Nat

Chinese BL dramas are like unicorns: they appear sporadically, like one good one every five years, then get hindered by new censorship regulations. And I always try to watch because some of them are real gems.

(Looking at you The Untamed)

2025 has brought us some promising entries like "Revenged Love" and "ABO Desire."
"To My Shore" caught my attention because I saw its trailer, but ultimately, it didn’t really meet my expectations.

After watching all 15 episodes, my take is that this drama serves as a decent option if you're looking for some skinship in a Chinese BL. Oh, they do it a lot in this drama. The foundation for a compelling story is there, but the script feels more like a rough draft than a polished narrative.

While the characters and their backstories are intriguing, the arcs seem underdeveloped, and I don't believe this falls on the actors. The writers had a fascinating premise but failed to deliver to execute. Although I can appreciate complex themes, the portrayal of toxic and abusive relationships here wasn’t handled in a way that allowed me to believe in genuine redemption.

I did enjoy some aspects of the dynamic between the leads. I’m so tired of the typical top-and-bottom roles with the bottom assumed to be the "wife material." It's refreshing to see characters who break away from these stereotypes. The push-and-pull interactions were enjoyable. They were both trying to be in control. At least at the beginning.

Unfortunately, the narrative did suffer from poor execution. The uneven acting in the first portion of the drama and so-so camera work throughout didn’t help, but the real issue lay with the script and the story's presentation. Again, I did not read the source material and I have no idea if the script differs from it much in terms of pacing, but I do think more cohesive storyline was needed because pacing wobbled throughout. Additionally, the romantic situations that typically drive the genre were lacking. Things between the characters developed fast and then stalled, and then we have a rushed ending and not enough time for the red redemption arc.

I think the point at least for me where I felt like drama well and a little bit downhill was when Shu Lang discovered the extent of Fan Xiao’s deceit.

Too many episodes were dedicated to rehashing the fallout from that revelation, with Shu Lang wallowing in despair far longer than necessary. It became tedious to watch, and the frequency of their sexual encounters, which felt non-consensual, didn’t need that much screen time. While I have no issue with dub-con in fiction(ABO Desire did it right), Fan Xiao became increasingly unredeemable as a result. What’s the point of doing things behind everyone’s back but being a dick to your loved one in front of him?

The notion that Shu Lang still loved Fan Xiao after he was hurt by him so badly was poorly conveyed, largely due to the script's shortcomings. The redemption arc for Fan Xiao should have been explored much earlier in the series.

I basically wanted for things to happen. For situations to happen. For interesting dialogues to happen. But most of it never did. I felt almost like the two of them were just going in circles.

Don’t get me wrong "To My Shore" isn’t a bad drama. It has some good bones, but the execution falls flat. The first half suffers from awkward acting, like they were still trying to get into the characters, though the emotional moments were somewhat effective. The cinematography is low-budget and forgettable, which is not an issue for me if the story is good. I wish the writers had focused more on refining the pacing of the story, which could have led to a more satisfying viewing experience. Some dialogue felt confusing, possibly due to poor subtitle translations. Or at least they felt confusing to me.

In summary, with a more polished script, "To My Shore" could have been an excellent drama. The conclusion felt rushed, highlighting the overall problem of mismanaged pacing. If it had been handled better, I think we would have a little bit more time to see the characters getting back together in a more organic way.

If you’re seeking a BL drama with a toxic relationship that ultimately results in a meaningful redemption arc, I recommend "My Stand-In." There are some true gems when it comes to Chinese BLs but Chinese BLs still have a long way to go to reach the level of Thai productions.