This BL starts out rather non-descript and frankly, a bit boring. While the initial premise is interesting, it is only referenced once in the beginning mysteriously and then only tangentially afterwards, which made me wonder about the whole series. True to its Vietnamese roots, it has some powerful and poignant dramatic resplendence. However, its sustainability wears off rather quickly.

Binh Vienh (Ba Vinh) is a troubled individual who escapes to the countryside and finds an inexpensive house to rent because of its ‘haunted’ reputation. Vienh maintains a sense of inward pensiveness and remains a serious character throughout this series. When he moves in, there is a cat that lurks about and is attached to the house and sleeps in the bed. Vienh does seem to take comfort in its presence. One morning, Vienh wakes up to find a rather handsome young man holding him where the cat was. Accepting he was the cat that has now somehow been transformed into a human.  Although he acts like a cat, in time he begins to display human qualities and Vienh eventually names him An (Mai Vu Luan). An explains his transfiguration by saying he has been watching humans for a long time and can model and emulate human behavior.

This story waxes and wanes a lot. It emotionally has some high moments and then profoundly dull ones. You never get an intense sense that they want each other when together, yet when they are away from each other, they pine away for one another. It is almost palpable. There are no significantly strong moments in this series, which is a real shame, as the sexual tension is always underlying.

There is a convoluted subplot to this series that initially seemed just thrown in for a distractible storyline. But it becomes way more than that. Vienh’s former girlfriend and companion, Thanh (Cao Trang), manages to find him and tries to reconnect with him, partly at the behest of Vienh’s mother, and partly because she is still in love with him. Of course, An begins to realize what is happening and becomes increasingly jealous as he has become attracted to Vienh. While it has been 5 years since they broke up, there are still feelings on both sides, more so on Thanh’s side. It is hard to just dismiss the feelings of either one. But Thanh soon begins to see that Vienh’s attention, all of it, both realized and unrealized, is for An. She becomes the guiding light and force for him to recognize his love is with and for An. Slowly but persistently; she forces Vienh to start to deal with his feelings for An. She supports him in his effort and helps him to realize that. While she knows that Vienh going back to visit his mother and leaving An alone is not the answer, she nonetheless supports him on his journey to find himself. As fate would have it though, his mother also concludes that Vienh coming home would not make him happy. His happiness is being there with An. She begins to accept the reality. It is her son.

This series seemingly did not go deep until the end. Then it did. And then all the pieces of a puzzle, at least for me, fell into place. And in true Vietnamese fashion, it surprised me by its ending (which I will NOT reveal or even hint at). I genuinely was caught off guard, but maybe I should not have been. The ending made it feel more alive, real, solid, and impactful. Throughout, I had felt little connection to these characters and could not figure out why. Yet Vienh knew all along. And so did An. There is and was a story underneath that was not a fantasy, but a reality. I did not see it until the end. And frankly, I was moved. It now made sense. And it pleased me.

Frankly, I am not a fan of the TikTok format for watching a series as it narrows the focus of the content and intent of the series. I feel it limits the scope of having a full experience. Watching it in that format is too constrictive.

To be honest, this is my least favorite Vietnamese BL series, and I am a passionate, almost obsessive, lover of Vietnamese BLs. Yet I could not dislike it. It is deeply moving and powerful. Vietnamese BLs always have messages, and this one is no exception. What is its message? It is the internal struggle for acceptance of who we are individually, the external acceptance of who we want to love, and the facades we hide behind to mask ourselves from the outside world truly finding out who we truly are.

Look at this series in that way. It may take on a deeper meaning for you.

Enjoy!

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on-O2 Productions YouTube Channel