Soft and Adorable, with a Sprinkle of Drama

The show is so sweet that some reviews say it's too simple. The actors do very well, even those with very little screen time.

The main couple develops over time and avoids some old stereotypes. For example, (SPOILER) when Chan finds out Yul is dating someone, his mentor does not encourage him to fight for Yul. In fact, his mentor tells him to do the right thing and back off. The meat of their romantic development comes only after Yul breaks up with his boyfriend. (END SPOILER)

KBLs tend to have shorter run times, and this is no different. As usual, it would have been nice to see more development on some of the plot points - (possible SPOILERs) what actually happened in high school? What really happened between Yul and his dad back then and what finally made Yul want to rebel? Why is Yul having trouble sleeping? (END)

I think the cast was great, the music sweet, and the plot cute. The characters were funny and fun to watch.

Pros:
-- Nice chemistry and the actors looked nice while kissing (which is not something you can always say)
-- good acting, scenery, music, and pacing.
-- Funny and fun
-- Includes a little whump

Cons (with spoilers):
-- Where TF is grandpa? He's away for a medical reason in ep 1 and he never comes back home. Where is he? They said he was fine, but is he? Did he die? Why did he never go home?
-- Minor detail, but Ma's accent when speaking Korean sounded very Italian. It's not so much a con as a quirky weirdness.
-- Would have liked more depth on Yul's relationships with Inseo and his father.

-- Another review mentioned colorism being in the show, but assuming my translation was correct, they really only mention Yul's paleness twice while describing him as handsome. ie, "He's so good-looking. So pale." Every other mention of paleness is about people not taking care of themselves and being ill or needing to rest.

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Not the Strongest but Still Worth It

The premise is fantastic - some people being monos and having a probe in the world that can let them see colors so long as they're around. It's a soul-mates plot if ever there was one. With a dash of worry about becoming too obsessed.

The series is coded heavily as a metaphor for being queer in a world that doesn't accept/villainizes being queer. The lack of color that Yeon Woo experiences can easily be interpreted as varying levels of self-isolation, loneliness, and depression that he only gets relief from when around Yoo Han, to whom he is attracted. Yoo Han represents being accepting of your sexuality, presenting as more flamboyant and effeminate than Yeon Woo. Yoo Han never shies away from invading Yeon Woo's personal space or touching him. He instantly recognizes their mutual benefit from being around each other, their mutual interest in each other, and he latches on instantly. Yeon Woo, on the other hand, tries so hard to resist the pull Yoo Han has. He denies and denies his interest until he can't.

The desperation shown by Yoo Jun as Yeon Woo is well done. His emotions come across very well and I never doubted his struggle. On the other hand, Hyun Jun's acting felt weak and basic. He's got a decent face and his soft voice worked for making the coloring scenes feel intimate, but his tone in every scene felt the same. He only had one setting, and it felt incongruous with many scenes.

The script had some great parts but it felt rushed or weak in others. I filled in spots I felt were emotionally lacking or where information should have been put in, or however else the scene felt weak, but it was me subconsciously giving leeway to the show. The script shouldn't have needed as much forgiveness as I gave it while watching.

The cinematographer needs a raise - or whoever was in charge of the color rush scenes. Yoo Han explaining the color palette was so intimate and innately sexual (without being sexual) that I got literal chills. The color rush scenes were beautiful, moving, intimate, and definitely coded as sexual experiences, however small. They were very well done.

Overall, I'm not against rewatching it with a friend, and most of the movie was well done.

TW: there is a scene of attempted suicide.

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Enough Heart to Probably Ignore The Biggest Issue

Overall it was cute. I liked that it didn't forget that it's main character struggled with self confidence issues and concerns with his image because of years of bullying and that they circled back to that as it's main character growth story. They could easily have forgotten that storyline. I like that Duean and Meen dealt with the issue of forcing someone to do something they didn't want, especially since the writers completely pushed this issue aside with the main couple the whole time.

Duean is dumb as a boulder, but that is part of his comic relief charm, and his story with Meen is innocent and sweet 90% of the time. The relationship between the brothers is also very nice and is often amusing and feels authentic. Duean alternates between being gross and invasive of his brother's privacy and space and being protective and caring of his brother's relationships and feelings. I think anyone with siblings can relate to that.

