Im so glad the angsty and problematic phase in LND was resolved between ep 6 and 10 and now we are getting only sweet episodes. Its always better to address issues early on and then enjoy the sweeter moments, rather than having the sweet moments first and facing the angst after ep 10. When the leads are reunited in a rushed way in the final episode, it often leaves viewers with a very unsatisfying experience, which is what most kdramas tend to do.
Done with the first two episodes and i absolutely loved it. The leads share an undeniably beautiful chemistry and their flashback scenes in japan were both adorable and visually stunning. In contrast, the present day scenes set in korea are filled with well executed angst though they sometimes comes off as mood killer after the sweet flashback moments from japan.
Kentaro really stood out for me in this drama. While i have seen him before in Netflix's movie The Parades, his character didnt appealed me as much as he does here. I think his puppy like charm worked for me in this role. Lee Seyoung's japanese was quite fluent and she did overall good job here.
S2 was slightly better than S1. The first half was incredibly boring and i found myself feeling sleepy while watching it. However, things picked up in the second half with Lady Maeda's return. It started to get interesting around E5 but it still didnt fully satisfy me.
The love story always felt forced even from S1. I never understood when or how the leads fell in love and their romance continued to feel unnatural in S2 as well.
This was one of the best written youth romance BLs i have seen. From start to finish, the writing was coherent and excellent. While the pacing was slow, it allowed the characters and their situations to be thoroughly established. The slow burn was handled exceptionally well here.
What stood out to me was the portrayal of the characters internal conflicts and emotional struggles especially Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian. At just 17 years old, their confusion and emotional turmoil felt really genuine, capturing the complexity of adolescence.
Both Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian are burdened by their pasts and their gradual connection, as they learn to understand each other and provide a sense of belonging is one of the series most heartfelt elements. Their journey toward healing, both individually and together was beautifully executed.
One particular scene that made long lasting effect from the series was the parallel between Sheng Wang witnessing his two male teachers kissing and child Jiang Tian seeing his father with another man. The impact of these moments was conveyed brilliantly. While Sheng Wang, seeing two men kiss at the right age, realized his feelings for Jiang Tian, Jiang Tian’s childhood experience of seeing his father making out with another man traumatized him for life. This scene speaks volumes about the lasting effects of these experiences.
The angst in the final two episodes was really well executed. I liked that the series didnt rush into a conclusion where Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian end up together, acknowledging that they still have more growing to do. Im sure S2 is on the way and im excited to see their relationship continue to evolve.
Lastly Gao Tianyang was easily my most favorite character from this series. He was such an outgoing and outspoken character, always lightening the mood with his antics. If anyone had a friend like him they would never have a dull moment in life.
What is there even to demean about him?? He's already demeaned himself. Sorry, but you really made me laugh with your statement. By the way, you defending him says a lot about you too.
Just because you didnt enjoy it, and others did, doesnt mean people are uprating or praising it because of his…
His fangirls?? Where?? Bruh, he hardly have 84k followers on insta, he isnt evn that popular and you are calling uprating and praises are because of his fangirls?? Please make little sense.
Just because you didnt liked E7-8 doesnt mean other also needs to have same opinion as you. Not everyone is gonna think like you. Acfept it & move on.
Until just now, I was ignorant of Rei's status as a J-pop idol in the boy group ONE N' ONLY, the makers of such…
Just because you didnt enjoy it, and others did, doesnt mean people are uprating or praising it because of his idol status. In fact, most people arent even aware of his background, as jpop isnt as widely known as kpop. If you actually read the reviews, you will see that almost all of the praises are focused on the story, not his idol image. So stop delusioning yourself that people like it just because of that.
Its fine if you didnt enjoy it but dont belittle other people’s opinions.
For the record, i had no idea he was an idol and i have never listened to his music or jpop, yet i wholeheartedly love the series, just like many others.
Your statement, "his awareness of having no future" really got me thinking. Throughout the drama, we've seen that…
Chihiro struggled with low self esteem due to his past. The way society, especially his own people(his father, brother, boyfriend) treated him for being gay contributed to his feelings. He was ready to accept being someone else's trash because he had started to view himself that way. The people in his life reinforced this perception. In one of the episodes, Haoren tried to help him realize his self worth but he didnt articulate it properly. He said, "Do you want to be someone's trash or a moving sex toy??" Here, Haoren was trying to help Chihiro recognize his worth, but his approach was not correct. Chihiro realized this to some extent but not fully, which explains his actions in E7.
G’day. You can ignore my question if it’s too much. And you do not have to explain anything. I get it. Anyway…
No need to apologise.
Happy of the end means feeling satisfied with the conclusion of situation or experience. This title suggests that despite the protagonists experiencing significant pain and suffering throughout their journey, they ultimately reach a satisfying conclusion. This title emphasizes resilience, growth and the idea that enduring hardships can lead to a rewarding resolution.
