misspulane

where water once stood, there it shall return

Whattagwaan!! It almost feels like South Korea has a monthly BL series dump. We had Sing My Crush, Bon Appetit, Bump my Business and now this gem of a series. All episodes tossed into the universe for all of us fans to enjoy.

Regarding this series, our male leads have a painful history and from their first interaction in the first episode, you can tell there’s hurt, there’s regret and one sided desire to make amends. The journey is slow, but gentle and sweet. It doesnt feel rushed albeit full of anticipation. All this because the thing about love is once it makes its presence known, it never really leave. Some might even say time heals, but does it really? Our male leads have had this struggle for five years.

The series comes to us at a perfect time in our BL lives where plenty series have ended. In this myriad of edgy plots, we can appreciated a laid back, sweet and fluffy romance between two wholesome characters. The visuals do not hurt. A strong recommendation if you’re looking for a cuddly and soft boy love story.

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Choosing Yourself VS Others

Watching this BL was a pleasant experience for me right from the start. I appreciated that the story was not dragged for long which can be exhausting for viewers. But also that they didn't drag out the bed scenes, creating unnecessary suspense and ultimately making kissing scenes feel unnatural. I enjoyed the surprise element of the intimacy, so much I felt like I was intruding.🤭

Also enjoyable was the beauty product setting which was refreshing to see. Toma's runway shots blew me away! He may have looked annoyed, but our mans was hot on that stage.

I was deeply happy to see Okuno So (Natsuke) who featured in another BL titled Although I love you, you? as the blonde, beautiful and mesmerizing ex-boyfriend to the restaurant owner. He's such a pleasure to watch.

The point of this review is to say, we are the generation that refuses to be in relationships where we are not heard or not seen, particularly by those who are meant to care for us the most. I could relate so much to the language of 'not interested' because that is an active decision that you are consistently making regarding your life. It takes the longest time to make that decision, but once you leave a toxic environment, you become super clear about your boundaries and I have to say that I'm super proud of Sahashi for ultimately choosing himself. But more importantly, for choosing a new family not based on blood, but on your heart.

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I understand her...

I am actually stopping to think about the FL's POV. Right? I am also acknowledging that some of this is steeped in Korean culture regarding 'owing others'. However, if you step outside of that and instead think of her as an independent woman, you can see where she's coming from. Especially if you're very concerned about people calling you a gold digger for loving a rich man. Its definitely something to worry about.

This does bring up the question of - does she take it a step too far? Show me an independent woman who doesn't want an independent man. One who has loved you through and through? She needs a conversation with a therapist first before she enters into another long term relationship. This is why the end is not satisfying to me.

Watch this drama with a discerning eye. I trust the filmmakers and am recommending this series. Its short and quick on the binge. Also the visuals are great!

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a Whole Entire Yikes!

Listen, it's suicide, murder and mayhem led by an emperor with the strongest sperm this side of history and the lamest pull out game ever seen!😂😂😂

This is a really good drama! I think many may be discouraged by the seventy episodes, and translating it to seventy hours, but you will fly through each one because the plot is captivating and the visuals do not hurt. The most pleasant thing is that the drama is available on YouTube which is available in most regions.

I would recommend this series very strongly, especially for those who love a period drama. Enjoy!

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Fatally Boring.

Negatives:

-they took the suspense too far
-they threw in every trope under the sun (to list them all would require the spoiler tag)
-they rushed the last episode, no in fact they rushed every episode
- there was not enough time to tell the story in a fluid way
- the main leads did not have chemistry at all - it was uncomfortable to watch.

Positives:
-the ending song was beautiful a k-ballad sang and produced really well
-the visuals were on point
- I also enjoyed the height difference
- FINALLY and VERY GOOD - no dead fish KISS!!

I do not recommend unless if you are dead bored with absolutely nothing else to watch.

Watch at own risk!

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Rather Unusual, Nasty Business

This is a little gem of a series in the sense that it has a little bit of everything. Love to hate to love, a time skip, an office setting and visual from both leads. In quintessential BL fashion, we have our usual, I have a problem with you but I expect you to have telepathic skills trope and sadly, this lasted 8 years. That's long enough to be born, lose teeth, grow new ones and start school! Like?!?

But my take away from the series, is that people with insecurities are truly difficult to love. Living with the stress of having to explain yourself at every turn would be tiring for anyone.

I grew tired just watching Min Joon go inward when confronted with a challenge regarding his feelings; like dude aren't you sick of yourself? This is why the last minute confession didn't reach me. Instead, I was just uber annoyed that he went there, huffed and puffed and blew the airport down. Of course, Jin Hwan doesn't mind the BS because he loves this miserable man. Don't get me wrong, he was just as bad at communicating, he would rather immigrate multiple times than fight through what he truly believes to be wrong.

How does that fare for them in the long run? Anyone's guess.

I do recommend the series, because unlike what we've seen in Korea, this series has legit chemistry and they go to town showing us the depth of their passion for one another. This, of course is a plus and makes up for the frustrations along the way.

