Sense of Wonder

What a beautiful tender love story. The time travel element was a little confusing at times, but the overall story was well scripted. The 2 male leads had great chemistry and an affectionate respectful relationship. There were enough teasers to indicate a 2nd season.
Warrior Yai has a different perspective than scholar Yai so there's room for the storyline to be complex and compelling. It would be interesting to see a more intense relationship and possibly more physically passionate one with Warrior Yai. Hopefully, we won't have to wait long for their story.

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Superb!

Everything about this series was awesome! There have been numerous insightful reviews about this series. The chemistry between the 2 ML's was off the charts. Their relationship developed in season 1 to the point where Sheng was attracted physically to Tian but felt uncomfortable with the attraction because he didn't want to destroy their friendship and complicate their relationship as step brothers. Tian who noticed everything about Sheng knew something was different and that Sheng lied about his exam to distant himself from him. Season 1 left everything up in the air. All I can say is after the Chinese Addicted series wasn't completed and the series Stay with Me wasn't given a Season 2, this series better have a season 2 or I'm going to be severely upset!

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Two sides of a coin

I watched this the first time more from the female lead's perspective. I thought, "This was a good story"--then, it dawned on me that if i watched it a second time from the male lead's perspective i would get a dramatically different feel for the story. I really don't understand the bad reviews. The second time around I admired and enjoyed nuances of the acting I missed the first time. The main relationship as well as the secondary ones leaves an opening for dialogue about modern relationships and the choices made. The music was awesome. The story had more depth than originally perceived. I would watch it a 3rd time, but I'm going to wait a few weeks to see if the 3rd time offers more insights. The two main leads were very expressive when you add more layers to their thoughts. They were young adults stumbling through what a relationship is and how to develop one. Akwardness, insecurity, intensity, the occasional snippy comment...seems very realistic.

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Fairytale Love

The plot was a simplistic one performed exceptionally by the actors. After several episodes, I realized that at the end of each episode, I would have a smile on my face and lightness in my heart. I will definitely watch this many times.

All the actors did a terrific job. I'm in awe of Shou Lu Si's versatility. After watching the complex drama "The Story of Pearl Girl", "Hidden Love" at first seemed to too easy. But then I realized that this coming of age slice of life series portrayed her with the young teen's angst of first love to an emerging adult deeply in love. She maintained the consistency of her character from age 14 when she fell in love at first sight until she eventually was proposed to at 22. It was a warm hearted Cinderella story. I admired that her family and the male lead had a generous spirit and a strong sense of moral responsibly. The main couple portrayed a healthy relationship that displayed respect and genuine caring.

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Surprisingly Candid

This old BL was exceptionally good. The story line was confusing at times especially when Su Min continued to reject Jae Min. Jae Min's instant infatuation and continued pursuit was touching. Once they became a couple their love was poignant. Considering the year this was filmed and in an ultra conservative nation the development of the entire script was realistic and explicit without actually showing a great deal. Definitely not a movie for minors, but adults should be able to handle the down to earth dialogue and sexual actions. I have to assume the ending was meant to be profound in some way, but Jae Min putting his hand on Su Min's privates in view of the policeman kind of seemed strange. Again, I can only assume since communicating wasn't the main couples strong suit that the gesture was meant to be one of reconciliation and acceptance of their tabu relationship. I'm glad neither lead died and apparenting their relationship would continue.

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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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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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Impactful

This heart wrenching movie is a gem! Definitely contains some adult scenes and material. This was a coming of age movie highlighting a kind intelligent gay young man. By the end of the movie there are tears. Even though our world is becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ community, it's frightening and disconcerting to realize that the homophobic attitudes are still strong. The casual indifference and irrational hatred portrayed by adults and bullies was disturbing and unfortunately not removed from reality.

On a different note the progression of the two ML 's relationship added complexity and eventual warmth.
The movie is not a BL but more of a bromance. It's a story that needs telling if for no other reason than to make you question your own attitudes.

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