“What else can we be, if not brothers?” Unknown is a deeply affecting story about the intersections between family and romance.

Based on the novel “大哥“, which simply translates to “older brother” in Chinese, the series unearths some unsettling questions about why it’s wrong to have romantic feelings for someone we call “family”. But what if the family member is not blood-related?

The show is self-aware.

This taboo is the major obstacle standing in the way of the protagonists’ romance, and is also the biggest reason why Qian experiences so much confusion regarding his affections for Yuan. Does he care for him so much because he single-handedly raised this boy, or does he love him like a life partner?

By the 12th episode, was I fully persuaded by Qian and Yuan’s relationship? I'm not sure, but they were so sweet I couldn’t help but find myself rooting for them.

Perhaps the actual question Unknown explores is what it means to belong to a family. In all its varied forms.

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