Mate (2024)

A Rollercoaster of Emotions and Missed Opportunities (But A Great Ending)

Trigger Warning: One of the leads, Aoey, is a victim of SA and Cheating

If you’re not a fan of shows where one character repeatedly forgives another despite constant mistreatment, this might not be for you. Aoey endures a lot from Gen, tying into the show’s soulmate theme wherein no one else seems to understand or tolerate them as they do for each other.

The show has some notable flaws. The repetitive conflicts, unresolved issues, and mistakes made the story feel tedious over time. Dialogue often felt awkward and unengaging, which weakened the romanticization of darker themes that the show aimed to explore. Gen’s inability to learn from her mistakes, even after seeking advice, was particularly frustrating and made her character development feel stagnant. Additionally, the editing and coloring didn’t align with the melodramatic, angsty tone the show tried to achieve, making it harder to immerse in the emotional scenes.

Despite these drawbacks, there are several positives. Gen’s actress was stunning and perfectly embodied the role, particularly in the earlier episodes. It would be exciting to see her in a better-written but same premise GL show. The show’s emphasis on the importance of asking for help added meaningful moments, and the emotional childhood flashbacks helped foster empathy for the leads’ relationship. Gen’s protectiveness over Aoey was a charming sight, and the verbal accountability shown by those who influenced Gen’s actions was a refreshing take that stood out in the narrative. Lastly, the show's finale was extremely satisfying.

While watching, a few thoughts came to mind. Both Aoey and Gen clearly needed mental health support. Gen’s toxic perfectionism seemed rooted in unresolved trauma, but the lack of exploration into her backstory was a missed opportunity. Delving into her past would have added depth and made her character more relatable. The sudden addition of sound effects halfway through the series was unintentionally hilarious, disrupting the tone. When Aoey finally learned the truth about Gen leaving her, the moment lacked impact and became underwhelming. The show’s focus on repetitive and dragged out dialogues robbed critical scenes of emotional weight, especially in the final episodes.

However, all of this was made up for with that simple yet impactful and meaningful proposal scene. We rarely get proposal scenes in GLs and I'm so grateful they gave us one. The line "I figured that being just a mate isn't enough." followed by "How about a soulmate?" They absolutely did wonders with these lines. How I wish the rest of their dialogues had this kind of magic in them. Mate's final episode was a breath of fresh air from all the GLs I've watched which was a joy to witness, giving me the positive closure we desperately needed after that stressful ride. They did wonders with the last episode and I was gratefully fan serviced to the max.

Overall, this is a flawed but decent show. While the writing is weak, the performances and chemistry between the actresses are commendable. It has a fulfilling conclusion, so don’t let the negatives dissuade you from giving it a try, as it will definitely give you the feels in one way or another.

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