Pink Summer (2024)

Cleverly Directed and Humours!

Wasn't what I expected at all! right from the start, this mini series sets a fun and lighthearted tone, making it an easy and enjoyable watch. The way they incorporated inside jokes, like the sleeve-tearing moments, was really clever and added an extra layer of humour about the situation of MLs relationship. The direction stands out with smart choices in camera angles and visual design, which enhance both the humor and the story. The editing is particularly fun—animated in a way that keeps the comedy fresh and entertaining. It is not necessarily romantic but overall, it’s a well-crafted and cleverly executed for a mini series!

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Queer version of the Chinese legend "The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver"

Inspired by the Chinese mythology legend "The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver", the BL miniseries 'Pink Summer' tells us the relationship between Shen Jing Yu (Yanjun Jing) and his neighbor Gu Sen (Allen Zhang).
In four 6-minute episodes, the queer version of the Chinese legend introduces us to two childhood friends who have lived near each other. When Gu Sen's mother has to travel to Beijing on business, she leaves her son living during the summer at the house of Shen Jing Yu and his mother.
As part of the Qiqiao or Qixi (Chinese Valentine's Day) festival, celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the miniseries addresses romantic and platonic love inspired by the annual meeting of the mythological Niulang (meaning "The Cowherd") and Zhinü (meaning "Girl Weaver").
'Pink Summer' is a very funny drama: Following a mysterious love divination magic, Mengting assures him friend Shen Jing Yu that if he wants to meet he destined person, he should tie the red line of destiny on her left wrist and pray while He walks down the street seven times to the left from the door of his house.
Later, he offers another alternative: Only on the night of Chinese Valentine's Day if a person sleeps holding an orange in his hand, he will definitely see his destined person in his dream.
The stubborn young man will ignore the result again and again, which is none other than Gu Sen. But no matter how hard he tries, he won't be able to stay away from him side.
Although in the miniseries there is no prohibition of love between the two lovers, as in the Chinese legend, which forces them to live separated forever on either side of a wide river in the sky, our two film heroes will have to distance themselves when one has to go live in the Chinese capital.
As in legend, once a year all the magpies in the world will take pity on them and fly into the sky to form a bridge (鵲橋, "magpie bridge", Que Qiao) over the star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus , so that lovers can be together for only one night, which is the seventh night of the seventh moon?
The production directed by Allen Zhang was clearly not made for dramatic reflection, but to distract with its simple, fun and warm story; which is very predictable if we take into account that it is inspired by Chinese legend, but for that reason no less attractive for romantics at heart, as it shows the meeting of two apparently very different people.
What for me is an extra of this film is the way it uses comedy to develop its plot.

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