The first half was fantastic.
The first half of this series was beautiful to watch, beautifully filmed, an air of nostalgia in a beautiful setting.But then the setting disappeared, and the "plot" was left unsupported, and the flat, predictable, and formulaic story had to bear its own weight, not helped by the strange decline of the sountrack.
It felt like the director lost interest halfway through and just had to tie it up and go home. The time jump wasn't as awful as these usually are, but it was also insufficiently supported and drained the narrative of what life it had left.
TBH, I barely remember this series. I binged the frist four episodes, and then had to force myself through the rest. It wasn't awful or painful, but it was difficult to pay attention.
This is short enough that it won't kill you to watch it, and the first half is beautiful enough to make it worth it, but a higher budget, better writing, and slightly longer run-time, and a longer attention span on the part of the director, could have made this a masterpiece.
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Simply beautiful.
Just watched all episodes in a row, not hard to do because they are not that long.It's just a beautifull story about love and giving in to feelings.
This story had happiness, sadness, longing, good kisses and all very well played by Yi Chen and Yi He.
I highly recommend watching it. I may watch it again in the future when i'm in the mood for a sweet short series.
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This review may contain spoilers
Friendship to undeniable connection—where emotions speak louder than words.
I absolutely loved Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island! The chemistry between the two leads, Liu Yi He and Hu Yi Chen, was off the charts. Honestly, I didn’t expect such a spicy BL coming out of mainland China, and the fact that they pulled it off was a huge surprise (I heard they sent the footage to Taiwan to be aired/streamed to get around certain restrictions, but don’t quote me on that). It’s a legit romance, no bromance nonsense, which was refreshing.The two leads shared a very close friendship with an undeniable romantic chemistry that you could genuinely feel through the screen—it made every interaction compelling and emotionally charged.
The only downside was that the episodes felt a bit short—I just wanted more! But that’s honestly a small complaint because the whole series felt like a well-made film. The pacing, the build-up, everything was just spot on. Plus, it has a happy ending, which is always a win in my book. If these two actors ever team up again, I’d be all in. Highly recommend this series if you’re looking for something spicy, heartfelt, and genuine.
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Touched my heart and made me laugh
„You are the best in your own world“ (quote from the final sequence)Wow, this (series + 3 special episodes) is one of the best things I have watched for a long time and it’s joining a place in my heart next to Love in the big city. I came across it by coincidense and I am glad I did. It made me feel everything, made me smile, laugh, feel anxious, happy, helpless and shed a few tears. I loved the vibrant green, the nature setting, the real rain (yes, finally some real rain and not some fake rain with sun in the background!), the summer energy, the story, the acting, the cinematography, the fact that we didn‘t hear the characters‘ thoughts, that some things were not explained, but we could still understand them (like the bathtub scene) if we switched our brains on, that the characters were not bland, that both of the leads had realistic human feelings and struggles and that both leads were equally strong and equally weak. The series and episode 6 especially had some very beautiful and poetic insights on life. I‘ll definitely watch the show again.
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Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island is the kind of slow-burn BL that stays with you.
Tender, poetic, and gorgeously shot—Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island is the kind of slow-burn BL that stays with you. Real kisses. Real feelings. No censorship. Just pure, queer storytelling from Hong Kong.✨ Dive into our full review on https://boysloveinsider.com/why-secrets-happened-on-the-litchi-island-bl-review/ and find out why this gentle coming-of-age story is making waves in the BL world!
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Boring
First 1-2 episodes are ok. Then everything just repeats until the later last 2 episodes.There are so many praises about this drama. Many are also calling it a masterpiece. Lol.
Are yall serious😳....
...Not sure how old the older second lead character is supposed to be, but he acts very childish. Their chemistry is...sometimes feels a bit cringe to me.
There is nothing literally happening for episodes 1-5. You see nothing else, but the two playing, fooling around all day....
Subtitles are killing my eyes. So tiny to read that I end up skipping a few lines, sentences. They don't have a lot of dialogue either, and, there isn't anything important being said. Lol.
Show is very slow and boring.
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"That summer was like a dream... permeating my entire youth..."
An artistic coming of age story between a sensitive yet strong Xiao Zhi falling for this caring yet hesitant ge Chen Li. Most of the episodes are short, and are really a perfect example of "Show, Don't tell" cinema. There is great symbolism including nature, fruit, birds, and books. You find yourself constantly reading between the lines and get rewarded in later episodes.In the beginning, there was a youthful feel to the story, but as the characters interacted more, the vibe shifts to ambiguous tenderness, and there are little touches and eye contacts here and there, and it feels like they live in their own world.
Xiao Zhi is just a beautiful soul. He feels a lot, and is the type to cry over books and movies. But, he's also unyielding when he has to be and I really appreciate that about him. Chen Li cares for Xiao Zhi both physically and emotionally, and you can see how he's always paying attention to him. But, he struggles with his identity and it felt like he was fighting his feelings, so it was really interesting to see them being, and I quote, "suffering, yet passionate."
Huge shoutout to the actors. They communicate a lot with their eyes, and I can tell what they're about to do just by looking at their expressions. They also have great chemistry together. And shoutout to the cast behind the screen, every detail mattered and I could tell they took it seriously.
I really enjoyed the music as well. It was a good fit for the theme of the series.
