When a remake does what the original couldn’t
The Korean remake was much better than the Thai original, at least in my opinion. While there are many differences between the plots, I found this one much more interesting and enjoyable to watch. The original dragged on forever, there were too many couples and no logical continuous story. Korean remake of the series had a much better structure and story development, it also only focused on the main two couples which gave the two relationships time to develop. I also found the two couples in this drama much more interesting.I think the visuals and the aesthetics are very nice. I really enjoyed the locations as well. I liked the change from engineering students to something a bit more artistic, I think it fit the whole overall vibe of the drama better. I do believe it has a lot to do with the cultural differences between the two countries, but I don’t know enough about that to actually say anything. I still think it was a smart move.
I think the pacing was not the best in certain parts, and scene cuts and changes were not the best at times. But I didn’t find that too bothersome.
Kim Ji Oh & Jung Lee Won: I absolutely loved them! I might be in the minority, but I actually really liked their bickering. I find it cute and funny, it’s not obnoxious or feeling awkward. Kim Ji Oh was obviously the first to realize he is enamored with the other boy. Jung Lee Won was just as in love but was living in denial. I mean, who would want to admit that their sibling was right about something? No one. Jung Lee Won’s reactions whenever something happened that was similar to what his sister wrote were everything! I think the two actors had great chemistry. I loved seeing the two on screen together, either being cute and adorable or bickering and annoying each other.
Ko Yoo Kyeom & Woo Sun Woo: I found the two cute. It was very obvious that Ko Yoo Kyeom was struggling with his feelings. He wasn’t sure how to act around Woo Sun Woo, but he knew he wanted him close. Ko Yoo Kyeom remembered a lot of little details about him. And don’t get me started on him wanting him for his project. Woo Sun Woo didn’t seem to struggle that much, but he still felt very guilty about possibly taking his friend’s boyfriend. I liked the slow progress between the two of them. The chemistry between the two actors was really good too. The longing glances and soft looks. How sweet!
I liked the side characters too. We didn’t really see that much of them, but what we did, fit well within the whole plot. Woo Sun Woo’s relationship with his sister was so adorable! I was really enjoying their interactions. Very typical siblings stuff, I assure you. The friend group was fun too, even the acting teacher!
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huge amounts of silly fun
genuinely didn't expect a lot because the views on this show seem to be so mixed but i went in blind and i have to say, as of ep 6, i am having a GREAT time watching it.the show doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should you. the acting is solid, the chemistry/ cast is great!!!! and the writing is funny as hell. the plot is secondary to the fun shenanigans but i like it that way sometimes - not everything has to be life-changing and philosophical. the dialogue does have its sincere and pondering moments (well done, too!) but the show really does to weigh more on the entertainment than the emotional scale.
definitely give it a shot if you've got the time!
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Dont compare to Thai Original
Having seen both the Thai and this Version i love them both but for completely different reasons. The Thai Version was steamy and full of sexual Tension. I adoreeed Tutor and Fightor and they will forever be my faves. Thai Why R U? Was all about finding your sexualty, denying your feelings and still not being able to resist. Fighter was constantly teasing Tutor bcs there was no other was for him to show his feelings.The Korean Remake starts out similar but then goes a different route by making the main conflict not theyr sexuality but the fact that yoo Gyeom and Doo Yeon used to date. So Sun Woo feels like he is betraying his friend. That being said i enjoyed them both. They are both fluffy and sweet and just really feel good shows.
Also bonus point for the korean remake bcs i really enjoyed Lee won and Ji Oh‘s story line. They were adorable. Where in the thai version i just skipped over saifah and Zon‘s parts.
Also You cant compare the kiss scenes to the sizzling chemistry zee and Saint had in Thai Why R U? But thats also a ridiculous high bar The thai version set right there. Like Zee and Saint were 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥where Korean version is just cute. Not bad kisses but gentle and sweet.
