Saeng

A drama about contemporary societal problems not only in South Korea

Topics in this court drama are sexism, corruption, greed, power imbalance and the question of how to make a just and lawful decision.

I think as a European person, I probably was not able to understand the intricacies fully. South Korea is still young as a liberal democracy, but within an old, patriarchial and strictly hierarchical society. So, some themes, like how the old order between younger people (and people in lower status) and people with more seniority (higher status) clashes with a new system of ethics, where everyone is equal in front of the law, are things I will probably never really understand.

What I liked:
* I loved the team dynamics, and that every one of the recurring characters had their own personalities.
* The romance between the judge of court 43 and the secretary was cute. I liked that they both changed for the better during their courtship, and neither of them -- especially not the female character -- lost their core personality traits.
* The cases were, for the most part, interesting.
* It was also fascinating to see how the judicial system in S.Korea works. According to Wikipedia, the script (and the book it was based on) was written by a senior judge himself, so I don't expect there to be any glaring inaccuracies.

What I did not like:
* The last episodes were too cheesy for my taste. That happy ending felt too forced for me. Two main points:
* Especially the relationship between Ba Reun and Oh Reum could have remained platonic -- until the second to last episode, I loved their dynamic, and how they were learning to listen to the other. Sometimes love remains unrequited, and men and women can work together as nothing more than colleagues.
* They could also have left the story arc about NJ group more ambiguous. In real life, you don't have this kind of closure.

All in all, I don't regret watching it, although the last episodes made me change my rating of a solid 9 to a disappointed seven.

Read More

I have not seen the Korean drama or read the original webtoon, so I cannot compare them to this Japanese version. Nevertheless, this version has a distinctly "Korean feel" to it. Especially the love triangle (quadrangle?) and the fight against a power-hungry chairman of a huge conglomerate are plot points I've seen in several Korean dramas.
(But I trust that the story was Japanese enough for the Japanese producers to make an adaptation.)

I liked the basic idea of a young man seeking revenge for a wrong done to him and his father -- with the help of friends he makes along the way.
(I wonder; if this had been an original idea, what would a Japanese writer have done with it? More friendship and group action, less love triangle, I hope.)
Also, the pacing and story managed to keep my interest until the four-year time skip. After that, I found a lot of the plot points superfluous and the rest dragged on.)

--spoilers start here--

I also did not like most of the characters:
* Aoi who was introduced as a high school brat, is suddenly a more than capable manager? At twenty? I find that not believable, especially as her main motivation is her "love" for Arata -- which feels more like a childish crush to me.
* Arata who is supposed to have strong morals, and put people before profit in the first episodes, becomes more and more ruthless and lives only for his revenge -- he even has no answer to the question "What are you going to do after?" for most of the series. That character devolpment could have been interseting but then they should have addressed it more.
* Riku, who was fine as a character, but until her surgery looked more like a FTM transgender person than a MTF transgender person. Also, why did they choose a biologically female actress? Were there no adequate male actors willing to play her? (I have no idea whether there are actual transgender actors in Japan who could have taken the role, which would have been the best choice.)
* Yuka was interesting for a lot of the episodes, because her actions were rather ambiguous. She was a character with shades of grey -- but unfortunately she was also too passive, waiting for Arata to "save her", whatever that meant.
* Ryota, the ex-criminal, had not enough screen time to develop his character. He's an example why I am not fond of time jumps -- what happened to him in the time when RC grew and he had to change his position? He started a an uneducated ruffian -- how did he manage to change to managing director?
* The one I felt the most sympathy for was Ryuji, who was the most likeable among the bunch. But why does his only reason for doing what he does have to be his "One True Love"(TM)? There are so many other motivations than that!

The Nagayas (father and elder son) were fantastic enemies though! No complaints here!

All in all, I do not regret watching it, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to others -- there are better dramas out there.

Read More

A light-hearted, cute simple little love story about two marathon runners in college

While this is not my favourite BL of all time, it is one of the go-to BLs whenever I need a short pick-me-up.
The series and the drama are identical, there are just a few scenes swapped around where the episodes end / start, probably for narrative reasons.

