Tinted With You (2021)

A so-so time travel BL

The drama is something good enough for a short BL show, but still has a lot of loopholes and failures to narrate the story in a clearer way. It has a Scarlet Heart Ryeo vibe but with a happy ending. The thing I love the most about the show are the cuteness and fluffiness of the actors, they’re so adorable.

It’s a good thing that they kissed twice but it was a little bit awkward and somehow I can feel that they only push themselves to slightly press their lips to each other for the sake of the scene. Anyways, for a mini-BL it was fair to utilize little intimate moments from the main characters.

I feel like the show has the potential but only has a small production budget. I can sense several possible scenes to include for a better execution of storyline but they only had a limited resources and time duration so it’s a pity not to be able to realistically accomplish it.

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Like bubbles, beautiful but empty

Overall: this short fantasy historical series wasted screen time with a love triangle and close up shots. Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: violence, a punch (not between m/m ship)

What I Liked
- the production value was good including the cgi of the barrier
- the premise was set up fairly well
- I liked the guard and the future guy's characters
- a few funny moments

Room For Improvement
- I didn't feel chemistry between the m/m ship, also dead fish lip kisses
- many examples of non-logic or stupid things (did a queen have more power than a king in that time period???)
- it was not obvious that it was a flashback in the final episode and also made zero sense with what was going to happen with the guard vs. what he was supposed to do
- I disliked the extreme closeups
- some shaky camerawork
- I don't think most people would react at 7min 30sec if they were to come upon a scene like that in episode 1
- don't really like the title "Tinted With You." Tinted is a verb, it just seems odd in the title.

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We need more full-fledged BL period dramas

A word of caution: If you’re the kind who requires a solid buildup for romantic relationships, you should avoid miniseries in general. There just isn’t enough time for that kind of depth to simmer.

Nevertheless, TWY still manages to captivate because it makes the point that two people who don’t belong to this world can still find comfort in belonging to one another. I found it profoundly romantic when they spent their afternoons painting and taking in a beautiful scenery made even more special by each other’s company.

It is highly ambitious to do a time travel + period drama + romance show without it being convoluted or illogical, but on the whole, I think TWY managed. The story was generally well-written and there were no major logical gaps in the plot.

It would have been ideal if certain narrative arcs were fleshed out further, but all in all, a solid effort given the short episodes.

Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/01/22/tinted-with-you-2021-review

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Low budget gay historical TV series

Just like the headline says, that's about it.

Just like with all the LGBT content we are getting from S.Korea, even this drama is low budget and it shows tremendously. The plot itself is very fascinating and I believe if they had bigger budget, more screen time and maybe even better script-writer this TV series could have done well.

The acting of ML that came from the present was done well and that may surprise many, since originally he is a singer, not an actor and the paradox of this piece is, that a singer acted better than people who are originally actors. Yeah, you can feel that through my words I am touching the whole prejudice about acting idols - well, here I am to prove, that idols can oftentimes act better than actors.

The characters were not built well, we basically know close to 0 about them, so this drama honestly just focuses on the romantic aspect, which honestly, came out of nowhere. Just kiss and BOOM - we got a couple. There is really no build up to being a couple, it just happens.

As I said the plot is really something different and if nourished it could have bloomed nicely, but because of the reasons I have mentioned the whole idea was swept under the rug. If I were to compare it to some other case where low budget killed the plot, but later got revived it should be a drama called The Silent Sea. It also started from a short movie with dope plot base, but because of the budget couldn't bloom, but years later when the budget got a lot bigger the outcome became a jewel - at least for me.

Who knows if S.Korea is heading this way as well - produce low budget series only to redo it years later with bigger budget.

The only good aspect - at least for me - was the music and partically the song from one of the ML actors. It was soft and just suited the atmosphere, but that's it.

You may be asking, why am I constantly watching low budget LGBT TV series, well here is my answer - it is short and good to kill time, alsooooooo sometimes I do find a jewel.

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Idol Romance et son attrait du vide...

Idol Romance est aux dramas BL coréens ce que GMMTV est aux BL scolaires thaïlandais : sans (trop) surprises la majeure partie du temps malgré de bonnes idées. On sait globalement à quoi s'attendre en général, il est donc facile de ne pas élever ses attentes à un niveau qu'il sera difficile d'atteindre. Et si c'est surprenant, alors cela ne sera que positif.

Tinted With You est assez simple et sans aucune complexité. Que ce soit le scénario (pas très recherché) ou les portraits des personnages (classiques), aucune prise de risque. Il n'est pas complètement mauvais, mais il aurait mérité un meilleur traitement. D'autant plus que les grandes lignes de l'intrigue avaient un très bon potentiel. Cela dit, rien ne sera exploité à sa juste valeur.
Les plans sont simples tout comme les dialogues - certains sonnant un peu forcés, malheureusement. C'est rapide, ça manque de développement, mais on regarde jusqu'au bout parce qu'après tout, ce n'est pas si long.

Bref, Tinted with You ne donne pas grand chose, mais permet de s'occuper une petite heure.

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It was.. not good

It wasn't funny, it wasn't dramatic, it wasn't romantic, even as far as 10 min, 8 ep, Korean BL dramas go, it was... bleh.

