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4 Minutes — The BL That Redefined Everything I Knew About The Genre
THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERSI went into this series expecting a typical Thai BL — sweet romance, some angst, happy ending. What I got instead was a masterpiece that completely shattered my expectations and left me staring at my screen in silence for a long time after the final episode ended.
The Storyline
The concept alone sets this series apart from everything else in the BL genre. The title "4 Minutes" refers to the 4 minutes of oxygen a dying brain receives before shutting down completely — and the entire series is built around this one devastating idea. The story follows two parallel couples — Great and Tyme, and Korn and Tonkla — whose lives are deeply intertwined through family secrets, corruption, illegal gambling rings, murder, revenge, and love.
Great is the son of a powerful and deeply corrupt family — the Sriwats — who have destroyed countless innocent lives through their illegal operations. Tyme is a doctor whose entire family was ruined because of the Sriwats — and he enters Great's life with a revenge agenda, planning to seduce him and use him to destroy his family from the inside. What nobody planned for was them actually falling in love.
Korn and Tonkla's story runs alongside this as the tragic parallel — two men who loved each other deeply in college but whose relationship was slowly crushed under the weight of Korn's cowardice, family pressure, and obsession with money and status. While Great and Tyme represent hope and change, Korn and Tonkla represent what happens when love is never quite enough to make someone brave.
The supernatural element — Great's ability to rewind time by 4 minutes — draws you in completely. You spend five episodes watching him save lives, make better choices, and fall in love, thinking you are watching reality. And then the show pulls the most gut wrenching twist — none of it was real. Great was shot in an elevator and was simply dying. Everything was happening inside his oxygen starved brain. He never saved Manee. He never saved Dome. The entire beautiful love story of episodes 1 through 5 was just a dying man's desperate wish to have been a better person.
That reveal changes everything. You rewatch scenes differently. You understand the title differently. You understand the whole series differently.
The Characters
Tonkla is the emotional core of this entire series. He is passionate, loyal, and deeply wounded — a man who uses physical intimacy as a way to cope with pain he cannot process. His relationship with Korn was real and consuming but also suffocating because Korn could never fully choose him. When Tonkla lost his brother Dome — murdered by Great's accomplice Title — and discovered that the brother of the man he loved was involved, his grief turned into something darker. His ending — jumping in front of a bullet to protect Korn — is one of the most heartbreaking moments I have ever watched in any drama. He died protecting someone who never fully protected him.
Korn is a character you will love and hate in equal measure. He genuinely loved Tonkla — his 4 minutes prove that because he did not go back to money or family, he went back to Tonkla. But his love was never strong enough to fight for. He stayed closeted, pursued a woman for financial gain, ignored Tonkla's calls, and shouted at him on the day his brother died. He represents every person who loves someone deeply but loves their comfort zone just a little more. His suicide after Tonkla's death is devastating not because it is surprising but because you always knew it was going to end this way for them.
Win — the inspector — is perhaps the most underrated tragedy in this story. He fell in love with Tonkla at his most broken and vulnerable moment. He showed up, made promises, offered justice and comfort. But he always knew Tonkla's heart belonged to Korn. His love was real but it curdled into possessiveness and jealousy — and in the end he became part of the very tragedy he was trying to prevent.
Great's journey is the most complete character arc in the series. He starts as a passive, selfish, cowardly rich boy who watches murders happen and helps cover them up. His 4 minutes transform him — not by changing reality — but by changing himself. He wakes up from his dying vision a completely different person. He confesses to crimes, stands up against his corrupt family, and chooses Tyme over everything. His growth is earned and genuine.
Tyme is complex and layered in a way that sneaks up on you. He came in with cold calculated revenge in his heart and left completely disarmed by love. The moment he realizes he has genuinely fallen for the person he was using is written and performed beautifully. He is proof that people can change not because they planned to but because the right person made them want to.
Manee is a small but important character whose story represents the human cost of the Sriwat family's crimes. Her son died because of their illegal gambling operations and she jumped in front of Great's car — not by accident but intentionally — out of pure grief. Her story is a quiet reminder that corruption does not just destroy enemies, it destroys ordinary innocent families.
