2
7
Bait & Switch
After Anti-Reset (and the preceding Stay By My Side and You Are Mine), I already did not have high hopes that this newest product from VBL would delve into the SF aspect or even the philosophical aspect of Human-Android relationships.
But what I got was even worse, a Bait & Switch.
They lured us with an intriguing opening scene (AI rights -- a often-discussed question in SF stories, should a self-aware machine with a free will have rights, just like a human?), tantalised us with more knowledge about how the Ever series androids work, the androids bleed, have a heartrate -- basically seem to have a human body, but are enhanced (at least Ever 4 is), and don't age, the story also gave us glimpses of the other Androids (talked about Ever 2, we saw Ever 7, who is a look-a-like to Gu Bu Xia) and so on.
The questions if a human-android relationship would work, and how this would impact society, or what "love" is (can a machine love?) are not new to the genre and are extremley obvious in the premise itself ... and the story gives us crumbs, only to leave us with nothing.
Instead, they gave us the switch: A clichéd story about a young man who still carries trauma related to his mother (ugh!) and who only needs a devoted butler/confidant/lover to heal him, and we never get any more information about the world they are living in.
Characterisations are weak. I already mentioned the ultra-chlichéd background story for Lo Bus Shi. Ever 4 also did not have a consistent character. He is supposed to be mainly a bodyguard/fighter/strategist type of android, who is not supposed to give emotional support to his master, so he should have not been given data for this. He talks about struggling with emotions, asks Ever 9 for advice, but then proceeds to do everything perfectly (like a stereotypical top, see below). This would have been an interesting avenue to explore: Where do emotions come from? How do they work? Or another aspect to explore: The inherent power imbalance between master and slave (in this case, android) -- what does this mean for a romantic relationship? And if they'd further developed the dom/sub vibes Ever 4 and Lo Bu Shi gave throughout the series, this would have added another layer to the question of power imbalance.
Other things that irritated me:
* Ever 4's glasses didn't make any sense. Not only the "dom mode", that is just another Bait&Switch, but especially when he takes them off because "He trusts Lo Bu Shi" -- why does he not put them on again whenever he is alone or in a confrontation. Feels like the director just wanted an excuse to put the glasses away.
* The whole top/bottom dynamic was stronger than in the other VBL productions I've seen, and it made me angry when several characters (Lo Bu Shi included) implied that to bottom during sex between men means that you are less manly for it. Couple interactions were written along the lines of stereotypical dynamics, and, of course, the top is more than capable of doing anything, while the bottom is the one who is cutesy and must be protected.
* The secondary couple was superfluous. There wasn't enough time to develop a good progression, and there could have been another reason for the fall-out between father and son. The writer should have taken the time to further explore the really interesting questions (see paragraph two) or to make Ever 4 more consistent.
Was it good?
As before, VBL take an interesting (and, for a BL drama, unusual) premise -- and only briefly dip their toes into it only to then give us another fluffy romance without much substance. I did not mind so much in You Are Mine, because that one was a comedy first and foremost, and it did that well (even if the power dynamics between boss and employee should have been more developed), but it had already frustrated me in Stay By My Side to the point that I had to put it on hold for a while. Here, in a drama with such an intriguing world, it's sad, even for VBL standards. And no, the last ten minutes of episode 12 dd not save it.
Did I like it?
I wanted to like it. But with this Bait & Switch, I couldn't. It was watchable, but also irritating because it could have ben more, at least a bit. Overall, for an android-human relationship, I'd rather rewatch Anti-Reset, which at least knew what it wanted to tell us, than this.
Do I recommend it?
Only if you are seriously into the looks of the actors. If VBL decides to make more BLs for the other Ever Series androids, then there might be some background informations that could be useful. But that's hard to say at the moment.
But what I got was even worse, a Bait & Switch.
They lured us with an intriguing opening scene (AI rights -- a often-discussed question in SF stories, should a self-aware machine with a free will have rights, just like a human?), tantalised us with more knowledge about how the Ever series androids work, the androids bleed, have a heartrate -- basically seem to have a human body, but are enhanced (at least Ever 4 is), and don't age, the story also gave us glimpses of the other Androids (talked about Ever 2, we saw Ever 7, who is a look-a-like to Gu Bu Xia) and so on.
The questions if a human-android relationship would work, and how this would impact society, or what "love" is (can a machine love?) are not new to the genre and are extremley obvious in the premise itself ... and the story gives us crumbs, only to leave us with nothing.
Instead, they gave us the switch: A clichéd story about a young man who still carries trauma related to his mother (ugh!) and who only needs a devoted butler/confidant/lover to heal him, and we never get any more information about the world they are living in.
Characterisations are weak. I already mentioned the ultra-chlichéd background story for Lo Bus Shi. Ever 4 also did not have a consistent character. He is supposed to be mainly a bodyguard/fighter/strategist type of android, who is not supposed to give emotional support to his master, so he should have not been given data for this. He talks about struggling with emotions, asks Ever 9 for advice, but then proceeds to do everything perfectly (like a stereotypical top, see below). This would have been an interesting avenue to explore: Where do emotions come from? How do they work? Or another aspect to explore: The inherent power imbalance between master and slave (in this case, android) -- what does this mean for a romantic relationship? And if they'd further developed the dom/sub vibes Ever 4 and Lo Bu Shi gave throughout the series, this would have added another layer to the question of power imbalance.
Other things that irritated me:
* Ever 4's glasses didn't make any sense. Not only the "dom mode", that is just another Bait&Switch, but especially when he takes them off because "He trusts Lo Bu Shi" -- why does he not put them on again whenever he is alone or in a confrontation. Feels like the director just wanted an excuse to put the glasses away.
* The whole top/bottom dynamic was stronger than in the other VBL productions I've seen, and it made me angry when several characters (Lo Bu Shi included) implied that to bottom during sex between men means that you are less manly for it. Couple interactions were written along the lines of stereotypical dynamics, and, of course, the top is more than capable of doing anything, while the bottom is the one who is cutesy and must be protected.
* The secondary couple was superfluous. There wasn't enough time to develop a good progression, and there could have been another reason for the fall-out between father and son. The writer should have taken the time to further explore the really interesting questions (see paragraph two) or to make Ever 4 more consistent.
Was it good?
As before, VBL take an interesting (and, for a BL drama, unusual) premise -- and only briefly dip their toes into it only to then give us another fluffy romance without much substance. I did not mind so much in You Are Mine, because that one was a comedy first and foremost, and it did that well (even if the power dynamics between boss and employee should have been more developed), but it had already frustrated me in Stay By My Side to the point that I had to put it on hold for a while. Here, in a drama with such an intriguing world, it's sad, even for VBL standards. And no, the last ten minutes of episode 12 dd not save it.
Did I like it?
I wanted to like it. But with this Bait & Switch, I couldn't. It was watchable, but also irritating because it could have ben more, at least a bit. Overall, for an android-human relationship, I'd rather rewatch Anti-Reset, which at least knew what it wanted to tell us, than this.
Do I recommend it?
Only if you are seriously into the looks of the actors. If VBL decides to make more BLs for the other Ever Series androids, then there might be some background informations that could be useful. But that's hard to say at the moment.
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