What I liked:
* They chose a story line that is adequate for the length of the series. Anything more complicated, and it might have become frustrating (again).
* The series is focused on the two main leads, which are supported by only a few other characters, which also fits the drama's length. I loved all of them, the coach was like an exasperated but loving uncle, the friend insightful, the two loan sharks hilariously cute.
* They did almost everything to keep the story light-hearted, from the sometimes cheesy dialogue to the upbeat music.
* The story, though straightforward, shows quite a bit of character development for BOTH main characters.

What I did not like:
* To keep it consistently light-hearted, I would have liked if the scene with the loan sharks' boss could have been less violent -- I'm sure there was another way to put pressure on SangHa than to beat him up.

Overall, a sweet and short drama.

Read More

This is one of the worse short K-BLs I've seen. The premise is fine, but how they told the story in the second half made it fall apart completely. Did the people who were responsible not get feedback from someone else?

What I liked:
* I loved the relationship between Yeong Woo and his father. Even if there are only a few scenes with them both, I have a distinct impression on how growing up must have been for Yeong Woo with this father, and for the father, raising is son to be an independent, and kind person. You see, it IS possible to establish how people feel about each other in just a few minutes of screentime!
* Stories not set in college or high school are always a plus for me. I liked that Yeong Woo was of a lower or middle class background. I also found it very relatable that he did not know what to do with his life.

What I did not like:
* The two main leads got too close, too fast for my liking. I've never talked to people I've only met three or four times about my most initmate dreams and hopes for the future.
* The show seems to follow the precept of "show, don't tell". The thing is, if you show only fragments, and we, as the audience have to guess what is going on, we won't be very satisfied. This becomes especially clear just before and after the time skip, where we only get to see disjointed scenes, sometimes without context. If we don't even get clues to guess, then it only becomes an exercise in frustration.
Some examples: Why the crying at the traffic lights? Where was Ki Jin during the time skip? When did Yeong Woo become a model, and how does he balance this with his delivery job? Where is his mother? Why is the friend also back? Did they ever talk about their breakup? What happened between Yeon Woo and the friend in the past? (Were they lovers? Friends? Rivals? Just classmates?)

I don't get why "follow your dreams" and "be with the one you love" have to be an either-or-decision. Long-distance-relationships? Talking about things and then compromising? That's apparently nothing that exists in this world.

All in alll, the drama feels more like an outline for the first few episodes of a longer story, not something you would consider complete and fit for release.

You can watch it, if you like, since the show is rather short, but I'd recommend to give it a miss.

Read More

The premise is great; the runtime too short.

The idea to blend an office setting / a boss-employee-dynamic with a fantasy plot of reincarnation and curses which have to be broken, is interesting.

Unfortunately, the boss-employee-dynamics with its inherent power imbalance is only kind of important in the beginning -- for me, Dong Baek was much too accepting of Yu Dam's story. But that may be because I did not feel a connection between the director and his employee. The director was so standoffish at the beginning, and then suddenly, he is concerned annd worried? The employee is confused and more than a bit uncomfortable, and then, suddenly -- love? A bit more time for character development would have been nice.

I think there's a lot of more character back-story and world-building here than we get to see; and this is what makes the whole series feel unfinished. It is as if we get an incomplete puzzle and are asked to fill in the missing pieces ourselves, and the pieces that are there are just the people, and none of the surroundings.
We don't know why it was so important that the "child of god" / "the kid who grew up in the shaman's house" not get a name. We don't know who it was who shot Dong Baek (looked like Dennis, maybe?) and why. We don't know what kind of curse it is and how exactly it can be broken. And we don't know how Yu Dam knows. We don't know who is was who possessed Dong Baek that one time. We don't know anything about Dennis, and why he thinks so lowly of Yu Dam.
The list could go on and on.

I don't understand why those who were responsible chose this story when it was clear that there's not a lot of time to fully explore it. Even a 10-episode drama of 25 to 30 minutes per episode would have been enough to at least explain the most pressing questions.
But if you know that you don't have the time, then why not choose a much simpler story?

As it is, most of the episodes felt rushed or disjointed (or both); which is a pity since the acting and most technical aspects were fine.

