Regarding the comment just below this one, it IS painful to see how Hiro has been broken and used by the corporate world, and deliberately so. However, to me, that is the most interesting aspect of this show; the dichotomy between how valuable Hiro is at work, as we heard from his senior, and how he's been made to feel the opposite of that as a strategy by the company he works for. I hate them.
That part of the show is of more impact to me than the relationship between Hiro and Kai. It's like we got one hilarious, and intriguing, hand job at the beginning, and then the focus completely shifted to the work-related stuff. It's fine, but kind of uneven. I do enjoy Kai's quirky, no-nonsense affection for and possessiveness of Hiro. He's sweet, caring, and a bit scary, as Hiro's nice senior found out when Kai came to pick up the wasted Hiro (on ONE glass of beer?) at the restaurant.
I like Kaneko, the senior, very much. Professional, caring, respectful, and hard-working. Among the assholes over the years, I had a couple bosses like that. I was remarkably more productive and happy working under them.
I'm sorry I need to rant for a second to release this irriated energy in me lolI may be alone in this, but I am…
Why do love triangles upset you so much? Love triangles happen all the time IRL. The problem is how badly this one is written. Not an ounce of originality or believability.
Thank goodness for the platinum-blond ex and his shamelessly sleazy manipulations and transparent motives. He's the only interesting thing about this show. Is it possible he's behind the appearance of that hot little fuck-up at Hisashi's office whose fuck-ups, which keep Hisashi away from Sakae, are perhaps not so incidental? I hope so. That would be a delicious development.
At this point, I'm hoping the shady ex wins out. There is NOTHING that explains Sakae's supposed attraction to Hisashi. There is nothing to be attracted to.
At least this episode made me laugh a few times, early-on. What's with the huge weight machine at Sakae's house? He's a beautiful man, but those scrawny arms make it clear he does NOT use the machine. lol I mean, why even have the weight machine in the story? How can you make a living off a restaurant/bar that seats 12 people? Is it just me, or was this filmed through a wad of cotton candy? The picture is so fuzzy (fluffy?) I keep wishing I could adjust the contrast. The only time it suddenly got sharp was when Hisashi was filming Sakae's cooking video. Then we were back to super-soft focus.
Clearly, this show was written for the MDL 13-year-old girl crowd. We're edging into the fluffy territory of some of the most egregiously gushy BLs out of Thailand, like "Secret Crush On You." (oops, I just threw up a little in my mouth).
Enjoyed this one. Lower-key, less-frenzied, less-ninja fighting than your basic Korean crime thriller, but no less interesting. I was with it all the way. Excellent acting for the two MLs.
A couple of plot hiccups. They aren't huge, but enough to notice and bug me a bit. I will never understand why such things can't be corrected before or during a film's production.
this is rich coming from someone who rates 2gether a 9 and cutie pie an 8.5 🤣
I'm guessing English is your fourth or fifth language. You need to work on your comprehension skills. "Juvenile" in the sense I used it, means "childish, psychologically or intellectually immature," and it refers to how the show is written, directed, and produced, not to the age of its characters or its viewership. lol
Go look this word up in your ESL dictionary: "Dunce" You may well find your photograph there.
Oh, I forgot: JBOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
this is rich coming from someone who rates 2gether a 9 and cutie pie an 8.5 🤣
Wow, for someone who doesn't "care about my opinion," here you are replying again. lol Who cares when a stupid comment was left? It was still left and it's the first I've seen it.
You know what's dumber than someone responding to a weeks-old comment? Someone replying to a reply to a weeks -old comment and then whining that the comment is old. hahaha
As I wrote above, as a viewer you are disabled, in a sense, and in need of help. You "felt nothing" during this excellent series, but see "Bad Buddy," a juvenile, moronic after-school special for children, as a "masterpiece." omg, the jokes write themselves.
You are one of the biggest problems with the MDL BL audience, which generally prefers fluffy crap over quality shows.
"Blueming" simply flew over your head. You're too immature for it to register on your quality meter.
I look forward to your reply to my reply to your reply to my reply to your "weeks-old comment," which was so lame of me to leave, and to which you still, you know, replied.
this is rich coming from someone who rates 2gether a 9 and cutie pie an 8.5 🤣
"back up" lol You're ferocious!
I don't care if you care about my opinion or not, my opinion is that you are, as a viewer and critic of live-action storytelling, significantly impaired. Next show you watch, be sure to have a qualified, compassionate caregiver at your side.
I am very surprised The Pornographer is not on this list. I'm pretty sure it was on it when I first read your…
Good on you for noticing!
