Overrated? Underrated? Both?

How does a series get both such positive and negative reviews at the same time, with a range of polarized opinions being justifiable in many ways?

For me, it starts off really well, especially with the portrayal of Korn and Win's closeness and Win's obvious but unsaid feelings towards Korn. Then Win's over-the-top reaction to his father leaving part of the family farm to Korn spoiled things--given how close he is to Korn and how well he knows Korn's character, why can't he accept his father's will or trust that Korn isn't someone who would covet his family's inheritance.

Yet, the series picks up again after the body swap when Win (in his sister's body) has to get some holy water with Korn. Korn's patience and devotion and Win's longing to be close to Korn again is engagingly portrayed without sappiness and with quite a bit of comedy instead, Mix is wonderful as Win, showing Win's impulsivity, his vulnerability and his rather funny jealous bitchiness (when he thinks there is something going on between Korn and another man). In fact, the cast is generally very good with their roles, but Mix stands out with his adaptability to the different demands of the character. Unfortunately, the graph plotting how good the story is takes a downward turn again. The twists in the story in the last two episodes are either expected or not very convincing though EarthMix remains very endearing throughout.

Ultimately, the story could have been stronger. Win and Korn are lovable, and it's nice to see their interactions and how their relationship is gradually mended. But this is not enough to elevate to series to the level of a classic. Some of the best parts of the series, oddly enough, are in the extra scenes after the ending credits. The brief scenes show Win and Korn's long friendship and their love for each other, which they dare not express. What we have are great parts here and there but when everything is put together, something seems lacking.

The body swap premise also seems somewhat unnecessary for the story. Win could be in his own body and still be made to go on the trip to get the holy water (say, to awaken his sister from a coma or something). This way, some of the potential ethical issues of Win and Korn's physical intimacy while Win is in his sister's body could have been avoided. To be fair, effort seems to have been taken to minimize the ethical conundrum because, most of the time, they are not behaving like lovers. However, Win has a kiss with Korn while still in his sister's body, and this raises eyebrows. And the scene could hardly have been avoided without changing the story significantly because it is linked to the crisis of the expectation for Korn to marry Win's sister later on.

Overall, Cupid's Last Wish is a fairly nice BL series. But the bars raised for Thai BLs in series like Bad Buddy, Not Me and EarthMix's 1000Stars, it can seem a little underwhelming.

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Easily my favorite Thai BL that started airing in 2022

Though it’s not what I’m here for, can I give a 10/10 for Mork’s dimpled smile? It may not seem relevant, but I find the expressions of Fluke, the actor playing Mork, rather natural and suitable for the character. Fame, who plays Tawan, only gets to shine more in the last two episodes due to his emotional ups and downs, but he does quite an impressive job.

What I liked a lot:
(1) Tawan and Mork as the main couple. Their love story is simple but sweet. Mork has been jilted by his girlfriend while Tawan’s boyfriend is cheating on him. Mork soon befriends Tawan, the doctor who gets rides from him. Tawan’s feelings for Mork develop later in the story, but, interestingly, we don’t see Mork being jealous even as the man he has fallen for is in a relationship with someone else. Instead, he is very protective of Tawan’s feelings and doesn’t want him to be upset. Tawan’s affections for Mork are not sudden even though he only makes a clean break with his boyfriend quite late in the series. We see the gradual changes in him, changes that he himself may not be aware of.

(2) The inclusion of Mork’s uncles, an older gay couple. They are humorous and cute, an interesting departure from the usual focus on young couples in BL. They are not the main characters, but they have a nice presence in the story, serving as a positive influence on Mork even though they may often squabble.

Some Flaws:
(1) The Toy/Boss side couple is cute but doesn't really fit in with the Tawan/Mork story. Compare it with the couple formed by Mork's uncles. The uncles integrate better with the Tawan/Mork story as they talk to him about his feelings for Tawan. While Toy and Boss work in the same hospital as Tawan, their story doesn't really intersect with the Tawan/Mork story. I guess casting Yoon as Toy adds some star power to the series, but I wish the character had been better integrated into the main story.

