A cuddly piece of euphoria

So apparently you can summon your distant lover by playing a Conan Gray song to him. I'll make sure to try that out. Happy Valentines, my single friends!

🔸No matter how much you're lost in life, if you are with the right people everything else will come along. This incredible, thoughtful, sensual and inspiring work of art is a rare collaboration between a Korean and a foreign director Baek Inu and Werner du Plessis. It is coming-of-age genre, and explores such themes as adapting to the new environment (Ji Hyeon in Seoul), processing traumas (Jae Won and his depression), trying to live up to someone's expectations and finding your inner strength. You can tell right away that creating a safe space for queer people was the priority for this BL. There are no triggering scenes, hate speech, rejections based on orientation, but instead there are many understanding friends that support the main characters along the way. You can safely watch this drama. Without a single explicit frame, sexual tension and intimacy flood the screen in all the right moments. I'm hypnotized.

Stunning, stunning performances of Lim Ji Seob and Oh Joon Taek! Their expressions are so subtle, and you can feel little electrical sparks lighting between them on screen. From now on, I demand to see these actors in big successful projects only!

🔸The drama feels especially real because it's not isolated from the real world. It is full of references to such movies as I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay or Hedwig and The Angry Inch, or the influential needle drop The Story by Conan Gray. Several quirky characters like the English-speaking bartender or the cheerful cashier with the K-Trot USB are always surprising and bring diversity to the table even if their influence is insignificant. I imagine this richness is the result of the collaboration. In this case, I'd love more international projects in Korea.

🔸As for the title "The Eighth Sense", I think it's nothing more than an homage to the creator's favorite movie The Sixth Sense. The plot is not even vaguely resembling the 2001 thriller. The only thing they have in common is the main character having counseling sessions about his mental struggles. From the other angle, the title doesn't make any sense as well. Eun Ji, the supporting character, says: "I realized the five senses weren't everything. Just follow your senses. Who knows what might happen?" But what are the other seven senses then? I feel like this particular line just appears out of nowhere to justify the title.

But hey, now I finally learned how to spell "eighth"!

🔸The Eighth Sense is by far the most vibrant and living K-drama (not just as a BL) that doesn't have that manufactured TV production touch. I actually felt a little bit high watching it (hahah) from how much I related and how bad I wanted to be in that campfire circle with the surfing club folks. I wish the cast and the crew good luck and a big success in the future!

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철들수록 꿈이 사라지는 거면, 나는 그냥 철들기를 포기할라고.

Dear friends, behold, the finest historical specimen of the Golden Age* of Korean dramas: Fight For My Way! Insanely cute and funny, just as much problematic.

🔸"I'm dating you, and why do you have to do everything your own way?" While the drama is literally called "My Way" and sends the message of embracing your own desires and independence, this message arrives twisted when it came through the hours of childish interactions between the characters who try to make their romantic partners comply with their whims. But this message doesn't come out of thin air, and the exceptional rating of 13.8% demonstrate what was amusing for the Korean society in 2017 and what was its itch.

This drama characterized by a radical intolerance to others' choices, and that intolerance is often presented as humorous or romantic. But tell me, please, if your partner said this to you, would you think of it as romantic?

- "If you do martial arts again we break up. We won't stay friends either and will never see each other again". (Says someone who is dating them and supposed to support and encourage).

- "I'm not going to marry anyone else, and if my burn gets infected I will die, so come apply the ointment today". (Says someone who got broken up with and doesn't want to let their partner go).

- "Why are you wearing such a short skirt?! Every man will look at your beautiful legs. Go and change right now!!!" (Says a male character to a female character)

The writer doesn't ever trust the characters to be truly self-reliant. She keeps glueing them together when they part their own ways, and this defies the whole narrative of the drama. The most interesting character is the aspiring announcer Choi Ae Ra. She doesn't have a documented proof of her talent and support system like the athlete Dong Man with his medals and a coach. She has to take many rejections and be flexible to achieve her goal, and I love a story like that. Unfortunately, her career didn't get a lot of runtime comparing to Dong Man and the romantic plot. It's such a big lose.

"철들수록 꿈이 사라지는 거면, 나는 그냥 철들기를 포기할라고. 그냥 남 보라고 철든 척 할 필요도 없고, 아끼면 다 똥되는 거고."

🔸The itch of finding a fulfilling career and pursuing your true passion is still very much present today, and it only grows bigger as Gen Z is entering the work force. But I hope that all these toxic traits in K-dramas are left in the past. Let's support K-dramas that don't romanticize manipulation!

* It's the Platinum Age now, post-Netflix. Don't you think?

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"내 죽음이 참을 수 없이 부끄러웠다".

