Blueming (2022)

Visual masterpiece

I've had this BL on my watchlist for a while and the reason why I decided to watch it was obviously visual aspect.

The shots and scenery were absolutely astonishing. The overall aesthetics of this drama are stunning. Truly a masterpiece.
Acting was great as well. All those details that the actors included were brilliant.

Story-wise - it wasn't bad. There were some parts missing a bit of context and sense. I wish they were developed better. Episodes could've been a bit longer too.

However, despite all these minor shortcomings, it was a very enjoyable series to watch. I found myself adoring the cast and the scenes for the whole time. Utterly mesmerizing.

If you want to watch something that's beautiful visual-wise, this series is definitely for you!!

Lire davantage

All Time Favorite

This show is the best korean bl series I've ever watched. I love the visual, cinematography, soundtrack, chemistry, story, colouring, and the vibe they gave in this drama. Every scene in this show is beautiful, I love how the colouring of this drama match the story so well. It's more like watching a movie than series, the plot and pacing is so good.

The story is kinda simple but realistic. I relate to the characters especially Cha Siwon. The issues that he've been through, such as family issue, insecurity, and trust issue are relatable as a gay man. And there is Dawon who is gonna be Cha Siwons boyfriend, the story of them is interesting and pretty. The chemistry of both of them amazed me, I don't feel there is an awkwardness of them together.

This series is perfect, you must watch this one. Beautiful, Relatable,and Artistic is the words that describe this mini series. Worth to watch and rewatch!

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let's break this down

before I get in depth on what I liked and what I disliked through out this short series I'm just going to give you a short sentence if you just don't care for long reviews : it's very good watch it and it's not cringey at all.

okay let's talk

I loved everything starting from their characters to their dynamic and intimacy, I think they had a lot of chemistry that was so quiet and low key which is in their case an advantage. most of the time I like angst and drama and the more dramatic the show is the more likeable it is to me but usually writers can't pull angst off it sometimes turn cringey and unrealistic.

I'm not saying they played it safe or anything, but the quiet low key dynamic of the relationship and the whole show made the show very bearable unlike most dramas rn I don't know if my point is clear on that one but it was something on my mind. I liked the silence that the show gave.

second point that I like is that I liked the music very much and that's a rare point on Asian bls, the music is mostly winged and not very thought about even sometimes annoying. In this one it's noticeable and fitting. so that's an interesting point.

I liked the whole aesthetic, the bike scenes, the cuddle scenes, the last beach scene, the last scene. it was very memorable to me and kinda heartwarming.

what I really didn't like is the lack of Daun hyeong. his character was more interesting to me personally that's why I was waiting for him to have his time and open up about his life. I wanted to see more of him and how his home life affected him but it seemed like the writers left it up for our imagination which is normally would make me feel like ohh that's annoying I want to know more but because siwon was so expressive in every moment I realized that it was intentional. dh was someone who hid how he felt and he wasn't going to open up unlike sw. I thought it was very smart of the writers to put that in mind.

that's it for me I really liked this show it's definitely in my top 50 list.

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an aesthetically pleasing show

Finding shows like this is actually kinda rare, this show was simple, not dragged on at all, the character/main couple had their time to shine and grow and didn't feel even a bit rushed, unlike other k-bls or bls in general, they are rushed and move things way too quickly and i liked that this show worked its way slowly. lets get into it,

the first thing i really liked about this show is the acting, those crying scenes were very realistic and they made me all teary eyed too, the main characters played very well together and i really liked that there was no third wheel coming to break their relationship, their own insecurity broke them apart and thats what made this show unique, there was no unnecessary cheating and all.

My fave thing was that there was no non-consented kisses, this is one of my biggest pet peeve and i liked that both of them were attracted to each other and not one does not force feelings onto the other.

Storyline: the story line was incredible, it really highlighted insecurity and body and weight struggles which is a big problem and that was the whole plot of the story and everything just slowly fitted in perfectly. Body image and insecurity is a big problem and i liked that there is a show like this to shed light to this topic.

The music was there, and it fit well, there was no unnecessary music added in between the scenes and i liked that.

This show is worth the watch, its a cute show, it has intimate scenes too which is kinda rare in k-bls, it brings awareness to some serious topics and is not just another cheesy mini series (which i def don't mind) but its good to watch something unique and different than other shows.

If you're looking for a show that is short, full of surprises, funny, cute couple scenes and good kiss scenes, i recommend this show, you will really like it.

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Surprisingly much better than expected

I really enjoyed this.
I thought it was going to be about a shallow hot guy falling in love with another hot guy who didn't care what others thought.
The shallow hot guy was actually genuinely kind & not fake nice, he just tried too hard to make sure everyone liked him.

Also even though he was genuinely shallow in the beginning I was glad to see that he had actually made good friends who has his back. It was a really nice touch. I love when the people who create these shows remember that people should have friends outside of their significant other😭

The other hot guy hid behind his lack of care about what others thought and in a way was actually quite shallow because of it. He seemed to have no depth until the other male lead coaxed real answers about himself out of him.

It was a generally well paced well written bl drama.

Though... I'm still confused as to whether or not the beginning of episode 11 was a dream sequence or hallucination. It was still well done though because everything was just off. His parents were home & interacting with him and the other mc was giggling & smiling. Well done👌🏾
The way they fell for each other was cute & believable and healthy. I enjoyed that.

I also enjoyed watching their personal growth caused by them being in each other's lives.😍

The high school sister innocently crushing on the shy female University student was cute.

