The On1y One

A Realistic Depiction of Teenage Romance & Relationships

The human heart is a stormy place, and when paired with thought, it becomes even more tumultuous. Love isn’t logical—it’s a force that heals, torments, and binds, sometimes all at once.

When mixed with thought, love can often feel like madness.

Adapted from the novel Mou Mou by Mu Su Li, the Taiwanese BL The On1y One defies expectations while exploring love amidst emotional turmoil. Starring Liu Dong Qin as the studious and friendly Sheng Wang and Benjamin Tsang as the reserved loner Jiang Tian, the series follows two boys with their own personal traumas who are brought together as unexpected brothers.

I’ve started this review a thousand times—not because I’m sad, though I am, but because The On1y One gave us so much to think about and feel.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/03/the-on1y-one-series-review-ep-3-to-12/

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Just wow!

Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect but I am amazed! This story is definitely not just another step brother BL. The depth to the characters and how they help one another is beautiful. I was very suspicious when I saw that both main actors are basically 30, but I honestly don't think I'd want anyone else. They are phenomenal actors! The chemistry they share is astounding. It's not just attraction but the care they have for each other that feels so natural. It is a slow burn, but I definitely don't mind. I hope the rest of the series is just as good. Tian and Wang deserve so much happiness.

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A RECORD OF YOUTH

Strangers who turned enemies, then friends to brothers before they realised that what they felt for each other was so much more.

This is what I signed up for to begin with. I never imagined life at 17 could be that tedious or that two divergent characters could abandon their own natures and embrace those of their better halves.

Now this is more than an average junior high school crush when you realise that "spoiler alert" almost all the Couples feel restrained, afraid perhaps even uncertain of themselves. They fight heads on and yield the same way until you realise that they are all willing to give up as much or more for each other's sake. I couldn't find any reason to deny this show the perfect 10 perhaps even 1,000,000/10 cause it deserves it being a story of growth, sacrifice, longing and the feeling of wanting something you'd never have.

We need a season 2. This is my favourite BL of 2024.

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A Slow Pointless Ride to Nowhere! The Good Reviews are Clearly Fake.

1) SO SLOW! WHAT'S WITH ALL THE FLASHBACKS AND NATURE SCENES AND POINTLESS INFORMATION!
I have never seen a show with so many flashbacks, nor have I ever fallen asleep in both episode 1 and episode 2 of a show.... until this show.
WTF is with all the flashbacks! And all the shots of nature and wind chimes! AND all the information about people who are not the main characters or not even essential to the story in any way! WTF is with this show! It's one of the slowest dramas I have ever seen and that is comparing it to a French Art Film where half the runtime was actually devoted to filming birds flying over the ocean. I would almost rather watch that! Than a fake love story that's clearly Not a Love Story AT ALL!

2) WHERE IS THE ROMANCE! THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE!
I've almost never felt so tricked by the premise of a show Ever... this is supposed to be a romance, I don't care that it's a BL romance or a straight romance.........THERE'S NO ACTUAL ROMANCE AT ALL! All the side characters (there not really side characters they are just different groups of people making pointless random appearances at random times but still) have more romance than the main characters. Is this show even about the main characters? They seem more like a vehicle to learn about the romantic troubles of every single other person that appears on screen that is not them! WTF IS THIS?! At 10 episodes in I can't even tell if they like each other! Also the actors don't actually look "good" together because of their body types, sure, they are both handsome, but I wouldn't look at them a say visually they "fit" each other, they don't. I would never believe they were a couple in real life either. It's not the acting... it's literally everything else... but visually they don't look good together the same way people sometimes get cast as relatives of each other but don't look in any way alike... they just don't look like they "belong together"... it's the face shape, body type comparison... they don't "fit"... I know people make jokes about rigid Korean standards of height between BL characters and this was the first time I thought, "maybe that's a good thing", but it's not their height, I've seen couples of the same height or weird height proportions "fit together"... it's just... clear to me that acting is overcoming the natural indifference they actually have for each other and the lack of "visual compatibility" they have together.

3) WHY IS THE MUSIC TO PREVAILANT!? YES IT'S ALSO MEDOCRE AND SOUNDS LIKE A COPY BUT IT'S ALSO SO LOUD AND IN YOUR FACE!
I'll forgive most BL's for having medocre to bad piano music playing in the background for some pointless reason all the time... I get it, nobody cares enough to make a real sound track... ok, I've accepted it, I wouldn't even dock a great show more than a point for that........ but why is this medeocre piano track so LOUD and IN YOUR FACE ALL THE TIME! IT'S OBVIOUSLY BAD MUSIC SO WHY ARE YOU PLAYING IT EVERY SECOND LOUDLY OVER THE DIALOGUE! Ok, I'm exagerating, but at times I can't even hear the characters monologue because the music is so bad and so loud
WHY DOES EVERY BL HAVE TO BE TOLD TO THE SOUND OF A MEDOCRE PIANO PLAYER PLAYING THE SAME LAZY TUNE WITH 3 OR 5 DISJOINTES LAZY NOTES? I just don't get it BL people, do you all collectively hate music?