My main downside is that I didn't like how Pi's dislike of being publicly discussed was completely dismissed by literally everyone. His concern was first that his chances at confessing to the guy he liked were being dashed and then that people were talking about him without his consent and invading his privacy and then that Mork was letting people spread false rumors about them and then that people were talking badly about him. and every time, people would pretty much gaslight his concerns. "oh you actually like it, you're just being proud/shy/stubborn". So I didn't vibe with that. The show offset this with enough cute and enough honest emotion from Mork that I watched the whole show and enjoyed it overall, but this could easily be a make or break issue for a lot of viewers. Because it definitely annoyed me a lot and takes up a LOT of the plot.

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Simple but sweet

The show is simple and sweet. Yes it's a giant commercial for a store during a pandemic, but it's only obvious because Tops is always bringing home food in the store's bags. It's part cooking show, part light drama BL. It's all domesticity, as 90% of the show takes place inside the same house. But if you want something sweet, simple, cute, and fun, and that will probably make you want to learn how to cook, then this is the show for you. Tops is genuine and quiet while Win is the definition of sweet but dumb. But their development is endearing and you root for them the whole time.

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Goofy and Dramatic and Bromantic

Slightly spoilery:
I binged the whole show and then the movies. The show is a little campy and ridiculous sometimes, but the longer it goes on the more serious it gets and the higher the stakes. The fact that we gain some allies even from enemies, the fact that Banjou and Sento will literally risk/choose death if it means saving the other, and the sweet moments between the team are all wonderful. There are good speeches, some lovely ideals, and a lot of fun combinations with the Kamen Rider Build suits. I've watched a good amount of episodes multiple times. Sometimes I see the actors in other shows and have to come back to KRB because it makes me nostalgic.

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Where's Season 2?

I could watch an endless amount of these two being domestic and solving crimes.
I heard someone say the show wasn't acted very well, except there's a whole special "episode" where the guys swap bodies (not in the show but it is a fun little episode) and they act just like each other, which is completely different from their own characters, and if that doesn't show acting skill, I don't know what does.

Shiro is so openly flamboyant and physical, and Ichiro is so repressed but supportive. I loved their interactions and the ways they showed they cared about each other. I have heard it won't get a season 2 but I want one so bad. I'm just hoping the artist/author finishes the manga and the producers decide to continue the show. Because we have too many loose ends, and also the slow burn needs to complete it's arc. They're already basically married. I just need them to admit it.

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Surprisingly Well Done

The first time I watched this show, I thought Tae Kyung was too awkward and the show was okay. But it stuck with me enough that I added the theme song to my playlist on Spotify and I ended up coming back to watch the show a second time. This is one of my top two Korean BLs at the moment. It feels sufficiently well developed and tackles some tough topics - but not in a way that weighs you down. It's also longer than most KBLs I've seen and much better acted.

Spoilers below:
Tae Kyung in definitely still awkward, but I appreciate his sweetness and his caring for others. I love the way Shin Woo cares about him from the sidelines, and how their relationship develops from begrudging classmates to friends and eventually to romance. Shin Woo loves quietly but fiercely, which is lovely. Da On is a good guy, but he's a doormat, and he lets his fear rule him. It's nice to see him get character growth about this. Everyone really gets developed as characters except Namgoong, but I wouldn't change Namgoong for anything. He's awesome the way he is. He's there to fill a certain role, and he does it with pizazz.

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I have seen some scenes from this show so often that I don't even need the subtitles anymore.

Not Me has a large ost of free-use music, and it's all very good. Most of the show is instrumentals of those songs, but they also use the full versions. Several of the songs made it onto my favorites playlist. The acting is well done. In fact, I loved Sean and White so much that it really threw me for a loop to find out those actors don't usually act for those types of roles. I actually don't like them in other things I've seen since Not Me, but I love love love them in Not Me. All the actors really brought their A game, and even though the show had a low production value, it doesn't feel like it. There's so much heart and drama and depth to every episode. P'Nuchy really managed to make something wonderful.

SPOILERS:

Two gripes: 1, the twin connection should have been used more.
2, I've seen this show multiple times, and I still can't tell you exactly how it all worked out okay in the end. Like, politically and corporately, it ended too neatly.

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Sweet and Mature

OFC focuses on older men, which is a change for a lot of dramas I've seen. Nozue is melancholic about life but Togawa's gentle insistence on doing things to make him feel younger balances him out. I don't remember any of the music, so it's not ending up on my playlists, but the acting was well done and the story is sweet. Their relationship is lovely and it builds up so nicely.