The Cinematography and OST
Visually this series is stunning. Every single frame feels intentional and carefully crafted. The color grading shifts subtly between the imagination timeline and reality — once you know what to look for you cannot unsee it. The lighting, the composition, the way certain scenes mirror each other across timelines — it is all deliberate and deeply satisfying for anyone paying close attention.
The OST is haunting and beautiful. It stays with you long after the series ends. Certain songs will randomly play in your head at 2am and you will find yourself emotional without even knowing why.
The Ending
The ending is bittersweet in the most honest way possible. Great and Tyme survive — they find each other for real, not in a dying imagination but in actual reality. They pray together for Tyme's grandmother, for Korn, for Tonkla. They carry all that grief together and choose to move forward anyway. It is not a perfectly happy ending. It is a real one — and that makes it so much more meaningful.
Two couples. Same world. Completely opposite endings. Great and Tyme chose the sun — warmth, growth, a future. Korn and Tonkla chose the moon — beautiful, cold, and ultimately unreachable.
Final Thoughts
4 Minutes is not just a BL series. It is a story about regret, cowardice, grief, revenge, and what real love actually demands from you. It asks — if you had 4 minutes to relive your worst moments, what would you change? And then it quietly answers — you cannot change the past. You can only change yourself.
This series broke me, rebuilt me, and broke me again. The writing is bold, the performances are extraordinary, and the concept is unlike anything the BL genre has ever attempted. It is not a comfortable watch. It is not supposed to be. But it is absolutely worth every single painful moment.
Watch it with your whole heart. It deserves nothing less.
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I must say! This is one of my favorite ancient K-Drama
So, we have our King Cheol and Queen So Yong starting off as enemies, then 'no touching', then appearing in dreams& finally together.I saw a clip on Facebook about the cooking part of the show but I never thought for a second that I would be THIS interested in it even after multiple rewatches. The storyline for this drama is superb!
I don't know if the actors had workshops but Dude! it's like they truly learned from the workshops and how to play their characters. I commend Shin Hae & Kim Jung a lot, like a lot a lot. I don't know if the producers & directors want that much chemistry between the King & Queen but I certainly got my share of experiencing their amazing, no doubt chemistry.
This show is a must-watch. Honestly!
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I Big FAN of Both Phuwin and Dunk...but not of this series...so far
I disagree with all people that insist Phuwin and Dunk can't act. In fact they are both fantastic but I think Dunk is overshadowing Phuwin here.Lune reminds me of Pi in Fish Upon The Sky and though I loved Pi I don't love Lune. I do think Phuwin is doing okay playing Lune I just hate the character almost entirely.
For the first time Phuwin isn't the draw for me here. And the girl who plays Star is adorable but don't like Star either.
Here's hoping White and Ivy get together yet it seems she's into Star unless I'm getting that wrong.
At any rate loving Dunk as White.
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Regarding the music, I loved the song Crazy Love sung by the lead Zhu Yi Long.
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This review may contain spoilers
multi generational slice-of-life disguised as a comedy
This drama is deeper than you would expect.It made me feel for the characters and it was painfully relatable.
It may not be another "My Liberation Notes“, "Lost" or "My Mister" but in a way the characters and their way of living reminds me of these dramas.
A (grand)father that worked hard all his life, his middle aged son that never really achieved anything and refused to grow up in many ways and his teenage daughter that is quietly suffering as she lacks the support of her father and her growing resentment against the world.
This drama also has some really, really good guest roles & supporting characters whose story will touch your heart.
This drama isn’t for people who like lighthearted comedy, as the comedy part is mostly portrayed by the things that happen to ML & his journey as a (mostly failing) webtoon artist and some of his neighbors but other than that I would categorize it as a slice-of-life drama.
It’s also not for people who like morally perfect characters.
The ML was selfish and not an attentive father. He was human, as raw as it gets.
This drama didn’t sugar coat characters or situations in order for them to be more likable for the viewer… but that’s exactly what I appreciated.
I found it to be refreshing. People are not perfect, people hurt other people.
That is life.
But they still love each other in their own way. I could write an entire essay on the complex father/daughter relationship and how it affected Sang Ah (the daughter).
But the comedy won’t leave you hanging and there is healing as well as growth.
Oh and… the first few episodes might not seem too promising but it really does get better & deeper as you get to know the characters more. The second half was my favorite.
