Unknown (2024)

True love bl perfectly portrayed by the main Leads,but wished certain points were taken care.

Finally our favourite series is got an end with a total of 12 amazing episodes.But why all the series that are so nice suddenly ends only when the relationship between the characters just starts to bloom .why are the directors in a hurry to finish it quicky only when the characters just starts opening up to eachother 😔 .
Now i want to bring into light some of the points that wish would have got the attention of the director or any of the members of officialunknownchannel . So here it goes
1 .Qian has been like a father figure to his siblings more than just a brother ,so for him yuan is not only like a brother but like a son too ,in the boxing episode even before qian confessed that he liked boys ,when yuan said to qian " you looked the best" how come qian felt something different at that moment and kind of shy too but after scene qian was back to being interacting like his ge only ,i feel a missing piece over there as there was no follow up of that emotion after .
(throughout the whole series they made it look like yuan called his brother by his name whereas every time he called his brother "ge" ( meaning elder brother) and not Qian ( as they have given wrong subtitle purposefully , I don't know for what reason😠).
2.when Yuan was sent abroad after the confession and when he returned back as a new version and was again confessing to qian when they went for fishing mentioning about what he was thinking all these 4 years,only then it was made clear that he had returned after 4years but it looked like he went for a week and came back as a new version when qain called him.The thing is what happened between them in 4 years was not shown clearly coz it looked like he just went for a year and came back .They should have shown what qian had gone through all those years coz 4 years is not a small period .But it was made so simple like qian dusting yuans room and sucking the lollypop to avoid smoking coz yuan always warned him not to smoke but really not showing what happened between them in 4 years,how qian must have passed everyday ,did he try to call him ,did he wanted to go and see yuan in person ,how did he stay at their home alone near yuan's room being empty not having his presence 🥺how he might have wanted to know about what is going on in yuans life through other contacts , and was he doing well ?like i don't understand how come he could he survive like that without any presence of him for 4 years ( though sangpang mentioned he looked miserable after yuan left ) that miserable part is the missing part that im talking about, doesn't make any sense to me 😣they should have shown all the pain qian has gone through missing yuan and talking about yuan what he might have gone through not able to hear his ge 's voice , dying to see him for 4 years , though he will be getting updates through sangpang and lili how come he controlled himself to stay like that because i know he will do anything what his ge ask him to ,but some more deatils of yuans pain and his daily struggle must have been shown in that particular espisode. Those 4 years just looked like it passed so easily without much change except yuan's hairstyle being changed and him coming as a new version.
3. when yuan came back as a new version and starts to express his love in his own way (though qian was nervous and confused) he was still staying like he used to be( like a father/ older brother) but then suddenly
in episode 11 after qian confessed to yuan that he doesn't know what his feelings for yuan is , whether it is a brotherly effection or love and when he leaves yuans hand when he was taking him upstairs saying that " I don't know whether im ready to go up with you" ( of course how would qian know what feelings he has for yuan coz 4 years they just wasted by not showing any character development for qian for sorting his emotions for yuan) and when yaun for the last and final time made his feelings clear by saying " i want to be with you for the rest of my life ,can i ?" how come they directly jump to bed scene without allowing their love to blossom and qian breaking down his guard as a brother and being comfortable with opening up to his brother about his feeling in his own pace rather than forcing the character who has been like a brother /father figure to suddenly get physically intimate with his brother who he has been taking care like his son since childhood
I felt that the series got end just like that showing their intimate scene without actually showing how Qian slowly accepted his brother as a lover ,how their relationship progressed to be able to get intimate with yuan physically coz even in the episodes just before the bed scene he was not shown in anyways was ready to put his guard down as a brother , yuan has been waiting for that moment all his life as he said but on qian's parts he has been portrayed as someone who will never sleep with his brother one sudden day because the way he has been with lili and yuan he definitely should have given time to reach that scene.
They shouldn't have been in a hurry to finish it like that cause if the intimate scene was shot only after showing their blooming romantic relationship it would have made sense on Qian' part ( being the father/ brother figure to yuan since his childhood to be able to even think of yuan as a lover in the first place let alone to be able think of sleeping with him)😣.Their intimate scene was perfectly portrayed by chris and xuan ,thanks to them for giving their heart and soul to the character 😊♥️ but my only concern was on the above points especially when they hurried upto to the bed scene coz they could have slowed down over there by just kissing and not taking it forward on that day itself and giving qian his own time to see his brother as a lover in the first place ,to be able to be comfortable to get into physical relation with him .Anyways thanks to the (author)priest
for writing such an amazing story.
Thanks to to auditiong department for casting chris and xuan for the role of qian and yuan. The way chris portrayed every emotion of qian shows how talented and great actor he is ,expressing every subtle emotions of qian to the top-notch.He gave his heart and soul to this character ,that why we know qian as yuan's dage😊. coming to xuan ,he also gave his heart and soul to the character and his realtionship with chris in real life also helped him to act comfortably and bring out all the emotions of yuan naturaly.He mentioned in an interview that since he was less experienced he felt helpless at certain times and when didn't know what to do so he always turned to chris for help and after communicating with him he would know what to do☺️ so chris was there with him throughout the series guiding and caring him as his ge.Thanks to Chris for being such a sweet heart and caring xuan like his own brother pouring him all the love and care💖.
All the child artists,( they all did an amazing job but i felt bad for the youngest qian coz while showing how bad and abusive his mother was ,the way she kissed him and hugged him though it is for acting i didn't find it right for a child to experience it😠) , sang pang and lili also did their characters with all justice.
Actors - chris ( who played the role of Qian)and Xuan ( who played the role of yuan) . They both share an amazing bond both on and off screen 💗. Just like in the series😭 in real life also chris is xuans's ge who takes care of him like his own baby brother ,helping throughout the shooting of the series and xuan said in an interview that series is as it is because they all love eachother from the bottom of their heart and there are lot of emotions that they didn't just act but are genuine 🥺🥰and also they both have known each other for almost 10 years 🤗🥺 and xuan also respects and loves his ge immensely .we could see in their eyes the love care and adoration they both have for eachother whenever they interact 🥺😪🥰. Already missing them 😭
Finally thanks to the whole crew for giving the best of them and giving us such an amazing series touching our hearts through qian and yuan's pure love and making this series forever memorable in our hearts .only wish the above points were taken care ✌️🙂. Sorry for the long paragraph 😅.

