This review contains spoilers.
It’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve talked about Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang. I did start reading volume three as soon as I finished volume two, but with so many new danmei releases from ongoing series I’m reading (I’m looking at you Fei Tian universe), Sha Po Lang kept being put on the back burner. However, I’m finally playing catch up and decided to hunker down and finish volume 3.
Because I read half of the book in April and half in July, it feels like I’ve read two separate books, which is an interesting experience. But in writing this I hope to reconcile it all. I also know this review may be a bit more ramble-y than the prior ones but there is a lot I’m trying to process. The first half I devoured in April contained all the heart-racing moments between Gu Yun and Chang Geng. This latter half felt more dark and raw. We see the characters exposing themselves in ways we haven’t yet, and Gu Yun and Chang Geng really reckon with what it means to be together.
Wavering Heart
A lot of happens in volume three. So much so, it’s hard to keep track. But the main takeaway for me is Gu Yun’s resignation to Chang Geng. At the beginning of the volume, the foreigners attack on the nation is still underway and things aren’t looking too good for the home team. In a moment of desperation, “life or death” fueled anxieties, Chang Geng kisses Gu Yun on the battlefield. Their first sober and intentional kiss. This kiss is the end and the beginning. This kiss changed their relationship in an undeniable way, more so than the confessions at the bathhouse or the drunken kiss in the manor.
As luck would have it, neither of the two died in the battle, which meant that Gu Yun had to confront this kiss and the inevitable change in their relationship. It’s funny to me because in volume two, Gu Yun had heard Chang Geng go on about his feelings but because no action was taken, he could still live in the realm of denial. Had they not kissed, Chang Geng could have buried his feelings and gone on with his life and this secret. But this kiss at this pivotal moment gave way to the reality that within something else was changing.
“Unfortunately, no matter how thoroughly his rational mind understood, it was no use. And either way, it was too late. A brief slip beneath the city wall had propelled him to take this step, and Gu Yun’s lack of response counted as a response in itself…
Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Vol. 3
Gu Yun admits to himself that under “normal circumstances” this kiss would never have happened. But it did happen under the current circumstances and while Gu Yun is wracking his brain trying to process how he got here, he’s ignoring the underlying reality. To him and Chang Geng, it’s this one kiss that has shifted their world. But for the man who stole the flute, I don’t believe a single kiss brought out a new person, a new feeling. Hell, this wasn’t even their first kiss! The man who stole the flute and threw a tantrum was always going to be the man who’s fate was sealed with a single kiss.
The Curse Looms
One of the biggest clouds looming over Chang Geng and Gu Yun and this newfound thing is Chang Geng’s curse. Throughout this volume, we learn more about the origins of the curse and what exactly Chang Geng has been put through. We also see Gu Yun, now informed, encounter the curse directly and he’s able to bring Chang Geng back to reality.
Something I can’t stop thinking about is this certain flip from volume one to volume three. In volume one, Chang Geng is struggling to accept that his beloved Shen Shiliu is Gu Yun, and how these two are the same person. And now in volume three, we have Gu Yun coming to terms with the adult Chang Geng, who is in love with him. At first, you feel as if the division comes from the Chang Geng who is “normal” and the Chang Geng who is inflicted with the wu’ergu. Rightfully so, the story does a lot to put you in the position to question this. We even have those who know about the wu’ergu, like Chen Qingxu and Zhong Chan, who warn Gu Yun of it.
The Real Chang Geng
This entire time we’ve been sold this narrative that this wu’ergu is the worst thing about Chang Geng, and that it makes him untrustworthy. We don’t know when it’s going to take over to make Chang Geng a monster. Yet, as the story continues and Chang Geng becomes entrenched in the empirical politics, the issue isnt the wu’ergu. It’s Chang Geng. The Chang Geng we know is pretty alarming. Unless he’s in front of Gu Yun, there’s no way to gauge where he’s at. He’s constantly scheming behind the scenes to influence others. He seems to fear nothing, except for Gu Yun. And even then, he will still plot around Gu Yun even at the risk of getting caught, to fulfill his grand plans. But then as confident as he is, as sly, as conniving as he is, the minute his darling yifu catches wind, this Chang Geng cracks.
“That youth had been warm and sincere…so sincere that, although Gu Yun was logically aware that they were one and the same, on an emotional level, he’d been unable to connect that boy to the ruthless and resolute Prince Yan, Li Min.
Today, under the battery of Jiangnan’s wind and rain, these two unrelated individuals finally converged into one. Suddenly, both seemed unfamiliar. ”
Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Vol. 3
It’s here in this realization that Chang Geng is a lunatic (no truly, he’s deranged) that Gu Yun realizes what he’s actually trying to contend with. It isn’t the wu’ergu. It’s this “ruthless” prince who will stop at nothing. The prince who plots to the point of self harm. The one who almost yearns to be punished by Gu Yun, to further drive in the knife. Who is he and what has he done with the Chang Geng that Gu Yun yearns to protect until the end of his days? How are they both the same person?
And I can’t help but wonder (and I’ll probably theorize about this elsewhere) how much this curse has already seeped through its confines and inflicted Chang Geng. Is the ruthlessness attributed to the wu’erge or in spite of it? Even though it lies dormant, is it causing this or not? Tsk tsk tsk, more musings for another time
It seemed that love bewitched the mind; like a double-edged sword without a hilt, it could maim wielder as easily as opponent.
Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Vol. 3
Where to Next
Damn it priest, you’ve done it again. I cannot get last bit out of my mind. I keep revisiting Gu Yun berating Chang Geng about his “plans” and the way he doesn’t value himself. I know I always bring this up, but it reminds me of Watanuki’s lesson from the Jorô-Gumo in xxxHolic. Watanuki is willing to throw himself away in order to save others, but it’s a slap in the face to those who love and care about him. “You don’t only belong to yourself.”
This is a lesson I think or more so hope that Chang Geng is about to learn. He’s so ready to throw himself away, his reputation, all of it to get to his wish, even if that pains Gu Yun, the man he loves the most. Gu Yun has promised others that he wont let Chang Geng or the wu’ergu ruin the nation, but what he really means is he won’t let Chang Geng ruin himself.
Ahhhhh, it’s so delicious and I’m so obsessed. The love between Chang Geng and Gu Yun feels so feral. It’s so dark and twisted because Chang Geng is so dark and twisted. He loves Gu Yun in desperation; Gu Yun is both the salvation and the damnation.
Where to Buy Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Volume 3
Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Volume 3
Written by priest
Translation: Lily, Louise
Copy Editor: Jehanne Bell
Proofreader: Stephanie Cohen, Hnä
Editor: Kelly Quinn Chiu
Illustrations: 罐 一 一 (eleven small jars)
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Volume 3 is available now.
