Jibug

People who don't know that this drama exists...I feel bad for them.

I can't stress enough how truely sad I am to know that there are people who dont know this drama exists. It bothers me because of how utterly beautiful this drama is and it deserves recognition. I truely believe this has raised the standard for the entire BL industry. It's just masterful storytelling. Every detail in this drama is amplified. The subtle movements, the light touch of fingers, and the knowing looks, is just absolutely STUNNING to see on screen. Actors Im Ji Sub and Oh Jun Taek have the ability to communicate their story with just a single look. It's such a quiet drama yet the tension and the desire between the two speak volumes. The absence of dialogue is poignant. When dialogue fails them and when words arent sufficient enough, it doesnt matter, there's no need for words as you can still feel the raw emotions as it's so overwhelming loud. This is what makes this drama unique to me. It's because of it's delivery. It's damn good acting with a damn good script. It's as simple as that yet incredibly hard to accomplish. This is my first 10 star review on MDL and not just for BLs but my first 10 star drama in general. It's that good. So if you are hesitanting, there is no need. This is the pinacle right here. I wouldn’t be surprised if this drama ends up picking up wins during award season.

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Im glad I put aside my initial bias to give this drama a chance

I felt very uneasy watching this drama, but I know its supposed to be that way and part of me is glad that I set aside my hesitation to watch this drama. There is daddy and mommy issues all up on this thing. On the surface you see attraction between the male leads with a significant age gap among other taboos that is pretty messed up. Its hard to swallow. Its disturbing. But I put that aside in this case because this drama isnt about romance at all. If we were to follow the metaphor layed out, there is no doubt here. The leads would never be together. But underneath that it goes beyond the individual but the ideologies that Wang and In represents. You have these two very different people of differing generations sharing the same trauma. You watch as Wang and In get entangled in philosophical questioning. They lay out their statements and pick apart each other's arguments challenging each other's words. For Wang, he wholeheartedly fights without hesitation. He has conviction and passion and stands by his beliefs. He gets frustrated and angry and doesnt understand why loving a man is an issue. He wants to travel beyond his resting coordinates. Above all, he holds his truth and embodies it and lets the world see it. There is a beautiful scene that stuck out to me in the drama where Wang reaches out his hand over In's heart trying to will that belief into him. He so badly wants In to adopt his worldview, to accept his feelings and his identity . To me, I see this as Wang represented by his generation trying so hard to convince the prior generation to change. Wang gives the world he inhereted from his father to In. The globe now in his care, its up to In to decide on how to proceed forward. He responds to Wang by encouraging him to stick with his beliefs, follow his instincts, and use his talents for good.

In's perspective is filled with trauma. His sees the world differently and explaining this here would be a big spoiler, so to put it simply you learn to understand why each character make their choices. In cant move on from the past and Wang accepts this. If In adopted this worldview earlier on. If society wasnt so messed up back then. If he felt safe enough to express his love for another man in the past, he wouldve led a happy life with the love of his life. If that happened, Wang probably wouldnt have been born. His existence came out of his In's heartbreak and his parent's broken relationships. The age gap has a purpose here. I dont think the messaging here is to accept the age gap which is why in this case Im putting that aside. It never comes to fruition. Its in the name of the title. They discuss parallel lines never meeting. The messaging is to examine the victims of this messed up society. That if we hold onto the past and if we dont let go of those ideologies, it hurts people. Therefore if we follow this metaphor... Wang accepts the failure. He is unable to convince the prior generation to adopt his worldview but it isnt defeat. After all given his age, time is on his side. His generation and the following will craft the future in the hopes that they can show them all what a better world could look like. An optimistic perspective for a very pessimistic outlook in that things might not change but at least its worth trying.

The acting in this is phenomenal. Im really looking forward to watching more from these actors. The drama is slow moving and introspective which might not be for everyone. But, overall I liked what i saw. The cinematography is gorgeous. Considering that In is an architect, the set design is very intentional. His house is very refelective of him to the smallest detail. Wide open windows to the isolated woods he lives in. Even the Rectangular and square geometric shapes in the background including glassware and lampshades. He is living in the safety of his own box scared to wander outside of it. The drama makes use of his room divider that mimics bars of a cell. The muted gray earthtone colors for his cave...the list goes on. Very well done but I would probably not rewatch it. Lol. Its very uncomfortable to watch the first time around and quite sad at the end. Anyway a solid drama for me that is unlike any other BL I have ever watched.

