Kiseki: Dear to Me

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

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Ai Di and Chen Yi have my heart

I'm obcessed with Ai Di. He's amazing. Both couples have great chemistry (specially Ai Do and Chen Yi). Cried a lot with this show and Zong Yi is a cutie for the Strawberry Day. I love them and need more NatLouies series.

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Kiseki: Dear To My Heart

I've rarely grown as attached to characters as I have to not only Zong Yi and Ze Rui but also Chen Yi and Ai Di.
Why? Many reasons;
1. These characters are alive and unique. They are not shallow, they struggle, they have convictions and beliefs and they change.
2. The love and adoration Zong Yi and Ai Di hold for their partners is... something to die for, if you will.
3. The side characters not only also bring life to the story and the world, but assist in layering the main leads they surround deeper as well.

I've always had a soft spot for gangster/mafia/yakuza stories. I love high stakes. And by the end of Kiseki, you'll realise how high the stakes truly were! Because the romances are so, so believable and lovely!
But there are plenty of interesting, angsty plot points and scenes--a given, since, well... gangsters. In a world with high stakes, we need actors who can portray emotions, and damn it, Hsu Kai, Taro Lin, Nat Chen and Louis Chiang are all PHENOMENAL, not to mention the side characters are very much on par acting-wise as well!

I caught a case of Second Couple Syndrome at the start, but I ended up growing just as attached to the main leads, if not more. This is not to put down Ai Di and Chen Yi, absolutely not--Ai Di has been my favourite from the beginning. But, both romances are different and take distinct paths.

I was pleasantly surprised that this series starts quite slow given the gangster setting. It takes its time to develop Zong Yi and Ze Rui's relationship, as well as build up Ai Di and his troubles. It needs this patient start to lay the foundation for Zong Yi's strong convictions later on in the story. In the later episodes, the plot takes a more drastic turn and raises the stakes.
Also, the levels of lovely details that are born in the first half that return in the second half add an extra layer of sweetness and consistency to the characters and story; pretty amazing stuff from the production team.

Are the episodes too short? No. I mean, of course, I'd love more content about these lovable characters, but on the other hand, these episodes are concise and focused and don't dawdle on unnecessary plot points. They leave you wanting a little more, for sure, but I promise you, it was worse for those of us who watched this series as it aired!

TLDR; Where can I find myself a man like Bai Zong Yi?

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my new favourite!

Im really happy i came across this drama... It literally has got everything! A lot of handsome guys - in a totally innocent way i'd say - but also with huge talent. The plot is entertaining, side action is too. Nothing too dark nothing too shallow. The chemistry of both couples is unbelievable! I dont know who to praise more... the mature teen falling for the gangster, the gangster whos a math prodigy, the short guy acting like a rag doll when drunk, the introvert young gangster... So heartwarming and serene. Im totally in awe!
Also, it's so beautifully filmed, but in a discreet, nothing-too-obvious manner, and dialogues are not too much, not too little!
Masterpiece if you ask me!
Taiwanese cinematography doesnt cease to amaze me.
Rewatch? You bet!

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A nice little drama

It took me quite a few episodes to get into this, but by the end I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it was the second couple that won me over.

The second couple does the "flipped" trope perfectly, and the chemistry is great; Taiwanese dramas are also not afraid of skinship and intimate scenes, which makes everything feel much more real. If there's anything I would rewatch it would probably be their scenes.

The main couple is fine and they have their moments, but I admit I don't care as much for them; the chemistry is fine, but the tropes seem more cliche, and I think they're hampered by the "gangster" plot, which tries to be serious but doesn't really manage to establish its high stakes due to low budget and short runtime.

Overall though, still a nice little watch.

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Another epic Taiwanese BL show to put at your re-watch list

This show really amazed me. FINALLY !! we got to see something fresh in a BL series. The story is unique and keet us entertained in every episode. I really like the diversity of the story between both the couples and other characters and how they are put together in the same story.
The storytelling was good, the script was great and really hatts off to the casting. Every actor in this series gave their best.
Starting with the leads Both the couple's had great sizzling chemistry. They made me feel every emotion of their character with their acting .

My personal favourite is the story of the second couple. I was literally obsessed with them. I mean , I can guarantee for those who have watched this series and have not felt pain in the prison scene with the cake. Also, for the scene of their first time doing it. They just delivered us pure raw emotions that stabbed our hearts along with some other beautiful scene. Every episode felt too short and me wanting to see more of their story. I really want to see more of them, like how they grew up together and how they missed each other during prison time.

Ai di is my favourite character in the whole show. According to me he literally was one of the character who stood out the most in the show. !!!!

I literally was excited for the show to see Wayne and Chun Chih back together, after the trauma I was left after History 3: MODC and wanting them to finally see happy together, but eventually it didn't happen again 😭.
Apart from that, thanks to the team for giving us the cameos in the drama that we all wanted to see. I really enjoyed this series.

However, i was a bit disappointed with the ending (final episode). The stabbing felt a bit unnecessary and since this plot was introduced the ending felt a bit rushed. I hope we get a special episode for the series.

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