Minoli Palihena

I just can't get over today's episode. The chemistry between Hiro and Senpai is so intense. I love how they've incorporated delicate passion into the story without it feeling cringy or explicit. The way they talk about sex and show intimacy is so fulfilling and gentle. It's refreshing to watch a mature BL series. Japan really does it so much better. I wish there were more episodes of this drama. The story might not be the most unique, but the chemistry and the acting make up for it, making it far from boring to watch.

I was too caught up in the story that I almost forgot to commend the actors!
From the leads to all the supporting actors, everyone is amazing. It's rare to find BLs with such serious undertones in the plot and acting. Taiwan always stands out in that aspect. The production and the OST are beautiful. They have made sure to make it worth every penny that was invested. The closet scene was the peak of the episode. Every heightened emotion was depicted flawlessly. I haven't been this excited about a BL in a long time! So Thank you, Taiwan, for always excelling in quality BLs.

Hmm...I understand the frustration and agree with how they handled the situation.

After considering the novel's perspective and the time period in which the story is set, I realized that the book vividly describes the hardships all the characters went through. We don't see that in the series as much. There was a lot of trauma involved, especially in seeing how WQ built up his life and his siblings' lives, which is quite admirable. He went through a lot of challenges, and Sang Pang was there with him every step of the way. He's a great friend. However, the topic of homosexuality was a nuanced one for them. In a tradition-dominated culture, such as in many Asian countries, it's still a discreetly approached subject. Both Sang Pang and Wei Quian were very oblivious to this fact. They thought the best way to address it would be to send XY away so he could have more freedom.

I grew up in an Asian family where we rarely discussed our feelings with our parents. It's common for adults not to openly talk about topics like sex and love. I know it can be toxic, but I believe it's just a cultural difference, with its good and bad aspects. We accepted it as it was. Some may find it insensitive, but I understand my parents' point of view and I don't blame them. They raised us the way they were raised, and we had to learn everything the hard way.

Anyways it was strange for WQ to ever think of XY as anything but his brother, despite them not being blood-related. He literally raised that kid. It's a mess but trust me you'll get the good parts, just a little later.

Greatttt casting I should say. They're killing it!

The show is doing a brilliant job of delving deeper into the relationship between the characters. The novel doesn't focus on their relationship as much. If you haven't read the novel, I can give you a little spoiler to provide more insight.

I agree with how WQ and Sang Pang handled XY's situation. The topic of homosexuality was a nuance for them, and the fact that XY is WQ's brother, regardless of blood relation, made matters even more complicated. Sending XY away seemed like the only solution at the time, but it shouldn't have been. Perhaps they thought that exposing XY to more of the world would give him new perspectives. XY, being the devoted brother, accepted it because he would do anything his 'Gege' asked of him.

In the series, XY seems more innocent, but in the novel, the author describes XY's feelings towards WQ as a deep love, to the extent that he wishes he could devour WQ's flesh and drink his blood. It's as if his feelings were caught in a storm and he didn't know what to do. He had such overwhelming feelings he was willing to sacrifice his body and soul for his brother. He couldn't bear his brother's obliviousness to notice him and look at him that way.

After 4 years, he comes back with his feelings still the same towards WQ, but it seems like he has made peace with himself, thinking it's okay if WQ settles with someone else and doesn't return his feelings, as long as he's allowed to stay near him and have him in his sight.

So yeah, you could say XY was a bit obsessed with his brother.

WQ always saw XY as a brother and nothing more. Sang Pang, a close family friend, also knows this. It's not about XY being gay. In their culture, people don't usually talk openly about their sexuality like XY did, so it's new for Sang Pang and Wei Qian. Maybe they shouldn't have avoided the topic, but it seems like they didn't know how to handle it. In the novel, WQ thinks that XY being gay must be because he raised him wrong, which is backward thinking. But if we consider WQ's POV, we can understand where he's coming from. It's not homophobia, but the result of the societal norms they all grew up with. And the fact that XY is WQ's brother, regardless of blood relation, only makes things more complicated. Sang Pang also thinks the same way hence him trying to set WQ up with a girl before it gets difficult with XY. So yes, it's a mess, a mess they need to untangle themselves.

This is exactly how I pictured that scene going down in the book. It's pretty rare for a live adaptation to actually be better than the original work, but the producers are totally nailing WQ and XY's relationship, which was barely there in the novel. But both the book and the show are great in their own ways. The novel didn't focus much on their relationship, but the show making that the main focus was a super smart move. As a reader and viewer, I'm satisfied either way now.

