BLISS RATING: ★★★★★
“Love that can’t be spoken aloud won’t survive challenges.” – Quote from Secret Lover
This series completely flew under the radar. I am so disappointed in myself for not reviewing it when it came out, for this happens to be one of the better BLs to come out of Taiwan in a very long time. I loved this series. It completely captured me. Its screenplay, the story itself, and the acting are all top-notch.
Ironically, this story is as old as the hills. Full of cliché and tropes, it was all put together in a compendium that was smooth, polished, and so entertaining. Its story flowed, made sense, and was performed with complete conviction and integrity. Not just with the protagonists but also with the astonishingly brilliant child actors who played the younger protagonists with such charm and foundational integrity. We literally get to ‘see’ how the younger protagonists got to become their older selves. The supporting characters are also very sublime. A few even have quirky personas that gave this series an extra kick of spiciness.
You cannot understand this series without first appreciating the way the friendship between Lu Jin Xi (Wang Jyung Hao) and Han Tuo (Cheng Hsi Ying) began. It started when they were younger, as children. Jin Xi befriended a timid, bespeckled frightened boy named A Tuo. A Tuo was lonely and isolated. His mother abruptly left him and his father then absorbed himself in his work, paying little attention to A Tuo or ignoring him completely. A Tuo had no one except Jin Xi who not just took him his under his wing but began nurturing him and taking care of him as well. Jin Xi’s family became A Tuo’s surrogate family.
Over the years as their friendship deepened, a symbiotic love developed. Nebulous at first and certainly not sexually but a love that deepened. They in essence became committed to one another at an early stage in their lives. Slowly, inexorably, feelings of a romantic nature developed – more conscious on the part of A Tuo. He projected those feelings in an oddly divergent manner. He became a forceful individual and a ‘leading man’ on campus. All as a ruse to shielding Jin Xi from being pursued by females and to win Jin Wi’s admiration. A Tuo wanted him all to himself; he was so in love with Jin Xi.
Sprinkled throughout this series are flashbacks which admittedly can be an overused tool; but in this case, they are all so endearing. The children of yesteryear become the characters of today and we get to see their personality traits and what made them unique. It helped us to understand their evolution.
The ebbing and flowing of the development of their relationship are all based on circumstances that make complete sense and are so relatable to what happens in our own life. Their experiences were not contrived, manufactured, or artificial. They happen in real life – many times over. One significant obstacle arises from Jin Xi’s anxiety about his parents discovering their relationship, which causes him concern as he contemplates the possible consequences. Will they accept how their relationship went from best friends to life partners? He tried to hide their connection but as usual with most parents who love their children unconditionally, they ‘know’. They waited until Jin Xi and A Tuo finally had the nerve and courage to tell them openly of their relationship. His parents, however, understood their attachment to one another even before they did!
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Unquestionably, the young boys who played younger A Tuo and Jin Xi did. These two youngsters are remarkable in establishing who the older characters then turned out to be. We see our protagonists in all their sweet innocence yet overwhelming vulnerabilities. We see them both evolve into who they are and why they are who they are. What a joy it was to watch ‘flashbacks’ that were indeed totally relevant to the story and actually enhanced and advanced the story along. And they young actors are just phenomenal. I do not know their names, but they need to take a bow for performances well-done. Along with them, a third member of their group growing up was Lin Yen Tzu as Lin Xiao Yang. She was a part of the ‘gang’, growing up together, and indeed was also a part of Jin Xi’s family. What was rewarding and refreshing about her role was that early on, she knew and was supportive of the relationship between Jin Xi and A Tuo. On more than one occasion, she was not just a provider of support for one or both, she nurtured and encouraged them to talk to each other to resolve the issues between them. What an astonishingly responsible role as a true friend. Lin Yen Tzu plays this part as a true friend with no usual jealousy or caddy stereotypical responses of a bitter female. It was so nice to see her be treated with equality and she in turn was a trusted friend.
This series was certainly not afraid to tackle head-on issues between couples that would have broken others apart. They kept their communication open between them unhesitatingly and with a concerted effort. They looked forward. Always. And each time that they resolved an issue, it merely solidified and deepened their relationship.
Both protagonists were unafraid to kiss and mean it and make it look sincere. Their love making was, frankly, hot and astonishingly gutsy and real. They seemed like a genuine couple wanting and willing to explore their sexuality and enjoy what they were doing, as it simply was a part of their relationship. They made sex an honest, straightforward part of their bond, just like holding hands, talking to one another, and being together. An honest and refreshing change-of-pace from the normal shying away from sexual activities or treating it like a pre-pubescent ritual. We knew they were engaging in sex and frankly enjoying it. It was and now is a part of who they are as a couple.
Honestly, this series has touched on every standard cliché and trope couples have faced in BLs since the beginning. But it is the way they conspicuously dealt with those issues and their resolutions that made this series so refreshing. And from the beginning, there were no artificial barriers or unnecessary roadblocks to the development of a relationship; just the ones excusive to them. And we also knew from the very beginning that both were deeply in love with one another. Of course, they are flawed individuals. Who is not? But they accept that in each other and will, when it comes time to, deal with it, honestly. For example, A Tuo has a deep resentment against his father from years of neglect. His father is at best tone-deaf and at worst emotionally abusive. A Tuo is deeply wounded and affected by his father’s neglect after seeing and experiencing the joy of Jin Xi’s parents. While his father has lately tried to make amends, it might be too little too late. And that is displayed here with all its raw discomfort and pain. It is so authentic. A life lesson so often experienced whether gay or straight. How refreshing it was to be presented in such brutal veracity.
This is one of the most joyful, captivating, emotionally rich and gratifying BLs to come along in a very long time. Not in a Pollyanna fashion but in a frank and appurtenant fashion making it feel that a gay relationship can be ‘normal’.
This is a must-see series that is so satisfying on a variety of levels including emotional and intellectual stages. Do not skip this series. Go back and watch this paragon. It is astonishingly good, taking us through a soft, genteel, relatable journey. It will put a smile on your face in a most smpathizable fashion.
Although it was done in 2025, I shall no doubt list it as a “Must-See” for this year. It is that good.
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