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Better than most
This could be better could be worse. The acting is really good for first time actors. The ending was lack luster to say the least but I also didn’t have much expectations. Yes there doesn’t need to be a kiss to show intimacy. Yes when they filmed this the actors were going through a lot with their label. Yes they’re idols. Yes we get this. Objectively speaking people are still allowed to be disappointed about not even a classic dead fish kdrama kiss. The drama was still good. Aside from this drama people need to stop using this is a kbl as an excuse for lack of or terrible kiss scenes. Stop saying “go watch a Thai bl for that” then using “kbls focus on love development blah blah blah.” One you’re insinuating that Thai bls only have good kissing and nothing more. You clearly haven’t just been watching good dramas to begin with. There are plenty of kbls that have good kiss scenes out there. Anyways rant over the drama was good.Was this review helpful to you?
A Very Good Series with Decent Story. Watch It!
Brief Impressions:Beautiful, Mesmerising, Cute
Review:
When I watched the trailer of this series, I was smitten by the beauty of the lead characters and decided to watch it on priority. And I was not disappointed.
Not only are the characters beautiful, but the cinematography is stunningly beautiful as well. I can probably enjoy watching this series even without the sound and subtitles- just to allow the elegance and freshness of the scenes to sink in.
And just to clarify- even the ambient sounds are pleasing, and enhance the overall experience.
The romantic experience is also quite nice. I love the fact that you can sense how much the lead characters adore each other just through their facial and nonverbal expressions. The development and acceptance of their feelings happens gradually, as they understand and open-up to each other.
One issue that left me dissatisfied was the lack of clarity and conviction in the final confession (one of the characters is half-asleep), and also the fact that it happened after a really really long time, when there was no solid reason for this delay.
Barring this last issue, and some initial rubbish in the name of 'pranks' that made me cringe a bit, I enjoyed watching the series and recommend that you too should go ahead and watch it without any second thoughts.
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Since this drama has little tp no 18+ intimate moments and not even 13+ moment, I felt very comfortable but the tension between them remained which didn't let me feel the lack of intimacy. The lead characters have such a good chemistry that I could watch them all day. I loved their friendship individual as well as relationship growth. I loved how they helped each other.
TBH I couldn't believe when I learned they are rookie actors and this was their first ever drama. Both of them debuted together. I wish to se more of them together and more dramas like this.
Thank you Yechan and Jaehan. I started stanning OMEGA X too . Guys please give Omega X a look and you will love them. They are all so talented and fun. I could understand how the lead characters despite being a rookie and having quite an age difference had so much good chemistry.
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One to watch
It was good!!💜 i enjoyed some tear jerking,heartbreaking,soul,crushing,hopeful moments,Ok ,they had me in tears ,that's always a +,in my book,A definite re watch,the acting is Ok,stands out for me as one of the best high school bl's series.and there's been a lot of them.....I wil go as far as to say it can possibly be in my
Top 10 All time BL series
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This review may contain spoilers
Tae-hyun's trauma stays with you — the ending less so
The enemies-to-friends-to-something-more arc is handled with real care here, and that's the core of why this series works. Da-yeol and Tae-hyun earn every step of their dynamic shift — from deliberate provocation to grudging proximity to genuine trust — and Tae-hyun's backstory is drawn with enough specificity to land as something more than a plot device. The loneliness, the walls, the pushing people away before they can leave first — I believed all of it.What stayed with me most, and I'll be honest that this comes from a professional place as much as a personal one, is the question of where the adults are in Tae-hyun's life. A teenager with that history, those behavioural patterns, living in those circumstances — in a functioning system there would be intervention. Youth protection services, mandatory reporting, someone looking at this situation and asking harder questions. The series doesn't engage with that absence, which is its right, but I found myself thinking about it in a way that slightly complicated my ability to simply feel the romance.
Da-yeol's decision to draw a boundary and step away is one of the strongest moments in the series — genuinely mature writing, and his parting words to Tae-hyun are quietly devastating. I don't fault him for it. But knowing that Tae-hyun's only real anchor then disappears for two years, and imagining what that period looked like for someone with his history — the series skips over exactly the part I would have most wanted to see.
The reunion and reconciliation felt rushed to me. The time jump is supposed to signal growth, but we don't witness that growth — we're asked to accept it, which is a different thing. I'm always skeptical of time jumps that do the character work off screen and then present the result as earned resolution.
I didn't manage to see the special episodes — if they fill in some of that two-year gap, I'd genuinely be curious to know.
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A Shoulder To....Cause Frustration
So again, BL's don't need to be super saucy or spicy to capture my interest. ITSAY is a great example, and its my favorite! This series though lacked a little of everything. Though I think the emotions were mostly there and I loved the archery element, what the hell were those final 2 episodes? The plot fell apart and completely lost focus. The main couple didn't really feel like a couple, it felt like two close friends. There was no kiss, there was no intimacy to be had. I wanted so much more.Was this review helpful to you?
I wanted to really like this series a lot.
