This review may contain spoilers
Great for binging
I actually really liked this show. Maybe it was the right show at the right time, but it satisfied everything I wanted from a show. While this season was not a continuation of the first, I think that was the correct thing to do, especially since I didn't like the characters as much as I did here.It did take me a little while to remember who is who, but once I placed the characters it was much easier to keep track of each of the three couples.
The first couple, Lee Hyun and Kim An, were what I'd call the main couple. Their story (or rather, Kim An's story) was what took up the most screentime. Kim An's backstory was dark but realistic, and the only gripe I have with it is that I wished he would explain it more to Lee Hyun (but maybe that happened offscreen once their relationship is more established). I also think Kim An's not-really-a-friend (can't remember his name) gave up a bit too quickly, but that's likely due to the runtime. I would have liked to see him suffer a bit more for everything he did to Kim An, but I guess it was realistic since bad people don't always get what they deserve. However, being that they're the "main couple," I was a bit disappointed with their kisses, especially when compared to those of the other two couples. I realize that J-min is a kpop idol and might not be as experienced in acting/kissing as the others, but this isn't the first time we've encountered idols in BLs and there have been idols who kissed well (Semantic Error, anyone?). But apart from that, the story was sweet and I am always a sucker for a character that sticks by someone even when things get rough and they're pushed away.
The second couple, Min Woo and Ma Roo were probably my favorite, even though it was full of clichés (maybe because they're done well). I loved Min Woo's pining and Ma Roo's obliviousness, and also super loved the whole "pretend we're dating to make him jealous" trope. I was a bit surprised that they Ma Roo clued into his feelings a lot quicker than expected, but maybe that's to do with trying to fit three storylines into ten 20-minute episodes. Their kisses were much more than what I expected from a K-BL and left me having to replay them, for science ;).
And that leaves the last couple: Joo Hyuk and Sung Min. They didn't get as much screentime but likely because their relationship was comparatively simpler. It was just courting and a slight misunderstanding, and then they got together. I enjoyed watching them on screen, and their kissing scenes were probably the best out of all three couples'.
The last episode was pure fluff and giving the watchers what they want, and I was grateful for it!
All in all, this was a fun watch. It's easy to binge, but I do think if I had to wait every week I would have probably not been as into it as I was watching it all in a couple of days. Even so, it was a pretty solid story. Yeah, it probably could have benefitted from a few more episodes or a longer runtime, but as it is, it's up there among my favorite K-BLs.
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Good ideas and characters, but lacking production
Just binged this show last night, and I enjoyed it. The characters were fun, the comedy was good, and the story concept was compelling. Sadly the execution was lacking. The first three episodes were incoherent and the viewer is left utterly confused as to what the h*ll is even happening. Luckily it does improve a bit after that little hump, but the storytelling and plot are still full of holes throughout the show. A very fun game to play while watching this drama is find the boom mic. Clearly the poor sound crew holding the mic got tired arms, and for whatever reason they just didn't bother reshooting the scenes or even removing it in post.On to the characters (slight spoiler warning here)
I enjoyed the first couple. They were very cute. Their storyline could have been more fleshed out and better executed, but it was interesting none the less. The actors did a good job with pretty much everything except the kiss scenes. Those were, sadly, dead fish kisses. Based on the other kiss scenes in this show, and other k-bls, I will assume the reason for this is that one of the actors in this pairing is an active kpop idol, and the company only allowed the bare minimum kisses.
The second couple are by far my favorite. I'm a sucker for a friends-to-lovers cliche, as well as the classic black cat x golden retriver trope. Ma ru was by far my favorite character in the show, and I enjoyed watching his antics. Overall the actors did great and had no dead fish kisses to be found.
The third couple. Probably my least favorite couple (but the teachers assistant was one of my favorite characters). Their relationship just felt a little toxic to me. That being said, the actors were not lacking in chemistry, and once again, no dead fish kisses.
Overall it was a fun watch. 4/10 for production/writing but 8/10 for enjoyment.
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Slow start, but good binge!
I started reading reviews after the first 2 episodes because I was wondering if it got any better. Thankfully I did because the rest of the BL is quite solid! The three couples have strong chemistry, but my favourite are the friends to lovers and the student and teacher. The last couple has a somewhat dark storyline which I didn't think added much to this drama particularly. One small thing that took me out of the experience was that I saw the big fuzzy microphone that they use in dramas and films peek out from the top of the screen two times. This is something I can overlook but still a negative in my eyes.Overall, this drama has good love buildup for the two couples I mentioned, but the main couple left a bit much to be desired. The kissing and intimate scenes from the two couples were also a lot better than the main couple. Still, I recommend this a watch as it felt sizable enough to where it feels like a solid and complete short drama, but not too short like some of these BLs can be.
