Reviews

Somewhere Along the Way, I Started Seeing Suzuki Through Serizawa’s Eyes

Serizawa is popular, handsome, and seemingly confident—until he’s around Suzuki. That gap made this drama such a pleasure to watch.

For someone who attracts attention so effortlessly, Serizawa has surprisingly little composure around the boy he likes. His reactions to anything involving Suzuki can be so extreme that he manages to be handsome, funny, and adorable all at once.

Meanwhile, Suzuki seems to be the one constantly flustered by Serizawa, but he has just as much power to throw Serizawa off balance. He’s so earnest about everything, which makes their interactions all the more endearing.

Becoming a couple doesn’t suddenly make them experts at romance, either. Suzuki wants to make Serizawa’s heart race, only to end up flustering himself instead. I also enjoyed their friends, who clearly understand what’s going on and watch over them with affection and a little mischief.

Koizumi Kosaku, who plays Suzuki, seemed more adorable with every episode. Somewhere along the way, I think I started seeing Suzuki through Serizawa’s eyes. (laughs)

I haven’t read the original novel, but I really enjoyed these two together. I would happily keep watching more of their everyday life.

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They had the recipe and yet....

For a country whose BL bread and butter is 'the popular kid x the insecure/shy kid,' you'd think they'd have perfected this trope. They had everything to make this work

• A fudanshi finding his love story after only reading and writing about it
• A solid, supportive, non-judgmental friend group
• The concept of your ideal partner actually falling for you
• A puppy seme who's very likeable and not overdone

And somehow they managed to fuck it up. I don't mind an insecure and/or oblivious character. They are a dime a dozen in JBLs. But for this to work, a fine balance needs to be established. That's where this drama fails. We spend so much time dealing with Suzuki's obliviousness and his 'boo-hoo, I'm so gloomy nobody could like or depend on me' shtick that the story becomes frustrating. I understand that low self-esteem is a thing, not just in teens but in people of all ages - but largely teens.

HOWEVER!!!! A drama shouldn't be about low self-esteem and ridiculous cluelessness for 11 goddam episodes, man! Ok, it's not all 11; just everything from ep 6. That's just a paper-thin, boring, and frustrating plot. They could've even used one episode to let us see Suzuki think about his sexuality - I distinctly remember him stating in one of the earlier episodes that he likes BL, but he's not 'like that'. That statement was interesting but is never revisited.

Final Thoughts
My overall feelings for this drama can be summed up with a line I wrote after I watched episode 8
'Suzuki continues to strive for and conquer unprecedented levels of stupid🤦🏾‍♀️'

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Wonderful Masterpiece.So GOOD that I decided to write a review for this one

Prepare your tissues as you will get choked up and you are going to cry all over the journey.
A rollercoaster of emotion, your heart will beat, will hurt, will be broken but you will smile, you will be comforted, you will enjoy beauty of the storytelling.
I first fell in love with , her smile, her sweetness, you just want to hug her. The actress just light up the screen.
And we could talk about the kindness of the adoptive family, they are so lovable.
It describes as a poetry difficulties of suffering people in adversity, the desire to survive and to get better dispite life and condition barriers.
Each time I hear the OST, I want to cry

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Cinderella with a charge

An enjoyable Cinderella story that hits most of the check boxes for this Korean genre. The twist for this version is that the female lead has a malady that she conducts surrounding electricity and can't touch anyone without extremely painful consequences for them, except the male lead who is rich and cursed with an artificial heart that, yes, needs her touch to keep him going. This forces them together in close quarters and expected bonding forthwith arises. The added twist that makes it more enjoyable and an easy watch is that the female lead is a writer of romantic K dramas but is somewhat lacking in romantic experience given her malady. They don't break the fourth wall but it is fun to watch her try to write her scenes.

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What Would You Do for Love?

Twins, love, revenge, what else could you want from a Korean makjang? While this does have all of the above with an extra twenty episodes than most shows, it unfortunately falls short on several important key points for it to be a memorable Korean soap opera.

