Innocent (2021)

Beautiful Short Series

This was really something special, with a really unique plot, relatively sensitive depiction of mental illness, top-rate acting, beautiful cinematography, and one of the best OSTs I've encountered for a BL.

I was dubious they could stuff all this into four episodes, and while they don't quite accomplish it, it's done better than I expected. This is a series that respects its audience and doesn't load most of the run time with flashbacks. The actors really committed to this, inhabited their characters, and weren't afraid to demonstrate love and affection - it feels real.

It did need one more episode or so to fill in a couple of gaps - there's one in particular that really needed a better resolution - but a budget is a budget and you have to do what you can. More happened in this than the majority of series with 12 50-min eps, so I can't really complain.

This has the best soundtrack I've heard in a BL in a long, long time. The endcredit theme is perfect.

Anyway, I highly recommend this - you have to pay attention though - it's not something you can watch while doing anything else.

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An interesting plot ruined by choppiness/too broad scope

Overall: There was so much potential in this story, but the scope was too broad and the sequencing was jumpy/confusing. It is based on a short film which I also found confusing (it was like an art film).

Content Warnings: non con/dub con*, 2 punches, past trauma (kidnapping, maybe molestation? shown off screen)

What I Liked
- acting is good, the 1 actor switches well, the glasses help distinguish them
- production value is good
- music is nice

Room For Improvement
- *does this mean that Yu Shi has the mental age of a 5 year old? And they had sex together??? Ummm, I'm not a doctor and don't have any friends with this medical condition but that seems ethically wrong.
- a big issue is the choppiness/not knowing what was going on most of the time. Finally in the 3rd episode (of 4 episodes) we get some brief explanations for things (but he was just randomly attacked, when did the 1 month flashback end?) however, it still leaves a lot to be desired. Even at the very end, I wasn't sure what the 1000 day thing was until after they got home and it was more clear.
- I was disappointed at the resolution with Noah
- the doctor was super unethical, I don't think doctors can share medical information with non-relatives/spouses. Also later his boyfriend looks at a patient's chart/notes. I think Noah could have been the one to explain the situation earlier to Wu Zheng.
- the side couple was totally unnecessary, they came out of nowhere in the final episode with a few sentences about the cliched miscommunication and spending years apart
- once again we have a female character just thrown in to cause drama, she was totally not needed to the story, there's enough drama that could come along with dissociative identity disorder
- I dislike punches/slaps between romantic partners or really anyone unless in self-defense

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Great Idea, Disappointed With Writers

Absolutely loved the premise but the execution by the writers was problematic in a couple of ways. The actors are good and the series is interesting despite the shortcomings. Overall worth a watch, especially since it's so short. Possible triggers for child molestation (though details are not shown or talked about) and... I don’t know what to call it, read the next paragraph for more.

As the series summary states, one of the main characters has a split personality disorder. Noah is the adult protector identity and Yu Shi is a stuck in childhood identity.
The biggest issue for me that made me uncomfortable from the start was the sex scene with the Yu Shi identity, who is mentally like a child even though the character is physically around 30 years old. And it's implied that Yu Shi was molested by a man when he was 5 years old, which makes sex with that identity even more cringe. (And later in Ep 1, the costuming decision to dress him in a shirt with Sesame Street characters was disturbing). Thankfully, all further intimate scenes were between Noah and Wu Zheng.

This morally questionable dynamic with Yu Shi stayed uncomfortable in my mind and negatively affected my overall rating. I like that Wu Zheng accepts both sides of YuShi/Noah, but he seems to have romantically fallen for Yu Shi first. Falling in love and getting physical with Noah, who is an adult mentally, is completely different than doing so with Yu Shi, in my opinion.

STRENGTHS
I loved the interactions between Noah and Wu Zheng. They were both natural and believable actors. Their chemistry was strong and their intimate scenes were full of desire.

Once I was parteway into Ep 2, I was invested and wanted to see how Noah/YuShi and Wu Zheng's relationship would play out.

All of the music chosen fit the mood and enhanced scenes. It blended well and was never distracting. The cinematography was consistantly good and created a cohesive feel.

FYI watch past the end credits in Ep 4 for another short scene!

WEAKNESSES
It would have been much less confusing and easier to connect with the characters sooner had the story progressed in a linear fashion instead of jumping around. It felt like they started in the middle of the story just to grab viewers with a sex scene, then jumped backwards to fill in more of the emotional connection, then forwards again to finish where they left off.

The secondary relationship was completely and utterly unnecessary. I wish they had spent the measly 5min of their story on the main couple instead. The ending for the main couple in ep 4 felt rushed and all issues and lingering questions just swept under the rug for the fairytale ending.

The therapist seriously violated doctor-patient confidentiality in two different scenes, which irked me (a careless, inaccurate, and insulting portrayal of that profession).

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Not so innocent but very loving

I may be strange but starting a series with a steamy shower scene the first 10 minutes does not really spell innocence... Not that they have anything to feel guilty about it just seems more adult...

There is not much to say for the pacing and cinematography as they tend to be kind of meeh... And there is not enough time to really get to know or build up the characters of this short series. However! The story itself has a lot of potential if they just had more time and probably budget?

What I love about the series is that the little we do get to see of each character is lovable and that they do manage to show a person with a mental illness as a competent human being worthy of love, not inspite of their illness but for who they are (including the illness) letting them be themselves..." Isn't he a part of you too... "

The acting was pretty good, and could not have been the easiest acting task to show... It may not captivate you or keep you on your toes... at times it does become slightly confusing too.

