This review may contain spoilers
Pete and Kao deserved better, but what a sh*tshow of a series they got instead.
From the very first episode Pete and Kao were nothing but a ticking time bomb that we had to agonizingly and slowly, oh so very slowly, watch ignite. It took nine episodes, NINE, for the lies and deceit to be found out. And then the final three episodes were nothing but the aftermath of miscommunication and bad decisions, which left very little to make me want to spare a single care for them. Any happiness they had was shrouded in lies, and I personally think Pete could have done better than Kao. Which isn’t at all how I wanted this ship to sail! Pete & Kao had a brilliance in “Kiss Me Again” that was drowned in a series that gave them only conditional love that neither of them could navigate. They were set up for failure in the beginning and had no other option but to capsize and sink. I don’t like it, I don’t want it, they deserved a better story.Sun and Mork were what kept me watching. And even their storyline became this reflection of how whether you tell a lie or keep a promise, it doesn’t matter, the people who supposedly love you may still leave you without explanation, choosing instead to believe their own prejudiced opinions until it’s almost and basically too late.
I’m disappointed and upset that angst was chosen time and again over actual character development. Instead of showing young adults learning how to be in a relationship, it felt like a bunch of kids in a sandbox fighting over their toys. You just wanted to yell at them to knock it off and grow the hell up.
We were robbed and so were the characters. We got great actors, but they had to play the facade of a character that could have been lovable instead of stuck in a rut of mundane and clichéd tropes that were meant only to stretch out a story that’s mediocre at best.
The whole Pete, Kao, Non storyline should’ve been cleared up in a matter of a couple of episodes instead of being the focus of the whole series. I mean, come on! That’s what Pete and Kao get? A turd of a teenager effecting their relationship from beginning to end? Non should have been flushed so much sooner, but instead he just kept floating around and stinking up the show.
When all is said and done, I did get hooked and wanted to see how everything would eventually unfold. I just wish the story had been done better and wasn’t so focused on Pete and Kao’s relationship never feeling comfortable or stable until the very end. What a waste of potential this wound up being.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Watched for Sun and Mork
Let me tell you about "Dark Blue Kiss," the captivating sequel to "Kiss Me Again." When I first watched this series, it was Gawin's impressive acting in "Not Me" that drew me in. While many fans adore Pete and Kao, I found myself more intrigued by the Sun and Mork storyline. Perhaps it's because I wasn't a fan of Pete in the prequel, and school BLs aren't really my thing.The series continues the stories of Kao, Pete, Sun, and Mork. In "Dark Blue Kiss," Kao and Pete's relationship grows stronger, but they still keep it hidden. Pete's jealousy is ignited when Non shows interest in Kao, putting strain on their bond. Meanwhile, Sun begins to move on from his unrequited love for Kao and starts getting closer to Mork. Despite their clashes, Sun's seriousness helps Mork find stability, leading to unexpected feelings between them. The series explores Sun and Mork's evolving relationship, adding depth and heartwarming moments to the story.
For me, the Sun and Mork storyline with the enemy-to-lovers trope was the highlight. The character development of both Sun and Mork throughout the series was fantastic. They each had their misconceptions of one another, but as their relationship evolved, they came to understand and appreciate each other more deeply. Gawin's acting in "Not Me" made me a fan, but "Dark Blue Kiss" solidified my admiration for him.
This series stands out as a gay drama disguised as a BL, where all the main and side characters are gay. I appreciated that Sun and Mork's relationship wasn't rushed or unrealistic. Their story arc was compelling and brought depth to their relationship, making it more relatable and engaging.
"Dark Blue Kiss" is a captivating and well-crafted series that explores the complexities of love, jealousy, and self-discovery. If you enjoy meaningful character development and realistic portrayals of relationships, this series is worth a watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Unexpectedly good
First things first - so... I hate Non. No surprise there. But what I hate more than the fact that I hated Non, is that Non was created for the sole purpose of being hated. That makes him 2D, and I like my characters, especially antagonists, to have three dimensions, thankyouverymuch. The only attempt at adding depth to him is making his father an asshole, and even that felt less like actual depth and more like a cheap excuse for his assery. It might be a personal hang-up, but I can't stand villains that were created for nothing other than villainy. Stories are that much more entertaining for me when the bad guy is not that easy to hate, so the fact that Non was such a 2D bad guy spoilt things for me a little bit.I still liked the quite mature development in the PeteKao relationship enough to thoroughly enjoy everything else, but, again, no surprise that my favorite part of the show was SunMork. Holy crap, those two stole the show completely.
