Kiseki: Dear To Me – 奇蹟 (2023) – Final Thoughts

This show did not disappoint. I recommend you try it before reading further, as there may be spoilers ahead. I will warn you ahead of time, though, in case you still plan on watching.

I went in hopeful and a little excited after the first few episodes. 

Initially, I thought the story would center around a tough yakuza and a naive high school senior.  I’m not too fond of the age gap storyline, especially when dealing with those under age and adults. However, in the first episode, we see a time skip of four years in this show.  I am glad I didn’t let it deter me from watching the series.

The premise of the plot is a simple one.  We’ve all seen Yakuza BL; honestly, Kinn Porsche spoiled me. However, this is a more lighthearted take on the genre, so don’t expect some dark, gritty drama and explicitly sexy time in this show.

Fan Ze Rui, our young yakuza leader, and Bai Zong Yi, an academic and serious high school student, cross paths as Fan Ze coerces Bai Zong Yi to help him recover from an injury and hide him while he’s healing.  Bai Zong Yi is complicated. He works hard, studies hard, and saves all his money. He lives alone, but his dad and sister live not too far away.  He wants to be a doctor.    When Fan Ze Rui places Bai Zong Yi’s hand on the bloody knife in order to blackmail him, Fan Ze Rui lucks out by getting help from someone who wants to be a doctor. Bai Zong Yi has a terrible bedside manner.  He’s caustic while treating Fan Ze Rui’s wounds. It’s funny to watch the yakuza try to charm the grumpy student.

There were some plot twists that I didn’t see coming. Some injuries and consequences were plot twists I didn’t expect, but they kept me watching to see what would happen with our couple. It’s worth it, so you should watch or finish it if you haven’t already.

I find it funny that in a large number of BLs, everyone tends to be gay. There are plenty of gay couples represented here.

We have a side couple, an older couple, and sadly, Wayne Song and Huang Chun Chih were not a pair in this series. Everyone seems to be either gay or bisexual.

I want to say Wayne Song did a great job of playing a deranged and unhinged young Yakuza. He has been practicing his acting chops, and it shows.  His depiction of someone lost and broken impressed me, which led to some madness.  There is a sibling, that’s all I will say about it, but this person is the only one who can get through to him amidst his meltdowns.

The side couple almost steals the show.  Ai Di (Eddie) and Chen Yi are fantastic. Ai Di, played by Louis Chiang, is a loveable, stubbornly belligerent, secretly in love, small, tough orphan picked up by the Yakuza when he was on the streets as a child. Nat Chen is Chen Yi, a big brother, he thinks, to Ai Di, and a stoic, stern, and loyal young man who was adopted as a child alongside Ai Di.  His crush or love is mixed up with admiration and forbidden longing. He’s a bit dense, so while he constantly rescues Ai Di, he’s clueless about his friend’s true feelings. This side couple stole my heart. It’s worth watching for them.

Any downsides?

Yes, a few.  I thought the chemistry between Bai Zong Yi and Fan Ze was good, at least until it came to the kissing and lovemaking scenes. These were so awkward it almost ruined the show for me.  One kisser is the aggressor, and the other hardly opens their mouth. I don’t need to see the tongue, but it needs to feel passionate, not awkward.  I told myself, well, if they were both virgins, maybe they were trying to convey that, but alas, it’s like that every time they kiss. I think the actors needed some pointers or methods to help them relax because it looked like they didn’t like kissing each other at all.

Another issue with the plot concerns the story’s villain(s).  They were flat and one-dimensional. In the end, one shows us their motivation and creates nuance in their performance, but it doesn’t appear until the end. So, in my mind, it’s too little and too late.  But the story uses these villains as a background way to tell the story between the characters. Thus, the people don’t matter, and what results from their actions adds depth to the story.

I’d love to hear if you’ve watched it and what your thoughts are.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. [See our Review Guide]