Kiseki: Dear to Me

Bittersweet Love Story

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Gangster): Ze Rui
T (Student): Bai Zong Yi

- Beginning: T is an honour roll student with aspiration to become a doctor and B is a mafia he saves one day and brings home to heal. At first, their relationship is pretty cold with T keeping B at arm’s length. But the more time they spent together, B starts to open up and T starts falling for him. T immediately confesses but B is hesitant to accept love from someone so young so flees.

- Middle: They are reunited when B had to infiltrate T’s school. T ends up bringing B home again and this time, his confession works and B agrees to date him. They have their first kiss.

- End: However, before they could have their happy ending, enemy mafia attacks them and T is injured, losing his chance at medical school. He doesn’t give up on B though, deciding to open a desert shop while waiting for B to return to him. B on the other hand first loses his memory and after regaining his memory, he is so ashamed he avoids seeing T. But T finds out about his recovery and forces himself back in to B’s life. The show ends with them finally back together and happily dating with blessing from B’s family.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- The actors playing B and T. Their chemistry was amazing and their interactions were cute and sweet. They also do a great job in portraying the affection between the characters.
- I love how someone younger is the dominant in this relationship, changing the dynamic of their relationship.
- I love how T never gives up, even when the whole world seems to be trying to split them up. If he gave up on B, this series would 1000 times more angsty. But because he doesn’t give up, the angst is only temp.
- I love seeing B a lot more open by the end of the show and learning how to rely on T.
- I really like their reunion scene and their confession scene. Despite the scene not being super intimate, it is extremely impactful and hot.
- The writing is pretty nice despite the plot being predictable and cliche. The pacing is nice and the characters likeable. Their interactions are also very sweet and we can feel the affection between them.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- Very tame intimate scenes which can be a disappointment.
- Angst comes from B constantly denying his own feelings which is an overused trope.
- The show is constantly playing with your emotions which means it can get a little tiring to watch.
- Some scenes outside romance scenes can get a little fake (gang scenes).

**Conclusion**
An OK watch but will probably only be revisiting the two scenes mentioned above.

Read More

Best Taiwanese BL seen so far

Although Taiwan doesn't produce that much BLs than Thailand, they do get it right.
This scenario has a high school student getting involved with a gangster.
The 2 mains show a good chemistry and throughout the serie have some nice intimate moments.
The story does contain plot twists and have the characters evolve, where in the beginning you might doubt they're good fit, they do make a convincing couple by the end.
Occasionally a moment of humor with them getting close to sleep and wake up with some "cockcrow".
I liked the cameo of several previous BL actors / couples and think back on what serie they were.
About the side couple, mostly one way love, eventually Ai Di succeeds in winning Chen over and we have to wait until last episode for some convincing love making.
'An Jung Peng' had more of a role to play here and not a cameo, known for his main part in history 4.
Besides some smaller details this serie was for me the best in the (about) dozen I've seen.

Read More

Aesthetically Pleasing Poster but disappointing plot

I started watching this because I thought that the poster was very aesthetically pleasing but was greatly disappointed by the end.
Story:
I think the mafia genre is pretty standard for a bl, but it feels like it's a mafia story just to be a mafia story. I was confused by all of the mafia scenes until the very end and it all seemed like teens playing mafia rather than the real deal.
-very rant heavy-
Cons
The fact that Bai Zongyi was also 17 throughout a majority of the story is very baffling- like it's not THAT instrumental to the plot. In the very beginning Fan Zerui is all like "he is a kid I can't be with him" but changes his mind about that pretty quickly...
Like the biggest plot-point is that all of this happening made him lose his scholarship and in the end not be able to go to college. It would've been so easy to change that for the book and make him 18/19 and a college freshman. He could still lose his scholarship and be forced to drop out of college and it would've fixed all of the ickiness that came with watching them. I was only able to keep going because Bai Zongyi's actor does not look that young. Like I think he was 20(?) when this was recorded but he still didn't look like a teen. If they purposely made him look younger than it would've been over for me.
I know Ai Di and Chen Yi had an age gap, even though it was only three years, and it was definitely hinted that Ai Di had feelings for Chen Yi even as a minor, but nothing was ever acted on literally until the start of this story.
Also I feel that Bai Zongyi had much more to lose- the power dynamic was never in his favor so it felt much worse.

