toxicbybritneyspears

I think my rating may be harsher than the average score because I really wanted to love this drama. The main idea and some elements of the plot are great but the execution was disappointing. Also, I feel like IDF kind of gave up on this show at some point, they didn't promote it that much and not a lot of people even know about its existence, so maybe it was just a "filler" project for them hence the sloppiness, idk.

Have not watched The Loyal Pin yet but Blank was a nice surprise in terms of acting and production. The plot is bonkers but the emotions felt very real. The GL industry is growing so fast that I'm sure we will reach the golden years sooner than later 🤞.

I agree with everything you've pointed out and I don't like TSoU plot at all but at the same time I try to keep in mind that the lack of nuanced writing or general over-the-top characteristics presented in this show are typical for soap operas and this drama was produced by the studio that mainly does lakorns. I think I was able to enjoy it a little more (I gave it the same rating tho, 7/10) when I accepted it for what it is - a mini lakorn, just a GL version :). Not bad, but not my favourite either.

As one of the authors of those top reviews that you have mentioned I feel the need to defend my "sanity" here lol. I quite literally stated why I watched this drama and pointed out why this specific GL did not work for me.
We can disagree and still respect each other's opinions.

this comment section is like a support group for everyone who's been heavily disappointed by this drama lmao

I hope Silvy and Mint got paid twice because so far they have been doing most of the work here

honestly, I think it would be better if they just put an announcement, saying that DGNA was disqualified, and then add the behind the stage interview. putting them in spotlight, doing the apology in the mourning clothes like they did, felt like public shaming. for the crimes of having friends and socializing in their free time...
i would not put a blame solely on JTBC (from a strictly business perspective they did the best thing to save themselves from public outrage. and the reality is that it's just a company, they don't care about individuals, only their own profit. it's all about money.) but the hypocrisy of the Korean society as a whole. there is this impossible expectation that idols should have flawless, perfectly manufactured image all the time. they are not allowed to just be humans, you know, it's about treating them as objects with desired characteristics and behaviours and anything that does not fit that perfect image is a reason to kick someone out.
i'm all for paying a price for your crime if an actual crime was committed, but in this case it was just pearl clutching and moral outrage over nothing.
it left a bad taste in my mouth. i really liked this show and watching it was a highlight of my week, but right now i'm not interested in the finale at all.

i find it weird that mnet wants Yujin, the youngest member of a potential final lineup, to appeal to noona fans. he's clearly uncomfortable with it and I don't blame him.
also imagine this Lip J situation in reverse - grown up man fawning over a teenage girl. no one would find it cute.

100% agreed.

"I feel like there's alot going on in GAP but nothing going on at the same time" exactly my issue with this show. i don't think there is enough plot material for 12 episodes, it already feels like there is a lot of filler scenes. I appreciate the effort put in making this show and I like the main couple, but there is nothing else to truly enjoy here.

oh, there was a lot of horny jokes, but the one when the policeman was about to masturbate to real rape footage was too much for me

maybe some meaning was lost in translation. officially they cannot register their marriage, but sometimes lgbtq people from countries that doesn't recognize same sex marriage decide to have non official and non religious ceremony, like humanist weddings. maybe they were talking about something like that.

it's one of those stories about a group of people who fall in love with each other, make some very bad decisions and complicate their lives beyond measure. this time however, the main characters are mostly teenagers, so it's not that surprising to see them wallow in their own melodrama. I think that the show did a great job in portraying a specific genre of teenage angst - gushy, full of self-pity, half pretentious and half poetic. the dialogues make this whole thing work. some really good writing here.

the characters are all awful, selfish, impulsive and unlikeable. i haven't seen such a poster example of Manic Pixie Dream Girl in a dramaland before. this one character moves the plot forward, but she also makes you want to throw something at the screen. tbh every character is annoying and hard to sympathize with. i get that this was the point, as it fits the neurotic vibe of the (love)story they tried to tell, but please, spare the poor audience! i think we really need something to connect with to feel the angst you are trting to convey.

this show has some strong points, but overall it wasn't the most enjoyable thing to watch.

thank you for reading my review ♡!

i agree that Yu and Ai had very messed up and toxic relationship. usually I'm not someone who screams about the romantization of problematic stuff, but this show glossed over most of the issues they were trying to portray. it could have been better.

