Blueming (2022)

Wholesome but short

There were some scenes in this short web drama that really hit me hard when it came to insecurity and family, and I was really surprised that this drama was so pure — its really just about two people who found each other and fit perfectly together like puzzle pieces.

There are some parts of it that kind of went in over my head though, where conversations were confusing and I wasn't really sure what was going on. And of course, since it's a short web drama, there are some subplots I wish they delved into and side characters I wish they explored but there was no time for. Other than that, though, this was still a really nice watch.

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way to know yourself

What a nice romance story it is, about confidence, believing in oneself, family, insecurities, acceptance and love. It is first drama after long time not about homosexual love and how ppl react to it, but about two young ppl, who love spending time with each other and have insecurities and change with time, accept them self and open to each other. Blooming/blueming....
Very good video quality, color filters, directing, artistic style here and there. Also nice soothing music.
After finishing this drama, I felt very good, so rellaxed and comforted.

Favourite quote: "Something that doesn't bother me, could be someone else's huge burden"

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Refreshing, tasteful and mature, more than just BL. ITSAY vibes without the melodrama

I absolutely loved this. It's so refreshing in many ways, especially if you’ve watched your fair share of BLs. These characters act like real people who organically like each other without the need of a love triangle or extenuating circumstance to push them to admit they like each other or god forbid, that they like a man. There’s no cliché oops I fell and kissed you, no evil ex partners etc.

Story: There’s a distinct element of sincerity to this story. It’s a simple love story without the standard BL tropes wasting screen time. For a South Korean BL web series with short episodes- this one doesn’t have the jarring pacing or lack of depth that most other KBL web series suffer from. It really comes off as more of a well-paced movie if anything. You don’t feel like you’re missing anything and the only time where I felt like there was any moment that could even be considered boring or filler was in the last episode as the main conflict wasn’t one that needed a lot of screen time, so they bulked it out a bit more than needed.

There’s real people with complex relationships with their families in this series, which I found quite relatable as well. It’s rare in BLs these days where I find some value to the story outside of the BL component. These non-BL scenarios usually come off more like filler and aren’t that deep in most BLs. But in this one they actually add to the story. I LOVED Si Won’s plotline with his mother as that was so relatable to me and their pinnacle scene together where their feelings come to a head was more realistic to what I think would happen in most families in real life- rather than being an idealized happy ending moment where everyone says sorry and admits their faults.

There are real kisses in this, especially top tier if comparing them to a lot of awkward KBL kisses. They look like they actually want to kiss each other. The scene on the beach stole my heart with the innocence and realism to it. The love-making scene isn’t something I would even call a NC scene like I would with most in Thai BLs for example- because it was legitimately a romantic, genuine, mature and beautifully shot scene.

Acting/Cast: Both male leads were fantastic. Their interactions with each other were so fluid and believable. I loved every glance, smile, conversation and kiss. Looking at the actor’s profiles, I think this may be due to the fact that unlike a lot KBLs these days- they went with actors rather than KPOP idols. Where I feel like a lot of the idol turned BL actors don’t commit as much to the role and are clearly awkward with the kissing scenes. Even the side characters in this are enjoyable, they can all act well and for once I enjoyed all the side stories rather than wanting to fast-forward through them.
This was filmed beautifully and had a lot more visually interesting shots than say 80% of BLs. This filming style and the music reminded me of ITSAY as it had that kind of more artsy, thoughtful style too it. Although I enjoyed this series a 100% more than ITSAY as the melodrama of ITSAY was too high for me where this story was more realistic and enjoyable IMO.

Music: The music is great in this. There is not one song I found lacking and each perfectly fit with the scene.

Rewatch Value: There aren’t many BLs I rewatch- but I will rewatch this one in future. It’s just beautiful in my opinion. The subtle and natural looking interactions between the MLs is enough for me to rewatch- seeing how much Si won makes Da Un smile by just being who he is. Their chemistry is lovely.

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Masterpiece in my eyes!

Personally really happy they dropped all the episodes in one! As soon as I finished episode 11 I wanted to go back to the start and I will!
Was so impressed with the directing and lighting in the show! I'm not someone who tends to notice of that sort of thing unless it's either really bad or really good, and there were some really beautiful shots in this show.
The story itself started out as a hate you at first sight and could have easily been compared to Semantic error with its college setting and forced working environments but it luckily took on its own essence! The family dynamics was portrayed so well because even though the families are the complete opposite the show doesn't try to make one look better that the other because no family is picture perfect and it's done so well.
Bluming also has one of the cutest/unique confession scenes I've seen in a BL.
Overall this BL got me laughing one episode and crying the next and it's going to take a while to get over!
Hopefully they release a movie version!