Are there ANY lives not worth living? Any at all?
🔸️In comparison to Tomorrow that could only offer the cliche "tomorrow will be better" and more or less noticable victim blaming for giving up on your life, Death's Game, on the other hand, acknowledges the personal struggle and responsibility while encouraging you to continue fighting, to win this horrible game and rise from the ashes. Because while you continue living, you are already winning each minute of your life.

It's interesting to watch one actor playing several characters in one show, but to watch several actors playing one character together? All the Yi Jae cast had to layer Yi Jae's nature and behavior on the host personality, the owner of the new body. This task is exciting on its own, and the acting turned out phenomenal. Kim Jae Wook playing psychopath rival? That scene gave me chills, let alone the brilliantly adapted screenplay.

🔺️Watching the drama won't help severely depressed and suicidal people. And of course it's not meant to do that. If you're in such condition, please, try seeking help from mental health professionals.
But it can and does help those who are struggling. It killed me and put me back together piece by piece, just like Yi Jae, in the final. Immersive af.

Did you know? The name Yi Jae sounds identical to "right now" in Korean. I enjoy so much the wordplay in character names in K-dramas.

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WE NEED s2 NOW!!!

🔸A bloody poem of unspoken problems, unborn friendships, and untold concerns. Weak Hero is not any kind of a manifest against violence, unlike Boyhood. It's a clear statement of what everyone could have had and what has lost to domestic and school violence. Friendship, trust, love, happiness, - all of them were wiped out with blood and boiling rage. It's been 1.5 years since the release of this drama, and I attest that the story gets better on the rewatch when you can closely examine the exquisite psychology behind it.

🔸The show proves that warlike personal relationships never bring any profit to anybody. Oh Beom Seok, aka the most hated villain, was adopted for his congressman dad's political influence. In psychology, bad relationship with parents can predict lower friendship quality, and it's exactly what happens in the drama with Beom Seok. His dad doesn't recognize him as an individual and physically abuses him on a daily basis, which results in Beom Seok struggling with social life. He is anxious even around his new friends and expects betrayal from them.

Beom Seok is so traumatized and broken that he can't navigate a regular relationship anymore. His new friends technically do nothing wrong, but they are no psychiatrists and they don't know how to treat Beom Seok in his condition. While therapy isn't going his way, and he reserves to violence as the only way to relieve his mental pressure. Hong Gyeong's performance as Beom Seok gave me chills. It is absolutely stellar.

🔸"Keep on pushin" says the slogan on Ahn Soo Ho's jacket, but, honestly, does he have a choice not to? He is all alone, without parents, working part time and sleeping at school. This life made him independent, taught not to expect anything in return and not to risk recklessly. But despite that, Soo Ho is loyal in good relationships. He trusts his friends enough to keep his phone unlocked. He is a little bit insensitive, but able to admit his fault and give someone a second chance. Exactly this attitude makes Ahn Soo Ho the best character in the show - and the one who's hurt the most.

🔸"You did nothing wrong", says Yeon Shi Eun's dad after his son causes major injuries to the three bullies who hurt his friend. Shi Eun is reluctant to form any relationship since his parents take little interest in his life, but he is considerate and caring in a friendship that accidentally came his way. He found his escape in keeping his brain busy by solving math problems, but math books will protect his friends only if used as weapons. As his rage grows he seeks justice in violence, too.

🔺Be careful when watching Weak Hero. You may find yourself falling for that violence when you start wishing some of the characters to be hit - this is exactly what the drama warns you about. After all the terrible things Beom Seok has done, you may start feeling satisfaction from seeing him being physically abused by his father, forgetting that abuse shaped him that way in the first place. There are many viewers who are angry for justifying Beom Seok's behavior, but there is no justification there, just as there is no justification for Shi Eun's aggression. It's just the way the society works. We cannot stop bullying and abuse if it's a regular part of our life.

That said, can you name Shi Eun the hero of this story? Or antihero? Or maybe this title belongs to Ahn Soo Ho? Or is it all a big irony? The drama wants you to decide yourself, and it doesn't offer a solution to the world peace. This brutality and honesty, in my opinion, along with the brilliant production is the root of its success worldwide.

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OH. MY. GOD.

As much as I want Joon Ho to get rest and find peace, he has one more year to go, and something tells me there is going to be the next season. In my opinion, season 1 alone was insufficient, but now the story is summarized very well.

Personally, I like the second one better because it finally gives the feeling of each individual story and their meanings on the big scale. The martial arts scenes are great, the cinematography is wonderful, the actors are stunning. The 3rd episode "Curtain Call" - MY. GOD. I haven't seen one so tragic and brutal in ages. Mostly because of Nina, this series makes it to my top-4. Thank you so much.

