jeoneungd

I really love a Hong Kong action flick. Ash brought me back to my years in Asia and those classic Bruce Lee movies…the fighting, the danger and that unmistakable Hong Kong flavor.

The series started strong, especially when it focused on Fei Foon and Leuk To. It was at its best during their quiet and intimate moments…the peacock dance, the house key, the ashtray dialogue and the pain of loving someone who treasures you privately but cannot choose you publicly. Kingston and Leo Peng had genuine chemistry, and they never needed an NC scene to convince me that these two men desired each other.

But somewhere along the way, the corporate structure, hostile takeovers, kidnappings, crime syndicates and every familiar gangster trope began getting in the way of their romance. This seems to happen in many gangster BLs. The criminal plot becomes so complicated that the relationship is pushed aside, someone usually dies, and the writers suddenly remember during the finale that they are also supposed to finish a love story.

Some of the actors also looked far too young to be running major corporations, let alone criminal organizations. Being handsome is one thing…convincing me that an entire crime syndicate fears you is another. The ending felt rushed compared with everything the series spent so much time building. The Morse code scene was a nice touch, but it could not completely compensate for the compressed resolution.

Just like Kiss or Kill, Ash leaves me wondering how many gangster BLs are truly credible. The problem is not the idea of a gay gangster…it is that writers often struggle to make the gangster story and the love story exist naturally in the same world.

I would still love to see Kingston and Leo Peng together again, but next time give them a true romance where their chemistry can fully develop. Less corporate maneuvering, fewer kidnappings and more time for those two beautiful peacocks to spread their feathers.