Love for Love's Sake (2024)

Well i loved it for loves sake!

Ill be honest for a minute. I dont understand why they titled it 'Love for Love's Sake' (keeping the webtoon title Love Supremacy Zone would have been more appropriate). My initial reaction with the first few minutes of the series wasnt good because I have just completed reading the manga Solo Leveling and the world immersion in this drama, i thought, was a cheap knockoff of that series.

HOWEVER, what was initially my cautious attitude towards it quickly changed into adoration. How can i not?! First, they have assembled a pretty amazing and good looking cast- from the overflowing charm of Myung Ha to the irresistable puppy cuteness of YeoWoon. I cant also help but adore the badboy look of Sang Woon even in his limited screen time. I would also love to have seen more of Kyung Hoon and his supposed partner.

Second, i am thankful that not only did they do the episodes longer than normal KBLs, they also released all of it in just a span of 2 weeks (actually just about 9 days). That made the wait, longing and anticipation so much easier so i really thank the creators for that.

Third, and its also amazing, is the fact that although it was camouflaging as a high school fluff, it was actually a character study of someone who is extremely depressed in life - his hopelessness and aimless existance. Its MyungHa's cry for help and desire to change his life. It wasnt really about him making Yeo Woon happy, it is about him realizing what it takes to live his own happy life. When he saved Yeo Woon he was actually saving himself. It wasnt just about BL or homophobia, it was more about coming out of depression and self love.

After watching this I actually have so much more to ask and these questions are left unanswered. For example, my very first question is, how can a fine looking young man like YeoWoon suffered from depression and poverty when he already has a fan club and brands have been asking him to do jobs? I am also asking, was any of the characters besides Kyung Hoon really gay, cause they somehow glossed over the trope "im not gay but i like you because its you" (they did that even in the webtoon)?

But the biggest question remains whether Myung Ha was really given a second life and ended up coming back in the game or did the gameworld merged with his reality and erased his old life? Did he become younger and assume the 19year old Myung Ha's life? Was any of it even real or was it just a manifestation of heaven(or hell) after he took his own life?

Either way and questions aside, it was a satisfactory ending to the series cause who doesnt want a happy ending?

Already rewatching. I just hoped they showed more of YeoWoon running cause the guy looks so fine in those running outfit. Overall giving it a 9.5, even if the last episode felt rushed i would still wholeheartedly reccommend this show and i am REALLY REALLY glad to have stumbled upon it.

And to those feeling the signs of depression, you just have to be strong and know that it will get better.

PS. You guys have no idea how big a TXT fan i am, and throughout the series i cant help but i kept imagining Soobin in Cha Joo Wan's role. :)

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Fluff sprinkled with emotional dread - best combination.

Probably the most surprising and refreshing concept and execution of it we have seen in any k-bl so far. The seamless transition between the cute romance and borderline psychological horror was masterfully crafted, making me crave for a longer and more developed version of the same story.

Not gonna lie, the show peaked during episode 6, and the ending fell a little bit short of my expectations, but even with that. I am quite satisfied with the overall progression. Yes, it does face the usual issues as a result of a short drama limitations, like underdeveloped side characters, less detailed world building, lack of side plots to make the story seem more full.

But the good was so good, you kind of don’t care about the rest.

First of all, Tae Myung Ha was a surprisingly complex character forced into an unusual situation that made him face both internal and external struggles, leading to well executed character development. And honestly? He was also simply extremely fun. His cheeky one-liners and confidence of an adult in a teen “drama” was a blast to watch. Lee Tae Vin’s performance just made the character so much better. Easily one of the best performances from k-bls, especially when the actual emotional stakes start to make their entrance.

Cha Yeo Woon was adorable. I do think this character had less to offer compared to Myung Ha (to be fair, it also might be the result of me focuing more on Myung Ha compared to Yeo Woon), but it was also impossible not to care for him with his surprisingly well balanced mix of cat and puppy energy, which Cha Joo Wan aced in his delivery.

Still, out of all the characters, Chun Sang Won was the one that stole my heart. What an iconic character, one that deserves a spotlight and his own drama for sure - especially since we’ve been hinted about his own personal struggles. Fun, driven, confident, but also compassionate and perceptive. Oh Min Su better get his main role project soon, or I will riot.

While the drama is for sure not character driven, and you won’t get any elaborate commentary on social and personal issues, it still torches some topics close to many people's hearts, being a good opener for personal reflections: What happiness means to you? How to open your heart to others? How to allow others to help you, care for you? How to well balance your own needs and the needs of people you care about?

All that said, I think the biggest highlight for me was the execution of the concept with a “nice” twist. Instead of going full silly rom-com, they used the game scenario to add some depth to the characters and some painful thrills. Undoubtedly the director had a clear vision of what and how they wanted to present and thanks to that thoughtful approach, the contrasting atmospheres fitted well together. You think you know how the show will progress, but then you get a massive error and all your expectations fall apart.

