Suliabryon

ALL of what moodwatcher said! KBL's are some of the best I've seen! A Time of Fever?? Which lowkey this reminds me of with the coming of age friends trying to sort through their feelings. Prosecutor's Proposal? Totally different type of story and vibe, but man, what a great drama. In fact, that and Summertime are two opposite examples of great storytelling for a BL drama. In Summetime's case, the story is the characters figuring out that they do, in fact, feel this way about each other and the conflict is about accepting that and how they navigate it and their changing friendship. Prosecutor's Proposal instead is just a really great intense psychological thriller that takes these two characters, both with severe emotional trauma and turmoil and conflict, and puts them in a situation where they then have to navigate the added complication of unexpected feelings for each other. Both are compelling, with complex characters that are flawed and feel real because of it, and it also makes the romance feel more real.

Wow, thanks - I guess I shouldn't trust what someone subtitles the live to say. And you're right, it's no one's business what their relationship is, and I do want to see the end of the drama!

100% this. So much happens in the c-interwebs that we don't even see as international fans. It didn't look like PR at all to me, it looked like Leo uncomfortably talking about his love life and giving us his entire history with Kingston just to shut down the insane c-netizen haters creating all of this drama. You could tell he wasn't comfortable talking about it, and why would he be? He is literally having to open up his private life to the world just to clear up drama he didn't create and has no control over.

ETA: looking at comments, I am obviously VERY late to this party, but I really don't understand all of the negativity here. Wow.

Guys, I just found all of their livestreams and vlogs and learned that these two were already a real life couple living together and have known each other for a long time, and that Leo specifically told his company he wanted to work with Kingston and that he hopes they get to work together often in the future because he loves spending time with him (of course he does!)

I go out of my way not to ship real life people, but honestly this is just so wholesome and adorable. It was kind of painful watching Leo have to clarify his love life in a livestream because toxic fans created false rumors about him. You could tell he wasn't super comfortable and he was so earnest. He said he's an introvert and it's not easy for him to open up and Kingston helps with that. 🥰

I hope this drama does so well for them and they get to work on many more projects together in the future!

There are different lengths within the genre, just like mainstream c-dramas have dramas of ALL lengths. Long form 30-40 episode dramas of 45 minute episodes are just one example, there are also web dramas that are much shorter, 20-25 episodes at 20 minutes per ep, or verticals that are 2 minutes per ep. I watch them all and like different formats for different reasons. Some stories are suited to a shorter run time. Ash needed a longer one to do justice to the story and character arc of the novel.

From what I've seen, BL also has all lengths. Vertical mini dramas, or even YT shorts where the whole drama is only 40 minutes long, shorter length series of 8-12 episodes, and I've already seen that China has had some longer series, like Revenged Love (24 episodes at 43-ish minutes).

Ash needed a longer run time, and I assume it didn't get it because of budgetary reasons, given that the drama also has a lot of editing errors, like Kingston's arm being across Leo's shoulders during a conversation , then not in the next cut, then back across his shoulders in the next. There are multiple examples. I'm still enjoying the show, but it's okay that I also wish it had been given the kind of space and budget to allow a deeper adaptation of the novel.

I don't dislike shorter dramas. I watch everything.

I want to offer a contradictory POV. First of all, they did not declare undying love in two episodes. At the end of ep 2, they share an unexpected kiss that stems largely from the supernatural "nour" element of Ken being mesmerized by James' blood and James completely misreading the situation and turning a "taste" into a real kiss - and while yes, their relationship up to that point had been a suspicious/rivalry it had ALSO pretty clearly had some intense chemistry going on, plus the two had just come back from an adrenaline fueled life and death chase. IDK, I think you can chalk that kiss up to purely a moment of raw adrenaline and physical attraction, which leads to more conflict between them in episode 3 as James is genuinely confused by Ken's hot and cold behavior.

This, plus their working dynamic, is what leads them from pure physical attraction to something deeper, and this does genuinely move pretty fast across episodes 3 and 4...HOWEVER, as others have pointed out, if James is Ken's soulmate, either reborn or a new soulmate - if you've read literally ANY vampire or werewolf or fated mates romance - yes, it makes total sense for that to progress more quickly. I'm assuming based on Ken's history, the nour lore we've seen hints of, etc., that they ARE soulmates. But I guess time will tell.

And not everything has to be slow burn, and not being slow burn doesn't mean the story isn't deep or emotional. I feel like the actor's performances, the DEEPLY conflicting emotions they CLEARLY feel in scenes like the car confrontation and the scene in ep 4 where they sleep together, that they are currently being driven by stronger emotions than either character truly understands. BOTH of those scenes very clearly had a lot more emotionally going on than just purely physical, and in fact the physical was a by product of the intense emotional connection that neither one of them seems all that prepared for. James was clearly completely out of control in the car scene, only snapped back to himself when his "vision" showed him colors in Ken's aura for the first time and he realized what he is. Similarly, Ken completely breaks down in the confrontation with James before they sleep together. This is especially significant given how iron clad he usually is about keeping his emotions under lock and key.

To me, watching these scenes the physical intimacy actually felt deeply meaningful because what was driving it wasn't just physical AT ALL. I totally see them suffering from an intense emotional "soulmate" bond that they haven't acknowledged or realized, and are being driven by, but maybe I've read way too many paranormal romance books!

This is textbook "got hired for a job you know absolutely nothing about through a fluke on your resume". 😂 Poor Wan. Lured by being a fanboy, and the promise of much needed money, but now he actually has to...you know...DO THE JOB HE WAS HIRED FOR.

