Confounding, convoluted, deeply disturbing but brilliant! Just Brilliant! It makes no sense. Yet it does. This might seem like an oxymoron but what you are watching is a journey. A journey through the mind of a deeply disturbed young man as he tries to cope with living with an almost unfathomable trauma. It is his stream-of-consciousness displayed in all its resplendence for us to see and participate in. This series is so creative not only in story but also in presentation. I have no doubt that most will intensely dislike it because it just does not fit into any traditional standard of presentation. Through much of it, you may be confused and might scratch your head and ask yourself, “What am I watching?” However, be forewarned, by the end, you may be forced to confront your own sense of reality.

The story is about two intrinsic people. Wan Xiong or more commonly known as Raccoon (Chen Chun Yen), is a very successful influencer. Racoon functions well in society on the surface, but he hides a lot of himself underneath. He suffers profoundly from insomnia and throughout the series we only get bits and pieces as to why. Until the end, when it all comes into dramatic focus. It also becomes obvious, although not right way, that he has had significant emotional distresses in his life. This manifest itself in truly remarkable and compelling forms.

One evening Racoon meets Dai Shu Guang (Nick Hsieh) and the two are inexplicably drawn to each other with ease. As they spend more time together, Racoon begins to affectionately call him Kangaroo. Their relationship is not just a physical one but is also based on a highly intellectual and esoteric connection between the two. Perhaps that is an even stronger bond with them. But Kangaroo begins to realize that Racoon is not quite with it sometimes. He is moody, distant, ever so easy to become distrustful, and very fearful. He gets lost in his own thoughts and in his own world and realizes that he hears and sees things that are not there. While frightened by all of this, Kangaroo nevertheless is drawn closer to Racoon because he identifies with the level of pain that Racoon is experiencing.

I said that this series is a journey through the labyrinth of a despondent mind. We get to meet some of his alter-egos in his journeys and you cannot help but to be mesmerized by the complexities of his pain and its depth. It reaches so far down and intensely that when he finally reveals the cause, you are drawn into his world of hurt with him. You feel it. You sense it. You experience it with him. How can you not? It is that execrable. I wept and then grieved at its potency. It was extraordinary how he was able to function at all given what he experienced and the level of loneliness he must have gone through until he met Kangaroo.

Meanwhile, Kangaroo has his own set of traumas. While not as deep, both have tragic memories that they carry about on their shoulders with no one to share their burden with. Until now. Pretending mightily to be happy but inside, crying, like children.

This is a story of two men who were lost as children, metaphorically and perhaps emotionally having found solace and comfort in one another. In a sense they have become one whole person of two halves. They can never be separated from one another. They share a bond, and that bond is that they understand one another. More importantly, they accept one another. Even greater than that, love one another unconditionally. I know that sounds trite and overused, but this series clearly and unequivocally defines allegorically what unconditional love looks like. In fact, the last episode of this series is the epitome of that definition. It shows the two of them, being themselves, planning a trip, talking like a normal couple, yet knowing that they can rely on each other and be with each other until the end. The simplicity of it made me weep.

When you watch this series, you will know who steals this series. While the acting is superb by the protagonists, it is the alter-ego characterizations of Racoon that will have you spellbound. You will not understand them at first. They seem to come out of nowhere. And yet, if you open yourself to the story, you will discern who they are and what they represent to Racoon. Ironically, each of them helps him towards his journey to recovery. Each represents a piece of a puzzle that is finally put together in the end.

We get to watch all of this unfold. Sometimes we see glimpses of their sexual passion and imagine it unfiltered. It is a series that allows us into their world but not in a voyeuristic manner. Occasionally, scenes are represented by animation that only enhances the imagery to Racoon’s mind yet helps us to understand him as a child as he rekindles those memories.

There is so much to this series that is unconventional. It is cryptic in its presentation. Intellectual discourses are peppered into conversations like candied treats and at times, I think, are only meant to be understood by Racoon and Kangaroo. We see a person deeply emotionally disturbed, functioning, yet lost in his own world with another individual, almost equally but not quite as damaged, willing, wanting, and eager to remain at his side, despite the consequences.

The production of each episode is in three sections. The story itself followed by an epilogue of sorts that sometimes fills in some blanks from the episode but then at other times, it just sort of esoterically extends a level of discussion between the two of them. Then that is followed by how the episode was made, which again brings it back and gives it a sense of reality to our world and our own mundane-ness. That for some may seem perplexing and confounding. Frankly, it most assuredly is. To assert that watching this series is like experiencing something unique in viewing would be an understatement. It is experiential and it is presented like no other series that I can recall ever has. Part of its charm, or deficiency, is a portion of the episode that is given how the series is made and filmed. I found that intriguing as it gives you so much insight into the background of how they produce the episode and what went into it. It has a way of incorporating another set of realities into a world that you just saw is completely unreal. The only drawback is that it is not translated into English, but for most of it, it did not matter. You can get its gist. I personally loved the juxtaposition of their reality to that of the film world reality.

Finally, in my own stream of consciousness in writing this review, I think the title of this series is mislabeled. It might be a complete turn off and utterly wrong if you are merely going by its title. For those bold enough to watch this series, then you will understand why I think it ought to be renamed “Treasure Box In The Sea”. There are so many allegorical references to the sea in this series and its profound effect on Raccoon that this title would have been a much more apt one.

I know we are early into 2025, and this barely qualifies as a series for 2025, but it is going on my Top Ten List. It is exceptional and phenomenal, and it is like nothing you have seen, or I doubt will ever see for the remainder of this year. It takes you on a journey through the mind of someone who is so emotionally disturbed that his reality is questionable and yet somehow functions. Miraculously, someone, who is not necessarily extraordinary, has enough of his own pain to be able to link to him with an unconditional bond forming between the two of them in which their love becomes unshakable and unbreakable. And we are privileged enough to ride along on their journey. Joltingly, we are then forced back to reality to see how it was all made. A remarkable and unique series.

Rating- 5 out of 5

Streaming on- JC Show YouTube Channel