A love story weighed down by flaws

The premise had potential, but the execution didn't deliver. The only true strength of this series is the chemistry between the two leading men. Unfortunately, however, that chemistry was ruined when the actor Hank Wang (Shi Lei) was visibly uncomfortable kissing his scene partner. His lips were sealed shut and he refused to kiss meaningfully. His scene partner had more courage and made the best of a bad situation. Why would a production company hire an actor who doesn't want to do the work? The evolution of their relationship felt more natural, which was enjoyable to watch. The secondary gay couple needed more of a story - they didn't really have one, so why where they there? The straight couple were also underutilized.

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A show that shot itself in the foot

This series could have been perfect. But the actors refused to kiss. Adding insult to injury, the director tried to trick the viewers into thinking that the character did kiss by "cheating the camera." Every time the characters went in for a kiss, they would turn from the camera, or the camera would pan away from them, or the actors would be backlit so no details could be seen, or the actors would block the kiss with their hand. I don't understand why a series would hire actors for gay roles who then refuse to play those roles authentically. Not only is that bad storytelling, it's homophobic. If the actors and directors are so disgusted by same sex intimacy, then they shouldn't be telling a BL story. This has nothing to do with government censorship or getting an all-audience rating for broadcast television. The producers believe that the audience for BL's are too stupid to notice these tricks or they think that we have such low standards that we'll happily consume anything BL no matter how poorly done.

The rest of the story was wonderful. Too bad the whole thing was tainted.

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