The secondhand embarrassment was so real! 😂

TY!!

Agreed. I'm not going to drop the show or anything. I'm pretty new to BL in general. I've been watching all manner of Asian drama for over three years now, with an admittedly heavy preference for c-dramas and their particular brand of storytelling. A friend has tried like heck to get me into BLs for the past year, but each time I tried one I couldn't get past something - I think many of the Thai drama lean too heavily into surface level storytelling relying on the NC scenes for the viewership, maybe. IDK, I just couldn't seem to get into them. Then I stumbled across Deep In and that drama had me in a chokehold, and now I've watched The Prosecutor's Proposal, Double Helix, a few Thai ones, and a handful of others. As with mainstream dramas, it seems I prefer the Chinese drama way of storytelling more in this genre as well.

But I WILL say, my one caveat is I really wish the production value for the BLs was higher! I'm watching Ash, too, and the editing errors there drive me crazy, and also the fact that it could have been this incredibly deep, tense drama and instead they condensed the story down to 9 twenty minute episodes and so all of the depth and true emotional weight has been edited out. The actors in that are genuinely trying their best with what they have, and it makes me sad that they weren't given better to work with - longer episodes, a deeper story, better stakes, BETTER EDITING, etc.

Also, the new zombie apocalypse one. I started that and it has so much potential! Again, it needs a longer format to allow the depth that would make it truly great. The Chinese BL's with 45 minute episodes and longer episode counts allow for all of that, and I see such potential in those that don't. I'm still watching them, mind you. Apparently, the story we do get along with the actors' chemistry is still enough to keep me engaged, lol.

I think your theory has a lot of merit! Definitely something like that is going on, but I'm struggling with why he hasn't TOLD Shen Mo "Hey, we're in love, we've been lovers for six months...let's try and get your memories back." vs "Let's be in a fake contract relationship where I also treat you like a s3x doll." 🫤 But I'm already rolling ym eyes at the ex who has the gall to be upset Shen Mo broke up with him while he caved to family pressure and ran off abroad with a woman. Like....hello??? Why would anyone stay with you after that? You don't even need to know that Shen Mo was viciously beaten and his hand crippled, that's just the extra reason on top of the reason. And I'm assuming there is more to this guy and he's not just some lovesick fool too cowardly to stand up to his family and has his own reasons for being with the girl - like marrying her and giving his family the heir they want, etc., as if often the case in these dramas.

The chemistry between the leads is 🔥 and I respect the heck out of the risks the actors and production teams are taking with these shows coming out of China. But. Learn from Deep In. All of those hot scenes are being undermined. Use creative camera angles and allow us the illusion that things could really be happening vs they are both very obviously still fully clothed every time.

Me during the opening sequence of ep1: At least PRETEND there is some unzipping and zipping happening, otherwise it makes no sense.

And late in the same ep: Sooooo.....is he just....grinding...? That must be it, right? Because literally no clothes came off.

Anyone have any idea who the ML is? He's not listed in the cast.

I think it's kind of good for him to be the one yearning, lol. He's used to women kind of throwing themselves at him, so this is nice and humbling for his ego. But at the same time, I'm watching Flora do this and thinking "Girl, where is your head at??" 🤣 I guess the next 14 episodes will be the rollercoaster of them figuring out their feelings and getting on the same page....eventually.

Uh, no, I didn't forget? And SO FAR, Flora is the one putting all of the limits and distance in their relationship. Luke didn't break up with the stalker-ex because she was clingy; he broke up with her because she was too controlling, and then after the break up she started stalking him. IMO, he was only hesitant about Flora getting too clingy in the beginning because she's young and he didn't want her thinking the relationship was too serious too soon, but then she reacted by pushing him away instead and he did NOT like that.

As they stand right now, I do not see a future where he breaks up with her for clinging to him too tightly. In fact, right now I'm pretty sure he wishes she would cling to him. But that's just what I see.

Oh, yeah. He wants a real relationship with her where everyone knows she's his GF and he can date her openly, and he's only doing this because it's the only way she'll be with him. Flora is setting all of the boundaries and breaks on them. He's also been the one to let her make choices. He makes it clear what he wants, she says "okay, but only this way" and he goes along with her wishes. Flora has a lot of growing up to do, and unfortunately, I'm pretty sure she's going to break up with him because of assumptions she's making and things she's deciding on her own, without talking them out with him.

With no one to blame but herself! She's the one keeping him at arm's length and not communicating with him. Sigh. She is absolutely going to decide all on her own based purely on assumptions and deciding "they aren't from the same world, they don't belong together" to break up with him.

She doesn't...but it becomes a moot point. Very soon there are no teams and everyone is working together.

RIGHT?? She went to college, right? she said he had a long term BF at university but then they broke up, and somehow her karaoke girls' night b-day was 18....uh, what?

Right?? Yes to all of this! When we had to flash forward with her voiceover and she goes "this relationship makes me more mature.." 🤦🏻‍♀️ Oh, honey. Is that what you think? You think this what an "adult" relationship looks like??? No, the relationship makes you look very young and very insecure. And that's not on Luke.

I hated Fifty Shades and see nothing in common, other than people want to compare Luke to Christian Grey because they are both powerful men in suits who clearly like to be in control, but Luke wins hands down and also isn't actually an abusive POS. I've seen so many reels, memes, etc making the comparison and it's like fingernails on a chalkboard every time. Christian was actually an abuser and no one can change my mind. Luke has gone out of his WAY to give her choice and agency and get consent multiple times. But, just my opinion, and I'm sure people are going to disagree and come for me in the comments.