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A sensitive approach to an Old Trope

Rated ~ 9.5 ~ 42.5/50 ~ 8.5
Scene ~ Elf in Sky City with Excalibur ~ Dazed, dazzled, addicted and unable to look away.

This was a ride through the feels.
Asian media does have a habit of blurring lines between siblings sometimes, so I'm pretty immuned to that kind content. Having said that, this was very sensitively approached.

Our ML, Qian, loses his abusive mother to drugs, and is left alone to fend for himself and his little sister. Working as a cleaner for a local mob boss, he finds a homeless Yuan on his way home one night. After several times to help him, Yuan eventually follows him home and becomes an adopted brother to Qian and his sister.

While watching this, at first, it appears to be 3 young people just trying to survive in a world that isn't equipped or prepared to help. Qian works and sacrifices himself tirelessly for his younger siblings and treats them as such. Even agreeing to a boxing match that leaves him permanently injured, in order to escape the mob.
What lessens any feelings of awkwardness is when Yuan realises that he is gay and his feelings for his brother were never platonic. He has been devoted to him for years. There is a very compassionate approach to Yuan's self revelations and it draws out a lot of sympathy from viewer. He's in love with someone he shouldn't be and doesn't know how to walk away, so he resigns himself to silence but knowing that he won't be able to control his jealous.
When the emotional moment finally arrives and Yuan confesses to Qian, it is devastating to watch as Qian is understandably enraged and confused. There is a scene of the two cuddling while sleeping, so it is possible that, as Yuan later tells him, he also didn't have brotherly feelings but was afraid to admit or to even feel his real feelings.
Qian has dedicated his life to his sibling's happiness, creating the family environment they were robbed off early, so it is understandably hard to move from brother to lover.

