Tinted With You (2021)

A Classy Little Historical BL

I honestly thought Park Jun Hee (Jun of A.C.E.) did a great job with this show. He’s a very fun likable screen presence which you need to hold down a fish out of water portal fantasy. I thought the subs on a Viki were a little difficult to follow (which might have had to do with the flashbacks and tenses of sentences). There is the usual suspension of disbelief required to cope with a time travel fantasy, mainly in the form of anachronisms around materials, props, set dressing, and communication abound. Also, I found the appeal of the prince character difficult to comprehend, we were told regularly how wonderful he was and that everyone adores him but we were never shown this on screen. But these are two minor quibbles in what ended up being a fun, pretty, and stylish BL. Am I more forgiving because I LOVE historical romances? Probubly.

It’s nice to see boys in pastel flowing robes actually kiss and get a happy ending for a change. And not just one but two whole kisses! In a historical Kdrama, let alone a KBL. I am all amazement. Plus one of them was the classic through the hat shot. Korea owns this visual, see Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding for the very first BL iteration of a gat kiss on screen.

(That hat is a 갓 AKA a gat, henceforth this shall be known as a gat kiss. I appoint myself its chronicler. )

HOW MUCH DO I WANT A COMEDIC ITERATION WHERE BOTH MEN ARE IN GATS TRYING TO KISS? The great clashing of the gats!

I am well aware that I am ridiculous. But also there are more historicals coming in 2022. That means... more gats!

Anygat, in conclusion, Tinted With You is a fun watch, you should watch it... through your gat, if so inclined.

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I’ve never written a review before, but since I’ve been waiting for this drama since the late summer of 2021 when Byeongkwan teased it so why not!

TO NOTE
-the budget is very low. Low budget =barely any sponsorships, not enough money for longer episodes, not enough for location changes. Many people came into this drama upset that it wasn’t long enough, which is pretty understandable but it is also understandable as to why it’s not. There simply isn’t enough funding for the drama to be longer than what it is, which sucks :(. Thai bls are known for their product placement, which is the major reason why the dramas are so high quality. Thai bls also usually release a teaser a year before the drama releases to attract potential sponsors. Hopefully more potential sponsors see how in demand KBLs actually are! Korean BLs can be really profitable so hopefully in the future we can see hour long episodes!

-I’ve also seen people compare this drama to LOM, which was a really good drama. This drama was in production around the same time as LOM, it wasn’t made after. It was in production before A.C.E’s (Junhee’s group) Higher comeback. I would understand the criticism of the length of each episode if this drama was made after LOM, but considering the time of production it was common for KBLS to be around that length. I just wish instead of releasing this as an 8 episode drama, it would have been much better for it to be a movie instead. All episodes combined is movie length, and would have made everything go more smoothly and probably more in depth. I understand why they made it into eight episodes as it’s more profitable, BUT I won’t be surprised if they release a movie version like with other bls.

ANYWAY MY REVIEW!

*Knowing this was low budget, I took it into consideration with the factors, “was this good enough with what they had to work with”*

This drama wasn’t anything EXTRAORDINARY, but it wasn’t anything bad either. It was simple and good. Compared to the dark and complex stuff that I usually watch this was a breath of fresh air to just watch something light and cute. In a way it was like taking a break from all that darkness. The gist of all this is
IF YOU WANT FLUFF HERE IT IS^ ^

The acting was pretty good as well, however it was pretty obvious that the actors who played the crown prince and bodyguard were new to this by episode 2. However I did notice their acting get much better as we went on with each episodes. Junhee’s acting stood out the most (he is the most experienced) he understands well that small movements and expressions COUNT as well as big. Many actors forget that when acting it’s not all about big emotive expressions to get you by. You are playing a human, not everything goes by the same 5 emotive expressions to show you are feeling something. When you aren’t the focus of the scene you are still in character. As someone who loves film and wishes to study it that was something I took notice on!