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The example

This drama has to become the example. Even if it was a production with a smaller badget, you couldn't see it.
Really great acting, interesting characters, even the supporting ones, amazing cinematography. In this drama you can understand that you don't need a lot to make a high-quality product. The way it is filmed, the scenes sequence, the shots and the acting make it amazing.

I really hope that this drama will be the example for other dramas of smaller productions. I am really happy that the K-BL in general is progressing a lot. Actually, I can see a progress in korean and japanese bl. They start making more realistic stories, more reallistic characters and the aesthetic, the scenery is much more real and curated and not so glorified like the majority of older productions or thai bl. We don't want to watch perfect boys, with perfect lives and perfect homes to fall in love. We want to see real people in realistic situations trying to love one another because we can resonate with them.

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Nicely done, just not my genre

I'm giving it a 7 on my review even though on my personal rating for the show I did rate it a little lower out of bias.
I just binged this show after having binged Cherry blossoms after winter and the last episode of both CutiePie and Secret crush on you, so I could have also been a bit worn out from all the shows in one day.

To start off, I totally understand why so many people love this one, it's not really my style so it fell a little flat. But because I can objectively see the appeal I did want to rate it higher in my review. This genuinely isn't a bad show at all, it just simply felt... like I was being shown things I couldn't feel. I had a hard time feeling the chemistry between the leads, especially when it came down to Si won's character and what made him fall for Da woon. There wasn't really a build up, which can be quite tricky with such little footage for a show, so I do commend everyone who worked on this show for trying their best at creating a full fleshed out story. I can see how some are enamored with the cinematography as well. I did like that they used the lectures as a way of hinting on different directing and filming styles in the show. It made me, someone who doesn't know a lot about these things, pay attention to them and feel excited to notice those little details. I also liked how subtle the last episode felt, with presumably from what I experienced seeing Da woon have dream about making up with Si won. The transition was so smooth that I wasn't sure if it was a dream until the next day occurred. It did have some really beautiful points in the show.
All in all if you like the more scenic and serious shows this will definitely be a nice watch.
I wouldn't call it fluffy or cute. More so like a slice of life type of feel.

I did really appreciate how real they tried to make the kissing scenes. Instead of barely touching lips, it felt genuine.
The sub plot of Si won's past that came full circle in the end was nicely done as well.
I think I just expected something a little different from the given Synopsis on this site. It was hard to tell that Da woon was suppose to give off the vibe that he had everything. And the rivalry felt from Si won's side didn't feel as apparent as I thought it would from the beginning. It's one of those shows where I understand why things evolved the way they did, but I just simply didn't feel part of that journey.

I still recommend it as it is relatively short and there were some really nicely done and beautiful moments that could easily inspire someone, especially those in the creative fields such as myself!

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WOW.

If you enjoyed how emotionally real I Told Sunset About You/I Promised You The Moon was, then you'll thoroughly enjoy this story too.

I will warn everyone, though: if you are sensitive to body image issues, then please be careful with this story. I was cringing a bit at times, but not because the story was bad or anything. But because of how real the situation with Si-won felt.

See these two characters, well, *bloom* into themselves after years of hiding who they are was very sweet. Even with the mother herself. All 3 characters are victims, and I feel like they did a great job at portraying that. Sure, I wanted to strangle the mom at times, but I also felt for her too.

I'm not familiar with the actors, but I felt all of them did a great job! Especially Da-won's actor. He did a great job at portraying this massive wall his character puts up and hides behind.

The part that actually had me in tears was when Si-won and his mom hug and cry, but then he hear Si-won say that his mom never apologized to him. That hit real deep for me. But more so when Da-won showed up and apologized again and again, and so did Si-won. Growing up hearing no apologies but then being able to unlearn that behavior and try to build healthy communication skills which includes saying "I'm sorry" is so much more difficult than a lot of people may think. And I felt that both scenes portrayed that beautifully.

Visually, this is a *gorgeous* BL. The color grading and cinematography were great. I found myself at times pausing to study the angles and use of colors. Amazing.

