Cherry Blossoms After Winter (2022)

Cute and wholesome

Wholesome. That's the word. I binge watched this and enjoyed it. Here are my pros and cons:

PROS

UNCOMPLICATED. After being disappointed with so many (mostly Thai) BL series this year -- with wacky and incomprehensible storylines -- this South Korean BL was refreshing in its simplicity. I like you, you like me, let's get together. Nice.

NICE FRIENDS. I enjoyed that the friends were supportive of their relationship, and there wasn't a big deal made of "ooooohh, you're gaaayy" [except for the villain, but he was disposed of quickly].

NO "I'M ACTUALLY STRAIGHT, I'M JUST GAY FOR YOU." Thank you for that. Thai BLs, please take notice. There was no past girlfriend that was trying to hold on to her man. And Taesung made it clear that he had no interest in girls and never did.

SHORT EPISODES. No wasted time. If anything, they could have shortened the series by one or two episodes.

CONS

SECOND HALF LESS GOOD. I really loved the series up until university. It wasn't bad afterward, just a bit less interesting.

NOT ENOUGH BACKGROUND DETAILS. They tried to give us the backstory, I guess. Would have liked to know more about Haebom's parents, how Taesung managed to go for THAT many years ignoring Haebom... I wouldn't have minded knowing more about the bully as well.

Overall, it was enjoyable and I liked the chemistry between the main couple.

8.0 from me.

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its… okay?

i honestly started watching this due to the high amount of people saying it was “cute” and “fluffy” but honestly the only thing i liked about this drama was the main leads.

what confused me at first was the bullies. they start bullying haebom but then all of a sudden they disappear? i get that after the time skip they go because they’re out of highschool but even before the timeskip they just don’t appear anymore.

the acting was pretty good to be honest. the main leads were cute and they portrayed their not so good characters well.

also taesung literally forcing haebom against the wall and nearly choking him was so unnecessary, i get that taesung is in denial of haebom not liking him but it was so weird and made me so uncomfortable. he apologised but that still didnt make me think over the whole situation.

it was obviously low quality and their budget was small but honestly the storyline needs some work.

i wouldnt recommend watching it :)

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Improves with each episode.

Cherry Blossoms After Winter is not anything groundbreaking, it’s something we have seen in one form or the other countless times, but it is cute. Light and fun watch with some questionable directing in the first half.

Here’s the thing, the second half was truly nice. The plot seemed to have the right pace, the scenes did not seem random, the dynamic between the leads was more clear and easy to understand. That said, the first (about) four episodes were just confusing directing wise. The plot was easy to follow, but how the specific scenes did not flow well was at times funny. Characters be talking about going grocery shopping, so I get excited to see some cute shopping scenes, just to get none of that. It felt like quite a number of times they were setting up a specific sequence of scenes, just to give up halfway through, and cut to something completely different.

The characters were fun. Hae Bom had a nice and realistic character development - it was presented in a gradual way. Realistically speaking, Tae Sung was there just to like Hae Bom. Hae Bom was the main character who had to face different external and internal conflicts. Not mad about it. With a short show like that, it’s better to focus more on just one character.

Acting wise, I am okay with what I got. The shock I felt when I found out the ages of the actors was something new. Being in your mid 20’ and 30 and still being a convincing teenage boy? That’s an achievement.

Production, as I said, improved in the second half. The show was better structured. Instead of trying to fit many random scenes in one episode, we get less, but better paced and developed moments and present the dynamics and relationship better.

Overall, I almost dropped it half way through. It just truly jumped around a lot and it felt like random cute scenes put together to create a typical BL show. It’s still a typical BL story, don’t get me wrong, but the quality improved a lot in the second half, and I was actually excited for the new episodes by the end.

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I loved it and now i'm so disappointed :(

I loved this show so much. I know the production wasn't super great but I loved the character chemistry and the softness.
As always I think the "growing up like siblings and falling in love" thing is not something I particularly like, but still.

**SPOILER EP 5**
...But then again with the (almost?) assault story-line? WHY? So unnecessary! Also: so many straight dramas have (at least) questionable consent concepts and then always the BL dramas where it's portrait ..and probably also forgiven later? It just makes me sad...I'm still thinking of erasing that scene out of my my but I don't think I can continue watching it.

