This review might be a bit lengthy because I have a lot to say about this show so here we go.

I was super excited for Moonlight Chicken, mostly because of First but also because everything I've seen by Aof has been amazing. The hype around this one was just crazy, especially for an 8 episode series, so I was a little worried that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. It surpassed them.

It tells the story of Jim (Earth), who runs a chicken rice shop with his nephew Li Ming (Fourth). One night after close, Jim sees Wen (Mix) still at the diner, passed out from a night of drinking. The two hook up and as much as Jim wants for it to not be complicated and to stay as a simple one night stand, of course it gets complicated. While Jim and Wen work things out, there's still Gaipa (Khaotung) who has been in love with Jim for some time now, and Alan (First) who Wen broke up with after a five-year long relationship. In short, things are messy, complicated, and wonderful to watch.

In terms of the unmessy events, we've got Jim's nephew Li Ming (Fourth) and Heart (Gemini) who end up becoming friends when Li Ming has to work for Heart's parents to pay off a debt. Heart became deaf three years ago, and while his parents still refuse to learn sign, Li Ming is quick to learn it to communicate with him better. The clearly intentional lack of subtitles on the signing was a brilliant move; the viewer is put in the shoes of the parents (and other characters) who do not know sign and must rely on Li Ming's translations (when he gives them) or use context to figure it out. Coming to the realization that I didn't know what Heart was saying, and watching the same realization cross his mother's face when they get into an argument, was a wonderful touch on this already amazing series.

The storyline between Jim and Wen begins as plenty of BLs do: with a hookup. While I'm not typically a fan of this trope, I've never seen it done as well as it was here. Jim telling Wen he only wants a one night stand that is uncomplicated leads him into an entire mess that he seems to just want out of.

I might be biased because he's played by First, but I thought that the introduction of Alan added an entire layer to the story that was missing from the first few episodes. Seeing a five-year long relationship that crumbled and ended with a simple "I don't love you anymore" was devastating, especially because only Wen felt that way. Alan, trying desperately to hold onto the relationship, couldn't stop Wen from seeing other people. Wen, who still hadn't moved out of their shared apartment months after the break up, got mad at Alan for still treating him like his boyfriend--even though it seemed that Wen was still hesitant to let go too.

This show was an extremely emotional one, and it was done extremely well. There are four separate but important dynamics between characters. There's young love (HeartLiMing), stale love (AlanWen), unrequited love (JimGaipa), and new love (JimWen), all of which allow the viewer to sympathize with different characters at different points in the show. The way this show is shot was beautiful, and the intertwining of the characters' lives wasn't rushed at all even though it was a shorter series. In fact, this being a shorter series cut out any unnecessary scenes or conflicts, which meant every scene was important.

The parallels between characters help to enhance their interactions and showcase the different sides of them. Wen yells at Alan for not taking his break up words seriously--then Jim says the same thing to Wen. Alan yells at Jim for taking his pen because it doesn't belong to him--and then laughs and tells Gaipa it's fine that he took it. These little hints at past actions help to round out the story and keep the viewer looking for easter eggs in every scene. Beautifully done, wonderfully written, and worth a watch (and rewatch).

My only complaint: I want more AlanGaipa screen time. And honestly more content from this show in general.