KISEKI: DEAR TO ME (2023)

Romance? Passion? Chemistry? Pacing? What more could we possibly ask for?

What a great series!!! Everything we could possible want, we got in spades!

I loved the story of Bai Zong Yi and Fan Ze Rui. How these two lonely people whose paths unexpectedly cross steadily form a relationship from being enemies to unwilling caretaker/pestering patient, to friends, and then lovers. The buildup of tension between the two as their feelings for each other started to develop was immaculate 🤌🏾🤌🏾. Between when they finally become lovers, are separated and reunited, the love, lust and longing they had for each other was so palpable it was almost too much to watch. Episodes 7 and 11 still have me in a chokehold. My favorite thing about BZY was his honesty and straightforward personality. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was direct with his feelings for FZR. My fave thing about FZR was his eyes. His eyes told so much and always looked at BZY so lovingly. When watching two people GAZE at each other makes you shy, you know you've found a gem.

Where BZY and FZR were intimate and loving, Ai Di and Chen Yi were explosive and intense. Both pairings were so passionate but it was expressed in completely different ways which was great to see. AD and CY's romance story was also beautiful to watch; finally seeing, AD who had been waiting over 4 years for CY to reciprocate his love, find his own happiness was for sure worthwile. For all of AD's aggressiveness, he is such a softie on the inside, especially to those he loves, a classic tsundere so his character was very fun to watch and I loved his dynamic with CY.

Overall, in terms of romance, Kiseki: Dear to Me 100% delivered. The driving gang plot itself too was also good and brought lots of angst that allowed our couples to develop their feelings even quicker. I appreciated how the story didn’t drag at all throughout the series. (Though, I did wait for the series to end before binging so the pacing seemed great to me, all the cliffhangers would have had me STRESSED had I watched this live xD). Everything was paced well and I didn't feel any relevant plotline was particularly underdeveloped. Although, I wouldn't be opposed to getting bonus episodes of BZY and CY's married life, too much to ask? 👉🏾👈🏾🥺😫🥺. Acting was also superb from the main cast. I did not feel one bit of discomfort/awkwardness in intimate scenes between any of the pairings. They all had great chemistry. The only poor acting was honestly mainly from Wayne's character lmao, and other small side characters.

Anyway, so happy with this series and I wish the best to all the actors. I had a great time watching it and I'm sure if you decide to pick this up, you will too!

Leia Mais

Unexpectedly amazing! A must watch!!

Synopsis

The series revolves the main couple, Bai Zong-Yi and Fan Ze-Rui. Zing-Yi first meets injured Ze-Rui when coming home from his high school. While providing a safe haven and medical care to Ze-Rui, Zong-Yi develops feelings. Their relationship faces many obstacles and dangers, due to Ze-Rui’s job as a gangster. Zong-Yi who’s ultimately made to give up on his dream to become an accomplished doctor, constantly fights for their love. On the other hand, Ai-Di (while helping his friends, Ze-Rui and Zong-Yi amidst all the chaos), is longing for the time Chen-Yi would come to him.


Overall - 8.5/10

The series was entertaining and wholesome. I did catch myself shedding a few tears for Zong-Yi and Ai-Di. It would be great to see this remade again with more and longer episodes. At first it didn’t seem as though i would come to love it as much as i did. But the story was truly wonderful. The series was cute, wholesome, and emotional. I definitely think this is an absolute must watch for BL fans.


Story - 8/10

The second couple, Ai-Di and Chen-Yi get an almost equal amount of screen time making them seem more of a main couple than a second. Ai-Di’s and Chen-Yi’s relationship have a very different dynamic compared to the main couple, probably influenced by both of their involvement in gang leadership. Ai-Di had significant screen time, which especially made him seem more that an a support role.

The second leads’ personalities are very different to the main couple’s. Chen-Yi, is quite stoic and serious. Ai-Di, is playful and brutal . Zong-yi, is gentle and straightforward. Ze-Rui is romantic and sentimental. These differences made watching the series all the more interesting.

The third couple in series would probably be the relationship between the two bosses Dong-Yang and Ming-Lei. Their love story felt quite sorrowful and tragic. I felt that their love story had a lot of potential. It would be quite interesting to see their story developed as a series of their own.

To me, the main couple’s romance felt too sudden and random at the beginning, although their relationship developed to be my favourite later on.

Seeing, “history 3: make our days count” couple on screen brought back nostalgic memories. However, it does seem that they (more specifically Wayne Song) can’t escape their misfortune, as lovers in H3:MODC and as antagonists in this series.


