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 five 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 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 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 five 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 five 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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I Came for Vincent and Fei Foon, Stayed for the Plot

Yes, AI was used in some scenes. I tallied it up, and including the intro, those scenes barely total 15 minutes.

There have already been a million comments about this during the on airs, so I'm not going to spend this review debating the broader AI controversy. I do, however, want to talk about whether its use actually added anything to the story, because I think that's a more interesting question from an artistic perspective. I'll get into that later.

But if you're here for a good time, handsome men, guns, high stakes, and enough angst to keep you emotionally invested for nine episodes... stick around.

My First BL
Ash was my very first BL, and not for one moment do I regret it. As a C-drama/K-drama lover, I typically avoid watching shows while they're airing because I prefer to binge everything without the stress of waiting for the next episode. Somehow, Ash broke that rule. The drama had fun TikTok edits, so I thought, Why not? Before I knew it, I had watched the first two episodes and was spending the next two months anxiously waiting for Fridays so I could get my hands on the next episode. The addiction got so bad that I started watching reaction videos from the male leads and even their livestreams. I was hooked.

Now, onto the characters and plot, without giving too much away.

***Minor Plot Spoilers Ahead***

Vincent/Hui Leok To
Let's start with Vincent/Hui Leok To because... wow.
He is probably the most delicious looking male lead I've had the privilege of ogling. I could write an entire epistle about his looks, but I'll keep it simple: the camera literally could not find a bad angle.
And the versatility! Look out for the CEO look, the college heartthrob look, and, of course, the heartbroken look. Every era somehow came with its own flavour of handsome.

Character wise, however? Vincent, my man, please learn to think before you speak. This man acts and speaks first and thinks later, and it inevitably comes back to bite him in the ass. You wouldn't know he was a lovestruck fool if he could just keep his mouth shut for five minutes. Halfway through the show, I had written an entire mental epistle listing all his offences and explaining why Fei Foon absolutely did not deserve to be subjected to this man. And yet... Only a saint like Fei Foon could love him. However, he did finally redeem himself which I’m glad about.

Fei Foon
Fei Foon, on the other hand, is a baddie. A classic beauty that put the term “damsel in distress” to shame. I loved him through every era: thug, cop, wanted criminal... every time he appeared on my screen in a new phase of his life, I genuinely thought, Surely he cannot get any more handsome and somehow, he did.

Character wise, Fei Foon was the more consistent of the two. You could tell that all of his patience, tolerance and softness were reserved for one particular person: Vincent. Regardless of how undeserving Vincent was. Regardless of how many times Vincent hurt him. Regardless of how much frustration this man caused... One simple "I'm sorry" and Fei Foon would be right back there.
Sigh! Fei Foon. Please stand up. But honestly, that's also what made their relationship so compelling.

The Plot
One of the things I loved most about Ash was that romance wasn't the sole focus of the story. It wasn’t just a story of two handsome men falling in love or lust… There was an actual plot involving both Fei Foon's and Vincent's worlds, and those worlds eventually became a source of conflict for their relationship. I loved trying to make increasingly ridiculous guesses about where the story was going with every episode. And the funniest part? I was actually wrong surprisingly often. I also appreciated that there weren't really any wasted characters. Almost everyone who appeared on screen served a purpose, whether it was moving the main plot forward or contributing to the romance.

As someone who grew up watching Hong Kong shows, I also enjoyed seeing elements of familiar Hong Kong storytelling and culture woven into the drama: wealthy families treating marriage as a transaction, the concept of mistresses, pineapple buns, and other little details that made the world feel familiar.

The Limitation of Nine Episodes
This is probably the biggest "what if?" I have about Ash. With only nine episodes, each running around 45 minutes, I think the production team had to make some very difficult decisions about what to show and what to cut. And in many cases, I felt they chose to tell rather than show. We get glimpses of so many different storylines and character histories that, in a longer drama, could probably have been expanded into episodes of their own. There was so much potential sitting underneath the surface. Ms. H is probably the best example of this for me. We're told that she is this incredibly tough woman who is willing to sacrifice even her own family in her pursuit of power. That's a pretty ruthless description. But when I actually watched Ms. H on screen, I sometimes struggled to reconcile the character we were told she was with the character I was actually seeing. This is where I really wish the drama had had more time to show us her deeds rather than tell us about them. Give me the scenes. Show me what she did. Let me watch her make those decisions and see the consequences. Let me understand for myself why everyone is so afraid of her and Ms. H isn't the only example.

