Connecting To You (Taiwanese Series)
I was ready to leave this review feeling a little disappointed by the finale when I discovered there was a bonus 13th episode. Naturally, I watched it straight away—and there was the satisfying finish I’d been missing. By then, Jiakai and Dawei are officially a couple and looking for a home together. There’s some uncertainty over whether they’re moving too quickly, but talking honestly about that hesitation brings them closer. Their friend finally finds love too. Getting to watch the two leads make a home together turned out to be exactly the goodbye I wanted.
That extra episode matters because this is a couple you really want to see happy. Both men are thoroughly likeable, there’s very little toxic drama, and their relationship gives the series a warmth that makes it easy to keep smiling. The main run consists of twelve episodes of roughly 25 minutes each, so it passes quickly. Their chemistry, those smiles, and the lovely feeling of spending time with them linger much longer.
There is a lonely idea underneath all that cheerfulness. Jiakai can see threads that are invisible to everyone else, with different colors representing different connections between people. Sometimes this gift works in his favor; sometimes it gets him into trouble. What hurts is that he has never seen one connecting him to another person. He has more or less accepted that everyone else gets a connection while he is destined to be alone.
The series builds a romantic comedy around that sadness, and the comedy is a big part of its appeal. It has plenty of properly funny moments without making the humor seem strained or embarrassingly manufactured. Bright colors and a consistently cheerful atmosphere help make this a BL that can lift your mood almost immediately. Even the police station fits comfortably into that world: the scenes there stay playful, with none of the violence and murder that would turn the setting into a grim crime drama.
Dawei’s introduction puts that light touch to good use. He’s the cop who arrests Jiakai when Jiakai is trying to help a girl, and he isn’t remotely convinced by the explanation he gets. Their encounter is a wonderfully awkward mess, full of the sort of cringe that keeps you watching. Further run-ins bring more trouble and more arguing: Jiakai keeps attempting to explain, while Dawei sticks firmly to the rules.
They are far too cute together for that standoff to last forever. An accidental collision between their heads changes things, bringing them closer and allowing Jiakai, for the first time, to see a thread linking him to somebody else. Then a practical problem gives their growing connection room to develop. The home Jiakai shares with his close friend needs repairs, Dawei offers his spare room, and Jiakai moves in.
Living together is where the romance really begins to grow, but I appreciated how carefully the show lets it unfold. These are two good people, and their chemistry makes you impatient for them to become a couple, yet each stage earns its place. Hostility gives way to sharing a home; feelings emerge, become difficult to ignore, and eventually get spoken aloud. As they try to understand the thread connecting them, they repeatedly support each other, come to terms with their emotions, and work through old family baggage. The progression is handled very well.
There’s plenty to enjoy around them, too. Jiakai’s friend Chaonan is especially entertaining, bringing an extra burst of comic energy to an already enjoyable cast. Best friends in these stories can feel like they’re simply occupying a spare slot, but Chaonan leaves an impression, and the actor deserves credit for making him stand out.
My reservation remains the ending of the original twelve episodes. After everything that worked so well, it seemed more concerned with getting things wrapped up than delivering a finish with the same impact. A stronger finale could have lifted the whole series further. Fortunately, the bonus episode supplies the closure that first ending lacked, letting the affection between Jiakai and Dawei carry through into their new home. With that final piece in place, this sweet, funny, thoroughly reassuring romance gets a definite recommendation from me. (8.5/10)