A Tightly Woven Cute Story.

Eight 16-20min episodes. The whole production is very well done and happily satisfying. The only weak link is the music, which was meh. Would highly recommend, though I probably won't re-watch frequently.

Tension is masterfully and evenly sustained as the present unfolds and the past is revealed (university and highschool). There's a lot of jumping back and forth but it was fairly easy to follow, especially once I recognized this visual clue: in flashbacks the boys wear a highschool uniform that has a blue and red pattern on the inside of their collars! If you see that, it's in the past.

The premise kind of felt like a Japanese BL; a fantastical take on something mundane that sets up a romance, almost like it’s fated. The feel of this series remains very Korean though; strong storytelling with great acting, lovely cinematography, and a well-written script with a lot of earnest and sweet moments. There is some angst but also communication (eventually) and a satisfying resolution.

The two leads have great chemistry and their yearning is tangible. Kisses are just pressed lips yet still manage to contain emotions and passion in their gentle sweetness.

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Great Cinematography, Weaknesses With The Rest.

The cinematography was thoughtful, visually well-balanced, and frequently beautiful in composition (even with grittier settings). The rest of it was okay but had weaknesses and I won't watch again. I didn't feel like it was a waste of time though, so maybe give it a try if you're in the mood for something simple, short, indie, and overall sweet.

FYI: If you watch on YouTube the first episode is actually titled "Ep 0", NOT Ep 1! (At least that's how it is on the Jupiter Entertainment channel in the USA.)

What I loved: The cinematography.
What I liked: The sweet bit with the post-its and how comfortable the actors seemed in their intimate scenes.

The acting was decent but no one was compelling. The music was forgettable but not distracting either. I was glad with how it ended for everyone but I wasn't that emotionally invested.

The weaknesses:

There are six 13-22 min episodes and it's all over the place. The way the story jumps around (between couples and in time) is confusing and transitions are very abrupt. There's too much story for the time constraints. The plotlines and emotional arcs for the two main couples feel very rushed.

The hetero couple seemed so random and out of place; their brief and cryptic scenes didn't add anything of value. I couldn't figure out their purpose. The time on them would have been much better spent on the two main couples.

There is some awkwardness to the English subtitles that seem to be a translation issue so I'll give the script the benefit of the doubt on how natural the dialogue is. The content of what's said, though, is fairly simple and unmemorable (no really deep or moving conversations).

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Love OffGun But Losing Brain Cells.

You should be able to tell if this show is for you within two episodes. You may enjoy this if you love Off/Gun, want something light and easy to watch with some sweet/cute moments, and are in the mood for simple/silly humor.

At Ep 9/12: My previous review of Ep 1-5 holds. I decided to give it a try again for OffGun's sake and watched Ep 6-9. Apparently the YouTube version is cut (in the USA). I switched to the uncut version via Telegram after Ep 5, but it didn't change my lack of enjoyment with the show.

Previous review: At Ep 5/12. This may not be a popular sentiment, but from my perspective, this show is a slog through simplistic boredom. Apart from Off & Gun's characters, most everyone else acts like middle-schoolers (around 11-13 years old) instead of university students. The 'humor' is extremely basic and simple. There's no cleverness in this screenplay at all. Most characters are more like caricatures and what little plot there is, is so far predictable.

I was so impressed with the series Not Me and Gun and Off were so fantastic in their roles. They acted with nuance, depth, and authentic emotions. The production of Cooking Crush is a huge downgrade for what their talent is capable of.

I'm watching the scenes with Off & Gun together at normal speed because they manage to elevate the generic material to bring some interest and depth to their interactions. For everything else I'm watching at 2x the speed to keep myself from dropping this show entirely.

I really want to support OffGun, but the screenplay is so shallow/simple/boring/predictable, and the secondary characters so annoying and often over-acted, that I really can't bring myself to rate this higher currently. If OffGun weren't a part of this show, I would have no qualms about rating it a 4 and dropping it.

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Great fun through Ep 4, then treat Ep 5 as a fluffy epilogue & stop!

