The On1y One

Masterpiece series

It is truly a masterpiece. While the theme of stepbrothers may be common in Taiwanese/Chinese BL series, the execution of this one made me fall in love with it. The performances of the cast, particularly the main couple (with Liu Dong Qin being especially remarkable), along with the stunning cinematography and beautiful OST, deeply immersed me in the storyline. It has been a long time since I've felt this excited about each new episode of a series. Imagine how I feel writing a review of it! I am eagerly anticipating a second season (please, let it air as soon as possible) and highly recommend watching it.

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Only Half of the Story

Rated // 37.5/50 ~ 7.5

This was deliberately written with a season 2 in mind. Since I'm in the west, I don't know what's coming from a novel or have access to the novel so the ending did hurt me. However, if you go in knowing that this is a story the develops over years in it's original work, the novel, then you'll not be too upset at the end. And hopefully our wait for season 2 wont be too long as the director appears to be really pushing for it now.

Having said that, this is true LGBTQ media to me. The boys are only 17 and both having their sexual awakening with the other, who will soon be a brother, as their parents are getting married. There's no explicit scenes, no kissing, not even a confession. It's teenage boys falling into a love that will looked down upon in the future and one of them decides to jump ship to avoid the heartbreak. It's hard enough being 17 developing feelings for the same sex as you, let alone that person is a soon to be brother. I actually really understand the ending and honestly, as sad as it is, it can also be left there too because sometimes that happens. Slice of life isnt meant to be fluffy because life isnt fluffy. A lot of relationships dont work out, esp gay ones.
For me, that's what separates queer films from bl's. It's focusing on the characters as people and the homosexuality happens naturally, especially when the characters are high schoolers still working themselves out.

I really didnt get the whole plot with the teachers though until the end. It was almost as if the writers were trying to create a mirroring plot, as if it were a glimpse into the boy's future.

Overall, I still loved this. It's a slow paced bittersweet reminder of gay youth and as the plot takes place on 2012, it hit me a little close to home. I really loved the sweet potential of each of the characters and I hope that season 2 materializes to watch that potential grow.

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Complex characters, good acting but very slow-paced without much happening

My expectations of “The On1y One” were quite high due to the comments and reviews I’ve heard. Unfortunately, it might not have met what I was hoping for. It was still a pretty good drama, especially the acting of the cast. But if I have to compare it to my recent favorite, ‘The Time of Fever’, it’s not up to that level of enjoyment for me.

What I Like:

1. Main Acting
I will complain about the ages of the main leads, but maybe a younger cast might not be able to deliver such nuanced acting. Liu Dong Qin is an experienced actor, and even though he looks way too old to be 18 (he’s 30 in real life), he was able to portray Sheng Wang really well. Benjamin Tsang was a surprise since he’s quite new to the industry. He only started acting in 2023 but his Jiang Tian is so believable. The perceptive, contemplative and longing looks he has for Sheng Wang really deliver all the emotions with few words.

2. Sheng Wang + Jiang Tian
Two very different teenagers who have nothing alike are able to find comfort in each other. Sheng Wang is a lonely boy, who wants to be surrounded by friends, but is afraid to owe a favor. He’s rich, spoiled and picky but has a good heart. Jiang Tian, on the other hand, had a tough upbringing, never had a place to truly call home. Knowing he never unpacked his suitcase pains me. He’s used to being left behind and has built a tall wall around him, so he will never be abandoned again. Both of these characterizations and how they become close to each other is beautifully written. This is also the strength of the drama. Romance is secondary, but how these two individuals grow is central.

3. The Moments
I love all of Jiang Tian’s moments. He’s a man of few words, and these moments give us an inside look of how he really feels. I might complain about the flashback, but the first moment when Sheng Wang called out his name, is significant and symbolic of their relationship. Jiang Tian is my favorite character. He appears tough, but he can never truly say “no” to Sheng Wang.


What I have Mixed Feelings or Don’t Like:

1. Age
First look at Liu Dong Qin, and I thought he’s way too old to play the part. I don’t think I was ever able to get past these feelings, even though he was acting young and pouty.