The story…. No it wasn’t awful or bad, but I wish the writers did more. At some moments I felt bad for the actors because they had just had to work with it. And boy did they work it. There were some scenes that I thought were a missed opportunity, like they could have done more with the scene were Eunho slaps that dudes butt, or when they are all sleeping in the same room could have been way funnier. For all I know maybe they did, and just cut it out but maybe they didn’t. If the show could have been longer I would have loved to hear more about the prince and bodyguard’s life. Hell, even Eunho’a friend somehow.

The romance! What I loved about the show is that the romance didn’t happen abruptly. It all felt so natural. By maybe episode 2-3 you could tell that Eunho was starting to like the crown prince from the glances he would take. They both felt drawn to one another and it felt right. An observation I made is that there wasn’t any moment of Eunho or the crown prince questioning their sexuality, which leads me to believe that Eunho was already out or just fully accepting of himself which is sweet to see :)

Production… I quickly understood how low budgeted
the drama was after hearing the outside noise ;-; there is a lot of outside noise… take that as you will

Overall the drama is pretty good! If you want something fluffy to watch and you got time to spare definitely give it a watch!

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Sweet

Not much of a story but it makes up with the actors chemistry and the beautiful scenery that was used as the backdrop to the drama. The plot is mostly a time travel be a hero to the prince kind of drama other than that it was ok. But it does leave you with a warm feeling after you're done watching. The OST is gorgeous too. The acting is good an the ending is awwwwwww. Think because of that this was the drama I needed.

Would I rewatch? 50-50. I think only if I need a pick me up. I think this drama esp the ending leaves you with a satisfied feeling. It's sugary sweet & def a solution when someone is feeling stressed. Overall I give it a 7.5.

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Tint Me More!

This was really cute. So I won't lie, I mainly watched this because I'm an ACE fan. Having Jun in this is kinda a big deal! An active idol in a BL!? I thought them writing a song for "Light On Me" was huge! This took it to another level though and I'm super happy about it. Though I of course wish it was longer.

We've got older style costuming, art students, an angsty bodyguard. So many goodies! I thought Eun Ho and Lee Heon were cute. Of course this isn't anything crazy, very K-Drama esque romance. But it felt non-glamorized for what it was. As in they didn't use the BL genre just to gain profit or views. I could believe that something like this would happen. Maybe I'm just a romantic but it was enjoyable fluff!

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The set, the scenes, the dialogues - it all felt empty and painfully staged. The story itself was rather simple, but fun to follow. Fish out of water scenario makes it easy to create some comedic elements, and Jun more than delivers in the role of Eun Ho with his facial expressions and natural line delivery, making the show worth the watch.

Seeing how the drama has a fantasy element and the whole background of it to explain, they truly wasted a lot of time on Lee Heon and his storyline. Who is there to kill him and why - truly unnecessary. Him being the abandoned Crown Prince that needs to hide to save his life is enough information.

Then, there is also the issue of Eun Ho just gives up on trying to find out why he traveled to a painting and finding a way out. Good few episodes he has been just chillin with the prince and his glam bodyguard, without making any effort to figure out what was going on. A few too many times I said to myself “What is going on?” for me to conclude the story was well paced and presented.

Not gonna lie, I did finish the show purely for Jun and his portrayal of Eun Ho. He was great with his funny, but realistic reactions and it was worth spending these 12 minutes a week on the rest of this rather mediocre project. Yoo Hyun Woo was fine during the soft and calm scenes, sadly, his delivery in more emotional ones failed to evoke any emotions in me. Kim Tae Jung was just there. With the way Go Geum was written, I don’t think he had that much work to do.

Overall, I believe this show would flow better as a movie. Watching it two episodes per week was a mistake. I am also not quite happy with the explanation of why it all happened - I feel like all we’ve got was “coz why not?”. Go for it, if you can binge watch all the episodes like a movie. You won’t be amazed, but it will give you a few entertaining bits here and there.

