This review may contain spoilers
This series completely took me by surprise. In the BEST way possible.
This one is not just a BL, it’s a story about art, desire, creation, ego, insecurity, and the exhausting need to be seen and understood. The acting is phenomenal: OffGun deliver raw, layered performances, Dew shines, and every character feels painfully human. Add to that the beautiful cinematography and sharp dialogues, and you get something far above the usual GMM comfort zone — which really surprised me, considering GMM managed to deliver something this good with Burnout Syndrome.
One of the strongest aspects of this series is how it talks about art. Not as something decorative, but as something visceral. Art as pain, as desire, as frustration, as obsession. And the way the series connects art and sex is simply brilliant. Not in a vulgar way, but in an intimate one. I mean, some dialogues between Jira and Koh are far more erotic than any nc scene could ever be. Desire here lives in words, glances, silences, and unfinished sentences.
Jira and Koh’s relationship is messy, toxic at times, but honest. Koh is a jerk and never pretends otherwise. He doesn’t hide who he is, doesn’t try to mold himself into something more acceptable — and that’s exactly why Jira falls for him. Their relationship is about friction, confrontation, and growth. They hurt each other, but they also see each other in a way no one else does.
And honestly? The true "villain" of this story isn’t Koh — it’s Pheem.
Pheem is terrifying because he’s realistic. He comes disguised as the “good guy.” He changes the way he thinks, speaks, and behaves to become what he believes Jira wants. He builds a perfect version of himself expecting love in return. And when that love doesn’t come, he implodes. Emotional manipulation, guilt-tripping, entitlement... all wrapped in kindness. And that’s exactly why it works. We all know someone like this. Probably more than one.
The series also delivers a powerful message about valuing the artist over AI, creation over replication, emotion over perfection. And the final episodes elevate everything. That monologue where Jira talks about seeing the 277 times Koh slept in his car, fantasizing about waking him up, but instead pouring all those unspoken emotions into his painting — that broke me... when Jira said: “I kept all these emotions and put them in each of these flame lilies.” and seeing the painting after hearing that? Devastating. Beautiful.
Burnout Syndrome is mature, bold, uncomfortable, poetic, and deeply emotional. It doesn’t try to please everyone — and that’s exactly why it works.
This is art. And art isn’t supposed to be comfortable.
One of the strongest aspects of this series is how it talks about art. Not as something decorative, but as something visceral. Art as pain, as desire, as frustration, as obsession. And the way the series connects art and sex is simply brilliant. Not in a vulgar way, but in an intimate one. I mean, some dialogues between Jira and Koh are far more erotic than any nc scene could ever be. Desire here lives in words, glances, silences, and unfinished sentences.
Jira and Koh’s relationship is messy, toxic at times, but honest. Koh is a jerk and never pretends otherwise. He doesn’t hide who he is, doesn’t try to mold himself into something more acceptable — and that’s exactly why Jira falls for him. Their relationship is about friction, confrontation, and growth. They hurt each other, but they also see each other in a way no one else does.
And honestly? The true "villain" of this story isn’t Koh — it’s Pheem.
Pheem is terrifying because he’s realistic. He comes disguised as the “good guy.” He changes the way he thinks, speaks, and behaves to become what he believes Jira wants. He builds a perfect version of himself expecting love in return. And when that love doesn’t come, he implodes. Emotional manipulation, guilt-tripping, entitlement... all wrapped in kindness. And that’s exactly why it works. We all know someone like this. Probably more than one.
The series also delivers a powerful message about valuing the artist over AI, creation over replication, emotion over perfection. And the final episodes elevate everything. That monologue where Jira talks about seeing the 277 times Koh slept in his car, fantasizing about waking him up, but instead pouring all those unspoken emotions into his painting — that broke me... when Jira said: “I kept all these emotions and put them in each of these flame lilies.” and seeing the painting after hearing that? Devastating. Beautiful.
Burnout Syndrome is mature, bold, uncomfortable, poetic, and deeply emotional. It doesn’t try to please everyone — and that’s exactly why it works.
This is art. And art isn’t supposed to be comfortable.
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