Sadly the worst part of it all was him being bribed to go to jail for a crime he didn't even commit. Genuinely a jaw dropping moment. I don't think many of us are versed on Taiwanese law, but I would assume that would be a pretty clear self-defense case. I can't help but feel pity for him and his entire family. I know his dad was able to get cured because of the deal but that is probably gut-wrenching to learn that your son will never be able to become a doctor- which up until then was his dream. Though those scenes with his family were the best- acting-wise - in the entire show, actually tear-worthy.

The fake amnesia plot... at that point it felt like we were just checking off tropes. Then we turned into a business, inheritance plotline and it felt like we went of the deep-end.

Pro
BUT the thing I like the most about this story is how when Bai Zongyi got out of prison he realized he didn't want to be a doctor and started up a cafe. Maybe I am reading into this too much, but it is pretty common for people in lower class families to want to be a doctor or a lawyer so they could escape poverty. While that is all commendable, it is sad that many of them have to put their real dreams aside. (Now maybe i really am reading into this too much and Bai Zongyi starting his cafe was just because Fan Zerui liked desserts.) But I like the idea that maybe after he loses literally everything (his scholarship, his way to college, in the end his friends) he realized he should pursue his own dreams.
Also I really liked Ai Di's and Bai Zongyi's friendship. They are really different in almost everything- upbringing, personality, style, etc. but seemed to be natural friends.

I don't know maybe I should've dropped it earlier on, but there was something that I really liked about it. Probably the casting and chemistry and family dynamic.
If you read all of this thank you,,, but I really just wanted to rant.

Read More

Kiseki: Dear to Me is an adaptation of the Taiwanese web novel Kiseki by Lin Pei Yu (林珮瑜).

Kiseki is not just a BL drama; it is an epic journey of destiny, redemption, and the tenacity of true love. What begins as the classic trope of a gangster and a medical student forced to live together, quickly transforms into something much deeper and more intense.

The drama dares to take risks. The main plot arc, which culminates in a time skip, is what elevates the series from good to excellent. It shows the real consequences of the decisions made and how destiny continues to weave the threads between the protagonists, even when their lives have taken painful and separate paths.

The relationship between Zong Yi (the stoic former gangster) and Fan Ze Rui (the dedicated medical student) is explosive and believable. You see how their mutual affection becomes an anchor of salvation for both of them.

The story of the secondary couple, Ai Di and Chen Yi, is a refreshing delight and offers the perfect counterpoint to the intensity of the main plot.

Ultimately, if you like dramas with high dramatic tension, excellent production, and a narrative that explores loyalty, loss, and second chances, Kiseki: Dear to Me is a must-watch. It is a beautiful, and sometimes heartbreaking, reminder that love is a miracle (kiseki) in itself.

I totally recommend it.

Read More

(:

Honestly,I did not expect too much from this series when I first started it.It seemed boring and overall not my cup of tea.
First things first.the age gab between the main leads creeped me out.At first I thought he was a college student or at least 18,but when I found out that he was actually 17 and the other guy was twenty sth, I was beyond disappointed and I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wished to.Their love story did not intrigue me or interest me very much.
The second couple was definitely a bit better,however I just did not find their story that interesting.They definitely have a lot of potential and there also seems to be some chemistry between them.I definitely feel like if they would get another series together(and another plot)it will much greater than this one.
Overall,the plot felt so random to me.There were so many unnecessary things happening,and even the acting weirded me out at some points.
I do think that the actors did a decent job portraying these characters,however the plot did not help them in any way.
One thing that I liked about this was the ending OST.Like I would actually listen to that freely.
Of course,I am not trying to shame anyone who actually liked this,however if you had no problem with the age gap then you might want to think about it a few moments and reflect on your thoughts.

