TianQi

I stopped at ep. 10 and spent four months watching other series because I simply couldn't accept finishing this series. THAT'S how much I loved it. Phana and Yo's relationship was so pure and good. With Yo being so much shorter than Phana, it was always extremely adorable to see him tilt his head all the way back in order to look Phana in the eyes. Phana always holds a calm, collected personality, but he's still so tender. As much as I love the main couple, Ming and Kit were awesome too. Ming is SO funny and so cute. I think many of us would want a BF with his personality. I really liked the way Kit could never keep his cool any time Ming looked at him. I also loved Beam. All around, this show is just good. The acting is decent, the music is nice, you have more than one couple to focus on and you find yourself truly appreciating all the characters. Not too much drama or heavy issues, but still a great show. :)

TL;DR: Watch it. If you like BL, it's nearly impossible that you wouldn't like this show.

It was okay. I think Empress Ki may be another good choice.

The King's Woman (more or less lol)

Because although technically the PRC government rules Taiwan, the citizens of each have different passports and mainland Chinese need visas to visit Taiwan. For a mainland Chinese to visit Taiwan, they need to not only get a visa, but be a part of an approved tourism group, they really can only stay for a week or so. So it's pretty much impossible for a group of mainland citizens to film a show/movie in Taiwan.

It's a matter of where the series was made, not where it airs. HIStory: Obsessed was filmed in Taiwan, so nothing needs to be cut according to the government there. This show is filmed in mainland China (in Beijing, actually, which is the capital and where the government has the tightest control). So, even though the cut scenes would be ok to air in Taiwan, it technically wasn't "legal" for them to film those scenes in in mainland China to begin with. Also, remember: Taiwan is technically a part of China, so there will also be some cases when the mainland government can control things there.

Yeah, I suppose we did make it more intriguing. haha The reason why I mention the "realistic" aspects as having more of an effect are for two reasons. The first is that the acting in this series is good. It's very easy to get the sense and feel of being freshman in college. It's a stressful and awkward time and this series shows that well...even though the hazing is a bit much. The second reason is, like I said earlier, I'm a gay guy. I've been out since high school and best friend was gay like me and even now, my closest friends are all gay, so I relate to and identify with the characters of BL stories in a very, very different way than most fans of BL...who are usually straight girls. haha

In the end, I did enjoy the series for the most part. However, I must disagree with your statement that this series was unique. I think Sotus is a very typical BL story: boy in love with boy from a different grade level and the boy doesn't return the love, so the boy keeps trying hard (buying gifts and food) until the other boy falls for him. That's more or less the same basis as Addicted, 2 Moons (Ming/Kit), and Make It Right. I think the way Sotus is different is that it just stretches out the first phase of "I like you, please like me back" much longer than the others, and the personalities of the "resisting" male lead (Bai Luo Yin, Kit, Fuse, Book) in those series weren't as resistant as Arthit. hehe

@Farshokoof I think the absolute opposite. I think Hong Lim THOUGHT he was in love the queen because 1) she's the first person he's ever had sex with that wasn't the king (important points about that: he didn't want to have sex with her to begin with and insists on not doing it again after the first time, but he's coerced into doing it anyway) and 2) she goes on to become pregnant with his child.

The king and Hong Lim had been together for the better part of 10 years or so and we don't see any indication in the movie that the love is superficial or insincere on Hong Lim's part. We *do* see tenderness and affection that reaches far beyond trust, mentorship or just sex.

The queen knows about Hong Lim's relationship with the king and despises Hong Lim for it because it makes her feel bad because she's alone, it makes her look bad as a wife who never shares a bed with her husband and it makes her look bad as queen who can't produce a royal heir. The queen had no reason or inclination to look at Hong Lim in any other light until she was assigned to sleep with him.

This is why I take issue with your statement of "real" love and lust for a woman. He was assigned to her just like he was assigned to the king. He gained feelings for her, just he gained feelings for the king. The difference is that the king and Hong Lim have history. Hong Lim and the queen didn't and of course, the animosity between them.

