Long Time No See (2017)

Top Raw KBL

S-

You can only truly taste the flavour of coffee without sugar.

I cannot but review contextually as it's 2022 now. I haven't seen any better BL as of now I must say. Let's start with what's a thing as we all know and regret: the length. I'll give it a pass since it was made 5 years ago and still done like nobody else could. It's basically a movie. I congratulate the production for having done the best possible they could with what they were given.

The plot is nothing fancy really, but it's oddly refreshing. Killers aiming at each other's throat end up playing in bed.

My liking the drama so much I think comes from the realism of it. It didn't feel like things were forced on me to believe as they felt familiar and close to my understanding of the realities about queer people.

And daaaamn!! Good job to the actors who gave in! You killed it. Really, it was cute, sexy and beautiful.

Clearly a lead. You should watch this.

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good potential, bad execution

The story, even though cheesy, had good potential, the charecters were charming and had a decent chermistry, but because of how fast the plot flies, there is no time to get emotionally invested. I didn´t feel happy or sad for the characters, i felt nothing, If this was a (at least) 5 eps with one hour each, this could have been amazing. So many plot holes, things left unadressd, and at this point I think it´s a lack of budget and not just lazy writing. Had this been a long and well elaborated series with the same plot, but just more deeply explored,, it would have been AMAZING. Wasted potential tbh

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Betrayal and Loyalty Sums Up this Story

Although I love the BL genre, I value stories that have a deep meaning, not just light relationships with sex scenes as a bonus; and after a major hunt, this is one of those stories I would rather have amnesia for and re-watch over and over and still not regret.
What was mind-blowing was not the story, honestly, or rather what gave the story immense credit was the ACTING. The actors knew what they were doing, both during the serious arcs and the bonding moments; something absolutely rare specially in a BL drama -- nothing too exaggerated, nothing too less; a PERFECT combo giving a balanced focus on the nerve-racking realities and their fragile but faithful relationship.
I do wish there were more, something like a long lasting series, but then again, out feelings about this drama will likely not be the same unless the consistent care and thoughtfulness put to these short episodes remains as they are; a tall order for any professional (and my poor soul doesn't let the two couple exhaust themselves further by the harsh world we live in).
I do hope that whomever come across 'Long Time No See' in the future will find peace in their minds by being able to empathise with the characters and enjoy the adventure being portrayed to the fullest.
Cheers!

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Volle Empfehlung ?

Für mich ein rundes Geschichte... Die Figuren sind liebenswer... Die Story wird auf dem Punkt gebracht. Mal kein Studenten Geplänkel. Die Aktion kommt sicher nicht zu kurz. Die Kampfszenen sind super und trotzdem kommt die Liebe nicht zu kurz. Man verstand warum sie sich für einander entschieden haben. Ich habe mich in diese Geschichte verliebt ? und werde sie sicher nochmal sehen.

Mich hätte noch die Beweggründe interessiert, warum Wild Dog ein Auftragskiller ist?! Aber das würde nur meine persönliche Neugier stillen, ist für die Story aber unerheblich...

Schaut selbst... Ich liebe sie einfach

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If you haven't seen it, please do

Long Time No See is really good.
It did feel like I finished it quickly but it wasn't because of the amount of time, rather the fact I enjoyed it very much. There was chemistry and connection, love and anger, truth and betrayal, everything was well put together.
I felt pity seeing Chi Soo getting pissed on as a young boy, no nice soul deservs that.
There isn't much about Gi Tae's past but I would've liked it if there were, I wanted to know more about him.
Found it very cute that Gi Tae's sister was very supportive of the two, wished they have givin her a name though.
I just loved the sweet moments between the two main leads, I wish I'll have that one day. Minus the fact that they are working for the mafia or whatever it was.

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Oh, man... OH MAN.

?️The most distinctive trait of this movie: uncompromising. Some very decent acting somehow works its way through very weak directing, while some decent fight choreography and a brutal bullying scene are still visible through very unflattering lighting, trembling camera (how tf did you make it tremble when it's on a tripod?), and a terrible music choice.

I was fucking rolling on the floor of laughter watching the characters first kiss scene. A minute ago they were just strangers, and now they're jumping out of their pants and tripping over the table like they haven't had sex for twenty years. (Dang, i wanna see a behind-the-scenes of it) The criminal part of the two assassins' lives didn't make sense for a long time. I couldn't even understand that Ki Tae was a killer too before I read the synopsis.

?️What I find different in Long Time No See is that it's not entirely a "Boys Love". It focuses specifically on two gay men and their struggles to find their place in the society they have to literally fight for. BLs though tend to not focus on that struggle but rather on just the relationship and background of the characters (in most of the BLs I've seen). Therefore I can suggest the movie to be assigned to the LGBTQ+ category.

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It's a series that I would seriously consider watching again. Its THAT good!

Its an amazing series!!! My heartful thanks to whoever was involved in this amazing production!!! I really appreciate this gift to mankind!!!

Everything was amazing about this story. Right from the acting ( OMG, the acting!!! Especially in the scene where Tak Woo Suk confronted Yeon Seung Ho, OMG!!! It was literally the best acting piece I have ever come across!!) to the story, to the CHEMISTRY - I mean, for 2017, no scratch that, even for 2023, its a GREAT job!! Most BL actors look like they wanna puke just at the thought of romanticising the other person, but this pair, really did a great job at keeping aside their personal preferences to depict character emotions!!
Basically, I liked everything >w<

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a masterpiece, go watch it

Overall: in addition to being a record setter as the first BL series (later combined into a movie format) in South Korea, Long Time No See had an innovative plot that was well executed despite its limitations. My advice is to not read summaries of the plot as some give away a huge plot point. Available on GagaOOLala, purchase on Vimeo or if you are a member of Strongberry's YouTube page you can watch it there as well. Part 1 is free to watch here: https://youtu.be/QrImtUu1aJk?si=oW6H_NKb0_OlBPrR

Content Warnings: there are major ones and I've put them in a comment with a spoiler tag, you can kind of tell when they will happen and fast forward

What I Liked
- innovative premise (this was an original script, it was not based on a book/webtoon/etc)
- good kissing/intimacy
- fight scenes looked cool
- sweet moments
- supportive sister

Room For Improvement
- I know they were crunched on time/budget but 20 more minutes including explaining Gi Tae's background/how he got to where he was would have raised this series to 10/10

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