The Eighth Sense (2023)

Beautiful, Real, Powerful, Hopeful.

General spoiler only at bottom of review.
The way the story was written and told resonated deeply with real life. I had long lingering feels after the series ended. It made me nostalgic of the ups and downs of college, first love, and the hope of youth. Cried hard twice (one sad one positive). Some heavy themes (and a character actually getting help from regular therapy, which I so appreciated). Loved the main characters and their (true) friends.

Positive messages. Deeply touching. Riveted the entire time, didn't fast-forward through anything. Pacing and tension consistently well-crafted.

Chemistry between the leads was like magnets. Skinship and kisses were natural and full of feelings. Beautiful intimacy.

Beautiful cinematography and use of light. Artistically captured the feel of the ocean (didn't just look pretty).

Music, natural sounds, and silence were well utilized and timed. Really enhanced scenes. Some of the songs chosen were memorable and the orchestral piece at the end with the credits was perfect.

Note to self: Because this touched me deeply and resonated with some difficult personal past experiences, I may find it too emotional to rewatch frequently.

GENERAL SPOILER ON THE ENDING:
It is a happy and hopeful ending.

Leggi di Più

Yes, this is the best KBL to date.

I'm an angst lover. I love painful series and dramas and I'm partial to sad and moody stories. All these considered, I also appreciate some light moments to keep me engaged. The Eighth Sense ticks all my boxes.

First, the cinematography is great. It's not shot like a standard BL, if you know what I mean (yes, I watched Blueming. I prefer this). It's more reminiscent of queer indie cinema. I love how the colors are dark and muted, but also vivid at the same time. I also love the wide shots throughout the episodes. There are lots of beautiful, detailed close-up frames as well. I even love the very interesting opening sequence. The fonts and colors are so different.

Next, the OST. The songs are so perfectly utilized that they add so much to the scenes. Wetter's "You N Me Us" is now a staple in my playlist, as well as Ben Goldstein's "I Can't Lose it All". You can't help but feel ✨things✨.

Now the cast. I think this is an example of impeccable casting. The main actors fit their roles well. They also have immaculate chemistry. Just them looking at each other induces tons of butterflies. It's indescribable. It's amazing. The side characters are great as well. The ex girlfriend and Jaewon's friend really make your blood boil. They're so effective. And of course we love our angel Aeri.

But even with all of those excellent points, if the story is trash, it still wouldn't work. But thank goodness the story is great. It's interesting and complex. It tackles sensitive issues like loss and mental health. The writers did an great job in handling these delicate matters.

One of the cons I can think say about this series is that there are times when the editing was questionable. There were a few scenes where the cuts were so sharp and jarring. It may have been a stylistic choice but there were times when I just wasn't able to ignore it. It clearly needed work.

Also, not everyone needs to be forgiven. Endings don't need to be all sunshine and rainbows for all characters. Toxic people should be pulled out from the root. Jaewon's friend has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
He shouldn't have been forgiven.

The 10 episodes went by like a breeze. It was a roller coaster of emotions. We were kicking the air in glee at one point, and then screaming like banshees out of frustration the next. It was so, so good. Watch it. You won't regret it.

Jaewon and Jihyun, goodbye my lovelies. You both are now a part of me ♥️

Leggi di Più

A thoughtful, realistic queer drama that is most definitely worth your time

This show is a masterpiece. That much cannot be denied. It is visually gorgeous, has an amazing soundtrack, fantastic acting, incredible writing, and one of the most realistic portrayal of queer experiences and relationships I have ever seen in a TV show.
The fact that this is not your average 8, 10-minute episodes K-drama is frankly nothing short of a miracle and if this is the level of quality we can expect from Korean film makers if they are given the resources they need to tell the stories they want to tell, then we can only hope and pray that this show is just a forerunner and that there is more to come.

I will admit, however, that this is a melancholy show. It feels gritty and real and just a little bit heartbreaking.
Now, I don't personally enjoy shows like that and I did have some significant trouble getting into this one, not matter how technically excellent it is on every level.
If you are someone like me, someone who prefers a lighter, more humorous approach to serious topics you might also have some difficulties with this. But I truly believe it's worth watching anyway.
Not only do I think this show is something so unique and well-put together that it has to be experienced at least once, it also has a wonderful, fiercely joyful happy ending. I found it so satisfying, in fact, that I was tempted to go and rewatch the entire thing immediately just to experience it all over again.
I promise you this show will not break your heart, at least not without putting it back together again.
Give it a shot, this story is very much worthy of your attention.

Leggi di Più

a Masterpiece

There’s only a few shows that made me feel this way before. That devastated and as if there’s a lump in your throat kind of feeling.
The moment I started this show, I knew this was gonna hit me deep. The literal intro with the waves made me already emotional. And even though the storyline isn’t that ‘unique’, it gives off a complete different vibe from what I’ve ever seen close to this.
The actors did a good job, I really didn’t notice any flaws in their acting. The actors and the characters they play match very well together and have insane chemistry. I literally didn’t notice any flaws in general and maybe that shows just how fully I’m into the show and for me that’s the most important part. Everything feels just so realistic and I can fully live inside their world, everything feels just so complete.
The soundtrack is literal the best. I feel connected to the characters through the music. It makes me understand everything on a deeper level and has had me in tears multiple times. I’ve replayed the last 10 minutes of the latest episode (ep6) again and again.
It might be a bit too early but in my eyes this series is so far, a masterpiece. I hope this series will get a proper and unforgettable ending. It’s not even fully aired and it has already gotten my heart, I’m captivated and will not let go anytime soon. So much love x <3

Edit:
I’m just gonna say it: this show is a masterpiece. From the literal intro, a few minutes in, till the end, it had me hooked!!
The story is mostly focused on the relationship between the main leads and doesn’t have a big plot, however I didn’t get bored, not even once. I have even already rewatched it.

