Love for Love's Sake

great ! but some plot points ..

i thoroughly enjoyed this drama ! i love how unique the plot is , and although i didn't get the meaning at first , watching the whole show helped a ton . really great stuff as it was pretty heart wrenching at many points . however , i feel like a lot of the plot points were not consistent enough for my liking . myungha's missions after "befriend yeowoon" became so strange like .. why save up 3m won ? why make a fanpage for yeowoon ? and they were quickly forgotten about too . they introduced a stalker and after he tried to kill myungha he fell off the face of the earth like why not expand more on that ..? they also mentioned yeowoon's father like twice and myungha's mother 3 times at most . hello ? don't even add it if you're not gonna explain further .
another thing was the roles of kyunghoon and sangwon ; they're shown in the intro with yeowoon and myungha , so you assume they'll have important parts . (shocker : no they don't !) kyunghoon is barely there so he couldn't even have some character development or something .. and sangwon was there to make a love triangle between him , myungha , and yeowoon . they could've fleshed his character out more instead of just making him lowk kind of attention hungry . i wish kyunghoon's relationship with his long distance bf was explored more along with sangwon's sexuality ("i've only liked girls until now") .
next , yeowoon had a very strange character change after the fourth episode . his mysterious demeanour was swapped out for a completely unrecognizable one for his character , and it was so so odd . they could've softened him in a different way instead of making him down horrendous for myungha to the point where i had to go back and see if i missed anything during yeowoon's transition of personalities . super strange and it could've been done much more subtly instead of just suddenly after myungha came to his race .
moving from that , lgbtq+ love and the heavy topics of suicide and abuse/bullying were represented with care ; it's clear that everyone working on the show had pure intentions to make sure that nothing they showed could've been viewed as offensive . they also didn't dumb down any of the characters , and the choices they made felt real and human , almost as if i was the one who made them .
overall , this drama is seriously a great watch . i know i criticized a lot of it , but everything aside from what i mentioned was top tier and you can tell a lot of time , care , and work went into it . the cast get along well too ! happy to see cha woongki again :) if another season is ever decided , i'll definitely tune in . only hope , though , never expect .

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A Story about Loneliness, Familial Loss, Suicide, and Self-Love...all in a Dating Sim!

(Old review draft that I finally decided to post at least a year post-watch)

If there's one thing to take away from this show, it's the importance of having your own back, and understanding that you are all you can ever truly rely on. I really enjoyed the story, it felt unique and fresh by BL standards. The story gets to a point in the second half of the season where it is supposed to feel kind of psychological and 'scary', which I think the show did to a decent effect. I have never read the manhwa, so idrk what kind of ideas they did or didn't get to explore in comparison. However, I found myself often wishing that certain points would have been elaborated on, but due to the runtime limit for each episode, I feel that certain things weren't as impactful as they could be. Although, I didn't quite feel confused at any point necessarily, I did feel that certain things did not meet their full potential. I honestly mostly wish that this series got even more experimental in it's thriller/horror elements. In the moments where the main character was glitching through the game, it felt very unsettling. The ending was really excellent as well, I felt it wasn't terribly rushed, and was mostly satisfying. But as I said, a lot of things could have been expanded upon more to make that final moment all the more impactful. The side characters were fine, but they were not developed very well, and didn't really have their own plots or anything, they are just kind of there to support the main characters. But I suppose that's justified considering they were basically literal npcs. which by the way, whenever I felt myself getting really emotionally invested, I just kinda thought to myself "what makes this even more f*cked up is that none of these people are real (in the story) other than the main character. (until the plot twist at the end of course which implies that this is all just in Myung-Ha's head and the love interest is kind of just a representation of himself). I think that this story is also heavily open to interpretation as to the meaning, feels more personal that way. This was also definitely another classic case of a much more profound storyline disguising itself as a "BL". I went into this expecting a cheesy high school BL, but I came out of it not even feeling like I watched a BL at all (despite the few kiss scenes here and there). Overall, I was thoroughly invested the whole time, and I honestly really liked the deeper elements that you kind of have to cut through the layers to get to. Also the casting was awesome, the actor for Yeo-Woon is a cutie pie!

Edit: I've been reading around and I don't like the theory that Myung-Ha got a second chance at life after he woke up. I'm thinking of it more as the video game being like a purgatory type of place, and that when he wakes up after disappearing in the final episode and he's still in the video game world—but it's not acting like a video game anymore—I think he's basically ended up in his own version of 'heaven'. (cuz like the 'game master' guy must represent like either the grim reaper or god from how I see it). (Also I feel like him getting a literal second chance at life would kind of defeat the purpose of the story).
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Rewatch review: Just rewatched this after a little over a year or something and just wanted to update since my first review was a 7.5/10. Upon rewatch, this show is a lot better than I remember and I think I appreciate it a little more now for what it is. Everything I said before is pretty much the same, but I guess I just enjoyed it more this time around. I definitely stand with what I said about this not even feeling like I watched a BL—this feels like it has so much more to offer than the average cheesy BL series. But anyway, that is all, update complete! 8/10

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Great start, bad ending.