The ending .... is probably something people love or hate. It's open-ended bt hopeful; and I think it fits so I like it.

If you're interested and have the time, you could watch it -- it's short enough and certainly not bad enough -- and form your own opinion.

Read More

I watched this and the series version side-by-side. Apart from a few scenes that were switched around, both versions are identical; the movie feels more like a cohesive whole since it isn't interrupted every few minutes. If you want to watch this, you should choose the movie if you can.

What I liked:
* the beautiful scenery at the ocean
* the simplicity of the story
* Han Gi Chan's acting
* Also, stories that are not set in highschool or college are always welcome.
* The Ex-boyfriend. It was a nice touch, not to know at the beginnning what to expect from him, and to discover in his third scene what he is actually like.
* The story didn't make use of the typical BL tropes, only standard romance tropes. The gender of the two protagonists actually did not matter much, which is always nice, if you want a light romance.

The story though has some qusetionable parts:
* I have so many questions: Where does Tommy come from? What is his motivation in staying with Ba Da? -- Why is Tommy there, right behind the car, at the beginning? Was it an accident, did he get in the way intentionally, did he just lie down there? -- Why does a chef buy at the grocery store?
* The gap year -- Why should two adults not know to try a long-distance relationship? What did Ba Da do while he was not at his small establishment and why did he decide to come back? What was the motivation for Tommy to return, and why at this point of time?

Holland's acting is, unfortunately, not suited for his role. I'm sure he did his best, but it seemed stiff to me, and even after rewatching I'm not always sure how his character feels. Especially since we only get Ba Da's POV, and Tommy doesn't really talk about his life, we have to rely on body language. I didn't, for example, notice that Tommy actually comes on to Ba Da until I watched the story for the third time.

Overall impression:
This is a nice and simple story, that focuses on few characters, sets and a single storyline. It didn't waste time on too many flashbacks or scenic shots, just enough to set the mood. The makers obviously used what they had wisely and tried to make a good story within the short time of an average movie.

I still would have wanted more info, be it explicitely stated or implicitely shown, to understand the motives of both main leads. Things are often too subtle to see them during a casual watching, or did you notice that Ba Da says in minute 33 of the movie "I didn't come here to do this?" and probably means that he notices a certain kind of attraction to Tommy? I didn't, and there are some other points where I'm really not sure if we get the intended message.
That subtlety doesn't mix particulary well with Holland's acting style.

Still, it's a nice movie to spend a lazy afternoon or evening on, even worth a rewatch or two, if yu need to shut off your brain. It's not an outstanding masterpiece but certainly better or at least not worse than some het romances.

Read More

I actually watched the show a second time, just to check if there are any clues in the beginning (or somewhere before the last episode) to what is happening. There are not.

And that's the least of the show's problems.

But first: What I liked:
* All of the actors played everything straight and took their job seriously.
* The funny scenes made me laugh, the cute scenes made me smile, the serious scenes were sombre.
* There were no technical issues.

But the story. Oh my.
I think the first, and most relevant, issue is that we as the audience do not get any clues that this is not supposed to be anything but one of the usual BL romances (or romance comedies).

Also, the production doesn't stick to one "genre" -- between scenes the mood jumps from serious to cutesy to plain silly.

The show could have been
-- either: a serious, heartbreaking story about a relationship that's come to its end, and how the couple deals with it, and maybe find a new way to be together,
-- or: a cute, maybe a bit trope-y story about a couple that tries to balance their relationship and work / college with cheesy slice-of-life-scenes,
-- or: a silly, over-the-top story that makes fun of alle the tropes of het and BL romances, maybe with some slapstick thrown in.
Considering the quality of the technical aspects and the acting (and, again kudos to all of the actors), either of the three genres would have been great!

I suppose this show was conceived as a parody, which is the only thing that would make at least some kind of sense -- but the audience needs to get clues what this show is supposed to be!
As it is, the show does not know what exactly it is (what it is is a mess) and leave the audience not only confused but also disappointed.

Read More

It feels like the writer had four or more different ideas for a story, couldn't develop any of them enough to fill all the episodes, and then decided to just throw them all together like Dr Frankenstein when he created his "human being".

