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A nice break from the hustle and bustle of it all

Whilst most BL's focus on the falling in love and all the intense emotions connected, What Did You Eat Yesterday, allows us to just relax and take a break with some wonderful characters living their low-stakes lives. You won't get the tearful love confession in the rain, but you will get some sweet moments and great recipes. It's just overall a lovely show you can relax to, it's sincere and you can just feel the steadiness of the relationship between Kenji and Shiro, which makes it non-stressful when they bicker at times. If you're looking for some more 'grown up' queer centric stories this is a great one (and might just give you some inspiration for what to cook next).

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What the hell was this?

Yet another bodyguard romance which fell flat. I was very much looking forward to Lingling and Orm’s new show, as I did enjoy ‘Secret of Us’ (2024), but what the hell was this? The plot is boring, the show looks terrible, and there is seemingly only one song on the soundtrack that is just repeated in every episode. The pet peeve which I just could not let go of, was how Tawan (Lingling) was styled. She is a bodyguard yet she is in strapless tops, the biggest blazers you have ever seen and heels. It seemed like no one behind the scenes cared about this show, and just expected Lingling and Orm’s popularity to carry it. I was so dissapointed.

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Could have been great

Let me start off by saying that this is a beautiful show, the budget was certainly there, and I appreciate them going all out. But my praise stops soon after that. The plot is fully nonsensical, the show seems to be having an identity crisis not knowing what it wants to be. The characters were paperthin, Charan especially, he was just so bland. NuNew and Zee have plenty of chemistry but nothing to do with it. The side couple has such an interesting dynamic but they have too little screen time to explore it. It is hard to explain how a show that has so much happening is still so boring.

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I think the reason this show ended up falling flat for me, was perhaps due to the stellar reviews I read on MDL - which set my expectations very high. So if like me, you're coming into this thinking it's going to be a psychological thrill ride, like none you've ever seen before, it will probably end up disappointing you.

The first six episodes (so almost all of the show) are all very slow, and the character building feels un-organic and added on. I can not stress how slow this show moves, even in the more 'thriller' like scenes, the editing cuts down the pace.

I will say that the last two episodes, the last one especially, were the highlight of the show. Finally bringing some of the psychological thriller elements that I had been waiting for - especially the ending was a highlight for me.

Another issue I found, was that the characters weren't likable, especially the main character Moo Yul, who was like watching a wall act. I don't think the problem there was Baek Sung Hyun's performance, instead the character Moo Yul was just incredibly boring.

Some things I did like about the show: The story line/idea of it all, though it wasn't executed as well as it could have. The soundtrack was amazing and really fit the vibe of the show. The cast really did their best with the material especially Kim Sang Kyung. And the visuals were great as well.

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Ugh

I wanted to love this so bad. An all women dating show? Fuck yeah, sign me up! I was kicking my feet and cheering through the first two episodes, and then- then all the fucking behind the scenes drama started coming out. We could not get through one episode without something new coming out, to the point where they fully cut one of the contestants (Riwon) out. It seemed to have been a complete mess from the production team. If you have such strict opinions as to who you feature on the show, then vet them properly before starting production. Other reality tv shows make it so that contestants can’t comment on the show until it finishes airing, why in the world did they not put that in the contracts? Everything became about the behind the scenes drama which was handled so poorly that it was almost laughable.

I hope we get more queer/lesbian dating shows in the future, and hopefully they will be made by more competent people.

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That hurt

Rarely has a piece of media stuck to my brain in the way that Journey to the Shore has.

From the very get go I was invested in these two's relationship and their dynamic. How had they first fallen for each other? When did they start dating? You are immediately put into an established dynamic that only grows clearer by the minute. I truly felt for Ming Ha, wanting to rally around him whenever the world and the bullies around him put him down for being gay. He seemed so strong and ready to stand up for himself and his identity, so surely the world will respond positively to that? Right? But I was constantly reminded of the truth of the situation by way of Sang Bum, as well as the scars on Ming Ha.
Just because someone seems strong and keeps their head up, does not mean that they don't feel pain, even if we don't see it.

Sang Bum was not ready to be an out gay/queer teenager and thus feels stuck in between his love for Ming Ha and the desire to keep his head down and go through school life not being a target for bullying. So even though it breaks his heart he needs to break up with Ming Ha to avoid the homophobia of the school. And the way Ming Ha keeps his head up, holds Sang Bum as he cries, and even makes jokes - just twisted the knife in my heart even deeper.

I truly commend these two actors, they really put in a great performance.

The ending... oh god the ending. To the very end I was holding out for a happy end. I was biting my nails hoping for a 'Ten years later' and the two are happily married and everything is great. But that's not the story being told. The story being told was about two kids facing bullying, and each just trying to survive and holding onto their identity. Sang Bum got out, Ming Ha didn't.

The choice of not directly telling the audience what happened to Ming Ha, does not stop one from putting the pieces together.

It's a beautifully shot, wonderfully acted film, that tells a pretty painful story but remains impactful.

(also want to add that right after this 'the one that got away' by Katy Perry came up on shuffle and I cried like a baby)

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