Fear has a way of imprisoning people. Sometimes, we overcome those fears by leaning on something or someone. But what happens when the person you find comfort in is gone? What happens when the person who gave you the courage to face the world no longer stands beside you?

It’s fear that the new Taiwanese BL First Note of Love faces. Starring Charles Tu as Neil and Michael Chang as Sea, it tells the story of two men partnered up by chance. Neil is an idol who stepped back from the industry when his brother (and bandmate) was tragically killed in an accident. Sea is a songwriter and musician who idolizes Magnet, the band he looks up to. Together, they set out on a musical journey that promises to touch the heart.

Music is a powerful and influential art. It expresses a lifetime of emotion in a matter of minutes. It lifts people up, and it brings them down. It’s relatable, raw, and seeking. It’s singing into a sea of people while hoping you don’t drown inside those same people.

And that’s the fear Neil faces.

After losing his brother, Matt, Neil faces fears that his brother had always been there to tamp down. Without Matt, it’s simply Neil, his voice, and a sea of people that terrify him. All bundled inside a grief he hasn’t let go of. The stage belongs to him and his brother. Standing on it alone isn’t just terrifying; it’s a painful reminder of his loss.

And that’s what makes First Note of Love such a pivotal and relatable story. We’ve all faced doubt and insecurities, we’ve all feared something, and we’ve all hated ourselves for one reason or another. We’ve all needed someone to pull us free from whatever it is we’ve become lost inside of. Because isn’t that what life is? It’s a journey with a bunch of forks in the road. Sometimes, we take the wrong path. Sometimes, we need help finding the way back.

First Note of Love has the potential to build a beautiful and healing love story out of the comfort Sea once found in Neil and Magnet by having Sea be the comfort Neil needs now, the person who can help Neil build himself back up as he finds his way back onto the path he stepped off of. All while finding love.

While viewers aren’t as familiar with university student, Sea’s, life after the first few episodes, it’s interesting how the two people brought together in this series are at the same crossroads. Sea is young and starting his career around the same age that Neil started his. Even though Neil seems much older than his age (he’s only in his 20s), he’s a young man aged by life, not by years. A man aged by fame and misfortune, by fear and dreams smashed by grief.

First Note of Love could allow Sea and Neil to discover their dreams together while building a future full of the comfort and healing they both need. And I’m a hundred percent ready for their journey.

As a writer, music is a powerful motivator for me. As a writer who has also written songs in the past, I know that music is a way of expressing thoughts and feelings that can’t be expressed in any other way. And I’m curious to see precisely what First Note of Love plans to convey as much through their music as their story.

All while preparing myself to fall in love.

For a series full of music and hope, check out First Note of Love now on Gagaoolala. The chemistry, music, plot, and cinematography in the first three episodes alone is setting a musical stage I want to have a front row ticket for.

Rating- 4 out of 5