Soul Mate

Shunki Hashizume's mission

First chapter: an ice hockey player attempts suicide because he is gay. The minimum age to watch the series here in Denmark is 13 yo; poor teenager who is just discovering he/she is homossexual. As the series, which was primarily marketed to the LGBTQ+ audience (which constitutes total queerbaiting), is a succession of dramatic events, this same teenager will have as a benchmark that gay people don't deserve to be happy. Now it's understandable why the premiere of Soul Mate didn't happen in December, as planned. That month the LGBTQ+ community was intoxicated with the "queer joy" of Heated Rivalry. But director Shunki Hashizume is a defender of "queer misery," as he had already demonstrated in More than Words, the most homophobic series in history. For the creator, that teenager who is discovering him/herself deserves to suffer until his/her last drop of blood. This is Shunki Hashizume's mission in the world of entertainment. This is Shunki Hasizume´s agenda in the real world.

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everything that could go wrong went wrong. balled my eyes out at seven am, i wasnt even expecting to go through this lord help me. i did have a hunch it was not going to be a proper bl, some parts were predictable (that might just be me im too good at the guessing game) yet stirred my stomach as i waited for the plot to progress. overall it was good but i think the story did a 180 degree somewhere in the middle, adding a subplot which was really unnecessary. ryu's and yohan's relationship/bond could definitely use a bit of work because a lot of it felt left unsaid. first half of the show was genuinely better than the rest, i found myself crossing my fingers everytime ryu showed concern for sumiko because i so didnt want him to take over as the "father". about the ending, they did confess their love *romantically* because yohan said aishiteru, i feel like a lot of people are missing that. but even if there was no physical intimacy, the story lacked the portrayal of that strong bond for sure. it feels incomplete and perplexed. i usually enjoy watching anything even if its a little disappointing so i get why others have such strong opinions on this.

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A unique type of love - don't give up on this drama!

I don't know where to start to be honest..Let's talk about my expectations before I watched Soul Mate.
Well, I guess I thought this would just be a bl like every other bl.
A sweet love with a few more realistic aspects than other bls.
But I think Soul Mate didn't turn out the way I thought it would.
But not in a bad way ; In my opinion the series had a great beginning. As someone who speaks German I was fascinated by how much effort they not only put into the environment but also these little extras only German speakers understood as they spoke German or when there were German things being said in the background.
As the story continued it got better, tho at one point I didn't wanna watch it anymore.. Not because the series, acting or story weren't good, but because it got kinda emotional.
But I continued watching the drama and I'd recommend watching Soul Mate UNTIL the very end. Trust me. Maybe it won't be your cup of tea, but there's a plot which might change your opinion about this drama.
Yes, it was emotional. But to be honest I learned a lot from this series.
That dreams don't always go as planned. Or that reality sometimes has other plans for us. But also that we should NEVER give up nor lose hope. And the most beautiful part is: Never in my life have I ever watched a series/movie about such a type of love. Where the main lead was ready to sacrifice literally everything if it meant his favourite person would be "happy".
It wasn't a romantic kind of love most people would probably expect, but a psychological, emotional bond and love.
I'm truly feeling so many things right now.
Soul Mate is a masterpiece and I definitely think people should give it a try!!

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Something id missing...

What I liked: the wonderful love story between the protagonists, or rather, the love they have for each other, the kind of love that forces you to devote yourself to the other more than to yourself, truly heartbreaking; Jo Han's character, very intense and dramatic; Jo Han's relationship with Ryu's parents: love is love is love. What I didn't like: from the beginning, it's unclear when J and R actually decide to be together. I understand that it's a stylistic choice to never show the intimacy between the two, but it felt so excessive, forced and censored: the series shows the worst of the violence, drama, moral and physical misery... and in turn reduces the narrative of the love story to a story without passion and physical closeness: I don't accept that. Ryu: I think they shortened the script too much, they didn't tell us enough about him, I'm still longing to know more about him... And then there's too much bad luck for just three characters: in this sense, I think the story is too heavy and unrealistic. I know that bad luck is very clear, but perhaps it was too much for just eight episodes. Perhaps this is the flaw in general: they shortened too much, so many things that needed to be told, shown, explained.