Also, ifl Sandee. Honestly, that entire group of friends is just adorable, but Sandee was so amazing in the way she dealt with their issues with maturity and behaved as the voice of reason. I love all the scenes with her just being totally badass in general, but the fact that she was an atypical non-bitchy female character in BL made her all the more lovable. Seriously, all the girls in this BL were just so amazing and supportive, so unlike the usual crappy ones, that it made me very happy. (I guess Non took the bitch role to a whole new level so that the girls could remain the awesome queens they are.)
I didn't watch Kiss or Kiss Me Again before this, so I didn't have much of an issue with the plot holes/continuity issues that I saw in other reviews, so this review and rating is purely for DBK as a standalone.
PS - the opening was just Chef's Kiss. I'm obsessed.
PPS - Rain is such a cutie.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
First one to make me cry!
BL's make me happy, embarrassed, excited, but they have never made me cry, until this one!This had all the good stuff, a main couple with great chemistry and realistic issues, a cute side couple. Great group of friends. A good sprinkle of villain/drama and all the feels!
One event in here truly destroyed me. I could feel that heartache through the screen. Watching them go through the motions of heartbreak had me in tears! It felt to real. It felt like it would never get better, that this was going to be it and we'd have to feel this pain for the rest of our lives. This was more upsetting then my own break up in real life! I never want this to happen in another BL again! I'm not crying, YOU ARE, okay we're both crying now WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
I felt so bad for Koa though, his little sad puppy face, trying to tell everyone he didn't do anything wrong while not being listened to at all.
The only thing that this was lacking was spice. The kisses were locked lipped, there was only one bed scene and nobody really talked about the deed besides a few teasing bits. I like my BL to be a little less PG.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
First TayNew drama!
Believe it or not, Polcasan actually brings me to get to know TayNew and later makes me want to try and watch their series. Lol. Polcasan’s cute antics kept on bugging me on my IG’s timeline out of nowhere, and as i kept on watching them, more and more of San’s video coming up on my timeline. Lol. Then I get to watch how san interacts with his phorphor and papa, leading me to get to know both Tay and New (gosh, New is so gorgeous!). I enjoyed watching them bickering on shows and thought I should give their series a chance.Ok. Back to the story. Like I said, this is my first series of them (tried Peaceful Property at first, but since I was fooling around trying to find a series to watch at 3am, I dont think trying to watch Peaceful Property was wise lollll). Watched this until halfway around 6 episodes, but I felt so stressed at first. Lol. Pete’s character seems to be portrayed as such a red flag to me I was curious how the hell Kao fell for him in the first place. Lol. Then I went around to previous instalment in the Kiss series and watched the PeteKao compilation. After watching them there, now at least I get to know more about Pete, even though his possessiveness sometimes still bothers me a lil bit. Lol. Tbh, I felt they did Kao quite dirty in DBK, I love how Kao seems to be more firm and standing up to Pete in Kiss, but it seems that in DBK, he was mellowed down to a point of damsel in distress most of the time. I missed how he can punch Pete around for being such an asshole in Kiss, but when things go south in DBK, Kao was just moping and helpless. I truly love them together, but in those aspect, i truly abhors Kao’s helplessness tbh.
Secondly, i felt like they gave too much screentime and character development to the second couple MorkSun that it seems sometimes, all the story line that PeteKao has is the tutoringlying part. I sincerely hate the Non character (lol. He really tested my patience) and I felt like, the Non character should have not become such an important nemesis to someone with Pete’s standing. I mean, should someone who is almost old enough to be working in real world needs to fight with a mere high school boy to that extend? The plot should be more convincing (at least make the love nemesis someone who is more convincing than a kid). Also, there is a matter of continuity issues between the story in previous instalment wasnt being brought around in DBK which left me confused a bit sometimes (for example, their friends not knowing about their status when previously they are already out-ed, and the fact that Kao’s family seems to be much downgraded i.e poorer than i seemed to remember it from before)
The opening sequence is giving me a soap opera vibe, always led me thinking of wives and their husbands’ scandal pulling each others hairs and end up crying in a corner. Lol. Reminds me of that Korea’s dramas that one time (i think it was Temptation of Wives or something?) but it was well shoot, and even though it was too sophisticated for the story’s plot, i applaud their creativity. Lol.
