Watch on lollipopsubs (google and donate 2 them if u can) cos the subtitles are CRUCIAL seriously to really understand where the hell they're coming from. i've heard people say this is all sudden but besides what we see (to me being obvious), the words really matter.

legit cw:
There are allusions to shootings, which for me was the most jarring and upsetting (small) part of the show. and I don't think this would have passed after Abe's assassination. I think most Americans will have difficulty with it; it just hits too close to home. it was too scary for me so i always ff.

because this show is so bizarre it's hard to explain why someone should/would watch (or at least encourage them to via a poorly written review.)

First of all, they have chemistry. The idol that plays Kiyoi is a knockout, so good for him! He's young, so the more he works, the better he'll get. Hira's actor, as well, plays his character very convincingly. Someone said "it's controversial without anything controversial happening" in a review here, and I think that's absolutely correct. So, if you're like me and are extremely critical of social stuff, messed up dynamics, or toxic shit, but aren't afraid to see a world where they exist in some form, I'd give it a shot. At first, I was planning to just skip around, and I actually worked backwards from Ep 6 to Ep 2, but seeing the full picture is a must. Besides some production decisions being good and the Japanese flair, the story progression just works (to me).

Had episode 5 not happened, the show would have been completely different. It ties everything together about Kiyoi and Hira as an entity, and it just makes shit just make sense (as much as this shit can make sense). They have good chemistry and aren't afraid to be near each other, though I can't figure out why they weren't allowed to kiss properly (I'm chalking it up to production because there's no way they were uncomfortable with each other, this whole fuckin' show is an education in discomfort). I think the thing about the series is that it takes all the weird and uncomfortable parts of life and love in stride. There were some scenes where I was just like, "Did that just happen?" but it was just a part of their day-to-day.

Not many dislikes since I tend to take the work as a whole and it wasn't distracting enough in stupidity for me to dislike the journey I was going on. I think I disliked Koyama, which is partially because it takes me a long time to warm up to someone's face, but I guess the contrast between him and Kiyoi was necessary because we go from someone who cares about him deeply but shows it in a roundabout way, for many reasons, and then to Koyama, who is very accommodating, which isn't necessarily what Hira needs even if Kiyoi could give it. I also hate that they couldn't be friends afterward because that's...fucked up, but anyway, it was evocative and a good choice.

I feel like I see something new when I rewatch, and on my 3rd rewatch, I really enjoy the aspect. This relationship isn't healthy per se, but there is no way these characters could exist in real life so the complete disbelief and then the grounding when Kiyoi says his peace (so to speak) makes it obvious that this is not feasible for reality. No one will find themselves in this situation. and good. The sacrifices they make for each other are so stupid (in a good way for the story). Their lives and love were just in this constant feedback loop and it's fascinating, especially as more of the story is uncovered. I'm not uncomfortable with a power imbalance or toxicity because they are both crazy (aforementioned controversial not controversial comment), so effectually it doesn't exist because they are both needy, selfish, and sad. LMAO I just didn't expect the show to pan out like it did, but I'm glad I experienced it and I am very excited about the movie since you could write a lot about where they land next and how they give us more intensity and a glimpse into their lives and Hira's true emotions and affections. Additionally, they'll be able to use those good old freak skills for some good intimacy. I mean, you lick the blood off the hand of the person you love. That is true.

I do abhor obsession with sexual position dynamics—it reeks of sexism AND misogyny, transphobia; a misunderstanding of sex, love, bodies and sexuality, and false innateness—so it interests me how rigid we want to be even with a story like this. This isn't on the production team necessarily, but it's always interesting to me to see how ubiquitous it is in this genre period (and I know why) and how people receive this genre and work. I would ask for more leeway in letting people be people; not be characterized by arbitrary markers that are presented as innate especially after the fact. Clearly their relationship is difficult to pin down (in the show, not the novel idk i didn't read it) which is why their physical /sexual pull is so alluring because it's unpredictable, as most are.

Like I said, because I skipped around in the beginning, I didn't realize how crucial the aspects of the other side were to the story and to making it come together, so when I did, it just hit harder. It's most certainly not perfect, but my enjoyment trumped having to think too hard, and that's all a girl needs sometimes. I'm also just a fucking fool—a sucker—for a "the person who loved me first/the most loves me less than I love them and our worlds will fall apart if I don't express it" or "proving my love to the person who loves me the most" trope. Maybe if this were played by different actors, I would feel strongly in other directions, but it wasn't and I didn't, and if you are looking for some really weird fun and 6 episodes of befuddling tension, I would recommend it.

