DNA Says Love You (2022)

Unexpected and beautiful

This was worth every second of watching.
It started so silly, I was worried in which direction the story will flow.
But, it's heartwarming, beautiful, cute, pleading for understanding and a little bit mysterious.
And then there's AMBER.
This pretty and handsome being. With big warm eyes and a big secret.

The whole bunch of actors did a great job to transport this story, and Erek Lin is the cherry on the cream.
I like it, when the actors starts to play so genuine, that You forget You watch a Drama or a Movie.
Absolute rewatchable content.
A great chemistry between the couples. Every character was relateable. Well done!

available on GagaOOlala and Rakuten Viki

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Unique plot but only average acting

The best thing about “DNA Says Love You” is the unique and original plot. Although I wouldn’t say the drama is full of unexpected plot twists and it’s actually somewhat predictable, I enjoy the writing and the introduction of the mysterious Amber. The characters are college students, but I am glad that this is not a college drama. Friendship plays a central theme in this drama, and there are some fun and solid friendships and banter.

However, I was actually not very interested in the first couple episodes. I did not like the unnatural acting of Lukas Huang, who plays ML Pu Le Chien (Ah Le). I also find the general acting of Lin Wei Jie and Tannie Huang a little over-the-top, but that’s probably because Taiwanese acting is a little hit-or-miss for me. I did get used to it after a while but as a whole, it’s just OK acting. With the introduction of Erek Lin’s character, Amber, the story picks up its pace. I like Erek’s acting more than others, probably because his character is not as loud, and his acting needs to be more subtle.

Once Amber comes into the picture, the plot moves a lot better for me. I enjoy how he’s welcomed into the circle of friends, and how he really gets close to Ah Le. I think viewers slowly find out the identity of this mysterious Amber. I enjoy seeing how the friendship/romance develops but do think it’s too fast for Ah Le to go from realizing his feelings and to falling head over heels within 15 minutes of screen time. I wish there’s more time for his realization to set in, for him to ponder and agonize over it a little more. The last four episodes are emotional and really touching, and definitely better than the first four episodes.

The secondary romance could have been written better. They have so much screen time in the beginning and then disappear after their subplot is over. I thought they left town already but they haven’t.

The OST only has four songs but I like them, especially the three slower ones: 決定我愛你, 蝴蝶 Butterfly, and 曖昧關係 Ambiguity. I added all three to my Spotify playlist. ?

Despite not being a big fan of everyone’s acting, I do recommend you to check it out for its unique plot and lovely songs. There are only 12 thirty-minute episodes and it is an easy and quick watch.


Completed: 5/7/2024 - Review #437

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Unexpectedly Lovely

I didn't have particularly high expectations going into this drama. The synopsis sounded relatively promising and it was short, so even if it was terrible at least I hadn't wasted a huge amount of time on it. This drama, however, proved to be anything but terrible and is one of the best I've watched in a while. I literally stayed up until 4 am just to finish watching it.

The story for me was a fascinating combination of simplicity and complexity. The overall plot is fairly simple, friends who make videos investigating the paranormal. The complexity comes from how the character's lives interweave with that simple story and how their relationships with each other change and grow. Its truly beautiful to watch. I was never bored, despite there being a few parts during the middle when things were a bit slow, but I don't feel like those moments really take away from the drama either. My only qualm is that I feel like they could have used the mystery of the nunnery to better effect. I was really fascinated with it in the beginning and it just kind of fell by the wayside eventually and only cropped up when convenient.

The acting was so good. Erek Lin in particular as Amber was amazing. Every time he was onscreen, I was just riveted by his performance. The depth that he managed to portray with simple looks was truly impressive. Lukas Huang as Le was also quite good. Where I could really feel Amber's pain and distress and believe it, I didn't find Lukas as believable when having to portray more extreme emotions. I really noticed at the end when he talks to his mom. The scene and dialogue are beautiful, but his acting just feels a touch forced and inauthentic. Otherwise though, I really enjoyed his portrayal of Le. Tannie Huang also did a lovely job as Yu He. She portrayed a character that could very easily have been annoying but she managed to find a balance that really worked and I ended up really loving and feeling for her character. Lin Wei Jie and Leo Guo were equally good as Li and Gwan. Though I found Li's portrayal to be a bit over the top at times, he was overall a loveable guy and not too terribly annoying. Gwan sometimes felt like he was just kind of there and I felt like Leo could have used his facial expression to better effect at times, but overall enjoyed his performance as well.