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The actors carried the show

This remake is faaaaaar superior to the original En of Love: Love Mechanics that came out in 2020, which was a follow up to Tossara. The original had restraints with limited episodes and resources. So, this remake had an advantage. Of course there are many differences, but the general plot thred remained relatively the same for both versions. I’m pointing this out because quite frankly the plot sucks and annoyed me so much that it was excruciating to watch the original version. So, I had bias coming into this. Yet with the remake, the main leads and their chemistry had me hooked. I was still annoyed by the plot and the unnecessary wedges created between the 2 leads amongst other issues. For example the issue with consent is still here and it didn’t make sense how Ploy is getting the brunt of the shame when Vee also cheated on her. But besides all that, the lead actors made the show watchable for me to the point where I actually enjoyed it which is saying a lot since the original version was so bad. I was truely astounded by their performance and at times it left me in awe. Both actors deserve to be casted in another project with a better script. It makes me sad that their talents aren’t being fully maximized because of how bad the plot is. It still boggles my mind that I enjoyed this drama. It really exemplifies how crucial casting is because both these actors made something out of nothing and I hope they get recognition.

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It feels like you're being transported into a storybook

It feels like you're being transported into a storybook. You go along piecing together the history through sketches that the main character (Jom) finds in an old house in present day Thailand. But it's just sketches with no context. It has no value to those outside the story.

When Jom gets into a car accident, he wakes up in the 1930s. As you are watching, you arent sure what is real anymore because Jom toes the line between past and present. But, maybe it's all a dream and all in his imagination? But, the scenes look familiar and you realize he is playing out the story behind those sketches and my gosh IT IS A BEAUTIFUL STORY.

It feels so nice watching a drama with characters who are genuinely good. (Even though I do like my share of toxicity at times). But both Jom and Yai wear their hearts on their sleeves. They love fully and earnestly and that is so refreshing to see. And my gosh Im only 6 episodes in and I know this is going to destroy me and Im going to end up sobbing. But, do yourself a favor and watch this show!!! Anytime I see these two on screen, I get immediate butterflies. They perfectly portray the feeling of falling in love.

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Wasn’t interested at first….

I was not interested in the show at first, but I was looking for something that could occupy my time because I’m agonizing over other shows currently airing that I have to wait for new episodes. This did what I needed it to do. It filled the time.

The script and the dialogue is weak. I actually cringed while watching. At some point Rain says to Phayu, you are happy being around Bikes? Then says something on the lines of im happy riding you. EHHHHHHHHHHHHH LOL. But you know what. This happens and I’ll deal with it. I’m not expecting much.

While it’s fun seeing Phayu and Rain infatuated with each other and play this game to seduce each other there wasn’t enough time developing the complexities of these two characters beyond sex.

Their relationship is not without problems. Rain clearly felt uncomfortable with Phayu in the beginning of the drama with his closeness and touching. Even if Phayu misunderstood Rain’s signals, he shouldn’t have pushed. Even if Rain was intrigued, he was confused and uncomfortable with what was happening. There wasn’t consent. What confused me is that Rain was afraid to sleep in the same room as Phayu in case he did something. He’s afraid to sleep on the couch in the same room yet when he thinks Phayu is asleep he crawls into bed with him?

But as you watch more, you can clearly see early on that this is a dom/sub dynamic. The dom (Phayu) communicates his rules. He wants respect and he doesn’t like vulgar language and he wants Rain (sub) to be a good boy. He doesn’t answer until Rain speaks to him with respect. He’ll punish Rain (spanking as an example). He’ll reward him as well. He allows Rain to leave the bathroom and out of his grasp as long as he asks politely and refers to him as P’Phayu. There is possessiveness here and power play.

Unless it changes again for the worse, it gets better? Question mark? (only up to episode 6). It gets better when they are on the same page and become boyfriends. Phayu asks Rain if they can go farther when grabbing protection. I’m glad protection is shown here. Rain made an effort to show Phayu that he’s serious about their relationship and in return Phayu proclaims that he’ll reciprocate. It’s nice to see effort is made on both ends. Phayu comforts Rain but also expects him to be an adult and face challenges with his studies and his responsibilities. He makes it a point to tell Rain that he needs to learn how to balance his studies with a relationship. It’s refreshing to see that because Phayu doesn’t want Rain to sacrifice his aspirations for the relationship. But that doesn’t mean the relationship gets shoved to the side as they both make efforts to make the relationship work. They both know how to say sorry to each other.