What’s more, using the game scenario also allowed the director to deal with the usual issue of “time skips” and not enough screen time to showcase the whole time progression. I need to appreciate when directors and writers use their own set up to their advantage when dealing with potential issues and shortcomings. All the confusion and the feeling of “randomness” was clearly intentional, and for me, matched perfectly with the story.

Overall, extremely enjoyable, well produced, beautifully directed, perfectly acted (especially Lee Tae Vin), with nice and cute chemistry, fun jokes and less fun, but just as enticing stakes.

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I am so normal with this show......

omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg Love for loves sake is a game-changer in the bl realm, taking you on a journey that's anything but ordinary.

Tae Myung Ha's switcheroo from a regular 29-year-old to a 19-year-old character inside a virtual game is like stepping into uncharted territory. The quest to sprinkle some happiness into Cha Yeo Woon's pixelated life brings forth a mix of track and field glory, handsome looks, and emotional wrecking...

The ending is pure cinematic magic, not rushed but carefully crafted, making it stand out in the Kbl landscape. The chemistry between the characters feels real. The acting is good. Characters are lovable. Iconic lines. Well-written script. Nice visuals. Name it. This is Cinema!

A must watch! It is a delightful anomaly in the best way possible, offering a unique blend of romance, drama, and a dash of virtual reality that's anything but normal.

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love, for love's sake.

*the review does NOT contain major spoilers and is in my opinion fine to read before starting the show*

im so at loss for words its hard to even start writing this review (literally finished the show like 5 minutes ago) but regardless, ill try my best.

1. first of, the plot for this show is incredible. i was really afraid they wouldnt have enough budget or runtime to execute this story well, but i worried for nothing. the moment i watched episode 1 i knew that this show wouldnt disappoint me, and it didnt. the story was amazing, start to finish, and it was better than i could have ever imagined. the video game concept was so well done it almost made me feel like i was playing the game myself. continuing, due to the concept being done so well, every time something happened with the game it had me feeling a lot of emotions myself. especially in the scenes where we can see myungha in the black void, or the ones with the time running out or him having to make important decisions, those gave me the chills. really a surreal experience. another thing i loved is the lack of toxicity in this show. not a single time did i think "oh, this seems a bit wrong" or "there could have been a better way to resolve this" because even though secrets were kept, communication was also present, and all the main characters were absolute sweethearts. no unnecessary misunderstandings and all that. also a thing i want to mention is how i love how homophobia was dealt with in this show! usually i just prefer if they dont touch that topic at all, since most of the time in these shows it just ends up being "oh haha ur gay f**k u" and they do nothing to stop it, but i love how they approached it here with the characters defending themselves, snapping back at them and going "so what? whats wrong with it?". theres one scene that was super iconic but i wont spoil anything else. honestly i could say a lot about this show but this review is already getting long and ive only covered the story/plot part, so ill leave it at this.

tldr: they couldnt have done this plot better and i wouldnt change a thing about it.

2. the cinematography and overall quality of the show here was incredible!! no clue what kind of budget they had but whatever it was they did an amazing job with it. every single shot was stunning and the scenes were so pretty i couldnt stop myself from screenshotting every single episode, seriously its beautiful. i saw someone say this felt like watching a kdrama that just so happens to be a bl (since the quality of it is so good) and i definitely agree, this is in my opinion the best shot kbl yet. hoping the quality just goes up and up from here, although i doubt any kbl will be able to top lfls' cinematography, at least for the time being. a few of the shots also reminded me of the eighth sense (aka what used to be my no.1 kbl before lfls came to dethrone it) which is one of my favorite shows ever in terms of cinematography.

3. this is going to be very short but the acting was great. not a single character/actor was lacking. just incredible acting!

to sum it up, this show is absolutely beautiful, heartwarming, heartbreaking, fluffy, sad, bright yet dark all at once in the best way possible. theres not a single thing to complain about and this is hands down the best kbl i have ever watched (and i have watched almost every single one of them as of the time im writing this review). loved everything about it, the acting, the characters, the story, the quality, the cinematography, everything was incredible. all i can say is that this show is an absolute masterpiece that EVERYONE should watch. words simply cannot describe how good this show was.

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Affection level for this Series: + Infinity

I just dived into the show without giving it much thought and I was utterly surprised from the very first minute. First and foremost, I love the transmigrating into the game premises and all those game inbox styled notification just add even more to the whole premises. It's a unique concept in the BL world and it's executed pretty well. Sure, the later half of the series felt a bit rushed with abrupt cuts but hear me out the plot didn't feel one bit incomplete and I enjoyed it anyway.