One complaint I do have is that while I enjoyed the other subplots, I felt like at times they were a little distracting? The whole thing with Si-won little sister trying to get with his female friend could've been better is A) it wasn't a high school kid trying to get with an adult, but also B) if maybe they had their own little special episode(s). And we get to see how the sister has been affected by everything. Just bump it to a year or so later, and I'd watch it.

All-in-all, a great watch! Very emotional, and yes, you may cry.

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BEST KOREAN BL TO THIS DATE!

This is my first review because I felt like I had to give justice to how amazing this BL was. If you are thinking about whether you should watch it, don't hesitate, WATCH IT! The story is beautiful, the plot is refreshing and the acting is top tier.

The main character Si Won has such a great depth to him as you find yourself relating to his feelings of insecurity and acting to please others. The relationship between Si Won and Da Un unfolded at a smooth pace and their chemistry was off the charts (the intimate scenes *chef's kiss*). The cinematography was absolutely stunning and the music was the icing on the cake in every scene. It has definitely taken it's spot at the top of my list of korean bls (yes on top of semantic error).

There is no more to be said. WATCH IT!

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College Slice Of Life About Insecurities & Opening Up To Others.

Recommendation Value 9.5, Acting 10 (everyone was good, especially the leads), Angst Level 8 (resolved), chemistry 9 (Actors were comfortable with each other. Some skinship, a few amazing/emotional kisses, and a brief but lovely lead up to a love scene shot in silhouette), Cinematography/Lighting 9, Music/Audio 5, Rewatchability 5 (for personal reasons), No suspension of disbelief needed, character emotions & psychology made sense.

Another reviewer said it well: an "empathetic and observant slice of life story." How insecurities accumulated growing up can impact the psyche and in different ways for different people. Beautiful emotionally and acted very well but it resonates a little too much with my history so I don’t see rewatching this often. That's why I'm ranking it a little lower in my personal list even though I would easily, and highly, recommend it.

The interactions between characters is the focus more than the plot is. The dialogue is written well and has a realistic flow to it. Pretty cinematography and lighting. Music was okay; not memorable but nothing distracting.

GENERAL SPOILERS
The last scene between the main character and his mom is especially powerful. Also loved his interactions with his sister throughout; very realistic. Made me cry a bit in happy relief the last episode. Feel good ending though I wanted it to last longer and show more of their lives.

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Entertaining K-BL

I'll keep this pretty precise because I watched this a while ago and forgot to review it, but my mind is clogged with other stuff now, so I don't remember concrete details about Blueming, but I'll give it a try. For one, I think the cinematography was different from what I'm used to with Korea. It was beautiful and felt very indie/short film-like, And I really appreciated that. The BL part of this wasn't my favorite aspect. I think it was a little rushed in certain parts, and for some reason, I wasn't really feeling the chemistry between the two. However, I think the beach scene where they kiss and Siwon is teaching Daun how to kiss slowly was very sensual and perfectly shot. the use of silhouettes for their heat scene was something I'd never seen before, but I loved it. It created a very different type of sensuality that I will appreciate (more silhouette heat scenes!). I think the part of Blueming I like best was Daun's situation with wanting to be perfect and looking perfect. He had issues with his self-esteem and body, with his mom being the enabler and the main reason why. It opened an entire door to a situation that is rarely talked about, especially in Korea and especially with men. I've never felt so overwhelmed in a scene before but watching his mom yell at him and they both just break down together -- whew.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - Wasn't a huge fan of the BL aspect of it all (besides a few parts), but the characterization and development of the main lead was perfect. I also liked the story of his sister and her very subtle yet large crush on Jeong (Daun's friend).

Acting: 9 - Great acting, especially from the main lead. He really could pull off each emotion he had to portray. The side characters were nice as well. Overall, I think the acting was this series' strong suit.

Music: 5 - Didn't really pay attention to it but it wasn't distracting so it was fine.

Rewatch value: 3 - Probably not.

I think this series works in many ways, but I don't think the BL part of it was one of them. It wasn't endearing enough, I didn't really yearn for them to be together, and wouldn't have cared if they broke up cause I felt nothing towards them. I semi-recommend this one, especially if you want to watch something cinematically pretty, or to watch an important topic be told, but for the BL part of it all -- I could probably recommend something better.

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