evanevan

Volume 5: A new strategy

I've been enjoying this volume a lot. I think it's a step in the right direction.

First of all, they expanded what I thought was possible in this vlog format. Previously, I assume they'd stick to "realistic" plots that at least have a semblance of real-life feasibility. But the whole Jihan VS his manager is anything but; not only that you wouldn't record a vlog of your secret relationship, the manager is an "evil parent"-esque villain... in a vlog! Well, any semblance of realism is out the window now. In exchange, I welcome the additional possibilities this approach allows (like the HongGyu kiss dream sequence).

Second of all, I appreciate them keeping this volume in Seoul. It allows them to focus on the plot, without the pressure of having to change scenery every episode the way a travel vlog does. Plus, this kind of fiscal responsibility is important if this project is to be long-lived.

It's not all good, of course. I don't understand why they reconciled Hyunki and Dongseop so quickly, for example. I think their conflict has potential, and I'd much rather if they foster it for a bit. At the very least, they should conclude the conflict properly, perhaps by replacing the running scene with a reconciliation scene.

On that note, I think I can confidently say that people don't really care for the platonic (I'm referring to scenes like Yunje's video editing or HongGyu+Dongseop's running). They're fillers, and that's something vlogs can do without, what with the fast-forward and skip ahead that are standard practices. So it'd be good if they keep it tight and make every scene ties up to the grand romance, or at least have a flirty undertone.

One last thing. About the HongGyu focus in the second part of this volume, I can understand. I know people must've been missing 2J, but Jaejun's time here is hard-capped by his mandatory military service (in less than a year, I think?). So I get the need to slowly shift the spotlight to the other boys.

And that's about everything. Looking forward to the next volume and their further growth.




Below is my previous review for vol 4:
First of all, I'd like to acknowledge how difficult this format actually is. It brings a lot of freedom, and there's no comparison point. So different people will end up forming many different kind of expectations. Heck, I'm pretty sure some people don't even know what to expect. Like, they can tell whether they like this volume or not, but if you ask them to describe in detail what they want to see, many would probably come up blank. Exactly because there aren't much reference point to compare this work to.

With that said, I like this volume. Mostly because, to me, they're returning to the essence of this vlog format. In a typical series, the storytelling is akin to watching a CCTV recording; we get to see any relevant information, whether the characters "wanted" to be seen or not. But in a vlog, the storytelling is more like reading a diary; we only get to see what the characters have curated for us to see (in-universe).

And so that's why I think volume 3 was so janky. It was a vlog trying to be a typical series, and so it couldn't decide on a consistent mode of storytelling (as evidenced by the plenty use of "external" camera in that volume, i.e. "omniscient" camera that's not hold by the characters). Volume 4, meanwhile, is a vlog through and through, just one where the characters happen to kiss. Now, there might be many different reasons why someone likes or dislikes vlogs, but the identity is clear. This is a vlog, it's not trying to move beyond the realm of vlogs, and if you show it to a naive viewer, they might not even realise that it's "not just a typical vlog".

So yeah, I enjoyed this. Yes, there's basically no plot, but vlogs don't typically have a plot. Do I want a plot? Of course, but only if it fits the vlog format. Otherwise, they shouldn't force one in.

P.S. for the next volume: more kisses, more stares, more privacy, more intimacy. We don't exactly need fraternal bonding moments (notice that volume 1 & 2 didn't really have those, and they did just fine). After all, no one watch a dating show for the friendship.




Below is my previous review for volume 3:

Needless to say, everyone is giving them a lot of "strong feedbacks" after volume 3. But I don't want them to take the wrong message. Instead of jumping to thinking about "what BL fans like/dislike", I think there are some fundamental storytelling and character building issues that they need to sort out first. Hence, I wrote this review to rant and list out my grievances about volume 3.

1. The lack of explanations. They could get away with not explaining the bathroom thing back then because, in the grand scheme of things, it was just a small part of volume 1&2. But here, Jaejun-Yunje relationship is THE plot. Not explaining it is like a detective story that doesn't explain how the murder was done.