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Meh
Season 2 of Love Class has a lot of the same problems we see with many BL follow ups. The music is pretty forgettable, the storyline is lacking, and there's an entirely new cast that don't have quite the same chemistry as their predecessors. Our couple from season 1 did make a brief appearance later in the season, but only long enough to let you know that the current characters aren't meant to be a continuation or different prospective. It's not horrible, but it's not one I'm planning to rewatch in the future either.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It got better....
I wasn't sure if I was going to keep watching this, it just made me confused to really want to keep watching, but I thought about it and got around to watching the rest... I have to say it got better as I was watching it. I was still a bit confused here and there, but I did start to get the idea of what was going on with the past.I do have to say I wish they told us why Kim An upped and just left Lee Hyun hanging like that for 2 years. NOt saying anything but I can't tutor you anymore? What? Why can't you? You just ran away for no reason... you could have talked to him over the phone or hung out from time to time, even if you weren't in school.
Also why Kim Ah's brother did what he did. When they talked on the rooftop that did not tell us anything really as to why he was a complete dick to Kim Ah by doing what he did. It makes no sence. What you jealous that Kim Ah had someone other then you, so you wanted to stop it and make Kim Ah has a crap life by doing that to him?
If it wasn't for this I would have liked it a bit more, it just didn't fit well with me there at the end not knowing... It still was a cute series for what it was. Plus listening to Kim Ah talk was nice.
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I loved this so much!
Okay, so that was the best thing I have watched in ages. So good from episode 1 to 10. Although, I was quite disappointed that my fave couple, the Kim An duo, had the most un-exciting kiss scenes of the 3 couples. But they did have great chemistry throughout so I forgive em. But thank you, Maru duo and Teacher Assistant duo for restoring my fate in K-Bl intimacy. Especially teacher's assistant duo. Overall, there was plot, romance, comedy(Maru's crackhead culture shall never be forgotten), and good feels. I loved this. 10/10 in my book.Was this review helpful to you?
Embracing togetherness
A tale of three couples that warmed my heart. It was beyond what I'd expected. At first, I was pretty confused but then, I was welcomed by tales of shared affection. The conflicts weren’t dragged out, no need for spoken words for they could convey, all they felt. This KBL shouldn’t be underrated, it’s gonna be my comfort BL.It's never too late to discover its warmth, GO WATCH IT!!
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Watched it entirely for Minu & Maru and the teacher couple—they carried the show! ?✨
Overall:Love Class Season 2 is a decent university BL, but to be completely honest, I watched it solely for Minu and Maru, and the adorable teacher couple. While the main storyline didn't fully capture my attention, these two side couples completely stole the spotlight and made the entire series worth watching. They had so much charm and chemistry that they effortlessly carried the show for me.Story:The drama follows multiple love stories happening on a college campus at the same time. The pacing is quite fast, but because it tries to balance three different couples in just a few episodes, some storylines felt a bit rushed. However, every time Minu and Maru or the teachers were on screen, the story became incredibly engaging, sweet, and fun to follow.Acting / Cast:The chemistry between Ahn Jin Hyun and J-Min (Minu and Maru) was absolutely phenomenal. They served the perfect blend of angst, tension, and pure cuteness. The teacher couple was also incredibly endearing and brought a refreshing mature dynamic to the show. The acting from these specific couples felt very natural and kept me fully invested.Music / OST:The soundtrack is light, youthful, and fits the university setting well. It does a good job of enhancing the cute, romantic moments between the couples.Rewatch Value:Medium. I probably wouldn't rewatch the entire drama from start to finish, but I will definitely revisit and skip directly to the scenes featuring Minu, Maru, and the teachers!Was this review helpful to you?
i love Ma Ru
As always, I wish I could rate it higher but, let me tell you why I can't!The first episode was pretty disorienting, as they switch scenes rapidly and all characters are introduced.
However, I found by the end of the second episode, I had a good grip on who's who and the format of the story.
It's interesting though because I believe the story could've ended with episode 9, and episode 10 is 90% filler--cute, but technically unnecessary. I still liked it though.
I have to admit, I only managed to be interested in two storylines/couples: Ma Ru/Min Su's and Lee Hyun/Kim An's.
I skipped most of Ju Hyuk/Sung Min. Something about the actors and their storyline and interactions didn't click with me, but that doesn't mean the actors themselves were bad. It's just a personal thing.
But the real showstopper was Ma Ru! He was super funny, and I preferred his and Min Su's storyline the most. It's a pretty typical romance, nothing really special, but I liked the characters a lot so it didn't matter.
I resonated a lot with Min Su's character, so Ma Ru had me constantly wishing I had someone like him in my own life haha... ha.
Sigh.
They also had the best kisses out of the two plots I followed.