Drawbacks: sometimes the show feels slow because it's very slice of life, so if you want something more upbeat or faster, it's not this show.
There's a major scene where the lighting makes Nozue look so much older and I wish someone would have noticed and fixed it before it made it into final edits.

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Cotton Candy and Product Placement but I Loved It

Listen, I love this show. Yes, this show has plot holes and it's bad at explaining some of its lore, and yes it's heavy with product placement. But I still got such a boost of serotonin every week when a new episode came out. I have gone back to watch scenes multiple times. This show is not the end-all-be-all of BLs but it was cute and it tugged at the heart. It was just dramatic enough and it touched on several different types of drama, especially near the end. Tun is drunk in love from like day 1 (maybe day 3), and Talay is just a dumbass for not noticing it.
Basically, this show is cotton candy fluff and if you need something fun to binge on a day where everything else seems too heavy, pick this one. If nothing else, Jimmy's face will brighten your day.

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Decent but Needed More Run Time

Overall thoughts was that it had a great soft dramatic ending. I really felt that last episode was well done and pulled at the heart strings.

On the other hand, Tae Joo needed more development and we don't get it in this short run time. He spends the first half of the show pretty much hetero - sleeping with all the girls and make up making out with the girls, and trying to tell Gook to have dates and telling Guk that it's boring with just the two of them and being the biggest spoiled brat. Like yes, he likes Gook, but it barely seems like a romantic love. It seems more like a bromantic love. And then as soon as Gook gives in to Tae Joo's pestering and pushing and goes on a date, and describes their relationship as "Master/Servant" to a potential girlfriend, Tae Joo is suddenly madly in love with Gook? Gook would be totally valid to call Tae Joo out on treating him like a toy he doesn't want taken away.

Kang Gook however was done very well. I could feel every aching moment of his hidden love. From his very first scene, I could feel that chemistry and yearning. My only 2 issues with Gook is that he's being strung along by Tae Joo, and that he agrees to go on the date with Hye Mi at all when he clearly only has eyes for Tae Joo.

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Old school but cute

Maybe I'm spoiled by a lot of BL lately, but I noticed this played out like an older manga (I know it's based on one). It felt a little dated, I mean. That being said, it was cute. Aoki's actor is amazing at looking and acting like he stepped right out of an anime - wild facial expressions, jolting movements, overreactions, and it's all very amusing. Ida's character was pretty bland in comparison, but the times where he smiled were very sweet.

I enjoyed the world of the show and the characters, but it did leave me a little unfulfilled. It's a little too vanilla.

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Infantilization and controlling partners killed it

After 3 episodes, I can safely say I don't want to finish it.

Kuea and Khondiao are like children. They are treated like literal babies by their love interests. "Where are you? Why didn't you tell me everything you're doing today? You're not at home where you should be even though no one is there to hang out with you. Why aren't you answering my calls? When I call you're supposed to answer. You're being naughty." It's an awfully toxic relationship model that doesn't seem to be going away anytime in the course of this show.

On top of that, Lian and Yi don't show any love for their boys except when the boys can't see it, and even then it's the bare minimum. Khondiao even says that Lian and Yi don't show any affection for them and wonders if it's because they don't love them. The answer is yes. If someone is giving you no emotional support or signs of affection, they don't love you and you need to yeet yourself out of that relationship. But somehow both our boys are just maddeningly in love with their men. Diao is afraid of Yi to the point that he sobs like a child when Yi finds out he lied about supporting his friend at the bar, because apparently Diao isn't allowed to go out without clearing it with Yi, who he's Not Even Dating?!

The reason for this supposed arranged marriage is shaky at best and completely missing at worst. Flashbacks suggest Lian either does like Kuea or he's just super bound by duty - it's unclear. In ep 1, Lian straight up tells Kuea that he doesn't love him but then acts like he's hung up on Kuea and in love with him the whole next episode all because Kuea said he wanted to break up. Except, of course, he doesn't tell Kuea he likes him. He just calls him naughty and childish and makes comments that sound like he's going to control him. Also he has someone stalking Kuea so he can keep tabs on him all the time. It's messed up and does not say "love" to me at all.

I couldn't take the controlling nature of the relationships and how dependent and desperate the "submissives" were, so I can't continue the series.

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