2. Related but slightly different to point #1. Jaejun's behaviors, frankly speaking, don't make sense. And in order to make sense of it, we need him to explain what he's thinking. But he doesn't. We know very little about his intention. Is he willfully cheating, or is he just that naive/dumb? Who knows?

Even if he's conflicted about his own thoughts, he could've said something like, "I know I love Jihan, but then, why does my heart skip a beat when Yunje got close?". See, that'd be an understandable confusion for someone new to love (though not necessarily justify what he did). When he did and said all that contradictory things, we need to know his state-of-mind, so that at least we could understand his humanness. Right now, all we could do is make assumptions about his character, without learning his perspective.

This is probably the biggest problem in this volume, and the one that makes me wonder whether the writer actually understood the characters, or just made them do whatever the drama needed them to do regardless of common sense.

3. Looking back, that forest not-kiss was... "clickbait-y", for a lack of better word. Not only unexplained, it was unnecessary too. We could tell that Yunje is attracted to Jaejun even without that. So what was that for?

4. Pacing issue. Things escalated and de-escalated way too quickly. Though I think that forest not-kiss shares the most blame for the quick escalation. That's the moment everyone went on high alert, and by then it was still episode 2. If Jaejun had just fallen asleep on Yunje's shoulder, for example, it would've been a smoother escalation toward the ice cream almost-kiss. As for the quick de-escalation, the not explaining things is to blame for that.

5. And finally, all that just to end up where they started. We don't know if Jaejun actually learned anything, because, again, he didn't explain anything. Some people think/wish that they would continue this storyline in vol 4, but I'm skeptical. It seems that Jaejun has moved on completely, and if he hasn't, it'd make his refusal to explain things even worse.


That's about everything. On the bright side, the sweet scenes are as good as ever. If you can ignore the newly-founded suspicion on Jaejun's state-of-mind, that is.

I still root for them and hope that the next volume will be better. I really want this project to be successful and long-lasting.

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An unusual beginning

This review was written after volume 5 ended, but in order to be fair, I tried to remember how it was back then, without referring to any future volume.

The most obvious thing first: the format. Afaik, they didn't tell us what this actually is until after vol 2 ended (for better or worse). Part of the fun of these two volumes was figuring out what's happening. It was mostly Jaejun/TAN's fans, thinking it was an actual vlog (which explain why Jaejun is still the most popular Cityboy even today). But then the boys started kissing... and we were like... "WHAT THE...!?".

So back then nobody got the state of mind to evaluate the plot, characterisation, etc. After all, no one was expecting a plot.

Watching it now, if you enter this show knowing what it is (i.e. evaluating it as a scripted romance vlog), it actually started rather slow-ish. They maintained a bromance-y platonic vibe for a good while, and showed stuffs that today would get called out, "why are we watching this? Get to the romance already!".

All in all, this first volume is a test of whether someone can enjoy this (unique) format at all. It's hard to compare to other regular shows. Like, when writing reviews for the future volumes, I can compare it to past volumes. But for the first volume, I really don't have any comparison point; it really is a proof of concept.

Btw, I applaud the actors for doing this. Playing as gay characters that are also "just themselves" must've been nerve-wracking.

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It went nowhere...

This is a copy of my review from CBL's main page.

Needless to say, everyone is giving them a lot of "strong feedbacks" after volume 3. But I don't want them to take the wrong message. Instead of jumping to thinking about "what BL fans like/dislike", I think there are some fundamental storytelling and character building issues that they need to sort out first. Hence, I wrote this review to rant and list out my grievances about volume 3.

1. The lack of explanations. They could get away with not explaining the bathroom thing back then because, in the grand scheme of things, it was just a small part of volume 1&2. But here, Jaejun-Yunje relationship is THE plot. Not explaining it is like a detective story that doesn't explain how the murder was done.