Read More

I FUCKING LOVE THIS SHOW

This show was easily one of my favorite shows. I LOVED IT SHOW MUCH OMGASJFKANISJDHLSIHLAOH!!! The story was great and the acting was wow. It's been a while since I watched it, but I still remember most of it since it's such a great show. The plot was a little unorganized, but it was still good. Some parts we're a little hard to understand, but that might be because I had to wait a week for episodes and I have the memory goldfish :) The story was amazing and very intriguing. This was good because I also have a short attention span and will drop shows if they take to long. I also loved the other couple and I WISH THEY HAD MORE SCREEN TIME I LOVE AIDI ♥♥♥♥♥♥ I would say the age gap is a little concerning for me since it's 8 years and the second couple we're adoptive brothers, but ignoring that makes the show better :)) The only thing that really ticked me off was the age gap and the memory loss but it's still a great show and I totally recommend it if you love age gap tropes. PLEASE GIVE ME MORE SHOWS LIKE THIS PLEASEEEEEEEEEE

Read More

I feel like this show would be perfect if the second couple was the main one.
I just finished watching it and i dont know the name of the main characters. I got interest in this drama because i saw a edit of ai di and chen yi and i thought the show was about them, even when i searched a little bit about it on youtube the only ones thag showed up where them, i feel like they completely took over the show for me.
I feel bad saying this after reading the other reviews of people saying they love the main couple but they just didnt do it for me. Their story was boring. There was absolutely no chemestry - it felt like watching two rocks talk and kiss. Their back stories had no depth, - i still dont know how the older one got in the gang, is it related to his family? Im pretty sure is not, then how did it happened? Also why did he get into a gang if he dont like crimes? Like i get it if the character is in a tough situation and the only way out is getting into a life you dont agree with completely but he seemed like he wanted to be there? Like saying that he wanted to do more difficult jobs and complaining that they treated him like a child - the backstory of the mom of the younger one was brushed up for five seconds for the characters to have a reason to have a emotional conection but i feel like it was to fast and didnt matter to me at all. The other student who was his friend in high school, what happened to him? Also if the girl student who later goes to work with him on the shop didnt know that he didnt finish high school because he was arrested does that means no one else that went to school with him knows? Did his friends just figured that the best student in the class who wanted to be a doctor and worked really hard for it simply dropped out of the face of the earth all of sudden and none of them cared?
I only finished watching this drama to see more of ai di and chen yi, - mostly ai di cause sadly we dont even see much of chen yi - ai di captivated me since the first scene he was in. It seems like a cliche, the troublemaker is head over heels for someone but acts like is nothing when in reality is crushing him inside, but i love it and ill eat it up everytime. Iwanted to know more about them, every time ai di came in to screen it made me want to watch a little bit more so i could learn about his past but unfortunately we dont get to know much about it, he says his and chen yis parents died so they were adopted and thats it. I wanted to see chen yis reaction to ai di going to prison. I wanted more scenes of him realizing he really loved ai di all along. I wanted more angst and more drama but i wanted lengthy scenes of that, not just two minutes of them figuring their feelings out to be cut in the middle to show something that i didnt really care about. Also chen yi having a crush on their boss thing, they often talked about how admiration is different from love and he didnt realize that that was what was happening with his boss but honestly we dont see much about their relationship to know why chen yi even admires him - the guy didnt seem like he was doing much, he wasnt intimidating like a mafia boss, he wasnt wise and neither charismatic - so his one sided love didnt feel deep enough cause it feels like they didnt have time to explore that.
Thats my biggest disappointment with ai di and chen yis story: they didnt have enough time. This drama was and is theirs and they deserved better.
Its a shame cause i feel like i couldve enjoyed so much more if the main couple was more entertaining and didnt make me want to skip all kf their scenes to watch the second couple's scenes.

Read More

The "IT" drama of 2023!

OKAYYYY. So, It's been heck of a long journey for me, waiting for each episode like a sad maniac . BUT, am finally here to write a review, and I'll keep it short!

THE PLOT:
Its set in the terrifying world of gangland sectional, and it made my anxiety go📈📉 THROUGHOUT the series istg.
We see the first couple, suuuuper cute and all, BUT the second couple (LOML), the trope is basically the guy liking the other guy who doesn't love him back. OFC! who DOESN'T love this?(uhm, only in dramas but yeahhhh-)
The VISUALS are GREAT, I mean REALLY FRIKKIN' GREAT in the series.

We have a bit of BL clichés roaming around each episode here and there, but I loved 'em.

