Unknown (2024)

A real masterpiece.

I just don't have enough words to express how good this series was, it wasn't just about the romance between Qian and Yuan, it's about surviving and figthing for a better life, finding a family when you least expect it, confronting your fears, getting to know yourself and your feelings.
My only complaint is that's already over.
Don't listen to those people who said the series got less interesting, they're those types of people who were mad about not getting a kiss or nc scene as soon as they wanted, give it a try and enjoy this masterpiece.
Chris and Kurt have all my admiration, they gave their best and gifted us one of the best perfomances ever in a series, I wish they get to work together again if the opportunity arise.

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Masterpiece: storytelling that took my breath away acting that stunned me

I am speechless. I thought it would be a bit boring, since it wasn’t that original and was kinda cliché, but boy was I wrong. This show absolutely took my breath away, and I cannot wrap my head around how much I miss the show already. The acting was supreme. I seriously don’t know what else can I say about the two main leads other than they were amazing. The same goes for the storytelling. Honestly, you could tell the whole plot ending from the beginning. But it doesn’t matter. It consumed me from the minute I started watching. The execution was just super perfect. I mean seriously I am at a loss of words. It was just perfect, the tension, how they captured their feelings, the acting was exceptional. I just wish I could forget it and watch it all over again.

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Love OF a brother or love FOR a brother?

I'm gonna be honest, when I first started this, I wasn't quite with the idea. I haven't seen much of the "forbidden love" type drama (from the tags), but I was worried I'd end up dropping it. But in the end, I absolutely LOVED IT. I found myself wishing away my days just for the next episodes to come out, and here we are.

STORY:
Wei Qian took has been taking care of his sister, Wei Li Li, ever since the loss of their parents. After meeting Wei Zhiyuan, he took him in after some time since he seemed to be an orphan. Qian works alongside a gang to help provide for his family but once they all begin to grow up, he quits. Zhiyuan, whose had a long time crush on Qian, makes a move and results in angering Wei Qian. Yuan gets sent abroad for his actions, but did it really make things better, or did it make things worse?

What can I say about this other than it was a masterpiece? At first I was concerned for the whole brother thing, but over time it grew on me. "Unknown" is something you can easily get attached to with all the characters and the interesting story. I must say, I think I cried a little bit when the gun scene came around, as well as the nc scene. I had been waiting EPISODES for that scene ever since I found out about it and I think I cried for the fact I was like "FINALLY."

LIKED:
-The character development of both Qian and Yuan.
-The story overall
-Sam Lin🙏🏽
-The love for one another (the caring that each character had for each other)
-Flash backs
-No genuine love rival
-Confidence of Yuan a lil over halfway through the series

DISLIKES:

. . .


OVERALL:

Unknown is just a great series and deserves a lot of recognition for its cinematography, story, and actors. I loved the development through the episodes as it went on and the chemistry between the two actors. If I could watch this for the first time again, I would.

"People come and go in life. Being fortunate enough to have someone who stays by your side through thick and thin is a blessing. I've lost. I've found. I've found a home, a family, and a person I want to love for the rest of my life. You taught me that I should learn to carry the burdens of my own actions, just as you carried Lili and me, and kept the path to home, open. And I'll follow you down this road I chose, no matter how difficult it may be, life or death, no regrets. No matter who you are to me, from now on, no matter what happens, till death do us part. " -Wei Zhiyuan

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A touching and hearfelt story

As I'm writing, I've just rewatched the last two episodes and my feelings are the same as before, I loved it!

I have to admit, at first and in particular, when I've started the first episode, I was quite confused and skeptical by the story but then, without knowing it, I was little by little drowned and somehow addicted / attracted by the story and its characters. It was indeed ordinary yet it was very engaging, the urge of knowing what's going to happen next between them, their decisions, their choices, and most importantly, their feelings, that was gripping.

I feel like and I also have been noticing that Taiwanese are quite the best to make us relate some things, to throw some plot that would be heartwrenching but also heartwarming and this is not an exception!! This is why, "Unknown" is one of my favorite.