For Ep 1-5 it's an 8.5/10. Great fun through Ep 4, then treat Ep 5 as a fluffy epilogue and stop at 38min. After Ep 5 it slides quickly into very poorly written, clichéd, repetative, annoying, plot-predictable, and eye-rolling ridiculousness with unnecessary melodrama (with unbelievable and poorly choreographed fight scenes).

Ep 1-5: I was hooked within 20 mins. The premise was unique and the story was fun and interesting with relatable lead characters. There was great romantic tension and sweetness. Overall it was lighthearted and enjoyable. I eagerly looked forward to new episodes every week.

Ep 6-8 were a 3.5/10. I stopped looking forward to it and there was so much cringworthyness that I fast-forwarded more and more. I found the ending so cheesy that it wasn't satisfying.

After Ep 5 Kenji becomes the main antagonist. The actor playing Kenji is sooooo bad it makes any scene and plotline involving him lose steam and all seriousness. His over-active jaw movements make me cringe and laugh out loud at the same time. The part isn't written well to begin with, but the terrible, overly dramatic yet flat and shallow acting makes him the weakest link by a long shot and he dumbs everything down.

Some of the transitions between scenes are abrupt and the music is generic.

I can see myself rewatching Ep 1-5 at some point but I will never again force myself through Ep 6-8.

g_jun's review on MDL also sums everything up really well.

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Ep 1-5 are the strongest. Light & easy watch with great chemistry.

Ep 1-5 (and 9-10) were better than comments lead me to expect. The story is simple and not that memorable, but if you want an easy watch with sensual, realistic making-out, some sweetness, and decent acting, then you might enjoy this. Or at least parts of it.

Viewing recommendation: If you like jumping back to see the ML's point of view, watch Ep 9-10 after Ep 3; it integrates well with the story at that time. Then Eps 4-5 would have been a satisfying ending to me, so you could stop there. If you want to see the leads navigating their life choices at the end of college watch Ep 7-8. Skip Ep 6 altogether (I explain why in general terms below). Eps 6, 7, & 8 aren't very well written and aren't needed to have a satisfying conclusion.

The intimacy between the leads is both hot and sweet. The kisses contain emotions and are realistic. And there are a lot of them (in Ep 1-5, not so much after that). Very satisfying in that regard.

GENERAL SPOILERS below.

Notes for Ep 1-5:
The ML lead's revenge thing is short lived once he and the FL talk through their mutual misunderstandings from 4 years ago. They are uncertain of their footing but really sweet and do communicate (even if there are lags in communication it's not super drawn out or unresolved ).

I liked how the ML and FL never wavered in their affection, and really appreciated how the ML *didn't* get upset at the FL when he learned that the SML had forced a kiss on her. I was expecting all the usual unreasonable jealousy clichés, but the ML handled that whole scene/situation really well.

Kazuha (SML) and and Nina are horrible "friends" to Kaeda. Their one-sided feelings, for the FL and ML respectively, are obviously not reciprocated yet they do morally grey things because they can't accept that. They are the most annoying and trope-filled thing about this show.

Skip Ep 6 because almost the whole thing revolves around Nina being nasty in ridiculous ways. At the end she's given excuses and understanding and not only forgiven, but praised. I get the point they were trying to make, but she didn't deserve such consideration, and the writing was really ham-handed with it. It detracted from the story instead of adding value.

Ep 7-8 are full of telling vs showing and thus feel rushed, a bit empty, and not that satisfying (in my opinion). The writing is clunky and the time skips don't help.

I can see re-watching parts of Ep 1-5 (& 9-10) at some point, but I won't re-watch the rest.

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Bizarre.

Bizarre. A 12min long film that's not worth the time except for a realistic kissing scene at 5min 40sec in. Or unless you want to laugh at the cringness! It's a string of WTF moments.

It felt like scenes were shot to compliment the dramatic classical music chosen, instead of the other way around. Kind of like mini music videos with not much connecting them together. The pacing is weird; more time is spent on the music video vignettes than on conversations or realistic/meaningful interactions.