I find it impossible to look at The Novelist and its prequel, Mood Indigo, which I like even better than the former, as "BLs," along with the other shows on this list. They are so much more mature in every way, feature mature characters, and feel so cinematic, that I decided to regard them as movies instead of dramas, and moved both of them over to my best gay-themed feature film list. Mood Indigo is #10 there, and The Novelist sits at #14.
On edit: I just watched this a second time after two years and thoroughly enjoyed it. Didn't feel "lame and stupid" this time around, but very, very cute and funny. Actors are a great contrast in face and body, and both did a good job. Very natural. Even the drunk scene was quite convincing. I'm surprised Han Sang Gil hasn't had more roles than what I see on his bio. I could see him as a strong leading man.
A couple of minutes of making out would have been nice at the end, but this is Korean, after all.
1 
1 
That part of the show is of more impact to me than the relationship between Hiro and Kai. It's like we got one hilarious, and intriguing, hand job at the beginning, and then the focus completely shifted to the work-related stuff. It's fine, but kind of uneven. I do enjoy Kai's quirky, no-nonsense affection for and possessiveness of Hiro. He's sweet, caring, and a bit scary, as Hiro's nice senior found out when Kai came to pick up the wasted Hiro (on ONE glass of beer?) at the restaurant.
I like Kaneko, the senior, very much. Professional, caring, respectful, and hard-working. Among the assholes over the years, I had a couple bosses like that. I was remarkably more productive and happy working under them.
Thank goodness for the platinum-blond ex and his shamelessly sleazy manipulations and transparent motives. He's the only interesting thing about this show. Is it possible he's behind the appearance of that hot little fuck-up at Hisashi's office whose fuck-ups, which keep Hisashi away from Sakae, are perhaps not so incidental? I hope so. That would be a delicious development.
At this point, I'm hoping the shady ex wins out. There is NOTHING that explains Sakae's supposed attraction to Hisashi. There is nothing to be attracted to.
At least this episode made me laugh a few times, early-on.
What's with the huge weight machine at Sakae's house? He's a beautiful man, but those scrawny arms make it clear he does NOT use the machine. lol I mean, why even have the weight machine in the story?
How can you make a living off a restaurant/bar that seats 12 people?
Is it just me, or was this filmed through a wad of cotton candy? The picture is so fuzzy (fluffy?) I keep wishing I could adjust the contrast. The only time it suddenly got sharp was when Hisashi was filming Sakae's cooking video. Then we were back to super-soft focus.
Clearly, this show was written for the MDL 13-year-old girl crowd. We're edging into the fluffy territory of some of the most egregiously gushy BLs out of Thailand, like "Secret Crush On You." (oops, I just threw up a little in my mouth).
A couple of plot hiccups. They aren't huge, but enough to notice and bug me a bit. I will never understand why such things can't be corrected before or during a film's production.
Recommended.
8.5
Go look this word up in your ESL dictionary: "Dunce" You may well find your photograph there.
Oh, I forgot: JBOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
You know what's dumber than someone responding to a weeks-old comment? Someone replying to a reply to a weeks -old comment and then whining that the comment is old. hahaha
As I wrote above, as a viewer you are disabled, in a sense, and in need of help. You "felt nothing" during this excellent series, but see "Bad Buddy," a juvenile, moronic after-school special for children, as a "masterpiece." omg, the jokes write themselves.
You are one of the biggest problems with the MDL BL audience, which generally prefers fluffy crap over quality shows.
"Blueming" simply flew over your head. You're too immature for it to register on your quality meter.
I look forward to your reply to my reply to your reply to my reply to your "weeks-old comment," which was so lame of me to leave, and to which you still, you know, replied.
I don't care if you care about my opinion or not, my opinion is that you are, as a viewer and critic of live-action storytelling, significantly impaired. Next show you watch, be sure to have a qualified, compassionate caregiver at your side.
Bad Buddy. Good God.
I'm betting you think "Bad Buddy" is a "masterpiece." Am I right?
I find it impossible to look at The Novelist and its prequel, Mood Indigo, which I like even better than the former, as "BLs," along with the other shows on this list. They are so much more mature in every way, feature mature characters, and feel so cinematic, that I decided to regard them as movies instead of dramas, and moved both of them over to my best gay-themed feature film list. Mood Indigo is #10 there, and The Novelist sits at #14.
Frustrating, cliche story, but young actors were pretty good.
6.5/10
7.5/10
On edit: I just watched this a second time after two years and thoroughly enjoyed it. Didn't feel "lame and stupid" this time around, but very, very cute and funny. Actors are a great contrast in face and body, and both did a good job. Very natural. Even the drunk scene was quite convincing. I'm surprised Han Sang Gil hasn't had more roles than what I see on his bio. I could see him as a strong leading man.
A couple of minutes of making out would have been nice at the end, but this is Korean, after all.
New rating: 8.5/10!