it was
it is i, the niel.wayo's actor did a solid job with the material present. i think that somehow i could overall kind of enjoy it, but i couldn't tell you why. wayo as a character has pretty useless vibes. i don't remember anything about the side couple. they weren't bad, but they were nothing. phana was so clearly played by a straight man, which is fine, but at least try and act like you're interested in the guy you're supposed to be interested in.
plot-wise, it was pretty paper-thin. they spend so much of this show in a room preparing for this school performance that consists of incredibly simple dance moves and very little singing. so, the question becomes: why are we in this room for every single episode "practicing"? mind-boggling.
still, i don't regret watching it. it did the job of killing some time, semi-pleasantly. yeehaw!
best,
the niel.
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This review may contain spoilers
tan was there
it is i, the niel.honestly, i watched this for jaejun...not b/c of his performance in city boy log, but because i luvvvv tan.
anyway, this show was about 3% soccer, 50% whining, and 47% can we just finish this already? this is one of those plots that feeds into the parasocial relationships between idols and fans, even though it is mutual from both the mc and ml. i didn't really see the chemistry between the main couple and the other characters were just...there. the budget, nonexistent. the characters were not dynamic, and they had very face-value personality traits that did not develop whatsoever throughout the drag of this show.
sorry, it was not memorable.
yippee
best,
the niel.
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wowza
it is i, the niel.this show deserves a 1. there was a lot to unpack with this one. it was entertaining for the sheer shock value of how awful it was. ROUGH to get through. way too many couples. however, i could tell that there was solid chemistry between most of them. it was a genuinely ambitious storyline.
with that being said, i am appalled. it had its moments, and the plot was going somewhere. any of the good moments and any amount of actually, somewhat interesting plot, is just suffocated by the insanity and vulgarity of it all. one could argue that this was trying to emulate queer indie media with the range of relationships, even though it felt inherently over-sexualizing at certain moments (oftentimes seen with portrayals of gay men in media). however, there were so many characters that made it incredibly frustrating to watch. furthermore, i disliked the codependence/toxicity of most of these couples. i see what it was going for, but it missed the mark by miles. it was raw, very uncomfortable.
there is certainly a representation of kinks and sex, which is not what makes it bad. i think it's bad because it was not well-written, and there wasn't enough time to understand the characters and come to like them as a whole. in general, i questioned the motivations of all of these people (including those on the production team). i'm fine with characters that aren't necessarily great people all the time, but we have to know why they aren't great people all the time because otherwise, they just suck. especially if they are never good people, and you insert random trauma but don't follow up on it.
there were elements of it that were interesting. if the core of the plot had focused on the disappearance of the brother, it would have made the show much better. instead, all of these couples and characters felt disjointed, and it was confusing in the grand scheme of this universe. if you wanna watch it, pop off...i'm not convinced you'll get much out of it, though. shout-out to the actors who tried their best. nothing wrong with them, lol.
lmaooo.
best,
the niel.
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this is really, really, really bizarre
it is i, the niel.at most points, i didn't even know what was going on in this show. so many questions, no answers. why was anyone okay with this? the audio was foul the majority of the time. i don't even know how to begin to describe how disgusted i felt while watching this. i'm really sorry, but where was the direction at any point during the writing, shooting, editing, and deciding to upload this for the entire world to see? rats!
best,
the niel.
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we need more home security
it is i, the niel.wow, plot. the plot has never plot as much as it plots in this plot. i was so engaged throughout the entirety of the show. the character development was incredibly solid. the way the story evolved was complex and interesting. it took multiple unexpected turns, and i felt like loose ends were being tied by the end. everything made sense once different elements played out and started coming together.
props to the writer because there were sooo many levels to this story. i think there was a lot of potential for things to be messy, convoluted, and confusing. instead, it was so well-planned and executed that it became an insane and interesting web of mystery that we watched unravel. it does share dark themes with other bls i've seen, but it is truly unique on its own. the actors delivered. i commend everyone involved...amazing show.
at times, some of the characters' choices were frustrating. i wanted them to think more deeply and make smarter decisions, because they did not utilize assets readily available to them. no one locks their doors (everyone has glass doors, lol). tan was full batman (singular man with a plan). he came up with plans on a whim, sure. also, some of the songs were strong choices that i personally wouldn't have made.
the second half of the show is better than the first half, because the plot becomes more robust once you learn more about each character and their motives/actions. that said, the first half of the show gives you enough character development that you are aware of the many people involved and what's going on. this leaves every character open to being suspected in the mystery in an interesting way. there is a large range in morality and motives, as well as archetypes, with these characters. the moral ambiguity is a nice change of pace from a lot of the black and white characters we usually see in other bls. despite the length, it was really well-paced. i would definitely rewatch. plot!!
best,
the niel.
