The Boy Next World

Not a ‘Stalker’ Story: A Story of Deep Love, Loyalty, Kindness and Dedication

Okay, so let me start with this. The first information I got about this project was a very kind-hearted five-star review mentioning something about a toxic stalker. So I went into watching the series with exactly that expectation—a toxic relationship, whatever—and I was ready to enjoy it.

At first, it started very promisingly. The production quality is extremely high, just like Love in the Air. At the same time, I much preferred the beginning of this series and its storytelling compared to Love in the Air, where I considered the first story of Boss Noell to be kind of not a story at all. Here, the structure looked so freaking promising.

As I watched several minutes in, a bright idea struck me. I realized I loved how extreme—really extreme—the shifts were compared to what we’ve seen in Love in the Air and The Boy Next World. The characters didn’t even resemble their original impressions. At first, I thought they were just versions of themselves from those stories, but seeing them here, I realized they were not. These were characters written in a specific way, carefully adjusted for this story.

And I don’t just mean physically—that alone is a drastic difference—but also their acting performances and the moments when they emit specific vibes. In Love in the Air, they give one vibe; in The Boy Next World, a different one. I absolutely love and adore this, and it kept me hooked. I started watching whenever I felt in the mood, which drastically improved my experience.

I stayed in that blissful state for the entire duration, which could have either put me off or kept me hooked—and it definitely kept me hooked.

…

And guess what I found at the bottom of this bottle? I found a story about complete love, dedication, and loyalty—full of caring. This is true storytelling that spoils its audience in the department of treating each other kindly, giving full attention, and showing genuine care.

So no, I don’t blame people who judge stories by calling them “stalker” stories and preferring a false, nonexistent universe over a besotted boy who couldn’t help himself and would do anything for his love interest. I might just laugh at the parts where they clearly don’t understand how emotions work in creating a storytelling. And that’s basically it. After all, there are special conditions required to portray and share such a kind of love outside the family in the form of storytelling.

I just applaud the craft of creating a truly beautiful relationship between two characters outside the sexual department.

Trying to apply logic or geometry to art doesn’t work. It never has. If it did, architects would write stories, not writers. I support anyone who creates clear distinctions between imagination, fantasy, real life, and their own life in relationships and society. Do it. Then show me how you would write a story so intensely emotional yet free from tedious technical descriptions. If you could, you’d have something most of us don’t have.

But I guarantee that 90–99% of people cannot create a story about supposedly “toxic” people that results in such a highly intense, genuinely nice relationship. Most creators can’t get rid of technical nonsense—it gets in the way of smooth storytelling. If you can see the lines of the storytelling, something was done wrong. And I don’t blame you—life is difficult. Creating art while living life is even harder.

But pardon me—if I address it. After all, people don’t think twice about calling a story “toxic” without looking at what comes before or after.

For me, this is a highly relationship-based series. It surpasses standard storytelling in creating a loving, dedicated relationship that’s still full of passion—but not the typical “passionate” type.

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A Guy with schizophrenia makes everyone else feel crazy, too

I went to their LA fan meet and greet, and it changed my life lmao. I lowkey thought this show was good. I would give it a 9 (8.85) out of 10. I am going to say what I liked, what I didn't, and then an episode overview of it all.

