FC Soldout (2025)

I am tired of dramas giving me plot points, rather than plotlines.

I honestly do not understand why writers, directors, producers - anyone and everyone who has any say in the final product, are so stubborn into adding so many unnecessary plot lines and characters, when the majority of the short shows would work so much better with minimal effort, serving just the good vibes.

What I enjoyed about the show: the dynamics between the leads. The tiny twist to “enemies to lovers” trope was done in a refreshing way - adding both the tension and comedy depending on the situation. I liked how consistent the characters were. Best example - the difference in their dreams, and how it then corresponds to reality. Tiny details that just made sense. I liked how they both had clear internal issues they had to work through, and how they unintentionally helped each other deal with them.

I also liked the initial disagreements in the team based on their completely different goals and motivations. Them slowly starting to work together when they understood they can both benefit from cooperation was for sure one of the highlights.

And that would be enough for an 8 episode drama to be good. Focus and develop just these two aspects of the plot. But no, you need to make it more complex than it needs to be, add more unnecessary external drama. Create a huge issue just to solve it in 5 minutes. Why? I am tired of dramas giving me plot points, rather than plotlines. Nothing is developed or truly explained, because there is not time to do that.

I love how the poster makes it seem like it will focus on football, and have a rather big cast of important characters, when in reality the football did not matter at all and half of the people we see in the poster are there to fill the space so the locker room will not look too empty. They used their phones to film content more often than they kicked ball. Where was the balance?

The performances were rather good. Nothing too amazing, but I partially blame it on choppy editing and not so smooth storytelling. For a tiny budget it apparently had, the production was good. For sure did not stand out in a negative way compared to the majority of the other k-bl from the past few years.

Overall, it was not bad, but it was not good? The type of a show you won’t regret watching, but it’s not exactly something you would recommend others to watch either.

Read More

a BL with a soccer backdrop

Overall: it was entertaining. I wish they had reduced the number of characters/side plots to have more time for relationship progression. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI (U.S. for sure, not sure which other countries) https://www.iq.com/play/sqxdf59e7s?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4

Content Warnings: past non con picture taking/sharing, unwanted public outing

What I Liked
- visuals
- CEO was a decent antagonist (I really disliked him in episode 1)
- laughed a few times like when he hugged a standee and the difference between interview questions vs. real life
- caring moments
- really liked the captain and the idol
- nice dreams
- good kissing (ie no dead fish lip presses with blocked angles)

Room For Improvement
- the back and forth timeline in the beginning of episode 1
- one short flashback wasn't clear in episode 4
- too many couples, the third couple vanished
- introduced more antagonists, should have focused on the main characters
- nonsense: the plan/approach, how he didn't remember him from high school, did not appear to be enough players for their match

Read More

Rough production quality but the story and actors rocks

It’s apparent that this is a low-budget show but still managed to make the most out of it. As a viewer, you’ll feel uncomfortable by its bumpy beginning but will eventually used to its pacing. The introduction of the characters seems off too but they are all likable.

Korean BLs with multiple couples are rare these days and I am so happy to see not just one but three pairing in one show. They keep getting cuter every single episode. A sports drama with charismatic leads.

The light vibes were adorable and matched the energy between Ji Woo and Deok Won’s love story. They are just a fluffy pair with adorable scenes. The second couple is also doing great as I found myself smiling during their storyline. Special mention to the Captain’s sexy body.

As you noticed, they have a problem with executing a smooth sequence of plots. This sure created a bit of an underwhelming element to the overall enjoyment of watching but at the end of the day, I was entertained and that’s the most important factor.

Read More

First BL of 2025 for me!!!!

Seriously, I was lounging around to find something to watch and came across a tiktok video of this bl. Ngl, the premises hooked me up.

A sports BL with plot largely revolving around players. It was a nice concept. But the usual tradition of 8 episodes BL with 25 min each didn't give justice to the series. There were quite a few things that left neglected , which demanded more focus.

Besides that, if you are not into the complexities of football that much, this BL would just come out as a wholesome watch. It has everything from 'a fan meeting his idol' trope, love interest become each other's fan (lmao), comedy, sweet bickering and the feeling of having a first love.

Though the last point was not that detailed but it didn't leave any loopholes too. The pace is quite good as the story progressed.

Apart from it, I'm really impressed by the actor who played the role of Do Jiwoo (one of the protagonist) in the series. His acting is very commendable and despite being his first work, he really hooked the spectators.

Now as the last episode left, I am so excited for the main leads to be together and if possible, any sweet, little moments between them.

I believe if you want a cute, simple and silly watch for your leisure time, you can, without a doubt, click on to it.

Read More

Had promise, but turned out to be striclty timepass fluff

This had an unique setting with soccer players and actors coming together....I was intrigued...but it ends there...if you want to watch just for the fluff and good looking actors, you can.

BL-needle score: 7.5. Reasonably high BL-ness

This one had a lot of promise with an unique setting and premise- hot soccer players meet charming actors and icons...trying to jack up the fortunes of a fallen soccer team/club....but 2-3 episodes in, I realised that they had absolutely no plans to have any story whatsoever.... I did complete this, but with loooong gaps and a lot of skipping-through, and almost because I had already invested too much time into it...lol...the only thing I liked somewhat was the OST

Not recommended. But if you like looking at cute faces doing cute nothings, this could end up entertaining you.

Read More

A Fun Kickoff That Loses Its Game Plan

"FC Soldout" had such a fun and unique premise—imagine a struggling soccer team bought by an entertainment agency, replacing its skilled but "unmarketable" players with actors. It set the stage for an entertaining mix of sports, comedy, and romance, and for the first half, it delivered. But as the drama progressed, it lost focus, sidetracking into less engaging storylines instead of fully developing the relationships that made the show interesting in the first place.