Annoying characters: non
Bingeabilaty: High this is way to short...
Fluff: medium

This is definitely a title I would recommend, that is worth a watch.

P.s. Do not mis the special Not that Innocent, it makes the story more complete

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Stunning

I must say that I felt a little intimidated after reading the synopsis. Dealing with my own set of mental health issues I wasn't sure if this was going to be super heavy and a tough watch. But today I finally went for it and wow I loved it!
Something about this short series just really made me love it.
The story was simple, not a lot happens and yet it was everything I wanted it to be. I definitely didn't feel weirded out by the relationship at all, which some people in the comments mentioned.
Wu Zeng just had that feeling of someone who would grow old with you nailed down, no matter the hardships and wavering feelings he wouldn't just be your lover he would be there as your companion. So much so that the energy shift from the flashback was really apparent even without needing any dialogue. It made me really wish to find someone with that same energy. It was such a well done performance by both actors.
I also loved how even though he didn't really understand it, the grandpa gave his best support.
There was no weirdness around the same sex relationship, which left so much space for the actual storyline.

The only thing that took a point away from this show was the random side story in the last episode that had no reason to be there. There was no build up, explanation or resolution. It just existed.
Absolutely loved it and will probably rewatch it from time to time.

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A unique storyline with questionable pacing

I am so glad that I was able to watch this series. It was indeed a different storyline compared to the other BL's that I have watched. And for that reason, I am grateful for watching this series.

Story-8/10
As I have stated before, a truly unique storyline. However, I must say, that the pacing threw me off a bit. Time can be clearly seen as an issue for this series. It's only four episodes and so much had to be develop. And then in the final episode where they just introduce a secondary couple and confusing me more. Like, we already don't have much time for telling they story of Noah/ Zheng Yu Shi and Wu Zheng and you want to go and introduce me to another couple. Who, by the way, storyline is underdeveloped. However, just for the uniqueness of this story, I'm sticking with my 8.

Acting/Cast-9/10
The main cast were phenomenal and no one is going to change my mind about it. I am truly impressed with Yi Da Dian and his capability of taking on two roles and doing then so good. He did an excellent job.

Music-7.5/10
You know what? Some part of the music did stay with me, It may not be as strong as others, but it did stay with me. So, I'll give it a 7.5.

Rewatch Valu-8/10
Due to the unique storyline as well as the phenomenal acting from the two ML's, I actually do see myself watching this series again. So, I will give it an 8.

Overall-8/10
Overall, I give this series an 8. It truly was a unique storyline that captured my attention until the very end.

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Je trouve que c'est vraiment important de se renseigner lorsqu'on traite d'un sujet aussi important. Je ne suis pas concernée par les TDI mais j'avais tout de même envie de donner mon avis parce que j'étais très mal à l'aise devant le drama. C'est très grave de croire qu'il est normal d'avoir des relations sexuelles avec un alter mineur. Il a cinq ans, c'est un enfant ! Il n'y a absolument rien de romantique là-dedans ! L'alter protecteur qui s'en va, comme si c'était comme ça que ça marchait, comme si un traumatisme pouvait partir parce qu'on a trouvé "l'amour" (je mets entre guillemets parce que j'ai du mal à saisir comment un enfant de cinq ans peut-être amoureux d'un adulte de plus de trente ans et inversement mais apparemment ça n'a pas du tout gêné les scénaristes). Je ne comprends pas pourquoi l'enfant serait l'hôte du système et pourquoi ce serait lui, alors qu'il a cinq ans, qui serait tout le temps en front. Ce n'est pas logique.

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Heartwarming and Soulwrecking

The relationship between Wu Zheng and Zheng Yu Shi / Noah is something I fell in love with immediately. They work super well together and the chemistry between the actors really upgraded my rating. The story sure is unique, as the split personality brings in what makes this series special and interesting. I’m a sucker for series that can make me cry, and this one made me bawl my eyes out. Plus 100 Points for that. The only flaw it has is that it was so short. I wish they had had a higher budget to make it longer. And the secondary couple felt kind of forced, it wasn’t really necessary as we don’t get to know those characters at all.

Special credits to the Cactus Scene in which Yu Shi tries to balance the cactus on Wu Zheng's helmet. Adorable!

Overall, great music, and great actors, so if you have around 2 hours to spare, watch it. It’s definitely worth it!
(Also I recommend watching the special episode "Not That Innocent")

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Very sweet but a bit all over the place

Let's start with what I loved:

Wu Zheng is wonderful. Watching him be so gentle with Yu Shi was possibly my favorite part. I respect the fact that they chose to tackle DID and didn't make a complete mess of it (in my opinion). The acting is quite good, Wu Zheng is obviously head over heels and I really appreciate that Yi Da Dian wasn't overacting for Yu Shi. Not only that but he was very believable playing two different personalities.

Now, what wasn't so great:

First of all, the pacing is off, to the point where it's pretty jarring at times. Then, introducing a new couple out of nowhere. In the end, you're left wondering "Who is Jun Zhe?", "Who is Shang En?", and "Why should I care?" Either make a longer series with two couples who both get time to have a well developed story or keep it short with one couple. Finally, it's too short. I actually mean it's too short, not that they didn't use the time well. I think they needed at least two more episodes to come up with something that feels satisfying in the end. It's a compliment saying I wanted more, though! Now in the end, I still think it was very cute but it could have made such a bigger impact on me had we had more time to understand their relationship and understand why Wu Zheng fell for Yu Shi.

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