spunkless
This review may contain spoilers
First BL hit from Taiwan for 2022
Just finished it in a binge. I find DNA Says Love You the most endearing of all Taiwanese BLs I've seen, but my appreciation for it does not reach the point that I would start defending it against detractors. First, let me just get the negatives out of the way:
1) The drama should have given more details about Amber's backstory. It seems that they dedicated only a few minutes to explain his condition, and none of their explanations had brought clarity to the topic. Suspension of disbelief is obviously needed here.
2) The second "couple" was a complete waste of space, and the series dedicating a whole episode for them was a poor decision since they have been largely absent in any of the other episodes, not giving the audience any reason to care. They are not worth the investment.
3) Editing was quite sloppy and obviously lacked budget. One scene that irked me in particular because of editing issues was that part where Le started crying to his mother.
Now for the good parts:
1) The production design is really good, as expected from a Taiwanese BL. DNA Says Love You also has the nicest collection of music I've heard in a BL drama.
2) Acting wise, I think that none of the actors in the ensemble did a bad job. I have to single out Lukas and Tannie Huang (are they siblings?) for their performance, though Lukas could've done better with his crying because it looked so forced; a huge contrast to what I have seen from him in the other episodes.
3) I liked how DNA Says Love You is a boys love drama but does not really fit into the conventional definition of BL since the lead is not really in love with a man per se... Probably some fans of the genre will not like it (remember how they thrashed The Shipper?), but I think DNA Says Love You handled this delicate topic very well. The idea is definitely one of a kind, a very welcome breath of fresh air for a genre that seems to repeat the same tropes over and over again lately.
Å small thing also worth mentioning here is that the kiss between the leads looked very awkward. We see touching between the lips, but there was zero passion behind it.
Overall, it was a good run, I honestly had no expectations for it but ended up pleasantly surprised by how the story moved me. I'll be giving DNA Says Love You an 8.5.
1) The drama should have given more details about Amber's backstory. It seems that they dedicated only a few minutes to explain his condition, and none of their explanations had brought clarity to the topic. Suspension of disbelief is obviously needed here.
2) The second "couple" was a complete waste of space, and the series dedicating a whole episode for them was a poor decision since they have been largely absent in any of the other episodes, not giving the audience any reason to care. They are not worth the investment.
3) Editing was quite sloppy and obviously lacked budget. One scene that irked me in particular because of editing issues was that part where Le started crying to his mother.
Now for the good parts:
1) The production design is really good, as expected from a Taiwanese BL. DNA Says Love You also has the nicest collection of music I've heard in a BL drama.
2) Acting wise, I think that none of the actors in the ensemble did a bad job. I have to single out Lukas and Tannie Huang (are they siblings?) for their performance, though Lukas could've done better with his crying because it looked so forced; a huge contrast to what I have seen from him in the other episodes.
3) I liked how DNA Says Love You is a boys love drama but does not really fit into the conventional definition of BL since the lead is not really in love with a man per se... Probably some fans of the genre will not like it (remember how they thrashed The Shipper?), but I think DNA Says Love You handled this delicate topic very well. The idea is definitely one of a kind, a very welcome breath of fresh air for a genre that seems to repeat the same tropes over and over again lately.
Å small thing also worth mentioning here is that the kiss between the leads looked very awkward. We see touching between the lips, but there was zero passion behind it.
Overall, it was a good run, I honestly had no expectations for it but ended up pleasantly surprised by how the story moved me. I'll be giving DNA Says Love You an 8.5.
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