Cathartic, yet equally as frustrating

I'm a bit of an inexperienced BL watcher. I do watch BL, most of the drama I consume is BL content, but I am definitely more unfamiliar with it than a lot of other people are as I am not always the type to watch dramas. That being said, I was compelled by this one. I have followed Woongki for a couple years and this left me with a lot of intrigue. Now that I've watched it, I have a LOT to say about this show.

I'll start with the positives of this show - this show has some of the strongest chemistry and acting I've seen in a while. Every character is cast brilliantly and their portrayals of their respective characters allow me to understand each character to an amazing extent, an understanding that allowed me to feel a really close connection towards them. Lee Taevin's performance as Myungha is one of my favourite portrayals of a character in all the BLs I have watched and you can tell that he cared about this show and character, as in each and every scene you could easily make out his emotions, his intentions, his everything. Cha Joowan does an amazing job as Yeowoon as well and he is probably my favourite character to watch because I relate to him a lot, and he is a very enjoyable character. Heck, every main character in this show is great, but it is clear that the main couple really steals the show.

For me, this show is so, so close to getting it perfect. The core storyline of this show is not one I thought I would enjoy, but it navigates it brilliantly to the point I found myself engaged. I picked this up after the release of episode 1/2 and was drawn in immediately, then was further drawn in by episode 3/4. What this drama has as a shortcoming, however, is the plotholes it creates in its progression of the story after we see Yeowoon finally warm up to Myungha after episode 4.

Episode 5 is the beginning of the shit this show brings in to spice things up and give a bit of shock value, which I heavily disliked. This episode feels so, so rushed. The added storylines could've easily been added at an earlier date to give Yeowoon's character more depth as up until now he was a mystery. On top of this, the confession scene is unnatural - which ties into my first point. Why on earth would someone's first thought be to confess their love after going through something traumatic like that? I understand the release of emotion, the want to get rid of stress in your mind, but I feel like if they wanted to deliver that, they needed to sell into Yeowoon and his emotions as a character. Make him break down, make his emotions clear. In this scene he is stagnant and it happens out of nowhere. I feel the same way about the kiss scene, which feels forced and out of place. It did not need to happen here and feels added in purely to make the fans happy, which is honestly a horrible position to place it in especially given how PERFECT it would be if they held off on kisses until the final episode.

Episode 6 introduces the social media star storyline which is easily my least favourite aspect of the show, because not only does it not really make any sense in context of the show (obviously the end point does, but even so I have my gripes with that), it feels forced. There is really no need for this episode at all, you could skip all the way up until the ending section and you're really not missing out on anything major. You might be confused for a second or two when they mention stuff about stalkers in future episodes, but there is really NO need for this story at all. In fact, it frustrates me why it was even included because it is such an uncomfortable watch. I was genuinely really on edge watching it and not in a way of anticipation, I was just constantly waiting for it to end. Which, for a show that had been mostly flawless up until the last two episodes, is NOT a good look. That being said, I understand the inclusion of these as storylines. In the drama they are portrayed as side quests, and it makes sense for them to be added, but they are just... uncomfortable watches.

Episode 8 is, however, probably my favourite episode of a BL in ages. The cinematography in this was AMAZING and I would love to see a BL shot in a similar way to Myungha's past life scenes for its entirety. Those scenes reminded me a lot of 'Saltburn' which was a movie I could just NOT stop looking at. They were shot absolutely beautifully and I could not keep my eyes off of the screen, I was peeled. Additionally, the story of it was brilliant. I loved how it was executed, and I think it was the perfect way to end this series. I am not a crier but I did shed a tear seeing them run down the beach together, and it was such a cathartic moment.

As frustrating as this series can be to watch, I am so happy to see that so many people are enjoying it. Do not take my review as the bible, as I think I do need to rewatch this to fully appreciate what it has to offer. However, do definitely give this one the time of day. This is an extremely enjoyable watch and definitely going to be a BL favourite for many, and for good reason. Just maybe not fully for me, but that's my personal gripes as I prefer a story that flows coherently.

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