Overall, despite all that, i quite enjoyed the whole series, helps me to have a break of watching chinese long dramas and hopefully the next one I picked up of TayNew would be better
Was this review helpful to you?
🥰😍😘💞🤩💕😻❤️🔥It is a great series. I love the story, the characters, the theme songs and the actors are very talented. The male leads and side characters are all so good looking, ang popogi nila makalaglag panty. It is a must watch series. I just wished it was longer, more episodes, go for season two. the series is so romantic and their acting/feelings they are all natural.
Was this review helpful to you?
Should’ve watched it sooner.
When I first heard about Dark Blue Kiss, I saw many mixed reviews. I saw more negative than positive so I put it off. Boy what a mistake that was. TayNew really has been that pairing since the beginning. The natural chemistry and comfortability. It’s genuinely something you cannot fake.The story- gworl I laughed, cried, threw my self against the wall (mentally) and left at the end with a fulfillment that I should’ve experienced sooner.
It would be crazy if I didn’t mention Pond and Gawin. They’re acting when it comes to their characters as Sun and Mork *insert giggling emoji*. The flirtatious eyes were all I needed.
Anyways it was good and should’ve watched it sooner.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This thing got me emotional. Twice.
I had to rewatch this series again, because the first time I definitely overscored this for sentimental reasons (I cried) and it didn't seem fair.It's nice, the third act is definitely stronger than the first two, as in story and acting - especially by New, whose sad little face always makes me want to pat-pat his back and tell him that everything is going to be okay.
Contrarily to most of the comments I've read about this series, I'm not a big fan of SunMork, because unfortunately I don't like Sun's character very much, but I like that they had their happy ending as well! (Mork does deserve to catch more Pokémon on Pokémon Go, though. I hope he completes the Pokédex, I'd love that for him)
Pete and Kao keep being dysfunctional but apparently they're happy that way and it's fine. Sure, if this was a real life relationship, the red flags would be infinite, but it's not, and they're really cute when they don't start a jealousy scene or lie to the other for nothing.
The theme song is still very lovely, and I certainly will keep it in my playlist, while the opening score is ICONIC. I love it. If others opening sequences are good, this is their queen. The drama of it. The strings. The post-it notes with LOVE and LIE written on it. Amazing. I would love it as soundtrack during specific moments in my life just for making me feel like a badass.
The cast is obviously great. Love the original Cool Gang, and all the other secondary characters too, but the four main characters are all perfect. TayNew especially delivered great performances, reprising their roles from some of their earliest acting roles. They have grown a lot since this series too and I'm curious to see them work together as other characters as well: I'm sure their chemistry and skill will make anything they do worth watching.
As for the parenthesis in the first sentence of this review, it's true. I did cry watching this the first time. I don't know what it was, I've watched series like this before, but I guess something in this one got me. Could have been the sad music during the whole breakup period. Could have been New's little sad pout. Could have been the fact that Kao found himself alone in what looked like the worst time of his career and had no one to vent to. Could have been the fact that he came out to his mom not in the way he wanted, but she accepted him anyway, and gave him no pressure to do so, even if she suspected it. Maybe because when Pete and Kao find each other near the school office and they decide to talk , it's clear that they miss each other and the love is still there, even though they won't admit it. Or maybe because when Pete defends Kao during his live, he says they're friends, and their friendship has been very important to the both of them throughout their relationship, since the beginning, and, reader I'm sorry, but I'm a sucker for this whole trope.
