TLDR; great cinematography but deeply problematic

if there's one thing this show does brilliantly, it's messing with your mind. there are so many subtle things that put you on edge, for example the odd pacing between scenes; some scenes literally seem like they've been sped up (i still don't know if they actually are or not) and in others the pauses in dialogue are painfully long. of course there's stuff that's obviously unnerving like the dead cat and well everything the ML does but the characters act like it's totally normal and it rlly messes with your mind. so, in that aspect, they perfectly nailed the concept of a psychological thriller.

HOWEVER, as the episodes went on, it got more and more problematic until i eventually gave up after episode 5. and i don't mean the characters, because well obviously a serial killer is problematic -- i'm talking about the stereotypes it perpetuates, especially about autism, that go WAY beyond typical autism stigma. giving the only autistic character violent tendencies and making it out as though it's because she doesn't have emotions? and then, when she finds out ML was the one who led her into an abandoned building to get r*ped and FILMED IT she's not at all upset, instead she gets more interested in him and says "i've finally found someone who's just like me" ??? on top of detrimentally worsening autism stigma, this is grossly offensive to survivors of sexual assault and all women, and teaches men that stuff like this is okay because some women are into it.

while i would like to hope the remaining episodes that i didn't watch would clear this up, from the other reviews i've read it seems like it just gets worse. what a waste of such chilling cinematography.

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amazing when you haven’t seen the original

having not seen the original, i was able to appreciate this drama on its own and i found it incredible. in fact i HAVE to watch the original now because i was in disbelief when i heard it’s better than this already is. i think it’s inevitable to compare two versions of something, but if you haven’t seen the original don’t let the negative reviews steer you away because this was really good too.

it also makes me sad that some people are dismissing it because of its complexity. time travel plots should be confusing, if they’re not, then they’re not doing it right. another great example is donnie darko. i don’t like a lot of time travel stories because they fail to consider how one small thing would change the whole future, but they understood the concept really well with this one and used it to create one of the most clever storylines i’ve ever seen. i guess not everyone will understand it, admittedly there were multiple moments where i had to pause and wrap my head around what was going on, but in the end everything adds up so perfectly it had me wondering how on earth people come up with stuff like this

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stands out from other kbls

s1 was okay, but s2 is on a whole other level. the acting was great, it never felt awkward or forced. the development of each of the relationships was very natural and fun to watch.

they dodged several of my bl pet peeves; plot holes, unnecessary angst, and ending it right as things get good. of course every story has to have a complication, but it wasn’t dragged out or exaggerated. and they took their time giving plenty of fluff without it being boring at any point.

the first episode was very confusing to be honest, and there were some production issues e.g. a few scenes where the boom mic was in shot, but overall if you’re not picky with that kind of stuff you’ll thoroughly enjoy it.

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girl what

the actors were just about the only good thing in this show. i have 2 major complaints:

1. the romanticism of mizuki’s sexual coercion is horrendous. i know that’s pretty common in bls but that doesn’t make it any better, plus it’s not even used as a form of “character development” here because he keeps it up til the very end. i firmly believe they could’ve made the plot just as, if not way more, compelling by removing the whole obligatory sex thing and all the scenes where mizuki forces himself onto yoh.

2. the plot goes absolutely nowhere, in fact it goes in circles. every time it seems like they’ve communicated their feelings and things are looking up, one of them (usually mizuki) overreacts about a misunderstanding and then they’re back to square one. even by the end they haven’t communicated their feelings properly and are just in another lull phase whilst misunderstandings continue to brew underneath.

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