BL with a somewhat different flavor

When I started watching the series, I found certain aspects of it reminiscent of A Tale of a Thousand Stars, from the setting to the music. There is in fact a direct allusion to Thousand Stars in Episode 2, when the teacher going to the village is told that things are not as pretty as they are in the series. This turns out to be pretty ironic--Hometown's Embrace promises to be a BL that has a grittier portrayal of life in Isan, but it really turns out to be more or less the same in the way the characters fight the bad guys a tad too easily. In fact, Thousand Stars might be more realistic in some respects.

This is not to say that Hometown's Embrace is a rip-off or a bad one at that. Hometown's Embrace is a much more conventional BL than Thousand Stars in the way that it features three BL couples and seemingly men, including seemingly straight ones, can simply fall in love with each other. While you don't find passionate kissing scenes, let alone sex scenes, the series goes out of its way to feature gratuitous shower scenes while doing an obligatory product placement for a soap company that is obviously one of its sponsors. (Incidentally, there are also plenty of product placements for some Black Dragon pills, and I got a good laugh when I googled "Black Dragon pills" though I have no idea if what turned up on my Google search was the same as what was featured in the show.)

What makes the BL somewhat different is the violence in the show, which involves four of the main characters' parents being killed by the villains. The series uncomfortably straddles fluff (for the BL) and gritty realism (for the violence). It does manage to pull off the merging of genres somewhat, but somehow runs out of steam. By the time the main characters band together to deal with the villains, they seem rather comical. (Just look at the costumes!)

Perhaps the series would have been more compelling if it had double or triple the number of episodes for both the crime aspects to be featured and the romance to be developed. This way, the characters would be easier to take seriously. Unfortunately, for an episode of only 8 episodes, it spends three episodes introducing the three pairs of main characters (one episode for each pair). It's still a watchable series to me, but if you are expect one of those BLs with lots of kisses and sex scenes or a realistic portrayal of gang violence, you will be disappointed.

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Likely one of the most moving Thai BLs in 2021

Not knowing what the story is about except that the couple are separated for four years, I watched the first episode and thought that it was another story about one-sided love (which may not be a bad thing but is really hard to do well). It turns out, however, that there is more than meets the eye.

Perhaps it takes more patience than some viewers would be willing to give before they discover the merits of the series. But, for me, it was not a difficult watch at all. The scenes were shot well, and the young actor who plays the character of Nut, is quite impressive. Thus, although this isn't a fast-paced series, I found it easy to go on watching and it did not really seem all that slow.

There are many complaints about the flashbacks used in the story as well as a few praises. To be sure, it isn't really the use of flashbacks as a technique in itself that people are commenting about. Rather, it's the flashbacks to scenes that have already been shown that people are commenting about.

The flashbacks used are often effective as they show us that the story we think we know isn't the whole story. At their best, the flashbacks are moving, such as when they reveal the reasons behind Phob's behaviors and emotions.

Unfortunately, in Episodes 7 and 8, the use of flashbacks as a technique does not impress, and the flashbacks themselves may seem a little purposeless. It's almost as though a different team has done the editing and flashbacks for the last two episodes. While the flashbacks in Episodes 1 to 6 are quite smooth and do not confuse, there is potential for confusion in Episodes 7 and 8. This is unfortunate for a series that has shown more finesse that expected. After all, the story is not astonishingly good, but it is the way it is told that makes it moving and engaging in Episodes 1 to 6. Thankfully, the story doesn't take a bad turn and does end satisfactorily save for a totally unnecessary cliffhanger about a side couple (it's not like a sequel is going to be made about the side couple, right?)

