A raw and realistic depiction of a gay man's search for eternal love and himself

This is quite an emotional roller coaster of a story. I never read the novel and didn’t know much about the drama. I thought this might be your typical romantic-comedy but actually, this is a very realistic portrayal of a gay man searching for eternal love, and growing up along the way.

From the first episode, you know this is not your typical BL. The portrayal of the friendship, late night clubbing and hunting, and the drunken hookups are raw and real. “Love in the Big City” doesn't shy away from the harsh reality of finding love, and the difficulty compounds when you are a gay man in a conservative society.

Ko Yeong’s growth is shown through his different romantic relationships with a few men. You can see him grow from a fun-loving young man not believing in love, to realizing he might have lost the love of his life. Each relationship is unique and all have a very interesting start. This drama reminds me of the American TV show “Queer as Folk”. It might not be as daring, but daring enough to cause controversies in Korea.

When Ko Yeong met Nam Gyu, he was young and not ready to be loved. Nam Guy’s unconditional and persistent display of love did not end on a good note. When Ko Yeong was ready and met Yeong Su, it was the other party that’s not ready. It’s unfortunate because they had such a sexy vibe going on between them. Gyu Ho is the match made in heaven. They are both so adorable together and just click. At that time, they are both fighting real life’s challenges and unable to balance romance with career’s demands and reality’s tests of their love. By the time Ko Yeong realized what he had lost, it was a little too late. His meeting of Habibi is interesting and also somewhat of a half-baked story. I was having a hard time understanding Ko Yeong’s last message to Habibi. I thought it was just a fling without much deep feelings, but his message sounded more serious than I thought.

A highlight of the show is the friendship between Ko Yeong and Mi Ae. When you are an outcast, it’s really a blessing to have a friend like that through the highs and lows of your life. But as they grow older, such a friendship has to evolve as they get on with their lives. I had wished to see more of Mi Ae towards the second half of the drama, and not just that somewhat useless drinking scene with her sister-in-law.

I gotta give props to Nam Yoon Su for going all out in this drama. He really didn’t care for the criticisms directed at him. Not only was his acting great, he did not shy away from all the kisses and sexy scenes. In fact, I think he was a little too earnest like he’s going to someone’s face each time. I would have liked him to pull back a little on a couple kisses to show a more romantic side.

As I mentioned, the whole drama is about Ko Yeong’s growth through his relationships. Personally, I am not a big fan of this style of writing. At one point, I find it becomes repetitive when all we see is him going from one relationship to another. However, I am emotionally invested. I cry with Ko Yeong as he gets hurt and suffers through life. Throughout the drama, I was rooting for him to live happily ever-after, either with Gyu Ho or someone else.

I do recommend “Love in the Big City” but don’t go into thinking this is another fluffy BL. The strength of this drama is its realism and how Ko Yeong lives with the scars of each relationship and grows from them, and finds himself.



p.s. the drama synopsis doesn't seem to be 100% correct.


Completed: 10/21/2024 - Review #501

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Short, Light, and Sweet

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25
*don't think there are major spoilers, but just in case*

What a sweet and somewhat innocent teen drama! Why somewhat, because the first scenes showed us a different side of Amane that you don’t see for the rest of the drama. “Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mito mo” aka “If It’s With You” tells the story of Amane’s growing affection for his classmate, Ryuji, after moving to Enoshima. Amane was careful in protecting his heart because of a traumatic event when he told someone of his feelings. But he can’t help but fall in love with the caring and kind Ryuji.

The seaside setting brings a different charm to this short drama, which is shorter than a movie, at about 1.5 hours long. I’m glad to see it speaks to the challenges of a teenager in coming out of the closet to his friends, and how making a joke about it has become his default defense mechanism.

On another note, this drama also reminded me a little of the popular “Kieta Hatsukoi”. We also have another lead who is unsure of his feelings after being confessed to, and needed time to process before responding. We often don't see this side of a love confession and it’s lovely to see male leads from both dramas really take the confession seriously, and give a lot of careful consideration. On the flip side, is it also selfish of Ryuji to want to keep this an one-sided love until he figures things out? How long does Amane need to wait?

Both male leads are lovely characters and that makes this drama very easy to watch. I can relate to bubbly Amane in the way he handles his feelings and the hesitation he has. He almost always wants to pull back, so he doesn’t hear the possible rejection.

If you are looking for something short, light and sweet, this is a good watch. Not a lot happens, so it could be a positive or a negative thing, depending on what you are looking for.