I would have loved to see more of coming to terms with internalised homophobia, the psychological toll of being undercover or how watching the people you love being killed by your own family shapes you as a person. These are the kinds of things that were touched upon, but there was clearly much more underneath them. Honestly, I could probably name several other storylines that made me think, "If this were a 16–24 episode drama, this could be an entire episode on its own." But at the same time, I don't necessarily see this as a failure of the drama. It's the limitation of the format.

The production team had a finite amount of time and had to decide which parts of the story deserved the most screen time. Given that constraint, this may simply be the best version of Ash we were going to get and I'm totally fine with that. Would I have loved more? Absolutely! Do I think the story suffered because some things were told rather than shown? Maybe? But did it stop me from enjoying the drama? Not even remotely.

The Use of AI
I think it's important to talk about the use of AI in Ash, but I want to approach it from the perspective of artistic valuerather than the broader debate around AI.

The question for me is simple: Did the use of AI bring something to the story that traditional human effort couldn't have achieved? In Ash, I unfortunately don't think it did. There were two particularly important scenes where AI was used to introduce the backstories of major characters and for me, these were probably the worst places to use it because these scenes were supposed to carry emotional weight. Rather than being absorbed in what I was being shown and feeling the emotional significance of these moments, I found myself going oh that’s what happened but emotions wise I was unmoved. The emotional impact I should have felt was therefore almost nonexistent which saddens me as I believe those were very important moments.

Ironically, I think this is one of those situations where telling rather than showing might actually have worked better. Earlier, I talked about the limitations of having only nine episodes and how the production team sometimes had to choose between showing us something and simply telling us about it. In these particular scenes, I think leaning into that approach could have preserved more of the emotional weight. Sometimes, you don't need to physically show a character's past for the audience to feel it. A well written conversation, narration, flashback using the actual cast, or even carefully constructed dialogue can allow the audience to fill in the gaps themselves. Our imagination can sometimes do a better job than a visually distracting representation.

So while I don't have an issue with the mere existence of AI in the production, I do question the artistic decision to use it in these particular moments. For me, the issue isn't simply "AI was used." It's "Did using AI make this scene better?"
In these two cases, I personally don't think it did.

The Romance
Another thing I really liked was that we don't begin with the two leads meeting for the first time and slowly falling in love. They're already in some form of relationship when the story begins. That's not something you see as often in dramas, where the usual formula is: they meet, they fall in love, obstacles happen, they get together, happily ever after. Ash does things differently. In fact, the nature of the "relationship" between Vincent and Fei Foon is itself an important part of the plot. And I really enjoyed that.

Were There Plot Holes?
Hmm… Episode 7, I'm looking directly at you. Would I call this a plot hole or a poorly reasoned concept? We all know the scene I'm talking about. 👀 Was I questioning the laws of physics and common sense? Absolutely. Did I still keep watching? Obviously.

At some point, you just have to suspend your disbelief and let the fiction do its thing. Thankfully, for me, this moment wasn’t enough to detract from the overall story.

The Directing/Editing
In some scenes, the choice of the cut had me questioning the skill level of the director/edit team. For the NC scenes, I’m willing to forgive as I can convince myself maybe censorship led to them making questionable choices as to how to show them. If you watch the BTS clips, you would know how much better they were and those scenes never made thee Final Cut. However, for actual scenes that had nothing to do with the NCs I was so annoyed about the continuity errors. I don’t want to be nit picky but surely the edit team could have done better….

Final Thoughts
Ash will always have a special place in my heart because it was my very first BL and honestly? What a way to enter the genre. I came into this drama expecting to watch a couple of episodes because of fun clips I saw on TikTok. Instead, I ended up spending two months looking forward to Fridays, watching reaction videos, checking out livestreams, obsessing over the characters, and developing very strong opinions about a fictional man's inability to keep his mouth shut. The emotions it evoked inside me reminded me of when I was 8 years old watching Mexican telenovelas with my mom. The cliffhangers every episode almost drove me crazy. I found myself watching episodes multiple times which is something I’ve never done for any airing shows .

So no, there will be no downscoring from me
I also desperately want to see Leo and Kingston on my screen together again, so if this drama does well enough to make that happen, I'll consider it a personal victory.

10/10 solely because of the actors and the plot.

And did I mention that I LOVE the intro song?

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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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This could have been one of the best dramas of 2026, but it started sliding... still quite watchable

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!!! Unfortunately, the script has been sliding somewhat since Ep 6 and it makes me sad because this drama started out so well.....I'm lowering the score to 8 now

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....this had it all, but seems to be falling prey to budget and timeline constraints?

