Unexpectedly really enjoyable
I don't usually write reviews, but here I am after the 10th rewatch of Time of Fever. I just wanted to share how well made this short series is.When it came out I had already watched Unintentional love story and I mean, I thought it was okay as a BL...
It was the usual enjoyable K-BL with a pretty basic storyline, based on lies /misunderstanding, (which honestly is not my favourite trope, so i might be biased) so I didn't expect much from a mini series on a side couple, which had a little to no screen time.
Well Time of fever exceeded my expectations, the actors did such a good job, the chemistry is phenomenal, the soundtrack is really good and the whole scenery give such a feeling of happiness and youth, while showing the complexity of feelings of a young love in a difficult situation.
I love how they shown us their feeling progressing together, good and bad moments and finally explained why their relationship would be so complex to develop even in an adult context.
In general if you need a chill serie to binge watch in a night, with a nice storyline and a good chemistry, this is the right choice for you.
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Masterpiece But I Want More
I'm left unsatisfied but satisfied, I'm glad the ending wasn't sad but open. Definitely either watching Unintentional Love Story (ULS) first or Time Of Fever (TOF) first won't matter, because regardless the pieces will be put together, but if you asked me in which order it should be watched, I think TOF first and then ULS because ULS takes place more in the future for them 2. Now something I'm confused about is why in ULS Kim Dong Hui is still acting so distant and rejective towards Ko Ho Tae, I can understand why he was like that in TOF because he was young and still processing and accepting his feelings for Ko Ho Tae but why now in the future? I just feel like theres something missing, something we don't know that happened or idk something thats not being shown. Because it doesn't make sense, regardless this story was beautiful to me, I really like this one more than ULS and I honestly hope we see more of them 2 in future series, though I doubt it, I still hope for more, either it be another season or another series I'll be happy to watch.Was this review helpful to you?
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Rated 9 up until the final episode. The story is emotional and desperate and beautiful, but the ending is shit. They have feelings for each other, but Dong Hui leaves for Seoul despite originally planning to go to a local college because he has feelings for Ho Tae and is scared due to internalized homophobia. They never admit their feelings for each other. They’re apart for years. The ending sees Dong Hui returning, and they see each other again. We don’t see them speak, so who knows if they become friends or more this time around. Why would anything be different this time around if they were too afraid to admit their feelings the first time around? Disappointing.Boundary crossing: Dong Hui asks Ho Tae to move aside but he blocks him in instead. Dong Hui grabs Ho Tae to prevent him from walking away.
Consent issues: Ho Tae asks Dong Hui for a kiss. He pins his wrists down and doesn’t allow him to move. Dong Hui does not respond with a yes or no. Ho Tae moves in for a kiss and it starts consensually. Dong Hui breaks the kiss, Ho Tae goes in for more, and Dong Hui has to forcibly push him off to get him to stop.
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Too short
It was beautiful, the characters and actors were great, music, emotions, angst. Chemistry between the characters is amazing.But towards the end it gets really sad. For that, i feel like it was too short. I dont like when they make shows sad and dramatic but they dont have enough episodes for a proper redemption and to showcase the characters happy. It ended kinda unfinished, if youre giving us a happy ending, i want to see them happy.
Also, i hate bs tropes like I'm going to college so I'm cutting you off and we won't see eachother for years. Like who does that? I went to college thay wasn't in my home town but you keep in touch with people and go home every couple of months and have amazing reunions (or they can visit you). That's why i dont like plot like this, it seems like lazy writting, they didnt know what problem to create. They could've (should've) build on abusive dad story and make it so he's preventing them from being together.
I'm ranting a bit but i actually liked the show, it was beautiful, just needed to see more.
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Beautiful and intimate, really worth watching
Six-episode miniseries set before "Unintentional Love story (2023)" and about the two supporting characters from the main Korean series. It is a series about young love, about uncertainty and fear and feelings that cannot be resisted.I was really looking forward to seeing these two characters again and the series did not disappoint. Beautiful and intimate, great acting and the chemistry between the actors was amazing. Really hope to see them again, in a sequel or in their own series.
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Hyung concept brought up a very savory flavor to the romance and made my heart flutters
This BL series of 6 episodes (which has also been released under a full length movie format) features a gripping story between two childhood friends. The "Hyung" cultural aspect gave to the drama a very savory flavor that I particularly enjoyed. I would have loved for the epilogue to be a bit longer but was overall happy with the poetry of the conclusion.I really enjoyed and believed in the chemistry between the two main actors: more specifically, I was fascinated by the infirmary scene. It was beautiful and made my heart flutters. There might be room of improvement for some of the most serious scenes but they were credible together.
The budget felt relatively low but in a quite expected way I feel for this type of production. Filmmaking was efficient in conveying the story, but not really outstanding and the overall soundtrack was quite forgettable as well.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for BL with a well executed childhood friends-to-lovers trope. Chemistry and story was good and overall 6 episodes are highly bingeable (which is expected with the original format being a movie).
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Despite their ages, both actors actually did a great job, as expected. My first issue with the series, however, was the short duration—it was too brief! This limited runtime really affected the quality of the story. There were many things that needed more development, like Dong Hui's feelings toward Ho Tae. We know he likes him from the very first episode, but his reasons for hiding his true feelings were never really explored. It would have been better if they had provided a bit of background on how Dong Hui fell in love with Ho Tae and why he acts so guarded. I wouldn’t mind watching some extra episodes just to get answers to these questions.
Another thing worth mentioning is the lack of supporting characters to enhance the story. For example, we don’t learn much about Dong Hui’s father, who might actually influence his behavior.
Aside from these two major concerns, this series isn’t bad—especially compared to other Korean BL dramas this year.
