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A cute ridiculous story

Absolutely loved the 2 MLs and the FL. Overall this comedy of sorts had real potential. Considering it was produced in 2006 it was probably a hit then. However, when they do a remake, the show needs serious improvements.

First, the the story and character development needs improvement. The Crown Prince kept hinting that he had plans to alter the way the antiquated monarchy functions but except for handling reporters in a very sophisticated manner, he actually didn't unveil any plans. The female lead had a huge adjustment to an arranged marriage and being a part of the Royal family. I felt compassion toward her except that she leaked like a watering can 85 % of the series. She wasn't a doormat but she didn't really exhibit any real assertiveness.

The show definitely managed to project a teenage mentality. It kills me how they chose actors though that didn't seem like teenagers at all. I felt like smacking the adults in the palace. Their laws and rules of etiquette came across for the most part as an abusive way to force people to do what they required them to do regardless of humane treatment.

I could understand the ML's attitudes and behavior but he really was an emotionally stunted person with an entitled attitude. The second male lead was a much healthier person. He was frankly fortunate to grow up outside the palace. He was kind, compassionate and conscientious. I'm not sure how his greedy manipulative mother raised such a fine person. The FL's family was adorable and very devoted to each other.

Hopefully the remake gets a better sound person to mix the music and vocals. Once or twice in a movie where the music is so loud you can't hear the words is one thing but for it to constantly be a factor causing you to strain to hear the dialogue is irritating. The cinematography, staged settings and wardrobes were excellent.

I enjoyed watching this version once, but probably could not endure it's length again.

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Failed potential

The cast is good, but the storyline is so trite and simplistic that there's not much to work with. I'm watching it mainly to see how it ends but it requires persistence.

I know life and relationships can be messy. However, there is something replusive about the lack of honesty by both male leads. Each of them were using there supposed partners. The storyline progression was sloppy.

This series had potential but fell woefully short of my expectations. I think the cast had more depth in their acting skills than portrayed. For some reason it just seemed sluggish and stilted. It came off as low budget. It kinda felted like a stage play that progressed from act to act with little finesse.

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This entire series was exceptional! The main two actors as well as the secondary couple did a superb job. The story developed the importance of family, friendship, and caring.
A disturbing reoccurring theme is the parental violence that's viewed as acceptable in the Asian culture. I'm from the United States so the mindset is somewhat unusual for me. Several movies I've watched recently portrays physical abuse arrogantly perpetrated on victims that have no recourse. I favor corporal punishment but not abuse. If I could have reached into the TV and grabbed that abusive SOB of a father by the collar, I swear I would have hurt him bad! When his son handed his father the instrument to beat him at the end of the movie in order to create some sense of balance to protect the one he loved, I wanted to cry! I literally shouted "Don't do it!"
Both of the male leads at the end of the series were sacrificial toward their partner for the welfare of their partner's future. It reminded me of the short story by O'Henry "The Gift of the Magi". I'm so glad that years later they reunited.
The secondary couple were an added bonus. They did a terrific job!
The story was so well developed. It's frustrating that the constraints put on BL series by China causes such a lackluster physical display. Their closed mouth pecks on each other's lips we're disappointing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that they should swallow each other's tongues -just more realistically kiss each other. I will say though that they managed to portray their genuine caring for each other in physical ways that were affectionate and mildly senual but not necessarily sexual. This is an indication of the actors' skills.

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Omg

The quality of this production is excellent! Everything is clicking: OST, acting, and intimate scenes. The visuals flow with a professional quality. I'm watching the "sultier" version. In episode one the scene with Korn was hot! On a more personal level...KinnPorcshe escalated the type of sex scenes portrayed in bl series and I think 4 minutes will do the same. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the explicit nature of Korn's scene and the passion portrayed. But, at what level does bl cross over into pornography? Is it pornography with an actual plot, great acting and human emotions or is it an explicit bl on a different level? Just asking? I'm still enjoying it and am definitely watching the rest of this series.

After completion:
The production was significantly superior to many bl's. The cinematography, the acting, the music...everything. The only negative was the time skipping. That really got confusing. It felt like the story didn't completely flesh out. I think if I rewatch it I'll probably pull more of the subtle elements of the story together better. Bible and Jes as a couple was a definite winner. I'll always be disappointed that Build was treated so badly and had his career ruined by that mental shank he dated. BOC, however, recovered the pairing with Bible and Jes. Bible seems like an awesome person and I hope the very best for his future. (Had to throw my 2 cents in about the whole Build fiasco.). As I stated, I'll wait a couple weeks then binge watch "4Minutes" again. I definitely think I'll enjoy it more since I know the overall story of the script now.

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A confused happy heart

The gradual unfolding of the love story of the 2 leads provided time for character development. The pace was slow but the beautiful ost filled in any gaps and kept the story moving.

