This is anthology, an omnibus of human experiences that happen to all of us at one time or another in our lives. Realities involve falling in love, losing it, or perhaps realizing we never really had it in the first place. Being ever so cautious of the next time, yet it is feeling so right. Experiences involve making mistakes in life but being able to move forward from those mistakes. It is a treatise of how we live up to family expectations yet be ourselves. Constant searching for the right answers to questions, on whether we give up love to pursue our dreams or stay behind with the one we love. With so many other daily decisions in between.

This is a familiar story where seemingly ordinary decisions can have unexpectedly significant consequences. Just when we think our lives are so unremarkable, we see this story of averageness and discover the challenges that we face and the individuals we meet every day who might be contributing are markedly meaningful in the end.

The story arc has both BL and GL unfoldings. Similar in nature but presented along two separate paths of refinement. Viet (Tran An) follows his boyfriend from Saigon to Hanoi to ascertain why he is ghosting him. He finds out the hard way that he is cheating on him. Having met his best friend’s acquaintance from Hanoi previously, he decides to stay in Hanoi at his homestay for a while. Dung (Trung Thai Bui) has a comfortable domicile residency, and it is obvious that Dung has taken a keen interest in Viet. The relationship between Dung and Viet develops slowly and is fraught with a lot of uncertainty and insecurities on both sides. Coupled with the fact that Dung is scheduled to study overseas in a few months, with both his Grandma Thai (Kim Tuyet) and his brother Trung (Tran Dong) sacrificing much to save and contribute for Dung to study abroad.

Dung has a staff person who is helping him manage the residency. Anh (Thanh Kieu) has had a difficult life. Having been married to an abusive husband, Dung rescued her from this situation and has given her employment and a place to stay, and more importantly a sense of belonging and family. Meanwhile, Viet’s best friend, Nhung (Thuy Ang) comes up to Hanoi to visit both Viet but also visit her friend Dung. Here she meets Anh and a special bonding between the two women begins to form. At first, it is more like a commensurate friendship, but then it morphs into a deeper connection where they both begin to understand one another on an augmented personal level. Here, they are able to share stronger feelings with each other.

As with most Vietnamese series, there are no superfluous or wasted characters and most go deep into their personas. In addition, they add much to the story. Grandma Thai may seem ordinary, but she is much more than meets the eye. She is astute, cognizant of much around her, as well as deeply reflective of all that is going on. Quiet and reserved, she gives advice when asked and when she knows that her grandmotherly position requires her to do so. She knows exactly what is happening between Viet and Dung and individually supports each. Clearly if asked, she would give her blessing to them as a couple. Grandma never forces her opinion; only guides. She also knows of her older grandson’s agonizing loss of love but kept quiet about it until it was time for him to make his own reveal. All along Grandma knew that Trung gave up his love of Tu (Tuan Dat Eban) for the family. Kim Tuyet thrives in this role and seems to relish Grandma’s status as peacemaker and imparter of wisdom. Again, in Vietnamese BLs, so much of the acting is obtuse or guised, needing to be read between the lines. This one is no exception. By the subtle expressions on her face and in her slower than usual movements, we can foretell that she already knows and feels their pain and sadness, or at the very least understands these emotions they are experiencing. It is a real testament to Kim Tuyet’s acting skills to portray such nuances.

As usual for a Vietnamese series, the diegesis tells a comprehensive story. We learn that Dung’s brother, Trung had been in a relationship with the love of his love, Tu for a long time but family circumstances on both sides excluded them from developing a long-term relationship. He never quite got over that and frankly had a difficult time with Dung and Viet as their relationship kept reminding him of his failed one. When, however, Tu comes back into his life, we can literally see a giant weight being lifted off Trung’s shoulders. He becomes a new person – one loving and finally content.

The humanity and intensity of the human communion to this series is almost overwhelming. The ordinariness of their circumstances makes watching this series perhaps a bit uncomfortable since all of it is so germane. There may be excessive focus on their relationship’s difficulties, but when a relationship feels unstable especially from a rocky beginning, even small challenges seem significant. Yet, through it all, what makes this series so intriguing and mesmerizing is the tenacity to want to be together despite all the obstacles. Perseverance is most effectively demonstrated through consistent actions in routine, everyday situations. Interestingly, the individuals in these relationships and those encircling them display no particular special talents, have no unique gifts, nor possess unusual characteristics. Yet they move on and continue to support one another with natural ease and contentment because of simply who they are. They are us; we are them. This story is not just a love story about them; it is representational of love stories of all of us.

That is why I simply adore and admire the strength of Vietnamese BLs. They show us the inner beauty of ordinary people and the love they share is deep, intense, and has a feeling of foreverness. In other words, love has the hallmarks of being singularly meaningful, soulful, and everlasting. It is simply intrinsic in them and their stories.

This is truly an outstanding series done in quiet, soft, gentle overtones.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Streaming on- 02 Production YouTube Channel