honeydew

Following the Threads, A Colorful Beginning and Lackluster Finish. They had me in the first half.

First, I absolutely love this concept. I think it's a unique take on a paranormal aspect and there is so much promise in the idea that Chiakai could see not just the kind of ties others have, but the strength of those ties. So, I went into this with excitement, but very few expectations beyond the fact that I typically enjoy Taiwanese dramas.

I feel like it's most important to start with the chemistry. This is a romantic drama, so I do have expectations around chemistry, intimacy, and the build up. I love a slow burn, so the first half of this drama was delicious to me. I thought their chemistry was good and I absolutely loved the way Dawei was always entering Chiakai's space and calling him that perverted nickname. I thought that was successful, especially for the build up.

However, in the end, there were a lot of holes in the romance department. I know, I know, romance isn't all about the kisses, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect kissing and intimacy in a drama that attempted to set up sexual tension and attraction in the first half. The tiger sound effects whenever Chiakai saw Dawei's body, the way Dawei looked at Chiakai's body, their proximity to one another, that nameless pull. The fact that the only kiss we were given was a drunken one leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I also have qualms with the evolution of their relationship. Most of it appears to happen off screen and only through implication! No real confession, no conversations around status, no intimacy beyond a few hugs that could have been between friends. Their chemistry that was doing so much good, heavy lifting in the first half completely fell flat in the second half. This is a romance so I expect the romance to be the central feature of the drama. It seemingly fell to the wayside.

"People are too obsessed with wanting to see characters kiss or have NC scenes." Well it's a romance and I do have expectations that the romance is going to be visible. I'm not demanding NC scenes, but I'm asking for something beyond a drunken kiss. It's disappointing and I think we deserve better than that.

Beyond the romance itself, I was also disappointed that the threads did not play a bigger role. It was the star of the plot, and it felt like they really had little relevance beyond a few key moments. I loved the soulmates implication between Chiakai and Dawei, but the shoelaces felt lazy and like an afterthought. I wish there had been something more significant tying them to each other, given that Chiakai ended up seeing a new color thread connecting them to each other. The soulmateism could have been off the charts.

Something that I thought they did well was Dawei's storyline. That is, up until its conclusion in the last episode. It felt like they were rushing to tie up loose ends and it ended up losing its impact in the process. Forcing it into the last episode also limited the romantic arc.

I know I have a lot of criticisms, but I'm serious when I say that the first 6-7 episodes were really good to me. I enjoyed watching them, I even enjoyed rewatching them until the next episode came out. But that second half was really suffering in pacing, logic, and lack of commitment to the romance of the drama. Maybe more time would have fixed those issues, whether it be longer episodes or more episodes.

I love Dawei, I love Chiakai, and I love their connection to one another. Even with my criticisms, I think I'll remember and revisit this drama fondly.

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