Leggi di Più

girl now i have seen some shit in my life....

this was some shit.

all 27 years i went by not seeing this in my eyeballs was amazing. now, at 29, i am still flabbergasted. amazed. stupified. what even was this and what is going on with the people who make this stuff or anyone involved? why did i put this in my eyeballs? what the FUCK did i just watch? - me in 2019, me in 2021

to say i remember nothing about this series but the fact that the boy kidnapped the other boy he was "in love" with and almost raped him and then did rape him or sth in the original novel (who cares oh my god i dont need this in my head) but the STORY itself? who even fucking knows. the rewatch value is nothing. the only thing that is shocking is they had real kisses but then you know. PRC was like "nah" and...lol. but like this show is so bad oh my god and the secondary couple too i cannot believe i watched thiiiis

Leggi di Più

interesting and enjoyable

7/7.5

watch the uncut version. do that. if you dont it will suck 4 u. the show is LONG which honestly i love since i think it's utilized well and if shows are 1h+, written well, and pseudo slice of life then ALLOW IT.

summary: it's a ghost boy story. ghost boy (phob) has 2 find out why he died and real boy (phat) helps him. love ensues.

i feel like there's a certain type that likes these shows...i am uncultured and an adult baby so i don't. most times this specific trope—in literally ever country because, you know, death—end with open-endings regarding the life/love OR they part ways forever (in life) often coming together way later (aka in death/afterlife) so. the latter happened. wouldn't it just be better to find someone with a heartbeat? (dont even get me started on sex physics here). for these reasons, i avoided it but that was a MISTAKE! my friend told me to watch so i bit the bullet.

it isn't exactly central to the plot, how he dies, but what it means on an emotional, psychical, intra/interpersonal, and even physical, level. they keep up with these aspects, throwing in some (not overbearing) social commentary and plenty of philosophical notions and artsy bullshit to keep me interested. personally, i think phob is the main character since we see him first and follow him the whole time and see through his eyes. for me the romance was incorporated but not the main thing—which makes sense due to the writer's life experience—which i appreciatee. i'll talk about romance specifically the least.

themes: loneliness, depression, trauma, parental loss/abandonment/abuse, friendship, love, death, GRIEF. the concept of life itself. the remnants of grief are all around; the true haunting aspect. traces of people that won't go away no matter how we wish it would or wouldn't. the elements of surveillance in the show are ominous but also highlight that theme—someone could be watching, something could be in your room, something lingers. a house has a sort of heartbeat but it also may not have been your home.

the acting was okay. nut is way better than whatever that was in that other show that was bad. oxygen something idk. i really love took's face lol. all the veteran actors did a good job and the young ones have ways to go but they could be worse. for the most part it wasn't distracting so i don't have much to say but 'ok'. Faii is the weakest but it's ok gorl take lessons with them. Shout out to that Green kid (Ben); had no fuckin' clue who he was but i recognized that face. Imagine my surprise when the episodes he features he tore that shit up. i am 5y older than him wow i feel old. anyway that was a great surprise and elevated the scenes—a true thespian.

my main complaint for the show isn't in production or poorly thrown together content but this consistent trope in tv shows...parental forgiveness. it's something we do all over; we don't want to admit that our caretakers can be absolute garbage, fucking failures. we get uncomfortable asserting that some do not deserve our peace, respect, time, you yourself. i get that a lot of cultures find that bond impenetrable and a fucking SIN to break but it would be interesting if the truth was told. sometimes you do not get to be forgiven perhaps especially in, their death. comparatively, phat and his mom's rship had some issues that were well addressed. they were very close because of parental (father) abandonment—which his best friend (Dream) went through (in a much more traumatic way)—and it created a sort of dependency and potential for emotional incest. however, they're able to separate themselves/their identities. i appreciated showing this and the dichotomy between the different types of child/parent rships. and, to be fair, iirc Dream never forgives her father but i think she comes to an understanding with him but that's a much different situation.

lak (actor is also my type) and dream's storylines were sad and their relationship was a bit murky/unclear and lak was a bitch for most of the series but like...it makes sense. i didn't realize his loss of his parents, who were college professors, was an allegory for people being disappeared until my friend told me and that hit hard. radical workers, intellectuals, etc are actively persecuted for wanting a better world. it was really well done to tie it to his alien obsession and being captured right on your own soil. one because cencorship and two because metaphor. this (disappearing) happens everywhere and the places where we are have some bloody history. a place where people have been tortured by the state, for having radical ideas, could be right next door.