(2) Inconsistencies/continuity issues with the portrayal of Mork’s feelings. The production could have been more meticulous here. Mork seems to vacillate between being aware of his own feelings for Tawan and being unaware of it. In one scene, Mork's friend warns him about being hurt if his feelings are not reciprocated, and he even avoids Tawan when the latter goes to him for a ride. Then in a later scene (Episode 7), Mork seems genuinely surprised when his uncles talk about his feelings for Tawan, behaving as though he is unaware of his own feelings (and not just denying it in front of others).

A controversy:
(1) Apparently the character of Nadia, Tawan’s best friend, is supposed to be a male character. I think any decision about keeping the character as male or changing the character to be female is going to stir controversy. Given the relative lack of attention on the character, it would be hard to portray with sensitivity a male gay man who isn’t conventionally masculine, and this could lead to comments that the character is used for laughs, stereotypical, etc. On the other hand, changing the character into a female character could raise questions about the invisibility of men who are not conventionally masculine even in stories about people in gay relationships.

Personally, I can respect the decision to turn Nadia’s character into a straight woman, and I think she gets a little too much hate for not accepting Mayom’s love. It’s partly miscommunication–she isn’t sure if she can accept Mayom’s love, but it’s not like she is not giving it a serious thought.

Overall:
The story of Tawan and Mork is nicely done, and I think taking away unnecessary distractions like the Boss/Toy side couple could have allowed the two main characters and their relationship to be depicted with more nuance. The story of the main couple is quite simple, but it is a simple story nicely executed in many ways. I don’t get the feeling that the Fame/Fluke pairing is going to have legions of fans who obsess over and fantasize about them (unlike say, Max/Tul, Mew/Gulf, Earth/Mix), but it is just as well. They have done their jobs well enough and they don’t have to feed people’s fantasies beyond their roles.

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A bold entry in the crime/mystery genre

This series seems like a detective or mystery drama at first, and in many ways it is one. However, while the cases are mostly very engaging, it quite boldly focuses more on the storytelling than on how the detective characters solve the mysteries. Sometimes the truth is revealed but it is a little less clear how the detective managed to solve the cases. To some degree at least, this works well because the series adamantly refuses to romanticize their profession or associate them with glamour. It has elements that are reminiscent of hardboiled detective fiction but it isn't afraid to showcase the sentimental side of the characters.

The way the cases unfold aren't always going to please viewers. Those who find it odd for the series to focus less on the investigation process than it could, in particular, will find the delivery awkward. However, there seems to be a conscious departure from convention. Instead of emphasizing how capable the main characters are (and they are certainly capable policemen), there is a greater focus on the complexity of human relationships and even a certain degree of moral ambiguity. This is rather rare, especially for a series coming from China, where it can be controversial to entertain ideas like how the justice system may fail to deliver justice. The leads have a strong sense of justice, but they are not beyond bending the rules at least occasionally. This may not be entirely original, but is rather bold in a series.

I was especially surprised by the portrayal of the corrupt policeman in the series, which I think the series takes some pains to develop despite what some seem to think. The villainous policeman starts off being somewhat dubious, becomes clearly unscrupulous and eventually takes on full-scale villainy. He has clear ties to the triads, which he also betrays, as he is entirely self-serving. (I seriously didn't imagine a series from China, where the censors don't take well to a negative portrayal of authority figures, showing this and getting away with it.)

What I really appreciate about this series is the nuanced portrayal of many of the characters and their relationship. They are very much human even if not humane. Whether it is Lu Li's ambivalent attitude towards his father or Chi Zhen's relationship with his mother after he inadvertently causes his sister to be murdered, the relationships are realistically complex. Chi Zhen's relationship with his love interest is perhaps a tad clichéd but it does not really hurt the story.

