Venom30

A pleasure for the eyes

Although it had a very simple plot, it was developed in the best way possible and made the most out of its short runtime, once again proving that you don't need a complicated plot to make a good story, and that even best plots will turn into trash if the production quality is not good enough. Also that it doesn't matter if the story is not new cuz one story can be told in millions of different ways.

The background music was a work of art, so in tune with the scenes and adding another layer of depth to the situations and increasing the tension. It was so good that in most of the scenes there was no need for words; the situations, actors body language and background music talked loud enough for us to hear it clearly.

But what steals attention the most is the scenery. The colors are so vivid and the location is so beautiful it's like it's straight out of a fairytale. And they have used it in the best way, with those spectacular frames and playing with light and darkness so masterfully that catches your breath. I loved it the most; especially that in episode 6 we saw what they meant by the light and darkness, and how in the last episode they came together in the place in the middle, not completely in the dark but also not completely out in the light. They found their common ground and finally found their way back together. Again, not much was said in that scene; but everything was clear enough.

I enjoyed this show so much.

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Something's missing... But what?

I gotta say I loved it. Really did. But it feels like something's missing, right? Something that doesn't give you the feeling it did in season one. I think I know what that is.

I don't have a very good memory, but the S1 of this show had an impact on me. I remember crying my eyes out like crazy watching the last two episodes. Both seasons had great quality, good directoing and phenomenal acting. The fight scenes were really good too. In this season you can see clearly the difference on Paku and BaekJin's characters in their fighting style; Paku has this explosive fighting style with powerful punches that one of them is enough to take someone down. On the other hand, BaekJin - while keeping that style, showing who he's learned from - has cleaner moves. He punches exactly where he has to and with his great speed he won't let a hit to land on him, getting out of a fight - even with two adult men - with only his clothes a little messed up, nothing you can't fix in a second. I like how this fits their characters. their outfits too, and the way they talk - BaekJin with a soft voice vs. Paku always shouting. I think this season was more about these two confronting, and Shi Eun only played a part in it. But that's how his character is, isn't it?

But the problem here was that unlike season one with Shi Eun and his group of friends, they didn't take the time to really get close. We had glimpses of the characters, then they got into fights. We didn't really feel them get close, while in season one, here and there we could catch little details that gave depth to the characters. Like when they went to the restaurant So Hu worked at, or when they were eating at the cafeteria (how can you talk about eating even when you're eating?/ You don't talk about living when you're alive? /Insert crying/). I mean these little moments were absent in this season, the moments that played a critical role in letting the viewer really feel the closeness between Shi Eun and his new group of friends. For example I had trouble really understanding the friendship between Paku and his friend and that little guy (I'm sorry for forgetting the names). I mean they were the untouchable guys in that school, so the reason why they got close with the small, glasses guy should have been emphasized more.

Also the relationship between Paku and BaekJin didn't go deep enough. I think they did well about BaekJin's character - I really felt bad for him when I figured he was an orphan. But what they missed here was focusing more on the relationship between the two boys. That's their last fight and also Paku's worry about BaekJin stayed on the surface and didn't really get to involve the viewer's emotions.

Edit: on second thought... I think they also kinda missed on BaekJin's character too. BaekJin was an orphan who got bullied when he went to elementary school. Then he found Paku and he practically saved him by being his friend + teaching him how to fight. Paku was basically his family. Again the problem here was not showing their past together when they were "BFFs" - of they had, we would have seen BaekJin's soft side too, and that would have made him a lot more than a villain. He loved Paku like a family and was struggling to keep him by his side, which Shi Eun correctly pointed out. All he had was the Union and Paku. He had lost Paku, but still had the power of the Union behind him and tried to use that to hold on to Paku. /Sigh/ what a shame. This part of the story was probably the most important one that they only passed it by Shi Eun's small remark (you might consider Paku your friend, but does he think of you as his friend as well?). Imagine we'd seen this part of BaekJin too: how would the big fight look then? We wanted Paku to win, but also didn't want BaekJin to lose - because losing that fight meant losing everything he had: Paku and his power. And BaekJin's struggle - although he had an injured shoulder and an almost broken leg - would have carried a lot more emotional weight. Also his ending would have been more sensible and wouldn't have come as a shock. Instead what we saw was a fight that made the viewer think, 'oh come on, just fall down and don't get up, BaekJinah'. Oh, what a shame. 😭

Another complain that I have is about the ost. First season's ost was freaking great - some of them are STILL in my favorites playlist. but in this season I think the ost wasn't mostly new. I with they had done better with that.