Despite its flaws, The Yearbook still manages to be a notch above some other Thai BL series that overwhelm viewers with a large number of characters without showing much skill in telling a coherent story

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Starts of well, but loses steam

The first striking thing about the series is how different it seems from the synopsis we see at MDL. Valen doesn't seem at all someone who has not been experienced any affection. He has a sister who cares about him and help him. He has at least a few close friends. He is close to the nanny who has brought him up (though it is not clear what, if anything, has happened to his parents). In fact, Kaitoon seems to be the one with a sob story: he's an orphan who has to juggle his studies and multiple jobs, and he loses some of his jobs.

The discrepancy between the synopsis and the series is not a big issue. But since Valen is desperate enough to attempt armed robbery to pay his debtors, he should probably turn to his friends or sister for help. But somehow he doesn't ... until he does anyway. Nevertheless, we can ignore this and see that he really has no intention to harm others.

The story actually starts off rather well, focusing on Kaitoon and Non first before bringing in Non. However, the second half of Love Area (Part 1) isn't really satisfying. My best guess is that a change of plans took place and somehow the series became split into Parts 1 and 2. This would mean that there needs to be a cliffhanger in Episode 6. While Valen's love for Kaitoon is quite nicely shown, the transitions in Kaitoon's feelings do not seem to have enough enough time to be properly fleshed out.

Also, at first I thought that Kaitoon and Non would make a nice couple even though anyone can guess that Kaitoon and Valen are the main couple of the series. Still, the depiction of the friendship between Kaitoon and Valen is really nice --until Non falls in love with Kaitoon, and Kaitoon inexplicably forgets about his appointments with the pitiable Non. (Yes, it seems that every main character has a sadder story than Valen, contrary to what you may get from the synopsis.)

Non is such a sweet, patient and lovable guy that I wish he didn't have to undergo the struggles with his parents and with his unrequited love. Nor do I wish to see him lose his goodness and become an awful person in Season 2 (not that there's any indication that this will happen). Frankly, putting him in this love triangle with Kaitoon and Valen isn't really a good move. It makes the story inconsistent. Kaitoon, who is used to juggling multiple jobs and his studies (and a bit of a social life), doesn't seem likely to simply forget about his appointments so easily. (He forgets an appointment with Non once, feels really bad about it, and then forgets about it again when Valen takes him to the beach--Kaitoon has not planned for the trip, and he even tells Valen that he has things to do, but somehow does not make an effort to contact Non about not being able to turn up.

The other couple, King and Peat, is also interesting until the appearance of a potential third party (one of those things that are easy to predict even though nothing has happened yet). King and Peat are supposed to be a loving couple until Peat suddenly disappears one day, causing King a lot of suffering. To its credit, Part 1 shows both the reason Peat does a disappearing act and the reconciliation between the two. That King has been unable to get over Peat and his willingness to reconcile with Peat suggests a very deep love, but then a third party? We shall see how well it works in Part 2.

At this point, I'm still interested in Part 2, but it is not something I look forward too simply because I'm not sure if Part 2 would salvage things or mess everything up further.

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For a BL series that has one main couple and two side (BL) couples that are only hinted at, it is very odd that the side couples turn out to be portrayed more effectively.

The side couple that is less hinted at, Jay and Song, turns out to be my favorite. That the two actors look good individually and cute as a couple is an added bonus. There is barely any overt indication of them becoming a couple and a somewhat cryptic scene in the last episode with Jay smiling in his final scene, but the scenes of them together manage to suggest the potential for a more-than-friends relationships. We see the closeness between them early on when Jay refuses to take a drunken Bom to his room and it is revealed that he only allows Song into his room. When we see Jay writing a song for Bom about his feelings for Jin, we may wonder if Jay is ultimately also writing about his own feelings for Song.

Keam and Ball are worth mentioning as another side couple of sorts. Keam is a somewhat perplexing and inscrutable character. At times, he seems more mature than his friends, but his behavior is weird. He seems aware of his feelings for Ball, but he has a girlfriend. Or does he have feelings for some other guy at first -- Bom? He protests when Bom is drunk and the rest ask Jin to take Bom to his room. Nevertheless, from the first time Keam bumps into Ball in the series, we can see the sparks. At least it is obvious that Keam has a soft spot for Ball. The scene isn't even anything original or difficult to do, so it is strange that the main couple isn't given a sort of similar treatment. Instead, Bom seems almost hostile towards Jin at the start, and one can be forgiven for assuming that their relationship is the enemies-to-lovers sort. Except it isn't.

