The plot sank like the Titanic, but the Chen Yi x Ai Di ship sailed like the Flying Dutchman
The title of this review pretty much sums up my thoughts about this series. I binged it around the time when the last episode came out, and all I can tell you is that I cannot tell you what this story is about. The only thing I remember is that the plot makes about as much sense as a fever dream. It does not matter, though -- I skipped half of it to get to Chen Yi and Ai Di's scenes faster. The main couple, while played by attractive and competent actors, failed to engage me in their story and was forgettable to the point that I now have difficulty remembering the two characters' names.I am sure that I am not the first person to write this in their review, but I would have dropped this series if not for Chen Yi and Ai Di, who carried it on their backs from start to finish. If you read 100 reviews fangirling over this ship, I will be the 101st. It is one of those rare cases when all elements needed for a great BL couple -- story, acting, chemistry, looks -- come together to make a ship that tugs at all the right heartstrings. Louis Chiang delivers a brilliant performance, turning the already likeable Ai Di into the best character in the show. Nat Chen charms and disarms as the quiet, manly, and possessive Chen Yi. The chemistry is off the charts. Furthermore, their story is the only meaningful and engaging part of the plot -- if they were the main couple, Kiseki would be a good show.
Is this series worth watching? Chen Yi and Ai Di's scenes are. I watched and re-watched them many times. They kept me up at night. I am not so sure about the rest of the show, though. You can give it a try, but you will probably stop caring about what is going on as soon as you get to Chen Yi and Ai Di.
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A Must See
If you haven’t watched it, you should. The characters, the plot and the chemistry is all top notch in this series. It feels fresh and not something you have watched 100 times before.Both couples deliver great acting, believable relationships and chemistry that is sizzling. They hit you in your feels and gets you invested in their storyline.
This is a series I have greatly enjoyed returning to each week and know I will be rewatching in the future. Don’t walk to a place to watch, run :)
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Ai Di was my favourite with hos sassy attitude considering he was one of the younger one. His fashion statement made it so much better. He is a great friend to all his friends with his free advice and affectionate ways. It hurt me seeing hjm hurt.
Chen yi character I would usually hate and did when he was forcing someone way smaller then him to come with him but his actions later when he discovered his true feelings redeemed him on my book.
The main couple was interesting enough to not skip their parts but preferred when he became a teacher for a short period of time
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Cute and fun, not until something bad happened
It had an intriguing yet refreshing start as a BL watcher for years. The story is not different from the rest of the BLs but there’s something unique about this show -and that is maybe the way that the visually stunning cast executed their roles perfectly despite being rookies in the industry.I love the intimacy of the two couples; it devours their feelings into each other and lets them grow into themselves. The first-morning bed kiss with Fan Ze Rui saying “Good morning baby” was still one of my favorite kissing scenes. Then, they gave us the first bed scene on EP 07 which was unexpectedly followed by a set of devastating episodes. From EP 08 onwards, I was attacked by a series of needle pins into my heart. Why does Bai Zong Yi have to take the blame, be put into jail, and risk his life during the 4-year time skip? I hate it!
He has a bright future awaiting him, with the dream of becoming a doctor to help his family financially. At that moment, I just wished that he hadn’t met Fan Ze Rui. People inside a gang have a hard time falling in love with someone outside their circle. The violence and angst from these episodes are too much for me to handle.
For having the main couple lay low, we got the character development and bloom of romance from the second couple which was lovely. They did pretty well on serving another chemistry with their sassy and unaffectionate romantic feelings to becoming clingy and affectionate towards the end.
The essence of the drama mainly focuses on the love story of the main couple which I was hoping to see more kind of replenishment and rehealing process from all the things that happened between them and their family. Yet, I am also convinced that the production already did their very best to offer a good enough ending for the stories of the characters. I am also happy to see various stars from the previous BL romance that are having their cameo role in this drama. To be honest, I was expecting that the main cast from HIStory 4: Trapped may also have their appearance as they almost got the same kind of genre, but it didn’t happen. All of the actors in this project raised the quality and entertainment factor of the drama which brings a huge impact to the overall savority of the viewers.
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Pretty good
Kinda late to the show but better late than never and I am glad I finally picked it up. At first, I couldn't get into it cause I thought it was too clique and it is but I came to like the cliques. The story is okay. Even though very predictable and sometimes stupid. I got kinda bored with the thug storyline. The second couple were fine I guess but I always like it more when a series focuses more only on one couple. The main couples chemistry and intimacy scenes were so good. I always liked it when couples in drama randomly kisses. Just like a real couple. They were so cute. I also liked the cameo so much. So cute. Overall pretty good.Was this review helpful to you?