All that being said if you dont compare it to the Thai Version and see it as a stand alone its a cute enjoyable drama.
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Did not like it
All the scenes felt so jumbled up most of the time, I was very confused. It's like trying to put together a missing-piece puzzle lmao. I admit there was good chemistry between the actors in some moments! Their touching interactions brought sparks that made it just a little more bearable during all that chaos.But I think this is just really not my vibe; at one point, I started scrolling through my phone instead of watching. That being said, though, I did very much appreciate the cultural exchange and artistic collaboration behind it. Even though the execution of it all was not done well in my opinion but it's cool to see different styles and perspectives coming together.
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A little slow in parts, but overall it is a good series and worth watching until the end.
I wasn't sure I was going to like this Korean version but I was pleasantly surprised. it is not perfect and is a little different than the Thai version, but is enjoyable and actually good. Unlike the Thai version it is not using any big name BL stars to play any of the characters and I think it works in their favor. For many of the lead characters this is their 1st series and I feel they have a lot of potential and hope to see them in future series. There is some chemistry between the lead characters. This series is about half the length of the Thai version and I like how the Korean BL series cut out a lot of the B.S. drama that you find in series from Thailand.Was this review helpful to you?
I Can't Kick the Puppy
Regarding my rating: Rating it any lower seriously feels like bullying and my conscience simply won't allow it! *groans* Honestly, if I didn't feel guilty doing so, I would be rating it a 6 at the highest."Why R U?" No, seriously, like, why are you? Hearing the original Thai drama was going to get a Korean remake made me feel skeptical as to the quality, to say the least. Seeing it come to fruition, I could not even muster disappointment, because, really, what did I expect anyway? To be pleasantly surprised? LMAO. The original drama already had its problems but at least it had some semblance of a story and plot and sizzling chemistry to distract the viewers.
When I tell you this made less than no sense! Just . . . Why? Trying to think of something nice to say feels like work. The kisses were better than some K-BLs? I don't know, that's all I can seem to come up with!
Save yourself the time and find something else to watch, or go binge the Fighter and Tutor cut on YouTube. We both know you watched it last week anyway. I see you.
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Potential to be so much better
If you like few plot points, enemies to lovers trope and have time to waste, this is for you.*SPOILERS*
First of all: The story of sunwoo and yugyeom was very nonsensical and didnt make sense at all, especially the pretending to be the boyfriend part. Who in their right mind sees someone taking advantage of a drunk friend and doesn't do anything to save the friend but.... ask that "someone" to be a pretend boyfriend? How stupid is that?? Also sunwoo's actor didn't convey any feelings at all. Till 5 or 6th ep i was still debating whether he liked the girl or not and suddenly there's whiplash and he confesses to a guy. And btw the guy acts like this is a new development when he has already kissed sunwoo twice, both when sunwoo was drunk. That was veryyy icky.
The saving grace was definitely yiwon and ji oh. Not a complicated story, not very well developed either but it was fun to watch and their chemistry was great both as lovers and enemies. They were better than both the couples of the og thai version. If you want to watch , id recommend skipping all scenes on 2nd couple and just watching the story of main leads. This could have been a 7.0 if it was just them.
Production: There were so many bizarre cuts in scenes and editing was very lacking for me. The story didnt flow naturally at all and the 2nd couple got too much screentime we could've gone without.
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Odd, Odd, And Odder Still - And Yet I Like It
What a strange little oddity this show is.First off let me say that I haven't seen the original series so I don't know how it compares, but this version has given me plenty to talk about just by itself.
This show mashes the zany, off-the-cuff charm of Thai shows with the more grounded, realistic approach of Korean dramas and what you end up with is an absolute beast of a hybrid the likes of which I've never seen.
The entire thing feels like a very long joke, but one I didn't even remotely mind being the butt of.
The actors are great, they clearly have genuine skill, but the audience only ever gets to see teasing glimpses of this before the characters retreat back behind the quirky, over-the-top plot.