There's not much dialogue, but what is there is awkward and overly dramatic, starting with a sob story that felt like over-sharing in that context. There's an immediate power imbalance with a director and a newbie actor and after their first meeting, the film jumps to them acting like a couple for awhile, then jumps ahead again. There's nothing to get emotionally invested in because we're not shown any of the progression in their connection/relationship.

I found this on YouTube in the USA.

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Silly and more fun if not taken seriously. *Not a romantic story! The twist at the end was unexpected and somewhat humorous; it felt like a lot of build up for one big joke though. 29min. I was expecting a little more depth (with characters and emotions) in this longer short film since it's produced by Strongberry and they can do so much with 10 to 20 minutes. If you don't expect that, you may enjoy this more.

The comedic style didn't really work for me (didn't make me laugh) but it was consistantly applied throughout by the actors and director. There was a lot shown for the sex scene, but it’s also done in a comedic vein and I didn't find the way it was approached very enticing.

I wish the Hangul that shows up by each character at the end had been translated, maybe that would have made the ending more satisfying (even though the the general context can be guessed at based on how the friends act).

I won't rewatch.

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General Spoilers below. Bittersweet and open-ended but well done 11min short.
Very good acting and great nuances in the different tensions ebbing and flowing between the two leads. It was very believable that they had a history (though it's not explained in detail) and had complicated feelings.

I really want to go further into the story of these two. The ending is maybe, possibly, slightly hopeful- despite many years passing, they both seem to still be a bit stuck on each other. Just as the dish they made didn't "taste quite right" without the lemon, they are still missing each other in their lives.

I probably won't re-watch (unless they happened to film more of this story, then I would definitely keep watching).

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Lovely, With Heart-Warming Plot Twist.

The plot twist is easily missed because the translation of a word at the end is ambiguous in English! When the word "couple" is said during a phone call, think of it as "life partner" or "romantic partner". That will clarify the twist. This is based on Stongberry's (the production company) responses to viewer's comments here & on other platforms.

20min. Loved this, only wish there was more, but it ends at a good spot. The 2 leads actually interact like an established couple. It's realistic and so cute/sweet. The arrival of the brother leads to both humorous and emotional moments. The twist at the end made me rewatch the film immediately and I enjoyed it even more!

Yes, the brother is rude and annoying when he arrives, but there IS a reason for this that the shift in perspective at the end explains. (Details under "spoilers" below, but I highly recommend watching the movie first.)

A nice comment from Strongberry on Vimeo said, "Sometimes we argue, but I think trying to understand each other is a true family. This movie wanted to show that kind of family."

Watch the movie first, then, if you still want clarification on why the brother acts as he does, I've shortly explained it then pasted another viewer's comment below that summarizes the situation AND Strongberry's response confirming it:

.........

SPECIFIC SPOILERS

.........

At first, the brother is rude on purpose to test out his brother's partner. At the end, a month has passed and the way all three of them walk up the hill with arms around each other shows they have grown a strong comaraderie, which indicates the brother doesn't stay unlikable.

Comment by estar:
"This was so sweet - especially when u get to the end and u "get" that the mother and brother know all along, and are just checking up on the big-brother's partner to make sure he is an "ok" worthy person. Yeah at the start Yeong Min is a total abrasive brat, that u wanna punch - but "getting" that he's not being a d*ck just to be a d*ck, it was a sweet conclusion to a otherwise fun, well thought out plot."

Response by Strongberry:
"...You have a good grasp of the meaning of this movie. Thank you."

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Made me laugh. Only the idea is interesting.

Made me laugh... because it was terribly done. It's kind of an interesting idea for the premise, but you can probably imagine it better than this film shows it. 14 minutes long yet with some slow filler shots that don't add anything. Obviously low budget. Nothing good to say but it didn't mentally scar me, so it gets a 1.5.

SPOILERS:

........

The "sex" is very awkward bunny bumping, the classical music chosen doesn't fit at all, the stalker walks around so blatently creepy there's no way people *wouldn't* notice him, the "pervert" acts like another stalker actually who wants to be in a relationship and gets upset when the other guy doesn't want to, the non-consent & rape struggle goes on for a bit before it's interupted, and what exactly is keeping the cloth in the perverts mouth at the end- he could just spit it out, but doesn't because that would mess up the end tableau!