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Definitely Better Than It's Overall Reviews

After the first few minutes, this series goes into a direction I wasn't expecting, but soon you realize the main idea of the story. It actually doesn't seem possible the two protagonists have any chemistry in becoming "Soul Mates", but somehow that becomes very believable as you get deeper into the drama.
I think the main problem for negative reviews, this is not a BL, at least not in the physical sense. This is a bromance of two people that become unlikely best friends, and they both happen to be closeted gay. If you're tuning in to see a standard BL storyline, with your usual antagonists getting in the way of the two people in love, you definitely will be disappointed. It does take all the way to episode 5 to show the strong bond these two main characters have toward each other. The most powerful scene of the series takes place in this episode. It's several minutes you won't forget, each covered in mud and rain!!
I must say, though, the series loses points starting toward the end of episode 7 and throughout the final 40 minutes.
Without giving it away, it didn't seem to work for me. It's not that it's a sad and depressing outcome, I mean that's life sometimes. What failed for me was the way episode 8 led up to the final few minutes. The acting was great. Hayato Isomura & Taec Yeon were perfectly cast and both gave powerful performances. I just wish there was a better intro of the final few minutes.
Overall, a very good series.

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Soul Mate isn't a typical BL story where everything eventually works out and the characters simply live happily ever after. What makes it stand out to me is how real and close to home it feels. It explores how difficult it can be for one person to come to terms with another person's feelings, especially when those feelings don't fit the kind of love they're used to understanding (female to male relationship, to male to male relationship). It shows how a friendship can slowly fall apart because of love, and how that love can become painfully one-sided.

I really liked Ryu's cowardice and his decision to run away to Japan because, honestly, that's something people actually do in real life. Sometimes, when we don't know how to face something, we run away from it. I also loved the scene where Ryu and Johan meet at the church. It felt incredibly symbolic to me. At that point, I think Johan already knew and accepted what he was (him being gay/bi, or accepting his torn apart life), while Ryu was still struggling to understand himself, or perhaps he was still somewhere between attraction and denial.

Yet somehow, both of them seemed to be carrying the same thought: "I did something wrong, and I need salvation." Ryu felt guilty for not being able to accept Arata's love, while Johan had practically sold his soul to the devil. And then, of all places, they meet inside a church.

I loved Johan's eventual acceptance and the way he began breaking free from the chains that had been holding him back when he saw Ryu again. It felt like he was thinking, "I need to change after being saved by this person." There's something beautiful about the idea that someone who once thought he was beyond saving could still find a reason to change because of that one specific person.

Ryu's journey also felt like a domino effect. After spending so long mourning and being trapped in the aftermath of Arata's suicide attempt, he eventually realizes that it was only his world that had stopped. Life around him had continued moving forward. While he was running away from everything, nothing in his own life was actually changing.

Then came the surprise visit, which felt like the beginning of their own little world. It was such an important turning point in their relationship. I especially loved the scene where Johan draws Ryu and Ryu keeps the drawing in his room. It's such a small thing, but it says so much about how important Johan had become to him.

And then there's the scene where Johan calls Ryu while he's in the military. That scene felt strangely comforting to me. From what I understand, military service in Korea can be extremely strict, and opportunities to make personal calls aren't exactly something you can take for granted. So, seeing Johan make that call to Ryu felt like there was something deeper behind it. I don't know how to explain it, but I definitely felt something there, and I got butterflies while watching that scene.

One of the things I loved most was Ryu eventually searching for Johan, despite knowing everything that had happened and seeing all the news. And when Ryu asks Johan to live with him in Japan, it felt like Ryu was finally opening up his most vulnerable self to him. He was allowing Johan into his personal space, into his life, in a way he had never really done before.

There was also that scene where Ryu was eating while Johan sat at the table, quietly watching him. Before the ending even revealed it, I already had a feeling that Ryu was the person Johan was drawing. It felt so intimate without either of them having to say anything.

Although, I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the part where Sumiko started living with them. It felt like their lives suddenly began revolving around her. At the same time, though, I can't say I was completely surprised, considering Ryu's personality and his connection with his childhood friend.

Then we get to the final stretch of their relationship. The part where everything finally starts falling apart.

