This review may contain spoilers
well, that was a lot
it is i, the niel.
i honestly feel so overwhelmed after watching that. compared to the first season, there was so much more depth and complexity with these characters, which at times felt heavy. in terms of production, you can clearly tell that there was time devoted to this series. it was essentially double the length of the first season. if you're looking for something easy and light, this is not the show for you.
at points, the background information being told to the audience almost felt like too much for us to handle. i did enjoy the fact that we were able to explore why these characters are the way that they are and backstory about the majority of them, including a lot of time devoted to the supporting cast. that especially made it feel like i was watching a regular kdrama, not just a bl. after watching the first season, i could already tell that these characters were well-written. the way that they expanded on them was very helpful. by the end, i came to like almost all of them, because i was able to empathize with and understand them. that's when you truly know that the writers did a good job. though, the multiple conflicts and side plots made me feel slightly drained at times.
the story itself was a lot to keep up with. each episode was a painful watch, and i became increasingly frustrated with both of the leads at times. it felt as if they were so desperate to communicate with each other, but simply started amplifying disagreements and pushing each other away. the ending does address this, but only slightly. look, i get both jiwoo and seojoon's perspectives, but sometimes it dragged on and on. i'm sorry, but both of these leads needed to make up their minds. seojoon would say one thing, then do the complete opposite. also, jiwoo shutting seojoon out for essentially the entirety of the show and suddenly all is well at the end? would you really want to be treated like that by a long-term partner? breakups are messy, yes. but to me, jiwoo most likely needed to grow on his own, because their relationship felt codependent/unhealthy based on the behavior when they weren't together.
would i rewatch this? i put this as a high rewatch value because for me, this would make sense for someone who wants the angst and pain of a drama, rather than an oftentimes entirely romanticized series. don't get me wrong, obviously this is a romanticized relationship (lol). however, the issues that they explored were way more realistic, but had more depth than what i often see in this genre. at times, i wanted seojoon to simply live his life without feeling the need to chase after jiwoo. to me, the clear boundaries/wall jiwoo put up would've been a hard no. this is something i have always felt conflicted on, though. i think that characters like jiwoo oftentimes need a push outside of their comfort zone by some external factor, with respect to their boundaries. i'm not implying that seojoon did anything morally wrong/criminalizing. i just wish they were able to thrive separately, and seojoon didn't feel the need to go the extra length after being shot down dozens of times. on the other hand, this would be appealing to a lot of watchers, but i genuinely thought that he needed to have some self-respect at times.
after reading that, you're probably wondering why i still put the rating so high. i honestly believe that this was a solid show. me disagreeing with how characters made their decisions or other elements does not detract from the fact that the writers had a clear idea in mind, the actors, again, delivered their lines well, and it was overall an enjoyable watch. the chemistry between the leads is solid, and even though they frustrated me, i still liked their personalities as individuals. they were likable people, when they weren't being dramatic about their relationship.
the fact that i felt frustrated in this case indicated to me that something was being done right. there was an overwhelming number of conflicts, yes. were they all resolved? for the most part. the music was pretty nice. there was a plot, but i felt like the story wasn't entirely there at times. i think this could have benefited if there were a third season, which sounds ridiculous, but with the way that they introduced so many new characters and different sub-plots, you'd probably agree. toodles!
best,
the niel.
i honestly feel so overwhelmed after watching that. compared to the first season, there was so much more depth and complexity with these characters, which at times felt heavy. in terms of production, you can clearly tell that there was time devoted to this series. it was essentially double the length of the first season. if you're looking for something easy and light, this is not the show for you.
at points, the background information being told to the audience almost felt like too much for us to handle. i did enjoy the fact that we were able to explore why these characters are the way that they are and backstory about the majority of them, including a lot of time devoted to the supporting cast. that especially made it feel like i was watching a regular kdrama, not just a bl. after watching the first season, i could already tell that these characters were well-written. the way that they expanded on them was very helpful. by the end, i came to like almost all of them, because i was able to empathize with and understand them. that's when you truly know that the writers did a good job. though, the multiple conflicts and side plots made me feel slightly drained at times.
the story itself was a lot to keep up with. each episode was a painful watch, and i became increasingly frustrated with both of the leads at times. it felt as if they were so desperate to communicate with each other, but simply started amplifying disagreements and pushing each other away. the ending does address this, but only slightly. look, i get both jiwoo and seojoon's perspectives, but sometimes it dragged on and on. i'm sorry, but both of these leads needed to make up their minds. seojoon would say one thing, then do the complete opposite. also, jiwoo shutting seojoon out for essentially the entirety of the show and suddenly all is well at the end? would you really want to be treated like that by a long-term partner? breakups are messy, yes. but to me, jiwoo most likely needed to grow on his own, because their relationship felt codependent/unhealthy based on the behavior when they weren't together.
would i rewatch this? i put this as a high rewatch value because for me, this would make sense for someone who wants the angst and pain of a drama, rather than an oftentimes entirely romanticized series. don't get me wrong, obviously this is a romanticized relationship (lol). however, the issues that they explored were way more realistic, but had more depth than what i often see in this genre. at times, i wanted seojoon to simply live his life without feeling the need to chase after jiwoo. to me, the clear boundaries/wall jiwoo put up would've been a hard no. this is something i have always felt conflicted on, though. i think that characters like jiwoo oftentimes need a push outside of their comfort zone by some external factor, with respect to their boundaries. i'm not implying that seojoon did anything morally wrong/criminalizing. i just wish they were able to thrive separately, and seojoon didn't feel the need to go the extra length after being shot down dozens of times. on the other hand, this would be appealing to a lot of watchers, but i genuinely thought that he needed to have some self-respect at times.
after reading that, you're probably wondering why i still put the rating so high. i honestly believe that this was a solid show. me disagreeing with how characters made their decisions or other elements does not detract from the fact that the writers had a clear idea in mind, the actors, again, delivered their lines well, and it was overall an enjoyable watch. the chemistry between the leads is solid, and even though they frustrated me, i still liked their personalities as individuals. they were likable people, when they weren't being dramatic about their relationship.
the fact that i felt frustrated in this case indicated to me that something was being done right. there was an overwhelming number of conflicts, yes. were they all resolved? for the most part. the music was pretty nice. there was a plot, but i felt like the story wasn't entirely there at times. i think this could have benefited if there were a third season, which sounds ridiculous, but with the way that they introduced so many new characters and different sub-plots, you'd probably agree. toodles!
best,
the niel.
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