Cute, but a bit medicore
So I usually lower my standards and just go in for a good time and some cuteness for BLs and I will say this show delivered on that.Good:
- most of the casting was good! Shoutout to sangwoo's actor for really selling it.
- the kisses were GOOD for a korean bl. The chemistry between the leads was also good
Not Good:
- I'm not sure if it's because of how jaeyeongs character is written or because of the actor, but their performance was meh for me. I think most of it is because the character is damn near written as a psychopath but he also has to come off charming enough to not be totally turned off by him. They don't really do a good job of navigating it so they pull an entire 180 on the character.
- I know sangwoo is supposed to be robotic and all, but it gets to a point where his scenes without jaeyeong are pretty slow and dull. I think they overdo the robotic trait
- the story is not written very well and the romance is poorly fleshed out. I've seen shorter bl that did a better job of convincing us of the romance. Again, I think they overshot with exaggerating the leads' character traits so it makes it hard to believe that they fell in love that quickly. This is the first bl where I wouldn't mind the episodes being a little shorter.
Overall, I'm meh about the show. It is cute if you want a bl to watch, but part of me feels like it was a waste of time cause you don't really walk away with anything.
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This review may contain spoilers
Could've been cute but they added unnecessary bullying plotline and then rushed the love story
Things I liked:- The acting and cinematography
- How organized and methodical Chu Sangwoo was
- Ryu Ji Hye was very adorable and I'd love to see more of her
- Sangwoo setting touch boundries
- Jaeyoung asking Sangwoo for consent to kiss!!!
Things I disliked:
- Jaeyoung was literally a bully and a stalker?? What the fuck?? And they are in UNIVERSITY! This man is in his 20s bullying another guy. It's literally pathetic, and Sangwoo deserved better.
- Their relationship felt rushed
- Their 1st kiss???? Sangwoo kissed Jaeyoung WITHOUT CONSENT?? WHEN HE WAS ASLEEP? WTF???? This was especially weird when the show made sure to show them set boundries and ask for consent in other scenes...... :/
- Jaeyoung being controlling and trying to keep Ryu Ji Hye away... Yikes.
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A BL Webtoon That’s Perfectly Adapted!
Semantic Error is already a great webtoon and this production did an amazing job adapting it. Park Seo Ham and Park Jae Chan were the perfect main leads to play Jang Jae Young and Chu Sang Woo. They delivered a great performance and made it feel like I was seeing the original characters come to life. This live action of Semantic Error was done absolutely well from casting, directing, cinematography, to OST.S. Korea has definitely made another great BL series along with Light on Me and To My Star as some of my personal favorites. I definitely hope WATCHA will produce another season later on because they really produce quality series, including Light on Me. Hopefully they will give us full length series because 8 episodes was not enough! S. Korea has the potential to lead the Bl industry if they are able to bring in the budget and production they do for their mainstream series.
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I want and NEED more of this
The thing that gets to me about Semantic Error is that it treats its premise in a way that is fun, and not taken too seriously. The drama is based off a webtoon and I’ve seen dramas fail when trying to adapt the plot from that to a show. Semantic Error succeeds in so many ways and keeps everything it needs to to make sense.I understand the chemistry, the acting is phoenomanal and coming from a BL when comparing to a full sized drama, the effor the actors puts in needs to be recognized. I wish BLs’ could be longer, but as for now we only get 8 episodes. Every moment I’m enjoying, and I want more honestly but beggars can’t be choosers.
To sun it up, the chemistry is there, the story is easy and fun to follow, and most importantly the drama isn’t upsetting and makes sense. The motives of the characters whether petty or not are adorable, and the profession of the relationship is well paced out.
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Loving the live action adaptation so far (episode 6)
Loving the live action adaptation and adjustment of the story to cover a big arc of the relationship in 8 episodes. I think that live action made the whole cast much more interesting which was important for the feel of a campus drama, and there are ways the story has been adjusted to focus on the relationship being fresh in not following some of the usual tropes, which will be helping the boy's love genre get more mainstream. It's really a thoughtful and loving adaptation in a way, compared to what I think can usually be suspected as just attempts to censor, which can disrespect LGBTQ+ people in general and the type of media that is created about their relationships yet isn't even truly adding to positive media representation for them.Beyond those thoughts, I love the creative use of special effects, the casting, the acting, the OST and production. I felt that what comes off the screen is this intriguing exploration of how you could get attracted to someone you've judged negatively for being different from you, and coming to understand their values and character better (the timeless dynamic of the couple in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that I always loved). And, very importantly, the leads carry on with chemistry in spades, the key ingredient for any on-screen romance to thrive, but they also include with that a lot of vulnerability, affection and growing maturity, which makes this a very special kind of dynamic to root for as an audience member.
Hope that more dramas like this can be made!
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This is a must watch!!