Compared to Love Sea, this show was fucking phenomenal. My main reason for comparing them is because both couples were in love in the air, and these two both came out around the same time. On its own, this show is still great, and I do think you should check it out. Their chemistry was great in this, and so was their acting, just great all around. I LOVE WHEN THEY ARE SOULMATES. And I know he lowkey made up a lot of it in his head, but that was so fun. And I also like how they were together in every single world, that was to die for, oh my god. THE INTRO SONG IS SO GOOD, AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I loved our second couple, they were to die for lmao. I liked their dynamic a lot, and I think I just really like mind-reading plots and think they are very fun. I still can't get over their chemistry in this. I do think they outdid themselves with this one. Great fucking jobs to these two. I liked how they in the other universes also had depth. I liked those sequences, and I really enjoyed how they did that. I thought that was fun, and they didn't need to do that, but I think it really brought the show to life more. I think the main thing that this show did better than Love Sea was that they weren't getting freaky every hour of every day, and they actually did good plot and romance building in this. Like we know how much I hate on romance building in shows because no one knows how to do it, I think this show did a pretty good job. Was it the best I have ever seen? No, but it was still good and made the characters actually have dimension. That was nice to see. I think I already talked about the plot, but the twist with him making up their timeline in his head was genuinely so good. Holy fuck, whoever wrote that in, fantastic. Okay, so I am on the fence about where I should put this, but the fact that he lost his memory again pissed me off, but THEY REDEEMED THEMSELVES WITH HIM GETTING IT BACK, GOOD JOB SHOW. Just a very fun and enjoyable show, I can't lie. I enjoyed their sex scenes, they were fucking banging lmao, they had me gagged, and I may need to rewatch, but this time with one hand. THE WHOLE THING WITH THE PADDED ROOM. That was genuinely one of the best scenes ever, and despite making his timeline up and the whole thing up because he wanted that cookie, the fact that it was real and he got flipped with another version of himself was so fun and genuinely so great, holy fuck, I love that scene. Okay, that's it. It's a very fun show.

The setup was confusing as fuck, because I was so lost and not in a good way. The show was kind of hard to follow. Whatever the irrelevant friends are called (not the side couple, though, they are perfect), they are so irrelevant and so annoying, and they just need to shut up because they serve zero fucking purpose. Another thing, at the end of episode 7, the plot and lore folded in on itself and got very fucking confusing; it had me looking at the screen sideways. Random ass fucking fiance, get the fuck out of my face before I get violent. I think they could have done more with the ending; it was very empty, and I feel like, because they had so many characters, they should have used more of them and just finished it all, but yeah, that's fine. Okay, not that much to hate on from me.

Okay, let's look at my thoughts on this all. "What if all the dreams we have are actually parallel worlds? I think about that an unholy amount." "Like I get, they are soulmates, but why would you let him in your home? Their rooms are the same. I am lowkey so confused but really intrigued at the same time." Most of my review of the second episode is me overthinking the entire show lol. "I don't know what to think." "He has his shirt off, ain’t nobody looking at this damn nightmare sequence Lmao." "They so far ate love sea up because I think their plot is so much better and they aren't getting freaky every five fucking minutes. Not that I was complaining, there was just no plot." "WHAT THE FUCK. Wait, he's not? Wait what? Holy fuck. Wait, I had a feeling. But how does he know everything about him? Holy fuck. WHAT A TWIST. He made the timeline up all in his head. Invested because what?" "I am also so invested in the second couple, y'all have no idea." "Okay, wait, I have no idea if I remembered this right, but wasn’t it all in his head and none of it was real. Hey, I made this shit up because I like you so much. 99 problems and this show is all of them." LMAO. "Now I'm fucking invested, way to go. I thought I grasped the concept of this, but I then realized I dont have a clue what is happening, but I'm here and ready to rumble." "Someone just got caught. Stalkerrrr. Oh fuckkkk. So he wanted him to find out? I mean, the parallel words shit exists? Doesn't it? Or was it all in his head? Oh my god. No, because the scar. So it has to exist. WHATTTTTT." This sums up my entire review. "Oh my god. To be honest, I really don’t know what I was expecting for like the whole part, but I was expecting the brother to step in because I’m like, why would they mention him if they were gonna do something with them, and they ended up doing something with him, so I don’t know. I don’t know how I feel, but I’m content that they’re together and that’s all that matters, and we’re about to get some crazy sex scene, and I’ve already seen it, but I guess we’re ready to rumble, I guess, but yeah I don’t know this I kind of like not a lot but idk. I enjoyed it a lot, and it got really good towards the middle cause I got really, really into it, and like the whole plot idea, and I think they used it really well. Like, personally, I do think they did it very well, and I think it’s a good show, especially with the way Love Sea turned out. This was really good cause Love Sea was cheek water like genuine cheek water, and I’m so glad that this didn’t turn out like that with a whole bunch of NC scenes. They had a couple, and they were good. They had a good placement, but yeah, compared to Love Sea this was really, really good, and overall like a good standalone show. I think they did well with this, and I think that having Boss and Noeul in this was great, and I might be glazing it because I’m seeing them in a couple of hours, but it’s OK. Alternate title: A guy with schizophrenia makes everybody else crazy, too. Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about the ending. I’m content, but at the same time I feel like they could’ve done more with the mom because they did build up to it for like most of the show, but at the same time I don’t think I could’ve handled that so I’m like I’m OK with this, but yeah a pretty OK ending to a really good show actually."

