Buddy Boy (2024)

darker vertical mini series

Overall: this is a darker series with an unsatisfying ending. Watched for free on Shortime app, 46 episodes about 1.5 minutes each (episode 1-5 were free, I watched 6-10 with ads that showed under buying the passes, 11-15 with watching 10 ads on rewards page, daily random box and check in, fortune read and made it up to 18, it took 4 days to watch for free which wasn't bad) Shortime also has Falling For My Boss and The Secrets of Male Students both of which I liked better than Buddy Boy.

Content Warnings: attempted suicide, teacher/student relationship and grooming, child abuse, past death, non con kiss, non con picture taking, blackmail, manhandling, homophobia, slap, fight, beaten up, unwanted public outing

What I Liked
- how a characters age was given thru conversation
- bonding moments

Room For Improvement
- that teacher needed some major consequences
- cliche female character
- the ending was not satisfying (he tried to drown himself, other guy saves him and then that's the end)

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I’m still getting used to the vertical filming style. It kind of throws off the visuals and makes the story feel a bit less immersive. The series definitely isn’t flawless, but it still won me over thanks to the incredible acting, striking cinematography, and beautiful soundtrack. That’s why I’m giving it a solid 10. It was a true emotional rollercoaster.

The story is intense, with heavy scenes that are hard to digest. Jingu was the character who moved me the most. Beneath his confident exterior, there’s a quiet vulnerability that only starts to show when Yuho enters the picture. To me, he’s the most emotionally fragile of the three teens. The pain both Yuho and Jingu carry is so raw and well portrayed that I just wanted to shield them from the world’s cruelty.

I get that Rina also has her emotional scars, but I couldn’t feel any sympathy for her, her actions really got under my skin.

The biggest flaw of the series is that none of the storylines get enough time to fully develop, and the ending felt a bit unsatisfying, even though the message was beautiful. Still, compared to other series, it delivered a lot.

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