To be sure, the series isn't flawless. While intriguing, a couple of the cases become a little predictable after a certain point. This is not a major issue, however. Additionally, the series adopts a rather interesting structure, with flashbacks at the beginning of many episodes. This is often effective in providing the back stories of characters, but perhaps it is so effective that one becomes disappointed by how certain things that the flashbacks lead us to expect are eventually left untouched. The case involving the supposed crimes committed by Lu Li's father is a case in point. It seems to be quite heavily hinted that the father may well be innocent but for some reason has admitted to some very heinous crimes (there are no scenes of him committing the crimes, and all the scenes of the father show no trace of him actually being someone who would commit the crimes). Unfortunately, there is no coverage of the father's case. Perhaps some of the loose threads are meant for a possible Season 2, but is it necessary to not even reveal the identity of the person who has paid for the costly surgery Chi Zhen's mother has to undergo?

I can see that the series is flawed in several ways, but there is enough in it to keep my interest and make me overlook its flaws. Hopefully a Season 2 really gets made.

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How is a BL series from China possible in 2021 ?

What? A series from China with unambiguous BL? Watching this makes me feel like I have taken a time machine back to the time before BL series were banned in China. In fact, even the production quality seems to be something from the past.

It is unfortunate that this is a miniseries. It feels more like a summary edit of a longer series than an actual series, not just because the episodes are short but also because of abrupt jumps that causes the viewer to have to infer what has happened in between. The good thing is, considering the constraints, the telling of the story is still acceptably competent. It's not a bad story at all; it's just that we become painfully aware that we are not watching the entire story and won't get to watch it.

Another flaw of the series is that, except for the acting of Zhou Jun Yu (who plays Jiang Yi Feng) and a couple of older actors, the acting is sometimes a little too awkward and would have benefited from retakes. Thankfully, the scenes with the two leads clearly being in love are at least okay. They stop short of an on-screen kiss, but at least an off-screen one is implied. And their relationship is not ambiguous (you can't explain it as bromance), e.g. when Jiang Yi Feng gets jealous when Lu Lin innocuously says something comparing him to another person he has dated, and Lu Lin tries to clarify it.

If nothing else, it's worth watching this series for how impossible it seems. (I'm not sure if it could be an unreleased series that ran into the BL ban in China before it could be released and recently got acquired by Gagaoolala.)

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Quite Enjoyable

Young Blood Agency isn't the best detective series (if it is even one); in fact, it is quite a distance from the best of whatever you might classify it as.

Perhaps because I wasn't expecting much, I was pretty impressed by how various cases the detectives encounter come together eventually. The weakness, however, is that we don't quite get anything really exciting or fascinating most of the time: it's just like one half-solved case after another until the dots start to become connected.

One of the better aspects of this drama is the depiction of the relationships between the characters. There is romance, friendship, and bromance. Oddly enough, Tong Qiu Bai, who is a central character, is barely developed. The other three male leads are interesting in their own ways. Nan Gong Shuo is a bit of a comic character, seemingly a frivolous, self-entitled brat at first but actually righteous and serious about what he is doing. Mei Ruo Lan is suitably mysterious from the start though one can sense that he is a true friend of Tong's regardless of what he is doing. Zhai Xing is like Nan Gong Shuo's sidekick, but a much better fighter and we can feel for him as we see his secret crush on one of the female leads. The romance and bromance are not gratuitous, thankfully, They do play a part in the story as their relationships get tested as they unravel mysteries.

Perhaps there is even a slight hint of BL? I see this in two minor characters, two artists who are very close to each other. I'm not very sure why they are even featured in the story though there is a small mystery involving them. Additionally, Mei Ruo Lan is the only one amongst the four male leads who does not have a clear love interest, but I wonder if he actually secretly likes Tong Qiu Bai. In one scene, he jokes to Zhai Xing that they are both abandoned when the other two male leads are with their love interests (one of whom is Zhai Xing's crush).