It turns out that Bom has always been secretly in love with Jin though Bom does not seem to know Jin when we first see them together. (It is only revealed in a flashback much later that we see that Bom has been in love with Jin since they were freshmen.) To add to the messiness, we have Jin quite earnestly saying that he doesn't dislike Bom but can only be friends with him in one scene, but in the very next scene, he shows no discomfort or objections when Bom hits on him and wants to call him every day. And in the scene that follows, we see Jin eating an ice-cream off Bom's hands--quite publicly, so it seems like he's not even like he's afraid of being seen as gay or afraid of giving Bom the wrong idea ....

Another problem is with the characterization of Jin, who is an important character. He is at first really devastated as his girlfriend, Aim, breaks up with him. He seems like someone who is really serious about his relationships. Then suddenly we have people warning Bom that Jin is a playboy, and it's supposed to be true. Yet, Jin's actions don't show him to be a playboy. Before he realizes that he actually loves Bom, he shows some interest in a girl and starts talking to her. But Jin soon realizes that he loves Bom, and when the girl confesses her love for him, he tells her honestly that he is in love with someone else. How is this guy a playboy?

The silly crisis to Jin and Bom's relationship also undermines the story. For some reason, Aim (Jin's ex-girlfriend) is preoccupied with bringing Jin and Bom together. Ok, maybe she wants to do something for them because she feels guilty for jilting Jin for another guy, and for "snatching" Jin from Bom despite knowing that Bom likes Jin. But to go to the extent of masterminding a bizarre plot to bring them together is an unusual level of crazy. E.g. She makes Bom's friends dope his drink with an aphrodisiac and secretly slipping a condom into his pocket (er, how on earth is he going to use it if he doesn't know it's there?) Apart from the question of why Bom's frinds would go along with such madness, there is the question of how many Bom horny would help him win Jin's love. And .... the shenanigans do not end here. At times, it looks more like Aim is aiming to break Jin and Bom up rather than bring them together--yes, I think it's supposed to be a twist when it's revealed that she's trying to bring them together.

Jin and Bom do make quite a nice couple when they are together, and I find the actors' acting quite ok. But somehow the set-up for the two characters to fall in love is terribly done (or should I say not done?). On the other hand, the set-up for the side couples, who get scant attention and development, is done pretty well. So it's not as though the production team is incapable of doing things properly. The ending also doesn't give a sense of a true closure, perhaps because the crisis is so badly done that we have an anti-climax instead of a climax in the story and one keeps thinking that there's more to come. Confession: I forgot that Episode 10 was the last episode and was stupidly waiting more more until I saw in MDL that this is a ten-episode series. I'm not a big fan of cliffhanger endings hinting at the potential for a Season 2, but even a cliffhanger ending would have been better than the way the series ended without a bit more development for the side couples.

The odd thing about this series is that there are many aspects of the production that show that the team involved in it is quite capable of making something pretty good. And yet, something managed to go wrong somewhere, resulting in a series that underperforms in critical areas like the portrayal of the main couple and the development of their story. The result: a series that managed to keep me watching and a series that managed to keep disappointing me rolled into one awkward combination.