About the beginning, in someone else’s eyes their relationship might’ve been pacing too quickly, however when I rewatched it, I saw how attracted they are to each other. It’s like gravity is pulling them towards each other. They actually managed to portray falling in love at first sight and slowly realizing that they’re falling, perfectly, it left me stunned. I’ve seen a lot of dramas and this is the first show to actually make it just perfect!

The chemistry between the two main leads is insane. As for their acting, they did amazing too. It was as if I was really there, as if I was the one feeling their emotions. I smiled when they smiled, was frustrated when they were too and cried when they cried (and cried when they didn’t cry). I wanna thank the screenwriters and director for making this show possible. All the other actors did a great job too. I wish to see more of them!!

Sad to say goodbye to this show, I wish I could go back to having to wait each week for the next episodes to come out. Hopefully we will get another gem soon <3
Ps: I would also recommend watching “Not Me” if you liked this show.

Leggi di Più

WOW¡¡¡¡ I LOVED IT

Everything in this drama was perfect for me. The story attracted me from the first minutes. It has romance, drama, comedy, and emotional overcoming. I remember it was torture to wait 7 days to watch the next episodes.

The scenography and music were amazing. I'm still enjoying the songs in Spotify, especially "I can´t lose it all" and "Astronomy".

Jae Won and Ji Hyun (the main actors) demonstrated a perfect job in each scene, the chemistry between them was impressive. I'd like to keep watching them in new dramas or films.

I also thank Inu Baek & Werner (directors) to give us this stunning drama.

Leggi di Più

Why the forced ending? This is not a Disney movie!

Everything was unexpected from a Korean BL. There were no clique k-drama scenes, only well crafted scenes. The plot is good, although it would have been nice to include more of Jaewon’s father to fully understand his situation.

The chemistry is on fire, and both leads did very well in the acting aspect. I'm also fond of the characters. They were all unique (Joon Pyo, Aeri and Yoon Won are so cute).
There were some interesting camera-works, where they played around with reflection, angles and blur which was very fun to see. The quality of the clips were also very good, despite the questionable editing here and there.

Now this is going to be a long one, but it's worth mentioning, so please bear with me:

One of the few things I really disliked, was the way they forced the “happy ending” at the end. It’s ok to leave some fights unsolved if someone did something unforgivable.
Throughout the series, it was always brought up that Jaewon hides his true feelings and tends to play the good guy. In the end he apologised to all the people who did him dirty, and this really weakens his character development.
I admire that the creators resisted the urge to add too many unrealistic scenes, but nevertheless I think that Jaewon deserves to know the truth. If he knew what Eunji and the boys of the surfing club put Jihyun through, would he still say sorry and act nice towards them?
I also don’t think that Taehyung should be considered a “friend” of Jaewon. Jaewon mentioned at the end how he admired the way Taehyung treated everyone equally, and I really disagree with that statement. There is a difference between treating people as equals and bringing people down simply because of jealousy. He verbally abused Jaewon throughout the entire series and said incredibly insensitive things about his family and private life. He also asked Jaewon if he felt sorry about punching him, as if all the horrible things he said to Jaewon were equal to a well deserved punch after he yet again said something insensitive about Jihyun’s near-death experience. Honestly, what a jerk.

But despite this, it's still a really good series that's worth the watch!

Leggi di Più

For anyone who enjoys Top Tier storytelling..

Simply put "The Eighth Sense" is a captivating and emotional story that follows the journey of two college students as they navigate their way through life, love, and self-discovery while tackling their fears and demons. The show features a talented cast of actors (special shout-out to Im Ji Sub & Oh Jun Taek) who bring their characters to life with great depth and authenticity, and the cinematography is stunning, capturing the beauty and complexity of each scene.

The series explores themes of self-identity, family & societal expectations, friendship, and love, and does so with grace and sensitivity. It tackles important issues such as mental health in a way that is both honest and heartfelt, without ever feeling preachy or heavy-handed.

Overall, The series is a beautiful and moving tribute to the power of love, understanding, and the importance of finding and accepting oneself, and it is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who watches it.

Leggi di Più

Overcome Your Fears with the FreeBirds

One of my top BL's, heck more like top dramas. I really enjoyed it. It was so moody and the use of colours was very impactful on the story. Everything was great; the acting, the directing, the cinematography, the OST. I find myself listening to the songs over and over again just playing back these scenes that I associate with the songs now, and when a drama does that for me, it hit a soft place in my soul. It was just an amazing story that was different and touched on a lot of subjects that are very relevant today. I loved the way it was filmed, you can tell every camera movement was meant to be that way. I loved the main actors chemistry as well, their moments were super cute but also I felt like they really cared about each other deeply, so the difficult times they went through felt realistic. They did a great job portraying the characters. Thank you to all of the actors, actresses and staff on the film! Please watch!

Love from a FreeBird.

Leggi di Più