Talking about the cast, I love each one of the leads. They all have portrayed their character so well. My favorite is, no doubt, Tae Myung Ha. He is such a sweetheart, a cool one at that. He transmigrates into the game like world and his mission is to make Cha Yeo Woon, his favorite character, happy. His affection level with Cha Yeo Woon starts from minus and with the minus affection level brings a bunch of debuffs that just makes the whole concept even more interesting. It's so heart touching to see him care for Yeo Woon. Yeo Woon, he seriously turns on my protective mode. He is so so so freaking cute and his smile is everything. He really deserves the world.

Myung Ha and Yeo Woon, they are absolutely adorable. They would be the one flirting, smiling, looking at each other, interacting and going on dates but you would be the one blushing, smiling and banging your hands somewhere. I guarantee it. Their cuteness is really blinding.

Also, the other lead, Ahn Kyung Hun, he looks so adorable with those thick glasses, curly hair and he is a real sweety and a really really good friend. Cheon Sang Won, him trying to get Myung Ha's attention is kind of funny and annoying. But I liked him too. He is just as adorable as the others.

And I so badly wanted Yeo Woon to call Myung Ha Hyung instead of Sunbae even just once, not that I had any problem with Sunbae, but you know just the urge.

Anyway I really enjoyed watching this. Definitely highly recommended!!

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Good but not great. Would recommend but not a favorite.

The general overall story line was great. The characters and how they develop and grow fond of each other, was depicted well. From the get go, the tone of the series is generally realistic leaning towards the campy side (in a good way). Like I know going in, this was going to be somewhat of a fluffy series. A feel good one. One that makes you smile when one of the ML gets excited or nervous because of the other ML. I say campy because the whole driving force of the plot is structured behind the "video game" theme. Motives and directions were all guided by the constant ping of the game UI window. So imagine playing a dating sim - you get excited because your characters are falling for each other - thus, ultimately, you already kind of know what happens. Most people would play a sim game because they can control the outcome. Thus, similar in concept - the show is enjoyable because of this similar thought frame.

Then the last two episodes decided it wanted to try and be some boujee/intellectual show and the whole video game premise completely derailed the story, forcefully inserting itself as a deus ex machina - resetting - and then some random ass time loop by way of "The Lake House" but not really purposeful other than to add some tension and drama .... only to resolve itself literally 3 minutes later (like WHY even have that mess in it at all? Just make them run to each other...). The final two episodes really screamed it was trying too hard to be intellectual... the whole fate/destiny and even playing on portions on what I mentioned in the first paragraph (expectations/outcomes). Down to even the looming but unanswered question about happiness that the UI game prompt at the end sealed the deal on the show's misfired attempt to be this thought provoking show. It's not. Then the whole love theyself theme that popped up in the last three episodes just didn't fit in well with the overall structure because there was no foreshadowing of this theme and plot point. But since the characters are driven by plot, narrative, and emotion from the all knowing video game prompts - I guess these sudden introductions of tension points were acceptable. And the irony is that, that very thing is the show's own undoing. Sure - the overall concept of the show (video game) can be done. But not with how the show was set up and not within the time limitation and format (8 episodes and each episode being 40 minutes).

Overall, I enjoyed the romance. I enjoyed the show up to episode 6 and then later episodes - while not quite a train wreck - did rocked on the tracks wildly, making the show lose its composure. Watch it for the cute moments. However, if you are particular about plot, structure of a story, and a decent foundation in fantasy elements in a story - this show probably will turn you off. But just do what I did - ignore that part of the story and pretend it's just a contemporary show with no fantasy element. I know that defeats majority of the show's premise but that made it enjoyable for me. If I had that take the fantasy aspect into consideration this show would be like a 4/5 out of 10 for me.

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Mission Accomplished

More than thorough enjoyment, I appreciated the unique world and full-rounded story they brought to fruition here. The game aspect made for highly creative and fun as well as stressful "mechanics," the use of harsh sound effects and "errors" in particular lended well to this.

Love for Love's Sake managed to toe the line between light action/almost horror and comedic school romance in a way I don't think I've seen before. And the banter between the two MLs allowed some levity in times when the world went dark.

Particularly, I want to highlight how they fully utilized the potential of Cha Yeo Woon's character, managing to hint at his desire as well as fear to be vulnerable and his shyness in expressing his interest in someone (Tae Myung Ha), all within a few episodes. And his actor plays his sulking moments and hesitancy very well.

Also, I would be remiss not to mention Tae Myung Ha's character; the quiet depth he had in a story that wasn't supposed to be his. And the complex expressions he had astounded me. Especially in moments he had to put on a happy face as well as convey that he was barely keeping it together.

I am so glad I didn't miss this surprising masterpiece.

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i'm sorry but what the hell was that?