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How to make a nice film with the same old story

If I have to complain about this short film, I will say that the story is nothing original. Boy meets boy, boys fall in love. But oh, why does it feel so nice to watch? Sure, the two actors are good looking, but that doesn't make a film nice to watch in itself. I like the way the short film isn't pretentious; it just tells this simple, totally unoriginal story well. The story is told from Kong's point of view, and we can guess that he likes Film from the start is trying to attract his attention by snatching away his ball in the court and perhaps, even before that, by acting like he's upset that Film is sitting at his table in the canteen. On Film's part, he could also have liked Kong from the start and is trying to get Kong's attention by sitting at the table,

The dialogue is competently written, and the acting of the two young actors is surprisingly natural. The actor for Kong is able to convincingly exude confidence, shyness and innocence when the situation calls for it. We see this in the scene in which he is messaging Film on social media through his phone. There's no one to act out the scene with him, but his expressions are on point.

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The bad taints the good a little too much in this series

HIStory 4: Close to You is overall a good addition to the HIStory series but the controversial portrayal of rape will inevitably casts a dark shadow on its reputation.

We can perhaps attempt an amoral and non-judgmental attitude towards the portrayal of rape. After all, good art does not necessarily convey themes that people find acceptable. Unfortunately, the portrayal doesn’t stand up to scrutiny even if we cast aside any moral objections.

The character of Fu Yongjie is full of contradictions, and not in a way that makes sense. At the start, he seems like a sort of psychopathic stalker who happens to be obsessed with this guy he is bent on “getting” that he would even attack someone who seems close to him. The object of his affections turns out to be his brother. Brothers with entirely different birth parents are quite common in BL, and I don’t think it is any bigger an issue here.

Yongjie has the potential to be an interesting character: he certainly has a dark side but is also devoted and even self-sacrificing when it comes to love. He shouldn't have been made to give off psychopath vibes at the start. And since he is someone who won't want to hurt the one he loves regardless of how badly he treats others, it does not make sense when he gets Xingsi drunk and rapes him—supposedly for Xingsi’s sake because he is hatching a plot to let the gay Xingsi come out of the closet and return to live with his family (something Xongsi longs to do but fears hurting his father’s feelings). I don’t think something as drastic as rape is necessary for the plot.

The series also seems to, for some reason, take pains to remind us that what Yongjie has done is rape. The rape scene shows Xingsi talking in a drunken stupor, but he is clearly not sober enough even he does not say no to the sex. Yongjie also clearly knows this because, when the drunken Xingsi asks why he does not kiss him, he tells Xingsi that he will kiss him when he is sober. And then, as if the audience might be mistaken that Yongjie has stopped after kissing and caressing Xingsi’s body, Xingsi later tells his friends that he is the bottom during the act. No matter what brilliant plans Yongjie has that is for Xingsi's benefit, there is really no reason to sexually penetrate this man he supposedly loves with all his heart. I can appreciate a darker character, but he has to be portrayed more convincingly even if I do not care about how moral the character is.

To make matters worse, Yongjie’s mother (by all appearances a nice, understanding lady who has no qualms criticizing the more unscrupulous side of her son) actually knows what he is going to do to Xingsi but abets his behavior—she apologizes to Xingsi later, but still thinks that maybe Yongjie has done the right thing. What??? In the end, the slightly homophobic father seems to have the most sane and reasonable reaction to the crap that is happening--until he has brainwashed into accepting it all.

The portrayal of Yongjie is a waste of the actor, who does a pretty good job handling the character with all his contradictory aspects. It also makes the portrayal of Xingsi a little strange. Xingsi, for instance, forgives Yongjie easily and even falls in love with him. The story would make a bit more sense if Xingsi and Yongjie are in love from the start, but Yongjie decides to show a footage of them making out to their father just to speed up Xingsi's coming out. It would still be terrible behavior, but it would fit in with the potrayal of the character who is impatient and wants to end his brother's struggles fast.

It’s such a pity that the characterization of Yongjie overshadows the nicer aspects of a series which portrays masculinities in rather refreshing ways. The friendship between Xingsi, Muren and Licheng is really cute. The initially straight Muren and Licheng (yes, this is conventional BL where any straight man can fall in love with another man) care for Xingsi in a way that would almost make one thing that they are vying for his affections. But no, they really just treat Xingsi as a close friend and do not even know that Xingsi is gay at first. While toxic masculinities are pervasive in the media, BL often presents masculinities that are so different, almost defiantly going against the grain. And this BL does it well.

