IM GONNA KILL MYSELF
At first, I felt a bit reluctant about Go Young because of some of his actions, but in the end, I completely understood his character. He was abandoned by his father when he was young, treated as if he was sick by his mother for being gay, and ended up contracting HIV from someone he trusted.Gyu Ho was the love of his life. He had never told anyone about his illness, but shortly after meeting Gyu Ho, he felt comfortable enough to tell him, even knowing that Gyu Ho could abandon him. And even after knowing that Gyu Ho loved and accepted him as he was, Go Young still felt insecure and would often ask things like, “Do you think I’m dirty?” or “Are you disgusted by me?”
The most memorable moment for me was when he went to Bangkok with that businessman and started to remember everything he had experienced with his true love, Gyu Ho, in that same city.
In the end, i understood that he had come to terms with his reality. That last smile he gave in the final episode wasn’t one of happiness, but of acceptance.
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ROLLER COSTER RIDE OF EMOTIONS
The Storyline was one of the best LGBTQ+ series that depicts the reality of being one of the LGBTQ+. Finding true love while finding yourself. This series will let you see the shortcomings of the ML that somehow led to his own decisions in life. You will feel any certain kind of emotions (love, joy, pain, loneliness and etc.) in every episode. Also, as a bi this series lets me question myself if true love is even possible if I will love a man. The “what if” questions is also keeps coming through my head. This series might not be perfect, but it will let you see the reality of what LOVE truly is. Lastly, the friendship they had was the best.Was this review helpful to you?
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This review may contain spoilers
Now this is what we wanted when we were begging for Korean bls. Maybe not something quite so sad and riddled with heartache, but something with so much depth and amazing story telling. As we followed along with Go Youngs story, every step had me captivated and on the edge of my seat anxious to now what happened next. The relationship between him and every partner was a new and anxious experience for the watcher and his friendships were so heartwarming to watch. The different dynamics in every relationship and the underlying narratives were truly captivating. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I cried at the end of Go Young and Gyu Ho's story at episode 6 and then again at the end of ep 8. Really the whole thing had me fully locked in.
I would love to see more from this director, and the cast did a fabulous job as well. Truly a splendid piece of work.
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A fresh perspective
Honestly my expectations were sky high but while watching ep 1, especially in the middle of the episode I kinda found some scenes cringe, so I almost dropped it. Also when it showed more friendship/roommates dynamic I kinda was uninterested because I thought it would be solely romance about two people. But thankfully I completed 2nd ep and was hooked. I was rooting for 1st cp and than the next and finally realized, this was not just a love story but story about love in life. So many people come and go and it’s very common for people to date many people over the years. I really loved the research guy cp, when he said to break up & go young punched him, his eyes looked painful, like he was hurting bad inside. I could feel his pain of unable to accept himself and how he was lost and hurting. I loved nurse guy cp too, loved how it showed many dynamic of dating and how over time, the fire is lost even though the love is still there but there are so many moments when you question it. I have never been in a relationship so it made me realize a lot about love. Go young was a relatable character, not perfect but very real, sometimes we don’t know how to appreciate the love given until it’s too late. So all in all, absolutely loved it and it made me reflect a lot in life too, also loved his friendship with 3 other guys and his ex roommate. There were so many good parts but gonna end it here. Hope there is 2nd seasonWas this review helpful to you?
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Start from episode 4 or 5
Honestly, the whole series would've been great. I really didn't like the first 4 episodes, they were definitely tiring and really uninteresting. They didn't have any value and acted like fillers so the show would have more episodes. Besides story line with Miae, son-mother relationship and Go Young's "religious trauma" - if you even can call that because it was not fully explained - they were just shitty. It would definitely fit in one or maybe two episodes, instead of four. Many other novel based series just cut most (if not all) of the unnecessary scenes out.In the last episode the story line was jumping from Go Young's and Gyuho's trip to Thailand and his trip with Habibi. Why couldn't it be the case for 2(3) relationships that were in the first episodes (if we include the random guys that had 2 minutes of screen time). Changing the story line of novels in shows is such a common thing, why not do it here? The HIV thing was a really random, but if done correctly it honestly could've been the main point of the show since the beggining.
To touch down on the production and acting itself, I can say that I liked it? The thing that threw me off is the scene in the second episode where Go Young was using a lash curler. I feel like the producers or the directors just yelled "act like the most stereotypical gay man" and Nam Yoonsu just had to do it. The stereotypes are definitely showing during some scenes and it sometimes was unbearable to watch, but overall I don't think it was bad.