The wildly popular Korean BL is a cross between fluffy high school BL and psychological drama, and ends up middling on both fronts. There, I said it.

When Myungha goes along with (and even returns) Yeowoon’s affections towards him, his behaviour can come across as stiff, insincere and slightly paternalistic. As he falls deeper into a confusing relationship that borders on friendly concern and something more, the relationship gets messy and uncomfortable.

Now recall that Myungha is, in fact, 29 in real life. In the game, he falls in love with a high schooler who is more than 10 years younger than him. This age gap, unfortunately, amplifies the disconnect between the two.

Right until the very end, Love For Love’s Sake is a disjointed sequence of scenes, which are almost-dreamlike, and it never fully explains itself. There are some hypotheses on what this is all about, but there are still some plot points which remain unexplained by the end.

Good try for a fantasy/thriller type of BL but the execution was not there.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/03/19/love-for-loves-sake-2024-bl-review/

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unique premise with engaging characters

Overall: I was hooked with the characters' dynamics and the unique world building, but it needed a few more episodes to more fully flesh out the plot. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI and GagaOOLala (country dependent).

Content Warnings: there are several including some major ones, see my review comment for a list under a spoiler tag

What I Liked
- realistic parts, didn't shy away from things like homophobia
- that Myung Ha wanted Yeo Woon to be happy before the penalty was known
- world building (though some parts were rushed)
- sweet moments
- funny moments (that snack shop scene)
- the side character classmate
- being forthright in episode 5
- ongoing physical affection

Room For Improvement
- although the episodes were longer than normal Korean BL, there were many plot threads and some felt underdeveloped/rushed i.e. they didn't clearly explain why a character's personality did a 180, also they kept talking about modeling but didn't explain it until episode 6 and I thought there was a subtitle error (and they also had 2 other characters model and 2 characters' names were similar, which added to my confusion), overall this needed to be a 16 episode kdrama length and then would have been 10/10 (or reduce the number of side plots/characters)
- was a bit confused on who the villains all were at the beginning/their relationships to the characters

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Highschool romance drama? or existential dread?

I went into this drama with no knowledge of what it was about whatsoever. I had heard an idol i know about, Woongki, was part of the cast. I thought, hey lets check it out, go in with no expectations, enjoy it for entertainment only. Then! i was thrown in head first into reflecting on what is happiness and what must one do to make themselves, or others, 'happy'! And i am not mad about that toss, to be honest i am thoroughly and happily surprised about how much i enjoyed this drama to this extent. Casting? amazing. Cinematography? some of the best in the space (up there with icons like Eighth Sense). Script? Heartwrenching.

Highly recommend, definitely a way to start BL shows in 2024. Other countries, step up! Korea is making waves in this space!

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A good K-BL? In this economy?

“But the game isn’t about saving your favorite character. It seems the game is about saving yourself.” - tumblr user dropthedemiurge (thank you for the pain)
As soon as the first episode starts, you can already tell the efforts that went into it. My problem with K-BLs is that most of the time, everything is lacking : acting, story, cinematography, etc etc. But here, you start the first episode and you are met with quality. Good BGM, good camera work/ quality, interesting story and absolutely heart-stealing characters.
It has one of the quality barely other K-BL has : It uses its time wisely. The ending/ last episode does feel a little rushed, but the overall serie? It’s well paced, in my opinion. The story flows, they don’t add unnecessary plot they can’t give closure to.
Tae Myungha is one of my absolute favorite BL character, and probably one of my favorite character in general in a while. He transmigrates in a ‘video game’, and his mission / main quest if you will is to make Cha Yeowoon happy. The thing is, Myungha is such a genuinely nice person. Not only that, but he is also super bad ass. So we have a cutie, bad ass and a sweet heart on top of of that. He doesn’t judge anyone, he is caring and he is supportive.
It is not perfect, some things did confuse me a little. That being said, it is such a worth watch, in my opinion. I saw the ‘twist’ at the end coming, but it didn’t hurt any less. The drama started cute and sweet, then proceeded to destroy me and rebuild me. I already feel the need to rewatch it,

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Game changer

I was really impressed with this. Extended run time and clever plot tackling themes of homophobia and mental health. Lead actors who show a convincing range of emotions and intimacy. People might claim the MDL rating is over-inflated but in the context of LGBT+ representation and the limited budget, this is one of the best. I didn't see the plot twist at the end coming, so that is testament to the story. It gets better as each episode goes on.

I saw some reviews that criticised the fantasy plot-line and found it a distraction. I disagree. I think it is refreshing to watch an LGBT+ series with a developed and distinctive plot. Representation is important but I want to see both: LGBT+ romance and a clever, engaging drama that does not skirt around important issues. This series delivers on both fronts. Hopefully this will encourage studios to consider a 12 episode, 1 hour format.

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