EFFECTS WITH MEANING:

There was something which I noticed that, the use of colors and light in Kiseki DTM, is quite fascinating. ZY's life is simple and plain, yet it's well-lit and uncomplicated. ZR's life has different shades, but mainly includes basic and muted colors. When they meet, there's a dreamy, almost magical glow around them!(butterfliessss) This is very different from AiDi, who is full of vibrant and lively colors and designs. ChenYi's style is dark and strict, but when they come together, a moody maroon or purplish hue fills the space. It's really interesting!

CHARACTER APPRECIATION:

<3 My first and foremost appreciation of the characters would go to my pocket sized baby emo boy who's a true agent of
chaos, his escapades, AND the sacred choker of his's. AiDi! he Definitelyyyyy needs his own show, one where he
just gets to wear his collar the whole time and be his pretty little psycho self whilst his boyfriend looks in approval, ready
to jump in if he needs his help (LMAO, i love u too ChenYi mwah).


NEGATIVE POINTS:

Negative points for this show:
~OK uhm, I loved each and every episode, BUT I hated the whole week wait for it!
~The angst and slowburn was KILLING me from the insides
~I'm absolutely jealous of y'all who's binge watching it AFTER it ended :c

REWATCH VALUE:

10/10. I finished it, and I am just going to go rn to watch it all again with no interruptions whatsoever.
Y'all freshers watch it aswell!

Read More

Gold Mine!

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Honestly, with how oversaturated the bl world is today, it's hard to find dramas of this caliber. It was straightforward, exciting, emotional and bingeworthy. It did take a while for the story to pick up; but it was enjoyable form beginning to end despite this. Should definitely be on your watch list and your rewatch list because it's honestly worth it. There are also some problematic themes present, but it's still a great watch! The music was awesome, the acting exceptional, the chemistry electrifying, the plotline intriguing. Plus I couldn't even tell time was passing up until I reached the last episode. Honestly what more do you need. I can already tell that this series is well on it's way to becoming one of the bl giants!

P.S. More detailed description on my feed!

Read More

Beautiful

I loved this show.
The story was beautiful, as was the acting, music and setting.


(The below summary contains spoilers--nothing too specific, just a general overview of what will happen throughout the show and what you can expect.)

Plot:
A smart high-school boy meets and falls in love with an older (age gap) rich boy who falls to the gang life due to family neglect.
They are torn apart due a rival gang's attack which sees the student take the fall for the rich boy and accept a 4-year prison sentence.
After four years in prison, the high school boy returns to life with a new plan for his future but one that definitely includes his first and only love.
Meanwhile, the rich boy is torn apart by guilt and is determined to remain apart from the high school boy in order to keep him safe.
The first half of the show focuses on how the two meet and fall in love, on how their childhoods shaped them, and how they are separated.
The second half of the show focuses on how they reunite, overcome their obstacles, and build their happily ever after.

The second couple:
Two boys, close in age, both orphans who grew up together as "brothers" and friends. As young teens they were recruited into gang life. When we meet them they're both mid-level rising gang members. One of them is love with the other; the other is in love with the head boss of their gang. Thus, both are in unrequited love.
The first half of the show deals with the difficulties and dangers they face as gang members, their loyalty to each other, and the pain they each face in love. Due in part to the attack which separated couple #1, this couple is also separated for four years. During their separation, the "other" boy realizes he's loved his friend all along, while the "friend" determines to separate for good from the "brother" who'll never love him in the way he wishes for.
The second part of the show shows us how they reunite, how one works to make the other believe and accept that he truly is in love with him, and how they also reach their happily ever after.

I liked the story itself. There was a nice focus on the gang, on family, on the affects of childhood trauma and how to overcome it.
The chemistry of both couples was insane!! Off the charts hot. It's honestly hard to say which couple I liked more because the truth is, I loved them both. I will say this though: for couple 1, I liked them better during the first half of the show, and for couple 2, I liked them better during the second half. For some reason, the connection between the first couple is shown better prior to their separation while the connection between the second couple is better showcased after their reunion. In that sense, when we're shown both couples' happily ever after, I prefer the second couple's to the first- I can't pinpoint why, but couple 2 feels fully settled and case closed but couple 1 leaves me with a bit of lingering "want more for the closing act".

All of the actors acted terrifically.

The soundtrack was phenomenal.

Overall, this is pretty much a perfect show.
I highly recommend it. <3

Read More