This drama positively surprised me and I suggest you give it a try if you’re looking for a deeper slice-of-life with observational comedy but mostly very ordinary people who are struggling and whose life is anything but flashy.
*Bonus:
Kim Do Wan was an absolute scene stealer. His blonde hair, his bruises, his motorcycle,… ~ call me smitten.
+ The OST is really good! It’s now part of my daily playlist ^^
+ it has a tiny bit of romance among the youth & older generation
Trigger warning for graphic attempted aliven‘t & some other things.
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Lee Sun Gyun, as usual played his role as Moon Ho exceptionally well. You had no doubts of the deep love and under despair he was feeling as he not only did not know where his fiancee, Seon Yeong, played by Kim Min Hee was but as he researched and followed one lead after another, the story that unfolded turns out to be pretty, pretty...I'm not going to say, you have to watch the movie.
But Min Hee as Seon Yeong was extraordinary. I believe that her love for Moon Ho was genuine; however, her actions only reflected her deep desperation.
Sad movie but very well done. Not too often that I can say: I don't condone but I truly, truly understand.
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This drama joyously gallivants as a hilarious parody of the entire genre. It cleverly incorporates references from other famous detective shows (including the likes of Galileo and Detective Conan), and Japanese culture on the whole. Though our basic structure bears similarity to all classic detective stories (complete with episodic cases, familiar crime types, investigation, and denouement), most elements unabashedly embrace a gag or skit. Characters operate like a comedy team, from the detectives and police to suspects themselves.
Despite being nothing excellent or technically great, Watashi no Kirai na Tantei is still silly heaps of fun. This goes double if you like Japanese humor; be prepared to rewind back to certain parts for laughs alone. Not every joke works, but they do often enough. I wouldn't take it seriously as an investigation drama at all, though some cases occasionally ended up engaging nonetheless.
Tamaki Hiroshi possesses glorious comedic timing, most evident in the form of our lead: money-hungry detective Morio Ukai. Though the title may suggest the opposite, viewers will undoubtedly fall for his zippy delivery as the resident “straight man." That isn’t to discount his own oddities, however; for instance, he refuses to listen to the confessions of culprits, even if begged, and seems to prefer searching for lost purebred dogs above murder suspects. Shirashi Shunya sneaks past in a total surprise as “useless” Ryohei, whose assistance to the investigation team stops at his propensity for hilarity. Some scenes together with Tamaki-san were a riot.
Not so great is Gouriki Ayame, whose cutesy Akemi suits the show—that is, until she goes over the top and interrupts the comedic flow. Though this happens only occasionally, those times are almost painful. One unfortunate example actually encompasses most of an early case, where Akemi has her character spotlight (the UFO episode). Gouriki is quite cute, though, and there are some genuinely funny moments from her.
Note also the excellent cameo from Katagiri Jin (of comedy duo Rahmens and The Quiz Show fame). His inclusion was a big plus in of itself.
Music is as one would expect from any detective drama, though there are the occasional surprises. I found it overall pleasant and workable, if nothing worth buying an OST over. The theme stands out well, as does the ending vocal by Gouriki Ayame herself: "Anata no 100 no Kirai na Tokoro" (“The 100 Things That You Hate”).
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I think it's safe to say this storyline has been done a million times. The plot is by no means unique, but I still found myself anticipating the events to come. The execution of the the story, I thought, was done really well. If you're impatient, you may be tempted to drop it at the beginning, just because they present a series of events that happen so quickly you don't even know what's happening. That is actually what I really appreciated though, because the second half of the movie focuses on unfolding the previously introduced scenes and connecting everything together in a sort of genius way.
Lee Joon Gi was of course, amazing as always (I may be a bit biased). He's honestly one of the best actors I've seen. His acting was extremely natural, even for parts that required him to speak in mandarin, which just proves how talented he is. Zhou DongYu's acting was pretty good considering it was one of her first roles. I didn't particularly like her character though because it seems as though the writers wanted to make her more complex, but instead she seemed a bit irrational and off putting.
I loved the music! For a While by Lee Joon Gi was played in the movie which was great. Unfortunately I can't post the Chinese title on here, but the title of the main track can be found on the Chinese wikipedia page for this movie. It took me forever to find!