The premise of the show was really something different. I was excited to know how it would end, and how things would unfold. At the 6th episode, sadly, I realized that it was not going anywhere.

The plot become confusing, and I still don't get why he was in the game, who put him there and for what reason.

Another thing that pissed me off was the fact that the game was malfunctioning, and at no point was it clear why this was happening. I also thought that the secondary characters were poorly developed, and that a lot could have been added. The main characters are great, but their relationships are poorly developed. We briefly see that one of them has an abusive father, but that isn't properly developed either. We also barely know anything about the characters' lives, and everything that is presented is done in a vague manner. What started as a relationship with little affection, in my opinion, changed format quickly, where the writers allowed one of them to fall intensely in love in a short time (even though one episode before he still hated the other).

I have to admit that I love Korean BLS, because of the different rhythm they have. But this one disappointed me deeply. I didn't expect to be so frustrated.

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One of the better K-BLs I've seen

Love for Love's Sake surprised me a little! I had gotten a few clips of it on social media, specifically the fight scenes, and assumed it would be a high school romance with the classic K-drama-style bullying in it. When I started the show, I realized it was much more than that.

Our main character Myung-ha gets transported into what seems to be a video game, and sent back 10 years to when he was 19. The game gives him a mission: make Yeo-woon happy within 300 days, or receive a penalty of death. Myung-ha is able to see how much Yeo-woon likes him, which should be helpful, except for the fact that this score starts at -20. Myung-ha has to attempt to make Yeo-woon happy, but tragedy seems to strike at unexpected times. Myung-ha is simultaneously dealing with his own feelings towards Yeo-woon, as well as school-related issues now that he's in high school once again.

This show was much more emotional than I expected it to be, and it worked in its favor. I did find the ending to be not quite what I expected and not in the best way, but overall it was a super solid show that was very enjoyable to watch. The actors did a great job portraying these characters, and I feel like their growth worked really well even in this shorter series. My biggest complaint about the show was the Myung-ha got a bit frustrating to watch as the main character, as it seemed like he was always unwilling to deal with his own feelings, even if it would be to the benefit of everyone involved, including himself. It sometimes seemed like he didn't really like Yeo-woon all that much, even though the viewer can see he clearly does. Besides this, the show was a great watch and visually very pleasing. I thought the different aspect ratios used throughout the show helped to capture the emotions and the difference between the previous and current life that Myung-ha is living. As far as Korean BLs go, this is definitely one of the better ones!

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Very unexpected

When I first started watching Love for Love's Sake, I thought it was going to be a very wholesome series. Episodes 1-4 were really cute but episode 5 and the episodes after that felt like I was watching a horror drama, which is why I'm saying it was very unexpected. Even the trailer looked like it was going to be a nice and innocent BL.
Don't get me wrong, It was really good! I loved seeing Yeo Woon's fondness for Myung Ha slowly grow.
It's not easy to make someone like you, especially if that someone saw you as a weird stranger. But in the end Myung Ha succeded not only making Yeo Woon acknowledge him, but also making him happy. I loved that a lot.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Sang Won, he was really pushy and very annoying while Kyung Hoon was just in the background but atleast he was still a little bit more likeable.
To be completely honest, I was confused most of the time but the ending really helped me put the pieces together. It was very bittersweet.
Like I said it was really good, so I hope you watch this series with an open heart!

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Medium for societal awareness

I was initially lost watching this series, but rewatching it again incorporating the idea that it is from a society that still learning to openly understand and accept mental health issue gave me a better understanding.
Death provided a medium to see life in another aspect that is worth living. For a society who is still not culturally accepting of mental health, this show subtly brought up the struggles leading to high rate of depression and suicide.
These young artists played their character well enough to manipulate me, as a viewer to think this is a light, fun series but in reality, it addressed the dark side of life.
If only everyone who suffers from depression can have an awakening then a second chance like the protagonists in this story, there will be less suicide.

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Unlocks at the end, with some regrets

I am normally picky with stories that involve transmigration in their plot, but I chose to give this one a chance since the premise seemed interesting.
The initial idea is pretty simple: during a chat with a friend, the 29 years old Tae Myung Ha shows empathy toward a minor character in their friend's novel, unsatisfied with how unhappy he is in the end. We are then showed Tae Myung Ha passing out and later waking up as his 19 years old self, in a reality where his favorite minor character of the novel, Cha Yeo Woon, is a student in his same high school. From this point onward, Myung Ha starts seeing mysterious instructions and prompts, just like in a video game, all focusing on one main quest: "Make Cha Yeo Woon happy". The penalty in case he doesn't succeed in the span of 300 days is "death".

