Welcome to my Saturday blog post where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching, whether at the beginning, middle, or end. Whatever I want, because I’m petty that way.
This week I recapped episode 7 of timey-wimey-thriller BL(?) 4Minutes where we get amazing acting from Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra playing Tonkla. Don’t watch it for the questionable plot, watch it for him.
I also recapped episodes 7-8 of Kidnap, wherein Min and Q take turns being noble idiots. Does this mean they are perfect for each other? That and Q being fine with Min watching him via a surveillance camera all day.
What did I watch this week? It’s raining sad rich guys and hard-of-hearing guys in the BL world so I’ve got two more for your dance card.
First, a show that’s technically a rewatch so far:
Blue Canvas of Youthful Days – 路过我年少时光的蓝色 – 2024
Currently airing Chinese School BL, I’ve watched 4 of 12 episodes (twice).
A young artist enters an art school because he admires the sketches of another young man there, and tries to get to know the promising but prickly artist better.
In case you missed it, this show was “released” about 3 months ago. My understanding is that because it’s a Chinese BL, and BL is not allowed under censorship rules, they tried to get around them by only streaming internationally through a Chinese streamer. Instead, it got pulled after 4 episodes.
As someone who watched those 4 episodes only to be left hanging, I’m thrilled that it’s back out there.
So let’s talk about those 4 episodes
I’m an expert on them since I’ve watched them twice.
As I mentioned, we’ve got a sad rich guy, Qi Lu. His father founded an art museum and his mother was an artist. Unfortunately, his mother is gone, and his father is controlling, as well as emotionally and physically abusive.
Qi Lu’s been admiring some sketches he’s seen online but when he reaches out to the creator, he doesn’t hear back. Then, by chance, he goes to the wrong art school and sees sketches by the same artist there. He decides to enroll in that art school.
The artist behind the sketches is Qin Xiao, an unfriendly young man from a poor background. His parents are gone and his grandfather has Alzheimer’s. Qin Xiao has no interest in adding a new friend to his responsibilities, but Qi Lu is persistently friendly.
Tonally, the show has a very warm, slice-of-life feeling. There’s nothing fantastical or over-the-top about either plot or production.
What hooked me about this show
I love that our guys are artists, and art is what brings them together. They bond over art supplies, mixing paints, sketching their surroundings, and teasing a classmate for painting a purple apple. Art brought them together and it’s an important part of their lives.
I want to know what will happen once Qi Lu’s abusive father learns what his son is doing. Will Qi Lu realize his feelings soon? How long will it take Qin Xiao to realize them? I wonder if Qi Lu is interested in being an artist, or if he’s only doing it because he’s being forced by his father. If his father wasn’t pressuring him, what would he be doing?
There’s also a potential romance between the man running the school, Liu, and the hard-of-hearing young man, Tan Yi, he’s helped out. Tan Yi has feelings for Liu, but Liu sees Tan Yi as similar to an important person he’s lost who we’ve yet to learn about. Poor Tan Yi will need to get past that to get anywhere romantically.
I’ve been waiting for months to get past these episodes. Today I can finally watch episode 5. I’ll be back in a month or so with a final review.
The other sad rich guy and his hard-of-hearing love interest can be found in:
See Your Love – 看見愛 – 2024
Currently airing Taiwanese workplace BL, I’ve watched 4 of 13 episodes.
A wealthy young man who wants nothing to do with the family business hires a Deaf young man as a caretaker, mostly to take advantage of him.
In the world of Taiwanese BL there seem to be two main styles of storytelling. There’s the down-to-earth style of a show like Unknown. Then there’s the strange, quirky, nonsensical style of shows like Stay By My Side, Anti-Reset and You Are Mine.
This show falls into the latter category
It starts with our rich guy getting into a brawl on the street. The rich guy gets rescued by a very tall young man. They meet again because the tall young man is also a food delivery person. The rich guy doesn’t realize the tall guy is deaf, the tall guy thinks the rich guy is part of a gang. Food is spilled and both guys need to get naked and take showers.
Our rich guy hires the tall guy to take care of him, so he can take advantage of his hearing. He’s got some character growth coming.
Meanwhile, the rich guy’s handler/secretary/something is mistaken for his boss by an assassin. The assassin gets drunk on the job and they end up in bed together.
The characters handle this without batting an eye while silly sound effects (xylophone anyone?) and comedy music play in the background.
It’s hard to know how to approach the sincere parts of the show
Both lead characters struggle to fit into the world despite things beyond their control. Our rich guy isn’t cut out to be rich and sees himself as a failure. Our deaf guy wants a job but gets turned down because of his hearing. They could use each other’s help.
I’m a sucker for sad rich guys, hard-of-hearing guys, tall guys with shorter guys, and absurdity. I don’t need heaviness, and I’m fine with being confused about what the show wants me to feel. I’ll deal with that to see these two learn to love and support each other.
And I accept the risk that this frenetic silliness will ruin the characters, or worse, that the plot will become Important and Serious. If you’re not up for that or looking for any kind of emotional intensity, you’re probably better off skipping this one.