Reviews

A sweet and intelligent little mini drama well worth watching

Ever since I first watched "She Makes My Heart Flutter" I've been a big "Soo not Sue" fan and this, their debut series to my knowledge, did not disappoint.
It's a short and sweet slice-of-life romance but it's also so much more than that. It's a show made by queer people for queer people and as such tackles topics that normally wouldn't be addressed in shows like this, or at least not in this way.
Out of Breath is heavily themed around the difficulties of not just coming out to a close circle of friends and loved ones, but to then actually live openly, deliberately and publicly out of the closet.
And it does this from a perspective I've personally never gotten to see before. It explores the struggles of someone who, while generally always having been open to the idea of being out publicly, was in a very secretive relationship for years and now has to navigate a new romance with someone who blatantly refuses to hide their orientation or their relationships.
It's a story about unlearning shame and fear which is often a slow and agonising process which is all too familiar to many a queer person.
So if you're in the market for something light and easy to watch which nonetheless tells an authentic queer story with real sensitivity and intelligence, then this show is for you.

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Better Than Part One In Some Ways

In a lot of ways, this sequel is stronger than part 1, but there are also things that you can look past in part 1 that you cannot in this sequel. The highlight of the series for me was getting the insight into how Kiyoi feels about Hira by seeing things from his POV. I enjoyed seeing them in a relationship (something that we did not get to see in part 1).

Overall, I felt like progress was made in their relationship - transitioning slowly from the servant/master dynamic to a more rounded relationship with outwardly reciprocation of care and affection. The frustrations come from seeing how deeply rooted Hira is in his low value of himself and how that has caused him to become a ‘toxic observer’. He’s so content with just observing and serving that he doesn’t realise that by idolising Kiyoi and essentially not letting him past the barriers he’s put up for himself; that he’s hurting Kiyoi who is looking for something deeper and wants to be treated as a human and as his partner. What Hira is doing is a form of withholding and it can be just as hurtful and toxic as emotional abuse. I understand why he’s like this. It’s a form of self defence that he has developed throughout his life to protect himself but it’s no less frustrating to watch and no doubt painful and damaging to others because of how acutely unaware of it he is.

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Greedy egoists bite other´s throats

The Film portrays assaultive. egocentric, quite narcistic men, and selfobssesed women ... but men treating women as their posessions, aside of the elder arrogant "bitches", Yoon Hyang Sook, Madam Jo and her "stupid" demanding daugther. There is way too much boozing shown and an antediluvian image of and objectifyed women, when it´s coming to the younger women. Mistreating and beaten up employees be their chefs. An abusive father. And generally men who don´t have their emotions in too many situations under control ... and a picture of the 2011 fallen NAZI Galliano in Yeong Gul´s office ...

The use of other people to get the to the goals one want to achieve is unfortunately common ... but this K Drama is toping such misbehavior. Even the bad treated Lee Ga Young who seems innocent, no naive.

Jung Jae Hyuk the chaebol´s son as love blinded, and out of contol character is sometimes portraied quite loveable, especially when getting overdemanding, abusive and playing the tough guy ... in the end as toxic, as his father, and Yeong Gul.

Yeong Gul end in New York is disturbing in 1st sight, but he said min 2 times in the show that he never will end like his father.

But that Lee Ga Young did not hear the bang ... literally or in the meaning of ... while talking a last time with her hate love is significanr for her charakter. She went to Jung Jae Hyuk to stay with him ... does she love him, as Jung Jae Hyuk suggested near the end of the show? The phone call evtl. was prior to the shoting of Yeong Gul who wasn´t bleeding out his head despite the bullet hit him there ...

The show is by far not a picture of the fashion industry ... but the abuse of models is quite common. And its with male and female models. Some are used as horizontal hosts and hostesses ... while others are used as nude display puppets ... or are raped men (like Bratt Pall and others, as from Abercrombie & Fitch, and others) and women, which can be destroyed by their abusers. And its not only by the fashion designers or photographers and their team.

For the fashion designers in this show ... Michael J and Director Kim ... playing obvious gay charakters. Stereotyped? Given to a scene in the elevator with Yeong Gul and Jung Jae Hyuk, hands at their throats; stop it or they think we are dating ... is so typical then more than today the conservative homophobic society of Korea. But that is changing to openess actually, despite an antifeminist and anti equality president.

... rewatch value? NO, not really.
... why did I watch till the bloody end? I just wanted to see the end ... as K Dramas are somehow addictive.

