The Story of the Demon Cult Leader and the Decent Miss (2019)

A GL short (maybe too short) film with a lot of potential and nice fights

I am always looking for GL content in my life so when I saw this short film recommended on a rec list on tumblr, I knew I had to check it out. When I saw that it was wuxia as well, I was overjoyed because I do love wuxia.

This is a 15 min film and sadly like a lot of GL content out there (Especially wuxia GL content), it is really short. It is hard to have a full story that is developed when it is so short. I keep watching and yearning for more. This film knows its tropes and it manages to scratch the surface of a worldbuilding that could be very interesting had it been given a bit more space. We have the young heroine who is slightly naïve, but wants to fight and learn, but is being pushed down by the men in her family and sect, who decides to follow them and meets this mysterious badass lady who is secretly the demon cult leader and came to fight against the men and their sects at the martial arts conference, only to be followed everywhere by this young woman who won’t let go and admires her and wants to learn from her. It is a classics among classics and it could bring a different point of view, but it is so short. I want to know more about the characters, about what happened to Xiqao between the flashbacks and the present, I want more time for their relationship to develop (it is very light on the GL content because like the rest, it does not have time to be truly developed).
Still, it has some nice fights, it has a lot of potential, and some really nice shots at times. I am really curious about the rest of the director’s work.

I do not have a lot to say about the acting, it wasn’t amazing, but it also wasn’t distractingly bad. If you’ve watched Legend of Yuqian, I would put it at the same level.

I am not sure, I would necessarily rewatch it, but I am glad I did watch it and I would recommend it to everyone who wants more GL wuxia content in their life (I know I do). Let’s support the director and actors who give us those short films and let us hope for longer works soon!

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A short but sweet palate cleanser.

As far as Cultivator x Demon wuxia romances go, this short film does a decent job of delivering its own take within the confines of its budget.

The title removes any surprise that the plot twist may have provided, so the story ends up being less about a hidden identity and more about an underestimated woman trying her best to prove herself in a male-dominated trade. She may be childish and naive, but she has a big heart and a strong will that never cracks. Watching her play off the demon cult leader's more stoic personality is a treat and it's a shame that there wasn't enough time to really develop their budding relationship.

The ending leaves behind more questions than answers and the holes in the story are glaring, but overall it is worth the watch.

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