A Breeze of Love (2023)

A Tightly Woven Cute Story.

Eight 16-20min episodes. The whole production is very well done and happily satisfying. The only weak link is the music, which was meh. Would highly recommend, though I probably won't re-watch frequently.

Tension is masterfully and evenly sustained as the present unfolds and the past is revealed (university and highschool). There's a lot of jumping back and forth but it was fairly easy to follow, especially once I recognized this visual clue: in flashbacks the boys wear a highschool uniform that has a blue and red pattern on the inside of their collars! If you see that, it's in the past.

The premise kind of felt like a Japanese BL; a fantastical take on something mundane that sets up a romance, almost like it’s fated. The feel of this series remains very Korean though; strong storytelling with great acting, lovely cinematography, and a well-written script with a lot of earnest and sweet moments. There is some angst but also communication (eventually) and a satisfying resolution.

The two leads have great chemistry and their yearning is tangible. Kisses are just pressed lips yet still manage to contain emotions and passion in their gentle sweetness.

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Cute but a little lackluster.

Honestly nothing major to say about A Breeze of Love. I think the story was wholesome and but I found myself a little bored even though it is only 8 episodes. It lacks in depth and is instead full of cheesiness and I didn't particularly find much chemistry between the characters.

I think it's a good one off or starter BL, or for someone looking for a surface level high school romance, but honestly nothing that special in my opinion. I'm not particularly fond of lingering shots of every single interaction which is where they lost me a little. I think it could've been improved maybe if we got more insight into Dong Wook's insomnia or a few less shots of silent sunlight scenes and more dialogue. Tell me why I was the most interested in the show during the basketball tournament.

So yeah, cute but a little lackluster.

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Liked the insomnia / sleeping concept, they should have exploited it more

This sweet sport BL set in university was not memorable but still super cute. I liked the insomnia topic and the solution found to it, it led to very charming scenes between the two main characters. The story is not very deep nor intricate, just a simple and relaxing watch. The flashbacks were incorporated in the right way to make the viewer really curious about what happened between the characters.

Chemistry-wise there were some good points between the male leads but overall it felt a bit too timid. Especially given the fact that both the sport and the sleeping concepts could lead to a lot of skinship, it was not exploited enough. Same for the kisses, it was very tame. The secondary characters also were totally bland.

Despite the fact that I liked the snippets of the OST spread through the series, it felt very strange in the way those were edited. The music feeling both too overpowering and on the nose at many moments while leaving me at other points with the impression there was not enough time to listen to it for the songs I liked...It was quite jarring and strange. Other than that, I found the rain sequences and summery vibe enjoyable.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a short and sweet BL in a university setting with some sport element. It is cute but not really memorable and I think they could have done better in terms of chemistry as well as exploiting the insomnia/sleeping concept that led to some charming scenes.

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A little confusing but still sweet

It’s a story about two boys who knew each other in high school and ended up parting ways, but they meet each other again at university. It’s a meet again, second chance and enemies to lovers story. The plot is nothing very special, but it’s a cliché I always love to see. It was also nice that the main couple were in focus and the support characters were there to help their story progress. There was no other extra plot lines besides the main couple’s, which means the two got enough screen time for us to really see their story develop.

However, the plot ended up being a bit messy and confusing, so I had a hard time following what happened at times. I especially struggled with the flashbacks as they don’t really seem to be following each other in a chronological order. And I ended up unsure as to what exactly happened between the two in the past. Certain episodes did appear quite choppy too. But I did like the fact that there was a clear difference between the flashbacks and present; the school uniforms made it easy to differentiate, and the screen size changed too.

Lee Do Hyun & Ban Dong Wook: I found the two adorable, it was very easy to see that the two like each other. Dong Wook appeared to be quite cold at times which was explained by his lack of sleep; something I found a bit of a lazy way out for his change later. Do Hyun is a basketball player and that was pretty much all that his personality was reduced to. I might be overexaggerating a bit, but it really felt like that at times. I do wish that we had a clearer look into what exactly happened between the two in the past as that would have made it easier to understand their present. Neither of the two is good at communication, obviously, but I expected that. The chemistry between the two actors was nice, I loved how the two characters looked at each other. The kisses were not the best we have seen, but they also weren’t the worst.