Geez, I wanted to really like this series a lot. I kept thinking that the story is developing something, so I waited for something to happen, and it seems like what happens is usually a bridge to another development. Even the ending is a waiting game.Also, I feel like there were a couple of things that happened that cross the line. Placing something in a drink could be a criminal offense. Even if its soy sauce.
I say I wanted to like this series because of the childhood trauma that Jos Tae experienced. A worthy undertaking for a series to do. I really am going to take issue with the Hickey scene cop-out and the lack of one decent kiss. Kids in high school and college kiss. Even same sex kids. Please don't insult your audience anymore if you (the producers directors etc.) decide to do another BL project.
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Had the biggest potential but the ending was amiss!
I really liked this drama for it's characters, backstory of Taehyun, their chemistry, the music! It has that summer discovering love feeling that is so cute and heartwarming. It's just that the ending was such a let down to the point that I felt quite sad for the actors and their characters being wasted like that. The acting was great to me. Even until now, I am still captivated with Taehyun. I became attached to his character and charisma. He was just too precious. Too precious to make his backstory too short! It was such a bummer. His chemistry with the seemingly cold at first, Da Yeol, was so on point it will even make you giggle. Da Yeol's character build up by the way was done well. It was just so disappointing that this drama was so short and rushed towards the end. It could've been a breakthrough BL drama. It has huge potential, just didn't live up to how great the characters were.However, I would still recommend this for the chemistry of the two main characters. If you are into BL couple dynamics wherein both of them are quite manly, boyish not like other dynamics wherein the other one is obviously the bottom, soft, cute and quite feminine, then give this a go. :D Also please appreciate both actors and my bias taehyun who is so handsome and charming!!!
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Fluffy and cute
March 29, 2023A shoulder to cry on is definitely a great improvement from the last few failed kbls that has been released.
Before watching the endings, I have been seeing comments about it. To be honest, I prepared myself for the worst but the ending was pretty decent in my opinion. I feel like people tend to equate Thai BLs with Korean BLs, but they aren't the same thing...
Anyhow, A Shoulder To Cry On does have some plot issues that could have been better though I must say, given the lack of budget and such. This drama is pretty substantial in the terms of how they were able to deliver the dialogue, scenery, and etc.
I found the romance to be cute which is still good. It's not steamy like other people have commented but I do want to remind people that you are watching a tv series that is rom-com type and not an erotica.
Still a solid show imo and I will definitely be back on rewatching it!
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JaeChan did a great job!
As a ForX and BL fan at the same time, I became very excited when that JaeChan will star in a KBL serie. Ngl, I already lowered my expectation since for sure sweet moments will be lessen because of the fact that they are in the same group. (Already expected as well that there will be no kissing scene, will get shocked if there will be honestly haha)But tbh, JaeChan delivered! They made me feel such things and their chemistry did work, surprisingly! As one of the oldest and the maknae of Omega X, their chemi really did worked and I rooted for their on-screen couple thing.
Going to the story and the entirety of the serie, its not the best. I feel like if it wasn't rushed to 7 episodes and put I guess 1-2 eps before the ending, people might like this more. I feel like the build up was good but suddenly got low when the story felt so rushed. Nice tackling of some serious issues, but I hope they further let the characs interact more or let their story grow.
The last episode? Ngl, I didn't feel that much sweetness, ITS NOT ENOUGH 😅. I feel like the crew and makers of these show can give us more even if without kissing scene, but yeah. Also it kinda got confusing in the end.
But still, its a good KBL. Sweetness is there, JaeChan worked so well. I liked how Jaehan played Dayeol's naiveness and cuteness and how Yechan played such a complicated charac of Taehyun, for the cast? They did well. (The one who playes WonKyung did a great job, his smile pissed me off big time).
Overall, this is still a good watch. Just dont expect too much. Thats it, peace!
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It could have ended with episode 6
They could have a nice student romantic drama if only they ended with episode 6. The whole ep 7 was too tense and overall just too much (based on the fact that each episode went through important matters of life if I put it like this). It could have been poignant to explore more serious topics, but there were just several missteps. I liked how they ended the series in ep 6 and 7th ep was just a plus.I would make the whole last episode as a special one, maybe a little bit longer, but I definitely wouldn't end a series with it.
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Was cute!
I did genuinely enjoy this show- I thought the plot was decent and I loved the acting! The only issue that genuinely made me kinda iffy on the show was the time skip. It’s just my personal preference but I really do hate when shows do that so when I saw that „2 years later text“ it 100% knocked me from a 8 to a 7.I decided to make it a 7.5 in the end because even though I did wish they didn’t do a time skip (even did it twice ㅠㅠ) I feel like they they got back together pretty quickly- which also could be said for the opposite argument- why time skip if they are just gonna get right back together? I hope you get what I mean 😅
But yeah it was a cute show- had me crying a few times but also had me questioning why everyone was doing what they were doing at times as well (like when Tae hyun called after he hit his head with the pot like he was dying but it literally was just a scratch???)
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