Hello again everyone! Today, I’m here to talk to you about a heartwarming Taiwanese BL, I really love. It’s both serious and cute and it warms my heart every time I watch it.

Unknown (2024)
Country: Taiwan
Episodes: 12 (30’ each)
Genres: Romance, Drama, Family
My Rating: 10/10

Plot

Wei Qian was a minor who needed money to be able to live and take care of his younger sister (Wei Lili), because they lived all alone. That led to his involvement with some gangsters by helping them with things like chores and shopping. One day, on his way home, he saw a homeless kid who was a few years younger than him and seemed very frightened. He sympathized with the boy and every day on his way home, he kept providing him with food. One day, the boy followed him home and waited outside for hours. Wei Lili, who was the same age as him, couldn’t leave him outside so she took him home. From that day on, the three of them lived as a family. The gangsters helped Wei Qian register the boy, with the name Wei Zhi Yuan, so he could normally live as member of their family and go to school.

Even though he was only 4-5 years older than his siblings, Wei Qian sacrificed a lot to give them a normal life. He was always helping the gangsters after school as he was in debt of them and he couldn’t easily escape that life. After some years, with the help of Wei Zhi Yuan (with a cost, of course), he managed to leave them and start a normal life. His friend, Tan Yu, who was always there for him, helped Qian go to university and after that, they started a business together.

Even though he was younger, Wei Zhi Yuan always tried to help his family any way he could, by paying the bills with the money his brother gave him, or by finding a part time job. Wei Qian didn’t want to burden anyone, so he opposed his choices, always trying to motivate him to live his life as it’s suitable for his age. But Wei Zhi Yuan never took for granted what this family did for him.

However, Wei Zhi Yuan has been keeping a huge secret from his family—not only is he gay, but he is also secretly in love with his adopted brother. As the years go by, he can no longer deal with his emotions and one day he desperately confesses his feelings to his brother. Wei Qian can’t handle this situation and decides to send his brother to study abroad. The story continues 4 years later, when Wei Zhi Yuan returns home as confident as ever and Wei Qian has finally realized that being away from him made him suffer more than he ever thought.

My opinion about Wei Qian

Qian is a caring person. He was always working hard to provide for his family, thinking he must not become like their manipulative mother. He did his best not to burden his siblings and not to trap them in the same lifestyle. He always encouraged them to chase their dreams and live as they deserved.

When his sister got pregnant (at about the age of 22), he didn’t even judge her, but the only think he asked her, was if she was OK sacrificing her dream to become a model, at that young age.

Qian always thought he could do everything alone. He was always giving love to them, but never thought he was worthy of receiving love too. He didn’t even know how to care for himself and didn’t want a partner in his life as he was fully devoted to his family.

When Zhi Yuan confessed to him, he thought, that if they are far away, Zhi Yuan’s feelings would fade, so he sent him to study abroad. He wanted him to expand his horizons, thinking that his feelings arosed from the fact that he had only him in his life. But the outcome was, that he just suffered waiting, until he couldn’t get enough. Zhi Yuan’s absence made him realize both his feelings and his brother’s feelings and was finally ready to face them. He was too afraid, but it was time for him to learn to depend on other people and admit he needed them.

My opinion about Wei Zhi Yuan

Despite his younger age, Zhi Yuan always knew who he wanted to be and what to do with his life, just like he always knew who he loved. Living abroad made him acknowledge his feelings even more. He left the comfort of his home, his character grew, but one thing never changed. He couldn’t stop thinking about his brother, not even for a moment. It’s true that he needed to build his own life, but deep inside, he still remained the same person, this time, more confident. The insecure one, was definitely Qian, even though he tried to convince him otherwise.

Conclusion

To conclude, I really loved this series. It has a unique storyline, executed by good actors. Every character is well-written, and their thoughts and actions are so realistic that you find yourself identifying with them. I also really liked the family bonding and how they communicated through every problem they faced. The plot is not very dramatic, so I believe it is an easy watch, but it emphasizes a lot to the characters development.

“Unknown” series, proves you don’t have to have the same blood with someone in order to be a family. Sometimes, the family you choose is more important than the one you are born into.

I really recommend you to watch the series, but if you’ve already watched it, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. And if you liked this review, feel free to subscribe for more.

Thanks for reading this,

Utaku.