All this to say that, sure, Dark Blue Kiss isn't a 10/10 even if it might make me cry, but it isn't that bad either.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Don't recommend
Happy ending but it wasn't worth sitting through, it was pure torture I don't remember the character's name, but the show had unnecessary drama for the leads and supporting characters. The drama literally was dragged until the very end, it has an obsessed high schooler who became infatuated with one of the male lead's boyfriends. I can't remember if it started off to be petty and annoy the one he was rivals with and later turned into obsession love but my god the male lead one who wants to be a celebrity didn't trust his bf who was a tutor it was part of his job to tutor students who hired him. I can't remember why he still continued to tutor his stalker but the two male leads get into constant fights cuz the wannabe celebrity let his jealousy take over destroying his relationship with his bf knowing full well his bf wouldn't cheat on him but he let his stupidity take over. The supporting cast I don't remember much just one has anger issues and the other didn't want to date someone younger and i think he still had trust issues and didn't want to let someone in cuz of his past. I don't recommend at all unless you like sitting through intense drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Left me feeling anything but blue
This one is an underappreciated gem of a show!Let me start of by saying I did not watch Kiss, nor did I watch Kiss Me Again.
What I did instead was watch a fan-made cut of Kiss Me Again (edited and linked here on MDL by the lovely Claudeville) which provided me with a solid grasp of all the characters' backgrounds and relationships and was more than sufficient for me to be able to fully appreciate DBKs continuation of the story.
Production quality wise, the series is excellent. The visuals are lovely, the music is fantastic (I am an absolute sucker for dramatic strings, so the intro is right up my alley), and script and performances are incredible.
I've seen some people take issue with the continuity errors between DBK and its predecessors, but personally I think the changes made were for the best.
DBK is still a soap opera, but it focuses heavily on the real issues many queer men have to deal with. The characters' overlapping relationships are complex and there is plenty of drama, but there is a sense of realism and authenticity to the story that is rare in this genre.
One thing the show does particularly well is the way it explores the many difficulties and issues surrounding a coming-out.
It shows the heavy relationship strain of one partner being closeted, the insecurities this can cause to arise, the resentment constant secrecy can breed. It highlights the painfully real social and financial concerns closeted people have to reckon with when they are considering coming out.
Where other shows main concern lies in whether or not their characters can find the courage to openly be themselves, DBK forces its characters to consider whether they even have the luxury to make that choice in the first place. Another user, Moonbyulie, elaborates further on this in their review, which makes for very interesting reading and I highly recommend having a look at that as well should you be interested.
Another strong point of the series are its characters. They are all (deeply) flawed, yet highly likeable individuals whose conflicting backgrounds and ideals lead to many painful clashes and whose individual journeys of character growth are both gut-wrenching and an absolute joy to watch.
They may at times make frustratingly poor choices, but they never stop calling each other out on their problematic behaviour and they never stop supporting and caring for one another.
Even Non, the show's ostensible "villain", is an incredibly complex character who walks the line between hateful and sympathetic perfectly.
In short, I highly recommend giving this show a shot. It's not perfect - some plot points certainly fall a bit short and some writing choices are questionable - but it also offers some of the most compelling and layered characterisations to be found in this genre.
If you enjoy well-written romance dramas that tackle real-world issues with skill and a good dash of humour, then this one is for you.
If you're in the market for a more serious and mature slice-of-life story which provides a well-balanced mix of romance and character study, then you will enjoy this series as well.
Was this review helpful to you?
Too watch this drama I had first watched kiss me againg petekao. Even that the relation between main lead dissapoint me a little. The main leads are good compatable as both good friends(among everyone) and compatable couple(in no one around).First they were a secret lovey-doveky couple and their relationship was only known by Pete fatherand he has no objection with it. This was all good. But when the reivel of Pete arieved(Non) the things gone a little upside down(it is hard to explain with words). Pete and Kao were in relationship for almost 2.5 /3 years. They should have some metual understanding among them. Pete should have understand Kao's stuation and Kao also should have told and explain to him without lieing. If this I ignore this part as they had no choice, but I can't the part of not to beleiveing in kao's words. Even knowing that Non is a spoil kid and a brat. Pete is insecure for Kao with him because of Non's charecter but he should not have separeted with Kao by beleiving in Non' words.
Other supported lead role Sun & Mork.. What I should I say about them. I litterary continued the drama because of them. They are both manly nothing like one is weak anfd other is not. Their chemistry was good. I wished they could have a sapareted drama. In my opinion they shine more than the main lead couples.
Was this review helpful to you?
