PlutoCharon (2025)

too ambitious

Overall: the intention was good, but the execution was not. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on MFlow Entertainment's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAvXrP4tNODXIJa-6x-4pJbVOcu2EeFHg&si=GUVOH4IsrBIzbMaT

Content Warnings: deaths/blood (in episode 6 but if you skip you'll miss a major plot point that explains things), episode 8 has flashing lights in the beginning to 2m10s and also has kidnapping

What I Liked
- sci-fi/fantasy aspect with the moon/necklace
- visuals

Room For Improvement
- was very confusing, even the end was confusing, it should not take until episode 6 of 8 for a story to kind of make sense
- Chen Shi was actually evil, he killed (according to the subtitles) millions of himself and then millions of the other guy
- never understood how the curse happened or how to break it
- a mystery god-like character refused to explain/answer questions until he suddenly did because the writers said so
- the finale was bizarre with a cartoonist antagonist

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Brilliant & Intense!!

Just plain incomprehensible. Yet completely absorbing from the beginning and never let go. Although the story itself is notably out of reach, the characters were so compelling; I wanted more. Initially, I thought perhaps it was due to me not understanding the makeup and composition of the story because it was based upon Chinese lore or myth or an esoteric fable. But then as the story merged from crossing into a parallel universe with Chinese legendry, I dismissed that notion. There was a corporal transference during a unique lunar eclipse that simply went beyond my level of perception. Yet all that did was merely make the story more compelling and entrancing for me. This is a dark, brooding, pessimistic BL but it is nonetheless still one and I think an exceptional one. It is misunderstood because it is so avant-guard and so plutonian in scope. Which is so ironic, given its title is one that is astonishing symbiotic as well as so apt. Charon is a moon of Pluto with each relying on the other for its orbit and stability. Each shining towards the other but never destined to meet because if they did, it would mean utter destruction. Much like Pluto and Charon here. They can never be together.

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Confusing

I think it has a potential. But failed. Miserably. The plot was actually pretty interesting— It’s about a guy that suddenly blipped into another world and couldn’t stay far from the ML or he’ll disappear. But here’s the thing. They made it so goddamn complicated and so most of the time I was like this ‘😦’. Have no idea what they’re talking about and that’s bad because what they’re explaining is the most important part of the plot.

Personally, I think many elements still need improvements. The only thing I like about this drama is the visual. And yes maybe the main plot as well. Oh and I do like the plottwist. But again, I don’t really get the explanation behind it

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“One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”

At first glance, this doesn't look like a xianxia/wuxia story, until you start analysing the vibe. Sure's there's no wire-fu or epic wigs but what is every wuxia/xianxia story about? Discovering that you're stuck in a system you didn’t choose, coming to realize that you can’t escape it, and then deciding what kind of person you’re gonna be anyway.

Cultivation stories are endless cycles of training, meditating, break through, and then realizing there’s another level you have to grind because The Dao doesn’t care about your dreams, heaven is unfair, and breakthroughs aren’t guaranteed. There's no finish line. There's just you, the task, and time stretching on forever.

Then we have Sisyphus. His whole deal is pushing a boulder up a hill and then watching it roll back down again. Forever. On paper, that sounds miserable, because it is. But Camus’ whole point is that once Sisyphus understands the situation everything changes. The gods can control the hill and the rock, but they can’t control his attitude. Gravity is the law. repetition is the fate. There’s no rebellion arc where he can break free and ride off into the sunset. The rolling is the story.

So you cultivate anyway. You roll the rock anyway. You try to save your boyfriend for the N+1 time anyway.

I think the low rating is because people are trying to understand it as a time travel story, but this is a high fantasy, Möbius strip about the farthest boundaries of love .

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I love stories about destined lovers who reincarnate and find each other in different lives, with their fates intertwined across time and space by the power of love. But the messy, underdeveloped plot made it harder for me to really connect with the story. There’s definitely room for improvement, though the highlight of the series is the chemistry between Gao Ming Yuan (Chen Shi) and Liu Qiong Yang (Yang You), who completely won me over with their sweetness. The ending didn’t surprise me, but it was disappointing since it hints at a second season that I’m not sure we’ll ever get.

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Pure Magic: Two actors who made fiction feel like truth.

​While the production is incredible and the story is lovely, the absolute magic of this series is the cast. They are the reason this is a flawless 10/10.
​The chemistry between the leads is breathtaking; they performed with such authenticity that they made the story become truth right before my eyes. They are, without a doubt, two of the best actors in the industry today. To my mind, the pure love and the chemistry we see with these two guys is exactly at the same level as the cast from Revenge Love. Since Revenge Love is one of the most popular series in all genres from China, saying this is the highest praise possible. These two actors have reached that legendary level of connection and power.
​The most powerful moment for me was the desperate tension of their connection:
我是你的
​怎么不能碰?
不能抱?
​This dialogue elevated the series above everything else. They didn't just act; they lived the love, and that is why this series is a masterpiece in my world. We demand a Season 2 for these incredible artists!

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