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This review may contain spoilers
An Interesting Watch
I watched all 7 episodes. There are ways to find them on the internet...and even if you have to watch the subtitles in a language other than your own, the story line is easily understood.
Gushan is invited to return to China with Yuewen and his fiance'. It seems very clear that Yuewen truly wants to continue his relationship with Gushan...but secretly... as he plans to marry his fiance'. Gushan is heart broken and doesn't want to go to China under those terms with them. He remains in Japan.
Just like Gushan's heart is broken, the glass heart of the blue mushroom poison is broken. Yuewen receives a letter that Gushan has quietly ended his life with the poisonous blue powder.
It's a sad ending.
But....
Now...I know this sounds strange...but we DON'T have to accept the endings that are handed to us. The ending in a series is how the writers perceive the final outcome. It CAN be rejected...and in our own minds we can say, "That's YOUR idea of how it ends...but it's NOT mine." We can change the outcome...change the ending. It is fiction, so our own endings are just as valid as the writers ending.
So...how does my ending go?
Yuewen realizes that the house in Japan is the only world that Gushan knows. He understands that it wouldn't be possible for Gushan to thrive in China. If he were to go through with his plans of selling the house, Gushan would remain in Japan and once again become a wandering lost soul. Yuewen discusses this with his fiance'. Being the kind person that she is, she likes Gushan and wants the best for him. She points out to Yuewen that should he not sell the house they are no worse off than before he ever found out about the inheritance.
Yuewen discovers that his father left a modest trust fund for Gushan...enough for him to live a simple meager life.
He tells Gushan that the house will not be sold...instead, the house will become Gushan's home. Gushan will have to pay for the utilities. His trust fund should more than cover those basic expenses. With an embrace and a passionate kiss Yuewen promises Gushan that he will never leave him...and that he'll travel to Japan for two weeks at the beginning of each new season to stay with Gushan.
Yuewen perceives danger as he reflecst upon the blue mushroom powder. He understands Gushan's vulnerability and propensity towards becoming despondent when he feels abandoned. He decides that the mushroom tank, the mushroom shed and the blue mushroom powder must all be destroyed....or that Gushan in a moment of despair might someday take the poisonous blue mushroom powder to end his own life. Yuewen convinces Gushan to give him the mushroom powder. He then cuts off a small lock of his own hair and carefully places it into the glass heart. Gazing into Gushan's eyes, he places the glass heart and chain around Gushan's neck as though he were placing a ring of commitment on his finger....and seals the commitment with a passionately deep kiss.
Yuewen arranges to have the mushroom shed and the blue mushroom glass tank demolished. After the demolition is completed, Yuewen, his fiance', and Gushan set a fire to the remains of the shed, gazing into it until all that is left are ashes. And among those ashes are the ashes of Yuewen's and Gushan's father. They build a small memorial shrine for the father over the ashes.
Destroyed forever, the blue mushroom will never grow anywhere again.
Yuewen and his fiance' return to China without Gushan. The saddened Gushan remains in Japan..with feelings of uncertainty...teetering on fears of abandonment and hopelessness. But Yuewen texts him daily, throughout the day, every day, reassuring Gushan of his love....promising him that he'll return to their home in Japan very soon.
Yuewen is a man who has been torn into two...he loves his fiance and but he also loves Gushan. At first we're angry with Yuewen but we then remember that it was Gushan who seduced...pushed...and pursued Yuewen. We accept Yuewen's lack of culpability in the precarious and vulnerable position that fate threw him into.
Yuewen's texts are the life line to Gushan that nourish his soul with love and with hope. Remaining in the his home , he retains a sense of safety...of stability.
The beginning of the new season arrives...and along with it Yuewen flies to their home in Japan. He arrives alone....without his fiance'. This impossibly beautiful fairy tale romance between Yuewen and Gushan is possible, after all. For two weeks they live in a dream like bliss.
After two weeks, it's time for Yuewen to return to China. Gushan has come to terms of being in a relationship with a married man. With a sense of relief, he understands that Yuewen is not abandoning him.
The journeys back and forth to Japan continue. After two years Yuewen and his wife have their first child...and name him Gushan after their beloved brother/brother-in-law. Yuewen's wife has no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever of the romance between Yuewen and Gushan. The deception seem unfair...but it's the only compromise that keeps them all emotionally safe.
Yuewen calls Gushan, begging him to fly to China to meet his newborn nephew and namesake....and to accept him as a god son.
Gushan will forever be a timid man...unsure of himself....and lacking the self confidence that he can be a god father to a child. He conveys these concerns to Yuewen. Seeing this reluctance, Yuewen flies to Japan and convinces Gushan to accompany him back to China. When they arrive in China, they're met by Yuewn's wife at the airport.....with the newborn baby Gushan in her arms. With outstretched arms, Gushan rushes towards them, Yuewen at his side. They all embrace in a tear filled group hug.
Gushan had found not only the love of his life...but a family as well. And so, this impossibly beautiful fairy tale love continues, fuller and richer than Gushan could have ever hoped for. It not only survives but it thrives and prospers...and grows.
And so ends Season 1. Season 2 ... just as dreamlike...just as surreal...just as beautiful...will follow.
Just as we truly do...in one way or another...create our own destinies in life, we can choose to create our own endings to the BL series that we watch.