LIKES
+ FL and ML romance.
+ FL and ML characters. FL villain. Supporting cast.
+ Heists and set pieces.

DISLIKES
- Lots of overhearing plans.
- Some underwhelming twists.
- Not enough makjang / tantrums / confrontations.
- Greed is bad... okay?

Many revenge makjangs don't have room for romance or love because it complicates the revenge. If the ML doesn't want FL to get hurt, he will get in the way of the plan and it will not be fun to watch. However, The First Man is slightly different because it actually uses the relationship between FL and ML really well.

In fact, they almost can't do very much on their own and need the help of one another, which is the core element of any love story in high production Korean dramas. Props to the writer for making it work, because it's always badass to see ML charge in to fight and save FL, or the FL to make a heartbreaking decision because she loves him. This theme repeats itself throughout the show, as you see the FL matriarch villain, the ML rival, and the FL matriarch villain assistant all show what they would do for love.

The other highlight of the show are the heists. Not exactly like robbing a casino, but there are some elaborate plans the FL carries out and she needs the help of her brother, ML, or the housekeeper. When these plans go down, they're fun and exciting to watch.

Totaling 140 episodes, a lot of plot does happen in this show. However... it also didn't make me feel anything. (I only got invested in the show around episode 30). It might have to do with the fact that nearly all of the plot twists and planning is overheard outside of bedrooms and offices. Almost none of them are discovered by evidence, speculation, or characters predicting their next chess moves. There are also a lot of fake-outs in the early parts of the show, where you think the twin is going to meet the other twin or a family member, but it doesn't happen.

The main focus of the story is actually on the FL matriarch villain. She gets a lot of screentime compared to the other characters. While some of her story moments are interesting to follow, it's clear she is very delulu, which makes her a not so complicated villain to think about it. Usually, when the villain is sad and grieves, it should feel tragic because they ironically caused their own demise. But in this show, I felt conflicted whether or not I should feel bad for her.

Also, in the early parts of the show, the matriarch villain was trying to do evil stuff to FL family, but they took it as a sign of her being a generous sponsor and benefactor. It's pretty funny and reminded me of a villain who unintentionally became helpful. This changes by 1/3 of the show, of course.

The death scenes and the family revelations are gut wrenching and done very well, particularly the two mothers of the FL and ML. The other performances are not as intense, however, because there are barely any heroic confrontations and villain taunting in the show. And so, compared to other revenge makjangs, there is way less hair pulling and slaps. It never really reaches the same level of intensity.

FL and her twin are very smart characters. It's a breath of fresh air to see them actually capable when they are cornered and desperate. Basically, when coincidences start getting too strange, they start to suspect and gather more evidence. There's even 10 episodes or so dedicated to FL twin suspecting her mother, where we think FL twin is a silly spoiled brat, but is quite capable and cunning when she puts her mind to it. However, this does fall off in the last quarter of the show, where many vital pieces of evidence are not anticipated by the characters ahead of time. Instead, they are found by "oh hey, I found a secret CCTV that no one planted or talked about earlier in the show." There is not much foreshadow to these events and little payoff for them.

Finally, according to FL, the theme of the show is... greed is bad? I think the real theme of the show has to do with love, since we see several different characters do extreme things for love. Love is neither good or bad, but it can make people do the craziest things "because" of it.

No shade against the actors and actresses. They are all amazing. However, I personally don't recommend this show, but if you like romance and love in your revenge makjangs, this might be more than enough. However, as I said before, it takes a LONG time before things get interesting, so you'll have to commit if you want the good stuff.

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A love triangle used like never before; a meaningful coming-of-age story

This drama is a criminally underrated gem, and I highly recommend everyone to give it a try once.

The synopsis makes it sound like like a shallow love triangle of a FL shuttling between two brothers; one who is her ex, and the other who she falls for in the present, and who she will choose in the end. But this drama flips that unreliable narrative we've formed in our head to present such a meaningful coming-of-age story with cues to sustaining a healthy sense of self and relationship with others via communication.

