I'll Turn Back This Time (2025)

It is worth going back in time as many times as necessary

That Chinese BL is a genre that is in good health is demonstrated every year by various film or serial titles. Just beginning 2025, a series like 'I'll Turn Back This Time' was released, which dwarfs other recent meritorious exponents of these queer productions from the Asian giant, such as 'Stealing from My CEO', 'Uncle Unknow', 'Inverse identity', 'Promising', 'Meet You at the Blossom', 'Stay Still', 'Be Moon' and several more dramatized ones.
I'm not including 'Blue Canvas of Youthful Days', a Chinese queer series that I'm really passionate about.
Directed by Yan Xi, 'I'll Turn Back This Time' is a short series with extraordinary levels of reception in China, the rest of the countries in the region and far beyond the Asian borders, which manages to capture the magic of finding love and defend it even after death.
Although innovative in many ways, 'I'll Turn Back This Time' is actually a fairly conventional love story. The plot focuses on the romance between two stepbrothers, which is not a new concept. However, the strength of the series lies in its elegant simplicity and the nuanced performances of the two protagonists.
They are down to earth and lead such a normal life, despite the fantasy element, that I am impressed by their authenticity. Their performances are supported by excellent writing, giving us an intimate view of these well-developed characters.
The love of Shen Nan and Gu Shi Wen arises when the former, a stomatologist who quit his job in a city clinic, travels to Yiling, the urban district located in the city-prefecture of Yichang, in the southern Chinese province of Hubei, to reunite with his father (played by Li Hai Dong), on the eve of his remarriage to Gu Shi Wen's mother. The role of the mother is played by actress Yin Ji.
These two quickly learn the comfortable feeling of living together, especially when their respective parents leave on their honeymoon and are left alone to run the cafeteria and the guest house. Their relationship evolves in leaps and bounds from being strangers as the days go by. This is a story that can lead us to love one day. The two experience such a great connection, and with intense chemistry.
Love immediately arises between the two stepbrothers, interrupted by a tragedy that forces Shen Nan to go back in time three months before the traffic accident that cost Gu Shi Wen his life, in a desperate attempt to change the outcome of the future, and that reminds us of other BL series with a similar theme, such as the Thai 'Absolute Zero' (2023), 'Vice Versa' (2022), '55:15 Never Too Late' (2022), '4Minutes (2024), 'Triage' (2022) and 'Be My Favorite' (2023), and the Taiwanese 'HIStory: Obsessed' (2017), among others. I find time jumps interesting and intriguing.
After the reunion, Shen Nan tries to reintroduce himself into his stepbrother's life. To do this, he will ask for a job as an employee in the cafeteria. At first, he will feel some hostility, as the young man who loves painting will suspect that Shen Nam has a hidden agenda, after discovering that the stranger knows aspects of his life that are unknown to others. But then sympathy and mutual esteem will turn the feelings of friendship into love.
It should be noted that the relationship scenes seen up to this point are not graphic or explicit. Rather, they are tender, artistic and tasteful. The physicality is subtle, but we see enough interactions that the attraction between Shen Nan and Gu Shi Wen feels authentic.
After watching the first two episodes we can make some evaluations. These are preliminary considerations, because only two of the 6 episodes it has have been broadcast, but viewing them tells us that we are facing a series shot with a special style. Through the aesthetics of the lens and the gaze of the characters, 'I'll Turn Back This Time' is rich in spaces for interpretation.
'I'll Turn Back This Tie' is a gem that stands out exquisitely in the genre of gay television productions. Following in the wake of Chinese novelist Chai Ji Dan's "Are You Addicted?", the series explores a tender and affectionate relationship between two young men who become, without intending to, stepbrothers, and if they could very well hate each other either because of the unfortunate initial collision when the two meet for the first time on the road, which leads to some tension between them in the early stages of the pilot episode, or because they might hate that their parents have gotten back together get married, none of this happens, and the truth is that these two boys quickly go from strangers to being friends and from friends to being in love.
There are many intimate scenes in which the two protagonists hold in their hands or have objects placed in their mouths that can be interpreted as phallic symbols, such as the pinceles used by Gu Shi Wen, the chopsticks and elongated spoons intended to be used at meals, the key to open the house, the umbrella with which Shi Wen tries to defend himself from a possible thief who has entered his home and with which moments before he danced and sang in the rain in a kind of tribute to the 1952 musical film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, the long drink box that Shi Wen puts into his mouth while Shen Nan drinks beer next to him on the riverbank, the mobile shower sprayer with which Shi Wen threatens Shen Nan when he interrupts him while he is bathing, the dental instruments (dental examination mirror, tweezers, pliers...) held by Shen Nan in his hands and inserted into his stepbrother's mouth, the tubes of tempera paint given to each other, even the chicken thigh? that Shi Wen eats at the wedding celebration dinner just when Shen Nan puts her hand on his shoulder to mock him, and even the quantum necklace that Shen Nan wears around his neck, which adds mystery and intrigue to the series.
Chen Shengxu's beautiful photography highlights the natural values of the beautiful city on the banks of the Yangtze River.
The musical themes "This Time, It's My Turn to Look Back First" and "I'll Turn Back This Time", composed by Zhao Beier, and "Returning to the Past to Embrace You", by Zhao Beier and Zhou Kanghaonan, provide of meaning to the series, causing not only the story to be remembered, but also its soundtrack.
Through 'I'll Turn Back This Time', director and production house ZX Entertainment PTE. LTD. they are composing what is a shared kind of audiovisual novel with LGBT+ themes: a serial body filmed with undoubted narrative and formal vigor, while standing as an ode to love, brotherhood, friendship, family and understanding between human beings.