In addition, the acting was top-notch, I really feel every emotions (yeah I might exaggerate) but that's still true, I felt it, they were really convincing and of course I would mention the main leads, Wei Qian and Xiao Yuan. By the way, I feel like, since it seems the serie mostly focused on these two, sometimes I forgot the side characters and even their sister, Xiao Bao / Lili lol

Lastly, OST are so great to listen and easily on repeat. Taiwan is also the best in this part, when it comes to release such a beautiful, heartfelt and touching song which suits the serie, it's quickly a banger.

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This will be memorable - for a long time

When I first read the MDL summary for Unknown I literally rolled my eyes at the prospect another step bros in love kind of pulp . At first I thought I will not watch it. But then I thought why not give it a choice? Thank god I chose to give it a choice.

Because I'd have lost a gem if I had not gotten over my prejudices. And what a delivery! What a masterpiece this series has evolved into. Let's talk about the story, adapted from a novel which I have not read, the screenwriting team has done an exceptional job. Visual storytelling is at its finest. When I saw the premise of how they became stepbrothers or let's not call it stepbrothers because that is completely wrong. How they became "brothers" through shared traumatic life, it made me understand their story better.

The acting is so so good. Each of the eye rolls, forehead crunches, screaming , look of anger, shock and disbelief, pain and visceral fear when Qian thought he may lose his family is acted so so well!

except the story, there are two more things that I absolutely dig. Cinematography and Music. Both have won in this series. The cinematographer and director are very clear on what they want to show. The soft moody and dark-ish lighting, focus on the faces, and frames inside frames (seemed like director and cinematographer's top choice of composition) with minimal bgm. And usage of the OST . Everything was perfect to create a sombre feeling . And also it glows more and lights are added when the full family is happy. Personally I feel like this series is a great case study for people who love cinematography.

The diction is very on point. Especially at the end of each episode, the small reminder on what families are really like warmed me to my core. There are age gaps, there are a lot of ruminations, there are quintessential yet well timed humour.

I saw some discussions regarding the intimate scenes. Some liked it , some did not like how it was edited. Personally I loved that scene. It was the culmination point of Yuan's feelings and his waiting for all these years. It was the point when Qian finally lets go of all his worries and accepts Yuan. They showed their struggles, mostly Yuan's throughout the years to show us how much he suffered and now finally he has the love of his life he always wanted. Because for Yuan it was just not sex, it was "making love" in it's truest essence. And the music alongside and it's lyrics were apt. The intimate scene is also very tastefully and artfully shot. I found the similar vibe of the intimate scene of Toothpari between Doctor Roy and Rumi.

This show has a special place in my heart now. A huge round of applause for the whole team.

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Wow!!

I have to say one of the best bl series I’ve watched and I’ve watched quite a few of em so that’s saying something I think Taiwanese series hit different and portray the characters and acting to a next level I was drawn in from the start and bindged watched it in one sitting the chemistry was unbelievable,from the love scenes to the arguing to disagreements they all felt so real and protrayed emotion well it also tackled the coming out and struggles and denial which I found heart warming to watch and see the growth I would defo rewatch this one day and definitely recommend this to anyone weather that’s you starting bl’s or are experienced it’s a must watch thanks for the creators and directors for making a masterpiece I’ll remember for a while.!

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Seriously Good

There's a big spread between very good BLs and what-the-hell-was-that BLs. UNKNOWN sits comfortably in the very-good list. It's no pastel-wonderland romance, instead the feel and look of this drama is both gritty and realistic. There's no backdrop of unlikely wealth, no ultra spacious homes and no sudden rise to success. People slog here. They work and study hard here. Nothing's easy or given. Also, this series managed to produce two solid characters: the leads always remain true to their given character constructs, and yet, they both show believable emotional growth over the years that covers the story's arc. Matter of fact, all of the characters within this drama are interesting and dimensional: the bad guy is not a total black hat, the good doctor doesn't wear a halo, and the stead-fast good friend is both steady and a little fast. I have a few minor quibbles with the story resolution, but overall, I really enjoyed this series and am glad that I had the patience to wait until the 12th episode was out before I dove in. Because seriously, there's enough cliffhangers in UNKNOWN to really do some damage on a person if they couldn't happily binge. (Sidenote: It took me a few scenes to recognize Sam Lin from WE BEST LOVE. He looks different and played his part so well, I couldn't connect him to the character he played in WBL.)