In conclusion: Korean bl dramas are getting better & better and I can't wait to see where they go next. Also BINGE!💃🏾

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A POV CHARACTER'S LOVELY LOVE STORY

This drama is surprisingly beautiful ! this drama is like a story of everyone's point of view in life , Having a lead that has an insecurity in appearance that strived to look better to be accepted by the cruel world, it's like everyone's story, wanting to be accepted, wanting to belong and as I was able to relate in so many ways about this drama, I know many viewers of this drama also did relate in so many ways here ., I have nothing bad to say against this drama.
I liked the flow of the story, the situations that really happens in life and the romance was everything ! and they have showed here that being in a relationship is not always good, they have to adjust and have to know what they like and what they don't and more important is the roots , it is not ending in just liking someone. The drama was easy to understand and the progression was good ! I never thought I could appreciate this drama so much and I just only watched it in this year 2024 when it was released year 2022 ! I just love it and like it unexpectedly. I probably gonna re watch this many times in the future.

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Si-Won, a perfectionist who cares about appearances and popularity above all, feels immediately threated by Da-Woon, who is handsome and seems to have the perfection Si-Won strives for without even trying. I really enjoyed the dynamic that Si-Won found Da-Woon "fishy" or a threat to his popularity, when really Da-Woon just had an honest interest and attraction to Si-Won and was flirting with him. This was a refreshing take on the enemies-to-lovers trope that I hadn't seen before.

The most enjoyable part about Blueming in my opinion is the subtlety. It isn't overly dramatic, there is no crazy twists, its an honest look at two imperfect characters who slowly grow an attraction towards each other. It is so subtle in parts that you may have to go back and watch certain scenes to understand what happened - I think this is a strength and also a slight issue.

I enjoyed this more on the second watch through, where I was able to catch more of the subtleties after knowing the end result. This could be a draw back for some people as you may not want to watch something more than once. However I do think that the appreciation grows the more you watch it and realize how thoughtfully detailed this series is. That being said, even on the second watch, I found there were still parts of the dialogue I didn't understand.

I also found myself wishing there wasn't as much time spent on the side characters, as their plots didn't really go anywhere and weren't resolved, however I am hopeful this is addressed in the second season.

Overall a great short series that is beautifully shot and doesn't smack you over the head with BL or drama tropes.

Lire davantage

artsy, romantic and sweet.

I enjoyed this show.
I'll start with the cons and there's only really 2
1- I feel like we were teased with the GL or not GL. I'd like to see them commit to that in season 2.
2- the artsy nature of it sometimes made the story and bit loose and hard to follow. though I understand this may just be due to my taste and watching it at 3am.

Otherwise there's so many pros. the acting was SUPERB especially in the last episode. I loved that they didn't shy away from romantic intimacy. it wasn't angsty or pushy romance it was easy, soft and beautiful. the filmography was splendid and I think overall it was just a very beautiful and comfortable watch.

I'd definitely say watch it. it wasn't my usual style so I am not sure if I'd watch it again but I definitely enjoyed it and if you like Korean BL this one is definitely one of the best I've seen.

Lire davantage

It lacks something

I usually like this kind of slice of life story but this one, although they tackled some issues mainly about looks, how the society percieves it and family matters, I wasn't unfortunately able to connect with any of the characters. I don't know if it's due to the lack of the script / storytelling / directing or the actors could do a little bit better..?

For the romance part, it feels natural and at the same time it was kind of sudden as it was placed in a background so it didn't give me some sparkles. Maybe, no really a good build up of their relationship...

I think, the cinematography and the OST were really nice and kind of saved this serie.

Lire davantage

Easily the best Korean BL as of now

Blueming is a story of lookism, where someone's looks determine how they are treated. We see this as Siwon is being treated terribly at a young age when he is fat, and everyone likes him in the present when he is fit. Enter Dawoon, someone even more handsome and liked than anyone else. Dawoon appears to be perfect, and Siwon is intimidated by this for some reason. They start out as classmates with tension and slowly become closer as friends until they date. What I like about this movie is how relatable it can be for some. There are many people who used to be fat when they were young and experienced hardships because of it. Besides that, the story is relatable in the sense that handsome or perfect-looking people are intimidating, and the way Dawoon inches closer and closer to Siwon is amazing and curious to see what happens next.

There were various small plot points as well; the side characters' stories were all well developed. The only one that feels questionable is that of Dawoon's parents, as they are very distant and busy throughout the whole drama. So it makes sense how Dawoon's backstory is more of show rather than tell. While there is little shown, it can be said that the majority of the story is told from Siwon's point of view. Perhaps the directors did not want to overshadow Siwon's story by showing all the details of how Dawoon's parents treated Dawoon his whole life. Although a summary of their relationship can be made when looking at how Dawoon acted when he was having lunch with his mom and Siwon. The mother suggested that they never forced Dawoon to do anything or to choose to study film, but looking at Dawoon's face and manners, it can easily be seen that he disagrees, but does not want to cause a scene.

One slight thing I was confused by is the scene where Dawoon is sleeping in the last episode after looking at Siwon's text. The scene afterward is hazy and a little confusing, I assumed it had to be a dream, and later realized it is probably Dawoon's subconscious telling him to be a stubborn lover and visit Siwon whether he is mad or not. The scene threw me off a little bit when watching, but I am fine with it in the movie, I believe it shows more of Dawoon, his thoughts, and desires.

Details aside, I absolutely loved this movie and would recommend it to BL fans and non-BL fans alike. The story is compelling, the actors are amazing not to mention downright stunning, and the viewers are able to connect with the characters. Lastly, no moving to Europe or America, thank god.

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