This review may contain spoilers
Unique Perspective and Overall Good Storytelling
I quite enjoyed this! Despite being more of a slice-of-life, the story is unique and the characters are well written.My review will contain major spoilers. Please read with caution.
The story: I thought the way they laid out the story added a lot of intrigue to what could have been a fairly bland story. They mixed in the mystery around the nunnery to juxtapose the mystery around Amber. Though I feel like there could have been more correlation between the two.
I thought for sure that Amber was trans but instead he turned out to be intersex, another underrepresented minority. Either way, his story broached topics around sexuality and gender identity that are often not seen in BL. I feel like his own journey with gender identity was glossed over but overall the topic was mostly handled with care.
However, YuHe outing Amber? Not cute. I really liked her character and it was unfortunate that she betrayed Amber’s trust like that.
The random suicide attempt? Also a strange writing choice and not handled well.
The lead pairing had good chemistry and all of the relationships were well fleshed out. Including friendships and sibling dynamics (not just romantic).
The acting was hit or miss but when it hit it hit hard. The actor that played Amber had some really emotionally impactful moments. I feel like he was probably the standout of the cast.
The soundtrack also kinda slapped imo.
Would I recommend? Yes! Not sure if I would rewatch this but I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot.
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One of the best SERIES I’ve ever watched
Wow. I don’t even know where to start. I’ve been watching BL’s for about 2 years now and never once have I seen this recommended and I’m so disappointed in that. This is one of the best SERIES I have ever watched.. forget classifying it as one of the best BL series I’ve ever watched bc that doesn’t do it enough justice. Seriously, don’t even question whether you should watch this or not, just do it!!The music was good, if not a little repetitive. The story was so refreshing and just beautiful, and all the actors did such a good job. All 4 of the main male characters are so cute.
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This review may contain spoilers
Loved the story and the atmosphere it created
P.S. Don't judge this series by 1st 3 episodes, otherwise you will drop it.The base story is just amazing, it's one of the best of the ones I have watched in months ad I have watched over 100.
The series is underappreciated but I think I understand the reason why, which I will cover it in some points below.
Scope of Improvement and where it went wrong
* The story was confusing, the structure of scenes/script seemed incorrect.
* Slow Paced series, it could have been wrapped in 8 episodes easily.
* Some of the side stories were unnecessary just increased the confusion and made us lose focus in the main story.
* The timeline, 10 years duration just doesn't match with how the series was presented.
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"The lights of the Returning Temple are always on"
What a refreshing story this was. Loved the mystery concept and specially the legend of the Returning Temple. It made my heart warm and intrigued from start to end.The acting cast is great as well. It just felt a little weird at a scene, but maybe that's just a petpeeve of mine, so i won't go into much detail about what scene that is.
The music is great, well placed and just so good overall that i had to look for the whole OST so i could listen to them over and over when i miss this drama.
I just wish i could re-find it cause i know that i will never get that fresh feeling again when i re-watch it down the road. Beautiful story, with a bit of a cliché but not something that i could call out that much since it made sense when looking back at the character and their story, so i think you will not be disappointed when watching it.
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This review may contain spoilers
A slow burn that didn't make me wanna quit watching halfway through
Ok so first off, I'm gonna start by saying that the characters took their sweet time admitting their feelings. Now was it worth it? Depends.Personally I'm not going to be re watching this anytime soon, but that is only because i feel like i would just skip over half of the show. I might re watch it again in a couple months tho
Moving on to the actual plot- this is a slowwwwwwwwww burn
We don't get any actual couple scenes until the very end, but in my opinion this makes for a great cliffhanger for a season 2. Will this happen? probably not but it's nice to hope.
The characters were cast to perfection and while their chemistry isn't exactly RamKing level it's definitely not BrightWin either.
I'm pretty sure the actors are rookies, so I'm impressed with how well this turned out
I liked pretty much all of the characters, but especially Yu He, which is why i found it really messed up when she outed Amber but other than that i loved all the characters
The side couple deserved way more screen time than they got and I'm kind of upset they didn't get any screen time after like episode 9.
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Such a good story and such a lovely couple
It's a short, sweet and unique type of story for a BL, i highly reccomend.What can i say about this, other than the fact that taiwanese BL never disappoint...and this one is no different
I always prioritise Taiwanese BL series because i know there's gonna be a new concept, great chemistry between the leads/side couples and a plot that'll live up to everyone's expectations.
Now what i also love particuraly about this series, is the fact they gave each character a background story in a settle way yet made it all connect towards the end...
The pace is little slow, but nothing bad, the scenes and scenery are beautiful and captivating.
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The star of the whole drama, both in terms of character’s writing and the portrayal was for sure Erek Lin as Amber. One of the truly refreshing and important stories to be told delivered with great skill. I appreciated how Amber’s identity was quite obvious from the start for the viewers, so we could see all the internal conflicts he was feeling from day one, and how it made it easier to understand him and his decisions by the end.
While I also enjoyed Pu Le Chien, I think his struggles were lost in the lacking storytelling. There were many moments perfect for setting up what’s to come in the 2nd half of the show, but none were used, so when the actual conflict happened, it did not feel earned in terms of writing. Sadly, I was not as impressed by Lukas Huang. I had no issues with the "daily life" scenes, but the more emotional ones felt over the top, often exaggerated by the facial expressions, with little emotions actually conveyed.
