Dear Uranus (2021)

An effort not wasted

I debated on whether to write this review or not. Mostly because I've been going through some emotional rollercosters in the past few weeks. That aside, I realized that this little drama should have a review so others can understand why some of us liked it despite some flaws.

The mini-drama is the brain-child of Rabbit & Wolf (a real life lesbian couple who also participated in this drama as extras/actors...and their name couple really shows their personalities)

Their play on words is apropos if the title of the drama is anything to go by "Dear URANUS...Dear YOUR ANUS" like what more can you ask for?!! LOL Already the tone is set by the name itself.

This mini is obviously a low-budget project, but that doesn't take away from the care that the crew and cast put into it. Seeing videos of their acting class or the different ways that each actor helped each other to convey the story is one of the reasons I overlooked a lot of the flaws and plotholes. It made the drama charming.

The lack of a coherent plot wasn't too much of an issue for me because I could see where they were trying to go with it, but given how short this is, it makes sense that a lot of the story/plot telling was left off. The ending with a cliffhanger may signal to a possible future project.

Erol is such a cool actress. I like the way she portrayed the main lead.

Script...Gosh I loved so many dialogues and actions here and there. My favorite would have to be when Erol's character put the pushy pursuing girl in her place. I don't want to give too much away, but if you decide to watch the drama, you'll like this. This trope that has been overly done in BLs and often romanticized is handled really really well here.

I find that this mini worked because the people behind it are part of the LGBTQAI+ community and understand a lot of the issues plagued by not just real life, but how the entertainment business can either exploit it or gloss over it. With more money I'm sure these ladies will be able to give us a better story in the future.

So in conclusion, give it a shot if you want to. It might just make you laugh with some of the tropes or it might make you appreciate the way it was told. Either way, I can't say no to more GL content. We are seriously lacking in that and if more GL dramas get more fans, then we might get more stories that are yet to be told.

End of my rant/review :)

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Cute Short Story

Seeing as how GL's are rare to find, I knew I wanted to watch it. The drama is nice and refreshing, one I enjoyed and we get to see the main character who we don't know who'll end up with, choose between two other girls—a seemingly badass, straightforward character and an adorable girl who's on the other side of the spectrum.

Though this was short and cute, I do think it lacked a storyline and depended on the characters more. Even then, there wasn't much character growth except for one of the girls ready to find new love after breaking up with her ex. I do think that she wasn't completely over her and shouldn't have impulsively asked the main character to be her girlfriend, only because the other girl did.

The ending is unexpected and creative but I'm not going to spoil too much. It's still a cute story nonetheless and I would definitely recommend this for someone who wants to watch a light drama.

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Perdi meu tempo

Então... Eu tô começando a gostar de GL's faz pouco tempo. Assisti esse no lançamento, pois me chamou atenção o fato de ser Taiwanês, mas não gostei. Esses dias assisti de novo, mas minha opinião não mudou. São 3 eps de uma história totalmente sem nexo, onde parecem que costuraram vários pedaços aleatórios e nenhum deles tem uma explicação decente. Em questão de qualidade, a atuação é boa, a filmografia e fotografia também, a ost é legal, mas a história em si é uma perda de tempo. Não existe um foco temático em nada, nem no esporte, nem nos romances, nem na relação familiar, apenas pedaços aleatórios misturados... Pra piorar o que já era ruim, a história tem um final que não deixa nem margem pra interpretar com quem a protagonista ficou, a única salvação seria outra temporada com mais eps.

É raro eu fazer isso, mas sinceramente, não indico essa série.

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The first Taiwanese lesbian series brought to you by the director of the HIStory series

❛Dear Uranus❜ has been produced and scripted by a Taiwanese lesbian couple, ‘Rabbit and Wolf’ and directed by Mi Chieh Tsai who has previously directed HIStory: Stay Away From Me, HIStory2: Crossing the Line and HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (need I elaborate more on how much I love this director).

═ ∘♡༉∘ ════════Spoiler studded review✏

Being a mini series with a total runtime of approximately 30 minutes, ‘Dear Uranus’ doesn't cover much ground but that doesn't imply that it isn't enjoyable. The story is relatively simple. We meet our first two protagonists when Zhang Ruo Ning saves Wang Yi Qing from a popular school student (this bratty student is actually played by Huang Ring Ye aka Rabbit, the show’s producer ;)

It becomes obvious that Yi Qing has a huge crush on Ruo Ning (who wouldn't, have you SEEN her tattoos?). The third protagonist is Lin Jing Chen. She constantly has flashbacks of her ex-girlfriend when she's around Ruo Ning and slowly she too becomes infatuated with Ruo Ning.

Meanwhile Jing Chen’s best friend, Lin Man, looks on in sadness as her friend falls for another girl while being oblivious to her feelings. (Lin Man is Xue Yi Jie aka Wolf, the show’s scriptwriter).