I've found a lot of the 'adopted sibling to lover' tropes miss a very important step, which is the change it's self and how the characters work through it. Personally, I found this has been the best representation I've seen so far, where it's not a quick hop from one to the other because the writer is eager to get to the romance/sex. It's a genuine, painful questioning of Qian's real feelings for Yuan vs letting go of the life he envisioned for his siblings.
He consciously viewed Yuan as his brother, but subconsciously knew his feelings were deeper and we have to walk with him as he processes what he's never dealt with, including his mother.

I also really liked the progression of the sister. It's obvious early that she has a mind of her own and is a little promiscuous.
Much in the same manner a parent must face their child, Qian has to come to terms that his siblings are their own person, with hopes and wants of their own and Qian can't plan and control everything.

What held me back from giving this a full 10 was that I was reminded a little too hard of BL manga I used to read years ago. The older male being looked after by a younger and emotionally forceful male. It's not an issue for me and I was never uncomfortable with Yuan's motives and actions. I was just reminded a little too much a BL trope and it dampened the viewing pleasure just ever so slightly.

Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this and the music fit the scenes very well without being distracting. I would absolutely watch this again and it's possible that may even be a comfort series as the relationships between the characters, I found genuinely touching and heart warming.

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Masterclass on BL Dramas

How will I continue to watch BL series after this?

Suddenly you realize how a BL Drama can be if :
1. You have committed, good and well prepared actors (main and secondary)
2. You have a scenario in which a 2 second scene in episode 1 solidifies a major plot choice in episode 10
3. You direct it using the minimum appropriate time for a reaction aiming for the greatest impact
5. You deal with delicate matters very carefully and with great respect, giving the appropriate time to mature
6. You use EVERY available tool (actor, timing, light, music) in the service of the scene
4. YOU KNOW YOUR JOB AS AN ARTIST.

"Unknown" reminded us the basic and most profound codes for a good drama...
and that we have tolerated and support too many poorly crafted experimental works who tried to please an insatiable for shipping audience regardless of the artistic effect.

It's almost a shame to admit it, but "Unknown" should have been the rule and not the exception.

A great applause and many thanks to the director, writers, actors and crew of this exceptional work!

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Conflictos y dificultades

Normalmente, tengo una idea clara de lo que quiero expresar al escribir una reseña sobre una serie que acabo de terminar. Sus fortalezas, debilidades, inconsistencias... sin embargo, con "Unknown" he necesitado tiempo para recuperarme emocionalmente antes de atreverme a redactar estas palabras.

La historia inicialmente me generó muchas dudas; se desarrollaba a un ritmo acelerado y los personajes evolucionaban tan rápidamente que sus actores cambiaban más rápido de lo esperado. Esto me dificultó saber en qué momento temporal me encontraba durante los dos primeros capítulos. Sin embargo, el desarrollo de la narrativa finalmente aclaró mis dudas, confirmando una idea que había estado formándose en mi mente a lo largo de los episodios y que se consolidó con su conclusión: Unknown nos brinda una clase magistral de narrativa como pocas ficciones han logrado.

Los tropos empleados no son novedosos, y profundizar en el amor hacia un hermano no biológico a menudo me provoca un conflicto que, aunque me complace enfrentar, se origina en ideas preconcebidas y una noción de familia judeocristiana que me resulta difícil dejar atrás, pero que desearía descartar.

Los actores son sobresalientes, y es imprescindible resaltar la labor de Chris Chiu y Kurt Huang en la obra. No solo logran transmitir un abanico de expresiones y emociones, sino que también desarrollan una química que consigue trascender la pantalla.

La banda sonora es excepcional y, contrariamente a algunas opiniones que he visto en foros, no pienso que disminuya la solemnidad de ciertos momentos. Al contrario, refuerza el mensaje visual que se nos presenta, interactuando con nuestras emociones.

Siento propensión a dar altas calificaciones a los BLs, ya que me producen una inmensa felicidad al verlos. Satisfacen un vacío que de otra manera no sabría cómo llenar, por lo que otorgarle un 10 a este producto tal vez no tenga el mismo valor que tendría si mis críticas fueran más rigurosas... pero lo que sí puedo afirmar es que este drama ha provocado un cambio en mí. Y aquellos que alcanzan ese nivel, permanecerán conmigo hasta que no pueda hablar más de ellos.

Denle una oportunidad. No se arrepentirán.

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