re romance: they had good chemistry and it was nice to watch their bond grow but it's sloooow and if you're expecting it to be exclusively about a) /their/ specific rhsip and b) their love every ep then...sorry lol. they both had a life b4 each other and they tell us about it. i was kind of surprised how slow it was but i ended up loving it so i was like whatever cool. in the end, Phat and Phob have to part ways—obviously—and Phat is with a woman after, but his heart yearned for his ghost mans and he also loses his mom later. it's sad but (imo) it doesn't mean, as others may think which is ok and understandable, that his need/desire to live on, find love, and connect, create a life is for naught just because he yearned or lost.

love is not the only thing in the world. his mom was worried for precisely that reason: allowing yourself to be swallowed, consumed, eclipsed in love and merge completely with them. something she and her son had to actively get tangled out of. you'll give up your life just because someone you love has left, or is gone, and won't come back? how is that truly living? the point is that life goes on; some shit doesn't work out but you can be happy here, you will be okay. and that death is never the actual end. in psychoanalytic terms that i probably am misinterpreting, death is eternal, the everlasting drive because we matter materially.

i know the writer is a man and this is a personal story which is really cool. it has all he things i wish a lot of these shows would have and i appreciate that this level of care and thought comes from him, his specific perspective, but also as a man himself. it could have gone in every opposite which way but it was thoughtful and imaginative; interesting and actually artistic. it's all so contradictory, placing no constraints on the ability of the characters to be full fledged human beings with a range of experiences, goals, desires, needs that change along with the journey of life. it feels very personal but universal, a la moonlight (i am not comparing but if you know u know).

i lost someone extremely close to me about 6 months before watching this so i think, had i not experienced that and the absolute mess and confusion that grief is, i may not have been as affected or interested. it is clear this man knows what grief is on a personal level because the show doens't allow you to sweep it under the rug, like the characters try so hard to do. like i'm sure he has, like i have. it is so much easier to run even if it kills you. anyway, this is more realistic than like 80% of these shows and it's not even possible...wild.

Leggi di Più

ummmm i loved it lol

Summary: It’s about film school (well it’s an all around art department and not an exclusive college I think but whatever) and a filmmaking competition. A dude meets another dude when needing to collaborate on an assignment for class. They both have issues and they fall in love. The protagonist is Si Won.

Despite having seen the poster before, I had no intention of watching this. I was bored and procrastinating, so I decided to browse the ‘newest’ list on the explore page; now I'm glad I did. I was not prepared for ANY of that, including my reactions to it or my feelings afterwards. Blueming was like a short, intense, emotional love letter to the art of filmmaking, the volatility of art/film school in a neat story.

That’s a huge part of why I enjoyed it so much and why I love rewatching it. It’s very authentic in that way and I loved that so much. I can make connections between this, the love and obsession of all the movies and art I’ve absorbed and seen as well as my knowledge of working in filmmaking/art and the past—and current—experiences that make up the love of what we do. Tangentially, I immediately felt compelled to rewatch "Bright Star" (story about Keats and the love of his life. Dir. Jane Campion, 2009) afterward because I wanted to experience the same sense of intimacy (though it’s more intense in the film, more cinematic).

Consider the time constraints and view the program in the light of what is essentially a feature-length movie. The time constraints are a built-in flaw in these shows that they would be able to overcome, imo, if they treated it moreso like a feature when recording instead of episodic and needing to establish something concrete in every episode. Would take too long to elaborate but I hope some people understand what I mean in the difference between a TV approach and a film one.

However, though shortform is limited in what they can accomplish, it's a mark of the show's success when viewers are able to evaluate it moreso on the basis of its content, rather than being preoccupied with the things they feel are missing.

They wove cinema into their identities; being artists is part of that. The pacing was good (for how brief it is), and we were shown as well as told. Daun, the least developed between the two, changed between the beginning and the end (all the characters did) And though he is the least developed of the two, more blank slate, that’s the point of writing for visual media. They don’t end up where they started; something has actually changed. I actually think a season 2, if it is to be believed they are making one, is a great idea though I wish it were a full-fledged one since I believe the production team could have a lot to say.

It's realistic but not nihilistic or overbearing, more easygoing in reflections of reality. Sometimes things are bad, awful, hard as fuck and sometimes they’re beautiful, the depths of humanity. Again, and artistic, and particularly very cinematic, view of the world. Everyone’s striving to be themselves. Daun and Siwon's bond is defined, but I admire Siwon's sister's storyline openness. Not because a romance for her wouldn't be intriguing, but because you want everyone to be happy. Typical of a lot of Asian media of this genre, they also don’t define the sexualities in narrow terms which is what I personally prefer but not everyone does. Such is life.