I liked their friends. Kim Hye In was sweet, I liked how she wasn’t an ex or a jealous wanna-be girlfriend, but their actual friend. She was supportive of all of her friends, keeping their secrets and not judging them. Yang Seung Joo kept looking at Do Hyun with hearts in his eyes, his feelings were obvious from the start. I do like how that part of the storyline was carried out. He made the right choice.

There was a hint at a possible new couple at the end, so I am curious if they are planning some sort of a spin off.

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A Binge-Worthy Feel Good Series!

Well, I don't think I need to elaborate much. It was surprisingly a good watch. I haven't seen the two leads before nor have I heard of them but for amateurs, they did a pretty convincing job.
The story of course isn't something new, I mean for a high school/college-themed BL I suppose you don't need to complicate it anyway. You will get the usual cliche BL tropes but everything balances out cz the two leads have amazing chemistry.
It's a short series that will make you smile ear to ear at the end.
Can be watched in one sitting cz the episodes are only around 15-20 minutes each. It'll surely boost your serotonin levels and will leave you wanting more.

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An OK simple watch that is comforting but not unique.

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

“A Breeze of Love” is a short Korean BL about two students reuniting in college after their friendship was halted and parted ways in high school on an unhappy note. There’s tension when they reunite again in college. The story is simple and easy to follow. Don’t really expect plot twists or anything out of the ordinary. In a way, this is simple and comforting. There are some cute and sweet scenes of longing looks and shy smiles. The chemistry between the leads is pretty good and the acting is decent. There’s a very small supporting cast which doesn’t take away screen time from the leads.

I enjoy finding out their high school days through flashbacks and didn’t think they were too confusing. However, I would have loved to see more depth to the present-day relationship. Do Hyun is obviously upset with Dong Wook when they reunite, and for legit reasons. But he seems to have forgotten all these reasons after the basketball game. Even though Dong Wook tried to barge into his life, Do Hyun didn’t seem to put up much of a fight after the initial episode or two. I wanted a little more resistance. The time they spend together doesn’t involve much talking or conversations of substance. I guess they communicate through 1 vs 1 basketball scrimmages, and being next to each other is enough for them. I am the one that wanted more. And what is the cause of Dong Wook’s insomnia? Why is Do Hyun the sleeping pill? Is it just because Dong Wook likes Do Hyun and feels comfortable and relaxed around him?

It’s weird how I feel that the drama is too short and couldn’t explore more of the relationship, yet most of the last episode also feels like a filler. Why introduce the water boy in the very end and try to pair him up with a supporting character? Is there going to be a spin-off about them?

If you don’t think too much and just go with the flow and the feel of the drama, this is a very lovely watch.


Completed: 9/15/2024 - Review #486

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Webtoon disconnect

UPDATE 2/19/2024
I attempted to come back to give it another go since I am reading the webtoon now.

Usually, I allow a little bit of disappointment when a Korean BL is based on a webtoon. However, this series disappointed me more than “A Shoulder To Cry On”. I get that a lot of the times these kind of adaptations leave out the good parts of the webtoon so you can go read it. But this KBL feels so different from the webtoon that I had to fast forward to get some livelihood. Even then the series is so slow that it was boring.

Why is it that so many of these school KBLs are formulaic as Thai school BLs. Here is the formula:
1. Boy likes boy but is afraid to confess
2. Boys have misunderstanding
3. Boy goes on to think he has one sided feelings
4. Boys loose contact with each other for years because one moves away
5. Random meet up years later in same school/class
6. Misunderstanding continues with poor communication
7. Third party likes one of the boys
8. Kissing/skinship leads to more confusion and misunderstanding
9. Someone helps clarify the confusion as one party decides to leave again
10. Misunderstanding is clear up and they finally get together.