Most of the story keeps its focus on Tae Myung Ha doing his best to fulfill the missions he receives, which makes it mostly light and fun to watch. Myung Ha shows such care and empathy toward his "bias" that it was hard for me not to feel endeared at all their interactions. Cha Yeo Woon melts slowly but steadily under this kind of attention, which is oddly rewarding to see.
My interest in the plot and the many events stayed high the entire time, which is why I chose to give this drama a higher rating, but I can't say I was entirely satisfied with the execution. It was easy to dismiss my doubts and many questions at the beginning, as I kept hoping for everything to find its right resolution eventually, but in the end I had to realize that while enjoyable, the story also left me with multiple unanswered questions. Even now I feel like multiple elements of the plot were introduced specifically to cause conflict, even when there was no valid reason for them to occurr. I'm not going to explain in detail what I mean since I don't want to spoil anything, but the final episode in particular has a completely different tone compared to everything else, which really made me wish to see more.

The acting from all the characters, both main and supporting, was perfect. Props to Cha Joo Wan in particular for his performance as Cha Yeo Woon, which granted him access to my list of perfect puppy-like characters. I also really enjoyed Oh Min Su as Chun Sang Won way more than I thought I would in the beginning.
The production is very good. I wasn't expecting much since it's a short series, and I'm used to Korean BL having a smaller budget compared to other dramas, and yet the shots looked amazing from the beginning to the end.

In conclusion, I believe that this drama will be enjoyed a lot by those who are more interested in the romantic side of the plot, rather than the supernatural one. Regardless, I recommend giving it a chance!

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A show that *happens* to be a BL (an amazing one at that)

I absolutely adored this show and I think a large part of it is that it really feels like full-fledged realised show in which the characters are their own people, yet happen to like each other. There're no annoying stereotypes depicted and this show really feels like a breath of fresh air.

*The story*
- transmigrator trope! What more could you ask for? The ML is angry that his favorite character gets sidelined as the second lead and somehow ends up in a game where all the characters are alive. What was even better is that the ML went seemingly back in time to his highschool body, so he doesn't have to lie about anything and can even re-connect with his grandmother.
- the slow build of trust to absolute devotion from the LI is so adorable

*the characters*
- The characters are not useless and they all have their own wants and fears. The ML is incredibly kind and cool, which is a rare combination for ML in BLs I feel. He's known for being a great fighter, but since he's now more mature he is also very done with the kids that are postering and trying to look cool. He takes care of the male lead so well too! The supporting cast is pretty great as well. I recognised the ML's friend - actor Cha Woong Ki - from a survival show and I'm so glad to see him in a show that is doing well. He did a good job for the limited screen time he had! The second supporting cast is strangely pitiful haha. He is an ass but I also kind of like him? It's very intriguing!

Overall this really felt like the best or one of the best k-BLs. The lenghts of the episodes were amazing too, without anything being too cut off - of course I still want more but then I feel like that with all of my favorite shows.

Don't hesitate and watch!

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worth it?

This is a very good series! And i would reccommend peopl to go watch it! However, i do have to say that my expectations weren't fully satisfied (but are they ever?) because i saw sooo many good things about this i kind of went in with very high expectations about the game aspect of the series.

Short version of Things I liked:
- Cinematography/Production
- Acting
- Music score
- Story

Cinematography/Production:
The production value is unlike any other series I've seen, with a lot of long shots that create 'calm scenes' that contribute to the world building and really help immerse the viewer, instead of advancing the plot.
I especially love/hate how alone they make Cha Yeon Woo look in all his solo shots. *sobs* it's so masterfully done that it made my heart ache everytime he was in that kind of scene, just utterly alone...
You could really see how every shot was taken with care and precision to make it really feel as if you're in a game that at the same time is not just a 2D simulation, but for the characters is very real.
The camerawork, lighting and directing was so great, it really made me feel a lot!
I can't believe that at the end when they reveal tae myun-ha's memories how alone he looks instead of cha yeon woo...the parallels??? insane. they really hurt me :,)

Acting: I think the cast was great at conveying the mood and emotions. it's been a while since i was really moved by a dramaseries...and oh brother...*sobs*
The small ensemble cast also did great. They really fit their charactertypes too
I only wish they'd given cha woong ki a different haircut.

Music score: I think this is also one of the things that can help immerse a viewer into the world. Not every scene needs background music to show what's happening! For me this was also part of the 'calm scenes' and world building.

Story:
The story is a classic Isekai story except with a modern setting of a videogame instead of a romance novel. Nevertheless, it was executed very well.
I believe they could've leaned in more to the existential crisis part because I think they could've pulled it off well but Isekais rarely do that so I don't really mind but there were a lot of unanswered questions. there's also the fact that there is mentally a large age gap between the two male leads. the ending did feel a bit rushed and too quickly resolved but alas, there were only 8 eps of runtime so i understand. the past life of tae myun-ha was a sudden twist.. i didnt mind it too much but i can see how it can bother some people and also from a storytelling perspective it doesnt really make sense so i did deduct some points for that. i kind of wish that we could've seen more of the video game world (how is it an exact 1-on-1 of tae myun-ha's life (complete with granny & mother)) and more NPC interactions would've been fun i think.

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