Difference between HE & Happy of The End: happy ending refers to the nature of the story’s conclusion itself, while happy of the end would refer to the emotional response or feelings about that conclusion like feeling satisfied about the ending.
For me, it was in-keeping with his character and made sense in that way. Having said that, I can get why it may…
I know why that scene was written and executed in that particular way. It actually aligns with his character, if he had committed suicide out of guilt, it would have seemed more out of character and made no sense. But still i found that scene hilarious.
Your statement, "his awareness of having no future" really got me thinking. Throughout the drama, we've seen that…
Actually, when i said "his awareness of having no future," it has a different meaning here. Throughout the drama, Haoren felt like a very empty character. He was bearing enormous pain to the point of feeling nothing. He was living just for the sake of living, there was no meaning & he knew he had no future.
Even a little push could have led him to do something unthinkable (like how he tried to commit suicide from time to time) if Chihiro hadnt given him hope to live. In the final episode, when he was enjoying his moments with Chihiro, he was still empty and aware that he had no future, no matter what he did.
But i also agree with the points you made. Chihiro is actually successful, and its all because of Haoren's help. Haoren is living because of the hope Chihiro has given him. They truly healed each other to some degree, but Haoren still really needs medical help. He has healed to some extent but the shadows of his past must still be haunting him. Until he gets proper medical help, i dont think he will fully recover. He may never fully recover from the trauma he faced but medical help can help him to a greater extent.
Man, i despised that maya character with all my heart but his suicide scene was just hilarious. I couldnt stop laughing. Imean, it should have been a satisfying scene but instead i found it hilarious, lol.
Dark, depressive and deeply unsettling yet painfully beautiful, this encapsulates the feeling of this drama. The final two episodes were again heartbreaking and there were moments where i couldnt hold back my tears. Haoren’s hallucinations of Chihiro blaming him, his awareness of having no future, yet still trying to enjoy their time together and his eventual walk into the sea to end his life were truly devastating scenes.
The show was packed with heartbreaking and triggering moments but its portrayal of the grim reality of japan's adult industry was really well done. It was often difficult to watch, dealing with sensitive topics like child abuse, prostitution, SM, rape and violence.
Both main characters were deeply complex. They felt hollow throughout most of the story, merely existing for the sake of survival. When they found each other, they gained a faint hope but the shadows of their tragic pasts made it hard to move forward.
Although i liked the ending, i have to admit i would have preferred a more tragic conclusion, as it would have felt more fitting. Nonetheless, after surviving such traumatic events, they deserved that small glimpse of happiness in the end. I also liked the 3 year time skip, as it gave them much needed space to heal before starting fresh. The ending finally offers hope that, from then on they can start on fresh note which captures the title of the drama, Happy of The End, in the best way possible.
Love Next Door achieved its highest ratings yet with Episode 12. Nationwide, it reached 7.348% and in the Metropolis, it hit 8.270%, the highest so far for the series.
They have just started dating, like not even day has passed and you want them to tell everyone that they are dating??…
I think the issue isnt with the translation but more with language. Words for sex in native languages often sound too vulgar to be used directly on national television, which is watched by families. Most of us dont even use such words openly unless we're with friends.
You can see these kinds of vulgar words being used openly in OTT/web dramas because OTT is an individual viewing medium, unlike television, which is watched by families. And this is a primetime weekend drama on the cable TV channel, tvN.
They have just started dating, like not even day has passed and you want them to tell everyone that they are dating??…
We just refer to sex as 'bad' or 'unhealthy' thoughts but that doesnt mean we actually think its bad. There is a difference. Its just that we are still not open minded enough to say the native word for sex openly. Let me explain: in many asian languages, the word for sex sounds so vulgar and harsh that we often replace it with something else or an equivalent term because you cant imagine how bad it sounds. In English, sex can sound cool and sophisticated, but thats not the case with our native languages. I cant even think of the word for sex in my native language without it sounding terrible, even in my thoughts. Its the same for Korean. So, we try to replace these words in conversation, but thats purely for communication. We dont actually mean that sex is bad.
On the other hand, the whole bullfighting issue is completely different from how we refer to sex as bad thoughts. In bullfighting, animals get harmed, so yes, you should hate it. In my culture, there are also ill practices that i passionately oppose, just like you do with bullfighting.
1 
Kentaro really stood out for me in this drama. While i have seen him before in Netflix's movie The Parades, his character didnt appealed me as much as he does here. I think his puppy like charm worked for me in this role. Lee Seyoung's japanese was quite fluent and she did overall good job here.
The love story always felt forced even from S1. I never understood when or how the leads fell in love and their romance continued to feel unnatural in S2 as well.