I’ve read too many of these in Webtoons but never at this boring pace. I definitely think this is for a much younger audience of schoolgirls who see chemistry because anytime two boys kiss it’s chemistry. But for me this isn’t chemistrying.



3 MONTHS AGO
I might have to come back and rewatch this solely on the 8.3 rating of this series. Maybe I am missing something here because I was excited to watch another KBL. I really liked Jun and Jun because despite the lack of plot, the acting and chemistry was really good. I am pretty open minded and tolerate of KBLs if you give me visuals with good chemistry, I will watch it.

That being said, I really want to watch this but I can’t. Maybe it is the slow pacing or it is my of the plot, something didn’t click. This is a very short series was released in one hot, I didn’t get there storyline. I found the characters to be annoying and the lack of chemistry to be too painful to watch. I skimmed through this short series because I thought the second half would be better. Nope, it didn’t get any better.

Maybe I wasn’t in the right mindset when I watch this so I will rewatch it again and come back with a revised review if I can see why it got a 8.3 rating.

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Worth your time!

(WARNING: BAD ENGLISH)
First of all is the plot. To me, I think the storyline is easy to get a grasp of since it is fresh and kind of vivid (?).The characters are well-developed, as well as their inner thoughts/selves are quite about right too. The main conflict is solved properly and gradually without any rush or timeskip, leaving satisfaction and pleasure. And the improvement in both of the main leads' behavioural thoughts are reasonable, which made the serie great. But if you do go out your way to compare the drama with the original manhwa which is adapted from, you will notice very obvious differences. In the manhwa, Dohyun is what you consider a "typical Korean manhwa bottom", with fragile looks and mediorce personality, especially being openly gay. Whilst in the drama, he appears to be tougher, more strong-willed and manlier in some ways. Donwook is no exception, in the manhwa he is your Korean daddy with sexy muscles, but in the drama he is your Labrador Retriever and seems to be more docile and calmer too. So, if you are looking for a common, not-so-special manhwa then "Weather Forecast Love" is for you. I personally prefer the drama more because there is more depth to it. I'm glad the plot got added in so much more things.

Next is the acting. Both of the actors got their jobs done so well, left no crumbs. The chemistry is not so crazy, but it is there, enough to satisfy the viewers. The characters' emotions and feeling were portrayed gracefully and so well that it is easier to understand once you really get your mind into it. Not to mention both of the leads were such gentlemen! Love their looks so much. Sadly, I tried to find a live or an interview featuring the two actors but there were none, kinda let me down. But even without promotions like that, this serie still blew up so you get how good it is. The great cinematography showed their feelings with good angles too.

And then comes the music. This drama is like any other well-made drama, contains soft, sweet music to blend in with the soft scenes. Overall I think the musical arrangement is fine and nothing much to say.

To sum up, "A breeze of love" is totally going to my rewatch list. A smooth, well-done storyline with gorgeous actors and amazing cinematography are all there are. Definitely recommending this to my fellow BL fans.

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Blowing a pleasant breeze of young love

It kind of feels average, but I salute the balance of giving us decent BLs with captivating visuals and a plot that is good enough to satisfy the viewers. It wasn’t as great as I was expecting it to be, maybe because of how the main couple took longer for their love to only bloom during the finale. I liked the tension of the enemy-to-romance troupe but this is a short drama that I badly hoped for an early access to love progress.

Nevertheless, no one can’t deny the fact that the cast perfectly does their best to give life to their characters. The amount of visuals is insane, and I easily fell in love with them. Giving the second lead a proper ending is the best decision of the production. They also hinted at a possible sequel that may focus on his romance.

The finale is certainly the best episode. I didn’t expect that they would almost draw a daring scene during the scene that involves sitting in bed, the ice, and asking if one wants to see the other one’s underwear. Ending them in kisses is fine but as said before, I am demanding more since the couple have the right chemistry and it is a pity not to utilize it in the show.

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