Solid LGBTQ+ story about miscommunication and insecurity
I'm new to writing reviews so I'm going to miss breaking it down with that list of different categories. I noticed that this story has been getting trashed. I recommend giving it a shot if you like a story about two guys trying to connect with human flaws and weaknesses.The only flaw that I found was that to set the backstory they have a scene that has one of the main characters say something that is never explained. It seems to have been put in there in order to create a reason for the misunderstanding and miscommunication. But it's never explained and it's either a mistranslation or the screenwriter needs a slap for a stupidly misleading plot device. In the end though, it doesn't take away from an engaging and kind of deep look at two people trying to connect and I think most people can relate to a lot of the things that the ML's are feeling. That's part of what drew me into the story.
The chemistry between the two ML's is solid. When they kiss, it's mostly low-key but both are completely participating and it's enjoyable to watch. I noticed people commenting on one of the ML's never smiling. Not true. But this character plays someone who is down on himself so he's not always smiling. I thought he played that character really well. Both actors seem genuine and performed very well.
Music, I get sick of these repetitive play one song over and over again in each episode, but I accept the generally the budget doesn't extend to a long playlist. I did like the song.
It's not heavy on sensuality/sexy times, so if that's your thing (and it is something that I generally enjoy) then you might find this a little too cerebral. In the end it's a kind of hopeful look at two people trying to love each other, despite the fear of getting hurt.
Thailand legalizing gay marriage is apparently creating ripples through Asian countries. Previously, I haven't seen Korean series except for the short web series that are coming out in droves: that are actually trying to show gay relationships as existing within society. There's hope for the human race to maybe finally connect with accepting and supporting diversity if the Koreans are starting to do it. Next stop, China. I think that one's going to be a long haul.
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A more dramatic companion piece to "A Dating Sim"
In some ways, a companion piece to “My Dating Sim”, “Business As Usual” is a more angst-filled version, and it takes off where “My Dating Sim”, in a sense, ended.It includes two fellow office workers, highly credentialled, one a designer, the other an editor, working on a joint project referred to as a Dating Manual. Min Jun and Jin Hwan had had a passionate but brief fling when at university together, and now, eight years later, they reunite at their workplace and try to put back together the broken pieces of their previous relationship.
The title, “Business as usual”, is double entendre, meaning the pair of former lovers behave towards each other on a business level, and on another level, it means the outcome of their relationship now will be the same as before. Some considerable time and effort is devoted to the two leads working out what went wrong eight years ago and trying to see if a second attempt at a relationship will be better than the first.
All those well-meaning posters on social media who “wish the characters would just talk honestly with each other” are met here with the reality of sometimes that just isn’t enough. Even when Min Jun realises the mistake he made and breaks down with the sadness of what his misunderstanding cost him, his residual fear of further heartache dominates his actions. Played with well-judged restraint by debutant actor Chae Jong Hyeok, Min Jun is the inner voice inside of all of us that says, “But wait, what if I’m wrong…”.
Director Min Chae Yeon, in her second BL series, judges the mood nicely throughout, such that the various loose ends in the supporting characters and story lines do not feel as if they in any way spoil the happy ending.
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cute drama
I didn’t expect to fall so fast for "Business as Usual", but here I am—completely hooked after just five episodes. This BL drama has already proven that sometimes chemistry speaks louder than words, and these characters? They’ve got it in spades.The dynamic between the two leads is electric, filled with that perfect mix of tension, banter, and emotional vulnerability. Their personalities clash just enough to create drama, but there's a quiet softness underneath it all that hints at something deeper. Every glance and every moment they share feels intentional—and it’s making me root for them harder with each scene.
The pacing is tight, the writing is sharp, and the cinematography? Surprisingly beautiful. There’s a raw charm in the way this show is shot—like we’re watching something intimate unfold in real time. Even with just five episodes, the story has depth and direction, and it’s clear that it’s building toward something emotional and powerful.
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misunderstanding over misunderstandings
From beginning of the First Ep 1 until now it is worth to watch! The acting, the story. I can wait for next week 😭I hope for Reunion 😱Finally a Korean BL again, where the chemie is on fire 🔥 I don’t know the manga, but I would watch till the end also with no happy end. I can’t get over the breaking scene. Looking back, it was a huge misunderstanding, make me feel better to hope they are together at the end. There are still feelings from both of them. Please give us a happy ending. My soul need this 🥲
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Cringy
I watched episode one and was upset, got to episode 2 and was even more upset at Kim Min Joon for giving Jin Hwan all that power. By episode 3, I just couldn't and gave up. Like ugh, no spine at all. I was rooting for him to stand his ground but ugh, alas the disappointment continued. The acting was good, the actors are cute, cinematography is crisp. This had so much potential but they chose to make him sappy. Moving on!Was this review helpful to you?