Definitely Worth Watching, Bingeworthy!
This is my first year delving into Asian dramas in a big way so I'm likely not as jaded as most viewers by common drama tropes. If you like bad boys who are actually sweet at heart, this story will definitely appeal.Unlike many viewers, I am not familiar with the author this drama story was based on but feel that it's well written and the character arc development interesting. I'm not a fan of time skip in a story. To show past and present in a readily understandable fashion plus bypass uneventful story points quickly, perhaps it's necessary.
Halfway through watching the series I realized that the main character Bai ZongYi, played by Taro Lino was also listed as director, which definitely impressed me. ZongYi as a character most appealed to me with his mix of geeky intelligence and awkwardness. Ai Di, played by Louis Chiang, a support character almost steals the show!! Like a ray of sunshine...so feisty, adorable and mature!!😍
Good chemistry and deep loyalty between the main couple. Extra spicy deep affection between the support couple. Support couple had several artfully posed ending shots when they were together.
Worth watching and due to the short episode length, extremely bingeable! Please give it a chance.
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The Triumph of the Second Couple Compared to the First Couple
The initial episodes of the series are enjoyable and engaging. After a while, following the first couple becomes entertaining as well. It seems that generating a storyline for the scriptwriter became challenging after the first couple became a couple, as we start to witness a forced plot, making the series less interesting. Especially towards the end, I found myself fast-forwarding through scenes involving the initial couple.I absolutely loved the second couple in the series. In fact, the reason I started watching this series was because I had seen a scene of the second couple on TikTok. For the first time in a BL series, I saw that the story of the second couple was much better than that of the first couple. The introduction, development, and conclusion - everything about their story was well-executed. They even managed to skillfully tie up the absurd and nonsensical events related to the first couple. Even now, thinking about scenes with the second couple makes butterflies flutter in my stomach.
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A little illogical and unrealistic but I still enjoyed it
If you’re looking for a show that you can binge-watch within a couple of days, this one will do the trick.As a pouty but highly sensible and emotionally sensitive teenager, Zongyi can be a little cringey at times. There is no shred of subtlety in this man. Remember when you were young and dumb and felt the need to proclaim your love as loudly as quickly as possible? That’s Bai Zongyi.
The love story between Chenyi and Aidi was slightly more interesting because of their backstory – both were orphans who grew up in a life of crime after being adopted by a gang leader – and had potential for some real emotional depth. They had good visuals but their acting was a little weak during the emotionally-charged scenes.
An interesting point that the show brings up: “Is this love or is this admiration?”
But overall, the storyline is a little cliched, there are some gaps in the storytelling, and the story is rather illogical and unrealistic. But is it still worth giving it a try? Yes, absolutely.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/11/30/kiseki-dear-to-me-2023-bl-review/
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Why Nobody is Questioning it's Ethical values
Kiseki: Dear to Me had many elements I truly appreciated — emotionally rich storytelling, intense chemistry between the leads, and an exploration of pain, loyalty, and connection that felt raw and deeply human.However, there was one part of the story that made me question series's popularity:
A key relationship in the series involves a younger character who is still in high school and portrayed as 17, and his dynamic with an older character develops into something physical. How such as important and sensitive factor was ignored?! Why nobody is questioning it!! Are you gonna tell me 16 is the age of consent so it's okay? No!! The other one is legally adult while the other one is not.
In many stories that walk the line between realism and fantasy, creators handle sensitive age gap dynamics with caution — often waiting for characters to reach legal adulthood before moving forward. That wasn’t the case here, and I feel the narrative missed an opportunity to show more thoughtfulness or responsibility in handling this development.
Despite the powerful emotions and otherwise well-executed storytelling, this aspect made my viewing experience complicated. Kiseki could have been a favorite, but this creative choice left me conflicted.
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Didn't expect this to be so romantic
The beginning of this drama is a little confusing, because there's a short opening scene in the present and then there's a long (!) flashback that lasts for more than half of the entire series. I recommend ignoring that and just focusing on the rest of the story, which luckily doesn't use flashbacks and flash-forwards as much as I feared.The story itself is good, but nothing exceptional: a fated encounter between a member of a gang and a high-school student leads to them having to live together for a while and slowly develop feelings for each other. The plot also follows the story of two other members of the gang and the love triangle between them and their boss. I feel like the organized crime aspect of the plot should have been explored more, especially in terms of who is aligned with whom and what do these gangs actually do other than fighting each other whenever they meet.
