Vvol0124

Trauma Overcome by Personal Growth and External Comfort

My absolute favourite part of this drama that I MUST stress here: Typhoon begins to overcome his trauma because of his FRIENDS, not because Tonfah was a "knight in shining armour"(expanded upon later in the actual review). I will open by admitting that my review may be slightly skewed due to my personal love for traumatised, sad characters as well as fluffy, light-hearted plots. But what is a review if not a subjective opinion right? Despite the fact that I have watched more than 100 BLs at this point, I genuinely think this has taken the spot as my new all-time favourite.

1. Characters 10/10
I think the portrayal of Typhoon is so important and precious. Some people may get fed-up with the "misunderstanding" trope but I think this is one of the only instances it makes sense. Less of it being a misunderstanding, we really see how Typhoon - having grown up in a toxic environment, would make the choice to leave Tonfah in pursuit of parental love. Although we are well-aware that this judgement is misguided, the story does well in establishing why Typhoon thinks this may be the "right" decision - especially when he's still reliant on his father financially.
Another reason why I think the conflict actually works is due to the way they write Tonfah. Rather than making Tonfah a flat "nice guy" character, showing him internalise Typhoon's words and doubt himself makes his distancing from Typhoon less of a "he hurt me" misunderstanding, but a genuine concern/insecurity that he is deficient in some way. When we combine this with the manner in which he holds absolutely nothing against Typhoon, I feel like they've successfully written a nice guy character that feels authentic.

2. Shipability 10/10
The characters very much felt like they were written for one another in the sense that no one other than Tonfah could have matched Typhoon. Regardless of their childhood history, Typhoon is such a hurting character that his match had to be someone patient, mature but not passive. The fact that Tonfah, time and time again, is the one who reaches out first had to be the case in order for a relationship to form considering how broken Typhoon was. The fact that Tonfah never pushed too hard, yet never turned his back either felt extremely necessary.
I also thoroughly enjoy how Tonfah fell for Typhoon through the letters. The fact that Tonfah has lived his life being overly pressured to be "perfect", it makes a lot of sense that he falls for someone steady who loves him without expectations or demands. Additionally, this idea that Tonfah genuinely only saw Typhoon as a "younger brother" at first, not only makes their initial interactions less weird/lack of progress made sense, but also makes the romance itself more sweet in that Tonfah could fall in love without actually knowing the person. As someone who doesn't necessarily believe in longtime-friends to lovers, him "discovering a new side of someone" and falling in love feels a lot more authentic and believable to me.
Also added side note, the size difference is adorable. And I love that Tonfah teases just the right amount - makes for good actual chemistry.

3. Plot 9/10
The plot gets marked down for me mostly due to the weirdly-peaceful way everything was resolved. I felt like with how much they stressed Typhoon's pain and worry in the early episodes, I was expecting a much more explosive climax. Yet, I almost find that it hard to hold against the drama as it seems oddly well-suited for its characters. Nothing is made a larger deal than it has to be and there isn't really drama for the sake of drama. However, I have to admit I personally was uninterested in the Japan arc due to my complete lack of curiosity about his mother.
My absolute favourite part of this drama that I MUST stress here: Typhoon begins to overcome his trauma because of his FRIENDS, not because Tonfah was a "knight in shining armour". I cannot express how appreciative I am of this healthy portrayal of mental health and relationships. I think it was extremely important that his friends taught him to appreciate life and cherish himself. And it is only AFTER he has grown as a person and begun to prioritise himself that he ends up romantically involved with Tonfah. I felt that this was the point where the drama was truly elevated to be my favourite.

4. Quality 5/5
I have to give it up for the casting and acting for this show. Tonliew's (Typhoon) acting was truly next level. Being able to portray someone who is clinging onto life - yet trying to present as happy, is extremely tall of a task. Tonliew not only lived up to the role, but surpassed all expectations. Every single time I saw Tonliew cry (and even when he smiles in early scenes), I genuinely SOBBED. I not only cried with his anguish, but could completely identify and relate with the way he hid behind smiles.
Although Bever (Tonfah) had much less demanding of a role, I do still think he did a fantastic job. The fact that you could actually see a difference in the way he looks at Typhoon from the initial "I am endeared by my nong" to "I love this person romantically" was so important and done splendidly. It was also good that Bever could show the "hunger" required of Tonfah.

Ultimately, if you're looking for something that will temporarily rip your heart out, only to soothe you with adorable fluff - please give this show a try.