One of the things I loved about this drama was how overall well-rounded the vast majority of the characters were despite its short length. Particularly the characters of Le, Yu He, and Wen-Wen. I know a lot of people found the flashbacks to be annoying, but I personally found them to be very interesting in comparing their personalities as children and then as adults and seeing the ways they were still the same and the ways they had changed.
- Wen-Wen aka Amber obviously had the biggest change, both physically and mentally. Even when he is first introduced as an adult, you can see how mentally and emotionally fragile he is. He is no longer the carefree child. But what is also obvious almost from the get go, is his love for Le and how that has never changed. He is such a sweet character and his story is so unique in terms of BL stories, I've never seen one with a similar character. His rawness and vulnerability are so beautifully portrayed by Erek. And his fear of being found out and rejected is almost palpable. I honestly spent half the drama just wanting to give him a hug. I really enjoyed watching his relationship with Le grow, in a different way from when they were children. The ending with the two of them was just so heartwarming and I was so happy to see him accepted and loved unconditionally.
- I knew I was going to like Le from the first moment; everything about him just screamed that he was an honestly good person. And he did not disappoint. He was a bit of a typical BL guy in that he wasn't interested in anyone and wasn't really looking for love. His sexual preference is never really overtly discussed. Wen-Wen was his childhood sweetheart, but aside from her, there's no impression given that he's ever liked anyone else. But there is an obvious connection between him and Amber pretty much from the first. He's protective of him and far more affectionate towards him than his other friends. While its obvious to anyone else that he has feelings for Amber, he's oblivious to those feelings until Yu He talks it out with him. I think all of it is handled very well. His confusion regarding his feelings is understandable. Are they because he loves Amber for Amber or is it because Amber reminds him of Wen-Wen? And what I love is that he's able to separate the two. He loved Wen-Wen because of who she was when they were children, but he fell in love with Amber because of who he was before he even knew he was once Wen-Wen. Their conversation at the end when they're in the forest was just sheer perfection and really showed to me how far Le had come.
- I was not sure what I was going to think of Yu He initially. Her loud mouth and big personality gave her the potential to be annoying, but this drama did what a lot of BL dramas don't and actually utilized their female character. Instead of having her serve no other purpose than comedic relief or just to push the story along, she was her own person with her own hopes and dreams. I really came to love her character and to appreciate the hard situation she found herself in. I truly admired and appreciated the grace with which she gave up her love for Le, which had to be so incredibly hard since she'd loved him since they were children. They could have turned her into an absolute harpy and used her to hurt both Amber and Le but I'm so happy they didn't. Her reaction to finding out about Amber was completely heartfelt and I really liked that their friendship, though definitely changed was still intact. With that in mind, I can't agree with everything that she did, but I never felt that her intentions were in any way malicious. She came across as very human and relatable. She was just an all around fantastic character and I wish BL dramas had more like her.
- I'm going to lump Li and Gwan here together as I didn't have particularly strong opinions about either of them. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them and I thought they made a cute couple, but I wasn't hugely invested in their story and they kind of faded out after their little tiff and making up. There just wasn't a whole lot there to really interest me. What I did like and found unique was having a secondary couple that was already established; they'd been together for four years. And with that was the simple domesticity of their living together. Most dramas are so fraught with the drama of the couples getting together that scenes like that are few and far between if present at all so I did like that addition.
- Le's mom was frankly awesome. She was such a tolerant and supportive mother and that last scene with her and Le was just so heartwarming. I also just loved how she was basically everyone's mom and always welcoming and caring to all of Le's friends.

I really enjoyed the music. The opening song was fun and catchy and the song they used for closing several episodes was really beautiful.

Gorgeous cinematography. Sweeping view of Taiwan's stunning country will never get old.

I adore this drama. It was beautiful and heartfelt and so worth the watch. It had a few minor bumps, but overall I felt it was a well-rounded, well-told story with characters that truly drew you in. I highly, highly recommend watching it. The first couple episodes are maybe a tad slow, but its well worth sticking it out.

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slice of life series

Overall: this is what I would call a slice of life series, i.e. more true to life versus a romanticized version. Though I was put off at the beginning of the 1st episode with the flash forward and the first few episodes were especially slow going, I'm glad that I stuck with the series. Watched on Gagaoolala (also on iQIYI).