The four stories are:
* A silly time travel story with supernatural elements
* A story of corporate intrigue
* An office romance
* A story about finding yourself and your place in life.

I loved the first episodes (Time-travel story with lots of silliness and over-the-top acting) -- loved many of the elements, such as the deities using modern communication, the inclusion of Covid, Ho Bo Wei's attempts to return to his time and the developing relationship between Ho Bo Wei and Hai Yi. I wish they had shown more scenes of Ho Bo Wei marvelling at the development of his hometown, of him using his ability to find anything and everything, and more of the supernatural elements (I would have liked the god's backstory and how the Jade Emperor reacted to his mistake).

But then this plot is (almost) completely dropped and the second story about the corporate intrigue starts. Both main characters seem to change their whole personality -- Hai Yi turns into a closed-off, workaholic person (which, at least, is explained later) and Ho Bo Wei is suddenly a whining guy, whose only goal in life is to get together with Hai Yi. The sexual tension that had been building up completely disappears in favour of one person lying and not telling important things and the other (of course) completely misunderstanding. These episodes made me dislike both of them, and I almost gave up.
This story, too, could have been something good -- but on its own, not in conjunction with the time travel part, and without so much one-sided lying.

It is only in the last two episodes that the first story is taken up again, and underwhelmingly "resolved".

Some other minor plot points that are dropped, and sometimes picked up again -- the god, who is responsible for this whole thing, shows up and disappears again; the girl disappears for several episodes, shows up briefly because they needed a female person who can play pregnant, and disappears again; Covid plays an important role in the beginning but then everyone just walks around without masks or anything -- except when it is needed for the story.

The parallel story of the second couple does not have this problem of trying to tell two stories in one, but I hate how the managing director lies to his future partner from the very beginning. He does explain his decisions at the end, but it still doesn't sit right with me, and I don't think it's a good basis for a balanced and trusting relationship, especially as there is somewhat of an age difference.

I think this could have been much better if someone else had a look at the script and made a more cohesive story. Or, alternatively, go back to the roots of the HIStory shows, and tell one story in just a few episodes, like in HIStory 1 and 2.

Since others seem to like it, go and try for yourself, but I won't be coming back to this show.

Read More

Cute cat-boy story about a lonely man finding his family

If you're famiiar with "cat boys" and all the tropes that come with it, you'll already know how Meow will be portrayed: as a naive and innocent, sometimes childish, always playful, very young-looking boy with a slight build and a smooth and soft face.
If these stories about cat boys (whether in fan fiction or in manga/manhwa/manhua) do not devolve into straight-up porn, they usually stay light-hearted, soft and very, very cute. This one stays consequently on a PG level of intimacy, there's some toe holding, hand holding and one cheek kiss (where the kisser has no romantic intentions).

Content warning for some animal abuse, although we don't see any bodily harm.

First: The acting is okay. We are used to the newbies in Thai productions. and this is a bit above average. The main characters' actors, James and Gap, are more than above average, Gap did well in portraying his change from lonely artist to overwhelmed room-mate to a guy who is very much in love. James is a perfectly innocent cat-boy, showing every bit of his emotions very clearly, but without more exaggeration than the genre needs.
Second: The intro song is annoying, but bearable, the rest of the background music non-remarkable.
Third: I liked the sets, the locations and the editing. Not outstanding, but never empty and always realistic, fitting to the genre.
Fourth: I would have liked the ears to look a bit more realistic, and there were some instances when the actor's earlobes were visible.

Regarding the story, the series shows its manhua roots -- I did not find much about the original material; it seems that the manhua is at least 68 chapter (or books?) long; the few episodes of the anime version that I found were only a few minutes long. I suppose (and I just extrapolate from other manga and manhwa) that the oringinal material is one of those episodic endless manhua that never go anywhere, have little to no character development, and have no "ending", because if the couples would become official, the seres would be over. I guess that this is the main reason that this live action series's ending is more open. (Also, would anyone call someone their lover if their relationship is still unclear? Of course they don't.)
I would have loved to see more backstory for Meow, and I'm unsure if it's because of time constraints of the series or if the original did not provide more info? I do wonder why Meow is more childish than other members of the Ear People -- he's obviously slower to learn, but it also seems as if he's been sheltered from the wider world by his adoptive family? There's been some allusion to mistreatment as a little kitten but that doesn't explain everything.