Johan accepting the job at the bar and then sleeping somewhere else felt like it carried an undercurrent of jealousy and resentment. Especially when Ryu calls and someone else answers. That small moment becomes the catalyst for everything that follows. When Johan says, "I'm sorry," and Ryu answers, "Sorry isn't what I'm asking for," it felt like they were both just waiting for the other person to say, "Come here. Sit down. Let's talk." They were both waiting, but neither of them knew how to take that first step.

And when they finally fight and Johan asks Ryu why he brought him to Japan in the first place, I felt like Johan was waiting for Ryu to finally say something, anything along the lines of "I want you here," or "I want to be with you," or maybe even just "I like/love you." But when Ryu couldn't give him that answer, it felt like Johan finally realized that maybe this was all he was ever going to be in Ryu's life. Just a friend.

And then we get to the hospital scene. Damn. That scene felt like a love letter.

There are a few lines that have been tugging at my heart ever since.

"He was trying to come to terms with something, something I could never come to terms with."
Johan was a skilled boxer, yet he willingly to threw away his dignity as a professional by taking money to lose. And despite not fully understanding what Ryu was going through, he could see Ryu slowly coming to terms with things and preparing himself for whatever was going to happen.

Then there's:
"When I heard that voice in the ring... in all seriousness, it sounded like salvation. To me, that voice was a place of refuge."

Johan had already made a contract with the devil. He had practically danced with Satan himself. He believed he was beyond saving. But Ryu kept reaching for him. It was almost as if Ryu was saying, "You can still get out of there. You need to get out of there. Let’s get out of here."

“He thinks of himself as a weak person”.

But from Johan's perspective, Ryu is the strongest person he knows. Ryu was the person who repeatedly helped him get back on his feet. The person who gave him something to hold onto.
A salvation.
A refuge.
A haven.

And then Johan finally says:

"I wanted you to be... the last thing I saw. I wanted you to be here."

That broke me.

After spending so much of the story believing that their relationship could only ever be friendship, Johan finally lays his heart completely bare. This is his final hope. After everything he's lost, the one thing he wants is for Ryu to be there with him.

And then:

"If you really are here right now... I think I wanna live a bit longer."

This line made me realize why the title is Soul Mate. It feels like a combination of suddenly being hit with the harshness of life, a friendship that became the source of both love and pain, the loss of a career, guilt, regret, and the endless longing for someone who has always been by your side, hoping that someday, somewhere out there, they will finally look back and see you too.

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Heavy but beautiful essay on life

Sometimes, life sucks and keeps throwing rocks at you. I can understand why this is difficult or not satisfying watch for a lot of people but I wouldn't want them to film it any other way.

I believe no show is for everyone and I deeply appreciate when instead of following trends and creating generic scenes, they try to go deeper, riskier, to get their unique vision across.
This drama to me personally feels like an essay on life and the loss in it. The beauty of people relying upon each other, the struggles of both reaching out to each other and being reached out to. One never knows what can happen and everyone's life can look completely different within span of few years if not months. The characters are mostly very real, I won't say the writing's quality is master class, yet the genuinity gets across.

This drama centers around the connections between people, especially the one between the two male leads. They don't kiss or progress anywhere else with physical intimacy.
While part of me had hoped for something, by the end I really appreciated the way this show presented love. There's SO MANY scenes that show their love. As an audience we understand the depth of their bond, their care, and why they make the choices they do.
The tragedy in their lives had to do with a lot of other things, rather than picking anything specific, I'd say it seemed the weight of life was crushing everyone, gay or not, which is why to me it didn't seem like the typical trope of tragic BLs, just a story about life that happened to include some queerness.

I put rewatch value at 1/10 and it doesn't affect my final rating. I don't know why we're so obsessed with adding rewatch/replay value ratings to experiences like this (games included). I enjoyed it once and that's great enough for me.

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Subjective opinion.

Subjective opinion. The series is depressing. What is the message of the series? What did the creators want to tell their viewers? Is fate merciless? Even if you try your best, you can't escape fate?