For a show that has a cast known for being in Netflix shows and winning many awards for acting, I expected something better. Definitely won't rewatch
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the best of the best korean bl
It is a story that from beginning to end is deep and cruel. shows how you don't necessarily have to share a blood bond with someone for them to be your family and refuge It shows us how life goes on and sometimes we are the ones left behind thinking about what we could have done well and what we couldn't. It shows us the prejudiced love that some parents have where, blinded by this, they end up hurting and damaging the lives of their children. They show us how a relationship can have love but that doesn't mean they will be together forever. They show us how people are going to come into our lives who are going to leave their mark on us, whether for better or worse, but who are going to help us develop as people.Was this review helpful to you?
Go Young's Tragic Autobiography
The best way to describe this show is snapshots of our main character Go Young's (Nam Yoonsu) life. We first meet him in college, where his queerness makes him a loner. This doesn't stop his pursuit of love, but not all romantic encounters are created equal. Go Young finds again and again that love requires not just the right person, but also the right circumstances. In his quest to figure out what love looks like and how to make relationships work, we see him continue to get his heart broken, both by his own faults and his partners'.I think what really sold me on this show was the way it was done. It felt like it was being told as if Go Young had written his own autobiography, where he emphasized what he found important and left out the details that seemed too mundane. We get glimpses into his life and his relationships, without ever getting to see his day-to-day life. What happens in an episode may be a few weeks or a year, depending on how important the events felt to Go Young himself. Each relationship he enters presents new challenges, and unable to navigate them, Go Young continues to feel tired and alone. I did not expect such depth of issues on queerness coming from a Kdrama, and it was done beautifully. The issues were never taken lightly or laughed at, and the relationships were portrayed in such a realistic way that it truly felt like this could be someone's autobiography. It was unfortunately sadder than I had anticipated, and the realism just emphasized the tragedy, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
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A Powerful, Beautiful, Gritty Work of Art
This is one powerful, beautifully written and wonderfully produced work of art.I want to say it was not your typical BL but in all honesty it was not a BL at all. Had it had a happy ending it would have been ruined.
This series touched me all the way to my core. So many of the damaged, broken, painful relationships felt horribly familiar.
I have decided to consider this a modern day Asian version of Maurice (E M Forster/Merchant Ivory) except there was no 'sort of' happy ending.
As someone who has lived a life that seems to always be faintly touched by sadness I identified fully with Go Young's character. My manic depressive nature reveled in the absolutely blue tone and mood of this whole production.
For gay men living today the series left few stones unturned. It beautifully renders the reality of guilt-ridden, devoted, not-so-devoted relationships with sometimes good and sometimes unworthy mothers. It touches on the many lousy paternal relationships. With No Yeong Su's character it honestly depicts those of us who hate ourselves for being so different and so hated by many in the world that we never ever gain enough courage to live our lives openly and honestly. The scene at the end of the relationship when No Yeong Su is on the floor just accepting the beating broke my heart. It was as if he felt so absolutely unworthy that he simply accepted his fate. The series dealt with those of us that are so damaged that when we are in a good and nurturing relationship we don't realize it and inevitably damage or end them only to realize, too late, that the relationship was a good thing.
I almost forgot to include a major character—RELIGION!
How could I when religion has played such a major, horrifying, world hatred-and self-hatred inducing role in the lives of so many members of the lgbtq+ community? But I guess, I could be forgiven because while it was there it pretended to assume the role of a background character. Introduced by Go Young's mother, insidious and serpent-like it slithered its way through her life and his impacting both because clearly there had been a moment when she had him 'caught up' in her efforts to 'fix him'. She spent so much of her time on screen praying for a miracle that never came.
I could go on and on but I think it best to stop here so that viewers can unravel and experience this for themselves.
I want to thank the production team for creating such a wonderful series. I want to thank Sang Young Park, the writer of the novel for doing such a beautiful job of realistically depicting the typical, unvarnished life of many gay men. I want to thank the actors for an amazing, amazing job especially Nam Yoon Su and Na Hyun Woo for their powerful performances.
On x.com user Rafa @dongttaro wrote "BREAKING NEWS: Love In the Big City (2024) received a 55 minute standing ovation from me in my living after watching it for the 3th(sic) time" …
Were we in a theatre, I too would give this a 55-minute standing ovation.
As for watching it again… it really touched too close to home 😭 I would end up drowning in my own grief. In time, I will probably find the courage to watch the happier moments at the beginning of Go Young's relationships.
I will end with this… I cannot recommend this series enough. To anyone coming across this review, I say please watch Love In the Big City. It is truly brilliant.
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it's a commentary on everything really
This drama is a heavyyyyyy on commentary. I'm gonna list what stuck with me the most:1) on social circles and friendship
2) on the status quo and consciously avoiding it
3) on trauma bonds and their lifetimes
4) on DL men.
5) on living with an illness that defines your life, controls your life and sometimes makes decisions about your life for you
6) on manipulation and toxic relationships
7) on guilt, regret and mental health
8) on what it means to have a home
9) on what queer community looks like and how important it is for survival
10) on the plight of the troubled writer
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A GREAT SERIES!! MUST WATCH
The series dives deep into the nature and realism of love, tackling it in four distinct themes from the book:1. Friendship (Platonic)
2. Family (Filial)
3. Romantic Love
4. Self
Unlike most BL stories I’ve come across, this one feels refreshingly authentic. There’s no idealized fantasy here; instead, it captures a raw take on love—especially for someone who’s still figuring out their identity.
It’s a great series (and a read) that explores a variety of issues, especially around romantic love and Go Young’s attachment struggles. Each of his three relationships reveals a new self-discovery, reflecting how much love mirrors our own self-understanding. In reality, romantic love often feels fleeting, needing patience, understanding, and a clear sense of self to know if it’ll truly last.
Go Young’s imperfection makes him relatable. His character is flawed, which somehow makes him even more compelling. Though each of his love interests is unique, he always ends up doing the same thing—falling headlong for someone he just met and letting his imagination run wild. In his first relationship, especially with Mr. Photographer, he over-invested despite not feeling much in return, causing Mr. Photographer to falsely hope and change himself for Go Young, which led to his own downfall.
"If obsession isn’t love, then I have never loved." This quote sums up Go Young perfectly. His intense infatuation with love itself drives him to act rashly, often in ways that harm both himself and others. His obsession with Mr. Fish went so far that he nearly ended his own life, showing how his view of love spiraled into something damaging.
As they say, "If you fall in love, fall for the person—not just the idea of being loved."
Then comes Gyu Ho. Compared to Mr. Fish, Gyu Ho’s relationship with Go Young feels plain and routine. Their lives revolve around daily work and chores; there’s none of the thrill or risk that marked Go Young’s time with Mr. Fish. They rarely go out or even make time for romantic moments. At first, Go Young feels they’re growing apart because of this lack of excitement, but after their breakup, he realizes Gyu Ho was his first true love—they actually matched in a way the others hadn’t. With Mr. Photographer, only Mr. Photographer was invested. With Mr. Fish, his commitment issues tore them apart.
In contrast, Go Young and Gyu Ho took the time to build something real. They embraced each other’s imperfections and learned to adjust together. They found that love itself isn’t flawless, and neither of them were either. But, despite their efforts, they kept breaking up repeatedly, and after a while, it’s hard to keep fixing something that’s been shattered too many times. One of the book’s most striking metaphors is a scene with a lantern: the lantern shines and rises but ultimately falls short and burns out—much like their love.
In the end, Go Young realizes that love is a journey, and we shouldn’t let romantic love define who we are. By the series’ end, all of his relationships have faded, but his friends, T-ARA and Mi Ae, remain. He sees that friendships can be forever, while romance sometimes can’t.
Ultimately, he learns that love is complex, that self-acceptance is vital, and that even if he doesn’t find a ‘forever’ partner, he has his friends—his true constants in life.
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One of the best kbl this year ngl !
I really like the drama especially the actors , they're doing really great job and brave enough to take part in this project , especially to Nam Yoonsu and Jin Hoeun , i really appreciated your great work for making this drama very interesting and worth it to watch ! But the thing is about the ending is very unexpected because i thought its gonna be a good and happy ending because all of bl drama i've watched is different from this one but still , interesting to watch and i really hope there will be a season 2 since all the fans including me wants it too !! Please please please make a season 2 for us because we still curious and want to know what will happen between Gyuho and Goyoung relationship because i know they still inlove each other yet !! #WEWANTSEASON2 #LITBCS2 #GYUHOGOYOUNGSUPREMACY #NAMYOONSUJINHOEUNWas this review helpful to you?