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i'm surprised that not many people are talking about how wi qian & xiao yuan's relationship is literal incest. it doesn't matter if they aren't biologically related, they still saw each other as BROTHERS. even after they started dating, xiao yaun asked wi qian if he was hugging him as a brother or boyfriend LIKE C'MON NOW. and not only are they brothers, they have a weird age gap too. wi qian literally raised him and watched him grow. i'm sorry i just can't get past that. AND ALSO xiao bao and san pang's relationship?? as if having one incest age gap relationship wasn't enough they just HAD to have xiao bao and san pang date. when xiao yaun told xiao bao that san pang CHANGED HER DIAPERS i wanted to throw up. also i'm not sure if their relationship is incest but san pang would call xiao yaun his brother so i'm leaning towards yes it is. something else i want to mention is wi qian's coworkers.
LIKE WHY ARE U GUYS ASKING ABOUT HIS SEX LIFE. that pissed me the fuck off. i hate it when BLs have random ass woman obsessing about the main couple's relationship and asking who's top or bottom ITS WEIRDDD. something that is good about this BL though is the acting. the desperation in xiao yuan’s eyes, the chemistry between the two mcs, I FELT IT ALL which is why i continued watching. how i wish that they weren’t brothers because they would have been such a good couple. (I KNOW THATS A WEIRD SENTENCE BUT I MEAN I WISH THEY MADE THEM CHILDHOOD FRIENDS OR SOMETHING INSTEAD OF ADOPTED BROTHERS)

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Great acting, mediocre everything else. Awful editing.

I feel like this series isn't aimed at me, because I didn't think it was all that. The acting is wonderful, and the characters well-drawn. Even the minor roles are really well-acted.

The story, however, is pedestrian, melodramatic, and stuffed with cliches. The ganster angle was fine in the beginning, because we see what Qian had to do for his family - but when it comes back later, it's just unnecessary drama that drops out of the sky, and ruined the organic progression of the main relationship. It should have ben Yuan's absence abroad that made Qian confront his feelings, and it seemed like it was written that way - but for some reason the author didn't trust us to buy it and threw in a ridiculous plot thread where Yuan had to behave uncharacteristically idiotic (what on earth was his plan?). And the endless time-jumping - the first refuge of an author that can't imagine a coherent plot.

As for cliches, it's got it all, from suggestive seatbelting to hair blowdrying. At least the obligatory 30-year old with a critical illness cliche was written in a way that made sense, and they didn't overdo it.

The editing is just terrible, and nearly ruined the series. By Ep 9 I didn't care about the series anymore and stopped craving it like I had for the first 8 - there is not one emotionally important scene that isn't mutilated by an endless series of flashbacks played to the maudlin theme song, which is good. Occasssionally. Not stuffed in every conceivable moment and far beyond.

There's a very, very important scene in Ep 11 that shocked me how badly it was ruined, and I was thinking "this is just me, and I'm sure everyone else loved it", but I discovered in the forum that my opinion was almost universally held, which was a nice surprise - I'd hate to think I'm alone in the world.

This could have been an 11/10 with less indulgent writing and a good editor. As it was, the actors managed to carry it - Qian was stoic, but not cartoonishly so (except when played for humor, which was effectively done), the Lili is not OTT silly and wasa a surprisingly nuanced character, which I attribute to the actress, the gangster leader was clearly a man who pretends to be more insane than he is for stragtegic reasons, again ably acted, and the actors playing the younger versions of the characters were first-rate as well, which was wonderful - I even felt a little cheated at first when the younger Yuan's time was up.

I would recommend this, and I think the majority of fans will give this a 9.5 or a 10, but it's an 8 for me. A 9.5 for the acting, a five for everthing else, and a 2 for the editing.