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One word: simple

Idol Romance finally did it. They finally made a drama that I could genuinely bear to watch in its entirety. (I liked the first half of Wish You, but with Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding + Tasty Florida, I could barely finish it.) It’s such a relief that I even finished this show!

There is honestly not much of a story. In episode 1 you find out he’s trapped in a painting, and from then on not a lot happens. Only around episode 6 does the actual plot come back. Nevertheless, I did appreciate the cute moments between the two main characters.

However, I admit the only actor I thought was enjoyable was Jun (Eun-ho). He was also the primary reason I watched the show, so I’m glad that he was good. Sadly I wasn’t fond of Heon or Geum’s acting. I don’t know if it was the fact that they were speaking old/formal Korean, but they seemed pretty stiff and sometimes awkward. Thankfully, Jun efficiently relieved the tension because his character was just so funny! He was by far my favorite part of the show.

Music-wise, it was very so-so, as well as the editing and filming. But I wasn’t very bothered by that. I always consider that these production companies don’t have the biggest budget, but sometimes the music or scenes just felt so out of place that it made me laugh. So at least I didn’t dislike it.

Overall, I’m just ecstatic that I didn’t hate this. It was a cute show, but it wasn’t so good that I’ll also watch the movie version. However, it was easy and simple. If you want to watch it, I’d recommend the movie, save yourself the intros and outros.

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Unfortunately too Short, But Highly Entertaining

I'll keep this review short since that's all this collectively hour-long series gave us. Tinted With You gave us the perfect story, plus a hilarious main lead and great supporting ones. To watch a love story while I also get to enjoy the beautiful scenery will always be my favorite pastime. Unfortunately, this is literally the definition of a pastime. With this extremely short series, we've got nothing to build on top of or to develop into something better. If K-BLs are going to make these things as short as they do, they might as well only make the movie aspect, and the movie aspect only.

Let's Dive In.

Tinted With You is a historical BL with a splash of fantasy as a modern Korean student gets pulled back in time through a painting and meets the Prince and his protector. let's get into what I liked: I loved the plot more than anything. As soon as I read the synopsis, I was immediately hooked. And they really pulled through. Even through the very subtle details of how Heon and Guem didn't understand phrases and words Eunho spoke, how Guem takes a liking to the feel of a notebook and the pages, Heon feeling on Eunho's buttons and being mesmerized by it. This was such a small part of the series, but such an important part, and one that made me love TWY even more.

The acting was phenomenal to me. Jun did an extraordinary job as our main lead. He was hilarious, his expressions were always on point, and nothing ever felt out of place. I liked how stern Guem was, but because the actor is so skilled at his job, you could pay close attention to the message he hid between his eyes, his expression, the way he cared for Heon more than a protector should, the way we could hear the emotions breaking through his voice. Taejung did a phenomenal job. I'd say the only one who potentially needed more work is Hyunwoo, who didn't do terrible, but during his emotional scenes, no tears feel when you knew that was what he was going for. It's a tough act, but one that can be mastered perfectly with practice.

What needed improving: Their kiss was as chaste as chaste could get. There's nothing wrong with a little lip movement, maybe a hand here, a hand there, or even simply pulling apart and smiling at each other before we fade to black would've been nice. Instead, we had two straight dudes frozen in place until the director says cut, in which they probably move apart faster than the red sea. If we're going for a kiss, then give us a kiss! I'd rather they just stare into each other's eyes all lovey-dovey rather than a forced, half-assed kiss.

On the topic of their chemistry, where did it go? I felt it at the beginning, I felt the build-up, I felt the connection, and then it just drops after they kiss for the first time. Eunho teasing Heon on blushing was the peak for me. I was excited after that. Then we get a kiss, cool, but after that, it just disappears. It's even worse when at the very end of the series, they look like best buddies hanging out in the cafe. Their romance felt half-played. I don't even think I'd necessarily call this BL, more like two best friends that kiss occasionally. I wish that part of the story was touched better on. I think this series would've been perfect if we just got that spark.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5 - Excellent detail-to-plot. I genuinely enjoyed the story, the adventure, the conflicts, and their resolutions. If this was a fully fleshed-out series, it could've been ground-breaking. The romance needed hefty work, so I'll take off a star and a half for that.

