Charbonnel

Finished it and this was so adorable and heartwarming, definitely a comfort show. Struggled with the first 3 episodes but after that it was smooth sailing, nothing felt over- or undercooked. Music, acting, and chemistry were all lovely. There wasn’t and completely unnecessary shenanigans thrown in either. Lovely drama.

The flow of dramas is pretty consistent…the difficulty is access. Japan doesn’t target the international market often, if ever, and so has no interest in localising. So a vast majority of Japanese dramas don’t get official distributors or licensing overseas and hence, unless it’s on Netflix or one of the other platforms (such as Viki), you’ve either got to speak Japanese or get lucky and find a fansubber. Most Japanese shows fly under the radar on MDL (thinking of a couple favourites of mine there too).

Japan has more old BL than any other MDL region and has a decent number of BL films, but I’d advise caution with films that have it, since some can be pretty traumatic viewing if you don’t do your research. However, they never switched to pumping it out the way Thailand, Taiwan, and Korea do today. The closest we got was Drama Shower (with shows like Taikan Yoho, Ameiro Paradox, Jack O’Frost, and more), but that was a 2-year limited project. This is the first time in around 3 years as I recall that there’s zero Japanese BL airing.

Meawhile, Kdramas and Thai BL are examples of very much targeting global audiences and localisation, so the vast majority are easy to find.

Edit: I’ve been wishing for more GL for years and finally it’s starting to trickle through. Thailand has plenty but the other regions, not yet. Call Me By No Name was good though.

Did I struggle with the first three episodes? Yes. yes I did. However, by the end of episode 4 I’ve really grown to like the show. Initially there was enough going on with the side characters to keep me going, but Sakura is slowly growing on me. I’m curious about Kisugi sensei’s headspace, the quietly unkind Sakai, and Ryuko & Nishi. Ryuko & Nishi very much bringing more feel-good vibes whenever either of them is onscreen.

That often isn’t the case unless you’re sticking to some specific rom-rom subgenres, in shoujo and more classic style Jdramas like this, it’s common, but there’s plenty of Japanese drama romances where that isn’t the case (especially in their darker and more mature themed dramas). If you’d like some recommendations that don’t have the childlike vs mature gap, I’d be happy to share

I get it not being your cup of tea though, since it isn’t mine either. Although I can say having got to the end of episode 4 that I like this show, I did struggle through the first three episodes. I stay away from shoujo dramas for this very reason usually. I prefer relationships where both parties are competent adults in dramas.

Anyone looking for the song at the end of episode 7 - it’s Secret Relationship by ONHA (비밀사이 by 온하). Hope this helps!

A week may have passed since this ended and I’m still hopelessly obsessed. This hasn’t been my state of mind post-drama for a WHILE. This delivered quite literally everything I was wanting in a KBL, so it being over is devastating. I’m enjoying the behind the scenes, interviews, radio show, and all the other promotional content too.

It’s released! Secret Relationship by ONHA (비밀사이 by 온하)

The bridge scene in episode 6 really moved me. That whole thing was beautifully shot with the right music and struck me right in the heart.

I haven’t seen The Time of Fever but the rest of those I’ve seen and are all very deserving of recognition. Also THAT MANY people scores Semantic Error? I didn’t know it was that big - I knew it’s deservedly popular but 51k+? Wow.

Suhyeon coming to his senses was very well done. A very solid first project for Cha Jung Woo. I like his performance and how he is off-camera so I hope to see more of him in future~

I also think that in that moment where Seonghyeon jumped in, Suhyeon realised what love really looks like (answer being: selfless), and then with what Jaemin said to him, he’s going to go away and grow and mature. That makes me happy. Give him a few years and I can imagine him eventually able to find his own happiness.

Jaemin is criminally insane, as we all know, and I don’t think he needed elaborating on. He doesn’t have a special background and the fact he got so far without getting himself in legal trouble is impressive. So where he ended up is enough.

Seonghyeon could not have been better casted, his very sweet eye smiles and the tenderness in his demeanour suit the character perfectly. I love that he’s a statement about love in so many ways. Love is something that can be given without asking for anything in return, it doesn’t have to be the strongest or the loudest, it doesn’t have to involve grand gestures or publicity, and yet it’s honest, forgiving, and kind. Even in a show with so much drama (excitingly so) I can enjoy the inclusion of such a strong positive message.

The only critique I can throw at this show is: you couldn’t not let there be a past meeting between Seonghyeon and Daon that ALSO predates Jaemin and Suhyeon, but oh well. The show is so well done I’ll happily let that cliché slide.

Love In The Big City perhaps? That one had a lot of passionate ones, albeit I’d be lying if I said I recall every single one in that show (there’s plenty).

And an old one but Long Time No See (2017) also managed it as I recall, and that’s from before KBL became a thing.

They’ve come such a long way since the early days of Mr. Heart and Where Your Eyes Linger (before that any BL was rare and usually dark). One of the old ones I remember fondly, You Make Me Dance, starred Cha Jung Woo’s (played Suhyeon) older brother, so I thought that was a funny little link! Both siblings kicked off their acting careers in BL.

I don’t like giving out 10s too often but this one it was easy. Every single second of the show was engaging, the storytelling was done with creativity and skill, the performances of everyone deserve a standing ovation. So incredibly glad I watched this wild ride, and I love that it chose to have meaning. They also gave the perfect amount of time to the ending in my opinion, didn’t make it so long it dragged, didn’t leave me cut short.