Season 1: 7/10
Season 2: 7.5/10
To know the ending, read the spoiler below 👇.
This was one of the best written youth romance BLs i have seen. From start to finish, the writing was coherent and excellent. While the pacing was slow, it allowed the characters and their situations to be thoroughly established. The slow burn was handled exceptionally well here.
What stood out to me was the portrayal of the characters internal conflicts and emotional struggles especially Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian. At just 17 years old, their confusion and emotional turmoil felt really genuine, capturing the complexity of adolescence.
Both Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian are burdened by their pasts and their gradual connection, as they learn to understand each other and provide a sense of belonging is one of the series most heartfelt elements. Their journey toward healing, both individually and together was beautifully executed.
One particular scene that made long lasting effect from the series was the parallel between Sheng Wang witnessing his two male teachers kissing and child Jiang Tian seeing his father with another man. The impact of these moments was conveyed brilliantly. While Sheng Wang, seeing two men kiss at the right age, realized his feelings for Jiang Tian, Jiang Tian’s childhood experience of seeing his father making out with another man traumatized him for life. This scene speaks volumes about the lasting effects of these experiences.
The angst in the final two episodes was really well executed. I liked that the series didnt rush into a conclusion where Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian end up together, acknowledging that they still have more growing to do. Im sure S2 is on the way and im excited to see their relationship continue to evolve.
Lastly Gao Tianyang was easily my most favorite character from this series. He was such an outgoing and outspoken character, always lightening the mood with his antics. If anyone had a friend like him they would never have a dull moment in life.
9.5/10
By the way, you defending him says a lot about you too.
Just because you didnt liked E7-8 doesnt mean other also needs to have same opinion as you. Not everyone is gonna think like you. Acfept it & move on.
Its fine if you didnt enjoy it but dont belittle other people’s opinions.
For the record, i had no idea he was an idol and i have never listened to his music or jpop, yet i wholeheartedly love the series, just like many others.
Happy of the end means feeling satisfied with the conclusion of situation or experience. This title suggests that despite the protagonists experiencing significant pain and suffering throughout their journey, they ultimately reach a satisfying conclusion. This title emphasizes resilience, growth and the idea that enduring hardships can lead to a rewarding resolution.
Difference between HE & Happy of The End: happy ending refers to the nature of the story’s conclusion itself, while happy of the end would refer to the emotional response or feelings about that conclusion like feeling satisfied about the ending.
Even a little push could have led him to do something unthinkable (like how he tried to commit suicide from time to time) if Chihiro hadnt given him hope to live. In the final episode, when he was enjoying his moments with Chihiro, he was still empty and aware that he had no future, no matter what he did.
But i also agree with the points you made. Chihiro is actually successful, and its all because of Haoren's help. Haoren is living because of the hope Chihiro has given him. They truly healed each other to some degree, but Haoren still really needs medical help. He has healed to some extent but the shadows of his past must still be haunting him. Until he gets proper medical help, i dont think he will fully recover. He may never fully recover from the trauma he faced but medical help can help him to a greater extent.
Dark, depressive and deeply unsettling yet painfully beautiful, this encapsulates the feeling of this drama. The final two episodes were again heartbreaking and there were moments where i couldnt hold back my tears. Haoren’s hallucinations of Chihiro blaming him, his awareness of having no future, yet still trying to enjoy their time together and his eventual walk into the sea to end his life were truly devastating scenes.
The show was packed with heartbreaking and triggering moments but its portrayal of the grim reality of japan's adult industry was really well done. It was often difficult to watch, dealing with sensitive topics like child abuse, prostitution, SM, rape and violence.
Both main characters were deeply complex. They felt hollow throughout most of the story, merely existing for the sake of survival. When they found each other, they gained a faint hope but the shadows of their tragic pasts made it hard to move forward.
Although i liked the ending, i have to admit i would have preferred a more tragic conclusion, as it would have felt more fitting. Nonetheless, after surviving such traumatic events, they deserved that small glimpse of happiness in the end. I also liked the 3 year time skip, as it gave them much needed space to heal before starting fresh. The ending finally offers hope that, from then on they can start on fresh note which captures the title of the drama, Happy of The End, in the best way possible.
9.5/10
Nationwide, it reached 7.348% and in the Metropolis, it hit 8.270%, the highest so far for the series.
You can see these kinds of vulgar words being used openly in OTT/web dramas because OTT is an individual viewing medium, unlike television, which is watched by families. And this is a primetime weekend drama on the cable TV channel, tvN.
On the other hand, the whole bullfighting issue is completely different from how we refer to sex as bad thoughts. In bullfighting, animals get harmed, so yes, you should hate it. In my culture, there are also ill practices that i passionately oppose, just like you do with bullfighting.