Considering all the couples have the potential for power imbalance (adult / child-like cat boy, student / teacher, boss / intern) -- there's no need for concern here. The partners with more power never misuse this to push anything. The female couple is the most balanced -- while one is the bss, the other's compliments and clear adoration always melts the boss's heart. The second male couple also has its balance -- it's the student who would like to have more intimacy and tries to get closer. /Also, I think that Evan is more of an assistant than a full professor?)
Considering the main pairing: Even though Dermden (the adult artist) feels some kind of attraction in the first episode already, which evolves into love, and even though he would very much like to have a romantic relationship with Meow, he never acts on it. He even avoids situations where he could potentially cross boundaries, to Meow's great confusion. In the end, Dermdem is just happy that he has Meow in his life, and he'll take anything he'll get.

Overall, a nice and light watch, if you can accept all the tropes that come with cat boys and if you like some innocent romance.

Read More

I should learn that the first episode in Korean dramas is never helpful in deciding which plot and tone the other episodes will have.

What I liked:
* I liked Wie Dae Han's character and its development throughout the series. He's a man who once had a very clear reason for going into politics but has lost it -- and is struggling to find it again through much of the series. That makes him a very flawed character, who are the best in dramas.
* My favourite character by far was Kang Joon Ho though, who had struggles all of his own -- who has to decide if he'll put his personal integrity above his familial ties.
* I also loved the supporting characters, foremost the aide, the Jung family, the kids, and the young ex-trainee. All of them were not only there for comic relief but also for the plot.
* I liked that on the politics side of the plot, the elements fit together and made a whole.

The whole drama is very much about personal values, and what it means to be a family and a good family member to the others, I think -- not only Wie Dae Han and Kang Hoon Jo have to learn but also the kids' father (I forgot his name), Kang Kyung Hoon, Han Tak...

What I did not like:
* They could have done away with the romance. Love triangles are overdone anyway, and in my opinion the romance did not add anything to the plot or the character development. Jung Hyun Soo could easily have remained a friend and colleague (she had enough reason for engaging with Wie Dae Han's daughter all of her own). Kang Joon Ho had more chemistry with Wie Dae Han than with her -- why not play up the rivals-since-school-days-angle instead of a lacklustre romance? Regardless who she ended up with, I really was not interested. I hate that writers think they have to force (het) romances into their stories.
* I would have loved to see more of the kids' stories instead. Han Tak was a really interesting character, and also Song Yi and her anxieties ould have been interesting to learn more about. Or what about the boy's need for eating and jumping around? There's more story there.
* I think this would have made the drama more interesting -- it was rather lengthy from episodes nine to eleven, which is where the romance subplot was most apparent. It was decent before, when it was about Wie Dae Han and the kids, and after, when the race for the election picked up.
* All in all, I was again disappointed by the female characters. The girl had spunk in the beginning but the got reduced to her role as impending mother, Jung Hyon Soo was overly emotional, the female journalist was a strange mix of ambitious and passively accepting the men's plans.

Overall, it's okay to watch. The ending was rather predictable -- but still I liked the character development we got to see.

Read More

Even three years after its release, this is still one of the better Korean BLs.
In a lot of other Korean BL dramas, something is always off -- either the story doesn't make any sense (or only had old-fashioned and even harmful clichés), or the acting is stiff or the production (sets, audio etc.) lacks details or the directing is lackluster etc.