Furthermore, the editing is incredibly choppy and through all 8 episodes I never actually learned to understand any of the characters. Strangely enough, that's exactly what made it so fascinating and fun to watch. I could never predict how any of the characters were going to act next, whether they were going to hit me with some hilariously insane "twist" or whether I was going to get gut-punched by a genuinely emotional scene. Because yes, to my great surprise the show does have some of those and you can never tell when one is around the corner.
The series also never once takes itself seriously and there are enough tongue-in-cheek nudges and genuinely hilarious one-liners to let the audience know that, whatever joke is being played, they're in on it.
What's more - this show feels safe. While watching you know that no matter what nonsense lies around the next corner, nothing bad is going to happen. There are no great twists, no angsty drama, and most importantly no problematic writing decisions to be wary of. It's a roller coaster ride of a show and the audience can rest securely in the knowledge that they are firmly buckled into their seats and the train won't leave its tracks.
If you can get past the at times sub-par audio and if you are willing to let yourself be swept away, down the rabbit hole into mad, wildly entertaining unreality then you will almost certainly have a great time with this drama.
Go into it with no expectations or even just a certain enthusiasm for silliness, and you'll be in for a delightful 4ish hours.
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Cute Overview of the Thai Original
I was very excited for this "remake" but when I saw it was only 8 episodes I knew it was just going to be a little fluffy piece.I did enjoy this dont get me wrong but other than the sister writing a fan fiction about her brother there was very little that resembled the Thai Original.
I had hoped that this would bring K-BL's out of there sade zone but no it did not. There is SO much more to this story that if it were included would have made the fluffy story have more grit to it.
If you haven't watched the Thai version watch the Korean one first so you can enjoy it for what it is. It is a good but not when you have the Thai version in your head already!
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Why is this show so fun
The original because it was campy and fun. I expected a more mellow tone only because the Thai drama add the sound effects and have this feel that is super over the top. I was surprised to see that the tone is just as hilarious and even got moments for me to laugh out loud. This drama is just as fun as the original for me and maybe it’s my deep love for the original but it could go both ways.I was happy hearing about this remake but can understand the comparisons. Since I have seen the original series a million times I can’t help but compare. So far that double edged sword it a good thing. I am comparing how they are adapting rather than being a word for word remake. It’s a given it would be different because of the length being much shorter. With that I was worried about the chemistry and how some story beats might class. My only issue is the pacing, but they have title cards come up to break up the awkwardness.
Moving onto the chemistry I can already see it happening. I love the look of the couples. The sister is killing her role, and they cut characters who aren’t needed. I do hope they keep Sun Woo’s (Tutor’s) sister as she really helped with his character ark. I also am interested to see how Yoo Kyeom (Fighter) character will be. They are very similar to the originals and of course I have no problem with that.
Lee Won (Zon) is played wonderfully as someone who antigonizes Ji Oh (Saifah) to no end. Their dynamic might just be my favorite which I thought would be hard since I really really loved Fighter/Tutor in the original. Here Lee Won and Ji Oh are stealing the show, but I could see Sun Woo and Yoo Kyeoms story coming in and grounding this show down with a bit more emotional scenes because of their circumstances.
The freshman orientation scene was amazing and I especially loved to see Max and Nat. They weren’t in the original but they are a very famous BL couple from Thailand. It’s fun to see where they fit in and how it sort of ties this show back to the original. It’s a completely separate story with changes so far that work.
The switch from them being actors instead of in the music department is golden. Sun Woo still works his part time jobs and Yoo Kyeom still is clearly so interested in him. Here Lee Won and Ji Oh have more of a focus than their original counterparts. The original aired during COVID so they had little time together, here it’s just nice to see how that couple is working out. Their misunderstandings are hilarious and I’ll say it again, this show is hilarious
My complaints are going to be the short length and that it cuts a lot from the original that made me love it so much. The heart is gone in some areas, but it compensates with the amazing chemistry.