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All Show, No Substance
Frankly, this movie, turned into a BL mini-series, presented better than it actually was. Well-acted and certainly well-crafted but it says absolutely nothing. Yet, it looks so good in the process. I kept waiting for a ‘punch line’ but it never came. These kinds of movies/series are so exasperating to watch and I for one am frankly getting tired of hiding a non-existent story under false and artificial melodrama nonsense. Certainly, this series will pull at your heartstrings but perhaps because I am old and cynical, I saw right through this ruse. Flatly this series said nothing. At least nothing of substance and again reinforced the stereotypical thinking that gay people from an early age really do not want to be gay, or will hide it for as long as they can, or are ashamed of what they are, or lack the courage to be who they are, or are terrified of their own feelings, or, or, or…. All perhaps well meaning but sending a wrong message.Was this review helpful to you?
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Sorry i was bored
To be honest, I didn’t find that little something, that spark, in this series. I actually found myself getting bored. I had high expectations after reading the reviews and watching the edits I’d seen, but in the end, I was disappointed.As for the acting, I have nothing to criticize the actors did a great job. I understand the idea that saying nothing can sometimes say a lot, but in a series with 20-minute episodes, I think it would have worked better if the characters interacted more with each other.
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What was the point?
After loving Unconditional Love Story I was excited for this. I didn’t understand why we were watching their teenage angst and waited for a time jump that never came. I found this useless. Now I know the backstory but learned nothing new about the characters feelings. There was no movement on the romance I began in the original show. A waste.Was this review helpful to you?
ULS ne m'avait pas convaincu, The Time of Fever l'a fait !
Je n'avais aucune attente, notamment après Unintentional Love Story (spin-off de The Time of Fever) qui ne m'avait pas plu. Le couple secondaire (Ho Tae et Dong Hee) avait piqué ma curiosité, mais ULS avait placé les personnages, sans y accorder davantage d'intérêt. J'ignore si le fait de n'avoir aucune attente a joué sur mon appréciation, mais j'ai fini par sincèrement l'apprécier.L'intrigue n'est pas compliquée. Il s'agit d'une romance qui mûrit sur le temps et la fait ressembler à cette brise de printemps lorsque le soleil est chaud, mais l'air encore frais. L'histoire est lente avec des émotions mesurées, mais pas moins intenses.
La complémentarité des personnages donne vie à l'histoire. D'un côté, l'extraverti et dissipé Ho Tae (Won Tae Min). C'est un gars populaire qui se fait (souvent) cogner par les filles. Sortir avec des filles, il sait le faire. En revanche, elles ne passent pas avant l'achat d'une vingtaine d'œufs (cette scène est bêtement adorable). Son personnage est maladroit, mais aussi honnête. D'ailleurs, Ho Tae est celui qui assume ses sentiments, aussi douloureux que cela puisse être. Sa ténacité et sa volonté de bien faire sont émouvantes. Sa personnalité vient créer un joli contraste avec l'introverti et studieux Dong Hee (Do Woo). Calme et réservé, sa chambre est sobre, se partageant entre de vieilles récompenses et des livres appartenant à Ho Tae. Dong Hee est secret, distant, presque froid, mais au fond, c'est un jeune homme aux émotions à fleurs de peau qui n'a jamais eu la possibilité de les exprimer en toute liberté et sécurité. Il s'est enfermé lui-même et a probablement égaré la clé.
Les choses changent, les gens aussi. Les enfants insouciants sont devenus des lycéens prudents et réservés, parfois timides, parfois à l'aise. Pourtant, Ho Tae garde cette attitude décontractée, mais l'agitation dans son regard est perceptible. Au contraire de Dong Hee qui a été forcé de changer. L'histoire nous montre l'essentiel à son sujet, néanmoins, elle révèle aussi sa tendresse envers Ho Tae, subtile et légère, mais présente.
Le travail de Yang Kyue Hee ne cesse de me séduire. Sa façon de capturer les visages des acteurs tout en projetant des ambiances en accord avec leurs émotions est sensationnelle. Douces, intenses, franches ou innocentes, elles n'ont pas besoin de plus pour exister. La réalisatrice nous place toujours au plus près sans franchir la limite.
La fin de The Time of Fever sonne différemment à mes oreilles, parce que je connais également celle de Unintentional Love Story. Cependant, elle ne rend pas honneur aux personnages (idem pour le spin-off). Elle est libre d'interprétation et c'est le point réellement discutable pour moi. Ils méritaient d'avoir un véritable point final.
En bref, The Time of Fever est une jolie histoire portée par un casting sympathique, une photographie ravissante et une bande originale subtile, mais agréable.
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resenha
The Time of Fever (2024) foi uma experiência incrível! Mesmo sendo uma série mais curta, ela conseguiu ser absolutamente maravilhosa. Eu amei demais a história, os personagens, a química entre o casal principal, e a maneira como o enredo foi desenvolvido.O romance foi bem construído e cativante. A dinâmica entre os protagonistas fez com que eu ficasse imersa no drama desde o início, mesmo em um formato tão compacto. A série tem aquela vibe intensa, com a carga emocional certa, e consegue ser bastante eficaz em transmitir os sentimentos de forma profunda, mesmo com o tempo reduzido.
Quanto ao final, pode não ter sido o que eu esperava, mas não tenho nada contra. Pode não ter sido o final mais satisfatório ou grandioso, mas ele não diminuiu o quanto gostei do drama. Foi um desfecho que, apesar de simples, se encaixou bem no tom da série, e não deixou um gosto amargo.
No geral, The Time of Fever é uma daquelas pérolas que, apesar de sua duração curta, conseguem deixar uma impressão duradoura. Se você está em busca de um BL com muita emoção e uma química excelente, com certeza vale a pena assistir!
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