Secret Lover (2025)

The Perfect Love Story!

SECRET LOVER - REVIEW

Sooo, with a bit delay, since my attention jumps all over I finally binged the second half today. Phew.

It was a strange start, I have to admit. It wasn't a series that caught me from the get go, I assume that is why I went away without deciding it so. Probably also because some big famous shows drew my attention away, and then I forgot about it. So this wasn't a love a first sight for me. Not for any negatives, but where other shows were loud and shiny, this seemed a bit too calm and flowing silently beside me.

Now having gone back, I must say the show really grew on me a lot, so much that I would even say, it is an almost perfect Love Story! There is not too much other stuff weighing in down like Revenged Love with its many layers and sub-stories, SECRET LOVER was a pure love story. I really appreciated that they did not take the all too samey looking MC actors. Both stood out memorable, when many Thai and Korean BL series tend a bit to same-cast these days.

I really liked that it did not play into any seme-uke or big guy - small guy stereotypes, but each MC was a well rounded character in himself. The childhood flashbacks were a bit too much for my taste, but bearable. I really liked how they developed along with the other characters, all how had a good presence and chemistry in the cast. Especially the last three episodes made it skyrocket in my view thinking like, yes this feels like the Perfect Love Story to me. Drama, misunderstandings, love - but neither overplayed nor with any silly instant solutions, all went very organically together to a very happy ending.

Also the scenes between the MC were believable, touching and convincing and more realistic than many other BL stories. It is a show I am sure to remember and rewatch. As such, with all things good to me, I give it a

10/10

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Best friends to Lovers Done Right

Secret Lover has a pretty simple premise: it’s about two boys and a girl who grew up together as best friends. But don’t worry—the girl isn’t there to stir up drama. In fact, she’s more like the peacemaker, the one they both turn to for advice whenever they fight.

Han Tuo is the classic heartthrob, the type girls fall for easily. But there’s a twist to his character that I didn't see it coming and I'm here for it. On the other hand, Lujunxi is the complete opposite. He’s never dated before, but he’s open to the idea, and Han Tuo steps in to “coach” him.

The chemistry between the leads is so good, and I’m absolutely here for their sweet little moments. They really brought their characters to life. I especially loved how natural and believable Lujunxi’s reaction was when Han Tuo started making subtle moves—it felt real. Like, that awkwardness totally makes sense when your best friend suddenly starts looking at you differently.

Also, can we talk about the NC scenes? They're surprisingly well-done—passionate without being cringey or over-the-top. The kisses felt natural too, especially since one of them has zero experience. It was actually kind of endearing.

The series also dips into themes like trauma, abandonment, insecurity, and the fear of coming out. But honestly, it’s not as heavy as it sounds. At its core, it’s still a light and sweet story about two best friends slowly realizing they’ve probably been in love for a long time.

That said, I highly recommend watching a few episodes before reading the comments or reviews. A lot of people seem to bash this series unfairly. As someone who’s watched over 200 BLs, I’ve learned not to let online reviews decide for me.

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frustrating done right!

looking back on this show, I'm actually shocked that I never feel frustrated or annoyed., as someone who typically goes for drama with pretty flawless, 'unrealistic' characters.

The nature of the plot makes plot tropes like miscommunication, secrecy, and jealousy expected, and I was entertained by how this drama played it all out. additionally, the drama is short, so no drama felt extremely drawn out, or rushed. if it was a full length show, then this review would probably o a 180, where I'm ranting about the lack of communication and such lol.

something i loved was how both of the male leads where clearly flawed. with one being the jealous, intense and slightly pushy. And the other being avoidant, too non-confrontational and slightly dismissive. These are all qualities that the average human has some of without even realising it. Just like in real life, its presented in some moments and is not really that obvious and not really an issue until it causes a misunderstanding.

aka, they're dynamic felt way too realistic to be bothered by. it was not over the top, like watching reality tv, and was also not so chill that there isn't a point of the show.

in terms of chemistry, this pair went so well with each other from episode 1, they have the perfect dynamic.

the main criticism i would give this drama is that due to being short, there was a lack of proper development in terms of their relationship, as well as their interactions with others. at times it felt like back to back scenes with milestones and no actual blending together.

I gave it a 9/10, not because it was perfect, but simpl because i really did enjoy it, although its definitely not the best out there.

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fixer upper

This is worth a try. It js lacking in few areas but it's like an unpolished diamond. It doesn't just tell a story about romance but about family too, or lack of one. Budget plays a role in this short dramas but this isn't so bad and I have seen a descent budgeted production that is bad. The BGM is really nice. Lin Pei Yu always picks the best BGM for her projects.
The artists do need to work on their craft, but I also think the director could have helped in this area.
The story was told in a very concise manner that you'll feel there's something missing. Overall, I was satisfied and finished the series. I can recommend you give it a try.