Muren and Licheng later become lovers, and we get what are by now cliches in BL like “I don’t like men, I just like him” (fine, whatever you say). But the couple is endearing, and the story could have been good enough focusing on them. I would also rather the Xingsi and Yongjie pairing had taken the well-trodden path of non-biological brothers falling in love only to meet with parental objection. At least this would have suited the overall mood of the series.

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Excellent continuation from Season 1

Season 2 of No Boundary is a direct continuation of Season 1, and the quality is very much the same. Nevertheless, I sense some difficulty in sustaining the story for another 20 episodes so that Season 2 would be long enough.

I think Season 2 continues from Season 1 very well at first. The part until Duanmu Cui and Zhan Yan manage the get out of The Abyss (a parallel universe that is based on Duanmu's memories) with the antidote for the toxic aura is excellent. After this point, however, the story falters a little. A dead character like Wengu is brought back to life, but it seems all to easily done, and it also seems to be for the purpose of having a prominent demon-clan character in the story again (because there's something about immortals, mortals and demons having to unite later in the story).

The villain who gets trapped in The Abyss also escapes a little easily. Oh well, if he doesn't escape, the story will end. But things also get a little over-the-top here as the villain infiltrates and takes over the heavenly realm of the immortals. It is rather intriguing, however, as a critique of authoritarianism. As the evil tyrant takes over the immortal, mortal and demon realms, he basically puts people and places under pervasive surveillance so that he knows what people are doing and whether his orders are being carried out. From what is at first a somewhat noble desire to improve things, the villain's descent into total villainy (while justifying his deeds as being for the greater good) shows how the lure of power corrupts and how hollow the justifications for authoritarian tactics are.

Despite being so powerful after gaining immortality, this villain also suffers from the headaches that plagued him as a mortal. In fact, they get worse, and these headaches are sometimes timely enough to prevent him from performing more evil deeds.

The plot development in Season 2 isn't as impeccable as it was in Season 1. Still, it is not so bad that it really affects the issue in a major way. The love story between Duanmu Cui and Zhan Yan is also given a nice, happy ending even if it is a little forced. One does, however, wonder why the people who saved the world a thousand years ago were conferred the status of immortals whereas Zhan Yan who has done no less to save the world from an evil immortal devil-dictator is just left to die, requiring Duanmu Cui to do something really drastic to resurrect him.

A flawed but still excellent continuation of Season 1, this series does manage to satisfy in many ways,

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Kept me glued throughout

Season 1 of "No Boundary" ends rather abruptly and Season 2 is a direct continuation, so if you plan on watching this, be sure that you have access to both seasons.

In Season 1, the story is very nicely developed and paced. One event leads to another, so the apparent villain at the start does not remain the villain throughout. The events are intricately linked, with no abrupt shifts in the plot.

There are some allusions to classic tales and figures like Justice Bao, with the names being transformed. I'm not sure why though. The main male character, Zhan Yan, is an obvious allusion to the constable in the Justice Bao tales, Zhan Zhao. But this isn't a series about court cases in olden China but a series about immortals, mortals and demons. Still, there are elements of sleuthing in this series, and Zhan Yan is a brilliant detective in his own right.

The immortal/mortal romance in this series (both Seasons 1 and 2) is nothing new but very touching. There is some ambiguity about whether the immortals and mortals can actually fall in love in the world of this series. It is mentioned that immortals are not supposed to fall in love. However, the main reason Duanmu Cui is not "allowed" to fall in love with Zhan Yan (or anyone else) is that this would awaken her repressed memories and cause her to do something that, according to an old prophecy, would endanger the world. Of course, we know quite early on that this will happen. But the series does well in slowly unraveling the details.