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Back to Basics. Simple and sweet with a little cheese.

It's really simple and straightforward, without any unrealistically convoluted story lines of revenge or dangerous people lurking around doing weird things. Also, there are no toxic story lines of backstabbing or blackmail or devious characters and there are no non-con elements either.

It's very, very normal really. Not much drama of any kind and the characters are ordinary, everyday sorts of people with normal feelings, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you like something with more action or drama, this will not satisfy you. The two ML's have over all good communication, there wasn't too much delay or hemming and hawing about their feelings and there were some valid reasons for their hesitations, like emotional, social and family considerations.
Aside from that it's very soft and fluffy and sweet, also very bright (I had to dim my screen in some scenes because of the lighting) and there are many softness effects.

I don't mind this kind of show at all, and I might have given it a 10, but I don't like the 'simp' vibe they gave Tae Sung, it annoyed me. I don't enjoy the 'give up one's whole life' for a lover/partner idea. It's too desperate for my tastes.
That's my only complaint.

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A very aesthetic fairy tale that also has some depth

At first, the story is so stereotypical that you would expect to read it in an encyclopedia entry on BL as an example story: sweet little weakling is heavily bullied in school until the savior comes along. And of course, they are stepbrothers. All the good stuff :)

But upon closer inspection, some things aren't as stereotypical as you would think - or judging from quite a few very bad reviews here - not as stereotypical as some would want it to be. This is not for you if ...
... you like a simple story stretched out over 12 episodes of 45 minutes each, spelling everything out for you
... you need a clear seme/uke relationship with no deviations
... you are looking for somewhat realistic cinematography or a very realistic story (but please, which BL ever has that?)

To elaborate on the above statements:
- The episodes are 25 minutes each and every episode is a new chapter in their life. So it is somewhat fast-moving and spans over a year or maybe even more. But to me, it was very nicely paced and it is easy to fill in the gaps that you didn't see.
- In the beginning, the smaller boy is indeed the weakling and the tall guy is the strong protector but over time it becomes apparent that the smaller guy is actually the stronger and more confident one. This culminates in the nice twist in the finale. I don't want to spoil, so let me just say: as this is Korean, it is especially nice how being gay is such a non-issue.
- The cinematography and set design and makeup and styling and everything visual in this is just from another world. Everything is in soft pastels, with extremely nice sun-lit views, sun flares and lovely interior design and architecture. And of course he has a part-time job in a flower shop that's straight out of an AI's mind with the perfection level and the pink level set to maximum. So in that regard, it is all very fake. At one point there is an outside scene on the street in an actual neighborhood and it felt a bit out of place to me, as it was - surprise - realistic looking. Some might hate this style, I love it. It is a fluffy fairy tale - enjoy it! The story and how the step-brothers act towards each other and with their mother is also a bit unrealistic at times, but even that for me adds to the positive fairy-tale experience.

Smaller details:
- The two friends are such nice characters, as I said before, especially as this is Korean.
- The smaller actor is so unbelievably good at conveying emotion with his eyes and face: the looks of fear and love and happiness from the tiniest of facial changes are so convincing - at least for me (I have read contrary views on here).

What a blossoming cherry tree is to nature, this piece of art is to BL.

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Not the best adaptation, but a wonderful drama!

I was a huge fan of the webtoon so when I saw it was getting an adaptation I was over the moon. With that in mind, I obviously had a lot of expectations and couldn't stop comparing it to the source material which doesn't do this justice. There were a lot of differences and I realized if I didn't just think of it as a separate entity then I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. With all that said, that's why I found it way more enjoyable on my second watch, because I just watched it as a cute drama and not an adaptation.
The actor playing Haebom is SO adorable, it's honestly devastating.
They're a bit (extremely) stiff and awkward at first, but in the second half of the drama they get over that and loosen up a lot. I suppose they were supposed to be uncomfortable together, so it makes sense, but with the way it was done it just seemed like the actors themselves were rigid.
I love the dynamic switch up after they officially begin dating though, because Taesung becomes such a brat in the most unexpected and cute way, and I think it was done very well! Plus Haebom gets more confident in their interactions, so we get to see a lot of sweet moments. There were a couple questionable things on Taesung's part, but he addressed that he was in the wrong so I guess that's good?
The music is alright, nothing too memorable. Production wise, there are a couple shots that don't look great, but nothing too egregious.
I can't really seem to give a full on proper review of this since I'm mostly just gushing, but it's just that sweet! When you're in the mood for a lighthearted, adorable, easy watch that's guaranteed to have lots of wholesome moments, this is perfect for that.

