Killer bops, women breaking stereotypes, and not only meeting your idol IRL but also falling in love too—you can find all of that and more in “First Note of Love,” a Taiwanese BL about music, love, and moving on from loss.
“First Note of Love” tells the story of lead singer Neil (Charles Tu), who has been in an emotional and professional rut ever since the sudden passing of his brother and bandmate. When a timid music prodigy and in-the-closet fanboy, Sea (Michael Chang), gets hired to partner with Neil for his reluctant comeback, Sea slowly brings light back into Neil’s life.
These six aspects of “First Note of Love” will definitely convince you to start watching if you haven’t already.
Warning: Minimal spoilers ahead!
1. It’s an important look at healing and moving on
The sad starting premise of the show is Neil’s loss of his beloved brother, and though it has been years, Neil is still deeply affected by it. Pretty much all the characters who knew Neil’s brother are shown to be affected by this loss in different ways, and they all struggle to cope throughout the series.
The situation isn’t glazed over or “fixed” in an episode or two, and that’s a good thing. While their loss is heartbreaking, it’s also a lot about communication, growth, and hope.
2. The music is really that good
As predicted by this drama, there are definitely more than a few bops in this one, and it makes good sense. The whole show is about the music that comes out of Sea and Neil’s collaboration, with Thai musician Orca (Jame Kasama Kranjanawattana) making performance appearances too. You’ll definitely find some new songs to add to your playlist after watching this one.
3. Falling in love with your idol
Anyone with an idol or two probably shares the collective dream of meeting them in person one day. But to also get to know them and become close? That might be more Wattpad material than reality, but it nonetheless happens for Sea. It’s so fun to watch a shy fanboy fall in love with his longtime idol and have his feelings reciprocated. Sea’s attempts at downplaying his deep admiration and innocent crush on Neil are too cute.
4. Michael Chang’s performance as Sea
Make no mistake: all actors and actresses in this show give an amazing performance, but something has to be said about Michael Chang’s portrayal of Sea.
He plays a musical genius who is super passionate, but he’s also shy and professionally inexperienced. When he discovers his idol is who he will be producing for, you can see he struggles to keep a serious, professional face while holding back glances and smiles. His timid character and micro expressions are so well done. It comes off so natural that you can’t help but feel his shyness and heart flutters through the screen.
5. The iconic women
The biggest icons in this show are the women, period. And you may know if you’ve been watching the BL genre for a long time now that this isn’t always the case.
In “First Note of Love,” Ting Fei, played by Kaia Lee, is a senior schoolmate and eventual friend of Sea. She breaks all stereotypes of what you may expect from a female side character in a BL. She is authentic from the very beginning, and her whole character is not about breaking up the main couple or being a damsel in distress.
Ting Fei is the embodiment of cool, collected, and talented. By day, she’s a glasses-wearing, MacBook-holding college student; by night, she works as a waitress who can stand up for herself.
At Neil’s office is another icon, Xiao Mei (Amanda Liu). She is goofy and relatable but also always simultaneously serves a boss-woman attitude in the office.
6. The second couple is just as interesting as the leads
Double is always better. Well, in this case, it is.
The side couple, Orca and Neil’s manager Reese (Liu Min Ting), are just as interesting and worth watching as the main couple. Their relationship is a bit more complicated, however, as they have history that goes back to the early days of Neil’s band.
They have the angst and push and pull that’s less there in the relationship between Sea and Neil. You’ll have to watch to the end to see if they can get over their issues and end up together.
Start watching “First Note of Love”:
Have you started “First Note of Love” yet? What BLs are you watching this season? Let us know in the comments below!
Asya’s a BL-biased Soompi writer with a love of K-pop and all types of Asian dramas. Some of her favorite shows are “Psychopath Diary,” “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!,” “Light On Me,” “The Untamed,” “Go Go Squid!,” and “Cherry Magic!”
Currently watching: “Eccentric Romance,” “Love in the Big City,” “Sell Your Haunted House,” “Love is a Poison,” “Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo,” and “My Damn Business.”
Looking forward to: “Your Sky the Series” and “I’m the Most Beautiful Count”
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