Definitely watch this, I think it is really well done. Okay bye!

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It could be a red flag but baby I'm colorblind

Let’s start with the good parts, because there is a lot to love here. First and foremost, Boss's yearning is unmatched; a man never looks better than when you can see exactly how much power his partner has over him (Also, the rain was a paid actor for how many times his shirt got wet and transparent). Alongside him, Noeul is somehow utterly flawless each and every time he appears on screen. Their chemistry is out of this world; the looks, the touches, the passion, and some of my favorite on-screen kisses (I bit my pillow so many times it should be illegal).

For the main characters I want to pay attention to the contrast between Cir's sweetness when engaging with Phu and him giving nothing when talking to anyone else. His interactions with Win were highly amusing and I really enjoyed their friendship. Meanwhile, Phu is the softest pretty boy out there, but the second he found out about Cir's past, he was ready to throw hands, and I lived for it. Going into this, I wanted to say that Noeul kept his undefeated record for the "pure of heart, dumb of ass, home-of-sexual" character archetype that he mastered with Rain (LITA). Surprisingly, though, Phu actually possesses a survival instinct.

The supporting cast held their own beautifully, too. Jin is metaphorically my brother; practically he's so chill and emotionally mature I could cry. On the other hand, Win perfectly embodies the exact exasperation you feel when you've been besties with someone for years and are fed up with their dumbassery. Together, JinWin are a top-tier second couple; they had very little screentime, but they are big in my heart.
Then there's "Dark!Cir," my beloved. He managed to act both concerned and mocking while looking devastatingly otherworldly. He is a total ragebaiter and I stan it.

Even the wider friend group had great moments. While some secondary characters were a bit plain, their banter was excellent. Rome was a funny little side character with his fish obsession (I'm partial to them), and the mixing of the two groups yielded great dynamics (especially Jin paired with Cir, and Win with Phu).
I also genuinely enjoyed the familial subplots. I loved Phu’s family and appreciated how the show made both Phu and his mother's perspectives understandable. As for Cir’s family... well, his brother Zone was ready to jump into the action, and I’m glad they didn't cheapen the brothers' past. Their mother is completely nuts and should be held for a psych evaluation. Which should have happened instead of leaving Zone to deal with her while Cir and Phu run towards the sunset with a wedding soundtrack.


As for cinematography, the production choices immediately sucked me in. The lighting and scene subdivisions beautifully created the illusion of two worlds connecting, which underlined the main theme and expertly masked the stalking elements in the first few episodes.

To be honest, the plotline of Cir keeping up the "multiverse lie" was mysterious and compelling at the beginning. Although the multiverse elements were eventually confirmed, we all know that Boss’s ability to look devastatingly handsome (coupled with Cir’s tragic past) was the major thing saving him from being served with a restraining order.
(When the show first hinted that my baby Cir might be a stalker, I was standing there like *surprised pikachu*)
Personally, the stalking twist intellectually cheapened the lore established early on, even if it did successfully give Phu space to stand up for himself and highlighted the psychological consequences of Cir's abusive upbringing.

If we go with the idea that Cir and Phu are red-string soulmates, which is heavily implied by the parallel universes and the paper telephone plotline (that is quite literally a string tying them together, argue with the wall), the writers could have handled it much better. They could have let Cir know secret details about Phu simply as a byproduct of his dreams from the alternate universe. The narrative wouldn't have taken a hit if their past encounters were driven purely by fate and destiny instead of Cir crafting them behind the scenes. While still allowing Cir to be secretly in love with Phu for years, it would have created a much healthier foundation for their relationship.

