It's been a very Chinese Saturday, from the northern steppes to the southern tea-growing mountains:
I finally watched "Awakening the Steppe" (Secret of Us, now also on Gaga) - and I really liked it. Definitely a well-spent one hour.
I suspect that the low average MDL rating (7.1) is mainly punishment for the sad ending. Some of the reviews harshly criticise the story, but thought it was quite OK for a one-hour story, depending upon how one understands certain things such as the horse at the end. In any case, it's got good visuals, both the lead actors and the steppe scenary.
I'm wondering if this was actually filmed in Inner Mongolia, i.e. inside China? So far, I think all the Secret of Us BLs have been filmed outside China, particularly in Japan. Anyone specifically know? (I tried googling but can't find the answer.)
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I've almost finished "Dreams Never End" (Mainland China, iQiyi) and am lovin' it! It's not BL, and even bromance might be stretching things, but it's a delightful light watch with friendship, some very funny moments, a lot of local colour and beautiful scenery near the Myanmar border, and most importantly, cutie-patooties. Total runtime a bit over two hours, so it's also a quick watch, especially by Chinese standards.