Acting: So ok. Never heard of either actor but their acting was good. Think Kang Eun Bin does theater, which makes sense why he’s good, and Jo Hyuk Joon did opera. The best I’ve seen in these types of series, and a Korean one. Hyuk Joon has more experience, clearly, but he has also lived a longer life, and has developed into his body more. There isn’t a glaring asymmetry though, not at all. Eun Bin is more lanky and awkward—which will naturally change over time with age—but he knows what to do, and how to incorporate it, within his movements (movement and the way you talk is really important for me in acting). JHJ brings such charm to Da Un even when he seems impenetrable; Eun Bin displays realistic faux-confidence—we can see the cracks immediately for both of them. This isn't how I'm used to seeing these shows and enjoying it.

There was a vague air of attraction that was built from the first time they met, without these two specific actors I cannot imagine it being the same. Physical intimacy was a plus, but even if that wasn’t there, what they showed would elicit even my own feelings of wanting that type of intimacy, to get cuffed. This couple's physicality involves being near and absorbing, consuming, each other's energy. Experiencing each other. Negative capability, per Keats. It's just good and it feels good; I can't explain it.

Conversational scenes were the most moving to me. There are a few crucial exchanges that I eagerly anticipated because of the writing, acting, and palpable intensity of the emotions they deftly conveyed, all of which were interesting and well done. The show grabs my/our attention by taking us along, making us feel like you're a part of the characters' lives and their universe. Without the artists, his friends, the ridiculousness/competitiveness, the anxiety of wanting to make it and be perfect because it is PRESSURE to have to deliver in this school setting—ultimately the most depressing and frustrating parts of art school—and how they deal with that, I doubt I would have enjoyed the show as much as I did. Btw, the bullshit is all too real, especially with men, who feel uncomfortable (many times threatened and emasculated, even the non-straight ones) with others' success and “losing out."

One of my favorite scenes is their scene in the street on the last ep. They both did amazing and Eun Bin shone in that scene.

I understand that some people were confused (and there were times when it was confusing, but you could go back and see what you missed), but I enjoyed the show's experimental elements. It was pretty powerful and the point is that it does take you a couple of times, or a delayed amount of time, to realize something is off in that particular scene. it would have been better if that experimental motif was previously established so the audience could gain that pattern recognition, though.

In terms of production, it's well-done. Her/her crew’s best, the actors best, and it makes me curious how she would work with other genres. Which brings me to a tiny point I'd like to make: I just don't get why women (regardless of sexuality) get so attached to this genre—as writers, producers, directors, whatever—exclusively, and I find the whole thing to be pretty cringe. Clearly Hwang Da Seul is talented, and her productions have tightened up, her crews better, the casting good. But she had a character stand-in for herself, explaining that these are the stories she loves and well. Me personally I don’t get it but I’ll leave it at that.

Anyway, there are production issues: time constraints, voiceovers I can’t stand and make me embarrassed (hotel room), more specific about Da Un—but the vagueness is also a plus for me—and more specificity about Si Won’s past. But then there were good cuts, or little things that reminded me why I love doing this. There’s a moment that transitions with a perfect beat from two characters speaking after an event, while declaring friendship, and going to Si Won and Da Un on a bus after they establish they feel something for each other. Even something as insignificant as that can leave a mark.

It's rare for me to enjoy the soundtrack of an asian TV show, but I found myself enjoying even the Bon Iver-sounding number. The music by JHJ is included as well! I really like that song.

The show is about two people who are growing up and going through growing pains, falling in love, and being in love. where everything that goes wrong is worth it and you can firmly believe in a happily-ever-after, but a real happily-ever-after where nothing is perfect but it's good enough.

I’ve rewatched the show multiple times; it’s entertaining and the two of them make a great couple. This is the director's best work, in my opinion, most intimate and full of feelings, it's delightful and will make you feel immensely good. I really hope she tries her hand at other things and genres.

Leggi di Più

short and sweet and cute. don't really knw how to grade it because i think it's kind of arbitrary. you're probably alreayd a fan of kim seul gi and it finally got subbed so i would give it a try. it's about a trio of rowdy friends from ye olden days and lowkey having to have shotgun weddings. chae soo bin also has a really good presence on camera shes' great to watch. and, as always, seul gi is the girl you wanna keep your eyes on. when she is the one it's about and has to step forward, she does or when she's in the background she gets the focus back into the background. it shows you how consistent she is and how well suited she is to so many different partners because i can't really tell you the dude's name Like That but i still saw it a bunch of times even when it wasnt subbed.