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what the heck?
it is i, the niel.it opens with one of them peeing on the floor (and then peeing again in the same episode), and i feel like that tells you everything you need to know. the story? nowhere to be found. the music? all over the place. what was the timeline? this seemed like one of those cover-ups for pure goonery (but also nothing of substance).
the best thing i can say about this was that the actors gave it their all. maybe they'd be good in other shows. other than that, i don't suggest watching this. at points, you did have to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all. would i rewatch this? absolutely not. cheers to a fantastic day!
best,
the niel.
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god is real and he has filler
it is i, the niel.i don't even know where to start with this review. hats off to everyone involved. this is fantastic, you must watch it immediately.
by far the best kbl i've ever seen. this series had so much more substance than any other kbl i've watched. once you get into the last few episodes, the content gradually shifts into a much more serious and mature storyline than what you originally signed up for. i think that this shift alone strays away from the typical face-value entertainment you see from the majority of bls, and it started becoming compelling for queer viewers beyond escapism.
the feeling you get when watching this show is different than when you're watching typical lighthearted bls. it still leaves you feeling good, but it fills you with much heavier emotions that make the joy more impactful. i can't remember the last time that a show made me tear up.
this show is well-written and well-directed. the acting is what sold this show. the way that the leads were able to portray such stark differences of their personalities made the shifts in character and emotion recognizable without it feeling jarring. they were equally strong actors during both cheesy and dramatic scenes. there were some big tone shifts, and if this show and the acting hadn't been as high quality as they were, they wouldn't have been able to bridge two different genres of storytelling as successfully as they did.
i've never encountered such a unique plot in a bl, and it was refreshing. i think that bls can oftentimes get repetitive, and this felt like something new. it goes way beyond the typical high school setting. in an interesting turn of events, the coming-of-age feeling stems from the plot, not from the characters. you get to see the story mature and deepen as the show progresses.
overall, i would absolutely rewatch this show, just to pick up on minor details. specifically, when it came to the way they filmed shots, the game messages/missions, and the nuances of the characterization of the leads. i was gripped the entire time. it had me engaged, and i was met with a gratifying emotional conclusion. hallelujah!!!
best,
the niel.
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the dunk school of acting
it is i, the niel.let me just be clear, this was not about day and itt whatsoever. 90% of what's specified in the synopsis doesn't even happen in the first place. an hour and thirty minutes long, and all of it was filler. we get one glimpse of maybe could-be plot in a brief flash before it just crumbles before us.
you look at the synopsis, you assume that the movie is going to be about day and itt, yet what we know about day and itt is almost entirely derived from having read the synopsis prior to watching. day is a freak (derogatory). he goes through the trouble of seeking out itt to get revenge for night, then 2 minutes later slaps night and keeps him locked up in his room.
the acting. woof. i started off noting that the actor who played itt wasn't really doing the best job. i eventually realized that it's the entire cast. i think that there were way too many characters, and way too many people involved with this movie, both on the screen and off of the screen. too many couples, one of which was established with like 2 minutes remaining.
some questions: what is this movie about? what even is the point of any of this? why did itt follow day into his house and accept a random beer from him? what is day's deal? why didn't he also initially go after gear? why are there so many characters? why are they all related? do they have anything going on in their lives? why do they just seemingly stand around together in clusters? how did gear scale the house? why did they introduce a new character over halfway into the movie? why did we get a solid 15-minute montage devoted to jet ski footage? and one last time, what's this movie even about?
don't watch this, even if you're bored. it is nothing like the masterpiece of unforgotten night. i went into this with hope, because it's in the same universe as unforgotten night, and i ended up with a broken heart. blimey!!
best,
the niel.
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unfortunately pathetic
it is i, the niel.firstly, these characters needed more depth. they were nothing. the first episode made me want to drop the series entirely because of how cringey it was, imo. the logic of this show was certainly nonexistent, but that could've been partially due to how choppy the editing was. the music was over-the-top. although it was decent, it started feeling like a new song was playing every few minutes by the end of the show. the dialogue was so cheesy, and the tropes/random fluff made me physically shudder, i'm sorry. each episode was less than 15 minutes long, and yet i felt as if they were taking years off my life. episode 7 in its entirety was ridiculous. the pacing was decent at first, but then they decided to throw in every piece of conflict/plot during episodes 6, and 7, and 8.
i wanted to feel bad for sion, but he just felt like a dumb guy. it was almost pathetic at some points. how does he get injured and then is magically fine within the same episode? this could've been simply because of how the character was acted out, but i literally could not get a read on his personality or motives, because they changed every few minutes. i just don't get why they did any of the things they did. also the ending? weird. the acting felt ambitious, and i'm sure that these guys have done better work now, but man did i feel like it was too much.
