Like most of the Taiwanese BL series, “Kiseki: Dear to Me” takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions and the first two episodes have set the ball rolling for us. The show has action, drama, comedy and romance packaged into 25 minute episodes. The pacing and plot of the story, together with the characters’ chemistry, already pops from the first two episodes.

The show starts out in 2023, with Bai Zong Yi (Taro Lin) seemingly coming out of prison, and we are taken back to 2018, where the story begins. In 2018, on his way to school, Zong Yi comes across an injured guy Fan Zhe Rui (Hsu Kai) who blackmails him into saving him by forcing him to hold a bloody knife, ensuring that his fingerprints are on the weapon. He reluctantly helps the injured man, takes him home to nurse and dress his wounds. Zhe Rui uses the knife as leverage to get Zong Yi to take care of him and run errands for him. Zhe Rui is a gangster and decides to lay-low with Zong Yi in order to heal and avoid the people who attacked him by pretending to go missing for a while. The two now have to put up with each other in a classic forced cohabitation trope, and Zong-Yi reluctantly begins opening up to him, despite knowing that he is being blackmailed with the bloody knife that is covered in his fingerprints.

It becomes clear that Zong Yi had an abusive mother and still suffers from PTSD, which results in him having a panic attack in Zhe Rui’s presence. Zhe Rui comforts Zong-Yi, and despite the two not knowing each other that well, Zong-Yi’s trauma allows for Zhe Rui to take care of him in his own space. The chemistry between the two leads is already palpable from the first episode and we can tell we are in for a treat. The morning after Zhe Rui comforts Zong-Yi and cuddles him to sleep, Zhe Rui feels compelled to kiss Zong-Yi good morning, and this stolen kiss is met with a well-deserved punch. Zhe Rui seems to know already what he is into and I hope it stays this way and his sexuality isn’t used as a tool for creating conflicts/being unsure if he is into men.

The relationship between the two is not one sided and Zhe Rui takes care of Zong-Yi. He assists with making the math notes that Zong-Yi sells in order to take care of himself financially. Despite his image as a gang member, and what we perceive gang members to be, Zhe Rui immediately comes off as a softie, and Zong-Yi talks about him to his friends as a stray cat. Even as Zong Yi comes out of prison and looks at the phone of him and Zhe Rui, there does not seem to be any love lost between the two…unless he wants to have his “refriend”. Oh, there is quite a bit of comedy in this show.

The second leads, although their characters aren’t properly defined yet, have a titillating story, since Chen Yi (Nat Chen) comes to pick up Eddie (Jiang Dian) from prison. Although he has to carry him into the car literally, in order for Eddie to agree to going with him. This relationship is probably going to be very entertaining due to Eddie’s mercurial and violent nature, although he looks so tiny and cute.

Zhang Teng (Wayne Song) is introduced in the story as a violent leader of a rival gang, and while not much in terms of character has been established, I am cautiously optimistic of the direction they will take with this character. Taiwanese BLs barely ever disappoints. The show is a must watch if you like BLs. It has so much potential and is already paced quite well. I’m sure that it will live up to expectations.

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Gagaoolala/ IQIYI/WeTV/Viki