Editorials 
This review may contain spoilers
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?
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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