A Shoulder to Cry On

I Don't Understand All the Hate for this Drama : (

Okay, so I've never written a review for a drama on here because I have my own set-up for this kind of thing, but I feel like I have to for this drama because of the ridiculously low rating it has on here.

I don't typically rely on the rating system on here to determine what I watch because I know that viewers' opinions on a drama can vary and there are some aspects of a drama that I happen to like that others don't. So, I didn't look up this drama prior to watching it - but I happened to look it up to try and find out if the actress for Soyong was someone I recognized (she wasn't, but no biggie), and saw that the rating on this was in the 7's. I was a little taken aback because the other dramas that I've watched have never been rated below an 8; it made me wonder if there was something seriously wrong with the acting, chemistry, pacing, or general cinematography. I then scrolled down to the comments to see what all the hubbub was about and saw people pretty much bashing the fact that 1. there was no kiss in the drama, 2. that the lack of skinship in the show made people want to label this as a bromance and 3. that it overall was boring. While I don't particularly care about kissing and bed scenes in dramas (they're a nice addition, but certainly not necessary) I was a little worried about the bromance comments. I've seen bromance dramas in the past (typically those from China because the censorship laws are a little finicky) and know that, for those, you have to read beyond the lines for the fact that the characters have more than just platonic feelings for one another. So, I was then feeling a little wary about whether this was going to be something I wanted to watch as I was looking for an actual romance drama and it seemed like people didn't particularly like it. Despite those comments, I decided to continue watching since I was still only on the 1st episode and hadn't gotten a feel for it yet. As I watched, I found myself getting sucked into the drama (by this, I mean actively reacting to what was happening on screen) and itching to get to the next episode so that I could see how Daeyol and Taehyun's story would pan out. I kept waiting for the "sucky" parts of the drama to come on, but it never got there. What exactly sucked about it?

I thought the plot of the drama was really interesting - it's not just about two high school boys growing feelings for one another, but about two people with complex insecurities trying to navigate past the preconceived notions they have on how they should be traversing their everyday lives. For Taehyun it was forgiving himself regarding the accident with his mother and getting past his abandonment issues; for Dayeol it was letting himself find something he was actually passionate about and not just doing because he was good at it.

The acting was really, really great - I was surprised that this is the first time either of the leads has been in a drama because they really blew it out of the water. There were a lot of emotional scenes in this drama - whether through anger, grief, or acceptance - and it never felt stale or off. I especially liked that they could actually cry because there's nothing that takes me out of a drama more than when they pull a crying face but no actual tears come out.

The chemistry was so freaking clearly there. I didn't know that these boys were part of a K-pop group together, so I'm sure the bond that they built in their careers helped with the naturalness of their on-screen relationship.

There was very clear and evident pining and romance happening on my screen. Sure, there wasn't a kiss on the lips or holding hands, but you could clearly tell that the two characters were romantically interested in one another. There wasn't a need for all of the more explicitly laid out romance to be shown to you - the stares, small smiles across the room, the light brushes of shoulders whenever they'd sit together, and just the general happiness on their faces whenever they were with each other painted a very clear picture to me that these two were clearly in love with one another (if not, at the very least, clearly infatuated). I'm also seeing some people say that it didn't feel like the two were in a relationship/working towards a relationship because they weren't constantly touching one another. I don't know if it's because I'm one of those people who doesn't equate physical affection with how someone feels about a person, but it just didn't seem like that to me. On top of that, the entire last episode was full of them being close - literally laying in each other's lap, resting their head against one another, touching each other's face, Taehyun hugging Dayeol's waist whenever he was drying his hair and Dayeol literally kissed Taehyun on the ear at the end. It made me feel like people checked out before the end because they didn't get a kiss elsewhere in the drama ;-;

I, unlike most on here it seems, didn't even hate the ending of the show. People are saying that it felt rushed - I'm assuming because of the time skips (not gonna lie, the 2 years on top of 2 years kinda threw me off) but to me it felt like their story didn't need all the extra fluff on how they rekindled their feelings for one another following Dayeol leaving in the middle of high school. I think the main focus of this drama was to show their journey through high school as they developed their feelings - not really what things would have been like as they grew into adults. It was clear that both boys still had feelings for one another after they entered university, so there wasn't really a need to get too into depth on how they would have reconciled after their sad departure. Would it have been nice to see a little of the exposition in their university years where they re-enter each other's lives and become friends again to lovers? Yeah, of course, it would have been - but it didn't ruin this drama for me. The last episode was cute, it felt like a small glimpse into what their life is like following them getting into a relationship. It was a nice close to it, honestly.