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Story has potential as a psychological thriller.

General spoilers at the bottom. If you want more specifics on the ending, I've added a few hidden spoiler comments to the posted review. Direct link: https://mydramalist.com/profile/Zii3/review/327061

A good stopping point for a happy and hopeful ending is at 55 minutes & 55 seconds in! Or watch until 58 min & 58 seconds AT THE LATEST, though an underlying tension that leads to the ending starts to become more apparent.

I'd say this is more an M/M story, or even a psychological thriller, than a BL. If you like BLs but are not familiar with darker Japanese dramas, you may have a very hard time enjoying this (any appreciation likely requires a bit of a masochistic mood).

I'd say only watch if you're in the mood for something weird and likely unsettling but intriguing and with some bits of sweetness. While there are sexual themes and lots of shirtlessness, there isn't much physical intimacy shown by the camera. Some things are implied, but even the kisses are head-blocked (so lips aren't seen). Which, honestly, I was thankful for as the two brother characters are under 18. Some situations were unsettling enough without actually watching through them.

The plot and it's multiple twists is interesting and clues/explanations are revealed at a slow but even pace. In that regard, I thought the film did a good job. It kept me mentally engaged.

It's not a great film but it will linger in my mind for awhile. Yet I don't feel mentally scarred by it, unlike I was by The Shortest Distance Is Round, for example. I almost wish a longer remake of this was made because the foundation of the story is strong and has a lot of potential for a gripping psychological thriller if things were fleshed-out and if the production had a higher budget so more could be done with cinematography, lighting, sound, and costumes.

GENERAL SPOILERS below.

I knew the ending was going to be disturbing because everyone says so. I even knew the basic plot point of why it ends tragically. Yet I was STILL shocked by the final minutes and the ending tableau, lol! Wow.

The ending is tragic and creepy and there are Machiavellian characters, though who exactly is the driving force and for what reasons are revealed slowly. The audience doesn't get all the puzzle pieces until the end.

The acting was better than I expected. I was rooting for the main couple and happy when they reconciled. I wasn't deeply emotionally invested though, which helped me watch through the end without being depressed about it. It did tug at my heartstrings a bit though.

I thought the screenplay and the director did a fairly good job with symbology and tying together visual repetitions. For example, Sho's favorite color is white. Ritsu held a white towel around Sho's head in the past to dry his hair. In a present scene, white cloth is held around Sho's head that Ritsu will turn into a shirt for him. Later, Ritsu holds up the shirt as he waits for Sho and we can imagine Sho's face there. The camera then shows that Sho's face is indeed surrounded by white, but someone else has subverted the sequence.

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Laughable Attempt At Both Realism Or Fantasy.

General Spoilers about the first 33min only.
Not much substance, the dialogue is corny, and the acting is wooden. The club setting is dark and grimy so I was, appropriately, expecting more gritty physical transactions rather than romance. Even so, I got to the first sex scene and... burst out laughing! That's just... so unrealistic it was awkward to watch; it's not how anal sex goes at all, especially for someone's first time receiving (stradle and down immediately with no prep and no lube).

And the cringey "love confession" in the middle that's based on nothing, especially since there is basically no foreplay, was weird (even for the lust-at-first-sight angle they were going for).

Also, no condom with the guy who says he's had sex with 2-3,000 guys? Yes, thousands. I shudder in horror at the thought.

The film already felt like it was probably a waste of time but that sex scene clinched it and I dropped it at 33 minutes. It didn't leave a mental scar though, so 1.5/10.

Perhaps the movie gets better because the average MDL rating is a 5.4, but the first 33min didn't make me interested to find out.

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2 parts. Review for One Night only.

2 parts! Night Bug and One Night. I watched One Night. *My rating is for that only. Watched on GagaOOLala (Dec 2023).
General Spoilers below.
The theme of expectations vs reality came up repeatedly throughout, in big and little things, though in a way that was intrinsically part of the storytelling (not hit over the head with it). It was a well done 35min film. It is not a happy ending but it's not tragic either, and it IS a realistic young adult gay experience. The feelings can be relatable for others too- the ease and naivete of young crushes, especially when sex is involved, and disappointments from realities.