Though the story really ends in the middle of nowhere in Season 1, the story is interesting and the characters are portrayed in a way that would make us care about what happens to them next, so Season 2 has a secure audience base.

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Some episodes are quite sweet but the quality is inconsistent

I'm tempted to say that this collection of short episodes (like short films) shamelessly bank on the fame of BL actor pairings without really offering anything much. Each episode is a standalone story, so it is hard for much development in terms of story, and we can't possibly expect much where this is concerned. Nevertheless, some of the episodes manage to depict a relationship and be thought-provoking while the others appear to be just a BL-actor vehicle.

In the first episode, Ohm and Fluke of Until We Meet Again act as a couple again, but may just spoil the Dean/Pharm pairing for fans of Until We Meet Again. Arguably the episode that is the most out of place, Episode 1 is frustrating in how self-contradictory the depiction of the couple is. In a way, it is more adventurous than the other episodes, but let's just accept it that there are some adventures in which people get into awful accidents.

Episode 2 features the most good looking actors in the five episodes, but it is really about the relationship between a man and his cat. It's not BL though you can be forgiven if you find it disturbing, thinking that it's a romantic relationship. After all, one of the two actors have to act as the cat and the actors' roles in TharnType 2 (plus the marketing of Close Friend as BL) will likely give one the wrong idea. But it's quite clear that the cat owner treats the cat as a pet he does dote on, not a lover. The scenes of intimacy are more like a cat snuggling with its owner and asking for treats though you can imagine what it looks like when you get a human actor to play the cat.

Episode 3: I would say it's just some forgettable schoolboy situation.

Episode 4: One man tries to help the other regain his love after he is jilted by his girlfriend. They end up together. OK, but nothing too impressive.

Episode 5: A sweet throwback to the 1990s, this episode is about two pen pals back in the era without ubiquitous mobile phones and social media.

Episode 6: After the throwback to the 1990s, the series ends with a futuristic(?) world in which people can communicate with personalities they idolize through VR machines. There's a suggestion that the virtual world (perhaps also a metaphor for today's cyberspace and social media) may present an idealized and version of things that may seem very real, but the reality of the offline world, for all its imperfections, is what really matters. When Ray meets the real-life Jedi he has been seeing on VR, Jedi is nowhere like the VR version that is always eager to please. The real-life Jedi may lose his temper, but the way he interacts with Ray is more genuine.

Some of the episodes in this series are better than others, but I guess none of them will waste too much of your time.

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Silly humor (that some will like), but awkwardness result from censoring the BL

The translated title, "The Birth of the Drama King", seems not only inaccurate but also rather absurd. This is not unlike the series' brand of humor, especially at the start, before the story gets a tad more serious.

I actually did enjoy the ridiculous humor quite a bit, though part of it may not exactly be intentional. Take for instance the way Zhao Qing Feng is tries to follow the instructions of a self-help manual to make friends with Ji Chuan, the evil sect's leader. The book, however, is more like a book of cheesy pick-up lines. You can imagine how silly this would be in the original novel where Qing Feng is supposed to be trying to seduce Ji Chuan and not merely befriend him. However, the absurd nature of the interactions is amplified as Qing Feng uses the same sort of lines to make friends without any intention of seducing him. The censoring of the BL, in a way, made the scenes funnier.

The censored BL does make the whole series rather awkward though. Firstly, the two main characters are turned into biological brothers. Yes, not they sort who have entirely different biological parents but become brothers by the marriage between two parents. Not the "bromance" or brotherhood sort of friendship. However, the affections also seem to be more like romance than brotherhood at times, especially when intimate friendships are depicted in the series quite differently. Ji Chuan has a very close relationship with A Fu and Wei Qi too, but the dynamics are too different. To make matters worse, there are parts when the two brothers seem to be mistaken for lovers, which is quite unnecessary when the BL has been censored. For instance, when the two men wake up in the same bed after a drinking session, it should actually be something trivial--even if one of them seems to have woken up with his shirt removed, right? But, no, it's made to seem as though it's scandalous, like the sect leader has just had sex with a man.