Overall, I just really really enjoyed it. I don't understand why it's 1. not gotten more attention and 2. surrounded by so much negativity.

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A nice touch….

I liked this BL and the story line. I was unsure of it at first because most bls that kpop idols are in, kind of lack in plot but this one was different. It had a nice plot but at times it could be confusing or random. I love the main couple and I feel like for the actors to be new in the industry, they did a real nice job. I also love omega x, so I was really excited to watch this!! It definitely reached beyond my expectations and it was just so cute but deep at the same time. I loved the ending and I feel like overall it was a good bl. Definitely one of my favorites and I would recommend!!

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Cute, but disappointing and kind of messy

Okay. This is going to be a chaotic review - it's 2am right now and I just watched the entire series at once.
First off: this isn't a bad series. It's entertaining, it can be funny at times, and it's visually pleasing. With that, here's what I liked and what I didn't, in further detail.

Good:

- Both actors are incredibly good looking, especially the younger one. It might seem shallow, but to me it's one of the factors that can save or kill a series. Even when I felt like dropping the series, I kept watching because of them.
- They're also decent at acting. I skipped most of the emotional scenes (more on that later), but from what I saw, they did an okay job.
- Good chemistry! Even if I had my doubts about their dynamic, their interactions as friends were really cute and engaging.

Bad:

- This is a VERY korean series. What I mean is, it has aaall the cliché scenes, the slo-mo, the cheesy music, the 20-second long stares, the awkward dialogue. With other series it doesn't bother me as much, but this one really irked me sometimes.
- The plot. It's a mess. There are time jumps, serious family trauma that it's impossible to address properly within 7 episodes, an attempt at a motivational message about passion, and goals in life (key word being 'attempt'), a crazy aunt, a jealous friend, and I'm probably forgetting stuff. As I said, it's way past my bedtime lol
- No kiss. At all. Which I wouldn't mind if they hadn't teased it SO much - they were constantly referencing the fact that they hadn't kissed yet, but were quick to add that 'they would eventually'. Guess what, they didn't. And I'm sitting here wondering if I just watched three hours and a half of a bromance. Seriously, not even 2gether did this.
- The main lead was a bully at the beginning. Point blank, end of discussion. I hated him. I tolerated him later on, because it was that or resenting him for the rest of the series. You're telling me I'm supposed to like him, after he framed a complete stranger for s*xual assault and almost got him expelled? Was it that hard to make up an excuse as to why he was on top of him? (maybe just literally telling the f-ing truth?? He TRIPPED) Also, messing with his bow and arrows and keeping his keychain and not returning it?
Idk, not even the halo effect could save his character for me. As pretty as the actor is, his character is a jerk until the end of the series.

I would re-watch their scenes together as friends. Not much else. I'm not fond of drama (especially not this kind of drama, where people are dying and there's a baby involved and just no), so I didn't particularly enjoy that. Other than that, though, the series is quite entertaining.

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A Very Good Starter For New BL Fans + Bestest Soft BL

This is one of the bestest Korean BL I have ever watched and I highly think this would be a great BL for new BL fans too.

Why did I state so? The storyline was very great, sweet and sometimes, funny too! It is soft and light, so it is fun to watch how they two went from enemy to lovers in their own unique ways.

I very recommend this BL for those who dislike a BL that is too cheesy because this one just take it easy. Many people said it is more to bromance than a romance but still, it is very great and fun to watch and to scream at it.

Need I to remind you guys to get ready some tissues because there are certain parts that literally broke my heart and I was burst into crying.

So overall, I really love this BL and hoping for more acting and romance if they ever planned to release a new season, because one is not enough, I want more. Fun fact, this is the fastest BL I have ever finished watching, which was under 24 hours — enough to prove how I love this BL so much.