The drama ends on an open ending which made me feel like I was reading ‘My Lady's Choosing’. Ruo Ning asks the audience who she should choose, the cutesy Yi Qing who is infatuated with her or the charismatic Jing Chen who makes bold advances on her (their kisses have already been giffed of course).

Despite the short duration, Dear Uranus covers a lot of topics.

1. Ruo Ning is a taekwondo athlete who is obviously under some pressure from her parents to become an athlete which is not her dream.

2. The most interesting storyline was probably that of Jing Chen and her ex-girlfriend. Jing Chen keeps having flashbacks of her ex-girlfriend who seems to have been cheating on her. Jing Chen’s sadness is palpable (thanks to the marvellous actor) and it seems there's much more to the storyline than has been revealed.

3. When Ruo Ning turns down Jing Chen’s advances, telling her to take permission before kissing someone, it conveys the importance of consent. Even seemingly ‘minor’ actions like kissing should require consent.

4. Lin Man's affections for Jing Chen are so obvious and it was so painful seeing how she looked on as Jing Chen flirted with Ruo Ning. Yet she's a supportive friend who doesn't hesitate to assist Jing Chen in her plans.


Second season?
There have been so many unexplained threads and so much unresolved conflict in the drama (especially with that ending), it seems that we may be blessed my a second season soon (or it may be because the director is actually be at doing endings. See History3: MODC to understand what I mean. I said what I said).

Personally I'm all for team Jing Chen and Ruo Ning. I would love to see Jing Chen's character development as she gets over her ex and finds solace in the present.

Ruo Ning’s affection for Yi Qing always seemed a bit 'sisterly' to me (although it's obvious that Yi Qing is looked for anything platonic). Everytime she thumps Yi Qing’s forehead I just die that much more on the inside. Ruo Ning also saves Yi Qing quite a few times but I found a lack of tension, the kind of tension which stems from 'liking someone'. For example when the woke up together in Ep.3, Ruo Ning didn't even wait to study Yi Qing’s face or jawline or whatever, just poked her to get ready for school.

Jing Chen might have misplaced feelings now but it would be a much more exciting premise to see her and Ruo Ning. But I'm pretty sure that's not what we're getting set up for. I foresee Jing Chen and Lin Man getting together (my second favorite ship here) and Ruo Ning with Yi Qing.

Nevertheless I'm pumped up for this currently non-existent season 2.

As far as the characters are concerned, I loved Jing Chen's complexity (yes I am obsessed with Jing Chen). I felt bad for Lin Man but I could relate to her on so many levels.

Unpopular opinion, I disliked Ruo Ning and Yi Qing. Yi Qing needs a lot of character development, as in A LOT. Everyone treats her like a doormat and I disliked how she was set up as a damsel who needs saving. So her sudden confession to Ruo Ning felt a bit out of character. Her 'cuteness' seemed really over-the-top and forced (the actress did a good job though).

As for Ruo Ning, I know it's pretty easy in the game but she has to let go of one girl. She isn't oblivious to Yi Qing's feelings but she's also full-blown flirting with Jing Chen. Yes Jing Chen did move in to kiss her but it's not like she was forcing Ruo Ning. Just abandoning someone like that, someone you've been flirting with for the last two hours, right after they've gifted you a black rose...not cool.

Does this have a haphazard story? Yes. Occasionally bad lighting? Yes. Weird filters? Sometimes, yes. Should you watch it? Yes. Watch it for Ruo Ning's tattoo, Jing Chen's killer smile, Lin Man's taekwondo moves and the blessed lgbt visibility.

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A fine first attempt at writing a relatable story!

I'm going to be completely honest here: the censor blur on the uniform's school patch was super distracting and, for a moment, I thought it was supposed to imply that something was wrong with their boobs.

Anyway, the pacing is painfully drawn out and all I'm getting from the "plot" is that Erol's boba tea brings all the girls to the yard. It's pretty clear that this story is meant to be a collection of little moments in the lives of queer teens and I can at least appreciate it for that. Plot would be nice, but there doesn't need to be one if you're just looking for vibes and characters to relate to.

One episode is about those moments where you catch a glimpse of someone, feel an instant attraction, and want to get as close to them as possible. The next is about wanting to pursue a relationship and not being sure how to go about it. (Here, I am very grateful for the way the "romance" non-con kiss trope is handled!) And the last is about the struggle to confess your feelings before you miss your chance.

For the most part, the characters are great, but Yi Qing makes me super uncomfortable. I get that she's supposed to be awkward and cute, but she is really out here inviting herself over to her crush's house without even asking. I really do not like her one bit and no amount of cutesy posing is going to make this okay.

Unfortunately for anyone hoping for a conclusion to the main love triangle, the third episode ends with a cliffhanger. In a way, it tries to satisfy the shippers with a "choose your fighter" style end card where the canon falls short, possibly with the intention of filming another season that never came - so it gets one point in my book for creativity!

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