also, why were we only given one snippet of "what could've been" in terms of hongseok and the piano? what a missed opportunity and failed aspect to add. come on guys.
unless you really like these actors or these characters, there is no reason to rewatch this or, honestly, watch it in the first place. i only found the presence of the 30-count carton of eggs to be amusing. a story wasn't being told here. the red string of fate is very cute on its own, but in no world do i believe that these two are destined to be together. i'm honestly disappointed with how everything played out, given the fact that the concept was intriguing and could've been executed with more than what we were given. after watching, i felt like it was just put out into the world to enjoy if you viewed with rose-tinted glasses, but without anything of substance to back it up? even if this was just for the purpose of comfort/cheesiness, it was giving nothing. the chemistry was nothing. the connection was nothing.
i slightly feel bad giving it such a low rating, because an attempt was made. however, i can't delude myself, so a 2.5 it shall be. so long!
best,
the niel.
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yikes
it is i, the niel.i do feel bad for the actors in these types of series because it's not their fault, genuinely. i mean that, and i truly wish them well, even though they are the face of this trainwreck.
i have never dropped a series so fast, and i have sat through some decidedly awful shows (see other reviews). this one, just couldn't do it. there were way too many characters, i couldn't even grasp a single character's name. the plot was impossible to follow (if there was a plot in the first place) and the musical performance aspect of the show was questionable. it felt like they just put a bunch of dudes in a room and gave them a general idea of what to do. the script was nonexistent.
i think that everyone involved could have found anything better to do with their wednesday afternoon. i also think the actors have potential in some areas, just not whatever this was. did they even make a profit from this? i honestly don't know where the budget went, if there was one.
whoop-de-doo!
best,
the niel.
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that was ambitious. didn’t work. got dunked.
it is i, the niel.it took me months to finish the latter portion of this show because the last few episodes were an interminable slog. firstly, the episodes were way too long and like many bls, poorly paced. we did not need 12 episodes. i think that it started off strong(ish). the initial plot and conflict were interesting. i liked that it felt different than what a lot of gmmtv puts out. i had high hopes that they would be able to execute this show well because it felt similar to gmmtv's other more 'mature' shows such as "not me" or "only friends", which have both been stand-outs from gmmtv (for me, at least).
past the midpoint of this show, the original plot and conflict started getting lost in side plots, and the whole thing became muddled as far as "where are we going" and "what are we doing". again, too many episodes. i found myself thinking that a lot of the physicality and general dialogue between the two couples became filler rather than development, and honestly wanted to skip through a lot of those scenes. i had to watch the last 3 episodes on 2x speed and skip some parts that were clearly filler. towards the end, the characters were not distinctively different from one another, and i began to lose a sense of their individual personalities. this oftentimes happens when the show is clearly headed towards a positive ending, so the writers are like "well, now we can't have any sort of conflict or back and forth". i think that if another actor had played style, i would've been more on board with some of the filler dialogue.
dunk. the true nail in the coffin for this show. i know people have mixed feelings on this guy. wow, it was evident that he had trouble acting out his parts. part of what makes his acting so off is that he leaves his eyes open while kissing and doesn't really know how to close his mouth when he's not saying any lines (no hate). this is crazy to me because joong is such a strong actor, along with first and khaotung. their acting was solid, i don't really have any notes about them. because these 3 are some of gmmtv's stronger actors, it makes dunk stick out as a weak actor. at least he was in crop-tops most of the time, that was fun.
the overall styling of the characters was pretty good. at times, wild choices and almost too beholden to the aesthetic in the sense that it's a retail store trying to capture the essence of the 80s, but ends up putting out dupes that fall short but hit for 12-year-olds. kant had the most consistent and well-done styling for him as a character, though his tattooing glasses were a little stupid and very impractical (lol, sorry, not that relevant).
now, some important but not super relevant notes on certain aspects of the show. the fake tattoos on kant were jarring. they couldn't even powder them? the clothespins scene? what. dunk's personal tiktoks? what's he doing with all that food? the ages of the characters didn't seem realistic to the actual actors' ages. why did they throw in random conflict right at the end? that lasted all of 5 minutes, and we didn't exactly get a confirmation of what happened. the music was good, but weird at times.
i wouldn't recommend rewatching unless you're ready to sit through hours worth of dunk. i'm so happy i finally finished this show after so long.
freedom!!!
best,
the niel.
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so forgettable, i forgot it
it is i, the niel.watched this about a year ago. couldn't tell you a thing. i'm sure joong did a pretty good job. i'm positive dunk did not. wasn't so bad that i remember it being terrible, so i guess it was fine. if you're looking to pass the time, this is probably inoffensive. if you're looking to be riveted, look elsewhere. i don't have anything else to say, i think that's all you need to know.
god bless!
best,
the niel.
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