(I'm aware it's based on a MAME's novel, and from what I heard they tend to incorporate and romanticize this Red Flag behaviour, so I'm not giving any grief to the directors and such)

I particularly enjoyed the push and pull of "Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?", especially since Cir genuinely seemed to believe he was from a parallel universe at first, only realizing the reality of his dreams later. By that point, he was already in deep and naturally terrified of losing his soulmate by telling the truth.
(Though, honestly, seeing his mother, I too would prefer faking a multiversal soul displacement if it meant a roundabout way of getting to kiss a gorgeous creature like Noeul instead of having to deal with her)
Ultimately, the big climax of finding out your boyfriend has been illegally following you for years wound up being highly entertaining, mostly because both things wound up being true: he did stalk Phu, but he also really saw the alternate universes.


My only real grievance is the non-existent logic behind why Jin can literally read minds. Like, what the hell was that?! Explanation? None. Just random bulls**t, go! I have to concede it was funny, but actual fantasy world-building would have made it feel like a cohesive element rather than a Deus ex Machina. It felt designed purely to reassure the audience that Cir wasn't a depraved creep and to inject some comic relief. That said, Jin reading everyone's mind only to find Phu's brain completely empty of thoughts except for food is such a canon event that I can't even be mad.

Furthermore, the archetype of an alternate-universe Cir actively helping other versions of Cir get together with their respective Phus gave me massive ORV vibes (yk, the cosmic setup of a version of yourself pulling the strings), which will always be goated in my book.

To wrap this up, I’m not even going to logic-check Phu getting sick after 30 seconds in the rain, or Cir’s psycho mother trying to pay Phu to stop seeing her son.
We know the tropes, we accept the tropes, we die in our hearts at the tropes, long live the tropes.
The opening OST theme was giving everything it needed to give and it's going on my playlist for the foreseeable future.

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The best series I have ever watched

The moment i started watching it, it immediately got me. The opening scene is one of the best i have ever seen, the story is just great. I found it hard to understand whats going on at firat because it was so confusing. But in my opinion that was what made it even better. The acting is so so soo good but that was to be expected. The OST is THE BEST i have every heared in a series. Even nlwhen i finished it im still listening to it. The actors in the series and the song really bring out the emotions. Im currently rewatching it. So i hink the series is SO underrated because its my personal favorite.

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Worth watching if you have a good attention span

Of course with a lot of sci-fi shows, the answer wouldn’t be revealed within the first 5 episodes. That defeats the point of watching, this series is a series you need to pay attention to and put pieces together. It was fun waiting each week to find out what happened next, it keeps you on your toes and keeps you coming up with theories. If you don’t like stuff like that don’t watch it. But don’t get upset that it didn’t go the way you wanted it, nobody forces yall to watch these series and leaving bad reviews when you haven’t either watched the entire show or tried to put pieces together and took time to understand it is definitely a strange choice. Some of yall weren’t raised right and it’s sad… anyways I loved this series, I loved the plot, the music, the acting, the cinematography.

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I advise you to watch it you not gonna regret it !

This series plot was really good so far both interesting and funny and also really lovely ? too bad that it was only 10 episodes but there’s still the special episode. The characters were great and Boss did such a great job representing the different Cir from the others world , I think that Noeul acting also improved and he is as cute as ever! ? the OST was the best of the series I have watched before and im still listening to it still today. I enjoyed the BTS too. Then conclude the series was visually stunning and immersive, with vibrant colors and striking details that made every scene captivating. The smooth storytelling and dynamic visuals kept it engaging and exciting, making for a truly memorable experience.
Hoping to see them in others series !

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I really loved the plot of the story, and the characters were amazing! Not to mention the OST—it was hands down the best I’ve ever heard. I’m honestly so sad that it was only 10 episodes, but at least there’s still the special episode.