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Soft, sweet

I am a huge fan of Bls (obviously) and KBLs never fail to impress me. CBAW was definitely in 'I love it' category.

Story : Taesung and Haebom have known each other since they were children. For Taesung, Haebom is his everything, even though he is in a lot of denial. But while he does fall first, Haebom does fall harder. TS allows HB to grow, to become stronger, to become his own person, all the while taking care of him and loving him unconditionally. Which is exactly what HB needed. He is not weak, just a bit soft because he has always felt indebted to TS's family. However in no way does that step back when he realises that he could lose TS. He comes beautifully into his own when he takes a stand for their love. And that is something I just loved in this story. It was never about not liking TS, it was just about disappointing TS's mom. And the lack of toxicity in this drama between the two leads just floored me.

Cast : I can't say enough about the cast. Both Jin-Uk and Kang Hui are superb. Their chemistry is off the charts. I love the characters of Ji-a and Yong-hee. Friendships should be like that, completely supportive. For a moment, in the initial episodes, I got the feeling that Yong-hee likes TS, but it was just jealousy over a friend a guess. I loved the fact that Jin-Uk and Kang Hui are really cute and pleasant in real life as well.

Chemistry : The chemistry of the lead pair is off the charts. And that is an understatement. HB is the softness to TS's rough edges. They just fit so well. The kisses are not ridiculous or unwanted and desire is an always burning lamp between them, which is something rare in a KBL. HB is always blushing when it comes to TS, and TS is always possessive of his love. The dream sequence is the sweetest. I wish they had done a longer love making session, but whatever was presented was adorable.

Music : The music is not very memorable, but it didn't detract from the story or the plot, so I guess it was okay in its own way.

Things I would want to change : Some story strings were not tied up to my liking. For ex, HB's bully suddenly disappeared, the girl who like TS in college disappeared, YH and Ji-a's story.. I felt that quite a few things were left hanging.

But all in all... I loved this drama and will recommend it all and sundry!

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A feel good series with no angst and drama

For no reason that I can think of I have been ignoring this series but finally I decided to give it a watch and I am glad that I did. This series is kind of different from many other BL series that I have watched. So what makes this one different

Story: In simple terms it's about two boys that live under the same roof, stay aloof from one another but certain circumstances brings them together and love blossoms. Since it is an 8 episode series things move at a faster pace. Limitedtime is being spent to show the backstories of the 2 main characters and in more ways than one their personalities are relatable. The story could have been fleshed out but due to lack of time they decided to cut to the chase and just show the bare minimum. Like there being a bully in school tormenting one of the leads and you feel you have your antagonist but then he is no where to be found after a couple of episodes

No 3rd Act break-up: Every love story usually goes through the 3rd act break-up. Misunderstanding, family or society pressure, conflict between the leads and many other reasons are shown almost close to the ending for the 2 leads to break-up and then they get together in the final episode. There is no problem in showing that, its just that with limited episodes it always seems rushed. In this series we feel that we are nearing the third act break-up thanks to the mom but then no such thing occurs. The 2 leads always remain together. It was new and refreshing and I was happy about that but also it made me feel that the idea was to not show any drama. So I was glad but not content with this

In conclusion, the 2 actors did a fabulous job and showed great chemistry together. The story could have been managed well with certain parts fleshed out like the bully and the flower shop owner. But if you are looking for a no non-sense, less drama show that do give this one a chance. You will come out feeling good

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want cute actors and sweet story - perfect series

I just love this series from episode first episode to last. One of the best series in my list.

The story is perfect.Its short and sweet. It is also the perfect series for beginners. You will understand the meaning of shoes and sweet by watching this series. It's not much emotional but a bit emotional. But there is 10000% sweetness.

The actors are the best. Bottom is cute , innocent, sweet💫💗. Top is hot, aggressive and protective🍀🌼. As every series their acting is also damn good.

10000001% worth to watch it . Trust me you will not waste your time .

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