Anyway judging by the first 6 episodes it’s an enjoyable watch for me. It has its issues. But, it’s simple, light, and mindless.

Update: Finished watching the series.
The lack of development I was missing from Phayu and Rain’s story wasn’t an issue with Pai and Sky. There is so much to their story that I found them more compelling. As a trigger warning, there is rape and abuse portrayed here. It was very difficult to watch Sky reliving trauma he’s experienced. I get why Pai asked Sky to cry. It must’ve been scary to see Sky becoming numb to the situation and despondent. Crying at least would’ve been a way for him to release his emotions. Seeing Pai become someone that Sky could trust made me feel happy for Sky. Considering their first encounter was a one night stand, I like where their relationship went and their plot line is actually what made me keep going with the series.

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Trying too hard

It felt like the movie was trying too hard to be deep . When there arent any explicit scenes on the screen that take up a majority of the attention, all we get is monotonous and dull dialogue that points to some overarching metaphor that they try to pull in. Its okay to put out a purely trashy naughty film, but nope gotta also sprinkle in some artsy meaning in to the film...I guess? Starting from that odd dialogue when Myeong Seon meets Gi Jun for the first time and the discussion oddly goes to hands. What did you notice about me? My hands? You studied my hands? Then Myeong Seon compares Gi Jun's hands to that painting from da Vinci. And then all the hyperfixation of hands begins. Camera angles at Gi Jun's hands getting undressed and dressed. Hands clenching and unclenching in nervousness. He uses his hands nervously to cover his nakedness but Myeong Seon constantly tells him to put his hands away repetitively during the photoshoot. When Myeong Seon is on top of him to get a head shot of Gi Jun's face, he flicks his hand away from the shot. Myeong Seon had mentioned previously that he doesnt heavily edit his photos. It's supposed to be natural. But all we are seeing is dictated postures. Towards the end of the movie they hit you over the head with a close up of Mona Lisa's hands, the infamous painting he mentioned at the start. You can know a lot about a person from the hands. Gi Jun's hands is soft like the painting he says. But Myeong Seon chooses to ignore it and flicks it away and that's how he treats their affair. He does not care if Gi Jun is already in a relationship with someone else. He is aloof and mean and he knows it and purposefully so. He chooses to keep a distance and tries not to get too involved. At the end of the movie when he tries to look for a photo of Gi Jun and finds it tucked away in a book, you can tell it is heavily edited. Blemishes are erased. It isnt natural but posed. When Myeong meets Gi Jun's look-alike, Jung Hyun, you can tell he has regrets now that the roles are reversed. This man looks like Gi Jun but he is strong in personality and demeanor. He is not soft. The professional camera isnt used on this look-alike. You see Myeong Seon using a 35mm film camera when he unexpectedly runs into a sleeping Jung Hyun in the woods taking candor shots of the "fake" Gi Jun. Myeong Seon is also shown using a poloraid to get raw and imperfect instant photos of Jung Hyun passed out on their bed. When he gets intimate with Jung Hyun, it ocassionally shifts the camera to first person pov which hadnt happen before with Gi Jun when he was trying so hard to keep space and distance as photographer and subject. Perspective has changed as Myeong Seon is trying to reclaim those feelings. Then the mystery continues: Is Gi Jun and Jung Hyung the same person? Overall, it didnt matter to me cause I didnt care to know. All this got clouded by boring dialogue with not much effort with character development and a weak plot.

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Hard to watch

I realize that with the title called Obsessed it was intentional that we get pretty questionable characters in this. I realize dark romance is not everyone’s type of thing. For me, I know I’m trash and a degenerate but I have limits. I’m okay with dark romance as long as its self-aware. But, that’s not the case here. It’s romanticizing the relationship here with the two leads. I found it hard to watch when you see Jiang forcing himself onto Shao Yi Chen. Nothing about that is romantic yet Yi Chen resists, but also melts into it?!!! I was left shocked and very uncomfortable. Hypothetically, let’s say that none of that happened. Let’s pretend for a moment that the sexual assault doesn’t happen in the drama. It’s not a good drama. I couldn’t understand why the romantic leads even liked each other? Also going back to the main premise, I’m confused. So, Yi Chen is heartbroken and dies after running away from his lover and getting hit by a car. He gets reborn with a second chance to live his life. He vows never to fall for his lover this time around. I’m confused because he doesn’t try very hard to resist lol. Like boy!!!!!! You have no self-restraint and there are ways to take yourself out of the toxic environment! Anyway, despite all this I do like the actors. I would like to see Teddy Ren in other roles but I don’t see that he did anything after this job which makes me sad.