Content Warnings: distant past suicide mentioned, punch/bullying, stalking, outing, manhandling

What I Liked
- some cute moments
- there were actually customers in the cafe at times and the cafe workers were actually working
- a character dreams different kdrama scenarios (I think one was Crash Landing On You) which was fun
- a character said that people who love each other should be able to marry
- the female friend wasn't a cliche evil wannabe girlfriend, though I don't approve of how she handled something
- representation (although I think the writers could have had a more realistic explanation/explained things better)
- Le's mom
- that nose ring, I think it's the first nose piercing I've ever seen in a BL, the hair was fun too
- the friendship between Le and Li

Room For Improvement
- I wish they portrayed the relationship between Li and Gwan differently. At first, I wasn't even sure what their relationship was. It didn't seem that they really even liked each other as friends with the way they treated one another.
- cliche "let me explain" then does not explain with side couple
- the main couple/side couple screen time was odd. Li and Gwan had an entire episode and then pretty much vanished.
- a bit choppy when they were in the forest the first time
- slow pacing
- I think the title "DNA Says Love You" should be "My DNA Says I Love You", I see it's listed as an alternate title but I wish this was the main title
- the pronouns appeared incorrect a few times, but I think this was a translation error (I didn't take off review stars for this)

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This was such a refreshing change of pace from the bulk of BL dramas out there. It was a nice twist on the childhood friends - to - lovers trope that felt new yet comforting in its familiarity at the same time. It was also a great dynamic having the third friend in the mix to show the evolution of feelings and how the friendships differ from each other (platonic love to romantic love to unrequited love) and how they compared to the past verses the present.

The flow of the story was a little weird although I can't say it was bad.. just a little confusing. From the very start, we see a potential car accident so right off the bat, it is hinting at a tragic conclusion. We are made to believe it will become even more tragic over the course of the series as we see Amber's clear affection for Le but his reluctance to say anything out of fear. This would be a quintessential "secret crush" story if it weren't for the added depth of Amber actually being Wen Wen whom Le has always been in love with and had been waiting for to return. We see this through a series of flashbacks though the truth of Amber's identity is not actually revealed until pretty late into the series so unless someone read a detailed synopsis or spoilers, it may not make much sense. Maybe they did this to encourage multiple viewings so that we see it in a different light, who knows? But again, I didn't find it to be bad, just strange. It was as if they wanted people to already know the big plot twist before it actually happened.

I was very happy to see that they could create a drama without needing a "villain" or someone coming in to try and mess with the MC. There was a little bit of a hint of that with Yu He but I thought her journey was very realistic and very well executed that you couldn't help but feel bad for her. She never once tried to get in their way but she was honest about how her feelings were torn between being happy to find out Wen Wen was back yet knowing it all but demolished any chance she may have had with Le. Oh, and her brother is ultimate BF material... she's sitting there crying and alone and he just puts on music and gives her cake while he listens to her pour her heart out. Sometimes, that's all we need.. an ear to listen to us while we eat cake.

I honestly didn't understand the purpose of the car accident.. I mean, there was barely a scratch on Amber so why make us think it's going to be much worse than it is if it was barely a blip on the radar when it actually happened?

But that's probably my biggest gripe with the series. I knew going into it that it would be a slow burn which I generally do not prefer. But it definitely worked here and made sense. Also, honestly, that was probably the most satisfying kiss I'd ever seen.. not so much the kiss itself but just the fact that it FINALLY happened. 12 episodes of tension and buildup ultimately get released and it's like letting out a breath that's been held in for way too long. Then from that point on, it was seriously adorable.. I liked how they showed them as normal friends at the end with the flirty undertone. They were just so comfortable with each other after all that uncertainty throughout.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect with the synopsis I'd read somewhere else but I'm so glad I watched this series and would certainly recommend it to anyone. Truly beautiful and enjoyable watch.

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Really slow start, but totally worth it

Like others might say about DNA Says Love you, the beginning of the series is extremely slow and honestly the first episode, if not the first two episodes are completely skippable. Since they mostly drag on and add no real substance to the plot or characters aside from establishing the childhood friend Wen Wen and that the main character is essentially a YouTuber. The only other flaw I could really say about this show was that the side couple felt both rushed and forced with their mini arch within the series.

However, its after the slow beginning that the series really starts to pick it up. Not only is the "twist" behind who Amber really is and why they've been away for so long extremely unique, but it helps to add real depth and heavy stakes with how they interact with their old childhood friends. It's not just Amber themselves who shine in this BL. All of the characters each have their own moment in the spotlight. Their relationships with one another seeming only the most of genuine and heartfelt, and only the most endearing. Even Yu He as a female character has a small arch of growth when she gets over her feelings for Le. Something I feel lacks in many BL shows as these female characters tend to fall into the mad with jealousy trope.

DNA Says Love You is not only strong with its characters but its plot and directing as well. With what has to be one of my favorite scenes in any form of media being the park scene. Where both Le and Yu He, now grown adults, ask a ten years older and now male Wen Wen/Amber to take their picture on a see-saw not recognizing them. The way Amber begins to break down after, confirming that it would be basically impossible for them to have the friendship they once did with their old friends will always pull at my heartstrings when I think about it. The music in the scene as well is absolutely phenomenal and did not help to stop the waterworks.

