hong Kong, so seeing the familiar buildings, taxis and streets immediately gave me that nostalgic Hong Kong drama feeling. 🇭🇰 There is something so satisfying about watching a BL that genuinely feels connected to its setting. The Cantonese dialogue makes the interactions feel so much more natural, especially because the actors are using their real voices. Unlike Sammy’s Children’s Day, where the actors’ voices were dubbed, Ash lets us hear the leads speaking in their own voices, which makes the performances feel more authentic and natural to me.

Both actors are absolutely stunning. This is my first time watching Kingston act, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he grew up in the UK and Canada while being fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Pairing him with Leo Peng, who is also a model and actor, was such a good choice. They look incredible together, and their chemistry is already one of the biggest highlights of the series for me. They have the looks, the acting ability and, most importantly, the chemistry.

It is honestly so difficult to find a BL that manages to combine intense kissing scenes with a genuinely interesting plot, good action sequences, fighting, crime, thriller elements and police investigation. Ash is ticking every single box for me. The story is not simply about two men falling in love. There are secrets, dangerous connections, an undercover operation and a much bigger criminal situation unfolding around them. The deeper they get involved, the more complicated their relationship becomes, and that is exactly the kind of BL I love. I want romance, but I also want an actual story that keeps me invested between the romantic scenes.

And we can talk about episode 3? The hair washing, the forehead kisses, the soft cuddles, the sleepy good mornings, the kitchen hugs, grapes fed from one hand to another, white singlets and stolen kisses on the sofa.
Every little moment feels like a love poem, so warm and intimate, like they have already built a little life together.
And then they kissed for so long their sausages got burnt 🥵They are ridiculously hot, ridiculously cute, and so effortlessly married. I could watch hours of them and still never get enough.

If I had to mention one criticism, it is the use of Anime AI in the flashback. Yes, I agree it would have been better to use real actors, but it was less than two minutes and honestly did not take away from my enjoyment of the series. The plot, chemistry, acting and overall production are far more important to me, and this series delivers on all of those. It may also have been a budget decision, and I would rather have a short anime flashback and still get the show than not have the show at all. Plus, this was not Kingston and LeoPeng's decision, so I would hate to see people dropping their ratings over a couple of minutes when these actors worked so hard to bring this story to life.

After four episodes, Ash has already exceeded my expectations. It has everything I want from a BL: intense chemistry, gorgeous leads, passionate kissing, romance, action, crime, suspense, undercover police work, fighting and an actual plot that makes me want to know what happens next. Most importantly, it finally gives me something I have been wanting for a long time: a Hong Kong BL that actually feels like a Hong Kong drama. The Cantonese, the locations, the atmosphere, the action and the overall style make this such a refreshing watch.

And those two leads? I am already completely invested in them. Ash gets a 10/10 from me after the first four episodes. If you enjoy BLs with strong chemistry, intense romance, action, crime, undercover police work and a more mature atmosphere, PLEASE add this to your watchlist.

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First Impression: Ash

Overall: I was a bit worried about their dynamic in episode 1 around 34 minutes, but I'm feeling more settled now and can't wait to see what happens. Airing on Youku https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPaeoMTI75s

Content Warnings: (I'm keeping this spoiler free for now but there are several major ones in episode 1 and 2)

What I Liked
- chemistry & dynamic
- intimacy
- mystery
- a character is good at his job

Room For Improvement
- I was nervous in episode 1 around 34 minutes, but towards the end of episode 2 I was satisfied with the conversation, remains to be seen if a character keeps his word
- some of the editing

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Red Flags, Crime, Romance, and Way Too Much Eye Candy

I love that Ash went straight into the romance aspect from the first two episodes. There was no dragging things out, and that kiss? FIRE. The chemistry between the leads is already so good, and I’m really happy that they’re not taking forever to get to the romance, especially since the series only has 9 episodes. There’s really no time for endless will-they-won’t-they moments, misunderstandings, and unnecessary slow burns. I’d rather have them get straight into the relationship and actually give us enough time to see it develop alongside the main plot.

Speaking of the plot, I’m really interested in how they’re combining romance with a crime thriller. It makes the story more exciting because there’s obviously more going on beyond their relationship. I’m especially curious about the CEO (I honestly still have a hard time pronouncing his name) because from the clips, it seems like he might be connected to a syndicate or something bigger. I have no idea how this is going to end, especially with the other main lead being a police officer, but I’m crossing my fingers for a happy ending!