I particularly loved the story-telling aspect of the show. There were quotes by the characters in the beginning and ending of the episodes. I have to say I was put off by the subtitles because till this day I have no idea what was written in the beginning since the font was really hard to read (If anyone has an idea or link pls let me know), but my favorite was,
"He can understand my paintings,
knows I dislike being defined,
and is always considerate of my delicate emotions.
I wish he were just like me."
There are short special extra episodes that you can find as well. They add a lot to the story, I fell in love with the characters again through them. I wish they were longer but I'm also very satisfied as there aren't really any loose ends.
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Pure Cinematography And Art
This short series is just lovely, love the places it takes place and how each episode is filled with green it feels like you're in there with there, I can feel the rain, the breeze, the scent of the leaves, it makes you forget your even watching a series to begin with, for a second I was like "idc about the plot I'm just here to admire this beautiful scenery in every episode" but the story was also captivating, simple but cute, it's like a coming of age story, with a love thats so pure and wholesome, it's interpreted so beautifully and in such an artistic way I just couldn't stop watching. I also need to appreciate the fact that it's short so everything is balanced super well. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to watch the special episodes once they're all fully released.Was this review helpful to you?
Summer love and nature
What an amazing series. The lust of a summer love which history lasted for years combined with the waiting till the feelings get mature enough to realize that its mutual was so beautifully pictured. I loved that Xiao Zhi was straightforward and not afraid to show his feelings. He knew who he was and what he wants in contrast with Chen Li who was unsure. The scenery, the nature, sounds and colors were so beautiful and magical. They passed the vibe of the summer in a village/mountain area, which is a free and quiet period living in the moment, while every day that passes means it will end sooner than planned. And thats the critical point of summer love stories. Will they last when the winter comes or will they stay as unfulfilled? Lastly, it gave me some "Call me by your name" vibes the whole time.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Breathtaking Cinematography
Similar to masterpieces like ITSAY, the Paradise of Thorns, and GELBOYS which Boss Kuno has specifically said aren’t a BL I don’t know if I would label this a BL too since this was just a simple story of two gay men in a coming of age mini series. I enjoyed the cinematography of this and what set this apart from a BL was that it was free of tropes and very realistic. Especially the scenes with homophobic roommates. I was able to keep up with the story but I think I marked it down a little bit because the subs were way too tiny. I’m sure if I watched it elsewhere it would’ve been bigger but I wanted to support the actual channel. Overall an amazing series and I hope we see more like this.Was this review helpful to you?
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China: Truth Unknown
China does it again. The suprise of this beautiful gem was unexpected but very welcomed. After Blue Canvas of Youthful Days, I was hoping for something just as beautiful. It has arrived and surpasses anything else currently.It took me a while to write this as I felt any words used here would not do justice to how beautifully perfect this is. The warm conflicts of that summer transmit effortlessly through the screen and envelop your psyche. This is as good as it gets, and it's evident by my immediate desire to watch again until every scene, every nugget of wisdom is locked in memory.
It feels wildly free and deliciously innocent. The entire flow of this piece was refreshing in the current sea of mundane and uninspiring. Their meeting is boyishly relaxed and instantly bonding through proximity. Playfully engaging, their responses are as it should be. Conversations between them seem innocent in nature but bear the weight of maturity beyond Xiao Zhi years. The younger of the two is very self-aware. Chen Li carries the audience through the painful dance of acceptance. He acknowledges within himself that his behaviors are to prevent the unwanted judgement that Xiao Zhi tosses aside without care. The pain Xiao Zhi feels strikes at the heart of this story. No one else knows the full insertion of Chen Li in Xiao Zhi's life. His brother included. It is through dreams, memories, and half truths the audience is given one revealing moment at a time. Xiao Zhi's breakdown at the reunion seems overdramatic for a one-sided crush. Or was it? Only Xiao Zhi and Chen Li knew, but they both kept the secrets.
A wonderful treat to enjoy. The length of each episode captures the important aspects of their interactions. Smartly written and enticing. The support cast doesn't feel like an intrusion or filler but is used expertly to propel the story in a natural flow of young love coming to fulfillment. There are no flaws or anything to remove or add. The production and the acting of the entire cast are without question the best I've seen from China. Everything appears unrehearsed and a natural ease amongst all. As the characters aged, so did the mannerisms of the mls, adding authenticity to the passage of time. My only regret is that seven episodes left me wanting more of this and much less of what else is currently being offered.
The perfect depiction of youthful love and expression beautifully captured in time. I won't urge you to go see it. I will say it will be a great loss if you don't. It's really good.
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A meandering story of love and growing up
Though it is a coming of age story what makes this short story so beautiful is how it was written, the cinematography using a film like images juxtaposed with rendering of various scenes in the beginning and end, drawing you deep into the characters wondering what their going through, the pain of loving and the act of ignoring love. It isn’t filled with filler stories that just drags on nor characters that distracts you and has no bearing to the story. The actors are presented simply allowing not their looks but their talent to show effortlessly. The music, oh the choices of instrumental music appropriate to the scenes adds more depth to the show. I would watch this over and over again just to pick up the conversations I missed reading the micro captioning but mostly to actually ignore the close caption and focus on their emotions. It just tells you that in love it’s never over until it is truly over. I would like to see more Thai BL focus on these type of shows and less on the commercialization and sensualization of BL shows that are ypoorly acted.Was this review helpful to you?
