K-Drama 
This review may contain spoilers
CROSS OVER SERIES
I would call it a Cross Over in all aspects of this series -- It crosses over the Normal BL's Agenda -- With the Bl'S that have come out recently this is Ultra Asexual or even non-sexual in all senses--There is no Physical & very little Dialogue between the Main's that would indicate differently -- It crosses the divide between Japanese Language / Culture & Korean Language / Culture -- The Languages are spoken so well there is an amazing flow almost merging the two spoken languages together by the end of the Series -- There are many props to be given for the Director Writer & the Actors to carry off this type of Emotional Non Physical Series in todays climate of Physical Nudity & Sexuality being over played -- You know for sure that there are Gay & Straight characters but I really could not say that the Main Characters are either -- There is a Scene where Yohan says he has fallen in Love with a Man it kind of gives you a gutted feeling when the only time it is openly discussed between Ryo and Yohan he is leaving but luckly the emotion in the Drama carries it & the Story in Nuanced enough to keep you engaged & I would suggest anyone to check it out -- It is well worth your time -- I watched it twice & each time I found something NewWas this review helpful to you?
it’s a love story with no romance
I can see why this has the low end of reviews but it is still a beautiful story of love, hardship and connection. if you watch the series expecting boys love it’s a 5/10 since there’s no real excitement or romantic scenes that make you giddy. but if you watch this series expecting love, hardship and connection, it’s a solid 8/10. minus 2 points for the abrupt plot turns.. but still lots to enjoy about this series. I’d still recommend it for the unique Japanese Korean boundary crossing mature acting and story. don’t let all the negative reviews deter you from watching this series! Reset your expectations and enjoy what this series offers.Was this review helpful to you?
Incredibly well written queerplatonic relationship (finally!!!)
I think this drama has been hit by misleading labels and expectations, and the fact that aspec relationships tend to be continuously mistreated by audiences who see any lack of explicitness in a relationship in media as something lacking.If you're aspec, though, or if you're in for a very deep, very profound, incredibly emotional queerplatonic relationship, this drama is for you (and me!).
I have seen the term "soulmate" used for queerplatonic relationships in Japanese media before (famously, the manga Banana Fish does so, for example) but I wasn't expecting to find that here, since a lot of the buzz around it made it seem like another regular BL. By episode 2, I was already starting to feel the qpr vibes and wondered if this was going to be sustained throughout or dropped somewhere along the line, but I'm happy to report that it's the heart of the narrative.
The drama tells the story of the relationship between Ryu, a Japanese ice hockey player struck by a very difficult personal situation (he isn't said to be explicitly aroace but what happens to him is very much a common problem among us, so read that as you may) and Johan, a South Koran boxer who is going through a personal crossroads that makes him choose between selling his integrity for financial stability or risking it all for his own truth.
That is just the starting point, since the entire drama spans years of Ryu's and Johan's relationship, focusing on pivotal moments in their lives and how their connection helps each other grow. Differently from other series where time skips make you feel you're missing the core of the story, this one uses the device really well and is able to showcase what you need to know to understand their dynamic. There's found family here, there's grief and loss, there's illness, there's career path changes. And, throughout it all, there's this intimate personal connection between two people who love each other, in the most genuine way possible, despite the expectations of what the allo-centric world (and audience) would like to label them as.
I don't know if the creator has spoken about whether they wanted to write a qpr or not, but that's exactly what it reads as. If you come in here looking for a regular allo BL, you're probably going to be disappointed (and join the squad of angry fujos in the comments and reviews) but if you're either looking for a qpr narrative or are willing to open your expectations to this kind of relationship, you're in for a treat (and some tears).
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Lovely leads, under developed stories
Loved the leads and there is a lot of interesting slots of life in this drama but there is something about this that failed to make it all the way in to my heart. As most of the twists could be smelled at least an episode in advance but I chose the word slots of life or maybe breezes of life as we never really truly get an invitation in to the life and true mindset of our leads making me feel left outside, making it hard tu fully immerse mysel in the story. Maybe they wanted to tell to many stories at once, maybe they felt like a medley of life from dramas past would make this feel refreshing and new... But all I felt was oh okay... so they went with that trope.That said again leads are lovely. And the binge was easy.
