La Pluie (2023)

La Pluie is a show for the mature bl audience

Let me just say this upfront because there seems to be some confusion in the reviews here: the most important thing to understand about this show is that it is not, in fact, a soulmate romance, but rather a direct subversion and dismantling of the soulmates trope. La Pluie is a brilliant little show with tight writing and clearly laid out themes, and most viewers who are disappointed with it seem to be reacting more to what they wanted the show to be rather than what is actually is.

This is a show about the importance of choice and putting in the work in your relationships. It’s a rebuke of romantic fantasies that fate and destiny will take care of your love life. It is directly in conversation with the romance genre and the way it can warp our perspectives on love. There are no villains in this story - just good people trying their best and sometimes making mistakes anyway. It emphasizes that we need to communicate and treat our partners with respect. And it says that while some kind of fate may be at work to give us opportunities in life, what we choose to do with those opportunities is what actually matters.

The show is excellent - writing, story, pacing, directing, editing are all confident with no real wobbles. There are some less experienced players in the cast but the acting is all around up to the demands of the script. Pee and Suar in particular are very impressive and really rise to the occasion when the time comes for their characters to light up the screen. The romantic pairs also have fantastic chemistry and the show makes the intimacy scenes an important part of the relationship development - there is no fan service or fluff in this show.

This show is really meant for a mature audience that wants to think more deeply about its themes, and that can handle emotionally mature characters who tend to resolve things via quiet conversation rather than high drama. It’s not the typical fluffy bl that a lot of the audience prefers, so I’m not surprised that it didn’t resonate for everyone. But if these themes are of interest to you, and if you are someone who likes to see couples actually be in relationship with each other and work through their issues, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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