This drama has none of those problems.
The plot is is solid, if a little predictable. What's making it special are the little hints at more backstory -- especially for the two main leads, who are wonderfully vulnerable and both have scars from earlier events in their lives, which we only get hints of -- and they both accept these vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of each other.
The acting enhances this further. There are many small moments when you have to look closely at the actors, they often express their emotions through small changes in posture or even just with their eyes (I loved these moments when Son Woo Hyun shows how his character is hurt by Han Ji Woo's harsh words, and equally, how Kim Kang Min can say whole paragraphs by just averting his eyes.) Both main actors and the supporting cast are obviously invested in making this drama into something good.
The sets feel real, and with much attention to detail. In the beginning of the story, Ji Woo's home seems a bit bare -- except for the kitchen, which is clearly well loved and often used. This is the only place in the whole house where Ji Woo has left traces of his own personality -- until Seo Joon, that is. Then suddenly, decorating items start to show up (and it's clear that Ji Woo put them there for Seo Joon).
The directing puts all these things into a cohesive whole. For me, it feels as if the director had a clear vision of the story, the characters, and their backstories.

Yes, the budget could have been higher, the run time could have been longer. But I think they did what they could, and it doesn't even show too much that it was shot during the first autumn/winter of the covid-pandemic (I suppose that South Korea had quite a few restrictions back then, as did other countries).

I recommend that you re-watch this after season 2 -- there are several scenes that hit differently after you know more about the characters.

Read More

Occasionally, there is a drama that gently touches one of my soft spots, and it finds that spot so precisely that I find it very hard to see if there are any flaws.
"The Proper Way to Write Love" is one of them. After I finished it, I immediately queued it up again, something that hasn't happened for at least two and a half years, and then I proceeded to watch it another two times withing the next weeks -- and that has happened only once before, with "Secret Crush on You".

I love "The Proper Way to Write Love" not only for the central issue of a person who has been an outcast and a victim in his teenaged years and learns to let go of the past, I also love it for the way it slowly, almost imperceptibly, lets their protagonists change (Natsuo's is even less visible than Hiro's) and the way it develops their relationship dynamics.

The drama tells a small love story about two young men who both bear mental scars from their time as teenagers at high school (one more visible than the other), who learn to clumsily express their feelings and learn to read the other's expressions -- which directly ties back to the Japanese title. It's a story that shows us how they grow together through little "adventures", with a slice-of-life feeling that reminded me of "Rokuhodo Colorful Days" or "The Four Yuzuki Brothers".

Others might find it mundane, even boring. They might say "why should I care about a random little boy cutting flowers or about a hair styling competition"?
However, this is not about these things themselves -- it's how Hiro and Natsu react to these events. It's how they learn to do things together. And it's how we see what is important to them, and how they learn to understand each other and how they learn to adapt to the other's presence in their lives.

In a way, this is a very Japanese drama; in which the protagonists are neither rich nor famous, their lives are very average, and meaning comes from paying attention to the little things.

And here's one of the few things that could have been better. If the little things are important, and if it's about the small changes in the protagonists' lives, then I would have loved to see more close-ups of them. The actors certainly have great ability, and it's clear that they are excellent at expressing emotions. Unfortunately, the director not only adheres to the usual Japanese way of often using wide shots, they also seem to have a fondness for not focusing on the person who is speaking. There were more than a few scenes where I would have liked to see Natsuo's or Hiro's expression when they talked, but they were just outside of the frame we were seeing. I'm sure this was a deliberate choice, since there are many shots where the frame, the lighting and the colours are obviously chosen with great care.

But in the end, I only care for this aspect because I love the whole so much that I want to see more details than there are shown (I would love to see more of Natsuo's life at school outside of his interactions with Hiro, for example), so I'm not sure I would be satisfied, even if there were more close-ups of Hiro and Natsuo.


Was it good?
I find it hard to give an opinion on whether it was "objectively" good. I do think that the actors were excellent and that the overall technical quality was above average -- and that it all felt rather Japanese.

Did I like it?
Yes! Yes! And Yes! It is one of those stories that touches a weak spot of mine -- but not so that it hurts, but so that it feels more as if someone gently applies balm to an old and itchy scar.

Would I recommend it?
Yes. Maybe not to those who need melodrama and big emotions, and not to those who are looking for the love story of the ages.

Read More

"No matter which path you choose ... know it will be for your own sake and your own happiness."

[cw for the drama: death of a parent, death of a daughter, abortion, grief]

This was all around an outstanding drama; perfectly acted, gently filmed, and not at all what I expected from the synopsis.