Overall, I really loved it and would definitely rewatch. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful and you could really see the artistic intent behind each shot. Sure the movie isn't original, but it still made me an emotional mess and more of a potato for the entirety of the it (and maybe 10 minutes after as I contemplated the meaning of life). I wholeheartedly recommend it if you're into cheesy (in a good way) tearjerkers ^.^
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Depending on the angle you judge it from, Genome Hazard can be considered as a very engaging thriller. At the matter of fact, the picture was divided into several genres. I wouldn’t say they were in complete harmony but some of them worked out in a good manner. The mystery/thriller part was pretty well-executed; the build-up of suspenseful events was definitely able to trigger the audience‘s attention. At some point, you’d find yourself relating to the main character and trying to solve the puzzling equation by his side: a normal man with a double identity and an apparent amnesia, or is it? It’s a complete relief that the screenwriting didn’t try any mischievous attempts to out shadow its viewers.
The other part is Science fiction, I completely respect the idea of turning this into some type of a medical thriller with all of those virus/pharmaceutical schemes but I am sure that the screenwriter (or more like the original novel perhaps) didn’t know how to handle the part overall. Somehow, it felt a bit sarcastic towards science even in a discreet way. This opinion is not based on the fact that I am a scientist myself – although it did trigger me a little. I believe the outcome they resulted from that long science fiction battle was absolutely disappointing. I mean if you were going to go all out and crazy about a scientific fact then you should’ve proved that the trip was worth it. The scientific part obviously failed at portraying a deep meaningful issue.
Genome Hazard had attempts of building romance as well but I don’t think it was successful at that part either. There were too many love interests but none of them came out convincing. Well, it’s unavoidable because when you’re making a film that’s packed with different themes, it comes natural to fail some genres for the favour of others. The thriller/mystery part outclassed Sci-Fi and Romance by miles.
Nishijima Hidetoshi was the absolute star of the picture. That actor’s theatrical acting style and gaze always had me at the edge of my seat; he will always make his character so charismatic and attention-grabbing. His role in this film proved me how much I love to see him on screen. By his side was the Korean actress Kim Hyo Jin; this was the first time meeting her and I would say it was a pleasant introduction. The girl has some cool talent in her; I deeply respect her dedication to learn Japanese solely for this role. The rest of the cast were also fitting; Maki Yoko and Ibu Masato are few to mention.
This film’s directing was so fine. I am not so familiar with Kim Sung Soo but his editing style and camera angles were pretty well-handled. The cinematography was also good and rather catching. I don’t have a clear memory about the musical note though, I think it wasn’t so different from what normal thrillers use as their soundtracks.
Watch if:
-You like thrillers, Japanese or Korean style.
-You like intriguing mysteries.
Do not watch if:
-You don’t appreciate thrillers.
-You’re looking for a strong deep Sci-Fi.
Genome Hazard is a very captivating thriller at first sight but it’s true that it fails at building a coherent storytelling. It’s not perfect by any mean but it’s unquestionably entertaining and engaging in its own way.
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It had the best potential of all: the ability to create some unforgettable characters. And it truly managed to do so in the beginning, combining a good plot with some seriously beautiful moments, a good dose of weirdness which I'm partial to and great chemistry between the characters.
However, as it sometimes happens with drama crushes, at some point my love deflated. I can't even pinpoint the main reason for this change of heart. It may be the fact that the more I neared the end of it, the more I predicted almost every turn, or because some details became repetitive - and in a drama whose episodes are so short, there's not so much time to lose on the nth flashback. Most likely, I had been waiting for a characters' arc which never truly came, leaving me with that unpleasant feeling you get when, after waiting for hours for an icecream, you finally start eating it and it falls on the floor.
It is, however, a drama fully worth of the time spent on it. As I said, I watched the first 9 episodes with no interruption and a passion I had almost forgotten I possess. While the acting ability of all is not stellar, they certainly compensate with beautiful close-up shots and an amazing collective alchemy among the whole cast.
The music is terrific and perfectly chosen for each scene. I suspect it is partly responsible for my blind love for this drama.
I may rewatch this drama in the future. Not for the plot but for the pleasure of watching these young actors again.
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Premise was intriguing, cast was excellent and first two episodes were a good start.
But.
Most of that potential was left unused.