I could hate it as a WhyRU apologist. I could want them to keep the original untoutched. I see this remake as more of an adaptation and it’s done so well. I am having fun and reccommend.
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Good, Not Great
There's so much that I could say about this series, but to sum up the majority of my feelings, this wasn't that bad. But it wasn't remarkable either. The romances were kind of all wacky, with rushed endings with barely any of their conflict resolved or developed. But again, it was cute, it was entertaining enough, and Lee Ye Hwan, including Park Chang Hoon were a sight for sore eyes, so that's always a plus.Let's Dive In.
Okay, so I honestly wouldn't call this a remake cause it doesn't feel like one at all. I would say it's loosely inspired by the original Thai version with the same name, but if comparing it to the original, then a lot of things were taken out, added in, and just completely forgotten about. There were more than a few times that I was confused about who was interpreting Safiah/Zon and Fighter/Tutor. Finally got it by like episode 3/4, but that's why I say this isn't necessarily a remake because they changed up quite a few things that made the original couples who they were. For example, Fighter and Tutor were the ones with the script reading make-out session, except in this one, the pairing impersonating Safiah/Zon's storyline were the ones who had that similar scene. So I was confused for a while. Now if you haven't watched the original, then it's fine, because this shows its own story without the need to watch anything beforehand, however, for me, it's hard trying not to compare what's the same and what's different.
Leewon and Ji-Oh's relationship was probably my favorite. I liked the way everything was playing out until the end when we got conflict for the sake of conflict for it then to have no resolution and the characters are just okay again. And like in the original, Leewon's sister writing a bl novel for her brother is so weird, I just can't comprehend why a sister would want to write about her brother in that way.
Sunwoo and Yookyeom's relationship was really cute, but again, really all over the place with its conflict. Like them having a fight at the bus stop and then Sunwoo showing up at his house unannounced and kissing him. Huh? Okay. But that's alright because but leads are handsome, with Changhoon catching my attention almost immediately.
Ratings:
Story: 7/10 - Good, but not great. A bit rushed and some plot points don't make a whole lot of sense.
Acting: 8.5/10 - great! If not better than that! I think they all played their roles neatly and with little problems.
Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay attention to it which means it's not distracting.
Recommendation value: 7/10 - Eh, it's okay. But it's cute and didn't take that long to watch so go for it. Also, they have so very more-than-decent kissing scenes, which is always a plus.
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rushed with some cute parts, loose adaptation of Why R U (Thailand, 2020)
Overall: This is a remake of the 2020 Thai BL Why R U (which in turn is based on a book) but I will review it on its own merits. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Note: there is an extra scene after the next week's preview in some episodes. Aired on iQIYI & Viki (depending on your country). Idol Romance also produced: Roommates of Poongduck 304, The Tasty Florida and Kissable Lips.Content Warnings: manhandling, non con touching, non con kiss?, slap (part of acting)
What I Liked
- I did laugh a few times (swearing at each other with their fingers)
- cute moments
- Max & Nat cameo
- the original Why R U series playing in the background in a scene
- the perspective change in ep 2
- Sun Woo & Yoo Kyeom (up until the end of ep 4 when that reaction made zero sense to me)
- good kissing
Room For Improvement
- the intro felt like a trailer/exposition dump, it didn't hook me
- another bad "plan" that belongs in middle school (from Ji Oh), however Ji Oh had a personality change around episode 5 and I liked his character more/the dynamic
- confusing, did not clearly differentiate the flashback from present (the widescreen is flashback, full screen is present), several fast cuts
- was too choppy/rushed, should have cut out the sister/book thing entirely
- interjecting women/love triangles, (she had such a stupid plan, why wouldn't she tell her friend?)
- why didn't Yoo Kyeom tell Sun Woo about the girlfriend situation, he knew that they are friends
- cliche overhearing something and not telling the person what is wrong, and then a few days later he says he believes in being clear and finally tells him
- long recaps
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