This ending is as real as the writers' ending. Never accept what you don't want to accept.
Gushan is invited to return to China with Yuewen and his fiance'. It seems very clear that Yuewen truly wants to continue his relationship with Gushan...but secretly... as he plans to marry his fiance'. Gushan is heart broken and doesn't want to go to China under those terms with them. He remains in Japan.
Just like Gushan's heart is broken, the glass heart of the blue mushroom poison is broken. Yuewen receives a letter that Gushan has quietly ended his life with the poisonous blue powder.
It's a sad ending.
But....
Now...I know this sounds strange...but we DON'T have to accept the endings that are handed to us. The ending in a series is how the writers perceive the final outcome. It CAN be rejected...and in our own minds we can say, "That's YOUR idea of how it ends...but it's NOT mine." We can change the outcome...change the ending. It is fiction, so our own endings are just as valid as the writers ending.
So...how does my ending go?
Yuewen realizes that the house in Japan is the only world that Gushan knows. He understands that it wouldn't be possible for Gushan to thrive in China. If he were to go through with his plans of selling the house, Gushan would remain in Japan and once again become a wandering lost soul. Yuewen discusses this with his fiance'. Being the kind person that she is, she likes Gushan and wants the best for him. She points out to Yuewen that should he not sell the house they are no worse off than before he ever found out about the inheritance.
Yuewen discovers that his father left a modest trust fund for Gushan...enough for him to live a simple meager life.
He tells Gushan that the house will not be sold...instead, the house will become Gushan's home. Gushan will have to pay for the utilities. His trust fund should more than cover those basic expenses. With an embrace and a passionate kiss Yuewen promises Gushan that he will never leave him...and that he'll travel to Japan for two weeks at the beginning of each new season to stay with Gushan.
Yuewen perceives danger as he reflecst upon the blue mushroom powder. He understands Gushan's vulnerability and propensity towards becoming despondent when he feels abandoned. He decides that the mushroom tank, the mushroom shed and the blue mushroom powder must all be destroyed....or that Gushan in a moment of despair might someday take the poisonous blue mushroom powder to end his own life. Yuewen convinces Gushan to give him the mushroom powder. He then cuts off a small lock of his own hair and carefully places it into the glass heart. Gazing into Gushan's eyes, he places the glass heart and chain around Gushan's neck as though he were placing a ring of commitment on his finger....and seals the commitment with a passionately deep kiss.
Yuewen arranges to have the mushroom shed and the blue mushroom glass tank demolished. After the demolition is completed, Yuewen, his fiance', and Gushan set a fire to the remains of the shed, gazing into it until all that is left are ashes. And among those ashes are the ashes of Yuewen's and Gushan's father. They build a small memorial shrine for the father over the ashes.
Destroyed forever, the blue mushroom will never grow anywhere again.
Yuewen and his fiance' return to China without Gushan. The saddened Gushan remains in Japan..with feelings of uncertainty...teetering on fears of abandonment and hopelessness. But Yuewen texts him daily, throughout the day, every day, reassuring Gushan of his love....promising him that he'll return to their home in Japan very soon.
Yuewen is a man who has been torn into two...he loves his fiance and but he also loves Gushan. At first we're angry with Yuewen but we then remember that it was Gushan who seduced...pushed...and pursued Yuewen. We accept Yuewen's lack of culpability in the precarious and vulnerable position that fate threw him into.
Yuewen's texts are the life line to Gushan that nourish his soul with love and with hope. Remaining in the his home , he retains a sense of safety...of stability.
The beginning of the new season arrives...and along with it Yuewen flies to their home in Japan. He arrives alone....without his fiance'. This impossibly beautiful fairy tale romance between Yuewen and Gushan is possible, after all. For two weeks they live in a dream like bliss.
After two weeks, it's time for Yuewen to return to China. Gushan has come to terms of being in a relationship with a married man. With a sense of relief, he understands that Yuewen is not abandoning him.
The journeys back and forth to Japan continue. After two years Yuewen and his wife have their first child...and name him Gushan after their beloved brother/brother-in-law. Yuewen's wife has no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever of the romance between Yuewen and Gushan. The deception seem unfair...but it's the only compromise that keeps them all emotionally safe.
Yuewen calls Gushan, begging him to fly to China to meet his newborn nephew and namesake....and to accept him as a god son.
Gushan will forever be a timid man...unsure of himself....and lacking the self confidence that he can be a god father to a child. He conveys these concerns to Yuewen. Seeing this reluctance, Yuewen flies to Japan and convinces Gushan to accompany him back to China. When they arrive in China, they're met by Yuewn's wife at the airport.....with the newborn baby Gushan in her arms. With outstretched arms, Gushan rushes towards them, Yuewen at his side. They all embrace in a tear filled group hug.
Gushan had found not only the love of his life...but a family as well. And so, this impossibly beautiful fairy tale love continues, fuller and richer than Gushan could have ever hoped for. It not only survives but it thrives and prospers...and grows.
And so ends Season 1. Season 2 ... just as dreamlike...just as surreal...just as beautiful...will follow.
Just as we truly do...in one way or another...create our own destinies in life, we can choose to create our own endings to the BL series that we watch.
This ending is as real as the writers' ending. Never accept what you don't want to accept.
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