Do Ji U & Yoo Gang Jae – The dynamic between a professional soccer player and his celebrity crush turned teammate was fun. Ji U secretly admiring Gang Jae while Gang Jae himself harbored a crush on him? Great setup! Their dynamic was enjoyable to watch. Especially when they were trying to hide the fact they were each other's secret fan!

Sun Bin & Taeyoung – Easily the best part of the drama! A former idol and a football captain? Perfect combination. Their chemistry was strong, their flirting was on point, and they definitely deserved more screen time. It genuinely felt like some of their scenes were cut, which is disappointing because they had so much potential. If anyone needs a spin-off, it's them!

The Third Couple – Were they even in the drama? They had a promising start but then completely disappeared. Instead of wasting time on unnecessary drama, the show should have developed their storyline. It feels like a wasted opportunity.

The Football Aspect
This is where things got messy. You don’t need to be a soccer expert to know that a proper match with only 7 players is unrealistic. The sports scenes felt cringeworthy, and it was clear that the focus wasn’t really on making the soccer aspect feel authentic. It was more of a background setting than a real part of the story.

The cast was undeniably handsome, but the acting? A bit stiff at times. Some emotional moments didn’t land as well as they should have, and while the chemistry was there for some couples, it wasn’t always convincing across the board.

Final Thoughts
FC Soldout was an entertaining watch with a fun concept, good romance, and great chemistry between some of the leads. However, it lost steam in the second half, and the lack of focus on certain couples was disappointing. The football scenes were also a bit ridiculous, and the acting could have been better. Still, if you’re looking for lighthearted fun with attractive leads, it’s worth a watch.

Read More

This, but fully developed

I love sports dramas. Absolutely love them and the setting for this one was much like every sports drama I love but so unlike them as well. A football team is purchased by an entertainment company and actors, idols and models from that company are soon on the player's roster of the football team.
The team's just been relegated, their teamwork is non - existant, and the new players have been brought in to improve the image of the team and help them get back into the spotlight but the thing is, the new players are not exactly pro - footballers.
Each of the leads have their own baggage, they're immediately at odds for some reason or the other and they have very interesting connections to each other.. the plot is writing itself.

But this is also the plot for a full length series, maybe an hour each episode. Eight 25 minute episodes are enough to make a complete story, but again, not with this many storylines.

I loved most of it, honestly, I binged the episodes in a day. The major plot was solid, a football team in dissaray, recently bought and gone through a major upheaval, teammates who don't get along well, players who can't play football and the necessity to get the team together before the next season.
And unlike other sports dramas, the entire focus here was on the players finding their own way, there wasn't a manager or a coach who was the lead rallying the team together.

And because of that, there was a huge ensemble cast, like I mentioned above, characters with their own aspirations, baggage and connections to other characters. They were extremely interesting characters as well, a ton of different personalities in one dressing room, and the best of them all were the leads.

I loved the leads. First, because they are a prime example of one of my recent favourite tropes: losers in love. Where they've been simping after each other for years, and have essentially fallen in love with each other minutes after they meet officially. Their enemies to lovers storyline mixed with the losers in love energy, paired with the insane chemistry the actors had made for a great love story. The characters were written in a way that they complemented each other when they were together and supported each other as individuals and I just really loved them together.
The other two (almost) couples were also very sweet to watch, and I really would've loved to see more of them together, because they were developed, but not fully.

Developed, but not fully, that was the only problem with the series. The huge ensemble cast didn't really get the character development I wanted them to, and neither did the major plot. In a bid to tie up all the loose ends within the plot, they ensured that every conflict and character who could be a potential loose end, only to tie everything up within minutes of them being introduced.

That was my only complaint if I'm being honest, that tags along on the back of a bigger complaint, asking that plots and plotlines be more developed, especially when they have this kind of potential. I still very much enjoyed the series and would gladly recommend for a light and short watch.

Read More

A comedy K-BL with obvious flaws, but its heart in the right place

Here we have a comedy K-BL, which is quite rare. There is a level of absurdity that's not in the usually more grounded K-BLs. If you were to find a comparison point for the comedy, I'd compare it to Choco Milk Shake.

This is fun. There isn't a lot of drama, and even when it gets tense, it's still light-hearted. You get a hint of that Cityboy_log's writing style, where they dealt with a problem very swiftly, sometimes just moving on without really addressing them. But I think it's for the better. They know some things don't make much real world sense, and rather than wasting precious airtime trying to make them make sense, they just move on and focus on the romance, which is what we BL fans are here for anyway.

The first couple is super cute. For most of the show, their relationship actually moves very slowly. But their antics is where most of the comedy is from. So while slow, they're entertaining in their own way.

The second couple, meanwhile, moves fast. They don't get a lot of airtime, but they use it efficiently. All their scenes are romantically significant, and you really get that sense of progress every episode. So it's no wonder many people care more about them than the first couple.

The rest of the cast were underutilised, and they frankly casted too many people. I'm sure if they shift the scripts around, they really only need 5, maybe 6, people in the soccer team. But I know they just want to make use of the Cityboy_log's cast en banc. I'm aware that this can be annoying, especially for those who thought we'd get a third couple. But eh, the fact that Jaejun and Jeonggyu got to took of their shirts once is enough reason for them to be here lol.

By the end, everything is concluded, uh... nicely? It's concluded, all right. Whether nicely or not, that's debatable. But the romance does concludes satisfyingly. And what else do we need from a BL?

Read More