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Based off my personal rating criteria specifically made for BLs

1. Characters 9/10
+ I cannot express how much I appreciate the narrative consistency of Pran and Pat as characters. It felt like all their actions were extremely true to themselves as characters and they always felt like real people
- The friends were very much put on the back burner making them extremely insignificant by the end
- I understand the need for flawed characters but I don't think I can ever get over Wai's actions (I also hate the absolute childishness of Pran-Pat's parents)
=> the main characters themselves were everything I could ever ask for

2. Shipability 10/10
+ Their competitive dynamic throughout the entire show made for some intense tension that not only made me love to see them together, but also always put a smile on my face because the show made sure to show how much they cared for each other
+ Ohm-Nanon literally creates fan wars for a reason. I think their chemistry is unrivaled (let's forget about First-Khao for a moment) and they really sold just how much they love and care for each other. Seeing how much Pran-Pat loved each other made it impossible to not love them as a pairing
=> I cannot imagine any aspect of their pairing being better than it already is

3. Plot 9/10
- I personally feel like the faculty feud was excessive bordering on unnecessary. I get that it was the conflict to push the story along but I personally felt like it overstayed its welcome
=> overall, this is one of the best portrayals of the Romeo-Juliet trope I've ever seen

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Based off my personal rating criteria specifically made for BLs

1. Characters 9/10
+ They made Lee Hyun into such a bright and adorable cinnamon bun while still actually giving him depth
- I personally do not like the character of Maru. Partly because there are 3 couples in this show, I feel that Maru did not get enough time to give him the redemption the writers may have wanted. I feel that to the very end, I was not a fan of him
- Ultimately, most of the characters suffer from a lack of characterisation due to the large cast and time constraints

2. Shipability 10/10
+ Personally, I love everything about the Juhyuk and TA couple. I feel that it was a fairly interesting and accurate representation of how some relationships happen. I was on board for the way Juhyuk knew exactly how to hook the TA and everything about their dynamic
+ I like that they showed Kim An as broken as had Lee Hyun be the person who taught him to smile again. I really think personality-wise, the 2 characters are perfect for each other

3. Plot 9/10
- I really don't like how the toxic guy (Kim An's "brother") just left without much resolution
+ But I do concede that the portrayal of the toxic relationships with all the gaslighting and love bombing was very impressive

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Based off my personal rating criteria specifically made for BLs

1. Characters 10/10
+ The characters felt like real people who could exist
+ They made Baram into such a likeable cinnamon bun. It become really easily to make a dislikable character if one is too passive and soft but I feel like they made Baram into the perfect balance of agency while still being vulnerable
+ I like the consistency they gave to Hantae where he truly runs head-first into everything. And showing that there are both pros and cons to this behaviour is extremely realistic

2. Shipabaility 10/10
+ I really enjoyed how they became friends. Sometimes when you're sad, you really do just need someone to barge into your life regardless of what you want at that point. I feel like their relationship perfectly encapsulated this idea
+ Their dynamic is really comfortable and the fact that they showed us them living together from the start is really a plus
+ I think the show did a fantastic job at showing us from beginning to end the sheer amount of love and trust they have for each other

3. Plot 9/10
- I feel like the argument that occurred before they got together lasted longer than I'd like and edged on annoying

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Based off my personal rating criteria specifically made for BLs

1. Characters 9/10
- I feel that for short series such as these, it is obligatory for me to acknowledge the lack of time for characterisation
+ However, I feel that this was thoroughly overcome by the amazing job they did in making every frame count. So much characterisation was achieved without dialogue that it felt like I did know the characters at the end

2. Shipability 10/10
+ I typically do not enjoy enemies to lovers but even in their initial fighting stage, the attraction and tension could be felt
+ The on-screen chemistry really felt impeccable. Every time they were together it truly felt like I was looking at 2 people in love

3. Plot 9/10
- I did not particularly enjoy the misunderstanding troupe that occurred during the dinner stage
+ I do feel that they did a fantastic job weaving in the flashbacks in a manner that gave us information when we needed it but always making us curious to know more
+ I also enjoyed how they made the idea of Dohyun being Dongwook's insomnia cure work. I feel that if they had made this a soulmate kind of scenario it would have needed a lot of explaining. The lack of explanation actually helped in moving the story along in a more natural manner.

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Based off my personal rating criteria specifically made for BLs

1. Characters 9/10
+ Tinn-Gun pairing is actually mature and communicates way more than the actual adults in other shows
+ Tiw served as such a fantastic bestie and wingman
=> ultimately, the characters felt like they were real, lived beings who well fleshed out and each had their own quirks and personality traits

2. Shipability 10/10
+ Good tension was built with the one-sided enemies/love dynamics
+ Gemini-Fourth has fantastic chemistry
=> it felt like they completely captured the essence of what a good high school love is

3. Plot 8/10
- The Hot Wave goal felt a little contrived. I was ready to put the "no dating rule" behind by the pre-beach episode
- The acting & overly dramatic emotional beats of the ep 11 fight felt like it was created solely because of the "ep 11 curse" and for no real plot significance
=> while the romance itself was good, many of the story beats of conflict felt forced at times

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