Semantic Error

(Mostly) Accurate Adaptation with Satisfying Characters:

Watching Semantic Error After Reading It.

This is my 2nd BL Drama, and 1st Korean Drama, but I’ve been reading BL for 8 years now. I don’t know if my perception of the show is heavily influenced by the fact that I read the source material first, but I feel like I managed to keep an unbiased perspective.

1 TECHIE NITPICK:
The one non story related element that bugged me was the high frame-rate of a lot of the shots. That’s what causes movement to look weird and sharp, like cheaply produced daytime soap operas. If every shot was like that I might not have been able to watch, but it was only obvious in outdoor shots, super wide shots, and tracking shots on a dolly or jib. Sometimes I swear the frame rate was lower in shots because they felt more cinematic, but it might have just been there was little movement or low lighting. The fact that it wasn’t constant was a relief, but it took me out of the show every time I noticed it. Perhaps this is simply the style in all K Dramas that I'll have to get used to.

THE SHOW:
Honestly, story-wise and acting-wise, the first 7 episodes were true quality. I’d even say almost perfect in execution as far as the building tension between our lead characters. Both actors' attitudes felt like the characters had walked out of the pages of the webtoon. The OST also really leant itself to Jaeyoung’s characterization which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Obviously an 8 episode story can’t exactly follow its source material when it’s already 50+ chapters long without an ending in sight. But it picked and chose combinations of elements that made the show feel natural on its own without losing the essence of everything from the original. It felt like an honest adaptation, in the first 7 episodes.

I thought I might only take issue with episode 8 because of its divergence from the original, but that’s not the real problem. The problem is the source of conflict episode 8 relied on. After 7 episodes of character driven conflict, the final episode relied on plot driven conflict which felt out of place, like an interruption to the series.

***
VAGUE SLIGHT FINALE SPOILERS:
All the conflict in the original Semantic Error relies on character driven elements that come from within our protagonists, and that remains true in episodes 1 through 7. But in episode 8, the invitation and the conflict it caused is the opposite of character driven. The fact that they used plot to control the characters’ decisions for the first time is what felt off and foreign to me. It didn’t flow with the story or the characters.

It’s a shame that the writers could not craft a finale that suited the rest of the series, but considering the webtoon Semantic Error is one of the best ongoing BL out there, that’s a tall order. The ending fell flat but everything until then was extremely good.

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Compared with the original, it's not as good

On it's own, it's a good, but I probably biased because i read the original first.
But compared with the original it's too different. Jaeyoung and Sangwoo are a lot more realistic and less extreme. While I liked that Jaeyoung isn't as jealous (which was the only thing I don't like in the original), Sangwoo was cute, instead of "cold and logical". I really missed the original Sangwoo . Also, the way he confessed was better in the original, (he accidently blurted it out and ran away and lied that he "misspoke" and later ran away again and the poor taxi driver had a race off with Jaeyoung lol) it suited him a lot more, here it was kinda anti-climatic.

I find that the chemistry between the characters is very different here. I mean the chemistry is amazing here, but it was more exciting in the original(because the original characters aren't so soft and "cute"). In the original the genre of enemies-to-lovers was more apparent and Jaeyoung pranked him wayyy longer. And I really wish that they would have had some inner monologues because their thought are the most interesting part!

Especially Sangwoos. And obviously this the "family friendly" version, so the vibe is different, but that's fine if this will attract more new viewers to the BL genre this way. But anyway, I would recommend watching this first and then the original, so you would be able to enjoy this more as I did. 8,5 stars is pretty good in my books.

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Lots of potential.

This is a nicely shot, stylish short drama set in a college, where an OCD-ish loner student programmer developing a game needs a good designer, and finds one in the shape of a fashionable, popular, annoying boy who has beef with him for some reason that wasn't quite clear to me. The designer decides to piss the programmer off for payback/amusement by stalking him and being really irritating. Both of them: AAA YOU ARE ANNOYING AF! But also strangely attractive! Especially in a terrible wig.
And so... love story.

Overall, it's a fun watch and a good story, but imo the pacing could have been improved on. Stalking isn't my fav trope, and it's a pretty big feature for the first half of this - too much for my liking. Luckily, the eps are short, so the cute kicks in and beats out the annoyance fairly quickly. The kissing is good when we get to it, and I very much approved that there was no hesitation about it for either of them: no power imbalance here, they're equally into it, and that got me invested. Sadly we only got a little slice of time with them as a proper couple and working partners, and I would have liked to have seen more of that, as it felt like there was good potential here for interesting character development together, and that, with a gay couple, would have been really great. Some bonus episodes in Paris would have been great too (ha, not me who spent a chunk of the last ep yelling RUN OFF WITH HIM LETTUCE! PACK YOUR SUITCASE! SPEAK YOUR FRENCH!) Hope to see more like it, with bigger budgets.