2. Pacing + Flashbacks
12 episodes are way too long for this drama without much going on. The pacing is already slow and when you add on the constant flashbacks, it feels even slower. Though I enjoy the writing of the main leads character development and their relationship, nothing much really happened. The drama could have spent more time on the other side stories. Season 2 was not even announced or may not be in the works when season 1 was written. But it’s written as if it’s dragging its feet and hoping for a second season.

3. Side Plots/Characters
While the banter between Pepper and Gao Tian Yang is cute and fun, the crush Pepper has on one of the main leads could be more obvious and developed better. The love triangle between the teachers happened towards the latter half of the drama, and could use more screen time and a stronger focus. I want to know and see more of the two teachers’ background stories (one is not enough), instead of just telling me they were close. Is the kidnapping really necessary? The only NC scene of the drama felt out of place. All of the kisses in the drama are very G-rated, described as “4 lips touching together.” The NC scene feels like fan service because this is considered a BL, so we need some sex? It’s longer than necessary to tell the story.


There’s a lot to love about this drama, it just didn’t meet my expectations. I will recommend this if you enjoy a slow burn relationship (not necessary romance) with complex characters. The drama is an easy watch and very character-driven. But if you enjoy a more plot-driven drama, this might not be it for you.


Completed: 10/21/2024 - Review #500

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Poetry on screen with unsatisfying ending

EDIT months after watching:

Everything I wrote in the review below I still stand behind. However, with hindsight of knowing that season 2 never came, I couldn't keep my original 9.5 score. This is still my favourite BL out there, but it does feel unfinished and makes the pacing of the story feel off towards the ending. If the final two episodes didn't try to introduce Jiang Tian's experience from the past (that now just feels confusing, because it never got any follow-up), it would've been easier for me to treat this drama as a slice of life coming of age story that gives the audience a glimpse into the lives of characters, without drawing definite conclusions. But with that small piece of a flashback inserted there, it really feels more like an unfortune badly executed cliffhanger.

Hence: 9/10.

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Knowing The On1y One was directed by Patrick Liu, a man behind one of my favourite Taiwanese productions “Your Name Engraved Herein” I had high expectations. Despite it being described as yet another story about step-siblings falling in love – a trope that at this point I am already quite fed up with, to be honest.

First few minutes of the show featuring Sheng Wang’s off-screen narration about coming back to his home-town after living abroad, coupled with bird eye's view shots of Guandu Bridge and first glimpse into Liu Dong Qing’s expressive facial acting, I already had an inkling my expectations would be met. However, even then I had no idea just how much I’d fall in love with this drama.

The On1y One is a beautiful, nuanced slice-of-lice, coming of age tale, telling a story of two teenagers, Jang Tian and Sheng Wang who both carry a heavy emotional baggage, being scarred in their life by a loss of a loved one, loneliness and abandonment. You could say it’s a story of two lonely souls, who found a new warm home within each other. The progression of their relationship is portrayed in a very natural manner.

I’m someone who tends to ruin romance stories for myself by asking questions like “Why is this character even in love with another protagonist?”. Here, I never even once had to question or wonder why two main protagonists would get close to each other and feel drawn to one another.

The drama takes time to show how slowly, step by step, Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian are breaking down each other’s walls and opening up to the other person. It’s all done with the use of beautiful imagery, excellent acting from Liu Dong Qin and Benjamin Tsang (both gave exceptional performances!) and lyrical writing that makes use of metaphors and symbolism. If anyone says “there is nothing happening in this drama”, I’d be calling them out on probably not watching it carefully enough.

The story is set in a high-school environment, most precisely in an accelerated class of exceptional students. Studying, preparing for exams, cracking test papers and testing methods are all part of the drama, adding to the realistic, nostalgia-imbued, melancholic vibe of the show. References to works of literature or science phenomena are also often used as tools for creating metaphors and drawing parallelisms between what’s learnt at school and what’s experienced in real life.

Main protagonists are joined by a set of vibrant, likeable side characters, who also contribute to a more realistic and immersive experience.

I’ve watched quite a few of BL dramas in my life, The On1y One took number one spot in my personal ranking of those (and a place among my all-time-favourite Asian dramas in general) when I was just halfway-through it. It’s still occupying that spot a month after I watched the last episode.