Leggi di Più

story: i'm very interested in global media, but i pretty much only exclusively watch kdramas while i do watch a lot of global cinema. so, as a...radical (i would say..) woman, i especially love to learn about the perception of justice and capital in the world, but particularly SK especially as an american and the very close (but imo tense and power imbalanced and wrong imperialist) relationship...

i read up on this a lot when i started. the writers/crew were very adamant about attacking capitalism and the idea of winners/losers and what poverty means. the IMF crisis seems to live in a vacuum here, as if the IMF and world bank arent specifically interested in lining their pockets. the show narrowly addresses it by being shrouded in complex theory (which is fine whatever. i just had to learn more hhahah) and making economic decisions and crises the fault of like 1 or 5 instead of the world and system.

the IMF crisis happened because rich people dont give a fuck and it has a huge to-do with colonialism. it emerged at an incredibly specific time and IMF, essentially, makes countries indebted to it for neo-colonial and imperial gain. "IMF Report Admits IMF's Obsession with Capitalism Is Killing Prosperity" (a literal piece btw) so i'm sad the inciting incident was literally heo jae being unhinged and murdering someone. it should have been a red flag but i thought it would be more of a personification of capital as evil then a ridiculous revenge plot.

i really should have stopped when the introduction of wall street as an official player came in. honestly this is one of the most confusing and stupid plots i think i've seen. the tone of the show makes it seem as if it's serious but you cannot tell me a man who is an economist and believes in more control of the government wants to make things so bad they get better that he does a deal with fucking wall street and expected them to KEEP THEIR WORD? and there is no way that economists whether pro or anti capital do not understand, at the very least MINIMALLY, the social position and the ways colonialism, slavery, imperialism and capitalism have played into forming our modern (global) society. i'm actually mad that happened so i think this is one of the show's biggest flaws lol

i can't really comment on the women of the story or the heart of it. i liked hye joo and ma ri a lot together but since the show couldn't find its emotional beats it always seemed off. the glumness was part of why it seemed like it was so long.

acting/cast: sung min is a really good actor. eun kyung did a good job. go soo had some pretty interesting ways to express himself with his features (i personally liked some of the acting bc of this)....yoo teo....needs voice lessons. badly. like his english accent erodes his acting abilities because he isn't voicing himself properly. it's easier to watch him speak in korean (but i've seen him in that movie the moment or whatever and he isnt actually too bad so it's half the dialogue) but his character is a baby lmao. everyone else is fine

music: i dont remember....it's ok idk im nto rly a fan of OSTs lol

rewatch value: i guess if...you....are into it? i dont know. i think my idea of the show and attraction to it is different than some others.

overall: it's a weird show. i give it a 5 out of generosity but honestly i just feel 'eh' about it and then 'lol' about the message and politics; half bc it doesnt have a message and the other half bc it's diluted capitalism to one on one interactions lol

i absolutely do think the camera crew did a GREAT job though, those closeups are fantastic truly (imo) like just a really good idea esp to show heo jae

i guess the biggest thing for me is that it approached this situation as "why" it happened and seemed to really want to attack what we've built up as a world system but made it so clinical and individualized that it did nothing. and with either solutions, the decision fucked up the citizens and the economy. and that's exactly the problem. the idea was that money is this thing that's a game, right but what ABOUT IT? besides /saying/ the stakes were high, were the stakes high? one day changing the value happened and it was illegal. the consequences? were they really /shown/? so what did these decisions really change? wasn't this always going to happen? and how could these "very intelligent" people not foresee it? i know more now and lots of economists are stupid so maybe i'm overrating their abilities. i'd argue that being in hye joo's line of work, there is no way you will receive a moral and ethical outcome anyway. why was everyone so shocked? maybe it's the idea that people on the inside could really change and want the best for people but it couldn't even demonstrate that effectively. it wasn't even good at circulating the feelings needed for us to just go on vibes instead of story and logic.

on top of that how in the interim between the IMF crisis and the show's timeline were people living? clearly things are very hard. i'd argue...probably got a bit worse...

and it's even sadder when you realize that although people in the world aren't materially equal, their decisions had the same weight in the show. tit for tat; both sides. how the story about the uncle managed to basically only vocalize the problems instead of show them via the production and then the attempt to show how disproportionate life is by putting him in jail and having his family mad at him was hilarious. because it's a callback to yi hyun's dad being emotionally absent and a capitalist that ruined things. lmao

everything just happened and that's the way it was, that's it. and all their solutions couldn't imagine anything revolutionary, and when a revolutionary solution came up it's seen as an extremely dirty word. wanting to go the neoliberal third way. and well in a way the prophecy of our current world was well kept i guess. the idea of winners and losers will never change, huh. even in a fictional story with a world of possibilities it's still the same.

