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ratbonesHi hello! I lie about what I'm going to post next! It's just what I do!
But this was super important because I'm not seeing a lot of talk about this show, at least not yet, so I definitely have to promote/squee about it here. As of this morning (in my time zone), all 12 episodes of the C-drama Couple of Mirrors are available on youtube with English subs. First episode is here!
This is a GL drama (which deals with anti-LGBT censorship similarly to Guardian or Word of Honor) set in Republican-era Shanghai. The main character, Xu Youyi, is a successful novelist, a charming and sweet and impeccably-dressed socialite from a modest background, now in a failing marriage to a rich husband. Her love interest, Yan Wei, is a former child soldier trying to live a normal life as a photographer and not doing a great job at it due to her less-than-sunny disposition and persisting fondness for military-grade weaponry. The high-society lady falls for the surly tomboy. Neither of these women has any fear and I love them for it. Also Yan Wei has a cat. GO WATCH THIS SHOW.
The plot setup goes like this: Xu Youyi suspects her husband is cheating on her. Her best friend, who is also her literary agent, assures her that he isn't. But he totally is. With the best friend. Youyi finds out and is heartbroken and angry and trying to figure out how to deal with it and where her life goes from here.
Right around then, a sniper shoots and kills the best friend and escapes from the police.
The sniper is Yan Wei, who doesn't have any stake in any of Xu Youyi's drama yet. Rather, she had earlier witnessed the hit-and-run homicide of a poor young girl with whom she'd struck up a little friendship, and was taking revenge for the girl by hunting down the two people responsible, one of whom was Xu Youyi's agent.
Not knowing that Yan Wei is the killer, and only having recently become acquainted with her, Youyi begins to seek out Yan Wei as a friend while pretty much every other relationship in her life falls apart. As the two of them begin to grow close, a police detective is on the trail of the killer, and Xu Youyi's husband and his family are trying to do damage control.
Also there's organized crime, several other murders, an ex-boyfriend, and Xu Youyi's writing career to worry about.
Also also, the girls pull a classic U-Haul; Xu Youyi and Yan Wei have very different definitions of an adequate stock of beauty products; Yan Wei tries to learn to cook; Youyi flirts shamelessly and proves undeterred by Yan Wei's dungeon full of guns; Yan Wei discovers that her innate stubborn grumpiness is powerless in the face of Yan Wei's pout; Youyi dubs her "Weiwei" and refuses to be discouraged; and two women and a cat have dinner together (repeatedly).
Cat not shown here. You'll just have to watch to see the cat. (I've only watched the whole show once so I don't have that many screenshots, shh.)
Okay, I need to level with you for a sec. I spent a long time watching this show through my fingers because I have patriarchy-induced trust issues (who doesn't) and the premise seemed too good to be true. I kept expecting to be unhappily surprised by het, or possibly by Yan Wei dying in a really stupid way. Compounding my pre-existing fears, the show packs a massive amount of plot into only 12 episodes, which results in some pacing weirdness (ymmv). Around episode 5 or 6 I actually started to lose hope because there was so little screentime between the leads and half the show was already over.
I say all this only because I hope to save someone else from such a tense viewing experience. Yes, the pacing is goofy in spots. Yes, men tend to appear where they are not wanted, per reality. No, the show is not careening towards a heterosexual ending. Xu Youyi and Yan Wei will get their time together and it's fabulous; they have fantastic chemistry. They are going to choose each other over everything else. You're expecting action girl Yan Wei to protect Youyi, and she will, but also, Youyi will do some incredible, terrifyingly badass things, almost nonchalantly, in defense of Yan Wei. I had to keep pausing the last few episodes to make fangirl noises into my hands. Give the show a shot, it's worth it.
Also the leads are gorgeous.
...Fair warning that there seems to be setup for a second season.
Attempt at content notes, surely incomplete: Marital infidelity, non-graphic depiction of a miscarriage, and also a pregnancy carried to term, including non-graphic childbirth and, you know...a baby. Also plenty of action and violence, guns and blood and injuries and death, all of which are pretty tame in depiction.
There is, blessedly, no sexual violence, and no domestic abuse per se (although there is substantial conflict between Xu Youyi and her husband and it's not always civilized).
If you want ending spoilers, let me know and I can DM you.
If anyone else has watched/is watching this please talk to me I just finished episode 12 tonight and my soul is vibrating. aaaa.
I wanted to make a joke about Yan Wei shooting people (because she's a photographer, get it?) but I couldn't fit it in here.