What would have made the series better is perhaps a few more truly interesting cases for the detective agency to solve or at least a tweaking of the same cases to make them more engaging. At times, some situations are a little too unbelievable for a story that seems to be part of the detective genre, e.g. some unknown poison in a world where traces of specific chemicals can be detected in a cup? A drug that allows a person to feign death? I know it's fiction, but perhaps the story would work better if it forensics weren't featured so heavily or if the main characters weren't trying to be actual detectives.

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Somewhat entertaining, but inadequate as either mystery or comedy

I started watching thinking that this would be a detective series but was soon convinced that it was a comedy, then I ended up being unsure what it really is, It is a rather entertaining series in some ways, but it is neither here nor there.

It is best not to watch the series with the expectations one has of one to do with detective investigations. This is not a series that grips the audience with an engaging mystery even though there are different cases of crimes connected to the same mastermind. The focus is, instead, on how the detective exposes some seemingly supernatural phenomena that are used as a cover for criminal activities. This is also where the weakest link of the series is. The detective's revelations do not really astonish--in fact, the explanations for the fake supernatural phenomena often makes it quite unlikely for people to be able to deceive others with them.

There are many examples of how unconvincing the solutions to the mysteries are. One of the bad guys' fake ability to levitate is (more than once) explained as a trick using wires although it is likely that people present at the scene would be able to see the wires. A gigantic water monster is also explained as a huge manmade creation operated by machinery, but I can't fathom how anyone setting up the machinery and the fake monster would be able to do so without attracting any attention. There are also phenomena for which no explanation is really attempted, like how the bad guys managed to make many people dream of the same thing. In the final "mystery", there is no proper explanation for how the bad guys manage to transport so many of the characters into a mansion (which the bad guys claim is a place inside a painting) without having them taken out of a particular venue. In the end, there are too many gaping holes for the story to be a solid entry in the mystery or detective genre.

It is better, then, to appreciate the series as a comedy, perhaps an absurdist one. The series, especially the first half or so, can be rather funny. There may be unintended anachronisms like the protagonist having watched a King Kong movie even before the end of the Qing dynasty in China, but this may well contribute to the anarchy at the start of the series, which includes scenes where a thoughts inner thoughts are revealed in a voiceover. Unfortunately, the series isn't that great as comedy either. It could have been if it gone steadily down the road of absurdist comedy and focused on exaggerated character expressions and actions, but it is somewhat self-restrained in this regard, as though it doesn't dare to attempt something like this.

When the story takes a more serious turn, it has neither the allure of a serious mystery nor the charm of an truly enjoyable absurd comedy to hold itself together. I wish the creators of the series had gone all-out nonsensical and made the series a comedy that is clearly meant to be enjoyed without taking anything too seriously. Perhaps even a less dogged insistence on the absence of supernatural phenomena would also add on to the fun: imagine if the protagonist had encountered some real vampires while trying to expose the fake vampires.

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Absorbing story with well developed characters and good acting

(But be prepared for an ending that you may not like 100%.)

The greatest challenge for this series is how it has to tell the story of 5 main characters who unexpectedly get transformed into their younger selves when they are 55. Although they meet each other, their stories don’t intersect much, so it is all too easy for the series to suffer from disjointedness as it shifts its focus from one character to another. Thankfully, the disjointedness is kept to a minimum, and the life of each of the characters is interesting in its own way.

The five characters start off in different ways, and we may feel more for one or two of them than for others at first:

- San: at 55, he loses his job and has regrets in his love life and in his relationship with his parents.

- Jaya: a popular singer in her younger days, she has lost popularity over time.

- Paul: a gay man who has kept his sexual orientation hidden from his family; he is in love with a man who is about to get remarried.

- Thep: once a promising boxer, he was attacked and crippled before an important match. His boxing school is failing.

- Jarunee: a strict teacher who is being pursued by a much younger man despite having rejected him, she finds out that she has cancer.

Personally, I was more touched by the predicaments of Paul and Thep at first. Nevertheless, I grew to care more about the characters too. In fact, Thep loses some of my sympathy as he seems to become a tad childish after the transformation. My heart most consistently went out to Paul as the other characters can be faulted in some ways, but not so much for Paul.