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Initial thoughts turned into dropping the show

The first episode is confusing and a part of it is due to the editing. So often times I’m trying to figure out if what I am watching is happening present day or in the past. The way to tell is through character interactions and dialogue. You know it’s the past playing out because the 2 leads aren’t too familiar with each other yet versus the present day where there is clearly tension and history between the two we aren’t privy to yet. There isn’t noticeable visual cues that help distinguish the timelines. But other than that I’m still curious to continue on because I want to know how they got to the point of tears and angst. As for the leads, Amagi is very cute and adorable almost to the threshold where I’m like….hmmm I don’t know about this because he puts on the cuteness in an overtly exaggerated way. And as expected Takara fulfills the role of the popular guy in school pretending to be aloof and uninterested but who panics inside with how cute Amagi is. I don’t know how they’ll develop this in just 8 episodes but it’s short and something I can easily watch through as new episodes come out.

Update: I watched up until episode 3 and I’m on the fence about whether or not I want to continue with this series. I don’t think it’s a bad drama. It’s just that I’m not invested enough in the characters. They don’t seem real to me but caricatures being played out. It doesn’t help that the hair/wig? and make up really exemplifies that. It’s just not for me. I couldn’t help but think that I would’ve preferred this story animated. I think it would’ve lended itself better in that medium.

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Boys Over Flowers but make it a BL

Boys Over Flowers but make it a BL....Is it self-aware?

"They threw water at you from up high? Damn that sounds like a bully scene from a Japanese drama."

I mean that line could mean anything. But, the premise seems familiar. A scholarship student takes on part-time jobs to make ends meet. He stands up for his friends against a bully whose family rules over the elite school. Also, the similarities of the pranks and the student body as observers watching from their makeshift bullying ring. In addition to the similar sets....I point this out because I very much appreciate the homage while also departing from it and doing its own thing.

I think we all knew what was going to happen in the last minutes of episode 1 because Sailom is thinking strategy. He is trying to one up the bully by trying to anticipate or think through situations to find an outcome that weighs more towards his favor. His cunning shows and its a mind game.

So far, Im intrigued and will continue the series to see how it develops.

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Feeds the heart....literally!

When I first heard that this was going to be adapted, I was soo impatient and ready for it. After the wait, it's finally here! I absolutely loved the manga and I was sad because it's a short stand alone one volume story and I wanted to stay with the characters longer. I get the chance to do that with this live action! So far with 3 episodes out, it appears that Yutaka's backstory is a bit different from the manga based on the flashback scenes we saw. It seems like with the drama they are going to flesh out the backstory way more, which makes sense because of how short the manga was. Im curious to see how it all turns out. The drama gives you warmth with a lot of love and happiness and that feeling is just how I felt when I read it (definitely need to reread at some point). To me, that's all that matters is that feeling and it's faithful in that way. You'll find yourself smiling and clutching your heart while watching this!

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This is weird and I’m scared…but it’s alright so far? (Emphasis on the question mark)

What did I think this was? I remember watching the trailer but I don’t remember a premise like this? My gosh I was surprised. I did not expect a show where both a cat and a dog reunite with their owner Jung Woo, but as humans. What?!!! So, now I’m scared because this could toe a line that I don’t want to think about. But for now the first episode is alright and cute because it’s innocent and comedic.

It’s a first of its kind that I’m aware of. I’ve never encountered a BL drama where animals become humans. The actors look like or at least portray the animal that they are supposed to be. Reminds me of Korea’s face type trend where celebrities and idols are often compared to animals: puppy face, cat face, bunny, turtle, etc. Maybe this premise was bound to pop up at some point. But, I digress. It’s too early to tell what direction this drama will take.

What makes me scared is several things and originally I was going to write down my worries but I want to give this a fair chance. I can see this going in a direction that is good or bad. I didn’t want my worries to color this review in a negative light when it’s only 1 episode. We’ll see how it goes.


Update:
Im 9 episodes into this show and I Iove this drama so much. Any hesitation I had before is gone. The actor's performances are soooo good!!!!! I had to come here after episode 9 because the range of emotions I saw portrayed especially with the actor playing Milk is astounding but they are all great. Im such a fan of UncleMilk!!!!!! Also it makes me happy that Strongberry, this small indie production that is putting out queer stories, is starting to get some attention. They deserve more. If you do happen to watch it and want to support, definitely watch for free on their YouTube channel!

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