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Adorable and Sweet

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Student): Sang Woo
T (Student): Jae Young

- Beginning: B and T are students at the same school but in different programs. B is extremely cold to everyone and serious about doing the right thing; T is the exact opposite. That is why in a project for a common class they had together, T didn’t do anything because he didn’t think it was important so B decides to remove his name from the project, damaging his prospect of going abroad. They start the show off as sort of enemies because T put B’s caricature all over school because he wants to find him and convince him to talk to the teacher on his behalf. B doesn’t like T because he thinks B is a good for nothing freeloader and T doesn’t like B because he thinks B is reason for he didn’t graduate. Their story starts when B contacts the designer of a design he likes which turns out to be T. Even if he didn’t want to work with him, T is insistent because he wants to get revenge of B.

- Middle: Because of T’s insistence, they start meeting up at often. And the more time they spend together, the more they learn about each other and T finds himself starting to develop an attraction for B even if at that time he still won’t admit it. B’s impression of T starts to change when T starts taking the project more seriously, is genuinely nicer to him and actually saved him once. He also starts to learn that T can be serious and not the freeloader he thought he was.

- End: Finally the attraction got to a point they can’t ignore and B kisses T while he was asleep, not knowing T was actually awake. T confesses to B after that and B takes some time to think about it. The series ends with him finally agreeing to the confession and they start dating. T gives up a position at a big company in order to finish working on the game with B. The ending is similar to the novel ending where T gives up his opportunity abroad so he wait for B to finish school so they can leave together. He even proposes to B, which is a shame we didn’t get to see.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- I like how T starts to change because of B, even if he doesn’t notice it.
- I really like the enemies to lovers trope even if the enemy part is no longer obvious after 2 episodes when T starts to act nicer towards B. I just like how T keeps thinking about B and not understanding why he is doing so. I also like how B starts going along with T’s ideas and no longer finds him annoying all the time.
- I like how they use anger to show they have gotten closer. Before, B and T doesn’t even bother to get angry because they don’t care at all about each other. They say hate but it’s said in a rather emotionless way. Now that they start caring about each other (and not realizing it), when they fight, they are both actually angry and bothered about the fight, even if they don’t know why.
- I really like how B changes because of T. He’s no longer emotionless and can smile. He actually starts making an effort to apologize after a fight. He starts wanting T to call him and lets him touch him more than other people. I love how he starts getting affected by T’s touch.
- B is adorable when he tries to show affection, like patting the other on the head as a way to say good job. He’s trying to become more human and it’s such a joy to see.
- I really like T competing with a girl who was also interested in B. It’s really funny how much they can’t stand each other.
- I really like the progression of their relationship, from enemies to friends, to someone they want to be with romantically. Although the pace is really fast, it doesn’t feel rushed. Each step is well depicted and each time they go forward one step, it feels like a victory. The couple is just adorable together, making me want to root for them.
- The acting is really nice. B and T have great chemistry together and they fit together quite well visually. T looks really handsome once he stopped looking like a hooligan. The actors do a great job at portraying their respective characters.
- The stolen kiss scene is adorable.
- There aren’t much angst in this show because they only get together at the end. The only angst is B taking some time to think over things and was ready to refuse T after he had confessed. But at the end, he went to find him and they kiss.
- I really like the ending. It’s adorable and sweet.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- The constant talking to one’s own self thing is just weird and the actors don’t do it well enough to make it seem unnatural. I know it’s necessary because we need to know what the characters are thinking, but doing it as an internal monologue is a lot better.
- I really didn’t like T at the beginning. He just look like a big bully and blaming someone else for not putting his name on something he didn’t do the work for is just stupid. I really hate freeloaders, especially those who don’t respect others like him. He’s childish and will continue to bother you and pester you until he gets his way. But luckily B’s personality is good at dealing with people like him. He is emotionless most of the time and in regards to people he doesn’t like, he really isn’t afraid to tell them off.

**Conclusion**
This is a very sweet and simple rom com type of story. Although it’s not deep, it warms your heart nonetheless.

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Great acting, good storyline, good pace...PARK SEO HAM!

This was one of the first BL series I have seen and I have really set myself up! Since finishing Semantic Error, the other BL series I have watched (approx 5) have not compared. I know there are plenty of good ones out there, but this set a high bar. I enjoyed the storyline, the pacing was good, and there was enough comedy to not make the series so heavy. Park Seo Ham, other than being gorgeous in damn near anything, is great. His acting was so believable and just worked with Park Jae Chan. I don’t always hope for a second season, but I do for this series. Well done gentlemen!

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Unique BL.

I read the manhwa before this so I had really high expectations, and lets just say they beat them, and more.