I don't think any drama has come close to this in using the love triangle so effectively to flesh out a deep and introspective story.

We're such unreliable narrators of our own lives, and often assume we are aware of the whole picture when other people's behaviour(s) conveniently align with our perspective to form a narrative. Pleasant, meek Akari automatically gains our empathy as we view Yamato from her lens of someone who flirts, acts nonchalant and uses humour to be dismissive. Soft-spoken and kind Izumi gains our empathy as we view him from Akari's lens as someone who takes notice of her discomfort and appreciates her. We believe their perspectives and form a narrative of the good guy- bad guy in the relationship, forgetting how behaviours do not represent what a person is feeling., and the only way to understand that is to communicate, and question the emerging narrative. And communication isn't saying your piece and walking away, like Akari did . It isn't assuming and drawing conclusions that the other isn't interested, like Yamato and Akari did. It isn't simply talking about what is on the surface, but it also consists of addressing the non-verbals and unsaid gaps that are emerging and making one uncomfortable, like Izumi and Akari address after their first argument. And we see as these characters begin to communicate and address the elephant in the room, an alternative narrative emerges. Suddenly, Yamato isn't the bad, nonchalant guy. Rather he is caring and always thinks of others, like Akari does. Izumi isn't the honest, ideal guy who doesn't have demons on insecurities.

There is so much richness in the dynamics of this show, with the way the brothers are not reduced to jealous guys fighting over the FL but men battling their conditioning to express love by way of assuming responsibility. For good or for worse, their feelings for Akari emerge right at the heart of this dilemma. I love how they attempt to hold on to their own initially, then push her away for each other, only to realise it was never about who was better, or who can win the race of being kind, rather what the status quo is. Same with Akari - she is not reduced to a meek, indecisive FL who can't make up her mind about who she likes. She is very clear about it, and the realisation of alternate perspectives only pushes her to grow up, self-reflect , address the situation, and assume responsibility for her own feelings and stance rather than repeat the same pattern and retreat (as a gesture of kindness).

That ending - with both leads - finally speaking their heart out, laughing together like never before was PERFECTION.

The pacing was fantastic, and it was just the right amount of episodes to flesh out the story and dynamics.

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WHAT IS BROKEN CANNOT BE UNBROKEN

Dramas involving temporal shift are a convenient territory for launching theme-digging campaigns. Though the concept is rather unusual, I managed to grasp the structure of this multi-phase journey in time quite early.

FALSIFIED HISTORY
Journey to the past always brings anticipation of a miracle, like a dream of flying (pardon my digression to Lu Yuan’s birdish name – glede or kite). In this drama the time-traveller can operate only on the layer of awareness, not occurrences. His power is not that of a fact improver but fact revealer.

A false accusation leading to a witch process is a frequent theme in C-dramas. There is a resemblance between this series & “Love of the Divine Tree,” issued two years later.

The theme of full contradistinction of written historical record put against facts & intentions is also present in the study of scientific misconduct, “Miss the Dragon” (2021).

ORIGINS OF GOOD & EVIL
There is an immemorial dilemma in psychology: Is a person’s character based more on inborn traits or upbringing & experience?

The hero’s gradual time-travel shows that a person is ethically complete at birth. No matter how many steps we take into the heroine’s youth, she is imbued with determination to follow her conscience & readiness for self-sacrifice. Even as a girl, with no notion of abstract ideas, she presents herself as a future unwavering martyr queen.

By that time, the difference in age & experience between her & the visitor from the future becomes as tangible as an invisible wall. This is the limit of her personality core penetration.

Lu Shi is likewise predestined for sacrifice, which runs in that family.

Yuan Qi remains morally upright even when poison degrades his intellect to an eight-year-old’s.

Li Yong is a perfectionist focused on himself; this type of personality needs but a slight impulse to turn into a traitor. There is painful satisfaction in our waiting to discern that opportunity.

UNBREAKING THE BROKEN
A breakable & unbreakable artefact makes this drama related to “Love and Redemption.” Just like the pieces of the Eternal Mirror helped Chu Xuan Ji regain her lost senses, the drops of blood drive Shen Bu Yan towards awareness.