Episode 6 was devastating. I was legit about to pull all my hair out. The whole time I was yelling "Yuan, what you're thinking of doing is gonna blow up in your face!" Which, of course, it did. Some people might have different opinions about Sang Pang, but I gotta say I really admire that man. He's always been such a great friend to WQ and an awesome brother to Lili and Yuan too. If I'm not wrong, the house they're living in is Sang Pang's parents' place. We just have to understand that Sang Pang and Wei Quian's views on gay people are pretty different from modern views. They grew up in a society where having a mom and dad was just seen as the normal thing. With all the crap WQ went through as a kid raising his siblings, he knows having a gay kid like XY is gonna make life way harder. In those traditional cultures, the future for homosexual people has a ton of obstacles. WQ just wants his siblings to have an easier life since he's already done the hard yards for them. Sang Pang wasn't anti-XY either, he saw WQ and XY as brothers even if they're not blood-related. He knows WQ has only ever seen XY as a brother. So setting WQ up with a girl made total sense, whether WQ went for it or not.

XY just reacted in the heat of the moment which ended up hurting bad. Now WQ is all conflicted and XY left home upset. For a guy like WQ, it's so hard to wrap his head around stuff like romance, let alone being liked that way by a guy he sees as his brother. Those 4 years are gonna fly by and we'll see how it changes them.

Better buckle up, guys, we're in for another emotional rollercoaster with the next episodes!

I'm so psyched this show has me ranting like a madman on MDL again. It's been ages since a drama got me that hyped.

Gah! A mature BL, yet it's giving me butterflies! I love the pacing, the story is never boring. I enjoy the little bickering between Miyata and Senpai. It seems that Miyata is quick to jump to conclusions. Curious to find out what Senpai truly wants with Miyata. He just needs to express his real feelings. Senpai is my favorite character, and he knows the effect he has on Miyata. It's giving Old Fashion Cupcake feels! Why are all the good BLs so short?! They should at least make 10 episodes.
The chemistry between the characters is amazing, and the story is so entertaining. This is an impressive BL. I plan to read the manga once this is over. Hopefully, there'll be an English translation available by then.

Ok guys we're heading towards Heartbreak Land next week!
This series gives me the feels from every direction.
WQ's reaction to XY being gay is totally reasonable and understandable. He has never thought about his brother anything beyond platonically. He brought up his siblings in a harsh environment and had to become an adult when he himself was just a child. So he won't understand why XY is the way he is. For WQ, he wants his siblings to have a comfortable life, he worked hard to give them that. According to WQ's POV, XY's attraction to boys in a culture like theirs means going through hardships again. WQ wishes for them to have a traditional family; get married, have children, and retire comfortably. Yet, XY will not be able to achieve this as easily as others. So as the older brother, WQ feels responsible for XY's struggles. In the novel, he asks XY if he did something wrong for him to turn out to be gay and if he didn't raise him right. As much as it hurt XY, that was the truth. It is not necessarily homophobia, but rather the result of societal conditioning where having a mother and a father is considered the norm. Therefore, WQ believes that XY should also have a family with a mother and a father. WQ has never been interested in anyone romantically, regardless of their gender, so getting a confession from a boy would make no difference to him. For WQ, XY is his BROTHER. He would've died happy as a single man knowing his siblings were finally independent.
XY will have to face his reality alone, and it will undoubtedly be painful for us to watch. However, only time will decide what will happen in the end.

Okay as much as I like Sakae-kun this BL was not it. Usually, J-BLs are great, but this one had all the typical plot devices, such as a girl coming between them, an ex interfering, and a silly break-up scene over a trivial reason. They dragged this story for ten weeks, and it could have ended at least four episodes earlier. Also, the chemistry between the main characters wasn't the strongest. Ironically, Sakae had more chemistry with his ex than with Soga.
I recommend the show to anyone looking for a quick and easy watch, as it has a happy ending. You can binge it at 2x speed. I hear people saying that the manga is different from the series, so I might check it out. It seems that the creative liberties taken by the producers on the show didn't quite work as they should have.

Omg, Maggi! I'm so sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. Sending you all my love and support. I hope you're starting to feel better and taking the time to rest and recover. Just take it easy and know that things will get better soon.
On the bright side, you can re-watch Unknown as if it's the first time again! If you want, I'm happy to send you the novel with a better translation. However, considering the effort, it may not be worth it. Once you've caught up to the current episode, just go over the excerpts I've put above. I'm sure you'll enjoy them.
Take care, and I hope to see you in the comment section soon!