Completed: 11/5/2023 - Review #374

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Interesting Time Traveling but just an OK watch

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

Time-traveling is usually not my thing but I read good reviews and thought I would try it out. Overall, it's an OK drama and I might not love it as much as others. A few quick thoughts:

1. I do like the time-traveling as it's an interesting take on how to go back-and-forth. I would probably be like Kwai and wanted to check a couple times to see if I am getting the desired outcome.
2. I like Krist's acting and his role is so different than when I last saw him in "Good Old Days". His acting is so good that I find Kawi quite an annoying character. LOL
3. I do not enjoy Fluke's acting. He did not impress me in "Not Me" and also not in "Be My Favorite". I don't find him particularly attractive so not being able to act matters more.
4. As mentioned, I find Kawi annoying. It's hard for me to root for him as he's quite selfish and wants it all. The girl, the boy, and everything to go his way.
5. Pisaeng is a very sweet character, despite Fluke's bland acting. I think Pisaeng is too good for Kawi.
6. For once we have students NOT in Engineering!
7. Product placement is actually on the light side. That's a pleasant surprise.
8. Too much cakey makeup on the guys - young and old.
9. I was more interested in the beginning and end of the drama. The middle dragged and I didn't care for Pearmai's mommy issues. At least we don't have an evil 2FL. I like the ending when Pisaeng get's to 'do' that as well. But then those last 1.5 episodes are soooo slow. Not much really happened.
10. I wanted to see more of Kawi and Pisaeng after they got together and not just a montage. I want more time when they are a couple.

Overall, it's an easy watch. If you like the leads and time travel, I'll recommend this. Otherwise, it's an OK watch.


Completed: 8/15/2023 - Review #340

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A Mother's Sacrifice for her Son in the name of Love (A Family Drama, not BL Romance)

“To Sir, With Love” is probably my first real lakorn. The other Thai non-BL dramas I’ve watched are “Love Destiny” and “The Crown Princess”. So, I am still not very used to the overdramatic acting and soap opera-like plotlines yet. I was initially attracted to this drama due to its historical setting of a mature, forbidden gay romance. But as I read more and watch more, I adjusted my expectations accordingly. This is not just a love story, but a family drama with dramatic plot development that sometimes doesn't make sense. It’s about love and sacrifice, understanding and acceptance.

Plot -
The drama basically revolves around a mother’s sacrifice to protect her son in the name of love, no matter the price. Throughout the drama, 1st lady Madame Li and her sidekick servant Jia, try to protect her son’s secret. This obsessive overprotectiveness is the root of all evil. The romance between Thian and Jiu is actually a side plot. As I said, I re-adjusted my expectations and I am fine with this family-centric drama instead of a BL romance. However, I feel that this secret has been talked about and dragged on for way too long. If the cat is out of the bag sooner, the pacing of the drama would be better. I would have liked for the secret to be out and then spend time on the consequences and damage control. Instead, so many episodes are spent on protecting this secret with dramatic ‘twists and turns’. After a while, there’s no more surprise and it becomes a repetitive cycle of eavesdropping, devising an evil plan, hurting the person you love.

Romance -
As a romance lover, of course I would have loved to see more of Thian and Jiu. They barely have any scenes together in the first 5 episodes. But that’s ok, I patiently wait for them to be in the same house when the real romance happens. Because so much time was spent on the adult storylines, I am missing the slowly-falling-in-love and unsure-if-he-likes-me scenes. I wanted more loving smiles and shy side glances. The secondary romance between Yang and Phin also got the short end of the stick. They are such a cute, lovely and healthy couple that their romance is just a by-product of the main plot. I also want to see more of their initial falling-in-love development, as they got together pretty quickly.

Acting -
Yes, there’s over-the-top dramatic acting, especially from Madame Jan. This character requires the actress to act that way, and I am OK with it (though it took me a while to get used to it). There are also a few minor roles that act very lakorn/soap opera-ish. They only annoyed me a little. However, I think the MVP is Pok Piyathilda Mittiraroch as Madame Li. She’s so elegant and graceful. Her acting is more subtle and I really feel for her character. She could be all regal in one scene, then calculating in another, and then switch to being an emotional and caring mother. I am most impressed with her. The rest of the cast is pretty good as well. The young leads did an admirable job and I do think they have good chemistry together (when they actually have scenes together). Thian has more emotional scenes and they don’t feel over-the-top. Jiu has a ‘cooler’ and introverted personality, and the actor did well. When he flashed a rare smile when he was with Thian, it did melt my heart a little.

Production -
As this drama is broadcast on TV, I assume the budget is pretty decent. The main house where mainly scenes take place is nicely built and decorated. I love all the Chinese accents and furniture. Throughout the drama, there are many Chinese elements. I LOVE the costumes, especially the qipaos Madame Li wears. Her qipaos are nicer than some I’ve seen in a Chinese dramas. I also like Madam Jan and Phin’s more modern and fashionable styling. The men look handsome in suits, casual wear and traditional outfits, except for Jiu’s raggedly old T-shirts (well, he still looks good). However, outside of the main house, everything looks less sturdy and realistic. The CGI quality needs to be ignored totally….fake snake..fake fire…glittery killing…etc. The OST is decent with a mix of Thai and Chinese music.