A good watch when you are looking for a slow, but sweet and cute love story between two good looking boys :)

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More Psychology than Thriller

First allow me to confess that I am a huge fan on Gong Yoo and I have loved him since Coffee Prince. Further, I lean more towards soft romances, with a gentle storyline and I shy away from dark and grotty stories. So, fact that I watched this, says a lot about it. Also, I have rewatched multiple times as is recommended because the story is so layered, even if simple.

I feel the series tried a little too hard on the mystery side and people who enjoy this genre saw through it fairly quickly resulting in boredom. However, I think the story was heavy on psychological themes and the mystery just added an extra layer of flavour to what was already cooking.

This is what I think I saw. There are those who go through life fearfully, some who are unable to communicate their needs and some who do not know or recognize their needs, some lack of self awareness even. We can find each of our characters in these descriptions. Loving from a place of fear is characterised by constant worry that you will be left and to prevent that from happening, an enormous amount of control is exerted onto the love interest and relationship. Depending on who they are, the result could be catastrophic. In this instance, the control was met with abandonment issues and lack of communication skills. How do I tell you what I need from you and be sure that you will not leave me?

What I appreciated the most from here, was the character development. We see our male lead emerge from under the thumb to become his own man who feels sufficiently secure to say this is what I need and only you can give it to me. Of course, sweet romance never killed anyone and so to add to that and say ' I will wait for you' has many of us swooning. The love scenes between our male lead and his current wife, had me levitating off of my couch, they felt so real to my body. Mainly because these are characters fairly close to me in age and so I could relate so much to the need for touch and for emotional connection. The other couple's love scenes did not reach me at all.

There were moments when I felt the female lead was not meeting the male lead emotionally and I was not clear if this was the acting or how the character was written, but this is negligible. All cast members brought their a-game and it showed.

I recommend this series if you are into growth, finding love and connection at any age, but most especially during the middle ages.

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the Height of Incongruency

Understanding that this is a prequel, 2 episodes make total sense and they were enough to give you a glimpse of who the characters are.

this is a coming of age story; like so many that we have seen before, there is some confusion about what to call these feelings, but a strong sense of realness of said feelings is present through the episodes, especially the second. The question of what does it mean is the reason we see the interaction that we do at the end where there is a parting, but still no acknowledgement of what is really going on. You get to understand that the real issue here is having to call the feelings what they are and then having to deal with the consequences of such a label. None of our characters are ready for that, with reason.

There is a girl in the mix and a break up. Its a BL, so I mean ... Suffice to say the end is unpleasant for all parties. However, her voice is missing in this story. We are not told what she found attractive and what eventually led to the end. We are also not told how the relationship truly was in the quiet moments when it was just the two of them. Will that be explored later?

I loved this series for the way that it was shot, honestly. There was no beautification of the situation. Real is as real got. Having said that though there were some scenes that felt choppy due to editing. The acting was magnificent. Both our leads are talented and know how to communicate without uttering a word. The directing, um - was autobriographical. Shall we say that and leave it at that. Its his story and this is how he chooses to tell it. Commendable as that required some courage and vulnerability and we appreciate the sharing.

Looking forward to more of this.

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A Festival of Plot Twists!

This is a 2-part series that chronicles the story of young Max who finds himself dealt an unkind blow by life. The story itself is not new, but this is a subject we have not seen a lot of in the BL space and that was refreshing, but especially innovative was the filming and storytelling. Shot in documentary style and the cast being interviewed by behind the scene producers was different and this made it captivating. The story was told from ‘first hand experience’ and made it super real. For some, it may even be confusing; is this real or is this a fictional drama?!?

For me, however what blew my mind was how unpredictable the story way and just a myriad of plot twists that came our way in the second part. Proof that you don’t need 16 episodes to captivate an audience or tell a full story that makes total sense.

Would I recommend this series? A resounding yes. Just bring along some Kleenex if you are an empath or prone to tears as this may leave you a little wrecked, but you will not regret watching.

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Engineering Students Differently!

Sometimes, in fact most times we underestimate the effects of poverty on self esteem. When you are raised in an environment where the general populace is the same, you will hardly find any self esteem issues. The trouble starts with awareness that there is lack in the self. This is what Vee is battling with. These are consequences of falling in love with a rich kid and not having the skills to handle it. Also, having to watch those equal to Mark vie for his affections.

Mark comes across as more mature because he's had the luxury to move beyond worrying about his belly to bigger things.

To compare them is unfair. We've watched Vee make an attempt at showing Mark that he is able to love him even from his place of lack, but do badly due to lack of experience. It hasnt helped him that he is also poor at communicating. Oy!

In the end, what do you have besides your humanity. Vee is in luck with fatal looks, a crashing sense of humour and a persistent spirit. Something tells me he’s also gifted in the pleasure department which would explain why Mark lost his peripheral vision after one night. Their chemistry will have you reaching for your battery operated device because WTH!

Needless to say I loved the series and would strongly recommend a watch.

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Not as Morbid

Finally got around to watching this series, August 2022 to be exact and pleasantly surprised that the story as not as morbid as I had feared.