Leggi di Più

girl

their chemistry is peak but anything else? this show is a mess.

from the optics to the content to the writing, to the misunderstanding of what makes a person, particularly a woman, actually strong, a misunderstanding of rape and sex and non-heterosexuality (so it was homophobic), to the weird 'hahah abuse' plotline which they retroactively tried to save when people (koreans obviously! sexism/misogyny isn't some solely elsewhere problem so it's not "culture") got pissed IRL. that completely diminished the drama (along with the stupid homophobia) and its theme of "strong" women by having the wife be abusive to her husband. it's actually embarrassing how stupid you have to be to believe that that in any way evens the playing field between men and women.

it was a MESS. also ji soo is terrible in this just terrible but. you know. fuck him in general.

that being saiddddd, min hyuk is like an ultimate boyfriend and his love for bong-soon is the real draw of the drama. he's actually the best character which is a shame since it's about women...so they say. unfortunately none of these women have ties to other women as much as they should have which...whatever. i don't think it's worth it to slog through everything just for the chemistry. at all. watch cuts on youtube.

what a mess. they're both hot but that'sssssss not enough imo. it's a good time waster and again they're both hot (or "hot") and really cute together at least ? LOL

Leggi di Più

a hilarious satire about what happens when you encounter rich people

i have tried with this drama multiple times and my review is mostly because, for some odd reason, the majority of the comments in feedback over this deservedly not well known trainwreck is positive. it was only when i was bored and heard praise of it either here or on DB or both that i started it and one out of a bunch of comments no an aggregate streaming site mentioned how horrendous this is. and the emphasized like truly horrendous, more than usual, and that's some pretty big bouts of being horrendous if you have seen a romcom ever.

that did not prepare me for the absolute insanity that i would try to witness

story?

a teacher who has a cute disposition and fun personality meets a nameless rich man who decides the second he meets her that he is now her abuser and she's like "well alright you got money tho right?"

when i say that this man is out of his mind he is out of his everloving mind. i'm fuzzy on the details but i'm sure he is a great poster child for what a man with extreme narcissism looks like. this came out in 2016 and it is more misogynist, insulting, sexist, patriarchal, horrendous in merging the content, characters, and production than two of the worst dramas i can remember existing with these issues which is "Pasta" and "Lovely Kim Sam Soon"

i was not the person i was when i watched this, not by a long shot, so for past me who was an avid fan of romcoms and was until around early 2017 so i have witnessed some bullshit that i don't like and now think EXTREMELY differently about even more now could. not. sit. through. this. LKSS was one of the most jarring examples i saw especially because of the physicality and Pasta with the verbal and psychological abuse

but this man? this man?

the thing is, it could be way less worse than i remember (it isn't) but it's the deception of the show that gets to me and then the interpretation of it and the "romantic" aspects and praise. this dude is terrible.

you like her in the beginning because she's very likeable but the show has a conservative tone to it in the palette and just in general and it's based on a novel made into a kdrama and this is a remake. lemme just try and speed this up

you think it's cute and you like her so ur trying to deal with this insufferable thumb looking motherfucker (the actor as his character i'm calling ugly not the actor himself, ya feel?) and then you're just like wait why am i dealing with this dumb bitch too? she agrees to things and we have to find out that she's so altruistic and doesn't care about money which go off but not in the fun anti capitalist way but in the way that women get to just stand there and be moved around. every woman in this show has to be taken down a peg or two and then on top of that they want us to be feel bad for this narcissistic man child because he had a bad childhood or whatever.

i'm gonna say that 99.999999% of the time parents are in the wrong and children get screwed over but i would hate him too if that were my son. she saw the evil in him early (i think it was his mom? anyway who cares a woman ruined his life) and so now he hates every single women he encounters especially ones he wants to have sex with which is another accurate portrayal so word

for some odd reason though they look the same age he is 6 years older than her which doesn't help the story at ALL and shows me that this is basically a wattpad story. men are fucking everywhere and tho her best friend is a woman bc he literally forbids her from havingg any male friends but also friends in gen lbr they talk about? men

and on top of that these actors hvae chemistry. in another drama it would be lovely to see them but here it gets wasted because he is an abuser, he hates her, he hates everyone, he's so insecure and crazy and she's a dumbass and they always do this where theyll remember women have agency and give a bit of push back but then you remember she agreed to pretend they were getting married and demanded no money even though he's getting money and essentially was like "uh give my school some stuff and this boy i know some help" and he was like "got it so i'm not gonna do that probably and also you cannot talk to that boy that's in our contract now congratulations you now have a dad i mean husband"

it's patriarch city and every time you see them the whole interaction is ruined by the absurdity. before they kiss, even though it's playful, he notices she put back up a poster on the wall of this superfluous (all f them are) dude and the kiss is good but the lead up is u realizing that this man really does not want this woman to live her life like he might murder her if any penis is in her vicinity i think the dog would have to be "female" and i honestly

wish
i was joking

the whole thing is INSANE it is insane and it is so confusing and i know why we see it as romantic but it doesnt serve a purpose anymore and this as a genre is just so lazy and it's unfulfilling. i do not want to see a man treat a grown-ass woman like a fucking toddler and lace that in with sexual chemistry. he honest to god drags her around is very physical, yells, doesnt like anything she likes but then they're cute and kiss then you go through that again and then he's covering her up if she isn't in a nun's outfit but also he's attracted to her but really he wants to control her?