If anyone knows the song that played at the end of episode 7 I would LOVE to know. It shows up again in episode 8 but not at the end.

When I realised the start was meant to be his 18th birthday I couldn’t hold it in. He looks great, but under 21? 🥴

Just watched episode one and oooooh brother do the special effects take me out 🤣 I literally said over 5 years ago I wanted Joss and Gawin in a show together, but I cannot handle supernatural for the life of me. I’ll try 😵‍💫

I think the craziest part of the series is the end of episode flashbacks. Whoever came up with this storytelling idea is insane…it is done so well that these double the impact of the show. The exact scenes they’re choosing to put at the end of each episode and how they perfectly contrast where we are now, while providing exposition.

I love these flashbacks because it saves from a draggy exposition episode or two and in this case, really serves to highlight how little we the viewers (effectively given Daon’s perspective in the beginning) really know about their past. It compounds the storytelling because of the depth it gives to the background in a way that simply characters mentioning past events couldn’t match. In particular what I love is how the flashbacks are going in opposite directions - Jaemin who was portrayed more innocently in initial flashbacks, progressively darkening; while Suhyeon, who seemed questionable at best in the initial flashbacks, more innocent than he seemed at first.

That Christmas flashback was both jarring and extremely effective. It’s quite clear whose wish is whose as Jaemin conveniently diverts the curious eyes of Suhyeon just before he’d have read it. Suhyeon, even while at that point fake dating Jaemin, still made such a pure and innocent wish along with Daon, while Jaemin’s truly exposed his inner nature - which is strange indeed considering how calculated he usually is.

I don’t know how people would feel about this take but I’m saying this purely based upon the drama as a non-manga reader. I wholeheartedly believe that if Suhyeon and Daon had met with no Jaemin (or a non-toxic one) in the picture, they could have had a pretty healthy relationship. Suhyeon’s heart was quite clearly open and gentle in the early days and he wasn’t poisoned by Jaemin’s dark, possessive, and controlling ways of feeling. I don’t believe it would ever work with who Suhyeon has become, but it’s hard to dismiss the innocence of the past.

In whichever way I slice it, I have enjoyed every second of this show so far, nobody’s performance bores me and it doesn’t feel like anyone is in desperate need of more screentime. The character writing and the performances of the actors really are a driving force here, I could enjoy any story and outcome with characters this well written and performances this strong.

Vegas has come to mind while watching this for this exact reason…characters can be enjoyed without it meaning you condone their actions, especially when well written and performed. Why else would anyone watch psycho thrillers for example? (I for one, love a well done psychological thriller. Well written evil can be fascinating to watch.)

Generally I’ve noticed MDL has grown exponentially the past 4 years and put the comment section shenanigans down to that. Open minded discussions can be fun and are why I used to comment more.

You know what? Regardless of everyone’s feelings on the show, who else has seen the behind the scenes? Because you can’t tell me that the behind the scenes aren’t wholesome and sweet. The cast get on really well and seeing such a good vibe between takes is really nice to see, especially considering some of the heavier scenes in the show so far. It’s also hilarious how bubbly Cha Jungwoo (who plays Suhyeon) is when the camera isn’t rolling, brings me joy and cracks me up a bit.

I’ll start off with an apology as I wrote that comment around 2am, I promise I’m a sane human being. I also agree and wasn’t trying to imply anything positive (from a relationship standpoint) has happened since Suhyeon’s return from the US.

I do agree and recognise that Suhyeon’s actions are violent - I was more trying to get at the fact he’s only been severely violent (to the point of major injuries to another person) once, from what we know. Doesn’t mean the other acts of violence aren’t also violent, and the assault in ep6 was hard to watch.

What I am enjoying is the puzzle of where it went wrong - as the flashbacks paint a different picture. Yes, he’s always been a more physical type that invades Daon’s space, but the violence only appeared initially when Daon was in danger. Since then, Suhyeon has (likely due to knowing of Jaemin’s antics on a surface level) used the threat of violence with just enough physical force to back it up to force outcomes he wants from Daon. Not okay at all, but an interesting decision. There is one scene in particular where I felt that it was clear Suhyeon didn’t want things to be the way the are, with him behaving like a villain to get his way, and I think the threat was an attempt to end that. The problem is he has to recognise that the situation is irreparable and move on, and I hope that’s what he was getting to when he told Daon about Jaemin.

In this exact same way I would like to know more about Jaemin’s past - I want to know what made him what he is, or if he was always like this. Suhyeon has most definitely not done a single loving thing since his return - because if he truly loved Daon in a healthy way, he’d root for his happiness with whomever Daon wanted to be with.

Edit: Typo

I’m not one to appreciate plot spoilers, but I am so thankful for this one. This just makes me love Seonghyeon all the more, and makes him a rare gem - especially in stories like this where often the green flag will eventually give up. Thank you.

I love this observation so much. I also adore that Seonghyeon doesn’t jump to conclusions and truly takes a mature step back from things in spite of being the youngest of them all. He doesn’t let gossip or the views of others affect anything either, which is brave. He doesn’t try to be better in any way, which the other two always had - but in doing this he becomes the best, because he pays attention to Daon and can see through when he’s being puppeteered by the other two.