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Like it
The only points I gave gripes with at least so far in the 1st episode1. The pacing feels slow which isn’t inherently bad but it drags on a plot point that could be wrapped in about five mins or less
2. The following him scene was.. that was nowhere close to being inconspicuous like smh
3. It’s the first episode yet two major points are already being revisited with flashbacks like less than five to eight mins later although I liked that the second one was more of a distorted version
4. Honestly would rather route for the main lead and the younger glasses wearing one than the two main leads together but only time can tell
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Un malentendu, c'est souvent entre deux personnes avec deux souvenirs différents…
Je l'ai sincèrement apprécié. L'histoire s'est concentrée sur les personnages sans en ajouter plus que nécessaire. J'ai eu l'impression que ce drama cherchait à être davantage réaliste, en particulier sur le plan émotionnel. Après tout, quoi de plus commun qu'un malentendu qui conduit deux personnes à se séparer, pour finalement par se retrouver des années plus tard ? Ce même malentendu n'a jamais été résolu. Et malgré les ressentiments, c'est aussi l'occasion de poser cartes sur table, malgré quelques pincements au cœur.À mes yeux, Business as Usual met en lumière la façon dont un simple malentendu peut avoir des répercussions sur le long terme. Certes, une discussion à cœur ouvert aurait résolu le problème tout de suite (que ce soit huit ans plus tôt, ou huit ans plus tard). Néanmoins, derrière ce malentendu, ce cache aussi les insécurités des personnages.
Un malentendu, ça s'évite lorsque les personnes impliquées communiquent. Min Jun (Chae Jong Hyeok) est un introverti qui manque de confiance et d'estime de soi. Il est difficile pour lui d'exprimer ce qu'il ressent, tout comme il a le sentiment de ne jamais être à la hauteur. Un tel malaise le pousse à tirer des conclusions hâtives et négatives. Lui même en a conscience, il a peur d'aimer et de réaliser qu'il n'est pas assez. Est-ce qu'il a bien agit par le passé ? Non ! Plutôt que d'affronter la situation, il a pris la fuite. Huit ans plus tard, Min Jun a grandi et cette fois, il ne s'est pas dérobé sous le malentendu. Chae Jong Hyeok sait jouer, mais il lui manque de la nuance. Un tel personnage (blasé et usé qui est coincé dans une vie sans artifices) peut vite devenir ennuyeux. Plusieurs fois, l'acteur frôle la limite. Néanmoins, pour un premier rôle il s'en sort plutôt bien.
Jin Hwan (Seong Seung Ha) est un extraverti-introverti. Il est populaire et social, mais dès qu'il est question de sentiments, il devient pudique et inexpérimenté. Le voir faire des testes de compatibilité de prénoms est la chose la plus mignon que j'ai vu, mais c'est aussi le signe de sa timidité émotionnelle. Pourtant, sa façon d'assumer ses sentiments (huit ans plus tôt et huit ans plus tard), a été magnifique. Seong Seung Ha est meilleure que son partenaire, mais peut-être parce que son personnage est plus solaire. Grâce à son sourire et son regard chargé d'émotions, il m'a été plus facile de m'y attacher.
Émotionnellement, c'est intéressant parce qu'on explore une même situation, mais sous deux angles différents. Celui qui pense avoir été trahi et a pris la fuite. Puis celui qui ne comprend pas ce qui est arrivé et qui est resté avec ses questions. Néanmoins, je regrette la fin qui, certes est positive, mais qui laisse trois points de suspension.
En bref, derrière ses imperfections Business as Usual laisse une seconde chance à l'amour dans une histoire simple et cohérente avec un casting sympathique et son petit lot d'émotions.
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In linea con le BL coreane, graziosa ma non senza pecche.
Drama BL molto breve, sei episodi in tutto per un totale di tre ore scarse e incentrato sul tema della seconda chance dopo una rottura dovuta a un fraintendimento. Va da sé che tutto si concentra proprio su questo, ovvero come i due protagonisti, ritrovatisi dopo quasi un decennio da quella che era una relazione appena avviata quando erano ventenni e subito interrotta a causa di un malinteso, tornano a rapportarsi tra loro, inizialmente per questioni professionale e poi, tra dubbi, paure e speranze, anche dal punto di vista sentimentale.Si tratta dell’adattamento del manhwa “Eul’s love” , dal quale differisce principalmente per il fatto che il manhwa dedica almeno un terzo dei capitoli alle scene NC18 – e/o riferimenti annessi – tra i due. La serie – in linea con le tipiche produzioni coreane – punta invece a dare risalto ai sentimenti, al confronto, alle emozioni, offrendo uno scenario breve ma credibile. Nonostante questo l’inizio parte decisamente col botto, aspetto che porterà immediata soddisfazione ai fan delle scene d’amore.