The story is about two boys from two different countries coming together for final goodbyes. Its short, its bitter sweet and pleasant to watch. At the bottom of it all, it is indeed about loss and the process of grief after sudden and unexpected passing. So leaning towards the sad, and if you are so inclined, you may shed one or two tears. But if you are looking for something with a simple storyline, beautiful people who are easy on the eye, then this is your BL.

Speaking of BL, the lost story is story with heavy subtleness. Perhaps this is where we see strng conservatism towards the subject of sexual minorities. There are NO strong sexual themes, hardly any kissing and the romance is mild at best. With some imagination, its possible to see some chemistry, but not strong at all. The boys have expressive faces and able to communicate some affection but that is where that ends.

I would recommend the series for some lazy watching, but not if you’re looking for some strong passion.

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Miss Out on Soulmate?

Very interesting how this show has thrown us into a moral dilemma so early. The second couple, Kelvin and Archie were not part of Episode 0 and so we were not sure what to expect upon meeting them in Episode 1 except now we've learned they've known each other since they were in high school and formed a connection then which continues to this day except Kelvin has a whole entire family. A woman and a child. We've watched enough dramas to know the reasons for this.

This is what brings me to the question - should he miss out on his soulmate just because he is married? No one is wrong here. Kelvin did not ask for the society he was born into, neither is it his fault for being born the way he was. Archie is not wrong for falling in love. The woman is not wrong for imagining she found a husband and they will grow old together.

Ultimately, this is an example of how obtrusive love can be. Such a disruption and unfortunately, it cannot be ignore. It seeps out in the most insidious ways and makes itself known. Love is the villian here. 😮‍💨

We are in for a ride and I personally, am terribly excited.

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It Really is Complicated!

Geez, was I big relieved that this movie ended at the point at which it ended. I was sitting on the edge of my seat praying that a line wouldn't be crossed. What a relief!

Let's get the admin out of the way. The directing was impeccable, the script flowed logically, the cinematography very catchy and satisfying in the sense that you got a good grounding on both international locations and the living conditions. The casting was just as great because the actors met the characters where they were and they delivered brilliantly. I know the male lead from other productions and I didn't feel at any moment that they slipped out of character. That was satisfying to see as it meant full immersion into the story could be achieved.

The characters themselves were complicated; these were not easy people to watch. The young years revealed to me what I felt were character flaws in the sense that one was willing to give beyond what was required and the other took without reservation. This they carried into adulthood and such imbalances frequently lead to resentment. The immigration was difficult for her. We see the struggle to integrate, there are language challenges and although this is not her decision and what is happening is out of her control, she clings to what she knows - hard work and a possible dream. In that process she abandons who she imagined herself to be and is hyper driven by ambition. He makes an attempt to move on, but is held back by the promise made by memories.

Twelve years later, married to a Jewish man and living in the East Village, his visit is a resurrection of the little girl who left South Korea and I don't think the memories are welcome, but in the same breathe they cannot be disputed. So, this creates this state of limbo where the husband is a reflection of what is present and real and the male lead represents loss and an identity she would rather not deal with. There's almost this push and pull between how far back South Korea is and yet how unreachable New York is.

I was struck by the maturity of the husband and brought to feel that this is a reflection of how relationships should be. Not afraid to show vulnerability, not afraid to ask questions and not afraid to sit quietly and wait for the whirlwind to pass. There's also the recognition that our beginnings are not the same; we carry the differences even today, but there's a point where we can meet each other and create something warm and new and wholesome together. However, there's this threat hanging over everyone's head called destiny. The husband feels in the middle because in many ways, he's a romantic. They themselves are grappling with how much control to give to destiny. Should we allow destiny to dictate the direction of our present lives or recognise that perhaps our story is for another lifetime past or in the future.

I strongly recommend the movie if you are into all things Korean, but also all things English.😁😁
A mature, romantic drama that showcases just how complicated human beings truly are. Thank you to the Bestie for the recommendation🥰. This was completely off my radar.

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Movie VS Series - A Case of Perspective!

Having watched the series earlier this year and now the movie, you can see that they come from the same source material, but there are stark differences between the two productions.

The series tells the story of the male lead and his struggles to find love in the big city. It takes us through his different encounters in the gay scene. It shows you his life and friendships in the city and it also takes you through his growth and development as a writer. It does this in detail, because it has 8 episodes and has the time and space for exploration, which the movie cannot do.

The movie tries to tell the same story, but places more focus on his friendship with the female lead, ending sweetly with her wedding. The series continued past her wedding and showed what happens with this friendship when she is now in her marriage era. I enjoyed seeing her husband’s character in the movie which I feel I missed in the series.

I also feel the audiences may have been different for the series vs the movie. The series was indeed a queer love story and was enjoyed and treasured by those who consume the media. As a fan of BL, I found the story was steeped in realism and didn’t have time for fluff, leaving many of us breathless.

Oops, I think I just gave myself away. I absolutely prefer the series. It gave me a glimpse into real gay lives which I deeply appreciated.

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