Ep 7 was also disappointing on the same lines as Ep 6...the script suddenly looses its sharpness...in Ep 6 they make the whole Foon infiltrating the Ho clan and getting close to the top-lady look too much like a cake-walk...maybe they had to skip parts of the story because of time and budget constraints, but it didn't feel as convincing as this drama has been so far...and now in Ep 7 that lighter saving Tou from a bullet fired from a gun with its barrel pressed against h is chest - that was way too much to digest.... and then no one in that whole gang checked if he actually died before dumping him somewhere, where there clearly seems like there was no blood!!!...since it was a given that the story can not have Tou die, I was thinking that they will make some of his own gang members, or the police invade this place and that is how he will be saved....I mean it would still be believable if Foon shot at him from a distance.||..but this was way too much fantasy to digest for a show that felt like it was aiming to be realistic ... 😶

Also, 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

Verdict: Watch

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fantastic chemistry with a major downside

Overall: wish they had not used all the AI that they did. Airing on Youku https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPaeoMTI75s

Content Warnings: murders/deaths, manipulation, kidnapping, beaten up/violence

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

Room For Improvement
- too much AI usage
- 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
- I understood a character was upset but he did not need to ghost for that long
- nonsense stuff

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Great showcase of Hong Kong talent

I am writing this before next week because i know that after the end of the show, i will have to drag myself out of the rabbit hole with great difficulty.
I am pleasantly surprised to see this production after "Sammy's children's day". It doesn't shy away from the story of the location, use local talents where visible, and this truly pays off and gives an authentic feeling of the show. More importantly, the action scenes are slick (comparing to KP from BOC), story lines are sensible (comparing to the novel), supporting cast is professional, and makeup is natraulistic (a bit on the heavy side but at least they matched the foundation to the actors skin tone). I don't actually want to mention that the leads are gorgeous and their acting is of an acceptable standard, because I feel that's something I normally "accommodate " when watching productions in this genre, which is a shame. The whole thing shows how, despite that Hong Kong tv/film's golden era in the 90s has long gone, local talents remain and are just awaiting the right opportunity and investment.
A couple of things can be improved. The NC scenes feel a bit vanilla and staged to my personal taste. But then again, although Hong Kong has a great tradition of category 3 movies, they're mostly sex comedies, so maybe that's not where local strength lies. The music writing can really do better. Apart from Kingston's cover of a late artist's song, the others can really do better. I am not asking for full revival of the glory of Cantopop but at least don't just copy and paste a few notes to the background music because you want 3 more seconds of arm caressing, it just bothers me, who is not all that into "free jazz".
Overall it's an entertaining watch, and for me personally, to have a BL series in my native dialect is a treat.
Outside of the series, LeoKing pull out all the stops and faithfully play their lovers role in both reactions and dating vlogs, and I find myself mindlessly watching them play camping after a hard day's work. That's the main reason why I will need to drag myself out of this after next week.

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Masterpiece!

Don’t let others discourage you from watching this absolutely stunning BL drama! I will definitely be rewatching it!!!

Ash is honestly one of those dramas that completely pulled me in and stayed with me after the final episode. I went into it without knowing exactly what to expect, and I ended up loving it far more than I anticipated.

What makes Ash so special for me is the atmosphere, the emotional intensity and, most importantly, the chemistry between the leads. Their relationship feels raw, complicated and incredibly magnetic. This isn’t a fluffy, predictable BL where everything exists simply to give us cute romantic moments. The characters are imperfect, their emotions can be messy, and their relationship develops with tension, longing and vulnerability. And that is exactly why I found it so addictive.

The acting deserves a huge amount of praise. So much is communicated through looks, pauses, body language and those small moments where you can feel everything the characters are unable or unwilling to say aloud. The chemistry is absolutely insane. I believed their attraction, their attachment and their emotional struggle from beginning to end.

I also loved that this is a Hong Kong BL with its own identity and atmosphere. It feels different from the usual Thai, Taiwanese, Japanese or Korean BL productions, and that made watching it even more exciting for me. Visually, it is beautiful, moody and cinematic without feeling artificial.

Is it perfect? Probably not. There are moments that some viewers may find frustrating, and certain choices will definitely divide opinions. But personally, I would much rather watch something emotionally intense and memorable than something technically flawless but forgettable.

For me, Ash was beautiful, sensual, painful, romantic and completely captivating. Ignore the negativity, give it a chance and decide for yourself.

I absolutely loved it. And yes — I’m already looking forward to watching it all over again.

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