That is to say, Lee Hyun/Kim An's kisses are bare close-mouthed kisses without much feeling, as if the actors didn't actually want to kiss each other at all lol.
Don't know much about Ju Hyuk/Sung Min's, but their storyline is the most NC out of them all.
While the romantic chemistry seemed pretty solid to me, the two plots I've followed both had issues. Questions that are integral to the plot and characters are left unanswered in both storylines, one of those instances being truly baffling to me as to why it was never addressed or explained.
Editing was pretty messy, which I've gathered is likely due to budget/time constraints, with various boom mics in wide shots and, once again, every couple has screen time in every episode which means that sometimes scenes are cut relatively fast.
TLDR; I kept watching because of Ma Ru/Min Su. I truly like them a lot.
There are worse shows, there are better shows--it's honestly just fine if you can turn your brain off.
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This review may contain spoilers
Based off my personal rating criteria specifically made for BLs
1. Characters 9/10+ They made Lee Hyun into such a bright and adorable cinnamon bun while still actually giving him depth
- I personally do not like the character of Maru. Partly because there are 3 couples in this show, I feel that Maru did not get enough time to give him the redemption the writers may have wanted. I feel that to the very end, I was not a fan of him
- Ultimately, most of the characters suffer from a lack of characterisation due to the large cast and time constraints
2. Shipability 10/10
+ Personally, I love everything about the Juhyuk and TA couple. I feel that it was a fairly interesting and accurate representation of how some relationships happen. I was on board for the way Juhyuk knew exactly how to hook the TA and everything about their dynamic
+ I like that they showed Kim An as broken as had Lee Hyun be the person who taught him to smile again. I really think personality-wise, the 2 characters are perfect for each other
3. Plot 9/10
- I really don't like how the toxic guy (Kim An's "brother") just left without much resolution
+ But I do concede that the portrayal of the toxic relationships with all the gaslighting and love bombing was very impressive
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This show is so weird..
I feel like I’ve been watching this show for ages..like its never ending lol finally I finished it and I’m pretty relieved!I wanted to see this show for J-min but his pairing was not the greatest! they didn’t seem to fit one another well his character’s partner’s story is so weird and makes no sense with that other guy who apparently jumped off the building but didn’t I didn’t understand that whole storyline at all.!
the second couple do not mesh well together either I like those two even less together… that maru is a rather odd character tbh… not feeling it at all with them.
the 3rd couple the teaching assistant and that student are pretty cute I probably like them the best out of all 3 they have the best story and chemistry!
The last episode where they randomly go to that place all together was so weird! The fact also who the main couple never really kissed just little pecks was odd! Very weird BL if i’m being honest! Probably the second worst korean bl i’ve seen!
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A Diamond In The Rough
Oh but I'm so glad Love Class is back. I was one of the, apparently, few people who really loved season 1 but let me assure you even if you did not like season 1, you might just enjoy this anyway.This show is tied to the original Love Class by the thinnest of threads, so much so that you won't have to have even read the synopsis of the original to understand this series.
This sequel is also tonally quite different from series 1. It's slightly more grounded and mature, not angstier, just a little quieter.
There is quite a nice soundtrack, but the music mostly takes a backseat and the characters are instead allowed to just exist, sometimes silently, without sound effects, without music telling the audience how to feel. It lends the show an almost whimsical indie feel, but also just a feeling of realism and gravity.
Just like the original Love Class, the highlights of this show are its characters. These six young people are portrayed with care and authenticity and their lives and experiences feel real even when they venture into the slightly contrived.
I specifically loved Lee Hyun and Kim An's roles and found their dynamic compelling and honestly just very sweet.
Kim An's "tragic backstory", for lack of a better term, didn't really work all that well for me, certainly not as well as Yu Na's story arc from season 1, but the writers still managed to tell a believable and touching story about overcoming grief and trauma and fighting tooth and nail for happiness in mundane, every-day ways.
The one draw-back of the cast is that they are all conspicuously male. Unlike Love Class 1, this season doesn't have any important female characters, much less ones central to the plot.
Disappointing as I find this fact, I did find myself quite fond of all six main characters fairly quickly which does somewhat speak to the quality of the writing.
I will admit that this show has its rough spots. The audio is at times incosistent, there even are one or two shots where a boom mic makes a surprise appearance, but personally I thought that just added to the nostalgic indie vibe of the whole thing.
What did bother me was the dreaded "sleeping kiss" cliche which suddenly reared its ugly head when I was least expecting it.
If however, you are willing to overlook these flaws, or quirks perhaps if you're feeling generous, then you will almost certainly find a hidden gem in this lovely little show.
As ever, Love Class stands out as somewhat unique amongst other shows in the genre and for that alone I'd say it's worth a watch.
Maybe you'll fall in love with it along the way, who knows.
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