Surprisingly, by the end of the drama, I loved Hsieh Yu He. Not gonna lie, I was quite scared they would turn her into a typical jealous female character, as we often see in BLs, so it was a pleasant surprise that she was written with more nuance.
On the other hand, I could have done without Li Ching Lung and Guan Yu Chen - both not really interesting characters, at moments even unlikable. Their storyline brought little to nothing of value and seemed like a typical filler couple.
Production quality was good - many times there was a good use of the lighting creating a great atmosphere for the scene to happen. All that surrounded by an amazing, truly perfect soundtrack.
Overall, for sure one of the better BLs with important topics being brought into discussion and no over the top dramatic plot twists and scenes. More down to earth, falling closely to a slice of life genre.
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Clever and heartbreaking metaphor
This show blows my mind and breaks my heart. But is also sweet and heartwarming. (Trust me, you'll understand after you watch it.)This show tells you pretty early how to interpret it: it's a metaphor; a mystery but not about scary ghosts; a "film" that's using a creative way to tell a deeper story, and every detail has a deeper meaning. Seriously, there are so many layers. Stories within stories (and stories within stories within stories). And every single layer broke my heart more!! Though I loved that the overall message appears to be hopeful.
You might say this show uses a slow-burn approach to storytelling. Whether you're taking the story at a surface level, or reading deeper into it, the story comes together slowly. There are clues all along the way, and the layers gradually weave together as you get more and more details, the relevance of certain scenes or conversations only becoming clear much later. Personally, I adored this method of telling the story and thought it was perfect for the particular story/stories they were telling.
Because of the slow-burn style of this show, I strongly recommend watching it from beginning to end before judging (you need all the pieces before you can make an accurate judgement). But even if you're just looking for a sweet surface-level romance, this is a beautifully original love story and I highly recommend it.
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Sweet and loving
This series was a lot of fun, I enjoyed the leads and the chemistry between all of the characters. They were really good together. The series brings you through a whole lot of emotions. Laughter, sadness, hurt, loss, and love. The emotions were there and had you on an adventure of finding love no matter the gender. There were so many beautiful moments. The one down part was the series is short with only a few episodes but it did tell the story greatly. Just made you wish for more. the leads were my favorite in sharing a love of every lasting from childhood to adult with a great supporting cast. Wish there did a bit of a better ending with showed what happened over time but it was all touching.Was this review helpful to you?
A cute and different queer love story
This show is really one of the cutest that I've ever seen. Although there are definitely some flaws, I really think that the uniqueness of the story really elevates it. While watching it, I realized how much the sides characters were implemented in the story, and this is very rare in many BLs, so I really enjoyed it. However, I think that the side couple was kinda of threw in the middle of the episodes just as a filler, and their storyline felt kind of flat. Nonetheless, I still liked that there was something else happening besides the main couple's relationship, because that really develops only in the last 3 episodes.The acting overall was fine, some definitely gave better performances than others in my opinion, but it didn't bother me much, my main problem with this show was the fact that some plot lines kinda disappeared throughout the series, and it didn't feel really cohesive. It felt like watching the everyday life of normal people more than a well written love story, but I guess that might be also one of the positives aspects for some.
The ending was really the best part for me, and it's definitely worth finishing it. To sum up, this show is a really chill and cute one, and I highly recommend it to people who just want an interesting and emotional love story rather than a complicated drama.
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An Orangey, Sweet Surprise
Quoting a scene from the series, “Knowing you was just like being at home. It was very warming”, the drama was as warming as the lines imply. With sequences portraying the main characters’ childhood friendship as well as their adventures as an adult, the drama captures the warmth, fears and overwhelming feelings that growing up brings. Talking particulars, here are my thoughts on “DNA Says Love You”:1. Plot (9.5/10)- Dealing with multiple themes, the drama explores queerness in a varied aspect without seemingly overwhelming the viewers. Exploring their identities, the characters manage to carry the viewers through their thought process, providing for an inclusive and understanding experience.
2. Cinematography (9/10)- The drama utilises a warm colour grading and varied filming techniques to provide a calm and intimate experience. They manage to induce a tone of lightheartedness all while emphasising the gravity of the situation the characters go through.
3. Acting (9/10)- Every actor in the series, especially our male leads, manage to pull the viewers through emotions of laughter as well as sadness and all the in-betweens seamlessly. A highlight of the series would be their captivating acting.
The Beauty of “DNA Says Love You”: Well, the beauty of the series lies in the portrayal of a strong familial bond, DNA related or otherwise. The drama captures what it means to truly stand by someone despite what others might think of it. What stuck with me the most is that despite having lost communication, all the characters come together as one by the end, with a bond stronger than ever.
You’ll Enjoy This If…: If you are looking for a series that explores multiple LGBTQ+ identities with care, this would be a wonder to watch.
xx
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the show didn't exactly manage to nail it.
As I said in the headline, the show had some gaps and inconsistencies. It could have been a good show with a good story if they had managed to nail it.Also, they should have cast a trans man instead of a cisgender heterosexual man because the performance didn’t fully capture the lived experiences.
he show flips between serious emotional themes (such as identity and acceptance) and light rom-com moments a little too abruptly, so it can feel disjointed.
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