For all that Tsukioka Natsu, the father, is listed as the sole main character, this is a drama that is primarily about women.
It is about family in the broader sense (and we get to see various family constellations here), and it is about becoming and being a father, but it is much more specifically abut motherhood, about mother-daughter-relationships, about children who are wanted or not, about abortion, and how hard of a choice it is; it's about women who make choices.
And grief. So, so much grief, and grieving, looked at from every angle, how each of the characters feels the loss, whether it is daughter, mother, friend or ex-lover.
And apart from some lashing out, not out of malice, but because the characters are overwhelmed, there's so much gentleness, kindness, and patience.
The characters do their best to give each other time to adjust. They make mistakes, they try to amend them. They listen.
And there are characters who find it hard to express themselves, and still try so hard to understand and be understood, and to find the best way forward.

Consequently, this is a drama that takes its time to tell the story, of how the characters got here, and of how they might continue. It's slow-paced, but no scene, no dialogue feels superfluous. The actors play their characters with gravity where needed, and with levity where possible -- naturally, with care and with respect. Just like the characters listen to each other with patience, and accept their choices, the drama asks us to do the same.

Because this is a drama, that, much more then it is about family, is about the right to choose. It's about choosing your own happiness. It shows how every choice will have consequences, for ourselves, and for others; how every choice wil have a price -- and a prize.
And in this drama, it's almost always the women who take the agency, not the men. In a patriarchal society that expects women to be mothers, and mothers to sacrifice their own happiness for family (in conservative Japan even more than in Western Europe), this drama shows us alternatives.
It gives us a women who decides to not have a child -- and how she still feels guilt and nevertheless lives a happy life.
It gives us a woman who decides to have a child and be a single mother -- and how she is happy even though it's hard.
It gives us a woman who needs to let her daughter find her own path.
It gives us women who choose to be in a romantic relationship -- and women who reject it for themselves.
It gives us women who choose.
And women who protect other women's choices.

We, as the audience, won't agree with all of their choices. But it's their choice to make, not ours. Like Mizuki says in episoe 9:
"There is no such thing as a choice that will appease everyone. But know this. There's no reason to sacrifice yourself. Do not become too kind to others. Do not act like a person who acts out of understanding. Please, allow your self to be a bit selfish. Make this choice yourself. And no matter which path you choose ... know it will be for your own sake and your own happiness."

Read More

For the most part, this was a sweet and simple story about different kinds of teenage crushes and first loves (the supporting characters also have their crushes). The characters all suffer from the usual misunderstandings, self-denial and teenage angst, but it always stays light and low-stakes.

Woo Hyeon's journey from a crush to understanding the feelings of first love (which, of course, turns out to be "true love") is at the centre of the story -- and the other characters' love stories serve as a nice background, so we can understand Woo Hyeon's own story better. Kim Ji O was excellent in portraying the character, and I hope we'll see more of him in the future.

Another thing I liked was that they didn't push aside the question of what it might mean to be gay in contemporary Korean society (it was addressed a few times, and one of the supporting characters had internalised homophobia); but they also didn't make it a big part of Woo Hyeon's journey.

The longer part of the drama takes place during their last year of high school -- and I found that the passing of time stayed a bit too vague -- the shorter second part four years after. While I appreciate the slow story telling of the first part, with it's journey of self-discovery, I think the second half would have profited from tightening the script. Here, the desperation of both Woo Hyeon and Doha felt not intense enough and it got a bit lengthy. I also don't think the short jealousy story arc added anything to the story.
However, I know that the drama was based on a Manwha. So, it's likely that the script writers followed the manwha's structure here.


Was it good? -- Yes, it was a sweet and straightforward teenage love story, with all the usual tropes and ood characterisation.

Did I like it? -- I liked it well enough, and I was entertained. However, it wasn't eough for me to say I'd watch it again.

Who would I recommend it to? -- For people who want to see a teenage love story, this will definitely hit the spot.

Read More

Delightfully overdramatic

A disclaimer first: I watched this drama while I was sick, and in pain from an ear infection -- what I wanted was something sufficiently fast-paced and engaging but not too complex in terms of plot. It was clear from the first episode that "Century of Love" would be exactly what I needed.