Thanks! ♡

It could have been better with less episodes and more tight plot, but apparently shooting useless scenes with useless characters was more important 🤷‍♀️.

easily one of the most creative dramas I have seen. a lot of dynamic scenes shot at weird angles, easter eggs, memorable and wacky characters. all accompanied by y2k aesthetic.
direction was quite innovative for a tv drama. to be fair, it was mostly like that in the first episodes, but it leaves you with the impression strong enough to believe that this "controlled chaos" is the recurring theme
personally I'd place this drama somewhere between yankee movies and something like Trainspotting. you know, young people with no prospects in life who turned to violence, gang hierarchies, drugs and prostitution because there is "no future". but some characters are really likeable despite being jerks.
what didn't always work for me was the humor. reminiscence of early internet days. YIKES. very edgy and dumb, almost like it was written by a horny teenager. also various types of sex work was shown during the course of the show, so a lot of jokes were sexual and one of them was in a really bad taste...like, really bad.
so, it's definitely not for everyone. let's say that in order to enjoy this show you have to be immune to vulgarity. this drama can be really too much. i appreciated some of the directing choices and I like to watch mindless violence from time to time, so for me it worked.

this is camp

exactly. too much focus was put on ML's story arc that there is simply not much time left for the others. and it's not like his storyline was particulary compelling or exciting because I personally have seen the same story done before (*cough* Royal Nirvana *cough*).
also for a solid 10 episodes or so I felt like I was watching two separate dramas: martial world/wuxia and the semi-realistic political/palace drama. nothing wrong with the fusion of genres, but here they were clearly divided and did not blend together well.

this drama is a great successor of Tokyo Love Story, at times it felt like I was watch a remake. same tropes, same immature characters (living their yuppie lifestyle), same dilemmas and same nonsensical behaviours. it's definitely a product of its time, charming but exhausting to watch.

Betrayal, hurt, forgiveness - this is the essence of this drama, it oscilliates around these themes the whole time, poking the wounds, asking questions.
This is not plot driven show, so it's not surprising that many have found it boring or repetitive (which it undeniably is lol), but I think that the plot itself is rather an excuse for a character study. The story moves on in a low, sluggish even, tempo, which allows us to dive deep into the psyche of the characters (i’m honestly surprised that „psychological” is not listed in the genres). And each individual in this drama is such a complex, troubled and deranged person. Each one of them got hurt and betrayed, but the way they cope with this trauma is so different. From chosing the path of revenge, self-absorption, living in a constant guilt, denial, self-destruction to forgiving and moving on. I think this drama did a good job in showing how getting hurt once can start a chain reaction of repeated abuse (I believe that Wuthering Heights was mentioned for a reason) because admitting to your mistakes, choosing forgiveness and freeing yourself from the past is sometimes the hardest thing to do.
The psychological dilemmas were cleverly accenturated by beautiful and haunting cinematography, costume/makeup choices and symbolism. Even though at certain point it felt like the characters were talking about the same thing over and over again, there was something mesmerizing that kept me glued to the screen. It evokes a lot of conflicting emotions and they were sometimes triggered just because of the way certain scenes were shot. Good job.
It surprised me that a series with no likeable characters pulled me in so much, but it was just fascinating to watch how these people had complicated their lives for the sake of their own selfish desires.

the story was captivating and psychologically disturbing, the relationships between most of the characters + the reasoning behind their actions was so bizarre and fascinating. the overal atmosphere was mysterious yet enchanting/almost poetic, accompanied by phenomenal acting and equally good French OST.
Tamura Masakazu was simply incredible, I loved how he incorported certain quirks and mannerisms to his already unusual character. Tokiwa Takako was amazing as always, I love seeing her on my screen because she always delivers.
B U T it becomes simply ridiculous at certain point. we're talking about overdramatic, laughably illogical and just cheap thrill nonsense type of ridiculousness. it'd be perfectly fine as "just" a melodrama focused on the complicated human nature. there was no need to add certain dramatics for the sake of making the plot more "deep", it already was deep.