BLISS RATING: ★★★★★
“Did we agree we would stay together forever? No matter what, it will be true.” – Quote from Stay With Me
No truer words were written than those of the title of this series. This series will literally stay with you for a long time. And there is no clearer message about this series than the first two lines from the introductory song as well. It is a remarkable piece of art and I do not use that term lightly by any means. It is as close to artistry in cinema as you can get without sounding patronizing.
You cannot possibly summarize this series that would not equal the length of this series. All you can do is try, inadequately, to capture its impact on you. But surprisingly, it is not so easy to do. Yes, it is pure artistry, but it also has a magical quality about it in the sense that it makes these characters come to life. Every single one of them. You feel them. You sense them. You ARE them. And that is because of the mastery of several things that came together:
1, Brilliant acting, not only by the major performers but by the supporting ones as well. You knew their personalities, who they were and their deepest thoughts even though they did not always share them with you. You could see it by their character development. I believe wholeheartedly that is due to the long tradition of the Chinese culture that shines through in this series and their ability to so easily become someone else. It is remarkable to watch them become a full-fledged character with such intensity and seemingly so effortlessly.
2. A remarkable and brilliant screenplay and story. For sure, this is a companion story to Addicted from a number of years ago. While similar, it is not a copy. These are different, unique individuals, each with strengths, and flaws that made them stand out independently. Each was written to be different but made up a unit undivided.
3. The cinematography made this series magical. It made it simple, yet no detail was too small not to be noticed. It immersed you in the world of these characters and you were like their shadow, following them around in their own world. It was breathtaking and touching and you felt everything they felt at the same time they did. I was in their world.
This is a love story between Wu Bi (Xu Bin) and Su Yu (Zhang Jiong Min). I know it comes from mainland China and it is not supposed to be a love story let alone a BL, but it is, and they know it is. It is way too obvious to be otherwise. It is a story of love from the beginning. Sure, it ebbs and flows like a river, but the one constant is, like any river, it flows in one direction. And that direction is always towards a deeper and more profound love not only for each other but for life in general.
To be sure, there are ugly people to thwart them and even mini dams to try and divert the flow, but all that does is strength their resolve to be ‘together’ which is a euphemistic term for love. Nothing here is overt; just simplistic and elementary signs of friendly affection that in context looks covert. But on a deeper level, they have hidden and treasured meanings to either both or to one another. That is the beauty of their love language that they created between themselves. This is a breathtakingly beautiful BL. We know it. Adoration, devotion, ardor, proclivity, preference, appetence, longing – are these just some of the words that describe their relationship? Do these words not also define love?
This is an emotional story full of poignant and profound moments. We see them strengthening their bond not only between themselves but also their family. They distinguish themselves as individuals yet know they are a part of an extended family, and they must contribute and be a part of that family. Both their ‘good’ family and their ‘bad’ one. This series will pull at your heart strings sometimes almost to the point of breaking it but then pull you back to what makes us human again. And that is the ability to make fun of and to see the humor in life. Even in the simplest ways that are often overlooked as being funny. Here they made growing up, being in a family, and just plain living – fun. And enjoyable. And it made us stop and think about how literally all the small things in life really do make our lives meaningful. It is not always just milestones in life that are worth remembering.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Without exception, this is one of the best acted and most talented ensembled cast of actors/actresses I have seen in a long time, perhaps ever. The two main leads are simply superb, talented, and are the crème dela crème of acting. Honestly, there are not enough accolades to describe their talents, in addition to being two of the handsomest and most gorgeous young men on this wonderful blue planet of ours. They were blessed with such monumentally good looks that it is as if your eyes seemed sewn to their beauty. BUT there is one here that quite literally took all that away from them. She was Sin Yi Chen as Duo. As an actress, she is a ‘scene-stealer’ without trying. Her cuteness simply draws you into her world. As the character, we see such a deep, rich personality shine through even from someone so young. She has established her personality and with the help of her two ‘brothers’ are forming bonds of connections that are unshakeable and teaches her the meaning and value not only of family but of friendship. While precocious, she is never really disobedient. She is smart, discerned the value of reading at an early age, is a member of a hard-working family, and has also learned to ‘read’ people and can see through phoniness without having to be cultured to do so. Kudos to this young girl for her breathtaking performance and for helping Wu Bi and Su Yu to see the love they have for each other and for the audience to really see the love between them as natural, deep, and unshakeable. She always, in her child-like way, fostered their relationship, nudged it along, and made it be seen by each for its basics when it became frayed, especially when caused by the other. Just remarkable. Kudos!
This is a long series and perhaps could have been tightened up in a few spots. We get to see Wu Bi grow, mature, and start to see his biological family perhaps in a bit of a less negative light but he will always be cautious and weary of their motives, and with good reason. Su Yu never changes. He is serious in the beginning and remains so to the end. Perhaps realizing, possibly too late, that maybe he should have been a bit more – human.
The ending will leave you hanging and in tears as it did me. Even if there is not a Season 2, sometimes, life deals us a cruel hand. And occasionally, even the mightiest rivers will stop its inevitable flow.
This is indeed an exceptional and phenomenal BL series and will be, must be, a contender for the Number One BL of 2023.
Dare I say, a Magnum Opus.
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