It's a delightfully overdramatic series -- from San's over-the-top reaction to Vad's death in the past, to the supernatural elements, the heinous villains, and San's family in the present. It was fun to watch, appropriately ridiculous in the fight choreographies (and their sound effects) and the main villain in his wheelchair, which was juxtaposed with the silliness of San's family members trying to get them together.
Some plot-changing decisions didn't make any sense to me -- why did the shrine keeper/priest in 1924 agree to the ritual, if it would result in the destruction of the last piece of Nüwa's Five-Coloured Stone? Why did he not refuse, since death and loss are part of the cycle of life? Why didn't Tao (the shrine keeper/priest in 2024) recognise the signs of Nüwa's approval and why didn't he trust in his own calculations but let himself be confused by lies later on?

Nevertheless, the drama is remarkably consistent in keeping to its universe's rules, in the actions of the main and supporting characters and in the story they want to tell.

Because the story is not without depth. The core message the writer wanted San / us to see is being spelled out towards the end of the last episode, so I won't spoil that for anyone who hasn't seen the drama yet.

Another aspect I found much more interesting is the way two forms of homophobia are shown here -- the overt homophobia of San and the internalised homophobia of Vee (which is reinforced by his low self-esteem, more on that later). San's homophobic behaviour comes from the time he grew up in, he believes in the values and customs he's known all his life, and after he has overcome them, he is very much willing to pursue a relationship with Vee. We've seen that in other BLs already, even if not that often in the last year or so.
Vee, on the other hand, is even more interesting. Outwardly, he's openly bisexual, he is out to his grandma, he has had sexual relationships before, and he admits early on that he has a crush on that handsome man named San. However, the deeper his feelings for San grow, the more insecure he becomes. He doesn't trust this budding relationship, and with good reason -- don't we all know that "you should never fall for a straight man"? It gets worse when a young woman, who calls herself Vadfah and tells them that she has dreamed of San all her life (unlike Vee), and has the same birth date and place as Vee, so they share the same destiny -- as Tao says, the probability that she is the real Vad, is higher for her than for Vee. The probability is also higher just because she is a woman -- isn't it more "normal", more "usual", and doesn't it make more sense that she is the one San has been waiting for? Vee believes all these things.

Vee also has quite low self-esteem. He manages to hide it by playing up his goofy side, by smiling and laughing, by making self-deprecating jokes -- but occasionally he will let another character (and us) in, and tell us about growing up poor, about how he was cheated because of it and now has a criminal record, how having his grandmother as his only family member made him an outcast among his peers; and then he will try to laugh it off, play down his experiences, while the others look on in horror. With San, he is a bit more direct; he tells San that he's not worthy enough to be with him because he's from another class, because he's a man, because he is Vee.
I love Vee's complexity, his optimistic side, and his love for his family, as well as his insecurities and self-doubt. He is a well-written and consistent character, and I wish they'd have explored him a lot more.
However, I do understand that this is not the main story the writers wanted to tell -- it's a side story, and just the story that I, as a viewer would have found more interesting. So, this doesn't affect my rating.

These three aspects -- San's overt homophobia in the beginning, Vee's internalised homophobia and his low self-esteem -- all of them could have given the series a deeper meaning if the writers had made them stand out a bit more, made the character's emotional journey clearer, or maybe given them a bit more room.
On the other hand, I do understand that this drama was always supposed to focus on the romance, the villains' plot and the message they spelled out at the end (although I would have liked to see that shown more clearly throughout the drama, rather than being said outright -- but then, I'm a fan of subtle storytelling).

One other thing I'd like to point out is that I love the colours and the sets -- I love how the living spaces reflect the characters, and even Vee's room in the first episodes, which we only see in a few scenes, does this. I love the shrine, with its rich reds and its shadows. I love how San's mansion stands out ridiculously among the low and small houses around it.


Was it good?
For a Thai BL, it definitely was. It had a theme that was different from the usual plots, it was consistent, even if a bit overdramatic and more or less predictable.

Did I like it?
I did! I do wonder though, if I had liked it as much if I hadn't been sick.

Would I recommend it?
I would, with the caveat that it feels very Thai, and not to expect a masterpiece of art.

Read More