AcrossthePacific
When I first heard of this drama I did a little bit of digging, and found out that it is based off a BL Chinese web novel. I then learned a little bit about Chinese censorship laws and found out that they do not allow gay romances on screen. This knowledge made me hesitant to watch the show, but I gave it a go and HOLY SHIT this show tugs at my heartstrings in ways that shouldn't be possible!
The heart of the show, and the reason you should watch it is the the relationship between our two main leading men, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. In this case I have to give serious props to the actors because they did an amazing job portraying the love and intimacy between these two characters. In the end it didn't even matter that the Chinese censorship laws didn't allow for outright romances. The two main leads communicated the love between these two guys by the way they held hands. That is some serious fucking talent. Needless to say, I will be watching everything they are in for the rest of my life.
So...the two leads are fantastic, but so is basically everyone else in the show really, character wise there wasn't a weak link anywhere. The relationship between Little Gao and Old Chu will leave you squealing in glee, the assorted hilarious side characters are entertaining, and doesn't leave you wanting to skip ahead to the main characters.
The OST was amazing, you can tell that the show invested the money into producing an amazing soundtrack, one that I have listened to, over and over and over again.
The plot has some weak points, but it doesn't really matter because what makes the show amazing are the characters, and the characters are on point.
Parting thoughts, this is definitely a show that you should watch, the time is worth it. Actually, I'm going to go and rewatch it right now.
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Was it simple heroes journey where the guy gets the girl in the end? Yes, it was.
Was it a good, funny, entertaining film that is perfect for a Sunday night? Yes, it was.
This movie is a simple story, with three stereotypical main leads. The roguish anti-hero with a heart of gold. The noble no-nonsense love interest with family problems, and the spoiled secret crown prince trying to gain his fathers approval.
The writers didn't break any new ground with their characters.
But even so, these characters were fun to watch, they had adorable antics that had me literally laughing out loud. I think a large part of why I enjoyed them so much was because they were such obvious stereotypes. So take them for what they are and have a good time with it.
One part of the movie that was simply stellar was the cinematography and the choreography. It was a very well done movie from a technical standpoint, the martial arts scenes were done superbly, the special effects were good. Visually it was a very beautiful movie.
It's a fun ride, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun story where they can switch off their brains for a couple of hours.
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