First Note of Love (2024)

This beautiful 2024 Tawainese BL gave me all the ‘feels.’ It’s been a long time since one has touched me like this. I laughed, had butterflies, and I cried bittersweet, sad, and happy tears. I haven’t cried over a BL in years. I consider a good BL one that is well made, with a deftly conceived plot, good acting, and, last but not least, a satisfying conclusion.  Since reviewing the BL series, I’ve loved many, loathed a few, and found a lot of mediocrity.  This series made me fall in love with the genre again.  This series hit me in all the right places. I liken it to some of the best BLs I’ve seen, Semantic Error, Sense8, and To My Star 1 & 2, to name a few.

Synopsis:

A tragic car accident takes the life of Matt, the keyboardist of the band “Magnet”. His brother Neil, the vocalist, is devastated and subsequently announces his retirement – leaving their fans, including a young boy named Sea, with shattered dreams. 6 years later, the extraordinarily talented Sea receives an invitation to work with none other than his idol Neil, who has disappeared from the stage for 6 years! But the accident has broken the once proud and loud Neil, who is now dealing with anxiety issues and stage fright. Sea, on the other hand, has yet to learn how to love. Together with Neil, they will heal each other with music and dive head-first into their dreams by making the world hear their new shared voice.

(Source: GagaOOLala)

Cast:

Charles Tu – Neil

Michael Chang – Hsiao Hai / “Sea”

Jame Kasama Kranjanawattana – Orca

Liu Min Ting – Reese

Chin Tai Yu – Matt [Neil’s older brother]

Kaia Lee – Ting Fei [Xiao Hai’s senior]

Li Ying Hong – Chen Han Liang / A Liang

Cameos by:

Mos Panuwat Sopradit [Himself] (Ep. 4, 8)

Bank Mondop Heamtan [Himself] (Ep. 4, 8)

Jay Lin is the executive producer of First Note of Love. Jay Lin’s name may be familiar because he was also the executive producer of Present Still Perfect and Love at the End of the World, both brilliant movies and series created and directed by Aam Anusorn. I loved Presentj – Aam Anusorn is one of my favorite directors. Even though he didn’t direct First Note of Love, having someone who produced alongside Director Anusorn gives this series a leg up in my book. Present Still Perfect has a storyline and complex characters that feel real. The same applies to First Note Of Love. This is a character-driven series with an enjoyable plot line.

Let’s talk about actors next. Charles Tu plays Neil, a musician going through PTSD and depression. This is a different role than I’ve seen for him. You may remember him as Xiao Li Cheng from History4: Closer to You. Xiao Li is a playboy who falls for his best friend. He was my favorite character in the series.  He’s been in many Taiwanese dramas like The Iron 4 and Endless Love.  In First Note of Love, Charles Tu shows off his acting and singing skills. He convinces us that he is Neil, a scared and scarred man.  He makes us love Neil, flaws and all.  I love it when actors flesh out their characters, giving them depth.  His portrayal of Neil is so well done that I cried.  More on that later. I want to see more roles from him in the future.

Michael Chang plays Sea, a shy, anxious introvert who lives inside the music in his head. He is a brilliant composer with little to no confidence in himself. He played He Qing Tian/RJ in My Tooth Your Love and Ou Wen Zhuo/Xiao Ou in The Age of Rebellion. I haven’t seen these series, but after witnessing his acting skills in this series, I might check them out. His portrayal of Sea is so well done because he’s more than a shy, anxious character; he believes in his art but not its commercial value. Michael Chang gives me a character I can connect with. His Sea is not just one-dimensional.

The actors who play support roles are James Kasama Kranjanawattana as Orca and Liu Min Ting as Reece. James Kassama is a Thai actor under Star Entertainment, which sent a few actors in for this production. You may have seen him in Love Senior or My Mate Match. His character is a Thai singer, Orca, who worked with Neil and Reece before Reece’s brother’s accident. I usually find it jarring to have someone speaking in a different language than the rest of the cast (thinking about My Engineer).  In this series, James Kasama occasionally speaks Mandarin and English but primarily Thai.  I don’t know if it’s his acting or understanding of Mandarin, but it never felt like he couldn’t understand what was being said around him. His responses to conversations felt natural and flowed well. Since I’ve watched so many Thai BL/GL dramas, I understood much of his dialogue. The flow between languages was so smooth I would forget that I was listening to two different languages being spoken between the characters.