Why did the writers deprive Yohan of literally everything: his parents (they died), his profession (he quit boxing), his country (he had to leave Korea), his health (an incurable disease), his life (the chance to live to old age), and even the joys of physical intimacy (why doesn't the series' hero have a need for physical intimacy at age 30 or so)? Thank goodness they didn't add any physical deformities to the hero (such as facial scars and the like) (sarcasm).

Yes, of course, I understand that not all series have to have a happy ending. But surely there must be bright, happy moments in the life of a hero with such a difficult fate?

I understand, of course, that happiness can be "quiet" (not always noticeable). But why the hell? Why are misfortunes so "loud and noticeable" in this series? I understand that by burdening Yohan with all the world's troubles and misfortunes, the writers used the most common technique to reveal the depth of his character. Yohan overcomes difficulties, demonstrating fortitude, resilience, and the ability to transform. In order to what? To die? Authors, are you serious? Where (in what way) do you think the viewer should get something positive?

What was I supposed to conclude after watching this series? Life sucks? I love it when movies with unhappy endings leave a bittersweet aftertaste, like love experienced. But unfortunately for me this did not happen.

P.S. I would characterize the relationship between the main characters as friendship. If it were otherwise, physical intimacy between them would be inevitable. The characters in the series are around 30 years old (the peak of sexual activity). If not at 30 with a loved one, then with whom should one have intimacy, and at what age?

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Could be better

I’d been waiting for the series Soulmate ever since it was announced, especially because of Taecyeon’s involvement. I was really curious how they would approach the relationship between two men in this case — considering it’s a Japan + Korea and streaming on mainstream Netflix. And honestly, I’m not surprised by the way this story was presented.

The fact that there are no romantic scenes in the series isn’t the issue for me. Feelings can be expressed in a hundred different ways. But I’m not sure I’m convinced by the idea that they wanted to portray a “pure” kind of love between the two characters. I know BL relationships are often overly sexualized and that romantic scenes sometimes add nothing to the plot, but here, honestly, one lingering look and one brief touch of hands would’ve been enough.

I don’t really buy the argument that they simply wanted to show the purity of this relationship. In my opinion, in mainstream Asian cinema the real reason is still fear of how this kind of relationship will be received, so it gets reduced to bromance instead. I’d genuinely like to read opinions from people who see it differently and why, because maybe I’m missing another perspective.

Personally, I think we should find some kind of middle ground between excessive sexualization and completely avoiding the subject of intimacy. Are we really supposed to believe that two young people wouldn’t want any deeper physical closeness over the course of years? That’s hard for me to believe.

The story also has a few plot holes, but I’m not that bothered by them since I understand this is just a fragment of several years of the characters’ lives. The ending, in my opinion, could’ve been better.

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RESEÑA <3

Soul Mate es un pequeño drama que destaca por la sensibilidad con la que aborda la amistad, los sueños personales y la búsqueda de la propia identidad. A través de una historia sencilla pero emotiva, nos recuerda la importancia de vivir la vida que realmente deseamos, en lugar de seguir el camino que otros esperan o imponen.

Uno de los mayores aciertos de la obra es la relación entre sus protagonistas. Su amistad está construida con una gran naturalidad y ternura, transmitiendo apoyo, comprensión y una conexión profunda que se siente auténtica en cada escena. Son personajes que crecen juntos, se acompañan en los momentos difíciles y encuentran consuelo el uno en el otro, creando algunos de los instantes más entrañables de la historia.

El drama también combina momentos de felicidad con otros más tristes y melancólicos. Hay escenas que conmueven por su carga emocional, pero que al mismo tiempo dejan una sensación cálida y esperanzadora. Esa mezcla de tristeza y ternura consigue que la historia resulte cercana y humana.

Otro aspecto especialmente bonito es la unión de las culturas coreana y japonesa. La presencia de ambos idiomas aporta un encanto único a la narración, reforzando la idea de que los sentimientos y los vínculos auténticos pueden superar barreras culturales y lingüísticas. Escuchar cómo se entrelazan el coreano y el japonés añade una atmósfera delicada y especial que enriquece aún más la experiencia.

En conjunto, Soul Mate es una historia emotiva y sincera sobre la amistad, la libertad de elegir nuestro propio camino y la belleza de las conexiones humanas. Un drama pequeño en duración, pero grande en sentimientos. ❤️

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