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This BL Does Well For What It Is - It’s Become An All Time Fave

What starts off as purely a servant/master dynamic, slowly develops into a genuine deep care for each other. When Hira looks into Kiyoi’s eyes you get a sense of why he’s able to fall so deep. The actor who plays Kiyoi has the most expressive eyes that swallow you up. And like the ying to his yang, Hira’s eyes are so piercing you feel like he really sees you when he looks at you. Its the feeling of having all his focus, love and admiration. That’s a powerful feeling. So much is conveyed in a single look so you can also understand why Kiyoi becomes attracted to Hira and falls for his piercing gaze, because Hira is someone who really sees him and is someone who appreciates him for the first time in his life without wanting anything back. You really buy into these two characters from different worlds. That they are able to fall in love with each other. It’s believable that they each get from one another, something that was missing before. It’s not perfect but I think it does a good job of balancing flawed characters who have toxic coping mechanisms and it does so with sincerity and honest emotions. Having good chemistry goes a long way to making these characters feel real and grounded. Their chemistry is one of the best I’ve seen in bl land. They have the perfect amount of tension that keeps you hooked until they finally get together. They’re two people who shouldn’t work on paper but they manage to carve out a space where they both fit together for each other.

In reality, I’d rate this an 8.6 but MDL doesn’t give that option.

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Beautiful Bittersweet

This one was such a beautifully heartbreaking story. The only criticism I would level at it is that with the ending reunion scene you don’t leave feeling as hopeful as you should. You can’t get away from the feeling that they lost something that they can never get back - the feeling of what might have been. The regret slightly overshadows everything and you leave feeling more bitter than sweet. It’s for this reason I cannot give it a 10/10. It’s a blemish on an otherwise magnificent bl. Like ITSAY, this series can stand up against any mainstream production. It’s another cinematic masterpiece. The young actors are able to convey so much - the angst, the fear, not knowing what you feel, not wanting to accept what you feel, the burden and expectations, the flawed thinking of youth, the unfairness of the world, and the loss of something precious that can never be re-attained. If I could sum this series up into one phrase, it would be ‘an exhaled sigh’.

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The Power of a Lingering Look.

The chemistry of the two actors/characters is palpable. It elevates the story to a height where it conveys everything that needs to be conveyed. It reinforces the script, the plot, the visuals, the framing; everything. It is the foundation and the highlight of the series. It goes to show how effective having great chemistry and deeply emotive acting can be for a series and it’s all achieved through these intense lingering looks. They say, ‘the eyes never lie’ and they speak so much truth between these characters, even when they try to deny the truth themselves. That’s how powerful the lingering looks are. This series does not get enough credit. I still think this is THE most tension filled chemistry of ANY k-bl that has ever existed. It’s so palpable, I could feel it through the screen which is quite impressive for a bl that had very few overt intimate skinship and a kiss scene only at the end. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife it was so thick.

It also has a very solid production. The visuals were crisp and polished and the acting, very strong. Especially the actor who plays the bodyguard.

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The Gold Standard of BLs

I cannot praise this bl enough. It’s an almost perfect bl. Realistically I would give it a 9.8 out of ten but MDL does not allow for that option. Everything is done to a high standard - the cinematography, the plot, the emotive acting, the soundtrack, the set design - everything.
It beautifully captures the feelings of first love, with the bittersweet heartbreak and raw emotional awakening that comes with it. I completely bought into this teenage romance. It resonated with the universal feelings of angst, uncertainty and overwhelming emotions we experience as teenagers. I would even put this series up against mainstream productions. It’s that good. It really is a cinematic masterpiece. This should be on every bl watcher’s list.

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My Thoughts on End Of the World With You:

Neither of the main characters are likeable. Ritsu is the worst but Matsumi is not much better. They are unlikeable in different ways. Ritsu is an awful person. He is the f*ck-boyest of all f*ck boys. Usually you either like a character, like to hate them or they are at least relatable. Neither of the characters are any of these things. They are just awful - to the point where you don’t care what happens to them. I’m not invested in anything they do, any hurt they feel or any hurt they do to others. This wouldn’t be a problem if the show didn’t keep trying to make you root for them. Nothing had the emotional impact needed. The only character I was rooting for was the meteor. And the fact that ‘that’ didn’t happen only makes this show that much worse.

It’s got a lot of very well executed nc scenes (probably some of the best in bl land), so you can watch it just for that and no hate to people who like it just for those. No hate either for the people who enjoyed the series. We all like different things. Each to their own and all that. I do think it does deserve an automatic 5 or 6 rating just for the production value, the plot (which is easy enough to follow) and the script (which is decent and the dialogue flows). It’s just everything else that it falls short on. They made the characters so unlikeable which affected the character development and drained all the heart and connection out of the story. Watching it feels really hollow as all I could think was, “I do not care for these people, I cannot warm to them even knowing they’re about to die. Why are you asking me to root for their survival??”

Matsumi had potential moments where I thought his character might become more likeable but as I said, he’s just awful (albeit in a different way to Ritsu). For example, there’s a scene where I guess the writers try to endear his character to the audience by making him ‘attempt’ to comfort a young boy. It was 6 parts tone deaf given the current situation and 4 parts hypocritical given how he’s been living his life. I kept thinking, “you’re in no position to be giving advice buddy, and have you looked outside lately?” As I said, it’s just hard to root for his character. There’s nothing that endears you to him.