2. Related but slightly different to point #1. Jaejun's behaviors, frankly speaking, don't make sense. And in order to make sense of it, we need him to explain what he's thinking. But he doesn't. We know very little about his intention. Is he willfully cheating, or is he just that naive/dumb? Who knows?

Even if he's conflicted about his own thoughts, he could've said something like, "I know I love Jihan, but then, why does my heart skip a beat when Yunje got close?". See, that'd be an understandable confusion for someone new to love (though not necessarily justify what he did). When he did and said all that contradictory things, we need to know his state-of-mind, so that at least we could understand his humanness. Right now, all we could do is make assumptions about his character, without learning his perspective.

This is probably the biggest problem in this volume, and the one that makes me wonder whether the writer actually understood the characters, or just made them do whatever the drama needed them to do regardless of common sense.

3. Looking back, that forest not-kiss was... "clickbait-y", for a lack of better word. Not only unexplained, it was unnecessary too. We could tell that Yunje is attracted to Jaejun even without that. So what was that for?

4. Pacing issue. Things escalated and de-escalated way too quickly. Though I think that forest not-kiss shares the most blame for the quick escalation. That's the moment everyone went on high alert, and by then it was still episode 2. If Jaejun had just fallen asleep on Yunje's shoulder, for example, it would've been a smoother escalation toward the ice cream almost-kiss. As for the quick de-escalation, the not explaining things is to blame for that.

5. And finally, all that just to end up where they started. We don't know if Jaejun actually learned anything, because, again, he didn't explain anything. Some people think/wish that they would continue this storyline in vol 4, but I'm skeptical. It seems that Jaejun has moved on completely, and if he hasn't, it'd make his refusal to explain things even worse.


That's about everything. On the bright side, the sweet scenes are as good as ever. If you can ignore the newly-founded suspicion on Jaejun's state-of-mind, that is.

I still root for them and hope that the next volume will be better. I really want this project to be successful and long-lasting.

Read More

And the plot thickens

This review was written after volume 5 ended, but in order to be fair, I tried to remember how it was back then, without referring to any future volume.

This volume is a direct continuation of vol 1. They were planned together and shown basically back-to-back (unlike the future volumes). So honestly I'm not sure if it's fair to judge these two volumes apart.

In any case, the 5 episodes of vol 2 is the better part of the founding two volumes. Despite still having some bromance-y platonic "fillers", it's more focused. The romance is more highlighted, and it has became apparent that this "vlog" does indeed have a plot.

We got drama, we got sweetness, we got good kisses. All in good harmony. For some, this volume represents the perfect volume (even compared to future volumes).

Btw, it's sad that they don't get to finish whatever it was they're planning with the mysterious shower scene. But eh, a change in cast is always a challenge in a long-running project.

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And all is well?

This is a copy of my review from CBL's main page.

First of all, I'd like to acknowledge how difficult this format actually is. It brings a lot of freedom, and there's no comparison point. So different people will end up forming many different kind of expectations. Heck, I'm pretty sure some people don't even know what to expect. Like, they can tell whether they like this volume or not, but if you ask them to describe in detail what they want to see, many would probably come up blank. Exactly because there aren't much reference point to compare this work to.

With that said, I like this volume. Mostly because, to me, they're returning to the essence of this vlog format. In a typical series, the storytelling is akin to watching a CCTV recording; we get to see any relevant information, whether the characters "wanted" to be seen or not. But in a vlog, the storytelling is more like reading a diary; we only get to see what the characters have curated for us to see (in-universe).

And so that's why I think volume 3 was so janky. It was a vlog trying to be a typical series, and so it couldn't decide on a consistent mode of storytelling (as evidenced by the plenty use of "external" camera in that volume, i.e. "omniscient" camera that's not hold by the characters). Volume 4, meanwhile, is a vlog through and through, just one where the characters happen to kiss. Now, there might be many different reasons why someone likes or dislikes vlogs, but the identity is clear. This is a vlog, it's not trying to move beyond the realm of vlogs, and if you show it to a naive viewer, they might not even realise that it's "not just a typical vlog".