Things are escalating too quickly & it's only the second episode. Hiro should not give in too fast and I'm glad he is trying his best to resist Senpai's unreasonable moves. Unfortunately, it seems like our boi won't be able to hold on for long, based on the preview for next week's episode. I'm not sure how the story will unfold, as we only know that Senpai's goal is to win Hiro over. Perhaps we'll see more obstacles in the future, since right now, Shiraishi is the only character acting as a villain.

Yeah of course

Omg I accidentally watched this and it was so good. The leads have very cute chemistry. The male lead is exceptionally handsome and the female lead has the most adorable smile. I usually don't come across Filipino dramas, this was pure coincidence. I liked the short line of bloopers they showed in the last episode. A cute rom-com!

The show is doing a great job with the romantic aspect of the story, which wasn't the main focus of the novel. The book mostly revolved around the upbringing of the siblings and how Wei Qian had to take on the role of an adult, being the eldest child. There were also several subplots involving other characters. The relationship between WQ and XY was only briefly touched upon in the novel, and it wasn't elaborated much by the author.

Although Priest is good at adding a fresh perspective to BLs, she doesn't overly focus on romance. The leads do get a happy ending in the novel, but they don't play the role of a couple for much of the book. I think it was a wise decision for the show to focus more on the leads, as audiences tend to prefer romance-focused stories over too much realism.

Yessssss, at one point it felt like an obsession. He hated the fact that Wei Qian was never going to reciprocate his feelings.

"Love so deep, he wished he could devour his brother’s flesh and drink his blood."

Xiao Yuan literally couldn't even breathe someone else's way but his brother's.

I appreciate that the series is not simply copying the novel word for word. While Priest didn't intend the novel to be a romance, the series is giving us more insight into the two leads. I'm pleased that the childhood trauma from the novel is not overemphasized and that the series is providing an appropriate amount of content from the book.

If waiting is torture till the next episode is out, feel free to read a small SPOILER about what to expect next.

Wei Qian is slowly realizing what Xiao Yuan is. We're getting the same scene from the book, where Xiao Yuan decides to come out to his brother while on their fishing trip. If they follow the book correctly, we won't like Wei Qian's reaction. He's going to be cold and distant and even asks if he wasn't a good enough example for Xiao Yuan to turn out to be gay. But he does feel sorry for his brother. Since Xiao Yuan says there's someone he likes, Wei Qian can't help but feel that he's growing up too fast and will leave him soon. We're in for a lot of feels, and poor Xiao Yuan will suffer alone. The brothers will avoid this topic and won't talk about it until a fateful gala event where everything changes, which again isn't for the best of Xiao Yuan's benefit.

The book only picked up the pace in the last few chapters, and I'm sure that at the rate the series is going, we will get some quality content.

Lately, I haven't been completely satisfied with Taiwanese BLs. They all seem to be mediocre and cringe, including the currently airing "Anti-Reset". (I'm sorry, but I just can't take it seriously. Although the actors have good chemistry, the acting itself is kinda cringe and the plot is unimpressive.) However, "Unknown" has restored my faith in Taiwan again. I find myself visiting MDL after every episode to comment about it, which is something I only do when a series exceeds my expectations.

I think they switch.

You seem to have read a machine-translated version. Mine was pretty good and as I remember correctly in chapter 61 WQ first gives XY a ha*d job and then tops him. At first, I couldn't figure out whether they were actually going at it or not as the author doesn't exclusively mention the activity taking place 😂 But as I read on I figured it was WQ who was performing the act given how awkward it was.

And then in one of the extras, it mentions XY pressing down WQ and indulging him which means they're versatile.

Ok, lemme put an excerpt of the scene from chapter 61 below so you can finally read the moment of truth...😂

"Fuck!" Wei Zhiyuan completely lost his temper. He wasn't naturally an impatient person, especially after years of diligently cultivating his character; he couldn't recall the last time he felt this irritable.

Like a zombie, he suddenly sat up, muttering lowly, "My blood vessels are about to burst."

Wei Qian seemed a bit out of it. At this point, even his supposedly calm mind was blank.

Standing a couple of steps away, he clumsily asked, "What did you call me just now?"

In the faint moonlight, Wei Zhiyuan saw his complex and confused expression. Several buttons on his chest had been undone by himself, but Wei Qian seemed unaware, revealing a narrow strip of his chest.

"Just torture me." Wei Zhiyuan stood up, struggling to control his actions amidst the raging desire, but unable to control his mouth. "Wei Qian, I fucking hate you."