Acting/ Cast - 9/10

Taro Lin (Bai Zong-Yi) was the most impressive to me. I felt that Taro was quite good at expressing the subtle emotions and nuances of his character. He did a good job in balancing his character’s gentleness and his contrasting boldness with his love interest. Taro and Hsu Kai (Fan Ze-Rui) had a lot of chemistry, which made their character’s relationship all the more realistic and enjoyable. I did feel like that Nat Chen (Chen-Yi) and Louis Chiang (Ai-Di), had more room for improvement compared to the leads. Personally, Nat’s and Louis’ chemistry felt a bit dry at times.

Louis was a personal favourite. His parts which focused on him leading his gang was the most interesting to me. I had hoped for more scenes where Louis would have been able to showcase more of that playful and dangerous brutal sides of his character.


Music & Sounds - 8.5/10

There’s wasn’t anything too special about the music. It didn’t draw my attention or getting me thinking it was amazing. But it did it’s job in emphasising the emotions of certain scenes. The Music or Sound, didn’t have any notable impact on my overall rating of the series.


Rewatch Value - 7/10

I wouldn’t say it’s always good to have a high rewatch value. A higher rewatch value could mean that the film had less of an impact, was less memorable or was quite generic. This series did have its memorable points, but it did fell generic. It’s something I would watch again to pass time, or when I feel like indulging myself on Chen-Yi’s and Ai-Di’s angst, or Zongyi’s and Ze-Rui’s wholesomeness.


Thank you for reading so far!! <3

Leia Mais

Well made romance thriller.

What I liked:
-The acting.
(Especially Ai Di's actor. They way he was able to portray this undercurrent of sadness and vulnerability in this street kid gang member was truly impressive.)
-The production.
(Some of the shots in the shows were really beautiful. And i was never taken out of the story by weird editing or audio problems.)
-The story.
(It was really nice to have a romance that had plot going on, independent of the romance.)

What I struggled with:
- The relationships between the groups.
(I had a really hard time understanding why the different factions were against each other.)

Leia Mais

Where there is love, there are miracles.

I absolutely loved the first episodes. There are some things that I didnt like, but this series was so good and interesting and the actors were so hot.
I didnt expect such a chemistry between the main characters. To be honest, I liked Chen Yi and Ai Di more. Thanks God that they became a couple after all. Of course, I also liked Ze Rui and Bai Zong Yi. It was obvious that Ze Rui felt in love first, but Bai Zong Yi didnt want to express his feelings from the start. It was awful when he took the blame and saved Ze Rui. He wasted four years of his life, failed at school and lost his short memory in prison. Ai Di also made the wrong desicion, but after all everything had a happy end.
For a taiwanesse series, this was so good. Surely I will rewatch it.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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/

Leia Mais

Apakah semenarik kiseki 2021?

Di awal tahun 2021, muncul sebuah trailer yang menurutku cukup bagus, judulnya adalah Kiseki (miracle) ; diperankan oleh seorang aktor bernama Stan Huang (sekarang merupakan pemain series VIP Only) ; banyak sekali penonton yang ingin menjadikan series kiseki ini menjadi terealisasi. Dua tahun berlalu dan rilislah series ini, Kiseki: Dear to Me, awalnya aku sebenarnya kecewa karena para pemainnya benar-benar diubah total, padahal aku berekspektasi bahwa Stan Huang dkk. lah yang memainkannya. Tapi, tidak masalah, setelah saya mencoba menonton episode pertama dari series ini, ternyata series ini punya ciri khasnya sendiri yang membuatnya menarik untuk di tonton. Dari segi alur dan cerita, sebenarnya punya bentuk cerita yang menarik ya, tapi entah kenapa series ini seperti "melompat-lompat" sehingga membuatnya kehilangan detail, inti ceritanya memang tersampaikan dengan baik, alurnya juga mudah difahami - namun beberapa bagian menjadi seolah-olah hilang. Dari segi dialog, menurutku series ini mampu membuat penontonnya menjadi "iya-iya" saja karena beberapa dialog (di-awal) agak kurang difahami, tetapi walaupun begitu saya sebagai penonton dapat menangkap inti cerita dan inti masalahnya. Satu lagi, entah kenapa series ini menurutku lebih menampilkan adegan kuat di main role ke dua "Ai Di dan Chen Yi" dibandingkan dengan "Fan dan Bai" ; banyak series bL Taiwan yang seperti ini, aku tidak tahu apakah ini perasaanku saja atau bagaimana.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais