Love in the Big City

Heartbreakingly Beautiful

The story of our main character was so raw, it was a emotional telling of 4 loves that he had, the first being one he couldn’t reciprocate, the second being one that wasn’t reciprocated and the third being all he ever wanted but love wasn’t enough. I purposefully said 4 because to me the fourth love was that of his friends who were there for Go Young from the very beginning to end, they were the love that lasted.
I gave this show a 10/10 because of not only the dedication that I know the actors had to the project or the plot that felt like a roller coaster but because of the delicate nature in which the show handled sensitive topics such as the telling of the lead’s HIV diagnosis and depression. It is all too often that I see the media look at HIV as a death sentence, I’m so happy that in such a closed society this show decided to depict it as an inconvenience that the character would have with him for the rest of his life. This illness effects so many lives daily around the world but with proper treatment, all it truly becomes is exactly THAT an inconvenience.
His depression and attempt at suicide was such a real experience, the show let us see him hit rock bottom but also let us see him in his small triumphs that always seemed big because it was a stepping stone for Go Young’s progression to learning to love himself.
The story left an impression on me that I’m not so sure I’ll be able to shake anytime soon. I’m very thankful for everyone who was apart of the making and pushing of Love in the big city, it left me wanting more with that open ending but also with the understanding that it was open because Go Young’s life is still going.

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blended different tones very well - a must watch

Overall: there are very few series that manage to balance humor, romance, realism and sadness well, Love in the Big City is one of them. Based on the book Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park which I didn't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40771c-love-in-the-big-city

Content Warnings: (2 major ones, see my spoiler comment and how the romance plays out), harassment, unwanted outing, homophobia, non/dub con turned consensual, conversion torture (off screen), punch

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry
- supportive friends
- blended different tones very well
- sweet moments
- intimacy
- character growth
- production value

Room For Improvement
- exposition dump to introduce his friends
- series covered 10 years, so voice overs were used to show passage of time
- odd that a certain aspect wasn't discussed in episode 5
- episode 8 jumped back and forth between flashbacks and the present

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I went to find love but I didn't know how and where to find this "love" in this big city.

But, do I know what "love" is?
 
This is a story of a flawed person finding love and happiness in things that motivates him to write an award winning novel.
 
After a long time I had invested myself in something that makes me "think" of the consequences of the choices I make. It touched my heart in every episode as it felt like I was watching a person live through their ups and downs infront of my eyes.
 
✓What I appreciated:
 
• I loved how flawed, raw and realistic each and every character was. While watching them I was sure I know such people who would act this way.
• Supportive friends that everyone deserves! They were with him in thick and thin. Their bond was unbreakable!
• The pacing of the storyline was perfectly synced with characters. Each and every character was given equal importance to show their potential.
• Nam Yoon Su is the perfect cast this story can get! He made Go Young alive!
• This story shows, life is not a fairytale as you see in the kdramas. Sometimes it's fulfilling; sometimes you're barely making it through the day. You cry, fight, and curse your destiny, but you don't give up; you live on, even if this big, cold city fails you a hundred times.
• I can't believe how much power this story holds that a nation was trying to take this down.

✓Room for improvement:
 
• I was dying to know about Gyu. But the story didn't allow us to know more about him after his departure.
 
✓Thoughts on the ML:
 
Go Young didn't want to settle for normal and always wanted that "fluttering" feeling. That's why he's been reckless all his youth. He's looking for something he doesn't know. He wanted love, but when he got that, he overlooked that for something else he doesn't have. From my pov, he only loved one guy; others just made him "grow" in life. They were his mistakes and life lessons as well. When he said, "I want to cry, but I can't squeeze tears," I felt that. I swear I'm not a crybaby, but up until episode 4, I couldn't stop tearing up. But after a while, just like ML, I got used to the sorrows.
 
Overall, it's a realistic queer story that will make you realise if you found love, then you're the luckiest person because someone in the world is still searching for that but hasn't found it yet.

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The Most Beautiful 400 Minutes of My Life

As someone who is apart of the queer community I was very impressed with this BL, typically the BLs I watch don't go in this much depth or show the emotions of a queer person or portray the struggles they have in the society. The drama was filled with laughter, tension, and sad moments that make you feel deeply. Ko Yeong the main character shows the struggles of a queer person as you follow him on his journey on finding love. No Yeong Su shows how the environment where your raised impacts your societal beliefs, he was a character experiencing internalized homophobia because the people around him kept telling him that it was wrong and because of that he was never able to love Ko Yeong with all he had. BUT not to forget about Mi Ae she was casted beautifully even though she didnt appear as much in the later episodes, she brought laughter and it truly made me happy and I was able to relate to it as I have a very close friend of mine whos a girl and the dynamic between Mi Ae and Ko Yeong is exactly the one between me and my friend.


Truly Love in the big city is one of the few kdrama BL's that I felt truly displayed the struggles, the life, the identity, and the ups and down that a queer person experiences not just limited to a guy. The drama is filled with love, and laughter but also melancholic scenes that make you go for a loop. It truly portrays the life of a queer person accurately, and what happens in the brain of one. One of the best kdramas this year and the best BL ive watched this year, its worth the time. And SEASON 2 PLEASE!!

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BEST KDRAMA OF ALL TIME

From the beginning until the end, I was amused and amazed in this series.

There were no dull moments in every episodes. The story portrays a life of a gay man living with HIV who actually seeks a genuine and eternal Love at the end. My empathy in this series is very high. Mostly those scenes I experienced it like trusting other people so much, guillable in love, loving someone who is already married and many more flashbacks in my life after I watch this Kdrama.

I hope this will be the eye opener to end the stigma of HIV, proper communication in a relationship, and just reciprocating receiving LOVE.

I love this series, the story, the cast, everything is a masterpiece. The best. This must be the best KDRAMA I'D EVER WATCHED! Rewatch worthy!!! Hoping for a continuation of the love story of Gyu Ho and Go Young.

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Queer chronicles of a gay guy living and loving in the big city of Seoul : a raw and poetic journey

This is clearly one of the most qualitative BL that I have seen so far, not necessarily one that I would easily re-watch but one that really left a strong impression on me. It is drastically different from what I have seen in the genre, as it provides a deep dive into the life the central character of the story, almost like a chronicles of his life. It can be seen as a slice-of-life with a lot of dramatic elements put in a realistic but at the same time poetic way.

The main character is a writer who in a way narrates his life to the viewer, which really give it a different flavor to most series. His relationship with his mother as well as with Kylie were central pieces of the story to me. The romantic interests in the series were more like passing boats into the hero's life, not the main focus but bringing up so many thoughts as he evolved through the various relationships. The ending felt bitter-sweet and made sense given all that happened to the hero and the way the storytelling was built from the start. I would not have minded an additional episode to better round it up tough.

Casting was very solid overall with the main actor clearly being the strongest part of the series. I really hope to see him in other works because it is his performance that elevated the watching experience and made me care that much for the character he portrayed. The cinematography was pretty good: the apartment of the hero was a character in itself evolving with him as he went through various life events, the OST was also very fitting to the drama and there were quite a lot of very memorable scenes that were filmed super impactfully.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a different kind of BL story. It is more of a chronicle of a life rather than a standard romance. Of course, I have nothing against fluffy and butterflies romance or angsty tales of passion but here it is a different proposal both in terms of content as well as storytelling. The good writing, the very deep topics relating to what's happening in real life as well as the interesting arc of the main character arc strongly resonated with me and make it worth your time. If you enjoy BL such as 'I Told Sunset About You' and 'The Eighth Sense', I think you should give it a shot.

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Love in The Big City Series

I really love this drama.

Raw, honest, and exquisitely crafted in both writing and direction. I've rarely seen a Korean drama capture realism this authentically. It feels like a snapshot of life-its highs and lows, the connections we build, the love we chase, and the way we drift apart.

The storytelling was masterful, following Go Young as he navigates through the complexities of the world around him, capturing the sense of belonging and alienation we all sometimes face. The narrative is heavy yet beautifully simple, a quiet reflection of what it means to be alive. I found myself laughing, yelling, feeling joy, peace, sadness, and despair. The bond between Go Young and Gyuho left me shattered.

Nam Yoonsu's performance was magnetic-it's hard not to be captivated by him. The entire cast delivered outstanding performances. I sincerely hope more shows like this are made.

And I need season 2 please.

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THE BEST KBL EVER

I am not exaggerating when I say this is THE BEST KBL ever produced. I am actually appalled at quality,run time and no of episodes. For years and years I have kept asking for KBLs to have good budget,run time and episodes and my dream has finally been accomplished. The plot is so good and refreshing. Most of the time or almost all of the time,we are given two pairing and the universe will make them work out together. But here the main character is going from one person to another in search of his eternal love. You wouldn't know who it is cause every one he dates seems like it would be the one. Which makes sense irl too. I loved this concept. The acting is off the charts too. The main lead is an exception actor. He managed to have a good chemistry with every guy he was paired with. I am actually amazed. That I had to stand up and give a standing ovation. The series didn't dragged even though it had a fair amount of run time and episodes. And the kisses and r-rated scenes was top notch. It was sexy and hot. KBL says GOODBYES to dead fish kisses. Damn i could go on and on about this series and I would never run out of praises. A bijilion out of 10. Literally perfection!

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LIFE AT ITS PUREST

"i wonder why you sleep in utter silence like you're constantly on tiptoe. as if you're never home, no matter how long you've lived here. "

Pure, raw and both beautifully written and directed. I don't recall any other korean show with this level of realism. It's just life. With its ups and down, the bounds we create, the love we seek, the distance we fall apart.

I loved how the story was told, the connections Go Young make on his journey navigating into the universe we live in and the society we sometimes feel rejected from. It's heavy but also very simple, a sigh of what it is to be alive. I was giggling, screaming, got sad, felt the happiness, peace and despair. His relationship with Gyuho broke me into pieces.

Nam Yoonsu, how to not fall in love with you. What a great cast and amazing performances from the whole team. I beg for more shows like this to come.

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Like a slap in my face

I’m speechless, I mean I don’t know how to begin with.. It’s raw, beautiful, it’s daring, it’s relatable… The series set the bar high in terms of the great acting, what they want to convey and the topics they’ve brought up in it but also of course, the really nice cinematography.

It feels like, each episode is like a movie in which we kind of witness what happened around him, his feelings, his relationships. It’s like following his chapters of his life.

After watching it, I had bittersweet feelings yet I’m impressed, it was a bit too real.

Sorry it was quite short but I think I sum up my thoughts on this series.

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