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Oh, man... OH MAN.

🔸️The most distinctive trait of this movie: uncompromising. Some very decent acting somehow works its way through very weak directing, while some decent fight choreography and a brutal bullying scene are still visible through very unflattering lighting, trembling camera (how tf did you make it tremble when it's on a tripod?), and a terrible music choice.

I was fucking rolling on the floor of laughter watching the characters first kiss scene. A minute ago they were just strangers, and now they're jumping out of their pants and tripping over the table like they haven't had sex for twenty years. (Dang, i wanna see a behind-the-scenes of it) The criminal part of the two assassins' lives didn't make sense for a long time. I couldn't even understand that Ki Tae was a killer too before I read the synopsis.

🔸️What I find different in Long Time No See is that it's not entirely a "Boys Love". It focuses specifically on two gay men and their struggles to find their place in the society they have to literally fight for. BLs though tend to not focus on that struggle but rather on just the relationship and background of the characters (in most of the BLs I've seen). Therefore I can suggest the movie to be assigned to the LGBTQ+ category.

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이젠 단팥빵 먹고 싶어 죽겠다

These 8 short episodes is not really a drama but more like a travel show with a fictional character and her background. Each episode is a separate short story that happens to Ha Gyong on her weekend trips.

🔸We get to know Park Ha Gyong through her relationships with students, colleagues, reactions to unusual situations and life regrets. Each novel is totally fictional, but in the 7th episode there is a long bakery ad, and, you know, it worked. I now want to buy a 단팥빵 when I go to Jeju. Yet that episode-long advertisement was off-putting for the main narrative, leaving me more or less indifferent towards the end.

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"그 무엇이든, 난 길채면 돼."

Of course, romance is what the drama primarily is, but it is not a sweet one. Just as equal of a part is the political rivalries inside and outside of the country that only bring tragedy and destruction to the lives of regular people. Another the themes played, another one is the loyalty to the state VS the loyalty to the people.

🔸️The main character is the person of free thought and nonconformity to the traditional society structure. He doesn't believe in sacredness of marriage, "purity", he doesn't evaluate someone's worth based only on their social status. And why would he? He experienced the highs and lows. But don't be tricked by this character because he is not an ideological hermit, and asceticism is the last thing he would ever want. He plays by the rules to improve his wealth and help those in need. Lee Jang Hyeon, although he is indeed great in business, doesn't lack empathy and courage despite his unwillingness to give up on his image of an unapproachable privileged weirdo. He is devoted to helping the lower class citizens wronged by their own government that had to protect them. Jang Hyeon will and does go out of his way if somebody relies on him desperately, even if that will cause issues with the aristocracy and the King himself.


The drama doesn't aim to appeal to the modern viewer through Lee Jang Hyeon. Rather, on the contrast with him, it shows the traditional old and prejudiced society where the life of a woman was expected to end in shame if she was sexually harassed or raped. This narrative of women suffering from the old customs is present throughout the whole drama, and it plays a significant role in the story. Gil Chae and almost all the female characters suffer from this ostracism, as if invasion of Qing, enslavement and food scarcity is not enough. Seemingly, the shared struggle should unite the people, but in this case almost everyone faced humiliation from the invaders, and probably sought out to blame someone else to feel better for themselves.



🔸️I appreciate the drama for not reserving to only bleak or only bright colors and for allowing heartwarming and hilarious moments among the violence, blood, and uncertainty of mid-Joseon. Although, in my opinion, the drama suffers from the repetitiveness in relationships between Gil Chae and Jang Hyeon that made me grow tired by the final. 12-16 episodes would be just fine with no need to divide the release in 2 parts, which also made me feel like the buzz around it gets lower despite the ratings doubling ×2.4 from the first to the last episode.

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Wow, so toothless!

It appears the director Kim Joo Hwan has a thing for animals. "Koala", "Lion", "Hunting Dogs", now this. A surprisingly toothless movie about a big load of abandoned puppies.

🔸️It would seem impossible to film a wholesome fluffy Golden Retriever in a neutral manner and make it appear soulless, although they managed to achieve it here. I'm so sick of long rambling descriptions of the characters unhappy lives, I couldn't care less. There soon will be more dogs than kids in Korea, so they thought the movie would sell well. It didn't. It lost a bunch of money in box office. As for me, I'd rather watch some lunatic shit and enjoy it than the blandest tear-jerker marketed for the broadest audience.

And no, I'm not a heartless monster. I had a red cat that I loved the most, then he died, and the story was over. Yes, I miss him sometimes.

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