A scatola chiusa avrei detto che tra i due protagonisti il mio preferito sarebbe stato Jin Hwan, mentre invece a conti fatti ho trovato molto più realistico Kim Min Jun. I suoi pensieri e le motivazioni dietro le sue azioni sono chiari, dubbi e titubanze che lo affliggono anche. Jin Hwan ho fatto più fatica ad inquadrarlo, la sua caratterizzazione stride un po’ tra quello che dice e come si approccia, con un’espressione sorridente ma indecifrabile. Paradossalmente, è molto più espressivo quando non si trova con Kim Min Jun (vedi la serata di rimpatriata con i vecchi compagni di classe, dopo il matrimonio dell’amico). Che sia per caratterizzazione del personaggio o per livello di recitazione degli attori, Kim Min Jun batte Jin Hwan a occhi chiusi.
Ora, date le premesse e date la durata, oltre a chiarire il malinteso e ricostruire la relazione altro non c’è: il pregio di questa serie non è certo nei contenuti, tutt’altro che ricchi, ma nella modalità in cui un tema, per quanto circoscritto, viene portato in scena. L’avrei definita un “poco ma ben fatto”, cosa che personalmente non disdegno mai, ma l’ultimo episodio è stato davvero sotto tono: se la rottura da giovani era dovuta a un fraintendimento, la crisi che si profila nuovamente all’orizzonte si basa davvero sul nulla totale. Comprendo che i dubbi e le vecchie paure non siano così facili da accantonare, tanto da promuovere una sorta di circolo vizioso al primo, stupido, imprevisto… Ma era comunque necessario imbastire qualcosa di più credibile.
Riassumendo, tra i pregi metterei il personaggio di Kim Min Jun e la capacità di molte BL coreane di dare risalto ai sentimenti riuscendo a coinvolgere pur mantenendo un tono di compostezza.
Tra i contro, la caratterizzazione di Jin Hwan e la sua espressività nel corso della serie, oltre a un finale qualitativamente in calo e un po’ sbrigativo nelle ultime scene.
Una visione che di certo non lascia il segno ma che sa regalare comunque qualche ora piacevole.
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Noioso e banale
Business as Usual è un BL coreano che parte con buone intenzioni ma naufraga rapidamente. La trama è lenta e priva di spunti originali, appesantita dai soliti equivoci forzati e da un finale assolutamente prevedibile. La chimica tra i protagonisti è debole, tanto che il coinvolgimento emotivo resta sempre superficiale. Uno dei due personaggi è particolarmente irritante: banale, pieno di complessi e privo di qualsiasi spessore o fascino, al punto da rendere inspiegabile l’attrazione dell’altro. In un panorama BL in crescita, questo titolo risulta deludente e facilmente dimenticabile.Was this review helpful to you?
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Os epílogos são os pontos-chave deste drama.
Como o meu título mesmo diz, os epílogos são os pontos-chave deste drama, pois nele é possível que consigamos enxergar o que foram os causadores para cada mal-entendido. Eu, (in)felizmente, percebi meu erro ao finalizar rapidamente o episódio e seguir para o próximo só no sexto episódio, então fui voltando e o que eu achava que era ponta solta neste drama, ali estava a resposta.Eu simplesmente fiquei apaixonada pelo sorriso e olhar do Seong Seung Ha na cena em que seu personagem Jin Hwan e o Min Jun tem a noite de amor após os 8 anos de separação. Achei de uma intensidade os beijos e ao mesmo tempo o amor e carinho do Jin Hwan com Min Jun.
Eu não entendi o porque de tantas críticas em relação ao drama, porque acho que o papel do Min Jun, com suas inseguranças aos 20 anos é o mais real possível, ainda mais pensando pelo lado que o Jin Hwan era extremamente popular e sinceramente, jovem assim, quem sairia questionando o outro sem mesmo saber em que pé está a relação? E aos 28, ferido, acreditando ter sido enganado até descobrir que foram mal-entendidos eu super entendo sua postura. Porém, depois do casamento, não era mais apenas uma questão de incompatibilidade, além de se sentir inseguro porque o Jin Hwan era a pessoa sociável que ele jamais conseguiria ser, tinha a questão do pai, e não queria ser um empecilho para o relacionamento dos dois, porque convenhamos, ser homoafetivo em qualquer lugar do mundo e com pais que não aceitam seus companheiros é sempre um peso.
Eu não sei se é porque é apenas meu terceiro BL, mas eu realmente gostei, a carga emocional de ambos os personagens eram bem genuínas.
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