“You Are Mine” is your typical office romance with the uptight boss who finds himself with a well-meaning naïve assistant, about to improve his life. Although riddled with BL cliches such as the slipping and falling into someone’s arms, watching them sleep and realizing they are cute, spilling food on their clothes and then removing the said clothing item, the show and the actors’ chemistry quickly engage the audience and you pretty much know what you’re in for from the beginning.

The General Manager Xia Shang Zhou (Parker Mao), who has an uncanny resemblance to Keita Machida (Kurosawa from Cherry Magic), is a cranky and strict boss, who seems to have some childhood trauma that is causing him insomnia and headaches. However, despite being hard on him initially, he quickly grows a soft spot for Yao Shun Yu (Hsiao Hung), his new secretary, who helps him with his headache by gently massaging his head, that allows him to take a nap (this is a big deal for an insomniac). Shun Yu himself is a poor little well-meaning boy, who brags about saving money and getting leftover crusts from a bakery which somehow charms the General Manager. After spending the day with Shun Yu at a low-end eatery, chatting away, Shang Zhou becomes truly charmed with Shun Yu and at the end of their lunch, does not want their “date” to end, as he follows Shun Yu home.

The two actors already have great chemistry, and it will be lovely to see it unfold. A mundane act such as teaching Shun Yu how to tie a knot was shot in such a sensual way that it highlights the characters’ chemistry and is tantalizing. I am looking forward to watching their relationship develop. There is no tension between the characters in the strict sense of it, however, they seem to complement each other quite well, instead of a “will they/won’t they” chemistry, it’s more like a “can’t wait for them to”.

The show already has traces of comedy, despite the flashbacks of what seems to be Shang Zhou’s kidnapping when he was a child. The first episode does open with sexist undertones from Shang Zhou who is extremely brutal to his female co-workers. We hope there is a redemption arch for that. It is clear that Shang Zhou has had a traumatic childhood. We will see how that storyline develops and how that trauma influences his choices as a grownup.

As with most Taiwanese BLs, You Are Mine looks like a simple, fun, romantic, to the point BL. As also with office romances, the script is already there. It is difficult to mess up, one has to actively work towards messing up such beloved plotlines. Cliches become cliches for a reason. People can’t help themselves but to fall in love with the simple things. You Are Mine looks like it is tracking to be added to our lists of comfort shows that we can watch again and again. Looking forward to the rest of the show.

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Gagaoolala & Viki