I absolutely loved this show. It was short, simple, unique and the height difference omg it was so cute!! The romance to me was a slow burn and they portrayed this really well with having sweet moments throughout the show to keep your attention.Chu Sang Woo (the nerdy computer science junior) is a bit of a savage and I was totally here for it, he didn't stand down from the popular people and I really liked how it showed how serious Chu Sang Woo was about his work, which in turn was a main reason why the romance started in the first place. Jang Jae Young (the laidback senior majoring in design) at the start was not my favourite character because he used people like Chu Sang Woo to do his work in school just because he was popular which really frustrated me because I've seen a lot of people like that when I was in school and none of them were nice lol. But once the romance started to unfold I saw a change in his personality and how charing he was towards Chu Sang Woo made me start to really love his character, he really reminded me of Xiang Hao Ting from HIStory 3: make your days count which is my all time favourite BL so that says a lot.
It was only 8 episodes but I thought the pace of the romance wasn't too quick because it was an enemies to lovers drama, which I love. Overall a really loved the storyline and the height difference was a huge yes from me.
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This review may contain spoilers
South Korea really upped their ante lately when it comes to BL dramas. Though short, most of them hit just the right spot with me. And this one was no different. Why?Because it ended up going in a completely different direction than I thought at first. I thought that Jaeyoung would be your typical jerk and Sangwoo the soft and emotional woobie or... whatever. But no. Jaeyoung turned out to be much softer and sweeter and Sangwoo much more cynical and clinical that I expected. It sure made for a very interesting storytelling.
The story itself was very standard, there was nothing exceptional or all that original about it - for original or downright weird and twisty stuff one really has to dig into Japanese BL - but the characters sure elevated the whole thing, they made me smile while watching which is always a big plus for me.
Overall, a sweet story. Loved it.
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same formula but they got right
again koreans follow the same formula, short episodes, short season and a pretty good story. Like man????????????? sit down, let's talk about, I didn't read the manwha so I really can't say anything about that, so let's focus on the drama. They take a such good attetion to the details to creat a safe zone, a confort place and they did, the whole drama was awesome, I wait to watch for days because i want to watch carrefully, the series really deserve others seasons with more drama, more episodes, they really gets the point here. The ost is AMAZING, I'm hearing since the first episode. The actors are so good I'm in love, they act is so goood, I hope to see them again in others seasons and in others drama too because they do a good job here. I will for sure rewatch sometimes because I feel good watching, I will miss they a little bit, but i feel happy because i feel they can do others formulas to Koreans Bls in the future.Was this review helpful to you?
No Error Detected
Definitely one of my fav Korean BL! It's inevitable at this point to be short but don't let that stop you. It starts out very cliché with the petty "I hate you, I hate you too" theme but even that was made funny. It's a very cute, quirky, fluffy drama with an amazing cast. Everyone's role was portrayed perfectly and I loved they didn't throw any side drama. It was the MC and their friends which is exactly how it should be to avoid anything from the MC being left out. I honestly have no questions involving the ending. Everything played out and ended perfectly!I heard the novel was a bit R-Rated but you won't find that here and that's actually fine with me.
I'd highly recommend if you want something classic with a splash of original BL
Enjoy...
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Best Korean BL so far.
Don't get me wrong. There are many great Korean BLs, incl. To My Star, Light on Me, Where Your Eyes Linger and many others. Korean BLs are becoming better and better. But this is the best one so far.The casting is superb. I would not find a better pair of actors to play Chu Sang Woo and Jang Jae Young if I tried. Sometimes it just clicks. An oh boy, did it click this time. Visually exactly what they were supposed to be. And HOT. I mean FIRE. Their chemistry is off the charts. And their portrayal of the characters was flawless. Great acting too (cuz these Korean BLs, they have a history of actors whose acting was almost as stiff as my dong ;) gets, LOL). The main couple is such a strong point of this series, but the rest of the actors do their job just as well.
The story itself is great, the idea, the progression, the ending. Yeah, the beginning could've been a little better explained (so pay attention, you guys!), but let's not forget they don't have a Thai budget to film these types of series in Korea...yet. The plot isn't rushed, nor is it stretched out. I mean, it's just right. I just wish they could kiss more, and I hope for some more *action*, but it's just my very personal general comment to all Korean BL series.
Overall the best investment of my time in watching BLs in quite some time.
Perfect for rewatching.
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Best BL adaptation kdrama
Man I’m so glad this kdrama was just as great as the manhwa because everything in it was just right! Ok there might be some differences such as Sangwoo wearing less of his hat but it didn’t matter like everything was just perfect. I personally don’t think it needs a season 2, it had everything you need to enjoy a series, even the sexual tension.Park Seo Ham, Song Ji Oh, Kim Noh Jin and Park Jae Chan were just stunning in this series! Also Park Seo Ham is off to military enlistment today so best of luck to him like I hope to himself and everyone on other projects in the future! Honestly again I can’t express my love for this kdrama, it’s outstanding!
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I started this series with hate, because my logic didn't agree what I saw on this series. How could you forgive someone who failed you? or even delaying you for your graduation? I did something terrible when my best friend took my book a month before final exam (when I was in college), I can't imagine what I would do If someone failed me on my test like sang-woo did.
But... at a leisurely pace I fell in love with this series. Especially when their feeling toward each other gradually improved in every episodes.
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