It does has its flaws. Some side plots were clearly not as carefully crafted as the main story and pacing was sometimes off, with too much screen time devoted to side characters’ stories towards the ending of the show (with very little of those stories explored in the first half of it). Because of that, I was sometimes getting impatient while anxiously waiting for the resolution of what was happening between two main leads, being aware of the upcoming ending.

I am looking forward to and hoping for the second season and more development to the beautiful relationship Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian built so far. However, if that second season were to never happen, I'd still absolutely adore this series.

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The summer of youth.. and the midsommer night's dream

Haaah..
I needed to let it just stew for a while after that finale because the feels.. all the feels I'm feeling.. haaah..

Between the poetic vibe and the bright lens they used to tell the story, there's a ton of whiplash on what you think you're supposed to experience, but none of that matters, because watching this is an experience in itself. I was left contemplating the meaning behind their actions as they left them in a sad and vulnerable state, while experiencing joy beyond explanation just by watching two people become the entire world to each other.

I love those bonds, just pure love. Where you know what the other person is thinking, can anticipate what they're feeling, when you know them better than they know themselves on every sort of level. The melancholy and excitement, and the growing pains of being a teenager who is suddenly thrust into unfamiliar and uncomfortable environments only to end up finding the one person who is going to be their entire life was so incredibly moving to watch.

A lot of my words until now have been vague and philosophical, so let me just say this, they perfectly managed to encapsulate the feelings of being in a new environment and then discovering that it's more home than anywhere else. Budding friendships, familial ties, first love, and all the confusion, happiness and pain that comes with it.. just perfect.

This was more than just a romance, not only because that wasn't the only focus of the story, or because they weren't the only couple in the story, no. It was because, more than a romance, this was a story of love. A love I can't quite explain, so it's best to watch and experience it firsthand.

Where's my season 2 though :(

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Just rewatched and upped score to 10.

This story is much more realistic than most BL's I have watched. The main characters have both been mostly on their own when they are brought together in a newly formed family. Before any thoughts of romance, they seem to know the others needs better than they know their own and they begin to care for each other in very touching ways. I have never seen anyone express so much, tell so much, with so few words, than Benjamin Tsang does as Jiang Tian.
That I understand Sheng Wang's reasoning (when he has not explained it) also speaks to Liu Dong Qin's acting ability. I think about these boys (characters) as if I knew them and wonder how they are doing.
The OST- wow. "Just Lonely" by Ricky Hsiao is on repeat in my playlist daily. I don't know exactly what he's saying but I could listen to him "Ooh yeh yeh, ooh yeh ooh" for 45 minutes.
I will love this show even if there's not a part 2, but I really hope there is.

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Loved the whole production!!!

The first time I'm writing the review here since this series deserved a lot of appreciation!! The direction, acting, cinematography, soundtrack, scripts, and the whole production who worked on this were doing so great where I didn't even feel that I watched an hour episode without feeling of 'slow-paced' as some reviewers said (Honestly, I kinda worry that it'll be so slow at first).

The ending was pretty clear for me, but some people said the first season only covered the half of story from the novel which I feel we deserved the second season. Hope we'll get the good news soon!

Not a spoiler, but if you loved "Your Name Engraved Herein", I bet you definitely will love this one too! I still remember how's my feeling when I watched every single episode that left me a good impression and didn't even disappoint me at all.

- ngl, I've been re-watched this series 3 times......

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The best series I've watched lately, it grabs you so much straight away. The protagonists have perfect and high acting and have crazy chemistry. I have to say that I consider this drama to be one of the best BL I have ever watched. The acting, directing and writing are impeccable. In every episode there is at least one scene that I would end up watching again and again. As for the leads, there are very few actors who have acted in a BL and could even hold a candle to them. The cinematography is beautiful: from the camera work and transitions between scenes, to the framing of shots and the use of light and color. Also, the attention to detail is crazy, some things you only notice the second time you watch it again. When you see it again it's not just about unimportant aspects, but about elements that enrich your understanding the story. This series deserves recognition and a second season.

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