Acting: 9 - Nothing deters me from the story. Jun did a phenomenal job, and I really hope to see him in more projects in the future. A good story is nothing without good acting, and everyone played their part as true as possible.

Music: 6 - I didn't pay much attention to it, but I'm sure it was good. Nothing distracting or irritating, so that's excellent in my book.

Rewatch Value: 1 - no chance I'll rewatch, but I do hope to see these actors in other projects, together or not.

Overall, I recommend it. The best K-BL? No, but it's cute, and I think the story pulls most of the weight, so much of it that you don't mind the lacking romance.

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Sweet historical bl worth watching

I am a fan of this genre but this series stands out to me because it is the first historical Korean bl I've seen. The other three historical bl's were Chinese. I am a sucker for a good story and Tinted With You certainly has that. Combined with the great music, stunning scenery, beautiful costuming, expert editing and directing, there is ony one thing I really have to discuss here....the acting.

As an American from the USA I had only become acquainted with K-dramas and K-pop since the COVID-19 pandemic. They made those dark days bearable. A subscription to viki.com had opened up the world to me at a time when I scarcely left the house. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it turned into a K-pop/drama addiction from which I never want to be cured.

The lead actors in this drama were very believable. I had never seen any of them in acting roles before so I didn't have any expectations going into it. Yoo Hyun Woo came off very princely as Lee Heon in a quiet, sweet way. His beautiful eyes made the costuming seem even more exotic and romantic. I was surprised at first to find Jun from A.C.E. as Eun Ho as Jun is much older in reality than the character he portrays but it really fit. He came off as a young, innocent high school student. His reactions were believable and the chemistry between the two main leads was very good. Kim Tae Jung as bodyguard Go Geum did a fine job.

I am now done with the series. I have enjoyed it immensely. I will look forward to seeing these actors again in the future.

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I only finished it just for the actors sake

The pre-, production and post was so chaotic in an unprofessional way. I only finished it just for the actors sake, because they're saving this whole production by their acting.

There's little communication between the viewers and screen, especially in the dialog. The viewers are either dragged along or force fed with information. It was fine at first, but went downhill as the show progressed. It's visually off putting when they have a dramatic head shot (for what??) in fluffy scenes which irritated me. The communication between the boys is cut off by the camera placement and how it's edited. Loved the characters though, but their intentions could've been clearer and emotionally be more in depth if the script was written better.

They could've used better and more mics and fix it in post to reduce the bugs that you can hear in the background. The camera placements are confusing and boring, no excitement whatsoever and the thing saving it are the actors. In the last episode, there were two shots in slow-motion and I couldn't stop laughing cuz it was so bad.. (post production to rescue the vibes lol) they could've filmed different angles, close ups of their eyes and hands to make the scene more intense- just like what they did in the other scenes, which was eye candy for the viewers. The little details such as them holding hand, which was shot up close- or when it was only them walking in the rice field, with a wide shot to show the quality time the characters spent with each other.

If you're gonna watch this til the end, make sure you have time to kill, love all of the characters, actors, romantic cliché trope and enjoy the music.

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A so-so time travel BL

The drama is something good enough for a short BL show, but still has a lot of loopholes and failures to narrate the story in a clearer way. It has a Scarlet Heart Ryeo vibe but with a happy ending. The thing I love the most about the show are the cuteness and fluffiness of the actors, they’re so adorable.

It’s a good thing that they kissed twice but it was a little bit awkward and somehow I can feel that they only push themselves to slightly press their lips to each other for the sake of the scene. Anyways, for a mini-BL it was fair to utilize little intimate moments from the main characters.

I feel like the show has the potential but only has a small production budget. I can sense several possible scenes to include for a better execution of storyline but they only had a limited resources and time duration so it’s a pity not to be able to realistically accomplish it.

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