San is perhaps too impulsive and stubborn in his younger days. Jaya has an attitude problem as a diva and does not even bother to sing live. Thep has an opportunity to be a boxer again after the transformation, but he seems distracted by other “activities” like flirting with a young woman. Jarunee in her older self is a well-meaning teacher but fails to understand the youths she is teaching. Paul, on the other hand, is not perfect but he has lived his younger days in a homophobic family and society, and the man he has been in love with for years is straight and isn’t about to suddenly like men like characters in BL series do. The way his life has turned out isn’t something he can really help.

Because the reason for the characters’ transformation is mysterious, there is suspense from the start regarding whether they will be able to remain young or return to their former selves from the start. The uncertainty is perfectly exploited because it soon becomes obvious that some of the characters will want to remain young while the others will want to return to their older selves: unless they are going to have a choice, neither situation is going to be ideal.

Given that the title is “55:15 Never Too Late”, people may expect a happy ending. But this is not something that anyone watching can be sure of, especially in the last few episodes when the story is worked into a climax. This is a series in which, despite a lot of light-hearted moments, we don’t know what sort of ending to expect until the end (or perhaps even until a second season?). (In the case of Paul, it will be doubly heartbreaking if he has to permanently return to his older self because it will be really sad for both him and his younger self’s love interest.) Together with characters that the audience is likely to care about and all-round good acting, the series is truly absorbing.

The ending of the series, unfortunately, isn't entirely satisfying. It tries to stay true to the idea that it is "never too late" but the transformation only brings a positive change for some of the characters. For at least one character who gets transformed, it can also bring more regrets. Even though the character tries to see it positively, it also seems that they are, as they say, "cursed". In a sense, the ending is realistic. But I'm not too sure if I really want this sort of realism in a feel-good series about people getting a second chance after being transformed into teens.

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Imperfect but likable detective drama

Each episode has a story of its own, but the stories are not all equally solid as detective stories. I think they are in general pretty good, however. The stories may always not intrigue the viewer or keep the viewer guessing 'whodunit', but they have their own special character. Sometimes there are nice twists, sometimes the culprits are predictable but the revelations of their motivations or methods are interesting. There are many sorts of detective stories, and I personally won't expect all of them to conform to a single standard.

Perhaps the best representation of how good this series can be is Episode 9 (the murder of a chef), an episode with interesting revelations (the story can go in many possible ways, and one is kept guessing). The characters in Episode 9 also have interesting back stories that make them human and fallible whether they are the culprits or not. There is a lot going on even though the scenes are largely set in a restaurant, and there isn't a boring moment.

Because the series is centered on the equivalent of Sherlock Holmes (Shishio Homare, same initials), it is important to have an intriguing or likable enough character here. Of course, Shishio has to be ingenious at solving cases, but beyond this necessary trait, there has to be something that makes the viewer care enough about him. The character of Wakamiya (the equivalent of Watson) becomes useful as his relationship with Shishio gives an additional dimension to Shishio.

With some attention on the interactions between Shishio and Wakamiya that do not become distracting, there is something that keeps the different stories together, and the series is not just one of a detective solving one case after another. The changing relationship between the two over the episodes, especially as narrated by Wakamiya, is nicely done. There are hints/teases of BL that are not excessively done, and one could see the relationship one that becomes more like bromance too. From someone in a case investigated by Shishio and someone Shishio imposes on (by making a unilateral decision to live with him), Wakamiya eventually grows rather attached to Shishio and he is the one who reacts most strongly when Shishio falls into the water in Episode 11. (By Episode 8-9, we can already see from the way Wakamiya looks at Shishio that he has totally accepted Shishioi into his life.)

The final part about "Sherlock's" confrontation with Moriarty (Moriya) turns out to rather anti-climatic, with a strong suggestion that the Moriya we see isn't the real one. Perhaps it is meant to keep things open for a second season while also being faithful to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in which Sherlock Holmes "dies". But perhaps ending the first season this way isn't the best way to make a second season attractive to viewers. (The special episode, however, does give a better sense of temporary closure.)

