BbalanceD

Dark, manipulative, toxic behaviour from a well drawn character, Fan Xiao, who is frighteningly void of empathy. His target, You Shu Lang, a sweet gay man, in a simple, caring relationship. What ensues is an edge of the seat gripping story. Every reveal more disturbing and I, as the audience, was in fear for our sweet Shu Lang character. He is no soft, spineless pushover and his struggles as a child have imbued his character with compassion and strength; the white Yin to Xiao's Yang darkness.

The intensity of their relationship is breathtaking and obsessive. Both men have need of some component of their partnering even though Shu Lang realises earlier both start to recognise the unbalanced nature of their passion and the blurring of healthy boundaries that are destroying them both.

The actors are mesmerising and although Xiao has the strongest role the quiet strength and dignity of Shu Lang balances out some of the extremes.

I want to see more tales like this that do not rely solely on the BL nature of a relationship. Plot, intrigue, character development and redemption make this an excellent drama. The lighting, camera angles, settings etc etc are polished and help to portray the story brilliantly.

So take a deep breath of your black, slimline cigarette you are in for a bumpy ride.