“Why did you bring me here to watch the sunrise? Because beautiful things are worth sharing.” – Quote from Secrets Happen On The Litchi Island

Magnum Opus. Masterpiece. 伟大的工作. This is a prodigious and matchless piece of artistry and cinematic enchantment as well as a screenplay paragon. Honestly, I am not sure there are adequate words to describe this series or its brilliance, nor its impact that it has on the viewer. It is that cogent. Even more astonishingly, this is not one of those long belaboring BL series. It is only 7 episodes, almost 13 to 22 minutes in length, easily viewed in one setting. You will be transformed and transfixed and may never be able to see BLs in the same light again as this is how they should be done. This is art but its aim is heuristic. It is sublimity. Honestly, I had to watch it twice because I was so tantalized by its message that I wanted to be sure that what I was watching was genuine, and I was not merely swept up by its spellbinding and intoxicating sentiments. Indeed, it is like watching a cinematic treasure.

The premise of this story is a simple one. It is a two-pronged journey, each leading to a different self-discovery. One journey is a coming-of-age saga for a young man named, Xiaozhi (Kerry Hu). Xiaozhi is asked by his older brother to spend a few weeks at a summer camp to monitor children on an island that produces litchi fruit. He is a boyishly handsome young man blossoming into his own personality with an innate rivalry with his older brother. In the beginning stages of college, he is apparently just burgeoning into his own strengths and fostering an affinity for art and to some extent philosophy.

He is roomed with a friend of his brother and about the same age as his brother. Chen Li (Tim Liu), handsome and helpful, takes a liking to Xiaozhi and immediately the two of them become friends. For Chen Li, this is a summer adventure to experience the beginning of his coming-out journey; the second journey, if you will. Both take separate soul-searching journeys that intercept and intertwine with one another leading to only one inevitable course.

While nothing is ever overt between the two, it does not have to be. The deepening bond cannot be denied. It is manifested by the intense experiences the two share all summer. They become inseparable. Their experiences are ardent, amplified, and deeply sensuous. It is the kind of shared experiences which remain with you for the rest of your life that you always remember because they happen with the first person you fall in love with and the person you fall most deeply in love with as well.

So far, perhaps this story sounds ordinary. But here is where it becomes a ballet of artistic creation. Their experiences become a living creation of cinematic magic and artistry. What we experience in almost every one of their actions together is a reference to pictorializations. In order words, their experiences/pleasures/adventures become living pieces of art. Xiaozhi admires David Hockney and what begins to transform is trans-morphing. The production and direction of this series become displays of artwork, becoming representative examples of Hockney’s art. It is wondrous and masterfully exhilarating. We are watching his pieces come to life through their experiences. It is just indelible! Almost all their interactions and personal experiences during the time they spend together are works of art by David Hockney or living paradigms of them. It is as if his artwork came to life with these figures standing, sitting, or being displayed like his characters in his paintings or drawings. His scenes come to life with the hues and colors close to his own originals. It is just resplendent, dynamic, and enchanting.

If you are not familiar with the works of David Hockney, then you might miss the references, but you will not miss their meaning. It will all stand out to you. Brilliant. Vivid. Enthusiastic. Alive. Only a few ways to describe the works of Hockney. Gay, of course, but transcending and crisscrossing milieus, deeply reflective, playful at times but always relatable to everyday living. His art, while contemporary, is always living, representative, and powerful.

The last half of this series is equally powerful as the first half seemed mundane. We might not see them grow, but we feel them moving forward. The storytelling and cinematography of this series is one of the best I have ever seen. We did not need a lot of buildups to know what was coming. The whole story led to this moment. Both had to grow to be where they were before they could be. Their journeys gave them that opportunity to do exactly that.

This is an intellectually performed series. Playful in the beginning and perhaps almost appearing to be superficial. As summer ends, and they return to their own realities, the story shifts from carefree art to a more reflective, pensive broader landscape. Kerry Hu as Xiaozhi must face the reality that maybe he misread Chin Li. He must grow-up. Contending with an unfulfilled and unrequited lost love, Xiaozhi struggles with his gayness and must now learn to accept it to become stronger and wiser on his own. Yet he cannot seem to fully divest himself from either thinking of or about Chin Li or being around him for that matter. Kerry Hu allows us to perceive Xiaozhi to develop and become distinctive and strong. Ironically, while we do not actually see him blossom into adulthood, we feel him mature because he portrays a strong sense of levelheadedness, righteousness, and acceptance. Meanwhile, Chin Li struggles with his own sufferance. He too cannot extricate himself from Xiaozhi and most certainly cannot yet fully accept his intense attraction to him either. Tim Liu hides Chin Li behind a wall of falsehoods. He must also learn to respect himself before he can embrace his love of Xiaozhi. And we also get to feel that happen to him as well. These two actors have some of the finest screen chemistry I have ever seen. They seem to have a natural almost built-in intense bond between them that jumps out at you. You cannot help but to be completely captivated and spellbound by them. They were also not shy when it came to showing their passion for one another when it counted, and the love-making scenes were sensual if not erotic. Kudos for making all of that so real, genuine with a strong sense of openness.

By far, this is one of the best screenplays I have ever experienced. It is remarkable. It is filled with intensity and the inner connections of two minds way beyond the ordinary. From the beginning, we sensed that they had a much deeper connection to each other not just on an emotional level but on an intellectual one as well. They shared with one another in both worlds, which is rarely accomplished in a BL. While not evident, it was always perceived. This series deserves to be experienced not only for its beauty but for its intellect.

It also has passion, for being a Chinese BL. It is intense and alluring. While I truly detest comparisons to other series or movies as each stand or falls on its own, I shall make an exception here. This has a flavor of “I Told Sunset About You” and the movie “Call Me By Your Name” (which is referenced in one of the many beautifully choreographed and filmed additional extras) but yet so different. It truly is like a work of living art and watching a play in a theater-in-the-round yet with an intellectual twist and esoteric flair to give it an added dimension. This series just feels so real and genuine and honest and most of all sincere.

While there are a few distractions to this series, it is not enough to shade the perfection of this series. I am not sure why they used the fonts they used for the English translations. I simply could not read them when they had the cursive lettering for descriptions. Also, the translations were very tiny and hard to read, and I had to re-wind many times. The editing seemed out of order in a few places which created gaps in the logic of the storyline but not enough to disrupt the flow of the story significantly.

However, the graphics accompanying this series is remarkable and exceptionally well done as well as the OST, which I rarely even process in any series. It was captivating and enhanced the theme of the series itself as well as creating a reflective mood. (Again, please make sure you treat yourself to the different and varied extras in addition to the regular episodes. Here you will continue to witness the intensity of the screen chemistry of the actors both on camera and off camera.)

Overall, this series is a true contender for Best BL of the year, if not the decade. That is how exceptional this series is. It is truly in a class by itself. One of the most remarkable BLs I have ever seen.

Referencing the quote at the beginning of my review, this series is worth sharing because it indeed is a beautiful thing.

Rating- 5 out of 5

Streaming on- 荔枝树下热烈岛 YouTube Channel