The On1y One (2024)

This is one of the best if not THE BEST BL of 2024

If you are looking for a drama that contains plot, talented actors, and top tier chemistry this drama is for you. If you watch it and end up dissatisfied with the lack of NC scenes or are mainly looking for those scenes.
1. They are in Highschool.
2. There are more important things to focus on than those types of scenes in this drama.
3. The story is very well fleshed out, with many lovable characters.
4. The actors are talented and you can tell how much hardwork every person that participated in this drama put in.
5. This drama actually makes you think, with some episodes giving out themes and/or foreshadowing that coincides with the rest of the episode.
Now, if you really want those spicier scenes show more support for Season 2. Rate 10 stars on this website and also IMDB, also please watch The On1y One through legal channels to show continued support. Show support on Instagram/X(Twitter). Either on the actors’ accounts or the main account of the show.
Instagram: theonlyone_tw_series
Actor for Sheng Wang: zayineric
Actor for Jiang Tian: benjamin_tsang

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IT'S A FRESH ROMANCE FOR YOUTH

Every other review has summarized it, so i'm going to tell about how this series makes me feel, and maybe it could make you feel that way too.

It makes me believe love exist but also about how not everything is going to go the way you want. The process of the falling in love and how it affects them is shown through every single episode. I know slow burn may not be everyone's favorite, but plase give this series a chance. Because this series made me want to fall in love. Made me believe that there's truly someone who can be your home. I know the ending may not be what you expected, but for me, it gave me hope for a better future for them.

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My mind is blown and I am left wanting more

I dont usually write reviews because I'm lazy but I just had to praise what a master piece this is. If you are looking for something cute slow but also full of a shit ton of feelings then this is the show for you. Jiang Tian, the man you are. I swear the male leads got me feeling things in my stomach. All I can say is give me a season 2 right now!! For those who are wondering if this is a happy ending, its an open ending. There's more to come and with enough praying and manifestation it will definitely be worth the wait. If you are debating whether to watch it, just go for it expecting nothing. I was gonna drop this show but I always force myself to watch at least one episode and damn am I thankful lmao.

Not giving spoilers but in conclusion WATCH THE MFING SHOW CUZ ITS DAMN GOOD.

Anyways i will haunt everyone if this doesnt get a season two (this is not a threat) okay maybe it is.

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Masterpiece series

It is truly a masterpiece. While the theme of stepbrothers may be common in Taiwanese/Chinese BL series, the execution of this one made me fall in love with it. The performances of the cast, particularly the main couple (with Liu Dong Qin being especially remarkable), along with the stunning cinematography and beautiful OST, deeply immersed me in the storyline. It has been a long time since I've felt this excited about each new episode of a series. Imagine how I feel writing a review of it! I am eagerly anticipating a second season (please, let it air as soon as possible) and highly recommend watching it.

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Only Half of the Story

Rated // 37.5/50 ~ 7.5

This was deliberately written with a season 2 in mind. Since I'm in the west, I don't know what's coming from a novel or have access to the novel so the ending did hurt me. However, if you go in knowing that this is a story the develops over years in it's original work, the novel, then you'll not be too upset at the end. And hopefully our wait for season 2 wont be too long as the director appears to be really pushing for it now.

Having said that, this is true LGBTQ media to me. The boys are only 17 and both having their sexual awakening with the other, who will soon be a brother, as their parents are getting married. There's no explicit scenes, no kissing, not even a confession. It's teenage boys falling into a love that will looked down upon in the future and one of them decides to jump ship to avoid the heartbreak. It's hard enough being 17 developing feelings for the same sex as you, let alone that person is a soon to be brother. I actually really understand the ending and honestly, as sad as it is, it can also be left there too because sometimes that happens. Slice of life isnt meant to be fluffy because life isnt fluffy. A lot of relationships dont work out, esp gay ones.
For me, that's what separates queer films from bl's. It's focusing on the characters as people and the homosexuality happens naturally, especially when the characters are high schoolers still working themselves out.

I really didnt get the whole plot with the teachers though until the end. It was almost as if the writers were trying to create a mirroring plot, as if it were a glimpse into the boy's future.

Overall, I still loved this. It's a slow paced bittersweet reminder of gay youth and as the plot takes place on 2012, it hit me a little close to home. I really loved the sweet potential of each of the characters and I hope that season 2 materializes to watch that potential grow.

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Poetry on screen

Knowing The On1y One was directed by Patrick Liu, a man behind one of my favourite Taiwanese productions “Your Name Engraved Herein” I had high expectations. Despite it being described as yet another story about step-siblings falling in love – a trope that at this point I am already quite fed up with, to be honest.

First few minutes of the show featuring Sheng Wang’s off-screen narration about coming back to his home-town after living abroad, coupled with bird eye's view shots of Guandu Bridge and first glimpse into Liu Dong Qing’s expressive facial acting, I already had an inkling my expectations would be met. However, even then I had no idea just how much I’d fall in love with this drama.

The On1y One is a beautiful, nuanced slice-of-lice, coming of age tale, telling a story of two teenagers, Jang Tian and Sheng Wang who both carry a heavy emotional baggage, being scarred in their life by a loss of a loved one, loneliness and abandonment. You could say it’s a story of two lonely souls, who found a new warm home within each other. The progression of their relationship is portrayed in a very natural manner.

I’m someone who tends to ruin romance stories for myself by asking questions like “Why is this character even in love with another protagonist?”. Here, I never even once had to question or wonder why two main protagonists would get close to each other and feel drawn to one another.

The drama takes time to show how slowly, step by step, Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian are breaking down each other’s walls and opening up to the other person. It’s all done with the use of beautiful imagery, excellent acting from Liu Dong Qin and Benjamin Tsang (both gave exceptional performances!) and lyrical writing that makes use of metaphors and symbolism. If anyone says “there is nothing happening in this drama”, I’d be calling them out on probably not watching it carefully enough.

The story is set in a high-school environment, most precisely in an accelerated class of exceptional students. Studying, preparing for exams, cracking test papers and testing methods are all part of the drama, adding to the realistic, nostalgia-imbued, melancholic vibe of the show. References to works of literature or science phenomena are also often used as tools for creating metaphors and drawing parallelisms between what’s learnt at school and what’s experienced in real life.

Main protagonists are joined by a set of vibrant, likeable side characters, who also contribute to a more realistic and immersive experience.

I’ve watched quite a few of BL dramas in my life, The On1y One took number one spot in my personal ranking of those (and a place among my all-time-favourite Asian dramas in general) when I was just halfway-through it. It’s still occupying that spot a month after I watched the last episode.

It does has its flaws. Some side plots were clearly not as carefully crafted as the main story and pacing was sometimes off, with too much screen time devoted to side characters’ stories towards the ending of the show (with very little of those stories explored in the first half of it). Because of that, I was sometimes getting impatient while anxiously waiting for the resolution of what was happening between two main leads, being aware of the upcoming ending.

Still, those flaws were not able to ruin my overall experience, hence my final rating is 9.5.

I am looking forward to and hoping for the second season and more development to the beautiful relationship Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian built so far. However, if that second season were to never happen, I'd still absolutely adore this series.

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