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Secret Lover: Blink and They’re Already Making Out

I was so excited waiting for this one to finish airing. A best friends-to-lovers trope from a Taiwan BL? That’s supposed to be my Roman Empire. I was ready for slow burn, tension, yearning — the kind of emotional suffering we live for. But instead of a slow burn, I got a speed run. The series jumped straight into Freakytown before I even had time to finish my popcorn. Episode 1? They’re making out. By episode 4? They’re already in bed. Like… can we breathe first? Can you yearn a little before we start undressing? BLs without a build-up feel so off, especially when these two were supposed to be best friends with zero preexisting feelings. Realistically, if your best friend suddenly confesses, you’d at least need a few days or even longer to emotionally spiral before kissing them. But nope — these two skipped the spiral and went straight to “we’re in love now.” Jun Xi said Han Tuo was moving too fast, and honestly for the audience that was even faster. The audience needed a seatbelt. The pacing was just insane — there was no room for character or relationship development, which sucks because the plot idea was actually good. It could’ve been a gem, but they rushed it like there was a prize for moving like the speed of light. Now, I’ll give credit where it’s due: the chemistry was good! Like, they looked great together. But chemistry can’t fix a broken plot. And I swear, the side characters were eating them up. I was way more invested in the two girls than the main couple because they actually felt real. The parents? Adorable. The brother? Supportive king. The funny moments? Lifesavers. Those are honestly the only reasons the rating isn’t lower. Also, Han Tuo being jealous of a literal child was wild behavior. Sir, be serious. You can tell that man wasn't ready for a relationship and honestly, probably neither was Jun Xi. I think if anything Han Tao needed therapy. Anyway, safe to say I’m disappointed once again. Taiwan BL used to have that magic — what’s going on lately? Someone bring back the yearning, please.

Rating: 7.5/10 (for the acting, the side characters, and the comedy that unintentionally saved the show).

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You got what you wanted, but you lost what you had

It is 1:44 am on Christmas Eve; this is the American dream. Okay, so I just finished this show, and I can't lie, it was pretty good. I would give it an 8.6 out of 10. The episodes are short, and it's not a lot of brain power, so just watch it. So I am going to say what I liked, what I didn't, and then an overview of it all. Let's get into it.

Starting off strong with THEIR CHEMISTRY. Oh my god, they have some of the better chemistry I have seen in dramas recently. It just feels so natural, I can't explain it, but both actors did a phenomenal job and really brought this drama to life even more. Yeah, so going into the actors, I don't remember their names or their character names lmao, so when I am writing about them, it is just going to be vague descriptions lmao. Like I just said, both great actors have their own strengths and weaknesses, but no one gafs about the weakness because that is not for this section. Starting off with the tall guy, people on TikTok had me thinking he was chopped shit and unc, but he is genuinely so handsome, y'all tripping. If most people think someone is ugly, I usually always do as well because I am genetically predestined to be a hater, but this time I can't get behind it, and I think he is very attractive; he just has a long face, like a scary long face. He is also tall and has such a nice body, oh my god. To the other guy, he is also so good-looking. His teeth were my favorite, his smile just seemed so cute and sincere, and I fucking love him, oh my god. I think he is the better actor out of the two of them, but they both did a great job and I know they are gonna disapear from any media once they are done with their fan service train and then once we see them again one of them will either be married or they are gonna get caught coming out of a hotel together, no in between, those are my 2028 predictions. Anyway, I think this show is good. I started this pretty late in the day, and my brain was all the way off, and I am sitting here holding my mother fucking balls, and I am like, I just need a non-brainer show where they dont treat sex as some taboo thing and never talk about it. And this show showed up, and I am like hell yeah. There are a lot of flaws, but it is also a cute show with pretty good sex scenes and just a simple plot. The plot doesn't jump around a whole bunch, and you are expecting most things, except that the boss had a crush on him; I wasn't expecting that. And I think shows like that can be good and bad, and this was in the middle, weighing more towards the good. My favorite character was that annoying girl on the hoverboard, she's so me and was genuinely so fucking funny, oh my lord. Our NC scenes were fun, just the right amount, and they did some foreplay and after-sex shit, and I think they were pretty good. Okay, the last thing for now was the jealousy. Okay, I think jealousy is so annoying, and it ruins shows, but in this show, I didn't mind it. I think it's just because he genuinely cares and not because he doesn't trust him, that's why I liked it. It was just simple, and I thought it was done pretty well and was overkill, but it became funny and endearing. Okay, wait, I have more. The older brother is so fucking hot, oh my god, and I thought, while at first, the kid stuff at the start of the episodes was so cute, and I loved it so much. Another thing I liked was the fact that the show addresses its problems. Does it try to fix them? More or less, but anyway, I really liked that.