The king was a tormented soul and Hong Lim understood that and loved him, but he broke the king's trust and outright betrayed him for lust of a woman that would have sooner seen him dead before the day she shared a bed with him. Of course after this it's all downhill after this because king makes too many rash decisions that literally force both the queen and Hong Lim away from him and the strongest emotions from that point on become resentment and desire for revenge more so than love. I mean, if someone mutilates your body (especially if that someone is one you've been in love with and dedicated your life to), anything is motivation to go back for retribution...the queen was just a catalyst for that.

But still, outside of the sex and pregnancy, I just don't think it's demonstrated enough that what Hong and the queen had was real love...at least not more than what he had with the king.

Firstly, I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this ENTIRE comment. This is one of my favorite movies because it executes "love triangle" in such a way that by the end, one is made to not really know what to feel, to some extent. I love just coming back and reading different people's reactions to it because so many things can be drawn from it in general.

I did want just respond to some things specifically though.
1) Hong's sexual orientation. I think that because, as a member of the king's personal palace guard, romance and sexuality are just things that were removed from his life from the beginning (given the historical context). The only expressions of romance and sexuality he ever got (as far as we know). Within that context, I think it's a bit of a non-question. Because we *know* he enjoyed sex and romance with both of them. Whether he's "straight, but corrupted" (as others have suggested), "gay" or "bisexual" is kinda irrelevant to the story as a whole. Why, you might ask? That brings me to point number...

2) Hong simply can't do anything for himself. Virtually all the actions he takes are out of devotion/love to the king or impulse (that, imo, could have just as likely been hormonal or based on real love for the queen). I say this because Hong's actions are the only ones that truly come as as betrayal to me. (I'll come back to this point in a bit). For now, I'll move on.

3) The queen. She was the only one with her head truly screwed on tight (as I imagine many women to have been at that time, but alas were given any power. She's a princess, assigned to a man in a foreign land that flat out, no questions asked does not love her. She has no one but her servants. She also despises Hong for obvious reasons. However, in her sticking to her duty, she insists to stay by the side of this man who doesn't love her (in spite of knowing he's gay, has a lover AND the fact that the king insisted she leave for her own peace of mind). No. She knows what's best for the good of China (Yuan), for Korea (Goryo), and for the royal family. She's fully aware of herself and her place and seems prepared to live the rest of her life this way until she's thrust into sex with Hong. At this point, I don't see the queen falling "in love" in the way heroes and princesses usually fall in love. What I see is the queen still maintaining her cool and knowing her place. Hong was always in close proximity to her and the king (whom she loved), but she hated him. Now, there's a way for the king do his duty, she can experience sexual love/romance, and she gets to raise a child and fulfil her duty as well. As the story progresses though, we see that her truly get attached to Hong (and I'd be more given to their love as opposed to lust/romance if they did more than just bang every time they saw each other). I think her attachment to Hong stems more from a place of complacency and self-preservation. She went from being a "barren" queen to a queen with a baby and lover that no one has to know about. That was enough for her, I think. She and Hong both love the king and in a way, they're kind of like "sibling-spouses". Their entire interaction centers on the king whether they want it to or not. Ultimately, it's just a really tough sell for me to believe that a woman, a princess at that, falls in love with a man that her husband (who flatly rejects her) has been banging since he was a teenager. The D was good and she knows it, but it can't have been good enough to make her forget the D that her now lover had been getting from her husband. hahaha

Back to Hong! I just want to say that the worst of all the terrible decisions he made in the movie was not telling the king about his affection and feelings for the queen. The king knew him and loved him and totally would have understood him if he were to just tell him in the first place instead of just sneaking behind his back...the queen couldn't have told the king because the king and queen simply don't have the longevity of the bond and the passion that Hong has with the king. If he were to have told the king, I somewhat think that the king would have been open to some sort of three-way relationship that everyone just kept under wraps...and then the movie could have a went a completely different direction haha but all in all, I loved it and I LOVED your response.