He finally realises that if the loss of one particular life is required to save thousands, & the person to be saved has already made the decision for herself to go, he lets her go. At that point, he resolves to make this valiant though short life properly commemorated, to render this sacrifice meaningful to the posterity. This is when his mind is finally at ease, though sorrow & longing remain. Lu Yuan dies young & childless, still she can now be seen as stepmother & saviour to one of the most potent emperors, whose lineage reaches modern times (trinket stall lady).

Fortunately, history turns out to be one of the items that, when broken, can still be unbroken. It just takes one sensitive & motivated witness with civil courage to speak against a fallacy that has grown into a best-selling dogma.

OBSCURE RESPONSIBILITY
Another similarity to “Love & Redemption” is an unsettling revelation to the main character that he (Shen Bu Yan) or she (Chu Xuan Ji) is the reason why the lives of the nearest persons & the nation have taken an undesired course, with vanishing hope for retribution. Chu Xuan Ji has an unearned heroic reputation as the Star of Mosha & nine failed consecutive lifetimes behind her. Shen Bu Yan dives five times into the past, each time reformulating his misconceptions about people’s intentions but still failing at redirecting the fate.

The irony is that all actions & artefacts (instruments, the jade pendant itself) prove to be connected to him. He admits not possessing the memories, i.e. the shared emotional asset with his dearest person (e.g. the origin of the pendant). He cannot answer for things he fails to remember. He cannot be sure to what extend he has rescheduled the history. The pages of his own book change in real time.

The story wants Shen Bu Yan gradually growing aware of his entanglement in the past events (including being a passive reason for Li Yong’s turn towards depravity). I was expecting he would soon prove to be the one immediately responsible for the emperor’s mental illness, Lu Shi’s sacrifice (e.g. out of induced over-protectiveness towards his sister), or even Lu Yuan’s death (well – indirectly yes).

CASSANDRA’S COMPLEX
Even rewinding the fate cannot suffice to fix it. Exploring, rethinking, reasoning, warning, using technical knowledge – all in vain. Whenever the hero is about to make a desperate move, he is summoned back to his epoch.

INCLINE VS DECLINE
If we drew the characters’ lives as graphs, with X-axis representing the course of the plot, one would be an incline, the other a decline. If the criteria were age, awareness, certitude or intensity of feelings, Shen Bu Yan’s would be increasing, Lu Yuan’s – decreasing. If the criteria were optimism, faith or vigour, it would be reverse.

These lines meet but we miss the exact point. This makes the story lifelike: in reality we skip that elusive second when the Blakean ‘innocence’ turns into ‘experience.’

The linear non-remembering is a more effective, convincing & ingenuous plot contrivance than the worn-out amnesia motif in other dramas. Add to that Lu Yuan’s tendency to pretend not to remember or judge properly (second meeting).

OBJECTIFICATION OF MEN
Although this C-drama does not apparently objectify any male character, observe a subtle shift in our perception of whether the hero or the heroine is the central character. We set off looking at Shen Bu Yan as an autonomous figure with full agency. Then he is there mainly to be our eyes, through which we are supposed to admire the heroine’s moral steadfastness.

Frequently enough Shen Bu Yan comes to the foreground, yielding a display of his strategic, diplomatic or didactic talents. Owing to his alabaster expression, dignified stance, thwarted suppression of emotion, he remains a well-rounded main character. Thankfully, there is a strong reciprocity & equality in the emotional interaction between the couple.

The second male character is also portrayed in an interesting way, first as a stereotype of an invincible fighter, then as a vulnerable & trustworthy companion, a little awkward, misunderstood, with a rare variety of inferiority complex. The paradox that the Saint of War dies in an ambush, not on the battlefield, does not strip him of his dignity. He manages to save the infant emperor after all. Far less dignified is the end of the Prime Minister, who succumbs to his narcissist ambitions & total lack of affiliative coherence.