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THe drama gives me the same emotional feeling as dramas like I Told Sunset About You or Moonlight Chicken quieter, more intimate BLs that focus more on emotional connection than fanservice. The drama feels very soft and melancholic, almost like watching two lonely people slowly become each other’s safe place.
What really works is the chemistry. The relationship feels natural because the actors don’t overplay the romance . A lot of the emotional impact comes from small moments, silence, eye contact, and awkward conversations rather than huge dramatic scenes.
The atmosphere is probably the strongest part for me. The cinematography, lighting, and OST create this calm but emotionally heavy feeling that reminds me of indie romance films more than classic BL dramas.
My only issue is that the pacing can feel a little too slow sometimes, especially if you prefer more plot-driven stories. The drama spends a lot of time on emotions and mood rather than major events.
But honestly , that softness is also what makes it memorable. It feels less like a fantasy romance and more like a very human love story.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not a BL and that’s ok
Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge that they portrayed the characters v well, and I loved that the focus wasn’t solely on their sexuality but on isolation, loneliness, and need for human connection. And although this wasn’t necessarily a BL, it felt like they positioned it that way and for the most part, the romance was lacking. Even with the drawings and trips, these gestures and experiences still felt like a deep bromance. Two men completely comfortable with each other and sharing a beautiful bond. Skin-ship isn’t necessary to show romance, but there was barely any longing, tension, or intimacy while they were living together and growing closer. Part of me feels this may have been because Taecyeon was stepping outside his comfort zone as an idol-actor? Whilst he did well, the romantic chemistry didn’t fully land for me. These were grown (fine) men attracted to each other, and yet we never even got something as small as a face touch? Or an unnecessarily long and dragged out longing gaze? Thankfully, the ending redeemed it slightly in that aspect to confirm their romantic feelings for one another :(. Without that ending, it would simply be an incredibly touching bond between two queer male besties. I love but they definitely sold us a romance, so I’m a bit salty the chemistry and yearning was lacking.Was this review helpful to you?
fantastic
this drama was one that make me cry the most even though they never kiss but the story the love the pain i felt every sensation that this dram could give me the lat 3 ep i cried like a baby overall one of the best drama of this year the chemistry between the 2 acotor was something that i can not explain the story was good i wish there are more ep but it ok the story was awesome…………………!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!omg how much i have to tap lollllllWas this review helpful to you?
This is not a love story, its a story about love.
You know when you watch a gay or LGBT movie and it does not center about being LGBT, like I don't know how to best explain it, like it's not just, oh, it's a gay movie. No, it's so, so, so much beyond that. I read somewhere about this movie that it's not a love story, it's a story about love. And that whole dialogue or line, it just touches so close to me because it's such a wonderfully written movie.One of the biggest hate comment thingy that they're getting, that this movie is getting, is that there was no kiss, there was no heavy romance, but it showed love at its purest form ever. And I loved that, yes, the main characters were guys and they were in love, but it was so much more than that. It showed a whole process of how they saved each other when they were at their lowest. It was two really, really, really good friends coming together. And even beyond them, there was their other friends and other family.
There was a scene where Ryu, the main character's parents, offered the Rumiko the same thing that her in-laws had offered her, that you can come live with us and you're always going to be family. And they both offered the same thing. Two sets of parents who were not hers offered the same thing, yet one was so much more warm than the other. And the other was actually legally binded. And I don't know what else to say.
A lot of the times people tend to reduce queer films to did they kiss, was there enough romance, was it explicit enough, but what this movie is trying to say is much quieter and much bigger. It says that love is not always loud. Love is something understanding and quiet and beautiful and warm. Love is staying and understanding, and it's becoming a home for another person. I think that's another reason why this movie feels so intimate. The relationship doesn't need constant romantic confirmation because the care is already overflowing from every scene.
It was such a beautiful movie. I don't know. The ending hit me in a really good way, but like most other times, I wish I had gotten more. I wish I had gotten to see them even more happier, but I was thinking, oh, I wish we could see them happy, but that's not even true. We did see them happy. We saw them happy. We saw them sad. We saw them go through a lot of phases and it was wonderful. This is truly a wonderful movie about love and how it really is all around us, but it's just difficult to find sometimes.
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A queer story for queer people
Do NOT let the people telling you that this is a bromance dissuade you from watching.As a lot of people have stated before me, this series isn’t and will never be the bromance people depict it to be.
It is a raw story about realistic life experiences from a queer perspective.