The premise of the show is two young guys in love, so this definitely qualifies as BL. As far as Chinese television is concerned, this show is as explicitly gay as a mainland Chinese show is allowed to be without getting banned (like 'Addicted' or 'Like Love' did for being too explicit). So, yes. It's BL the characters know they're gay and they express their love and affection toward each other, but don't expect the same type of "action" or sexuality that you would get in Taiwanese BL's like the 'HIStory series' or 'Dark Blue and Moonlight'.

I love whenever Xia Yao gets angry. The way he puts his head down, squints his eyes and pouts his lips. haha It's so adorable!

The easy answer is 'yes', but also 'no'. There are obvious 'couples' in this. Pairs of men that show deep affection/attraction to each other, but there's no kissing or whispering 'I love you'. As a mainland Chinese series, they have to be careful about not showing homosexual romance...however, the romantic aspects are subtle, but clear. Also, there are absolutely NO women featured in this drama from start to finish. No main characters, no supporting actors not even extras are women. With that much masculinity floating around, it can't not be at least a little gay. haha

Although the series itself is short (only four episodes at 20 minutes or so in length), the story also seems a little short. It doesn't seem like there's a lot that actually happens in terms of really dramatic or exciting moments, but it's still sweet. The couple is adorable, though I find Duke Wu's (Cheng Qing) acting a little...weird. haha My favorite character, however, is Meng Meng. Everyone loves a girl best friend who totally ships you and your stepbrother, right? haha She's funny, bubbly, and very aware of both the boys' feelings even more so than they were.

This show was really refreshing. It tackles really serious issues without getting to the point of being too depressing *and* has a lot of funny scenes. The couple has brilliant chemistry, even if the writing and some of the acting does get a little shaky sometimes for me. All around great. I'd re-watch it.

I only see 74 episodes on kissasian, so is it 74 or 96? I think I saw 80 something available on youtube.

For Chinese historical drama, this series doesn't have the confusing storylines that the others would. That said, I think it makes this story just a little less intriguing than others. The watcher is very aware of what the plot is and the goal of all the characters. There isn't much in the way of plot twists or things you don't see coming. I see lots of complaints about the ending, but for me, Dilliraba's unexpressive acting is what disappointed most. Zhang Bin Bin and the other supporting actors, in general, were good though. The character development process was also decent. I can't say that I hated it, but I wouldn't watch it again and I can think of 10 other series done in the same style that I'd recommend before this one.

That's interesting. I didn't realize it had such a history of philanthropy, which is good in the long run for any society, I think. It's just strange when I hear some Koreans' opinions about different social values and the reasons they cite for holding them. Homosexuality is a good example. I live in China, been to South Korea several times and Japan. The Japanese and Chinese pretty much mirror Confucian and Buddhist thought. They usually say, "Well, it could bring shame to the family." or "It may make me feel uncomfortable sometimes, but ultimately it's none of my business."...South Koreans are the only east Asians I've ever heard say anything remotely to the effect of "This book that we all think is important [the Bible] says it's wrong, so we think it's wrong." Intellectualism (in a very measured sense of the word) has always enjoyed respect in the 'Sinosphere', but South Korea is truly becoming an anomoly. I even see advertisements for churches that look like nightclub flyers in Seoul. I've come across sort of the same thing in America.

It was decent enough and I liked the interaction between the leads, but...the abrupt ending. :/

This show was okay...just okay. Not on par with other Chinese fantasy/historical dramas, but not terrible. LuHan was enjoyable as well as Gao Han Yu and Zeng Joseph.

It's very interesting how deeply rooted Christianity is becoming in South Korean society. It's affecting so many things in the past years. Confucian notions of duty and filial piety along with Buddhist philosophies of "Live and let live" are making way for something new.

It's more bromance, but the BL undertones are super obvious.