Overall, I would most definitely recommend DNA Says Love You to anyone who values a slow burn and is willing to wait out the boring parts at the beginning for an exceptional story to begin around midway through. And especially for those who enjoy the childhood friends trope but are looking for something new/different and an added twist.

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Well, the series production wasn't that good BUT I loved the fact that they talked about something more than a "gay couple", asexuality is something that isn't talked about enough, and this series shows it in the most beautiful way they could.

I think it's too much history for such short series and that's why everything seems so rushed. Le Chien felt in love out of nowhere I don't really like that.
Amber was an amazing character, he had so much consideration for Le Chien and Yu He that he ever forgot abput himself and his mental health.

Overall it's cute and easy to see, as I said before it also spreads awareness to different types of LGBTQ+ people.

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Unpredictable and really good

This series has definitely turned out to be one of the very well made BLs out there. It has a very different and interesting plot which has never been explored before. The script is solid.
Loved the cast- the adults and the kids. They all were exceptionally good at portraying their roles.
The story really travels through the story of a lost and found relationship and how some drastic things affected their bonds. It also has a faint supernatural undertone, but it is so subtle and a charming element for the story.
First episode is a bit confusing as to what we are heading into, but its totally worth a watch or more. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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AHH this was so cute ?

I know, this drama was a little confusing and slow the first 1-2 episodes but STICK WITH IT! I was originally watching Plus & Minus (another Taiwanese BL) and ended up dropping that halfway through episode 8 ? then I started this and at first, I was kind of confused and you could definitely tell they didn't have the highest budget ? however, the dynamic between Amber & A'Le is so freaking cute. Their chemistry is insane and DAMN, they can ACT. This show is so wholesome and attacked me with the PERFECT amount of angst. Despite the shorter runtime, nothing felt rushed and everything felt genuinely built up and developed. I loved it. Even the arguments, emotional scenes, and points of conflict were so well executed. I can't gush enough about this bl.

The main twist wasn't a shocker to me (I guessed as much in the first episode) however, I don't believe they wanted it to be completely hidden. *SPOILER WARNING* Even though I typically hate lying or hidden identity as a main trope, it was completely understandable in this case. Plus, I appreciated the development between the two leads as they are now--before the secret is revealed. *END OF SPOILER*

Another think I loved was the soundtrack! It was SO GOOD. At times, it was slightly too loud in certain scenes but other than that, I loved the music and how it was utilised.

I also just have to say that the actor who plays Amber did an amazing job. He was, for sure, the standout among the cast and probably had the toughest role to execute.

Anyway, I seriously recommend giving this bl a solid chance!

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A good storyline, with very good characters

I really enjoyed watching this series. In part, because of the originality of the story. There isn't another bl out there that is quite like this one. It's not just the story of two boys falling in love, but also of three friends and how they come back together and accept one another for who they are.

I do agree with other reviews that say parts might be slow, but I liked the pace better than some that feel rushed. The two male characters have a great connection, and you can really see the emotion of which one likes the other first, and then how the feelings start to grow between both of them.

The female friend in the series is a smart, likeable character who just wants her friends to be happy, the background music is ok and fits the scenes, the photography is pretty good, overall, I think this is a nice, refreshing series that will leave you with good feelings and little to criticize. Give it try and don't give up on the slow parts.

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Don't judge this series by the first three episodes

When I started this series, I was slightly put off by the first two episodes that I literally stopped watching it. Then I had a lull as the other series that I were watchng were ending. So, I told myself 'Time to resume watching this again.' And, again, I wasn't that impressed qith episode three but I have NDD (no dropping disease) and I continued on. By continuing on...the series improved drastically that I was finally up to date with episodes and eagerly awaiting each week for the remainig ones.

Story-8.5/10
I didn't expect it to but the story was beautiful and well told (except for those beginning episodes for me personally). From the main characters to the secondary characters (especially Pu Le Chien's mom!), I feel in love with the uniqueness of the story and while there are some parts that didn't impress me, they are very small. So, for that, I'm giving it an 8.5.

Acting/Cast-9/10
I love everyone's acting so much. They conveyed thier emotions so well and was able to give an excellent and beautiful story. This was done from the main characters to even the secondary characters. As such, I give a 9.

Music-10/10
The music is and will forever be beautiful. I loved listening to it when I watched every episode. I wil truly miss it.

Rewatch Valu -8/10
Because of it's ending, I do see myself watching it again soon. This series was in all honesty, not what I was expecting it to be. And in this case, that's good. Because it exceeded all my expectations.

Overall- 9/10
Overall I give this series a 9. I know that the first few episodes can seem daunting and you maybe considering dropping this series. But please believe me when I say that it does get better and that you should continue watching it. I would most definitely recommend this series.

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