A better way of censoring the BL would have been to leave the relationship ambiguous or turn it into bromance between friends, and avoid making the characters end up with girlfriends.

Physician Yan's presence, however, makes things interesting. No matter how many times he refers to his relationship with Ji Chuan as brotherhood, his unconcealed jealousy when he sees Ji Chuan with Qing Feng (especially when the two are caught waking up in the same bed) makes the romantic affections quite blatant.

Despite the problems, the series doesn't take itself very seriously and isn't meant to be taken seriously. It's not great, but it's still entertaining in its own way. I guess it could still have been better overall if the BL did not have to be censored.

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Very good story though the ending seems rushed

Maybe the title of the series should have been Cop and Healer rather than Killer and Healer, but I guess Killer and Healer has a nicer ring to it.

The story of how a Republican-era policeman and a doctor come together and work against the illegal opium trade in their city, linked to a conspiracy to stage a coup, is compelling. Instead of relying too heavily on "shocking" plot twists that some may find predictable, the series prepares the audience from the start for certain revelations about the identity of the masterminds behind the conspiracy while making the possibilities open enough to keep us guessing. The story is thus presented with aplomb.

As an adaptation of a BL novel, the series plays safe and largely erases the BL between the two main characters, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi. At times, this appears a little schizophrenic. While we see the characters referring to each other as brothers (the bromance sort of brothers), we also see a hint of a romantic relations when Chu Ran (who is in love with Yuelou) see the two of them together and seem to understand that she does not stand a chance.

Comparatively, the relationship between Zhan Junbai and the opera singer, Boss Yu, is full of homosexual innuendo that is cleverly depicted, with them singing the opera, Farewell My Concubine, together and with allusions to historical figures like Dong Xian and Emperor Ai. Despite how Zhan later uses the word "friend" to describe how he treats Boss Yu, the affections he displays seem more like romantic love. Perhaps it was less of a risk to place such innuendo in the supporting characters.

Unless you are watching it solely for BL, the series tells a very good story. The only part I find disappointing in the ending -- both the original ending and the alternative happy ending versions. In the last episode, the masterminds of the conspiracy are too easily defeated. In a different story, it would likely have been fine. However, for a series that relies very heavily on the resourcefulness of the villain, the ending appears a little too rushed and sudden. Spoiler:

In the original ending, the villain is shot to death after killing one of the main characters while, in the alternative ending, the villain is caught before that can happen (this is simply narrated through an intertitle), Given the way the villain is portrayed as a ridiculously cautious person with a knack for hatching elaborate plots and a very calm disposition, the way he suddenly appears to shoot one of the main characters in public seems a little off character even when he is already driven to desperation. As for the alternative ending, the way he is caught is not even shown. I'm not sure if the original ending is faithful to the novel, but if liberties are to be taken with the source material, I would rather have the villain dying after being defeated--even if it is by suicide (since he seems to be prepared for every possible scenario anyway).

One thing I really love about this series is Mao Zijun's performance in this series as Jiang Yuelou. He very much brings the character to life by coherently portraying the different aspects of the character. He manages to seamlessly bring together the many facets of the character he plays: a cop with an uncompromising sense of righteousness, a man with emotional issues and hiding the childhood trauma he has undergone, a lonely man who wishes his cat would live a few more years to keep him company, a remorseful person who has failed to do something when a girl is kidnapped, an occasional playful grown-up and even a socially inept person who would simply ask a woman whether she likes him when the idea is suggested to him. (And more.) I can imagine how a different actor would have made the one person seem like many different characters instead.

Despite the somewhat disappointing ending, the series is really compelling throughout. I kept finding myself surprised by how quickly each episode seems to end. It's hard to stop after you start watching it.

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Not polished in most aspects

Almost everything about this production appears amateurish: the script, the main character's acting, the cinematography, the lighting, the sound, etc.