When we hear that story starts with a man who used devious means to reach his current high status, and then in an accident lost all his memories but his knowledge of the law, regaining his conscience and facing his past wrongs that he doesn't remember, we usually assume that there are lots of psychological and emotional elements in the story. And while there are some it's not the amount we were promised in the summary. Still many of us would have been satisfied even with the legal part of the drama being in the highlight if we were given good explanations about lots of technical terms and complicated law cases. As it is I often felt like they were speaking some unknown alien language.
Drama was cut off by two episodes and it is really obvious at the end. Many things were left unresolved.
Still I liked this drama. My rating would have gone below 5.5 if I haven't.
Kim Myung Min is an amazing actor. He delivered his part very well.
Oh Jung Se is the actor I saw for the first time in this drama and I'm looking forward to see more from him.
Park Min Young wasn't a weak link, she did good. Her character was likable and not overly naive or damsel in distress like in some of her other dramas.
There are almost no eye-candy here but there are ear-candies. We have three actors with amazing voices in the same drama: Kim Myung Min, Jin Yi Han and Kim Sang Joong.
This had a potential to be one of the best for this year, and because of that potential I feel a bit betrayed. If complicated cases where explained better and human element was more present this would have been very interesting drama to watch this year.
I would recommend this drama to people who understand business and law, to all of you who like to watch dramas with those themes, also Kim Myung Min's fans and people who like to listen to some great voices.
If you are only looking for a romance skip this one. Romance here is in traces and not enough explored though that may be because the drama was cut short by two episodes. On the other hand too much romance would have ruined this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
stayed in my mind
I really liked this very formulaic drama - Thai college students go through love angst due to inability to express honestly.Dunk Natachai Boonprasert/Dao Nuea is in his first starring role and does an excellent job of being appealingly cute and naive.
Joong Archen Aydin/Khab Khluen has a more nuanced role. He has been apparently dating Gai since high school and this effectively means no one else has pursued him except for Nuea's ongoing unrequited feelings. As the plot unfolds we get to realise he has zero experience of love and his 'girlfriend' relationship was really as a close family friend.
When our two main leads meet up again Nuea is embarrassed by his past confession so cuts off any attempt by Khluen to start anything. He remains in the 'safer' unrequited mode pining for his love and any attempts by Khluen are seen as not genuine.
We all realise that had Khluen cleared up the non girlfriend issue there would have been more chance to show us how sweet they are together, unfortunately the writers persisted with the misunderstandings for way too long thus dragging down the momentum.
Lots of negative comments about the non C kiss when Khluen is drunk but I think it is in character with this shy person who is hopeless at words and just has everything going on internally. He admits he is dumb at love and this is true in both senses of not knowing and unable to speak.
His mother plays a lovely role and we can tell that she has twigged his feelings for Nuea and tries to encourage him to not keep everything inside himself. He also has supportive friends as does Nuea. Nuea's brother, Mek Jirakit Thawornwong/Khua Fah is the more obviously experienced actor and has a strong screen presence.
Overall I enjoyed this drama and am looking forward to the sequel with Fah as the ML.
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Time travel done right
This is not your ordinary K-drama.I'll tell you what it's also not. The Atypical Family is not a tiresome rom-com that shambles zombie-like into a melodrama morass by episode 8. Instead it rather delicately shifts through various shades of crime caper and dark comedy with clever little twists before it hits the romance that it promises to be. It's self-aware and addresses obvious tropes with almost fourth-wall, existential humour. It manages to use time travel coherently and does not insult the viewer with unnecessary time gaps and pointless makjang.
The casting was very good at all levels and the actors delivered. I thought that the marriage fraud gang were the best of the bunch. Choi Kwang-rok was unrecognizable in a good way. Kim Su-hyun wore both the fat suit and the several iterations of her character with remarkable style. I did not find the leads truly exceptional but they were good enough and played off each other well. All of them were helped by the fact that the writers took good care of the characters and allowed them to develop their own stories so nobody was acting in a void.
The Atypical Family does many things very, very well. Above all, it does not outstay its welcome and doesn't try to scrape four more episodes off the cutting room floor.
This is what it feels like when a show's producers and writers respect their work and their audience. For that, this tough audience will rate it a solid 9/10 and will recommend it to pretty much anyone with time on their hands.
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