it's weird and it stops being romantic when you realize that you've seen it all before and it's honestly just stifling and abuse when het stories could be more than cisheteronormative garbage and they have the capacity to display that and they waste it by making us watch a grown ass man try and put a blazer on a grown-ass woman bc her shoulders were showing and other eyes saw her IT'S GETTING WEIRD IT'S JUST WEIRD

so be warned sure like romantic i guess but not really and this dude SUCKS that's what ruins it he just sucks. and youhate her for being with him and the world for condoning it and it isn't worth it because it gives us nothing new and the good feelings are constantly ruined so it's a waste of film and time i cannot tell you how this man would have to be put down if this happened to me

anyway if you want 16 eps of 40m of a man abusing a woman he wants to fuck and her being like cool with a very bland palette and victorian esque themes then sure but it isnt warm cute or romantic and he is horrendous and his life should suck more

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women are complicated. i love complex displays of characters. but the thing is, when your life is crashing down around you, you make smart, sensible decisions to secure a future. not lie constantly and put other people in danger. she was a terribly written character and everyone else was a mess. the thing is, the acting is so good becuase they're all talents. at first i liked it but when i realized this show is hell bent on making everyone annoying and the female lead an unbearable human being (like literally, i couldn't even look at her) i gave up

then i saw that ending lmao. i'm so over this. when women are written as strong and crazy while their lives fall apart but they fail to deliver an engaging story arc and either redemption or consequences...i can't deal. it's impossible to be an unchanging force and have others bend for you when it literally makes no sense. seriously like was she made out of gold?

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lol

Before I get into it I will talk about one, and probably my only true one, PRO: the subtitles are great. Even though it was wasted on this show, it wasn't actually wasted because this should be the standard! Every show should put this level of dedication and care into subtitling/translating if they want to reach a wider audience. Even if they hadn't included the extra information to help us understand the cultural elements, the grammar, syntax, ordering, and timing were all correct.It was really amazing. So seriously good for them. Subtitles and good translations are extremely important, so thank you!

That being said...

It's about an “ugly” duckling (Toh) who’s in love with this popular dude (Nuea). Their respective (sort of adorable) friend groups are the supporting cast. He and his pals have rules regarding hidden crushes and like to cry about it a lot. That’s the bare bones; however, the unpopular one is not so much in love as he is…a fan who collects his idol’s things. Except no that’s not right either…oh right he’s a stalker–like one of the alternative titles for the show suggests. A passive aggressive one at that.

When I first wrote my review I saw it a lot less of a detriment to the show and, although I do not believe this dummy to be a threat, thinking back on the difficulties that built up during the course of me watching makes it seem as bad as it is. It isn’t so much that he does what he does but how it plays out (or doesn’t, really) within the show and Toh’s skewed approach to life.

Anyway, everything works out for him and his friends. You know, cause they’re fucking ugly I guess and rules don’t apply when you’re ugly (?) and weird (?).

Probably because of the very human need to defend the things we like without it seeming like we ourselves exhibit this behavior there seems to be a tendency, if one doesn’t acknowledge the ver weird behavior even if they still like it, to say it’s not that bad or justify it. It’s so incredibly unhealthy for Toh himself and those surrounding him and it shows that he lacks respect for the person he claims to love. Unlike in another drama with a similar underlying premise, which never ever tried to convince the viewer, and therefore no one had to jump through hoops to convince others and themselves, this show goes out of its way to essentially guarantee that.

And, because this is a mindless story parading as something different (I guess), he gets everything he wants. Wild cos he was really collecting this other boy’s food, his tissues, his photos, his literal drinks and cups. Had a whole-ass wall of photos dedicated to this jawn and a cardboard fucking cutout of him. Just absurd and at first it’s funny but it. Goes. Nowhere. Stops being funny when the try attempts (poorly) to be serious and we’re still reeling from shit that was happening before.


Seng’s acting is not that great and I don’t know if it’s him per se or the script and production. I’ve only seen him in WHY R U? (which…is a show) and he was cute there but he didn’t do much. Here? The mic packs, the fucking heavy-ass breathing, the smiling constantly. I don’t buy completely that an actor can only work with what’s given so I’m gonna say he should work on it. I don’t understand what ANY of that was and it affects the character heavily.