The romance can be good or not, it all depends on personal taste: it feels like the love stories don't have solid foundations and they're mostly based on the ideas of "fate", "soulmates", and more in general the will to give up on anything for a lover. The main characters seem to share this extreme sentiment when it comes to love, so if that's too much for you, I can't recommend watching. I personally found it very romantic - maybe a little too idealistic to feel real, but it's also nice to dream every now and then, isn't it?
I believe that the couples featured in the drama are the best part. The acting is not stellar, but they deliver their performances very well and their chemistry was enough to glue my eyes to the screen.
I can't say that this story was great, or that I'd recommend this drama for its plot. On the other hand, I had fun and the couples are very sweet and memorable to me. I believe you should give it a chance if you like romance with a good amount of angst.
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This review may contain spoilers
Okay Storyline with Great Cast
I think I would have hated this show if the cast wasn't as great as they are. I am going to break this review down into partsRui/Zong Yi-- I hated Rui at first and thought that I would never be able to like his character, and to be fair I didn't for most of the show. I had a very big problem with the fact that Zong Yi was a minor and Rui was forcing Zong Yi to house him and was also being weird and flirty with him. I thought that they would at least age up Zong Yi before the actual romance/intimacy was happening but Nope. It was important to the story that he was 17 but I don't really like that there was a sex scene when one of them was a minor and the other was in his 20s. I thought the part where Rui was hidden in the house went on way too long and I was honestly getting bored of it, but then it ended. AND THEN HE WAS HIS TEACHER???? I also don't really understand where Zong Yi's feelings came from since all Rui has done for him was help him with homework (in exchange for cake may I add) but once they got together I didn't hate them. Towards the middle of the story, I started to like this couple more and was rooting for them to get back together when Rui was out of prison, but then they pulled the amnesia thing which didn't really make a lot of sense because he was injured from being punched in the body?? but whatever lol. Once Rui and Zong Yi were back together I liked the storyline with Zong Yi's dad having a problem with them because obviously he would his son went to jail because of this dudes gang/mafia/whatever it was. By the end, I was happy for them and thought their ending was very cute. This review seems like I hated their entire storyline and I wanna add on that I dont!! Just compared to the side couple I did not care all that much for their story. Im sure that many people probably loved their story!!
Chen Yi/Ai Di-- For me they carried this entire show and I think they should have been the main couple, to be honest. I'm kind of a slut for childhood friends to lovers and especially in a mafia show like this I was just bound to love them. Ai Di was my favorite character in the entire series. He was so cute but crazy at the same time and honestly very mature for his age, WHICH WAS 18 THANK GODDD why does every show have to have so many minors??? Chen Yi was also a favorite of mine. Him being in love with the boss at first (who was like wayy too old for him idk why nobody told him this) made the scenes between him and Ai Di even better because I never knew when he was just gonna realize that hes in love with Ai Di (which was so so obvious I literally thought they were dating when I started the show) . These characters had soooo much chemistry I was literally biting my nails wondering when they were gonna get together. I was sitting there so sad for AI Di when it showed him celebrating their birthday alone every year TT. I did not like the fact that the first time they slept together Chen Yi was drunk, and then they didn't see eachother for years. I also did not understand why Ai Di went to jail I dont think they ever explained it. After the time jump I loved this couple even more. Seeing straightfaced, always serious Chen Yi try to figure out how to get Ai Di back was so funny (I liked when he gave him the face pillow lmaooo). When they finally got together I was so much happier than when the main couple got together tbh.
I did not care about the two old dudes at all and everytime they were on screen I did not pay any attention to them at all Im sorry. Im sure their story is interesting but I have no interest in the love story of two old annoying awful dudes.
I would recommend watching this just for the awesome cast, and for Ai Di and Chen Yi. It also has some cameos from other Taiwanese bl actors! Overall I definitely enjoyed this series.
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Watch it If You Enjoy Action, Romance and Drama
This series has everything.Gangsters, drama, unrequited love, comedy, action. What's not to like?
This show literally had me in a choke hold until it was over, and when it ended my only thought was- Wait, there isn't more?
I wish this show had thirty episodes. I'd keep watching these characters for a good stretch longer.
I really like the world they set up (Who wouldn't like a world made up of impossibly hot gangsters who are all secretly in love with each other?) and both couples sold the romance for me. I even enjoyed the little cameos we got, and I thought they were tasteful and not over done.
That's it. My only critique is that I wish it were longer, because I did feel a little bit like they had to rush all of the flash forward scenes just a bit.
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