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Another quality Korean BL

It is the practice of some BL watchers, primarily I suspect from English speaking western countries, to criticise BLs for what they’re not, rather than watch them for what they are, preferring BLs to be “made to order”; the reaction to “A Shoulder To Cry On” has a lot of this, in my opinion.

The clue is in the title (in Korean, literally “Comfort the Boy”). “A Shoulder To Cry On” is a part-BL because it tells part of the story of Da Yeol (played by Kim Jae Hwan) and Tae Hyun’s (played by Shin Ye Chan) relationship; the ending leads us to feel there is more to come as they develop as a couple. But for now, the story in front of us, is a gradual coming together of two high schoolers who have never been in love, have never had sex, and who are not sure of their future paths. The upside is that by becoming each other’s companion, they gradually work out what’s important for them on their path to adulthood. They end up being each other’s “shoulder to cry on”, a major stepping stone between friendship and lover.

Da Yeol’s world is centred on his sport of archery; success for him is the touchstone of his daily life. Tae Hyun, on the other hand, specialises in bad boy behaviour to give expression to his sense of low self-worth. In a key scene early in Ep. 1, Tae Hyun sneaks into the school infirmary with Won Kyung (mischievously played by Oh Joo Seok) who offers to demonstrate gay flirting or foreplay; but while there, in a scene notable for its delicate romanticism of soft music and slow-mo billowing curtain screen, he glimpses Da Yeol for the first time. The spark between the boys is immediate if uncertain.

In a recurrent theme that plays out in various ways in BLs, both boys come from single parent homes, raising questions of how children are affected by not growing up in a two parent home. Da Yeol treats his widower father with a kindly affection for his enthusiastic if simple prescriptions for happiness, while Tae Hyun, keenly aware of his adoption status, roils internally at his alienation from parent and place. What each boy lacks in their makeup, they find inadvertently along the bumpy road of their interactions, at first bristling with conflict & misunderstanding, but then followed by a curiosity in each other and a growing familiarity to an eventual fondness for the bond of friendship even though these may not yet be ties that will be life long.

Production values are of the usual high standard from Korean series; the leads, in their acting debuts here, give good performances over the arc of their emotional journeys - another tribute if one were needed (it’s not) to the quality of the Kpop training system which teaches aspirant teenage idols skills in modelling, dancing, speaking, public appearances, personal health and attire, as well as acting and singing.

The supporting players are uniformly good, but mention should be made of the actor playing Da Yeol’s father (uncredited in English on Viki, MyDramalist, IMDB, Wikipedia) whose unflinching affection for his son reminds of those parents whose love for their children is unending and overflowing: and Jo Ooh Seok, as the jealous Won Kyung (a rarity in BLs of a villainous gay character), who follows Tae Hyun around like a predator savouring its prey.

The music is good although the OST on Spotify includes only OMEGA X’s tracks.

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Comfort without any comfort

I liked this story a lot, it was a lot more than just a love story and I feel like a lot of people choose to just ignore that. The characters shared a connection from the moment that they met that couldn't be described with simple words, they were both mentally suffering teens who needed someone to lean on and they were that person for each other. The lore with Tae hyeon was crazy and highly unexpected, like my jaw was genuinely on the floor as his story was unraveling cause jesus christ? how bro did not crash out sooner is a mystery to me. At first I did hate his character but as the story went on the more I started to understand why he was the way that he was, is that an excuse tho? no, his actions aren't justified because of that but I'm but saying that I understand him. It sucks that Da yeol gave up archery but its completely understandable as to why he did, it just makes me a little sad to think about what led up to that point. But anyways, I loved their relationship and how everything unfolded. Also i bet that ride back to the dorm after filming was weird

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Not Worth It

This BL contains a lot of common tropes in the said genre: The 'Troubled' MC (TML) gets entangled with the other 'Bad Boy' MC, they form a connection, and the rest is history.

Regardless if there were no kissing or what not, and the 'psychological' issue not being portrayed well to establish a more cohesive story, the story starting of at bullying and the inconsistent attitude of the TML to resolve the issue early on, it was actually all downhill from there.