There were GOOD THINGS:
1) The acting is great! Everyone is doing great job acting including the male leads - it's a shame the male leads are not really given much to act with... this lack of story telling heightens the fact that they don't look visually compatable together, but all of the acting including all the side and lead characters is top notch. I will give it to the two male leads especially because it's clear to me that they have no natural compatability and they have overcome this with their acting to pull of a reasonable couple/attraction vibe for the characters. I think some of the female side characters should get their own dramas.

2) the cinemetography - excellent, the best part of the show by far (although the acting is also excellent)

3) The settings are good, no white void of death in the background

However, these three good things just could not overcome the horribly slow pacing or generally pointless storyline that seemed to go nowhere very fast. All of this should have been cut down to like... 5 episodes because that's how much character development the leads actually had in their romance - PLOT MATTERS but PACING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY SHOW

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A wholesome story

Initially, I kept the series on hold as it started a bit slow. But surprisingly continued to be a good story. The story shows 2 young boys' family lives. Its an ordinary story, but acted and carried out in a beautiful way. The MLs acting is perfect. Each part of their life initially with the parents, then in the dorm with friends, the realization at the end is carved out fantastically. Though a bit unsatisfied with the ending, not always life brings a happy ending. And the story depicts there are many other forms of love other than romantic love. The respect they had for each other, caring love is fulfilling.

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An absolute gem, but unfinished...

OMG One more episode and it would have been finished properly...
but
still WORTH the watch!

it's such a damn decent show!!! I find it quite hard to come by a series this high quality in the abundance of bad BL shows.
I realized that taiwanese shows have very pretty shots, and very high quality feels! it's somehow the perfect balance for me, korean stuff feels too plastic, while japanese ones are a bit too raw shooting wise, (not even gonna talk about thai) but tawainese shows are just perfect for some reason.

Especially this series was amazing because even though it was BL it didn't fall into the usual BL thirst trap crap, it didn't make it too cheesy, sexy or dumb, it was written so amazingly, the characters absolutely felt alive, filled with thoughts, doubts, fears, ambitions. I LOVE writings like these, where the mains are not just pretty boys but actual humans, and it doesn't just focus on a "forbidden" relationship but also the struggles of their lives. This show finally made me feel so many feelings, it's been a while!

The connection and the acting felt absolutely genuine between the mains, and some of the side characters also grew on me I admit. It also had a very poetic tone from time to time while it still had scenes of goofing around and more serious life happenings, I liked the mix!!

It has slow pacing, but because of the amazing shots and poetic vibe, it doesn't feel like dragging. It doesn't have huge twists and turns, it is more about the inner struggles of two quite closed off individuals who find some sort of healing for their loneliness within each other, it's such a wonderful journey and message, I love it!

But yes, it is unfinished, and might not ever get a 2nd season. I despise shows like that, but this one still gave so much even if not finished, that it is very worth the watch.

Overall it would go into my top 3 if it had a proper ending, very well made, but poorly calculated.

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Comforting

Oh I enjoyed this one so much. It has to be one of the best slow burn shows that I've seen, and I loved how much it focused on the emotional aspect of them growing closer. Their scenes feel so down-to-earth, realistic, and intimate, and I really appreciate how even the tropes don't feel tropey.

It's so sad that it ends on a low note — and I know season 2 is a long shot at this point — but honestly, the ending doesn't diminish my love for the show at all. I've grown to really care about both main characters so much, and I'll definitely be reading the novel just to see how their story ends.

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Would have been 9/10 stars if not for the BS ending

Do not watch past EP 10 unless you like being angry with nothing to aim it at... There better be a season 2... Cause WTF was that??

The most BS ending I have come across in my BL experience. I am so livid. I am angry on behalf of the poor ML who has already been through so much, and abandoned by everyone else in his life.

I know its only a show, but this drama elicits too many hightened emotions. It honestly up to ep 10 is sooo worth it.

The acting, the glances, the emotions, the angst and turmoil. The brotherhood, the connection, the love and maturity, the friendship. All thrown right out the window. I have never wanted to slap the shiizer out of a ML so bad. But the acting and actors are truly that good.

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Pathetic Ending ruined Whole wonderful series.

Last episode spoiled the whole wonderful series. Seriously. This series could be a masterpiece but everything was ruined in the last episode. It was so dramatic so overacted. It was just changing the class and they showed like someone died or left the country and never gonna meet again. Plot became so so so weak. Only one thing was good that is expressions and emotions played by the actors. They did great whatever the pathetic script they had been given. But seriously, I am so so disappointed by the production, writing team. It's lik, we all been cheated, tortured and they played with our emotions . After so many things till 11 episodes, we just came back at the point where, it's like nothing happened. I always used to say that Taiwanese BLs never disappoint but now I am sorry. Now I don't think, I can trust blindly to choose the Taiwanese BLs to watch. Highly disappointed.

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