The ending was ambiguous. I choose to be positive. Xiao Han was willing to wait how ever long He Ran needed. So many things pointed to a possible good outcome. The symbolism with the two fish and the special plant opening and the 2 cups with toothbrushes implied waiting and then that they would be together. The abundant fields of pink flowers implied that when all other blooms were dormant, these would bloom late. Xiao Han was pensive but then again he had a quiet considering personality.

Others may see the ending in a sadder perspective. I, however, choose to see that year separation as a time of healing. The slow smile and the embrace in the fields of flowers indicates that their love was meant to last.

There is a mention of a season 2. Frankly, I would prefer it be more focused on He Ran's mother and Zhang's relationship. This romantic melodrama didn't really strike me as "a slice of life" genre. But, their relationship seems to be conflicted yet passionate. It has room for development.

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Excuse me... where's the real story

When I read the book, Jade was a kind naive young man. This series version makes him an idiotic simpleton. There's more depth to this story than is portrayed. Overall instead of giving this story a little more true content the series creates a frantic confusing portrayal of Jade. Bedfriends had a complex story line with character development and relationship building. This unfortunate redition is childish and has an undeveloped romantic relationship. Jade is so silly it's hard to imagine him being in love or sexually interested in anyone. Mai definitely has a swoony persona. The series doing a little more justice to his character. I'm going to perservere and watch all 8 episodes simply because I enjoyed "Bedfriends" so much.

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Time and Persistence

I truly enjoyed the relationship between the two male leads. They developed a friendship and a respect for each other. Both were attracted to each other and supportive. Tien and Yang's relationship was a delightful one. Yang's support for his brother from when he was very young into his adult hood was admirable. The story had action, suspense, a slice of life and a sense of a moral compass. While I think the script was a little too long, the progression of understanding and acceptance of a less traditional lifestyle was very realistic. For such a lengthy script the series was fast paced and engaging. I would definitely watch it again. I felt compassion towards Tien and Jui. Their two characters make the series a definite repeat. On a side note, I am grateful for the BL and the GL series that provide insight into thoughts, feelings and cultures that are non-traditional. Overtime the exposure to several of the BL and GL series have helped me to develop acceptance of "people are people" and "love is love". As a mature individual it is refreshing to learn that thoughts and beliefs can be fluid. It's comforting to realize coloring outside the lines is a good thing.

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Top Notch

The two male leads were phenomenal! Their chemistry was riveting. They both could speak not only with their bodies but with their eyes. From my understanding neither of them are professional dancers; they learned to dance for this movie. In my estimation they're both geniuses! The choreography was superb!

This is sort of a slow burn romance with a masculine lack of verbal communication. I got the impression that the time frame of this movie wasn't 2025 but more around 1980's to 1990's. I could be misreading that, but there is a huge preoccupation with one of the male leads smoking continuously. Until recently that amount of smoking has been kind of frowned upon in movies. There was a somewhat easy acceptance of a male male relationship, but then a subtle sense of an awkwardness in pursuing an obvious relationship.
I don't know some of the cinematography seemed to indicate a time frame 20, 30, 40 years ago. At that time a gay couple would not have been readily accepted.

One male lead was rigidly controlled but you could feel the inferno under the surface of the skin that was clamoring to be released. The other male lead was extremely passionate and emotional and sexy as hell!
The dancing was magic!

This movie presented a different flavor to a BL. I would sort of consider it more of an LGBTQ movie than a BL. Overall the movie was entrancing and I am certain to watch it several more times.

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Park Min Young and In Na Woo had chemistry. I rooted for them throughout the series. The bad guys were without conscience. I so wanted them to get their just rewards. There were several side characters that had touching personalities and really added to the story. This probably would have been a better series if it had been either 12 or 14 episodes. Making this program 16 episodes really drug it out and had a lot of filler in it that was unnecessary and boring. Toward the end there were so many reprehensible people that it felt like a chaotic hodgepodge of activity. The last 15 minutes was sweet and rewarding.

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Good people can love

Frankly if not for the good reviews this series had I would have stopped watching it during the very first episode. The ML and FL were so grim. However, I persevered even though the slow burn romance plotted along. It was a really good story with some good human interest items. The lives of the three siblings progressed with each developing and following their dreams. The ML and FL eventually developed an abiding love. Watching them love each other with their eyes is probably one of the highlights of the series. The theme of forgiveness and restoration made the series something worth watching. I'm skeptical that the ML's mother's desire to live a better life was genuine. More than likely it was really just a ploy to evade punishment for her selfish and criminal actions. I stayed with the entire series just to see the love between the two main characters. I probably could not watch it again because it was so dreadfully slow.

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