This wouldn’t work without his counterpart in the series, the Taiwanese actor Liu Min Ting. He is most notably known for his role as Lin Jing in Guardian. Guardian is still one of my favourite BLs to go back and rewatch, so I had high hopes for his acting. His more mature nuanced performance as Reece showcases his growth as an actor. I look forward to seeing what he will do next. 

The Story:

At its core, this series is not complicated. There are no huge plot twists or flashy CGI. Characters drive the story, which can usually be good or bad, depending on the performance and growth during the narrative. I enjoy these types of series because sometimes I need characters I can root for as I watch them grow. It all comes down to the acting, the writing, and the storytelling. So, what’s the premise?

Sea is a college student with a head and heart full of music. A solitary introvert who makes music when he’s not working, going to school, or sleeping, Sea’s songs call to him. He releases tracks on the web with a decent-sized following and fans who like his sound. But the anonymity behind the keyboard is what Sea feels most comfortable with. Nobody knows who he is except his boss, who runs a food truck.

The child Sea became inspired by a brief encounter with Neil alongside the river one sad day. Sea didn’t know why he felt empty and depressed but felt out of place among his family and peers. A stranger with a guitar starts a conversation, worried about Sea and his contemplation of the river. The encouragement he received and the song he heard touched him. The man gave him a ticket to a concert by a band he’d never heard of before. This altered the trajectory of his life, even though the concert never happened. He never forgot Neil.

Neil, a guitarist and singer, struggles every day after suffering a huge loss. His brother and bandmate died in a car crash, causing Neil to spiral into a deep depression. He stopped making music.  His life became a holding pattern, living like a hermit and withdrawing from society.  Until the day he was issued an ultimatum by the company he brought to fame, make new music, or your contract will be terminated.

Neil’s manager is his best friend, Reece. Reece tries his best to keep Neil afloat, but the company forces his hand, and he issues the ultimatum. Reece wants to see Neil come back to himself, picking up music again. Reece calls on songwriters to help Neil with a comeback song or album.

Sea runs into his hero when he & Neil defend a waitress from some handsy customers who give chase to the pair. Sea is taken aback to see his hero in such a sorry state. Neil is grungy and unkempt, with long, shaggy hair, clothing, and sandals that make him look homeless. Sea is shocked but a little disappointed.

Where was his muse?

In the meantime, Sea’s friend submits his work for consideration without his knowledge. Thus, the stars align, and the two meet again after the encounter the previous day.

Sparks fly when Sea is recruited to work on Neil’s new album. Despite his nature as an introvert, Sea doesn’t want to work with someone who doesn’t respect him. Neil doesn’t want to make new music without his brother, but the alternative is being dropped from his label. The two mix like oil and water from the beginning.

Along for the journey is Orca, a former band member who spent time with Neil and Reece. Orca is Thai, but the language barrier seems not to exist as the people speak English to communicate as their common language. Orca has loved Reece for a long time, but Reece isn’t ready to admit his feelings due to his guilt at not helping Neil overcome his obstacles. So when Orca comes to help Neil with the comeback, will Reece open his heart?

And what about our main pair? Will Sea and Neil come to understand each other? Will they heal each other? Neil’s growth was halted by the trauma of losing his brother. Will Neil’s confidence give Sea the courage to step outside his comfort zone and create new music, putting himself in the public eye instead of behind the anonymity of a keyboard?

These questions drive the story to a heartfelt conclusion. The story and the acting give this series a strong sense of gravitas – the music is just a bonus.

If you haven’t watched the series, you should. Please let me know what you think if you have.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. [See our Review Guide]