The story had good potential, but was obviously misguided.
The main two actors completely lacked (romantic) chemistry. Whenever their romance scenes were on screen, I would cringe instead of swoon. The editors attempts to make their stolen gazes seem romantic was a fail. They would have had better chemistry if it was purely platonic.

Like a play you have to go to because it's a school trip, I had to push myself to finish watching it.

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Simple, pretty and cute

A lovely little webdrama featuring easily loveable characters. Though this falls behind on sound editing, direction and obvious lack of funds and short runtime, the characters and screen play is lovely. The OST is also exceptionally beautiful.

I especially loved the build up of chemistry between the three characters. Eunho, the Alice in this Joseon-era Wonderland; Heon, the heartbroken deposed prince; and Geum, the faithful and loving guard, share a bond built on circumstances rather than pure friendship. But they grow to have an enjoyable ease with each other non the less.

As far as romance goes, if you are the type to watch BL dramas with the intent of experiencing passionate romance, this will not be your cup of tea. Eunho and Heon have an innocent and pure love stemming from mutual understanding of each other's circumstances and shared interests. Eunho not only accepts Heon as he is, he also helps Heon see the brightness and worth in himself.

However, passionate is the bond between Geum and Heon and I wont be surprised if most people walk away from this shipping these two instead. Geum does everything for Heon and willing to put his life on the line for his prince. His love is passionate and sometimes possessive, which is a nice juxtaposition to Eunho and Heon's pure and naïve first love.

The best dynamic in my opinion is between Geum and Eunho, who bicker like tom and jerry but eventually act in complete sync when it comes Heon's safety.

I wish this drama was longer because these characters deserve to be explored further. I also wish more time and budget was allotted to exploring the Joseon-era world and the lore behind Heon's deposition. But it was a cute little story non the less and I do not regret spending my time watching it. I'm eagerly awaiting the movie version of this, hoping there are some extra scenes that flesh out the story a little more.

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What a wasted opportunity, saved by great actors

I loved the premise of the show and even hearing it will only have 8 episodes I was still very hopeful. It may not be a lot and 10 minutes are definitely not a lot per episode but with the right writers it could have still turned out amazing.


MAIN CHARACTERS:
Three in total. They are all kind of... empty as characters. I know the runtime is short but apart from knowing Eunho is mouthy and likes painting, Heon likes painting and is friendly and Geum wants to protect Heon we don't really learn a lot about each of them. Who are they?
They tried with Eunho in the beginning but then kind of stopped after he got to the main place.
We also hear a lot from other characters about how great Heon is as a prince for example, but never really SEE it in the drama except when he is being friendly to Eunho. Just one or two scenes would have helped and made is clear from the get go what kind of person he is.

The actors themselves are great tho and it's obvious they're trying their absolute best to bring the lines to life.

TECHNICAL STUFF:
The camerawork is fine, nothing super special but also not bad. It's solid.
The colours are very pretty, nothing to complain.
The music was nice, also nothing super special but sweet and calm and helped a lot of scenes.

STORYLINE: (I'll try my best not to spoil anything)
The first two episodes were good! It looked like it would be filled with some tension and action and it got me so excited!
The rest wasn't so action filled though. And you immediately see that in episode three. It felt a lot like everything took a ton of time, even with the 10-15 minutes (which already isn't much). A story in general seemed very nonexistend, there were small storybeats, but they never got explored.
Stuff did happen but a cohesive good story didn't happen.
They could have done so much more. I don't understand why the writers didn't. It would have been so easy! And so exciting! There are swords, a contract killer(!) and a family tragedy and jealousy within the royal family, and a gay love story literally happening in the feudal past! But they still managed to make it all boring.

The dialogue was dragging on as well. So much exposition. So little character development.

IN GENERAL:
Not horrible but could have been tons better. They had such an interesting premise and did nothing with it which is very disappointing.


Thank you for reading kind stranger, I hope you enjoyed my review :)

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A BL with a somewhat atypical flavor

This little series seems to be underrated. Visually, it is beautiful. As a BL series, it gives different vibes from a lot of BL series.

Without knowing it, Eun Ho travels back in time and meets Heon, an ex-crown prince on the run after being falsely accused of treason. Geum is his loyal guard. The couple is cute, but the cuteness is not excessively emphasized. There is sweetness, but the series doesn't become cloying. The scenes are tinged with melancholy because of Heon's plight.

The story is there but there is a lack of development. (How on earth does Heon become accused of treason?) Some of the action that takes place can be more fully fleshed out. At times, there are forward jumps in the narrative with can be slightly confusing. However, it is a likable short series.

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Pure and sweet

I found this randomly on Viki and decided to give it a shot. I’m so happy I did! It easily rose to be one of my favorite dramas. It’s a great watch if you want something pure and light. A good palate cleanser and dose of serotonin.

If you’re able to embrace some of the cheesiness and “eh” production value it has an interesting plot, good characters, and great chemistry. I did cry but it was a good cry I swear haha

It’s a quick watch and there’s not a feeling of the plot dragging on but it feels complete. I mean obviously I could watch several more series about these two but it’s tied up nicely with a bow.

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