I also love the red-flag vibes of both of them, especially the CEO. Like, sir, you really just cannot help yourself, can you? There’s something so entertaining about watching two questionable people get involved with each other while there’s an actual crime plot happening in the background.

But honestly, the biggest highlight of this series is HOW GOOD-LOOKING THE ENTIRE CAST IS. The main leads, the supporting characters. Everyone is a feast for the eyes. It feels like they deliberately gathered every good-looking person they could find and put them in one series.

The only thing I’m not really a fan of is how some scenes or maybe it’s the editing/video quality make the series look a little too AI-generated. Even the male leads look so unreal that I literally had to search them up because I was wondering if they were actually real actors or just AI-generated characters. They have that same unreal, overly-perfect look you see in those AI short videos.

Overall, I’m really enjoying Ash so far. The romance is already giving, the crime-thriller element makes the story interesting, the characters are walking red flags, and the cast is ridiculously attractive. I’m definitely curious to see where they take the story, especially with only 9 episodes. Hopefully they keep the pacing like this, give us more of that chemistry, and most importantly… PLEASE LET THEM HAVE A HAPPY ENDING. 🙏

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The Story is Great. But…the music! ?

Update at episode 5: it gets better as it goes. Even the music is better. The story is awesome, the acting is great, and the chemistry between leads is outstanding.


I watched the available episodes and I like the premise; it is genuinely good. I haven’t had a cop show to watch in a long time. I love the tension. The chemistry is outstanding. The actors are handsome and are perfect for their respective roles. It is interesting and the plot pulls you in fast, not to mention the delicious tension between the leads right out of the gate.

BUT…

The music is the worst. And I don’t mean in a “well I don’t like that song” way but in a “this music choice is so mismatched with what is happening on screen it is actively pulling me out of the story” way. I stopped halfway through episode 2 because it is jarring. I picked it up again, but for now I’m left wondering who chose this music and if they watched a playback of the screen-ready scenes before they released it. The music playing during romantic or NC scenes is especially mismatched.

If you aren’t sound sensitive, the music might not bother you. But the tonal mismatch I’m finding hard to ignore. It isn’t enough for me to drop it - yet.

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My first Hong Kong film

As someone who practically dried up the Chinese film industry of all good films to watch, watching my first Hong Kong -dialect film that I watched (which is also Chinese) was singularly one of the most uncomfortable and unusual experiences of my life, because the balance of the difference of the dialect to the similarity of the language kept messing with my head.

That being said, Ash is my all-time favorite HK films so far.

My severe lack of trust in synopsis and trailers led me to watch this series completely blind, and it did not disappoint.

I am someone with very loose criteria for the relationship of the mls, and as long as there is no DVs, cheating etc. I am pretty ok. But I will admit, that the first episode may or may not have come pretty close to that border... But again, I am not here to tell you what to watch or what not to watch; you either trust the process or thoroughly ruin the movie being overly cautious.
...To each their own.

The thing that captivates me here is the sort of masculinity and dependence that both mls have (not that not having either is a bad thing...), and the lack of overly emotional arguments or scenes.
It just really messes with my head and makes me wonder if they are going to stay together or if its going to be some kind of revenge thing or something....


It's also the way that it defies practically every other norm of bls... There is kiss scenes in the FIRST EPISODE, there is arguments and fights and every other thing that bls are absolutely terrified of doing in the first scene.
I really thing the entire story of the first two episodes can be stretched out into the whole series itself if need be, and the directness of the film is very pleasing to an impatient like me.


So, watch it or not... It was good for me, but at the same time, I will not trust online movie reviews for anything, but you won't lose much trying it out (except maybe your sanity... ;) just kidding)

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Arguably the best one airing right now.........Watch!!!

The high of this series hits you right from the start!!! The delish, toxic, red-flagey and scintillating chemistry ... the push-me-pull-me angst....and the insane face cards...Woooooof!!! I'm raising the score to 9.5 after Ep 5..

The only thing I didn't like is - I wish they hadn't used AI for those animated scenes...its quite cringe...If you want the flashback in animation, can you please hire an artist to do that for you

Ep 5- Shit just hit the fan...damn this was such a delicious, racy and hard-hitting episode....this is exactly how you pace a drama!!

BL-Needle Score: 8. High BL-ness

A tough undercover cop getting into a 'no-one-must-know' lust-love entanglement with young CEO who seems all shades of doubt, dark, and irresistible charm....with enough elements for conspiracies, scheming family members, big-company board politics, guns, blood, lust and angst-driven love....damn are we done for!!

This lands up right at the top of my watching-now list

Verdict: YESSSSSS!!! Watch!!!

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