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Stupidly cute with a strong hint of BL

There isn't much of a story: the villain of a writer's story climbs out of his computer and demands a better ending for himself because the writer repeatedly has him die in really stupid ways.

What follows is some silly, cute interactions between them. Of course, the villain isn't much of a villain despite some of the pranks he plays. The two get closer over time, and there's a strong hint of BL even though the writer is supposedly in love with a woman. The villain's feelings are especially obvious as he does a lot of things for the writer quietly. One example is in Episode 11 when the three of them are out, and the villain looks on wistfully as he sees the writer and the woman laughing together. The writer's feelings for the villain also become stronger over time, exceeding what he feels for the woman. The woman herself seems to notice this though there's no elaboration, just some clever use of camerawork and filming conventions to suggest that the two men are the real couple.

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Isolated sparks here and there that result in disappointment

Don't watch this without watching Season 1 because Season 2 starts in the middle of nowhere. It's not really a new season but a continuation of an incomplete "Season 1". Just don't expect yourself to be confusion-free if you watch Season 1 either. There are things that are not properly explained after you watch all 24 episodes.

The premise of someone with supernatural powers (apparently gained after touching some alien stone) accidentally having most of his powers transferred to others can be interesting, even if it is turned into a comedy. However, after watching Season 2, one may still feel that there could have been a good story if there is proper effort put into writing a good story.

The humor in "Season 2" doesn't really work very well, especially when it is juxtaposed with the generally more serious tone as the mysterious person trying to kidnap the people with superpowers comes into the foreground. And though it doesn't feel like a new season, it seems that the production team has put in even less effort in the production in "Season 2". Often enough, scenes end abruptly (and for no good reason). The introduction of new characters is haphazard.

Season 2 can be rather exasperating because the story seems to be getting somewhere, with the identity of the biggest villain being revealed while the suspense regarding his motivations is maintained. I think the supernatural powers should have received more attention, perhaps with the characters already having powers in Season 1 strengthening their powers. Unfortunately, this does not happen.

Still, the story is worked into a climax. Then the story is wrapped up rather abruptly. It is not that the story ends in the middle of nowhere like in Season 1--there is a sense of completion, but the denouement leaves much to be desired. In the last episode, the series takes such a dark turn with the near triumph of the villain--it is actually quite nicely done, but it is incompatible with the largely lighthearted tone of the rest of the series in Seasons 1 and 2. Then the crisis is solved with the abrupt introduction of a supernatural power that has never been introduced, which is the way you do things if you are suddenly given less than half an episode to finish the story and you have to come up with something, hoping that the audience will buy it. After the deus ex machina, there is a pathos-filled scene at the end that can be moving in itself but is again very much incompatible with the rest of the story. If a series could suffer from dissociative personality disorder, this series would definitely be diagnosed with it.

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Deals with serious themes in a lighthearted way

The story isn't exactly very strong in this series, as the events are somewhat disjointed. Despite being cute and lighthearted, it deals with serious themes like coming out (or how not coming out could affect a gay couple's relationship), the public's attitude towards gay people and gay marriage, and how gay couples with children have to deal with the possible discrimination their children might encounter in school.

Some of the scenarios are clichéd--the way Jerry and Damian try to hide their relationship from Jerry's mother, for instance. And yet, there is sensitivity in the scenes. Damian doesn't pressure Jerry to come out to his parents (unlike so many characters in BL series), but Jerry's reluctance to come out to his parents inevitably strains their relationship. When Jerry's father eventually finds out about Jerry and Damian, his doesn't clearly accept or reject them. The father is not someone who is used to accepting homosexual relationships, but he understands that society has changed and acceptance is becoming mainstream. If nothing else, this highlights the importance of equal rights. If even the law does not recognize the rights of traditionally marginalized groups, then some people will forever be stuck in their antiquated views.