But this was super important because I'm not seeing a lot of talk about this show, at least not yet, so I definitely have to promote/squee about it here. As of this morning (in my time zone), all 12 episodes of the C-drama Couple of Mirrors are available on youtube with English subs. First episode is here!
This is a GL drama (which deals with anti-LGBT censorship similarly to Guardian or Word of Honor) set in Republican-era Shanghai. The main character, Xu Youyi, is a successful novelist, a charming and sweet and impeccably-dressed socialite from a modest background, now in a failing marriage to a rich husband. Her love interest, Yan Wei, is a former child soldier trying to live a normal life as a photographer and not doing a great job at it due to her less-than-sunny disposition and persisting fondness for military-grade weaponry. The high-society lady falls for the surly tomboy. Neither of these women has any fear and I love them for it. Also Yan Wei has a cat. GO WATCH THIS SHOW.
The plot setup goes like this: Xu Youyi suspects her husband is cheating on her. Her best friend, who is also her literary agent, assures her that he isn't. But he totally is. With the best friend. Youyi finds out and is heartbroken and angry and trying to figure out how to deal with it and where her life goes from here.
Right around then, a sniper shoots and kills the best friend and escapes from the police.
The sniper is Yan Wei, who doesn't have any stake in any of Xu Youyi's drama yet. Rather, she had earlier witnessed the hit-and-run homicide of a poor young girl with whom she'd struck up a little friendship, and was taking revenge for the girl by hunting down the two people responsible, one of whom was Xu Youyi's agent.
Not knowing that Yan Wei is the killer, and only having recently become acquainted with her, Youyi begins to seek out Yan Wei as a friend while pretty much every other relationship in her life falls apart. As the two of them begin to grow close, a police detective is on the trail of the killer, and Xu Youyi's husband and his family are trying to do damage control.
Also there's organized crime, several other murders, an ex-boyfriend, and Xu Youyi's writing career to worry about.
Also also, the girls pull a classic U-Haul; Xu Youyi and Yan Wei have very different definitions of an adequate stock of beauty products; Yan Wei tries to learn to cook; Youyi flirts shamelessly and proves undeterred by Yan Wei's dungeon full of guns; Yan Wei discovers that her innate stubborn grumpiness is powerless in the face of Yan Wei's pout; Youyi dubs her "Weiwei" and refuses to be discouraged; and two women and a cat have dinner together (repeatedly).
Cat not shown here. You'll just have to watch to see the cat. (I've only watched the whole show once so I don't have that many screenshots, shh.)
Okay, I need to level with you for a sec. I spent a long time watching this show through my fingers because I have patriarchy-induced trust issues (who doesn't) and the premise seemed too good to be true. I kept expecting to be unhappily surprised by het, or possibly by Yan Wei dying in a really stupid way. Compounding my pre-existing fears, the show packs a massive amount of plot into only 12 episodes, which results in some pacing weirdness (ymmv). Around episode 5 or 6 I actually started to lose hope because there was so little screentime between the leads and half the show was already over.
I say all this only because I hope to save someone else from such a tense viewing experience. Yes, the pacing is goofy in spots. Yes, men tend to appear where they are not wanted, per reality. No, the show is not careening towards a heterosexual ending. Xu Youyi and Yan Wei will get their time together and it's fabulous; they have fantastic chemistry. They are going to choose each other over everything else. You're expecting action girl Yan Wei to protect Youyi, and she will, but also, Youyi will do some incredible, terrifyingly badass things, almost nonchalantly, in defense of Yan Wei. I had to keep pausing the last few episodes to make fangirl noises into my hands. Give the show a shot, it's worth it.
Also the leads are gorgeous.
...Fair warning that there seems to be setup for a second season.
Attempt at content notes, surely incomplete: Marital infidelity, non-graphic depiction of a miscarriage, and also a pregnancy carried to term, including non-graphic childbirth and, you know...a baby. Also plenty of action and violence, guns and blood and injuries and death, all of which are pretty tame in depiction.
There is, blessedly, no sexual violence, and no domestic abuse per se (although there is substantial conflict between Xu Youyi and her husband and it's not always civilized).
If you want ending spoilers, let me know and I can DM you.
If anyone else has watched/is watching this please talk to me I just finished episode 12 tonight and my soul is vibrating. aaaa.
I wanted to make a joke about Yan Wei shooting people (because she's a photographer, get it?) but I couldn't fit it in here.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-16 06:55 pm (UTC)