FUNCTIONAL OST
A precise translation of the title is “Ballad of Ancient Lovesickness.” It is neither a song, nor a ballad though, but a wordless melody with deliberate false notes & broken strings. The meanings are so deeply hidden in the melodies that they need to be verbalised back for us. Exemplary are the scenes when Lu Yuan forewarns her agents with odd arrangement, or when the emperor gets angry at advice set to music.

At one hearing, the OST consists of only three vocal pieces & 17 instrumental, palatable for international audience. Beautiful, advanced in some compositional aspects, but not as innovative as in some other C-dramas. However, pay attention to the altered version of the “Ancient Love Song.”

For historical background: the traditional Chinese pentatonic scale differs from the Western in that it misses the fourth & seventh degree (fa & si). In general, the value of a particular piece of traditional Chinese music does not lie in intricacy but simplicity & emotional tinge. So was the konghou, an instrument similar to a harp, originating in the Shang dynasty. It had a narrow range and few modulation possibilities, but thanks to frets it could produce glides. Primarily it was reserved for the court: commoners were not allowed to listen.

The basic version of the melody of the “Ancient Love Song” is built on the modern Western scale & fashion but is meant to be relatively simple (except for additional orchestrations). So is Shen Bu Yan’s flute version, which adds only subtle acciaccaturas. However, the altered version, played by Lu Yuan to send out a secret military message, is enriched with notes that sound spatial & innovative: the first measure starts with impact on the second degree, then an element of its major dominant is audible, later a septime, some unexpected half-notes, arpeggios, triolas, making it unlike a traditional Chinese piece, adding echoes of Romanticism, blues & more, which only capable instrumentalists of 20th century onwards can use without the risk of cacophony.

It sounds as if Lu Yuan had virtually travelled to Shen Bu Yan’s times, or drew notes from the memory of his heart.

SOME LESS OBVIOUS MERITS
Rewatch value is high, because this drama is structured in such a way as to make us feel disconcerted for having skipped vital details & thus motivated to follow Shen Bu Yan on his vicious circle course at least once more.

Thankfully, the redundant comic culture clash between the modern visitor & the ancient environment is absent in this drama (except for a subtle mention on modern clothes, made by the junior Lu Yuan).

GLITCHES & FLAWS
A defect of characterisation is the fact that Shen Bu Yan forgets the moment of Lu Yuan’s real death, although this has been his first encounter with her.

A yet more serious flaw is the constatation that since the mob yearns for an emperor’s mother’s death, this death should be granted.

During the Yuan Qi coup, the soldiers who came with Lu Yuan do nothing until she is shot.

As said before, the jade pendant could be easily broken again to facilitate more rescue missions to the past.

APPEAL
Pertaining to all C-dramas, please keep on focusing on the quality of impression, the wit of the plot & the natural, pure countenances, free from plastic surgery & any form of excess. Thank you for the venues for tenderness & thought.

Written by a nationless spirit confined in the decaying Mid-Europe.

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I was waiting for it every week, very cute coming of Age drama. Both main characters were very interesting. I really enjoy when drama go "deeper" in the feeling of their character, and relationship. I love when relationship are more than "I love you". And this fucking confession woooooow...

I loved the second lead couple too bad they didn't show them more (and the almost cheating on my gf trope... wtv..).
I just lost interest in their break up era, because wtf was this reason?? Because he used to have a crush on your bestie wtf... Maybe because they are teenagers.

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Japan never fails to make good schoolar bls

I'm not really good at making reviews. But one thing I can say Is that the show is very enjoyable. Although the plot itself is very light, it's not boring.
Despite being a cliché seen in many BL series, Popular Serizawa handles it very well, each character is important and the relationship between the popular group is one of the best, they are super supportive.
I've seen people talk about serizawa being a "red flag" but that's not true, his actions are those of any teenager who has a crush on someone and tries to get closer; he never tried to force Suzuki to do anything he didn't want to do, he was always attentive and tried to give him the confidence and security that someone like Suzuki needs.
I hope we can have a season 2, so we can see more of their dating era.

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