Although the conflicts are quite quickly resolved in the episodes, the series can be quite moving. We see how much something as simple as not being rejected by others can mean to a gay person. The series is filled with good intentions and positive messages. But this is also how it becomes weaker. In many ways, it is like a well-made and rather interesting educational video, but how about its artistic merits? The attempts to bring in themes and send a message seem a tad too deliberate, and there is little attempt at plot development or more nuanced characterization, so the series could have been better in many ways.

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Had the potential

As it is, the short movie is can be rather touching in how it portrays the plight of Light, the main character, who has been through a lot in life, including being abused by his stepfather and having to prostitute himself for money (which the same stepfather demands for). He longs for love, but will he get it from the person who shows him concern, and will it last?

Light is a character who is easy to sympathize with. There are some moments of overacting, but Jed Chung manages to convey the character's vulnerability and yearning. Unfortunately, while there are commendable attempts to be economical in fleshing out his back story, sometimes the character ends up incoherent. The way he taunts a customer and the fragility he displays as he gets beaten up, for instance, don't cohere very well without more shown about how he has changed over time as he has to deal with a life in the streets.

The gaps in the portrayal of the other main character, Shuo, are even more obvious. I could only make sense of what is going on because I had read the synopsis of the film, and a lot more needs to be shown about his struggles and his feelings towards Light. The film appears conspicuously incomplete when we see how there is obviously supposed to be a lot more about the Shuo that is somehow not filmed or not included in the 44-minute cut (more likely the former).

I was very much prepared for a tragic ending in this film, perhaps ending with Light's death under yet another person who is violent to him or Shuo's death as his job as a policeman puts him in danger (something which is hinted at). It was a pleasant surprise for me to see the film having a happy ending though the ending appears a little too hurried, like so many aspects of the film. This is a shame for we clearly have a team that is capable of doing more and exploring the nuances of emotions. For instance, when Light first initiates sex with Shuo, why did Shuo refuse to do it even though he was clearly aroused? Was he in denial or his own feelings or did he not want to treat Light as a prostitute by letting Light "repay" his kindness with his body?

This is a film one would love to be able to love more, but it feels incomplete, leaving one dissatisfied while craving for more.

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Had the potential to be better

The basic story in this series isn't great, but it could have been serviceable had the script and/or editing been improved.

We have a freshman who is a few years older than most other freshmen, and he meets a senior in the university who is younger. The freshman has been through certain awful stuff in life, but the senior encourages him to be more cheerful and open up to others. The two of them fall in love, but a creepy ex-boyfriend of the freshman threatens their relationship, as does the senior's struggles to come to terms with his own sexuality.

The above actually makes for an ok story. Unfortunately, the series ends up pretty disjointed and incoherent, with plenty of needless digressions to characters who have no relation to the main story and inconsistencies in characterizations.

The series starts off on the wrong note, taking the enemies-to-lovers approach. I'm not complaining about the lack of originality here; we can have an ok BL rom-com with this approach. Unfortunately, the delivery really leaves much to be desired here. First, Tha/Satha (the senior) gets inexplicably upset because the Nut (the older freshman) occupies the table that Tha usually takes. Come on, it's a university, and the table can basically be used by any student, and the freshman has no idea that the table is the unofficial property of this senior. Furthermore, despite how significant it is for the story, Tha's behavior is here is totally unlike him for he is actually quite a nice person who doesn't just go around bullying his juniors. (In fact, he has even stood up for a couple of juniors whom he sees being bullied.)

Then, just as inexplicably, Tha becomes friendlier towards Nut during a modeling gig. But that's when Nut, supposedly the more mature one, seems a tad too unfriendly towards Tha. And this is just one of the many examples of inconsistent character behaviors. Even before Tha starts to have feelings for Nut or realizes that he has such feelings, he behaves jealously when he sees Nut with other guys.