I really like the introvert and extrovert trope, I think that they are usually always really nice and wholsome, despite them most being slow burners. I really like how they included most things in the manhwa, which is what I always like to see with
manhwa ->series.

I think that both main protagonists had great chemistry and that they were really nice and funny together, Sangwoo always acting like he really didn't like Jaeyoung at first, being really cold, then despite still being cold at the end, opened up his heart to Jaeyoung. The side characters were really nice and added a lot to the show, personally.

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one of the best kbls out there

I miss the drama so bad and I really hope they will make a second season!! the chemistry between the characters was soooo good. the drama was addicting. literally. I rewatched it like 3 times and I’m gonna rewatch now again because I made myself want to with this review 😭 it brings back memories. anyways, I really like the story. how we can see sangwoo going through development and how supportive jaeyoung is :( I wish I had a relationship like theirs. they make me jealous. the cast is sooooo good all the guest and supporting characters! they also really added to the show :) I really really wish there is going to be season two, this drama deserves one

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No toxicity, feel good story, excellent character development in just 3 hrs of limited time

Why u should watch
1. You”ll never feel left out, much engaging story line
2. Not a new plot, but trust me dialogues and new elements in comedy will definitely win ur heart
3. That whole red drama has a separate place in my heart
4. No toxic character
5. All confession scenes were so naturally enacted and well written.
6. Sang woo’s character development is out of this world, he exactly depicted an introvert , who falls in love ,gets confused about his feelings but later accepted his heart
7. And above all just watch it for those two cuties, who made me fall in love with them 😅😀

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Romance of the extrovert cool nerd and introvert neural divergent coded nerd

This review is after a rewatch and my consensus is still the same from the first watch at the time of airing. It starts off slow with JaeYoung's petty revenge antics honestly pretty grating to both SangWoo and as a viewer, but once he finally stands up for SangWoo and the status quo shifts, their developing closeness and romance is a compelling watch all the way to the end.

I like how JaeYoung goes from making SangWoo uncomfortable in daily school life to trying his best to respect and broach SangWoo's boundaries in a way that SangWoo would be comfortable with, which allows SangWoo to feel comfortable enough to be the one making the first move to be physically intimate.

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Nice, low stakes watch

I wasn't a fan of how in episodes 2-3 Jaeyoung was literally harassing/stalking Sangwoo, but when Sangwoo started warming up to him the show became addicting and I binged it. Then in episode 7 Sangwoo started being stubborn and distant and that really bothered me tbh. I understood he had trouble expressing his feelings, however at that point there wasn't a good reason for Jaeyoung to crush on him so hard to the point where he would give up his dream school for him. Besides all of that, this is an overall good BL; I'd recommend it, it's not life changing or the best show ever but it's solid.

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This is the perfect BL series (rare spoilers)

I'm not joking when I write this - this is the perfect BL series, and the best one I've watched. Even though some people will dismiss this review as being biased and written from a perspective of a fanboy, I'll still write the following TLDR - every aspect of this series is done flawlessly and I'm here to dissect it for you.

Let's start with a romance. The story's premise is set around the trope that I don't necessarily enjoy: enemies to lovers. I guess my fascination for this show is partly due to the fact that they've taken a trope I'm indifferent toward and done such a good job that it blew my mind. To that I say - fair - if the series had managed to make me take interest in something I previously didn't like, it should be praised. The number one reason why this worked really well is that it is devoid of any subatomic shred of toxicity. While, yes, Jae Young was tormenting Sang Woo for a few days, I argue that it was more playful than anything else. Wearing red clothes and buying all coffee from the vending machine is miles away from verbal, physical, mental and sexual abuse I'm at this point nearly accustomed to. Nothing of the sort occurs here, and the playfulness quickly turns into adoration, which leads to a blossoming relationship between the two.

The characters are very interesting and multi-dimensional. The way Yu Na has a chokehold on my heart as a person is insane, and she's just a side character! These actors have done such an amazing job at portraying these characters, they feel like actual people I would hang around with. Of course, that is also part to the very well written dialogue. Also, we see their virtues, their flaws, what ticks them, what drives them... It's all there for the viewers to soak in.

When it comes to plot, I say this is quite a simple plot, but it's pretty well done. The standard three-act structure is there, with moments to keep you on your toes at all times, wonderfully intertwined with the character development and, of course, romance. Everything feels remarkably plausible. There wasn't a single moment where I yelled at the characters making stupid decisions or at the left-turn external obstacles which make absolutely no sense. Short, clean, concise.

Overall: If there's only one BL series that I could watch for the rest of my life, it would be this one. Please, don't have doubts over watching it. On the other hand, I hope I'm not setting too high of an expectation for you. In the end, this is a live action series of 8 episodes, 25 minutes each, so bear that in mind when watching it.

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