Bro and Me (2019)

Bromance Slapstick

I'm not a big fan of slapstick comedy. It takes really experienced actors to pull it off. But I warmed up to it after I got my head into the story. The direction and editing is pretty amateurish, which distracts from the show. Let me see if I can make sense of the plot for you: Our hero is 17-year-old high schooler Jie'en. His mom has hired a tutor, 22-year-old Xie Yinong, who constantly bullies him. (The implied message here is when men are together they can exist in only one of two states: bully or gay-romantic. There's no middle ground where guys can just be caring friends.) Jie'en is in love with a girl named Ye Jinghan, so we have no reason to believe he's anything but straight. Jie'en shares his bed with Zie Yiong (his bed broke) and one night Jie'en strokes Zie Yiong's face while dreamingn of his girfriend. Zie Yiong mistakes this affection to be meant for him and from this point on becomes more caring toward Jie'en. One day, the devastatingly handsome friend of Jie'en's girlfriend, Xu Shaoyu, comes to visit while his apartment is being renovated. Xu Shaoyu is the "brother" Jie'en has always wanted. He's kind to Jie'en and helps him better with his homework than Zie Yiong. The 3 share the same bed that night and Zie Yiong pulls back the covers to reveal Jie'en cuddling with Xu Shaoyu. Assuming he's lost the younger man's affections, he leaves. (We only see the departure scene in an earlier episode and Jie'en is delighted to see him go). The final scene is the mirror image of the first scene when Zie Yiong arrives and Jie'en says in disbelief, "So...you're the new tutor my mom mentioned?" In the final scene we don't see who the new tutor is. In the first episode, Jie'en has a look of horror on his face at the sight on Zie Yiong; however, in this final scene, he has a look of delight. So, this must be the return of Xu Shaoyou. I'm not sure why the writer left the conclusion open ended, except maybe to force a sequel. We see enough of the new tutor to know it's a guy, so it isn't Ye Jinghan (the girlfriend). It isn't Zie Yiong because he has a silver suitcase and we know Jie'en wouldn't be smiling. Short of introducing a new character, there's no one left but Xu Shaoyu. Well, this was clearly a low budget affair, maybe they ran out of money to pay the actor for one more scene? It's a shame because the basic plot idea is sound and the cast is doing their best with a weak script. I'm not sure this qualifies as a Boys Love (BL) drama. This is really a Bromantic slapstick comedy. There are really no sexual situations except for innuendos that would only delight middle schoolers. The plot and the disappointing ending make this one hard to recommend.

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