STARTING OFF STRONG WITH THE FUCKING RUNNING, STOP FUCKING RUNNING I SWEAR TO GOD. It was just so annoying, and the show knew it too lmao. Run, run, oh my god, stop running. I was going to make the headline be something related to that because they genuinely run so much, but I like the one I have now. They introduced way too many random characters towards the end with the internships and all that, like geniuely no one cares, and why did the boss have a crush on him, like what the fuck? He has been talking about his boyfriend with you this entire time, and you really thought you had a chance? IRRELEVANTTTTT. Pacing. I think we could have paced the episodes slightly better, and I usually say it is too slow, but this time it was too fast. I love that we got straight into it, but we genuinely jumped ship in the first 16 minutes of the 25-minute episode, like there is no fucking way. JUMPED FUCKING SHIP. Yeah, big problem. Another thing related to that is the romance building. I dont know why I have become so picky with that recently, but this show was no different. I think they did the romance building incredibly poorly and just made it up through mediocre sex scenes that had awkward kissing for two minutes and them eye fucking each other. Like we need dates, we need cute moments, we need all of that. Of course, we had some of that, but the poor spacing made it genuinely so hard to follow and felt more like a forced relationship. Especially the way the tall guy was grabbing him and forcing himself on to him, oh my lord, instead of doing all of that crap, let's do some romance fucking building. Okay, last thing I can think of, because this is getting kind of long, was the child scenes. I liked them at first, but towards the middle, they became very repetitive and boring. I'm like, let's work on the present and not the past, oh my jizzle, no one gives a fuck.

Okay, overview time, I actually remember this whole thing, because I just finished it. I will definitely be rewatching because they have very good chemistry, and you have to be blind if you can't see that. Okay, let's get into it. Oh my god, this isn't loading. Yeah, love that for me, so I will finish writing this in the morning, I guess. “How can you be slow and fast paced and have a good start and a bad start at the same time that doesn’t make any sense.” “OK yeah, I wasn’t gonna watch this originally because I thought they were brothers, but they’re not so I don’t care.” “OK, so the pacing is intentional because the taller guy is jumping the gun, and the shorter guy is like we gotta slow down. OK good my bad for judging. Two things I do like, I like the kid part at the beginning of the first three episodes. I think that was cute and I also like how the girl knew that he had a crush on him and she’s rooting for that and I love that. We have another lot of interest just added because we need more plot. And the taller guy where did he get that nose like I don’t think I’ve ever seen, I don’t wanna be a” bigot “but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Asian person with like a hung nose, and his nose is hung bro. I’m trying to get a little nibble. Try to do some unspeakable acts to that nose.” “Everything makes sense when something bad happens. They get over it and something else. Bad happens. AND THE WAY THEY TALK ABOUT SEX. I got what I wanted.” “Pretty underwhelming ending to an otherwise really good show. Like we wrapped everything up pretty midly but still fine, but I wish they had a little more time with them towards the end but it's okay, I dont care.”

Yeah, this show is a little overhyped and also unnecessarily hated on I can't lie. Okay bye!

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A Heartwarming Tale of Friendship and First Love

Secret Lover is a charming little Taiwanese BL series that tells the story of two best friends whose relationship slowly turns into something more—after one of them has secretly been in love with the other for years. It’s a soft and warm exploration of love, identity, and the fear of not being accepted by family and society.

The pacing is on the slower side, but that actually works well here—it gives time for the characters' feelings to develop naturally. The series never tries to be overly dramatic, which makes it feel more grounded and relatable. There are some heartfelt moments dealing with coming out and the fear of rejection, but they’re handled gently.

What really carries the show is the chemistry between the two lead actors. Even though this is their first time in main roles, both give surprisingly strong performances. Their interactions feel honest and full of quiet emotion, and it’s easy to root for them.

This isn’t a show full of twists or intense drama—it's more of a feelgood story that’s perfect for a rainy-day binge. If you're looking for something light, sincere, and sweet, Secret Lover is definitely worth checking out.

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I meannnn

I'm not really sure where I sit with this one as a whole, but it was cute. I just felt like it needed something and I'm not exactly 100% on what that missing thing was for me. Additionally, emotionally, this felt very flat at times and I wish it hit a little more in the soft spots. There's supposed to be a lot of heart in this story, but it doesn't really come through.

Personally, I've been more invested in the actors outside of the series than I was with their characters. It's evident that they are really close and I'm happy they were able to find each other through this project.

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