Everyone else was fine. Looknam and Billy were the best here but I think the older cast members are around my age and that’s a long time so they’re going to do better. Most times.

At first, I disagreed that the main couple didn’t have chemistry though I know I noticed that it’s mostly Billy, the way he looks at his co-star, the way he moves, he’s good at the natural intimacy and sensuality which same. Jk but I think he’s the reason why I did find this couple interesting.



Toh isn't really a real human and, unfortunately, neither is Jao (second lead with a love line that I do not care about and is cringe). Toh BARELY has a literal voice and I appreciate that they are artists/photographers but what else is there to him? (Nothing). Despite the actors/them both being neither ugly nor fat respectively, the show tries hard to convince us that this is the case. Jao is obviously not the ideal weight for asian beauty standards, skewing on very thin or jacked, I guess but it’s still just ridiculous and who the fuck wants to relate to that? Especially a fat person. Toh /was/ ugly but that’s because I hated his fucking face because he made those dumb fuckin’ faces but he’s not actually ugly OBVIOUSLY.

At first the friendships are fun but then, when you realize no one can mind their goddamn business, it gets annoying. They do everything in public for some reason, they pressure each other into doing things they don’t want to do, and they (well Toh’s friend group) cry a lot. More importantly, because Toh consistently doesn’t change and does batshit crazy things like stealing the food Nuea touched, they don’t do aaaaanything remotely constructive when approaching Toh’s stupid habit that defines his boring life for some reason. They give sad looks (because they know it is fucking insane!) but don’t DO anything???????

Instead of being so concerned with Toh and his habits through looks and more funny comments they could explain /why/ it's a) fucking weird b) unhealthy c) sad to him (since I guess he doesn’t get it). That being said, the friendships are the best part and it made me happy to see them be able to come out of their shells. As much as I have to criticize, having that type of experience in college can really change your life and help you grow. When you have new experiences and get to expand your social circle you become more confident, mature, more content. Unfortunately it’s clouded by the fact that Toh never changes and Jao also is a whiny lil bitch (but I would be too if people didn’t leave me alone which they do not) or has no fuckin spine.

While I appreciate that they have these couples subverting certain expectations—since I know that many people get frustrated at the purported hegemony of masc4masc stuff or misreading of heteronormativity as co-opted by the genre instead of inherent to it—they actually don’t really? I think the problem is we put ourselves and these people into boxes so we expect all these relationships to turn out one way or follow a certain code.

It still gets limited and follows the same exact codes as everything else. There’s no imagination! And when there is it’s barely explored like with Daisy. Also I fail to see how this doesn’t follow the very same structure of superimposing active/passive (male/female) onto the subjects. Again, when they had an actual opening they didn’t take it.

Why are some of the gender rules so rigid? Why not show and exploit that more? Though a character like Nuea is more playful and sensitive he still takes on [x] role because of course he does.

The show is too long as well. But that’s just me. I know many don't mind since it's a soothing show and it can be cute. At first I thought I could power through but I just couldn’t do anymore; it went nowhere and got progressively more ridiculous and frustrating. There was so much dead space, filler, awkward acting. They had $ tho I guess.

Frankly, this show is not very entertaining or good and I don’t believe that a lot of people don’t like it because the characters are (SUPPOSEDLY*) ugly, effeminate, or both. Nor do I think it’s okay to justify the poor quality of the work itself or Toh’s behavior—the inciting incident—because they are part of those aforementioned groups (very loosely defined due to humans being complex). On top of that, just because other shows do worse or other people excuse things like the nasty behavior (all) dramas love because the men are supposedly hot or masculine? Doesn’t make it okay, or even palatable for whatever went on here.


The logic goes: something that is typical and visibly harmful/not socially conscious gets redressed, and, if it looks marginally different, becomes seen as a social net positive making it hard to see what could be underneath. I’m not sure it does what people thinks it does and I think there’s an assumption that BL is not, like anything involving men, following some nightmare patriarchal male imagination logic. But it does, it is, it will because it has to. Without actually putting effort into new ideas and a new story this remains the case. I have yet to see how it's a subversion, transgression, or truly different in terms of production, content, and in terms of 'commentary'.

Additionally the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, the ratings as well, and the current rating on the show is more than generous so when I see people try to give reasons why others may not like the show—subsequently projecting what they think other people's blockages are due to prejudice—I don’t get it. Who are these people? There’s so little critique or dissent here so I simply don’t understand the jump to those conclusions. It could just be a not good show; this review’s my argument for why it’s not.

*looknam is hot af

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