This review may contain spoilers
The Weight of Reality
[Spoilers will be tagged where they start]
First of all, I know people were upset about this show for not having physical intimacy between the two leads, but frankly that is not the plot of this show at all. Is it still queer? Absolutely. This show explores the lives of two characters trapped by society and their own emotions, and how they try to overcome this together but are ultimately still victims of a harsh reality.
Ryu (Hayato), an ice hockey player, has no response when his friend and teammate confesses his feelings for Ryu. When the team learns of this, they make a mockery of the gay teammate, causing him to attempt suicide. Ryu, feeling guilty for not protecting his friend, runs away from his team and Japan to stay with his friend in Berlin. Burdened with the guilt of his friend's suicide attempt and dealing with the weight of coming to terms with his own sexuality, Ryu goes to a church to confess his sins. When the church catches fire, Ryu decides to burn with it until the man that overheard his confession saves him. This random encounter seems fleeting, until Ryu sees the man that saved him compete in a boxing match. In another chance encounter, Ryu meets Johan (Taecyeon), and the two become fast friends. Their lives become intertwined as they both deal with the hardships of being queer in an unaccepting society, and feel as though they need to find a way to save their souls through each other.
This show manages to hit you with a new tragedy every episode. I swear, any time someone seemed slightly happy, the writers decided to throw something horrible at them. I really loved the themes of found family and queer love, but my GOD they could not let any character be happy ever! As much as I love a sad drama, this one felt like a little TOO much.
[Spoilers start here]
I truly think the only positive takeaway from the show was the found family aspect. The way that Ryu steps in to support his best friend and everything she goes through, along with Johan, was truly the best part of the show, even when the entire group was having a rough time. However, for the finale to have Ryu marrying Sumiko for the sake of Kanau really hurt in an unexpected way. I understand why Johan left, and I think it made sense for all of the characters, but for Ryu to never truly be able to be with someone he loves because he knows it won't be accepted and frankly, even HE never accepted it himself, really really hurt. And honestly, I do not think the writing addressed this aspect well at all. I fully understand the idea that Ryu and Johan are never explicit about their relationship, even in private, considering what the two have been through. But for the show to end the way it did, with the "I love yous" right before Johan's death, felt cruel to the audience! It almost felt like a situation of "we're not allowed to really make this gay, so let's kill off the male love interest and have the main character marry a woman." While I don't think that was the intention, it still felt like they could have told this heartbreaking story of two queer men crushed by the reality they live in, but still manage to portray acceptance of oneself in these characters. All we see are two men being beat down over and over again, and never managing to live the lives they wanted. You REALLY need to want a sad show to watch this one.
First of all, I know people were upset about this show for not having physical intimacy between the two leads, but frankly that is not the plot of this show at all. Is it still queer? Absolutely. This show explores the lives of two characters trapped by society and their own emotions, and how they try to overcome this together but are ultimately still victims of a harsh reality.
Ryu (Hayato), an ice hockey player, has no response when his friend and teammate confesses his feelings for Ryu. When the team learns of this, they make a mockery of the gay teammate, causing him to attempt suicide. Ryu, feeling guilty for not protecting his friend, runs away from his team and Japan to stay with his friend in Berlin. Burdened with the guilt of his friend's suicide attempt and dealing with the weight of coming to terms with his own sexuality, Ryu goes to a church to confess his sins. When the church catches fire, Ryu decides to burn with it until the man that overheard his confession saves him. This random encounter seems fleeting, until Ryu sees the man that saved him compete in a boxing match. In another chance encounter, Ryu meets Johan (Taecyeon), and the two become fast friends. Their lives become intertwined as they both deal with the hardships of being queer in an unaccepting society, and feel as though they need to find a way to save their souls through each other.
This show manages to hit you with a new tragedy every episode. I swear, any time someone seemed slightly happy, the writers decided to throw something horrible at them. I really loved the themes of found family and queer love, but my GOD they could not let any character be happy ever! As much as I love a sad drama, this one felt like a little TOO much.
[Spoilers start here]
I truly think the only positive takeaway from the show was the found family aspect. The way that Ryu steps in to support his best friend and everything she goes through, along with Johan, was truly the best part of the show, even when the entire group was having a rough time. However, for the finale to have Ryu marrying Sumiko for the sake of Kanau really hurt in an unexpected way. I understand why Johan left, and I think it made sense for all of the characters, but for Ryu to never truly be able to be with someone he loves because he knows it won't be accepted and frankly, even HE never accepted it himself, really really hurt. And honestly, I do not think the writing addressed this aspect well at all. I fully understand the idea that Ryu and Johan are never explicit about their relationship, even in private, considering what the two have been through. But for the show to end the way it did, with the "I love yous" right before Johan's death, felt cruel to the audience! It almost felt like a situation of "we're not allowed to really make this gay, so let's kill off the male love interest and have the main character marry a woman." While I don't think that was the intention, it still felt like they could have told this heartbreaking story of two queer men crushed by the reality they live in, but still manage to portray acceptance of oneself in these characters. All we see are two men being beat down over and over again, and never managing to live the lives they wanted. You REALLY need to want a sad show to watch this one.
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