With all of these, I still think this show was really good. The acting was top notch, the production was high quality and also Su Ho woke up 😭 it didn't live up to the expectations it'd given us after season one, but I know I will watch some parts over and over again. (Like the part Paku came back to school. This man can be hilarious. My favorite character in this season!)

And now I'll have one more thing to be hoping and praying for: season 3 of this. I hope they get a longer runtime or increase the number of episodes. In this season too, if there were more episodes all the issues would have been solved.

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A little different...maybe?

This show has many elements I've been wanting in a BL for a long time, like straight couples as well as gay couples that actually have characters of their own, main leads with an actual family and deep connection, and keeping it real while also keeping the element of fluff.

1. The ML ⭐️
Hee Su is a really good character. He has an actual hobby: astronomy. I say actual because he uses astronomy metaphors to describe what's going on in his life in the best way and this is one of my favorite things in the show. Also he's basically a consultant, giving people good relationship advice all the time. He's smart and caring and learns fast. He's also very relatable, not being able to talk about his 'dark secret' even with his best friend. But in the end he decides not to carry that burden any longer. This is what we've seen in many shows, but this one is one of my favorites, because the characters are so well-written and the context is so well-made you feel it to your bones.

2. Straight Couples 📏
I've seen some people complain about the straight parts in the show, but I couldn't help but love those parts as well. Normally in BL shows there are one straight couple per 10 gay couples. Practically everyone turns out to be gay. Even if there are families and family members, they are gay too. This sometimes bothers me because it's so far from reality. in these BL shows even when people want to ask a guy if he's in a relationship they say 'do you have a boyfriend?' I mean when does that happen? this is normally not the default idea when people ask a guy if he's in a relationship. (Unless they know his sexual orientation.)

I love the straight couples here. They all have their own character with their own dreams and problems and personalities and aren't just there to fill the plot. They actually have a considerable effect on both the story and the ML. Also one thing about the straight couples here is that they don't feel like most straight ones we see in kdramas. Even in kdramas with strong women, there are always moments where the woman needs the man to save her. There's no escape from strong man, weak woman cliche in these shows. Maybe that's why they never satisfied me. But here that doesn't happen; the relationship feels more equal, like ones we like to see in BLs. And also ironically this is closer to reality.

3. The Slow Burn ❤️‍🔥
But maybe my favorite thing here was the slow burn of the change of Hee Su's feelings; the way his one-sided love for Chan Young ended and started for Seung Won. Normally the time isn't enough for that in most shows and the production is not that good for it anyway. But look at this. I loved the last episode very much. That last confession was explosive as it should have been. And again I found myself loving the slow burn romance more than any other type; when they finally confess and start smiling at each other shyly and hold hands, I scream and giggle and kick my feet and nothing else can give me that fluffy feeling but Slow Burn 😍

4. How It Ends 🔚
I Loved the part where Hee Su explains his way to finish a one-sided love, and I agree with him. That kind of love only ends when you use up all the feelings you have for that person, and then you'll calm down. Although I'm not sure how that happens. Maybe if that one-sided crush is simply impossible and also you find a sweet, lovely person who cares for you deeply? 🥰

5. But wait... NO KISS?!
Yes, it felt incomplete. The only reason I'm not mad for the absence of the kiss we've been waiting for so long is that my babies have just started dating. After all the push and pull to start it, it's a bit too fast to expect a kiss. Also the story ended with almost no loose ends... but still there MUST BE a special episode or something. Cuz the chemistry between Hee Su and Seung won was looking delicious and you can't convince me to be satisfied with just holding hands! 😤

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