So yeah, I enjoyed this. Yes, there's basically no plot, but vlogs don't typically have a plot. Do I want a plot? Of course, but only if it fits the vlog format. Otherwise, they shouldn't force one in.

P.S. for the next volume: more kisses, more stares, more privacy, more intimacy. We don't exactly need fraternal bonding moments (notice that volume 1 & 2 didn't really have those, and they did just fine). After all, no one watch a dating show for the friendship.

Read More

A new strategy

This is a copy of my review from CBL's main page.

I've been enjoying this volume a lot. I think it's a step in the right direction.

First of all, they expanded what I thought was possible in this vlog format. Previously, I assume they'd stick to "realistic" plots that at least have a semblance of real-life feasibility. But the whole Jihan VS his manager is anything but; not only that you wouldn't record a vlog of your secret relationship, the manager is an "evil parent"-esque villain... in a vlog! Well, any semblance of realism is out the window now. In exchange, I welcome the additional possibilities this approach allows (like the HongGyu kiss dream sequence).

Second of all, I appreciate them keeping this volume in Seoul. It allows them to focus on the plot, without the pressure of having to change scenery every episode the way a travel vlog does. Plus, this kind of fiscal responsibility is important if this project is to be long-lived.

It's not all good, of course. I don't understand why they reconciled Hyunki and Dongseop so quickly, for example. I think their conflict has potential, and I'd much rather if they foster it for a bit. At the very least, they should conclude the conflict properly, perhaps by replacing the running scene with a reconciliation scene.

On that note, I think I can confidently say that people don't really care for the platonic (I'm referring to scenes like Yunje's video editing or HongGyu+Dongseop's running). They're fillers, and that's something vlogs can do without, what with the fast-forward and skip ahead that are standard practices. So it'd be good if they keep it tight and make every scene ties up to the grand romance, or at least have a flirty undertone.

One last thing. About the HongGyu focus in the second part of this volume, I can understand. I know people must've been missing 2J, but Jaejun's time here is hard-capped by his mandatory military service (in less than a year, I think?). So I get the need to slowly shift the spotlight to the other boys.

And that's about everything. Looking forward to the next volume and their further growth.

Read More

A comedy K-BL with obvious flaws, but its heart in the right place

Here we have a comedy K-BL, which is quite rare. There is a level of absurdity that's not in the usually more grounded K-BLs. If you were to find a comparison point for the comedy, I'd compare it to Choco Milk Shake.

This is fun. There isn't a lot of drama, and even when it gets tense, it's still light-hearted. You get a hint of that Cityboy_log's writing style, where they dealt with a problem very swiftly, sometimes just moving on without really addressing them. But I think it's for the better. They know some things don't make much real world sense, and rather than wasting precious airtime trying to make them make sense, they just move on and focus on the romance, which is what we BL fans are here for anyway.

The first couple is super cute. For most of the show, their relationship actually moves very slowly. But their antics is where most of the comedy is from. So while slow, they're entertaining in their own way.

The second couple, meanwhile, moves fast. They don't get a lot of airtime, but they use it efficiently. All their scenes are romantically significant, and you really get that sense of progress every episode. So it's no wonder many people care more about them than the first couple.

The rest of the cast were underutilised, and they frankly casted too many people. I'm sure if they shift the scripts around, they really only need 5, maybe 6, people in the soccer team. But I know they just want to make use of the Cityboy_log's cast en banc. I'm aware that this can be annoying, especially for those who thought we'd get a third couple. But eh, the fact that Jaejun and Jeonggyu got to took of their shirts once is enough reason for them to be here lol.

By the end, everything is concluded, uh... nicely? It's concluded, all right. Whether nicely or not, that's debatable. But the romance does concludes satisfyingly. And what else do we need from a BL?

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