The cast was 'ok', the music was also 'ok', but thank goodness this series was only short because whatever justification others provide on the bullying at the start, there wasn't really much story.

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I think this is one of the best bl dramas I have watched so far and one of the few that I truly thought were worth watching for something more than light entertainment. I also read the manhwa and I think it was adapted really well even if the ending is a little bit different but it can fit the story well. I really enjoyed watching it and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who wants a more complex and realistic plot.
I understand why many people could think that the ending leaves a bittersweet aftertaste or that there isn’t enough romance. But II think that very often in real life is not always easy to understand the feeling towards another person (especially for a traumatized person as Taehyun) and even if you do understand your feelings, having a real relationship is even harder. I think the moment where Taehyun says that he doesn’t know if he likes Da Yeol but he needs him is very touching.
What I also like is that the story doesn’t focus only on the relationship but it puts a lot of attention on the single characters managing to give a good idea of their personalities, their way of thinking, their struggles and their feelings. The actors were very good too, they made a good job of representing their characters and they have great chemistry.
On the other side the main (maybe only) problem of the series is that there isn’t even a little kiss and at some point it becomes totally ridiculous not to kiss. I don’t refer to the high school period where they aren’t in a relationship (I found nothing strange about the lack of romance there) but to the last episode. I mean, the conversation, the chemistry, the fluff was good, but you cannot create so many intimate situations and not make them kiss because it looks forced, weird and ridiculous. If you don’t intend on making them kiss (obviously because the actors can’t since they are two idols… of the same group….) then invent something different for the last episode because it was a pity after so many nearly perfect episodes.
Besides the ridiculous last episode, I don’t think the lack of romance is an issue because the story is more about the development of the two boys both and of their sweet and deep relationship that (whether if it becomes romantic later on or not) gives them comfort, understanding and help them discovering themselves.

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A heartwarming coming of age story!

I'm quite late to write a review here and this is my first time doing one so please bare with me. I've been seeing a few undeserving negative reviews based only on the fact that there is no kiss between the two so I feel prompted to write my own review of this show.

"A shoulder to cry on" is a great story about two guys who help each other grow and heal in order to ultimately become better people by the end of the show. Taehyun in particular is a great three-dimensional character whose actions in the beginning seem annoying however with more context given later on in the show, the viewer is able to understand why he acted the way he does and why he struggles so much with believing in love. I've seen a lot of people saying that this show is used to bait BL viewers due to a lack of kissing between the two male leads and I simply have to disagree. I think the romance is prominent in the show even though its not as explicit as other bls such as thai bls. The glances between them, closeness and simply their dialogue to each other portray the complexity of their emotions in a brilliant way. Particularly in episode 6 where Dayeol confronts Taehyun with the lines "You think I'm disgusting? Because I like you?" were a great example of how feelings can be shown with more than just skinship.

It's really disheartening to see the negative reviews here for that reason as the story for this is actually really good, the actors chemistry with each other is on point and I love the realistic internal struggle that Dayeol faces when confronted with his own feelings for Taehyun. Personally, I'd rather have a great show with no kiss than a subpar show with awkward stiff kissing. Keep in mind that it's much harder to write good dialogue to show a couples chemistry than it is to slap a kiss in there. Of course there are things the drama can work on, the pacing especially between the last 2 episodes felt rushed but definitely wasn't bad enough to encourage some of the negative reviews I've seen on here. Instead of review bombing the show without watching it, please give it a chance and come to an honest conclusion on what you really think, rather than just judging before you've even watched it!

Overall, "A shoulder to cry on" is a great story, while it may not be as explicitly romantic as other dramas, the subtle and natural chemistry between the two leads was enough to have me hooked onto the story where I actually believed the two liked each other. If you're thinking of watching, don't go into this with the mindset of expecting lots of kissing and romance, if you think of it as a coming of age story that happens to have BL incorporated into the plot, I think you'll find yourself enjoying it a lot more for what it actually is.

PS. I'm seeing way too much hate for episode 7 lol, I can totally agree that it isn't the best episode in the show but the reason the characters act so different is because they're meant to have been in an established relationship by that point. Of course you won't act the same way on day 1 of your relationship as you would years later, cut them some slack LMAO.

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