That said, I think the worse thing about this series is that after watching everything on screen, the only take-away is that they will remain these awful people. I firmly believe that if the world was not ending or if the world didn’t end in the end they would revert to their same awful selves. I know writers can choose at the swoop of a pen, to make characters ‘live happily ever after’ but nothing onscreen suggests that these people have become better people and will stay together. I’m sure Ritsu would keep hurting Matsumi if the world doesn’t end. Case in point: Ritsu had remained the same person over the past decade and if you are inclined to believe he’s had some sort of awakening now due to the meteorite; it doesn’t explain why after meeting Matsumi again, he still manipulates him and still feels entitled to Matsumi’s time and presence. Brazen is the word that comes to mind. He is yet again using Matsumi exactly like he did ten years ago, which is to seduce Matsumi and use him for his own benefit. I sincerely believe that Ritsu likes Matsumi because Matsumi loves him. Even narcissists need love, even if they just feed off it. I’m never fully convinced that Ritsu grasps the depth of the damage he has done to Matsumi. He seems to centre himself and his feelings in every interaction with Matsumi, both in the past and even now. How can you truly be sorry if you’ve never taken the time to really self reflect on your actions, the damage you’ve caused and how the person you hurt might be feeling? It’s clear he hadn’t done so when you have scenes where a mutual friend had to point out to him that Matsumi might not want to see him. Scenes like in the library where he expected Matsumi to be ‘over it by now’. Sometimes understanding you’ve hurt someone is understanding that you shouldn’t ever show up in front of them again. Let alone force them to talk to you (even if it is the end of the world). The writers try to explain Ritsu’s shitty behaviour by adding that he’s su*cidal but even this feels self serving and like a throwaway explanation of why he is the way he is. There is no depth to this added plot point and just further establishes his selfishness (in contrast to the other character who followed through on her su*cidal ideation). His character being this way is not the issue. Not all characters are going to be decent people. I’m giving these examples to illustrate how little his character has actually changed from the start of the movie to the end. The issue is with the writers insulting the intelligence of the viewers and trying to gaslight them into accepting that Ritsu has had some sort of character development when that just doesn’t play out that way on screen.

I think the writers had a vision for these characters and their path to redemption and all that, unfortunately, they should have written better redemptive qualities into the characters for that to come across (It doesn’t). Instead they just remain awful characters that we’re supposed to pretend are the opposite and that’s what makes this series so awful.

Upon second viewing, there was something I could appreciate that I could not appreciate the first time around: the secondary characters make for a better story. Any emotional depth came from the relationship between the trans character and the young boy. The young boy was annoying at times but their characters are more aligned to what the story is telling you they are and are infinitely more interesting than the main characters. Their budding romance is endearing. I would gladly watch a series with the trans girl as the main character or watch a series that explores the ‘super’ abilities of the young boy. I thought that was really intriguing.
Also, in this second viewing I found everything more farcical. I could not take most of it seriously. Additionally, I didn’t notice it before but the main leads’ kisses are very awkward and fish-like. Matsumi always seems to be gulping for air like a fish out of water whenever he opens his mouth. Suffice to say, it held up even worse on second viewing.

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Melodramatic romance with music, occasional clichés.

"Do You Like Brahms?" might not suit everyone's taste due to its gentle and unhurried pace. While I found it enjoyable, there were moments where the plot felt a bit slow, especially with some clichéd love triangles. However, if you're a fan of melodramas, the show has a comforting and immersive narrative.

As a musical melodrama, it goes beyond just music, delving into the complexities of relationships. The OSTs play a crucial role, creating a beautifully charged atmosphere that enhances the overall viewing experience.

While the middle part of the drama may seem a bit slow with common love triangle tropes, the story picks up as the main couples' relationships evolve.

Despite a familiar storyline seen in many K-dramas, the show is skillfully executed, offering a healing narrative with challenges and resolutions. The romance between the lead couples is a highlight, featuring beautiful and sincere moments that leave a lasting impression.

In a nutshell, "Do You Like Brahms?" delivers a heartfelt story with some charming characters, even if there are occasional annoyances.

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Nine years trying to finish it

It has been nine years since I started to watch this drama and its time I'm not able to finish it, I dont know either cry or laugh.

First of all, gotta say my reviews are based on my own criteria and how many time took me to finish it's one of them and this one had took me so long.
Since the beginning, when I read the sinopsis I was a little bit reluctant about it even if Song HyeKyo, Kim Bum and Jo Insung was there (I was so in love with them in that time, even know a little bit) but the plot for me was so toxic. I don’t know how, if i was in fl's shoes, could fell in love with a man who has been lying to me all the time, know things like that could happened in real life maybe it would be like a syndrome, but since people try to feel identify with the characters and I can't feel conexion with none all of the characters here, I haven't been able to finish it, even if I try, because I don't like to let unfinished dramas (I have a lot anyways) but well, that's my opinion and this is all. Thanks for reading.

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