As they passed by each other, Wei Qian suddenly grabbed Wei Zhiyuan's wrist.

His almost blank expression shattered by Wei Zhiyuan's outburst, Wei Qian seemed to regain his calmness in an instant, his tone sounding even calmer.

Wei Qian said, "Get on the bed, I'll help you."

Wei Zhiyuan's robust heart stuttered again. He only remembered being gently pushed by Wei Qian, then immediately "floating" back onto the bed as if weightless. His revolutionist spirit had long gone, and Wei Qian's cold hand had barely slipped into his pants when he shuddered all over and let out a groan.

In this state, Wei Qian relaxed, and even in his nature, he couldn't help but sarcastically remark, "What's with all the noise? You're reciting lines too soon—can't you hold back a bit? Acting like a cat in heat?"

Wei Zhiyuan's rationality had long shattered into pieces. Despite Wei Qian's rough and clumsy technique, in the hands of the one he longed for, the technicalities were insignificant.

Wei Zhiyuan called out to him haphazardly, sometimes "brother," sometimes his name, his mind in turmoil.
It definitely wasn't very comfortable, and Wei Qian was well aware of that. He had been mechanical the entire time, feeling less satisfying than when a blind masseur worked on his neck at the massage parlor—it was purely functional... But could one person truly turn another's world upside down?

Wei Qian was accustomed to others relying on him and obeying him. Throughout his life, he had tried his best to become more reliable, and this was almost the most intimate interaction he had ever experienced.

But Wei Zhiyuan was different; he was getting too close.

Wei Qian couldn't help but feel incredulous—was he really that good? Where did Xiao Yuan's persistence come from? He had never received the most natural and unconditional love from his parents in his life, never established even the slightest trust in the world, let alone something as elusive as...Love.

Yet in Wei Zhiyuan's shining eyes, he saw his own reflection, feeling for the first time that extreme intimacy, as if he had been secretly nestled in someone's heart without even realizing it.

Wei Qian's heart suddenly softened, as if someone were gently tickling it with a feather, and even his movements became more gentle involuntarily... though still awkwardly so.

Until Wei Qian had finished wiping his hands, Wei Zhiyuan still lay on his bed, unwilling to get up.

Wei Zhiyuan: "Brother."
Wei Qian tossed the tissue into the bin. "What is it?"
Wei Zhiyuan called again, "Qian'er..."
Wei Qian closed the window that had been open for most of the night. "Yes?"
Wei Zhiyuan had nothing in particular to say; he just wanted to call him.
The young man closed his eyes amidst the soft bedding and muttered again, "Qian'er."
This time, Wei Qian finally grew impatient. "What is it? Are you done yet?"
Wei Zhiyuan chuckled to himself and said softly, "It was worth dying for."

Bonus excerpt from the Extra cz you might as well read that too 😂

Wei Qian finally couldn't find words to say. He adjusted himself to a slightly more comfortable position and patted Wei Zhiyuan's hand. "Hmm, let's sleep."

However, Wei Zhiyuan sensed something unusual from his tone. His drowsiness suddenly dissipated, and he stared straight at Wei Qian in the darkness for a while. Then, his fingers quietly slipped into Wei Qian's pajamas.

It wasn't until his actions became excessive that Wei Qian snapped out of his empty sadness and said firmly, "Just let me sleep, honestly."

But he stopped him too late. Wei Zhiyuan rolled over, pressing down on one of Wei Qian's arms with his weight, using his elbow to pin down the other arm, and covering his mouth. Swiftly, he peeled off Wei Qian's snug pajamas and skillfully indulged himself.

After what seemed like an eternity, Wei Zhiyuan finally released him.

Gently stroking Wei Qian's brows and eyes, still tingling, Wei Zhiyuan leaned down and lightly kissed him, asking jealously, "Isn't having me enough?"

Wei Qian's spine was still numb, and he weakly touched Wei Zhiyuan's chin. "Isn't it too much with just you?" Wei Zhiyuan bit down on his finger, grinding his teeth against it.

"Alright, darling," Wei Qian's voice grew softer, "I'm really tired. Let me sleep."

This time, Wei Qian really didn't have the energy to pick out any faults with his future brother-in-law. Before he finished speaking, he fell into a deep sleep.

This was my first Priest novel. Actually I like that the author is trying differently to do BLs. People usually overly glamorize and sexualize BL novels sometimes it's too cliche and don't do justice for a great story to be told. This is a good story just that the series is doing better cz after all romance sells better than too much realism.

Hopefully the series will do justice for us readers who got robbed off of the romance 😂