To be clear, if you’re looking for your typical queer utopian bl where the romance is the focal point and they end up living happily ever after, this is not for you.
Because yes, god forbids we’re literally anything besides being gay and in love apparently.
It feels kind of surreal to me that some people on here were expecting them to just get together and be done with it when they’ve both struggled in life and with their identities.
“They could have made it more clear” but has anyone ever considered it wasn’t even clear to the characters themselves ???
They both went through traumatic experiences and somehow all people seem to think about is watching two men kiss.
Let me tell you in case you haven’t stepped foot outside in 10 years, this is not how relationships work.
Sometimes you have to lose someone to realize the real depth of your feelings, sometimes putting a label on a relationship is not a priority and it is all completely fine.
What matters is that they could rely on each other, trust each other and love each other in their own way.
Not every relationship looks the same, and this is a great reminder to everyone watching.
And if you still think this is queerbaiting somehow, yes they did confess their feelings to each other. No it wasn’t ambiguous. And yes you will remember this series for the rest of your life.
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Just give it a shot. Please.
it's my first actually feeling like I HAVE to write a review for something I've watched. I was so excited for Soul Mate but when I saw the negative reviews, I was a bit mixed but I still gave it a shot.Thanks God I did.
It's the first time in years that I've cried so much watching a series. My eyes are still red from how much I've cried nonstop those past few hours.
I saw people complaining that it's not a real bl, that it's disappointing since they don't kiss and I even saw someone calling it a "homophobic crap". In my opinion, those people didn't understand at all the whole point of the story. There's something between Ryu and Johan, it's a fact, but it's just that sometimes relationships are too complicated to be put in boxes like friendship or romantic love. A soulmate doesn't necessarily mean a romantic lover by the way. And I would argue that here, the soulmate aren't only Ryu and Johan because almost everything that happens is by chance, by coincidence. It's a miracle as Johan said.
I found this series truly beautiful. It reflected life so well. Even with everything that happens it didn't feel heavy. I liked everything about this series: the way it was shot, the acting, the ost...
Everything.
Of course, if you're starting it thinking you're in for a cute little bl, you'll be disappointed. But if you're starting it with an open mind and if you're able to see and understand human relationships that go beyond labels, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.
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A Journey Beyond Romance : Disappointed Reviews Miss the Realism of this Masterpiece
Key points:- Themes of friendship, hardships and societal pressure
- A deeper bond than lust and simple romance
- Impactful and moving storyline
* Most importantly, I highly recommend this series who wants to feel moved and grounded. Please do not let all negative comments alter your own evaluation of the TV show. You shall end up devouring this series while tears pouring out till the after the end. *
This series reveals the core foundation defining the themes of friendship, hardships and societal pressure. Through the characters’ relationships—queer and family related—that may appear unconventional from the societal norms, the term “soul mate” is defined as a bond that reaches a deep understanding that goes beyond linguistic communication.
The disappointed comments do not objectively portray the series’ worth. While I was also expecting a BL series from an honest point of view, the series show cases that love can go further than the lust and romance. I understand that many, me included, were expecting this TV show to be a Boys Love series with hot chemistry and love trope as seen in many previous Korean and Japanese gay romance tv shows. What brought some to be disappointed is the trailer and summary of the show that portrayed a different main idea.
However, the screenwriter and director successfully moves the audience through an impactful storyline. It is solid, moving and realistic to the context we live in today. The characters are well portrayed and support the main message; it is inevitable to attach yourself to them. While feelings of frustration and grief remain at the end of the watching, each event felt purposefully placed in this story line, completing the puzzle pieces together to form the whole of the message.
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The most beautiful love story I’ve ever seen
Wow. I just finished this and I don’t even have words for how beautiful it was. Best love story I’ve ever seen, truly touched my heart. Probably cried 10 times but worth it. This one will stick with me for a long time.Even though they never had romantic gestures like other shows, their love transcended romance honestly. It was deeper, and proves that not every love story has to be romantic/sexual in nature. This is not your average BL, in fact it isn’t a BL in my opinion, it’s so much more than that. I cannot even explain how good this show is, I truly will think about it for a long time. I cannot understate how beautiful this show was, please watch it, don’t listen to the bad reviews, they just wanted a “regular BL” which this is not.
BTW: If you want an idea of what this is like, it’s a bit like the anime movie “a silent voice” so if you like that, you will love this!
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