The story isn't very coherent, especially the "twist" at the end. While the twist demonstrates the writers' grasp of the BL genre, it fails to account for the characters' behaviors like why the trainee barista (Sakay) would behave so arrogantly if he likes the first barista (Tham) even before working at the cafe.

Many scenes feel as though someone with a high-resolution camera has filmed scenes of people and put the scenes together. The continuity is largely acceptable and the scenes don't seem haphazardly put together. But there seems to be little regard for the composition of the shots. The lighting at the nighttime beach scene looks unnatural, and post-production efforts seem minimal. There is at least one point at which the background music is ended awkwardly.

The acting isn't very good either, with the exception of the actress playing the role of the customer who is infatuated with the first barista. How often do I encounter a BL series that makes me not just appreciate but also wish for more scenes featuring the female character who seemingly stands in the way of the BL couple? Evening Cafe manages to achieve the unachievable in this regard.

To be fair, the mini series looks like it's a really low-budget production and this already limits a lot of things. There are also some scenes that are quite decently, like the scene with Tham and Sakay riding a bike together. Finally, the theme song sounds rather nice though music isn't always used to great effect (nor is there variety) in the series. Anyone wanting to watch the series must, however, be able to put up with its weaknesses.

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A little inconsistent but quite good

This series would have been pretty amazing crime series if every case had been as good as the the last case (or combination of cases) involving someone hatching an elaborate plot to take revenge on Dr. Qin. The villain in this case seems a little too resourceful to be convincing. I also wonder why the case that caused the person to take revenge on Dr. Qin isn't fully included as one of the actual cases in this series but is only alluded to. It seems potentially interesting.

The earlier case involving identical twin brothers is also rather interesting. The rest of the series is still pretty good, but I find that some cases get solved too fast and maybe too effortlessly.

The friendship between the three main characters is nicely portrayed, making the characters likable and humane, which helps draw the audience into the series. I have yet to watch the sequels with a different cast, but it would not be easy replacing the original cast in this show.

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Marred by a terrible ending

There are some stories for which an unsatisfactory ending can be forgiven, but this isn't one of them. So much of the story depends on a solid ending that really resolves everything. Instead, we are treated to an mindboggling ending that leaves us with a few huge question marks.

My guess is that censorship laws with regard to time travel interfered with the ending, so instead of being someone who is transported back in time, the explanation is that the main character Zhang Hai Feng, is merely creating false memories to ease the pain of losing his child. At least this was as much sense as I could make from the ending. The ending reminds me of Psych Hunter's unsatisfactory ending, but at least in Psych Hunter, the idea of entering someone's subconscious is featured prominently from the start.

It's a shame that the ending is so bad because the story is quite good for about ten or eleven episodes, and the acting is overall quite good. Casting Lu Han as Zhao Bin Bin was a good choice. Because he doesn't at all look villainous, the ambiguity and mystery in the character is nicely brought out. I doubt there would be a sequel or a special cut that will save the story, so we are left with something that is likely to disappoint even the most forgiving viewer.

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Good story, interesting characters

Having watched Wu Xin: The Monster Killer 1 to 3, I find the first one to be the best in terms of the supernatural elements. There is a clear villain from the start, but there are interesting revelations about the villain as the story unfolds. The character relationships are nicely developed, particularly with the friendship between Wu Xin/Yue Ya and Gu Xuan Wu.

This series has the ingredients that make a successful series, from an well developed story with intriguing supernatural elements to interesting characters and relationships. It also has romance though the ending isn't exactly satisfactory. Another weakness is the somewhat hurried and sudden introduction of another couple of characters towards the end of the series (who feature more prominently in Seasons 2 and 3). Nevertheless, the weaknesses do not mar the series. The theme songs are also moving and evoke the right mood for the story though I'm not sure why the theme song is changed after a few episodes. It comes as no surprise, then, that it has spawned two sequels.

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