The bizarre behavior of Nut's ex is also another part of the series that leaves me dumbfounded. OK, so this ex-boyfriend is an asshole because he is in a relationship with Nut but is having sex with many other people when Nut is not ok with an open relationship. Then Nut leaves him, and the he vows to hunt Nut down wherever he goes (no indication of how long ago this takes place before Nut becomes an overaged freshman. (I also have no idea why Nut would just suddenly disappear instead of breaking up with the boyfriend.) So the ex goes from being portrayed as a promiscuous asshole to being portrayed as some sort of psycho stalker. Erm .... oooookaaaaay..... Then, bizarrely, not long after he is beaten up by Tha for harassing Nut, he is suddenly reformed. This is such a great example of bad storytelling that it ought to be recorded in textbooks for the benefit of the benefit of posterity.

In the end, the series could have been quite a decent feel-good BL about a man who gets over past hurt and a man who learns to come to terms with his own sexuality. And that seems like what it tries to be eventually. But the pointless digressions and inconsistencies in the characters (could there be some commercial reason to write in too many other characters?) prevent what is at least ok about the story from being properly developed.

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Some supernatural elements, but the story offers a light-hearted take on serious issues

A supernatural-themed series with little to no actual horror. There are lighthearted and comedic moments, but the series has a story that can be taken seriously too.

Xiao Lu, a ghost whose duty is to take the souls of those who have just died to the netherworld, intervenes and saves Stone when he is supposed to die. As a result of her transgression, she has to guide a certain number of souls to reincarnation so as to make amends. From here, the series can be divided into segments of different ghosts. Some of the ghosts' stories are more striking than others, like the one about bullying and depression leading to suicide and the LGBTQ-themed one involving a young man who enjoys cross-dressing (I hope I'm not getting it wrong here as I'm not sure whether the character identifies as a female an dresses in female clothes or identifies as male but likes wearing female clothes). There are also some interesting twists in the story involving Xiao Lu and Stone though the twists may not be entirely convincing.

This is quite a fun and entertaining series. There is humor, but don't expect a nonsensical horror-comedy (whether it is your cup of tea or not). It can also be serious and moving at some points, but these are nicely balanced with the more light-hearted moments, so you don't really get a series that will make you cry episode after episode.

The main characters are mostly likable. Interestingly, I did not find the character of Stone likable at first because of how silly he seems, but the character is like a person one grows to appreciate upon knowing him better. Ultimately, the series is not really heavy on supernatural elements despite what it may seem at first, it is more a story about love, friendship and life/death than about the supernatural without being excessively sentimental.

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You have to wait to get to the better parts of the story

There is the romantic comedy part of this series and the ancient-forensics-investigations part of this series. They come together quite nicely in the end, but the series is quite uneven as a whole. It takes several episodes before the main female character even gets to do what she's good at (examining corpses and solving mysteries). In other words, if rom-com and somewhat silly humor isn't your cup of tea and you are watching for the mysteries, you have quite a bit to put up with. I also feel that while the basic concepts behind the mystery cases are interesting enough, they get too little coverage.

The romance part of the story isn't really great. I actually liked the dynamics between the middle-aged couple (the main male character's father and his lover) more than the main couple.

The main characters are rather likeable in themselves, but somehow the couple dynamics are not that endearing. Zhao Cuo and Tian Sanqi are the main couple, but their devotion to promises they have made when they are but ten years old doesn't exactly seem like love. Especially when, through some twist of fate, they don't even realize that they have made contradictory promises. Admirably, Zhao Cuo is more decisive when it comes to (potentially) breaking his childhood promise to marry someone. Sanqi may irritate some viewers with her obstinacy in wanting to keep her childhood promise despite being in love with someone else.

Jack Lok's Bai Yifei is absurdly silly and cute, but the cutest part of his romance He Ruoyao turns out to be when he thinks he has fallen for a man because she has been disguising herself as a man. Sometimes even his frenemyship with Zhao Cuo is more entertaining (like the scene when he does a kabedon to Zhao Cuo when giving him advice.

The series is ultimately entertaining enough if you just want a leisurely watch. Just don't expect really well developed mysteries or seriously moving romance.

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