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Stay by My Side taiwanese drama review
Completed
Stay by My Side
4 people found this review helpful
by jpny01
Sep 2, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

Fluffy, but for once not in a bad way.

Normally I would loathe a series like this becaus I find fluff tedious - but not when it's interspersed with an actual story with consistent characters that have development arcs, which is a rarity in BL. Even the uke had character development.

Hong Wei Zhe does a good job of making a bratty character likeable, and there's a certain convoluted structure to his whining that is always entertaining.

Yang I Hsuan is really sexy and does one of the best jobs of acting like he's really into someone I've ever seen. He's the kind of guy everyone would want as a bf. The boys are not afraid to show phyiscal affection - they are always touching, rubbing noses, kissing, or even wrestling around - the latter of which I appreciated because it felt like two guys instead of a man and an uke. Jiang Chi is sweet and takes care of Bu Xia, but he's not above laughing at him when he's being ridiculous or teasing him - he feels like a real person, and his interaction with Bu Xia feels genuine and unrehearsed.

There are a few funny take-downs of BL tropes - for example, Jiang Chi has a fiancee that drops out of the sky as it typical in a BL - he basically just says "I'm gay, get lost". and that's the end of that.

The plot is a little thin, but there is one, it is thought out and flows nicely. And best of all, there's a setup for another season, which I hope happens.

The cinematography is very good, with some lovely shots of Taiwan, and in general it's well-produced.

I highly recommend this series - it's relentlessly pleasant, there is drama but not caused by awful people - it's mostly character-driven, although ghosts also play a role in moving the story foraward.
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