1
1
2
Two Unrelated Brothers, Older Uke and Younger Seme
Who said love was easy? Just ask the protagonists of 'Moon and Dust'.
The queer Chinese miniseries delves into possessiveness, toxic relationships, frenzy, and the mental effervescence of two individuals who are highly dependent on each other.
Song Qi was taken in by Song Li as a child. They grew up together, dependent on each other. Song Qi's dependence on his older brother gradually turned into paranoid love and possessiveness, even going so far as to protect him by any means from those who bully him. However, for fear of hurting him, Song Qi has refused the idea of confessing his feelings to Song Li.
In this play, young actors Zhang Yongbo and Liu Xuan Cheng play Song Li and Song Qi, respectively, the gay couple conceived by writer 1 Bite, the author of Bugoo Reading, creator of the literary phenomenon on which it is based, and which goes by the title "Bad Dog".
The relationship between Song Li and Song Qi captivates many viewers with its passionate component, the stormy and problematic, complicated and fiery —in every sense— love relationship between these two boys.
Those behind "Moon and Dust" care little or nothing about the motivations of the possessive and paranoid character. On the contrary, they go all out to highlight his physical beauty, sense of freedom, easy-going nature, people skills, melancholic character, caring spirit, selflessness, loyalty to his partner, and love for the boy he's been linked to for almost his entire life. In short, one doesn't know whether to reject him or want to be his friend.
Its six episodes, each approximately 15 minutes long, tell the story of the complex and deep emotional bond between the cute, shy, insecure, and gentle Song Li and the handsome, obsessive, and affectionate Song Qi, two brothers who met as children and whose friendship evolves over the years into something much deeper.
The story reveals its creator's interest in characters full of complexities, insecurities, and anxieties who must face sad and dramatic moments in their lives in the pursuit of their dreams, which he observes, essentially, through the sensations that accompany their actions.
Much more than studying them from a psychological perspective, 1 Bite is drawn to catching a glimpse of the world of emotions upon which Song Li and Song Qi build the vibrant, stormy, and unstoppable story of their adventures. All this without realizing that what they were looking for was right under their noses all along.
On the other hand, those behind the miniseries are more interested in telling a true story, even though these are often more scandalous than anything you'd see in a work of fiction.
Subjugated by such environments, figures, and sensory states, the creators of Chinese miniseries often walk a —sometimes dangerous— fine line of complicity with their subjects of analysis. This undoubtedly reminds me of other queer series, such as the Chinese "Addicted" and the Taiwanese "Unknown", with which "Moon and Dust" shares its interest in depicting tropes: two brothers not related by blood, one possessive and the other timid, one more open to acknowledging his sexuality and the other afraid to admit his sexual identity, uke older and seme younger.
While the bar is set too high, this new approach to the story of relationships in which one of the two boys in the couple shows toxic, paranoid, and possessive qualities, yet nevertheless possesses a good heart, falls short of the aforementioned series. But this doesn't mean it's not worth appreciating.
Remember that in China, "brother" or "sister" doesn't just mean "sibling", it also means a term of respect or an expression of intimacy and flirtation.
With solid performances by Zhang Yongbo and Liu Xuan Cheng, the series showcases the maturity and subtlety of Chinese BL production, capable of creating a very different impact from similar Taiwanese, Filipino, South Korean, Thai, and other similar products.
'Moon and Dust' will also remind us of other Chinese dramas, such as 'Uncle Unknown' and the Taiwanese 'History 4' and 'The Only One', among others.
With well-chosen music that validates feelings of joy and euphoria, as well as loneliness and melancholy, the series boasts beautiful cinematography and a lack of the overused, overly embarrassing sound effects typically found in most BL dramas.
With only two episodes aired so far, we still have to find out the ending. In case you haven't started watching it yet, we just advise you to have a handful of tissues nearby. Believe me, you'll need them.
I'll come back later to complete the review.
The queer Chinese miniseries delves into possessiveness, toxic relationships, frenzy, and the mental effervescence of two individuals who are highly dependent on each other.
Song Qi was taken in by Song Li as a child. They grew up together, dependent on each other. Song Qi's dependence on his older brother gradually turned into paranoid love and possessiveness, even going so far as to protect him by any means from those who bully him. However, for fear of hurting him, Song Qi has refused the idea of confessing his feelings to Song Li.
In this play, young actors Zhang Yongbo and Liu Xuan Cheng play Song Li and Song Qi, respectively, the gay couple conceived by writer 1 Bite, the author of Bugoo Reading, creator of the literary phenomenon on which it is based, and which goes by the title "Bad Dog".
The relationship between Song Li and Song Qi captivates many viewers with its passionate component, the stormy and problematic, complicated and fiery —in every sense— love relationship between these two boys.
Those behind "Moon and Dust" care little or nothing about the motivations of the possessive and paranoid character. On the contrary, they go all out to highlight his physical beauty, sense of freedom, easy-going nature, people skills, melancholic character, caring spirit, selflessness, loyalty to his partner, and love for the boy he's been linked to for almost his entire life. In short, one doesn't know whether to reject him or want to be his friend.
Its six episodes, each approximately 15 minutes long, tell the story of the complex and deep emotional bond between the cute, shy, insecure, and gentle Song Li and the handsome, obsessive, and affectionate Song Qi, two brothers who met as children and whose friendship evolves over the years into something much deeper.
The story reveals its creator's interest in characters full of complexities, insecurities, and anxieties who must face sad and dramatic moments in their lives in the pursuit of their dreams, which he observes, essentially, through the sensations that accompany their actions.
Much more than studying them from a psychological perspective, 1 Bite is drawn to catching a glimpse of the world of emotions upon which Song Li and Song Qi build the vibrant, stormy, and unstoppable story of their adventures. All this without realizing that what they were looking for was right under their noses all along.
On the other hand, those behind the miniseries are more interested in telling a true story, even though these are often more scandalous than anything you'd see in a work of fiction.
Subjugated by such environments, figures, and sensory states, the creators of Chinese miniseries often walk a —sometimes dangerous— fine line of complicity with their subjects of analysis. This undoubtedly reminds me of other queer series, such as the Chinese "Addicted" and the Taiwanese "Unknown", with which "Moon and Dust" shares its interest in depicting tropes: two brothers not related by blood, one possessive and the other timid, one more open to acknowledging his sexuality and the other afraid to admit his sexual identity, uke older and seme younger.
While the bar is set too high, this new approach to the story of relationships in which one of the two boys in the couple shows toxic, paranoid, and possessive qualities, yet nevertheless possesses a good heart, falls short of the aforementioned series. But this doesn't mean it's not worth appreciating.
Remember that in China, "brother" or "sister" doesn't just mean "sibling", it also means a term of respect or an expression of intimacy and flirtation.
With solid performances by Zhang Yongbo and Liu Xuan Cheng, the series showcases the maturity and subtlety of Chinese BL production, capable of creating a very different impact from similar Taiwanese, Filipino, South Korean, Thai, and other similar products.
'Moon and Dust' will also remind us of other Chinese dramas, such as 'Uncle Unknown' and the Taiwanese 'History 4' and 'The Only One', among others.
With well-chosen music that validates feelings of joy and euphoria, as well as loneliness and melancholy, the series boasts beautiful cinematography and a lack of the overused, overly embarrassing sound effects typically found in most BL dramas.
With only two episodes aired so far, we still have to find out the ending. In case you haven't started watching it yet, we just advise you to have a handful of tissues nearby. Believe me, you'll need them.
I'll come back later to complete the review.
Was this review helpful to you?