The bond and playfulness between the three young friends is great and often humorous. I loved them. For two of them, their experiences from their visit to Seoul will leave an emotional wound but they will continue on with their lives. The acting felt natural, especially from the three boys, as did the intimate scene between Geun Ho and Joon.

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Toxic Adaptation Removes The Fun.

An unsettling adaptation from both the manga or the Japanese movie. The comedic elements that make the manga and movie work, get twisted oddly in this melodramatic re-imagining. The plot and characters (especially the secondary and tertiary characters) are all over the place and poorly written. I only got through these 10 episodes by watching at 2x the speed and fast-forwarding in addition to that.

General Spoilers below.
There is so much toxicity in this series. Everyone treats Anda like sh*t and emotionally manipulates him. He's always made to feel like he should say sorry when other people are the ones out of line. Parents are abusive (forcing him to do entertainment work when his stage fright is so bad that he can faint or get fevers) and his brother is massively controlling and secretly installs a gps tracker on his phone. Ryou does become supportive eventually but before then his actions are disturbing.

The way Ryou forcibly removes Anda's shirt to make him "prove" he isn't a girl is so wrong. And he NEVER apologizes, instead turns what happens in that scene into a way to coerce Anda into doing a photoshoot with him- knowing it's going to trigger his anxiety but wanting to make him "conquer" it, which is also the wrong way to go about that (and Ryou doesn't apologize for that either). Ryou non-consentualy kissing Anda repeatedly when he's sleeping is uncomfortable enough in the Japanese movie but at least they try to keep the tone light and only do quick pecks on the lips; though it's tasteless, it's kept as a joke. In the series, Ryou very seriously fully makes out with Anda's lips while he's dead asleep and it is flat out creepy.

The makeout scene in Ep 6 part 4 and love scene in Ep 7 part 3 are passionate (though the characters have drunk a lot for the first one). Sadly, that's the best thing to say about this series.

There's more that is uncomfortable/unsettling, silly, or frusterating with this series, but I don’t want to waste any more time on it so I'm ending my review here.

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Realistic And Quietly Touching.

Spoiler only at end of review. A beautiful, somber yet hopeful film. Thoughtful, touching, and deeply resonating. Addresses multiple thoughts and internal struggles in a realistic way. I really appreciated how the film explored the relationship between a gay man and a heteroflexible man. The story shows how insecurities from past experiences, societal expectations, and different gender identities can influence someone to hold themselves back from happiness out of fears that are often warrented in the real world.

I found on YouTube (in The USA Jan 2024). In the comments I learned that the word written on the cigarette box means "forbidden". This is really helpful to know because it has a symbolic tie-in with the characters.

The physical intimacy was a little stilted but part of that could have been the editing. It ultimately didn't detract from the film.

The thing that frustrated me was how many wide-angle shots there were. Even though it was beautiful cinematography, it was emotionally distancing. Watching scenes from half a room away meant that I often couldn't see the actor's faces clearly (and sometimes not at all). I think the film could have been even more emotionally powerful had I been able to tune into the character's emotions playing across their faces as they talked and looked at each other. This did impact my satisfaction and my rating.

Otherwise, the cinematography and lightning is gorgeous and had a beautiful lonely feel to it that underscored the long-standing psychological state of the characters. The composition of frames and the contrast of light/dark and colors was masterful, especially in the longer still shots. The instrumental music was understated and complimented all the scenes well.

Side note: I also like Yuan's review on MDL.

SPOILER ON THE ENDING:

While the technicalities of how the two will proceed when they work in different cities is left up in the air, the reunion and reconciliation is successful. The ending is mostly satisfying. The end shot felt like an add for Marlboro cigarettes though, which wasn't to my taste (and it wasn't like that in the manga). Update: However, after learning that the translation of the word on the cigarette box is "forbidden", the ending tableau makes a lot more sense.

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