Unrealistic events -
I do question a few things while watching and have to tuck away my rational brain a little. It’s hard to imagine proper and rich women beating up and killing bad guys like a born assassin. No matter how many times you’re shot and poisoned, you still have plenty of time to speak your peace before you die. Doors and walls are like thin air. They don’t stop people from eavesdropping in every single episode. You can conveniently and secretly follow someone to their secrets, and also conveniently find and pick up important evidence. I guess this is all part of watching a lakorn.

Despite my criticisms and not being used to the format of a lakorn, I had an enjoyable time watching “To Sir, With Love”. The drama is well-acted, and the pacing is pretty good despite some repetitiveness. I would have liked the drama to be about 12-15 episodes, instead of 17. If you are familiar with and like Thai lakorns, I would recommend this drama.


Completed: 1/8/2023

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Missing a little "oomph" in the chemistry department

Completed: 9/25/2022 - 7.75 rounding up to 8.0

Picking a somewhat unknown and unpopular drama is because one of the writers and one of the directors are from “Hikaru no Go”, one of my favorites. I was hoping the writing of “Dear Missy” would be good and I like the two female leads, Li Yi Tong and Gina Jin. However, I might have expected too much and left a little disappointed.

The focus of “Dear Missy” is friendship, especially the friendship between Li Yi Tong/Lu Ke (Editor) and Gina Jin/Shen Yi Yi (Publisher). They were high school best friends but had a fall out due to a misunderstanding. They lost contact but met each other again 9 years later when Shen Yi Yi became Lu Ke’s boss. The two female characters have very different personalities. Throughout the drama, you can see how their personalities create conflicts, yet how they complement each other in their personal and professional lives. Theoretically, this should be a great setup for amazing writing for a good sismance. But I feel that something is missing. Despite writing how close they are, I don’t feel the same closeness as the sismance in other dramas, e.g. “Remembrance of Things Past” or “Delicious Romance”.

I would say the secondary focus of this drama is the friendship between the 5 high school friends. They often gather at one of the friends’ bar to hang out and celebrate. Conversations flow when they catch up on what’s happening in each other's lives. They are a tight bunch from start to finish, even though some romantic feelings could threaten their friendship. Similar to what I described earlier, I am also missing a little ‘something’, a special chemistry to make this friendship stand out. It’s just OK.

Though there are several romance subplots, they are secondary to friendship. The romantic chemistry is just OK again. No sizzling hot chemistry, and not enough cute fluffiness for my favorite couple. If I have to pick, Shen Yi Yi and Yao Yuan might have the best chemistry out of the bunch. Secondary might be the initial attraction and competition between Shen Yi Yi and Bai Xiao Chuan. However, what I miss most are the scenes between Lu Ke and Zhang Mang. They are so cute together but after they officially date, we barely see them as a couple. I should say, we do see them as a couple, the romance part is pushed to the background to everyone else’s romance storyline. What I want less are scenes between Guan Yue and Ye Zhou, our third leads. The drama focuses way too much time on this couple. I find Guan Yue very annoying and childish for the majority of the drama, and feels that she doesn’t deserve Ye Zhou as well. She did get better in the last few episodes, but I am still pissed and have to lower my rating because of her.

Despite complaining about all the romantic plots, I do want to point out that the drama is refreshing in a way that it explores multiple love interests and relationships per character. Oftentimes, you get one female lead paired with one male lead, and the drama follows the same pairing throughout. But in this drama, we see multiple pairings and see how the characters grow through different relationships. I just wish the drama had better time management and allocated more time on some and less time on others.

I would not watch this drama for the business plots. They all seem very shallow/unrealistic and did not really add a whole lot of excitement, especially in the first two-thirds of the drama. There might be a little bit more towards the end and most of that was sparked by the professional trouble that our third female lead, artist Guan Yue, encountered. I guess that’s why the drama spends so much time on her, to build up the misfortune, which we will see the consequences in later episodes.

Overall, it’s an OK watch. It lacks a little oomph in the chemistry department (friendship and romance). I don’t hate it, but I also will not strongly recommend it either. Watch it if you like the actors/actresses as the acting is decent.


Other Random Observations:
1. LOVE the Hikaru no Go reference and surprise.
2. Actors are all using their real voices, even for Hong Kong actor Sunny Sun. I am really surprised he didn’t get dubbed.
3. Whenever I hear Zhang Chao’s voice, I just can’t help but think of his role in “Hikaru no Go”. His deep voice also reminded me of Jeremy Tsui’s voice. I love a deep sexy voice.
4. So glad to see a wedding in the end, and a very unique one as well.
5. BGM is too loud when the actors are speaking to each other.
6. OST is not memorable at all.

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