Noeul’s character was adorable, and his acting has improved so much. Boss was incredible too—he even played different characters flawlessly! I was so impressed by how well he portrayed different personalities from other worlds. I wasn’t expecting the series to be this great, and I truly hope to see them acting in more projects in the future!

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Boss and Noeul do it again

The chemistry between Boss and Noeul are one of the best in the industry and they did it again. In fact, they have improved, and their acting was amazing giving their all in the emotional scenes. The story is filled with the love, hope and also trauma that needs to heal.

The parallel worlds concept is done in a different way than others and does not get in the way of the main story telling which is the love story between Cir and Phu but is meant to enhance it.

The scripting writing, scenery and editing has been amazing as director James as done an amazing job to help tell the story. The music has elevated the story to another level, and I have added them to my Spotify playlist.

Thye friends and all the supportive cast did an amazing job as they added heart, love, comedy to what is already an amazing show.

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Amazing, Stunning with wonderful acting.

It's a very confusing story at first, but it's resolved later on. I find the story exciting, you stay tuned. At no time did I have the feeling that the suspense was diminishing or that there were filler scenes.
I didn't realise that they were from tharntype, I think it's cool that there was a short hint.
Overall, very worth seeing, definitely worth a rewatch.

Apart from the mum, I thought the acting was very good again. BossNoeul is terrific anyway.
I'm a fan of them as an acting couple but also of them as individuals. Their NC are generally really strong, you can see that they are extremely close in rl too, so it just seems real. The scene in ep7 really blew me away. I literally cried during that scene, I don't know why. It was just so beautiful, so coherent: The acting, the music, the scenery, the camera work...
The second couple is also an interesting thing. I wonder why wim can read minds. Does he have something to do with this parallel universe theme? Unfortunately, this question wasn't answered at the end either. The last scene could also provide material for a second season. I hope so. Especially as the storyline surrounding Cir's brother Zone is still open.

The music was very well chosen and always matched the scenes. I found some of them using google-assistant and added them to my Spotify playlist.

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Best MeMindY Series

Ive seen every work created by Mame and I have to say that for me The Boy Next World was the best in terms of cinematography, music, acting, and overall just producing feeling. It told a good story with a bit of mystery to it so its definitely not a casual watch, you actually have to think and pick up on all the clues left in each episode to fully get the picture. Everything had a meaning down to the color of the cardigans Phu was wearing and lighting choices for scenes.

I love how we're made to believe one thing create multiple theories and have the answers be so unexpected but also in your face at the same time. I know people are finicky because they want more exploration into the parallel worlds (which we'll get with the special episode) but that isnt really the point of this story. The point is Cirrus and Phu getting together and the parallel worlds adds to it by showing they are meant to be in every universe.

Boss and Noeul did so amazing with everything. Theres no denying their chemistry is the best in the industry but in LITA they did not have as much emotional range and action in that series to showcase their potential as LITA was meant to be purely a feel good work. We saw them excel at handling emotional scenes. Especially Noeul who is a very beautiful crier and made my heart break for him many times and Boss' breakdown in ep 9 and 10 were real tearjerkers. The action sequences with fight scenes and car accidents were scary and amazingly pulled off. I think honestly moving away from purely feel good and more into the action/mafia vibe would be so good for them. Have them be red flags and Noeul not so innocent character as he has immaculate aura being wasted. Though hes amazing at being cute too the versatility he has is🤭

As for the ncs, the fact they were a minute long and still somehow outshined every other nc Mame has ever produced shows a lot about their comfortability with each other is all ill say. Looking forward to the boxset.

The only thing I think could be improved is with the last episode. I feel like that ending was not enough with the mother. Like i know Ozone has a plan in place to get back at her but I think hitting her with a car would have worked better than swapping sons or at least let the husband go back to her instead and set the kids free.

I dont think Mame realizes the full potential of this show but this could be turned into multiple seasons and be a Netflix adaptation if she really wanted it to be. So many avenues to explore and the fact its open ended makes it so much better with the parallel worlds.

Cant wait to see Boss and Noeul's new series. Please dont let us wait too long for it🙏

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