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One for the guilty pleasure list

I am very conflicted because a huge part of me didn't want to enjoy this. However, did I end up getting excited and counting down the minutes every week? Yes, I did.

Let me start by saying that I don't get the draw in BL for all these brothers falling in love types of stories. I know they never technically cross the line of incest, but if you need to add 'technically' before a word like 'incest', it's definitely too close to that line for my comfort. Which is why I was pretty certain I wouldn't be enjoying this series at all. So, what happened?

Good acting, phenomenal chemistry, and emotional storytelling happened, I suppose. This is one of the best acted shows I've seen. Chris is outstanding in the role of Qian. While he's portraying a pretty stoic character, he doesn't fall into the same issue of coming across comical or uncharismatic that most other actors fall into. He plays the role with nuance and behind his eyes, the emotion is always clear to see. Truly a wonderful job and other actors refusing to move any facial muscles when portraying similar characters should take note. Kurt was great as Yuan as well, and the two had impeccable chemistry. The acting of the side characters was all great too. There wasn't one weak link in this, at least not as far as I noticed. I wish other shows put that much emphasis on acting and chemistry, instead of just hitting us over the head with the same couples who struggle to get emotion across or have the chemistry of two dead fish kissing.

The storytelling was mostly well done too. There were some hiccups, like the gang storyline coming back for no reason other than a bit of drama. But all in all, it had deep emotions, actual characters instead of just stereotypes, and interesting dynamics. So it was easy to look past the imperfections.

The editing however... Boy oh boy. Whoever edited this thing really did the acting and the emotional beats dirty. Chris and Kurt are perfectly capable of carrying an emotional scene. There is no need to stuff in as many flashbacks as you can. It doesn't add emotion, it just takes away from it. The worst editing mistake was adding flashbacks of Yuan as A CHILD during their sex scene. Like please... I do not want to see the face of a child between scenes of them kissing and taking each others clothes off. Who's idea was that???? They honestly need to go to jail. This was supposed to be the emotional climax of the story. Yuan has literally been pining over Qian for soooo many years, and Qian has been trying to restrain himself for a long time. Now, they finally let go of everything and just give in to each other. It's beautiful, it's raw, it's emotion-- BOOM, HAVE A FLASHBACK TO YUAN AS A CHILD!! It was jarring. The scene of them waking up together in bed the next morning, cuddling and kissing, actually felt more emotional than the whole kissing scene did. Because it was just them with their great acting and great chemistry, not interrupted by weird scene cuts, flashbacks, or the overuse of the (admittedly beautiful) OST.

The childhood flashbacks between kissing and touching are part of an even bigger problem for me. I don't actually know how far apart in age the characters are supposed to be, but the way the story portrayed it, it seems like quite a bit of an age gap to me. On top of that, Qian basically raised Yuan. Sure, they didn't know each other since birth. But Qian took a parental role in Yuan's life from a childhood age. Which made my alarms go off because if someone told me this story, I'd definitely feel like there's a grooming issue. I know that Yuan fell for Qian without Qian having any intention of making that happen. But still, there's just something about the age difference and the raising him that doesn't sit right with me. I took a bigger issue with that than the actual "and they were brothers!" thing. Which is a whole other thing to unpack, but I don't really feel like doing that. Because the more I think about it all, the more it makes me feel iffy. If this were an actual real life situation, I'd definitely be very concerned about it. Luckily, it's just fiction though, so I can push down those thoughts with all the positives mentioned above. But it still makes me feel sort of weird about liking the whole thing as much as I did...

Like I said, it's a guilty pleasure. I'm aware of the issues, and I think if you are too, there's nothing wrong with enjoying this. As long as we view things critically and understand that in real life, things might need to be handled differently, it's perfectly fine to aww at this story. It had character and raw emotion and was so well acted. So, would I recommend this to anyone? I'd say give it a try, and if you feel too uncomfortable, just toss it aside. But I do think it's worth a chance, even if you - like me - suspect this isn't your cup of tea. If you turn off the critical side of your brain, you might just end up enjoying this as much as I did.

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