It represents a song to love that also works as an exhortation to harmonious coexistence, above differences in gender identity or other divisions imposed by convention, since the Chinese series tells a love story that is socially unacceptable for many families in any nation for two reasons: the two protagonists will experience a homosexual romance, which at the same time can be rejected as its protagonists are considered stepbrothers, despite not having a blood relationship.
Set in the present day and with a strong character of romantic, family and youth drama, 'I'll Turn Back This Time' adds elements of the best of Chinese queer fantasy fiction, in the manner of the films 'To You, for Me ', from 2015; 'Shao Ling Bi' ('Mermaid's Jade', 2019), by Zhang Kai Qiang, and 'Star Appeal', by Cui Zi En, among many other examples.
The narrative of the butterfly effect, the mystery surrounding a painting of Shen Nan's face drawn by Shi Wen, and the jump in time as a paranormal phenomenon in which a person travels in time or appears in an alternative reality play in their favor. to ours through an unknown means.
The script by Xiao Wan and Zhi Zhi mixes, in equal parts, romance, drama, sensuality and fantasy, which ends up pleasantly surprising viewers. With an agile and concise narrative, it manages to bring together all the ingredients we need to make the most of our fun with it.
The result is an intimate gay romance told from a unique perspective, a subtle series that makes a surprising impression with its joyful, funny and complex characters, elegant storytelling and touching tone.
The acting performances are stellar. Although both protagonists began their careers last year, they manage to make a splash on stage, both in supporting roles and in this, their first leading role. And they do it professionally, providing a moving and nuanced interpretation of their characters. They appear natural, comfortable and confident in each scene.
Beyond the text, the casting, by Monkey Casting Studio, is also very interesting, since both have played other LGBQ+ characters. For example, Li Yi Mu gave life to Jin Bao and Kou Wei Long to Que Si Ming, the members of the second couple of the Chinese queer series 'Meet You at the Blossom', from 2024
Kou Wei Long forges the role of his life until today thanks to Shen Nan, a character conceived, and above all defended with fury, viscerality and characterological profusion.
Li Yi Mu also takes on another of the great roles of his still young career, taking on Gu Shi Wen. Both are the heart of the series.
'I'll Turn Back This Time' is built from two temporal planes: that of the events that occurred before and after the accident.
Now, let's get to the heart of the matter, which is nothing more than the rejection by some of the fact that Shi Wen and Shen Nan are "stepbrothers." In my opinion, both of them are free to have a romantic relationship. And if Chinese laws allowed it, they could still consider even marrying each other.
The two of them are not even close relatives. They are not technically step-siblings, but rather non-blood siblings who were not even raised together within the same family at any point in their lives. They are both possessive and very codependent. There is a universal principle of Family Law which is "AFFINITY DOES NOT PRODUCE AFFINITY". It is like in-laws who can marry each other, because the principle of affinity operates upwards: ascendants, and downwards: descendants.
Since they are not biological children of the same parents, there would be no genetic obstacle that points to incest. The two characters do not share genes, nor were they raised within the same family. That is, they did not grow up as brothers, they do not have the same surnames nor are they legally registered as brothers, so they would not be exposed to laws that prohibit incestuous relationships.
So, 'I'll Turn Back This Time' seeks to break two taboos, specifically the taboo when there is a relationship of kinship (although in truth a relationship of consanguinity does not exist in the story but of affinity), and the so-called "pride of the rainbow", since everything indicates that both young people choose to defend their love, to let the world know that they do not work according to its rules, and thus manage to break the chains of the ordinary to choose those they love.
Overmusicalized, redundant in its approaches and prone to emotional manipulation, the series usually walks close to the cliff of melodrama, but what saves it from falling into the abyss of soap opera tears is the depth – in script and interpretation – of the central characters.
Outside of the imposture, dramatic overload and affectation of the soap opera, the frames of the series exude candor, tenderness and truth, as they bear witness to the circumstances of both. They are supported by the accurate casting selection, which provided a cast that meets all aspects, including physical appearance, and in which Miao Jing Ou and Fa Xuange stand out, as Jiang En Ya and Jiang Yiling, respectively, the friends of the protagonists.
As the bulk of the series' ideology is reinforced during the second part - after the tragic accident - this commentator opts for this segment, when Shen Nan returns to make Shi Wen's life happy, and for this he will have to save him from death safe. However, he must justify his presence, and avoid questions that are difficult to answer, such as: what is he doing in that place when no one is expecting him, when no one has yet invited him to a wedding that will take place three months later, or how he arrived to learn details about the lives of the inhabitants of the house unknown to others, or how it works, details that are logically known to Shen Nam for having lived with them for some time.
It is here, in the concluding segment, that the story grows, as one discovers the other's deficiency in color vision, which caused his death when Shi Wen was unable to differentiate between the green and red light of the traffic light; the cause of the color blindness you suffer from and how to correct it; but She Nan will also come to discover her sexuality while helping Shi Wen pursue his dreams.
They are such moments, fueled by charm and nobility, in which the sense of understanding, support and love will be affirmed that will reconnect the two protagonists from now on, and will make it worth going back in time as many times as necessary.
In case my effusively positive review wasn't obvious, then I should shout out that I've loved 'I'll Turn Back This Time' up to this point. I recognize some areas that could use further development, such as enriching the dynamic of the two young people with their respective fathers, who apparently tend to disappear from scenes.
The narrative may also be too fast and subtle for some viewers. However, these minor quibbles do not detract from my overall appreciation of the series.
I will surely update the review again later.

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