Love in the Big City (2024)

No tears left after this one >.<

This is a very realistic, thought-through, and provocative K-drama. A TV series like that was honestly very needed these days. Did I cry all my tears? Yes. But did I come out of this journey of a series so much more enriched? Also yes. So did I regret watching it? Absolutely not. I'm so happy that this series also sort of embodied the queer community's fight against a still so homophonic Korea, and may I say, we definitely won this battle because this is a gem of a show, and I hope as many people as possible will watch it.
Ps. I really admire Nam Yoon (the ML actor) for taking on this role; not only is this his first gay role (for an already affirmed actor), but it is also a hell of a gay role. I bet many, many other "BL actors" wouldn't have the guts to accept a difficult and delicate (also carrier-wise) role like this one.

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just .. wow

This was such an emotional rollercoaster, but damn what a ride. I knew going into this, it had to be something special, because Nam Yoon Su was so adamant he wanted to play this role, you won’t go all out on a whim. And dang he was right.
The story grabbed me by the throat and never let go. There were moments I laughed so hard, others that made me cry. But the writing was so good, I’ll be out looking for the book now.
And Yoon Su.. thank you. For being willing to translate the words and ideas of this character into this beautiful drama. I hope you win many awards for this one cause you deserve it.

Now all I need to know is… do we get a season two? 🥹🥹🥹

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Simply remarkable

Finally an intelligent series/drama! With a real story. With real dialogues. With an exceptional acting, Nam Yoon Su in particular. When he smiles, all of Seoul lights up. Love is the permanent quest but the extraordinary faithful friendship is there. And on the top of all these emotions, there is the humor. We laugh often. but never at the expense of certain characters like in Thai or Filipino series. There are no caricatures, just the real life of a young queer man in Seoul, Just the real life of a son facing his dying mother but still reluctant to accept the life of his only son. And the emotion that underlies the whole episode 7, the escapade with a passing lover, totally highjacked by the imperishable and joyful memory, in love with his story with his great love, Gyu Ho and their stay in this same city.
Addictive and deep, brilliant, radiant and funny.
I will now read Sang Toung Park's novel and wait for the film to come out on American screens... It's hard to leave this character of Ko Yeong.

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A series with heart and hope

I don't like series with an attitude of "in-your-face" regarding sex. It's a question of personal taste. Due to a series of circumstances, I had gathered that "Love in the Big City" would be sex-driven. A prejudiced view or not, I opted for not watching it.
Following the attempted censorship by conservative groups, I decided to be a part of the resistance: to support the series and watch it.
As such, a thank you is provided towards the conservative groups that attempted censorship: my world was made more open thanks to you.

"Love in the Big City", the series, is a series with heart and hope at its core. It's a kind of bildungsroman, a series where we watch the protagonist grow up. Yes, Ko Yeong may be deemed a narcissist, a very difficult person. That may be true, and yet Yeong is also very human, capable of kindness and warmth. He's not a role model, and the trauma he carries takes its toll on how he engages with the world.
But, from episode 1 to episode 8, there is growth. Even if this growth may not reach the standards of before. In the world we live in growth is difficult. The series addresses that.

I was preoccupied that this would be an "Americanized" series. For those of us who are from the Western part of the world, part of the charm and interest in Asian media may be its difference in tone and, overall, ways of addressing social relations. While, yes, there is a pertinent argument to be made on this series' focus on sex, this belongs mainly to the initial episodes - even then, sex is generally understood within the contexts of relationships. Those who navigate social media have been bombarded with the salacious aspect of the series, so one could be excused for mistakenly thinking this is all about sex - or only about that.
So, yes, there is this liberating aspect of being able to transgress the strict boundaries regarding depictions of sex between two men. This must be acknowledged.
Even more so, that the series is not limited to this. In this, the provocative aspects of the trailer and interviews and other promotional material is only that: provocative, to engage with this feeling of breaking boundaries.
The series is more complex than that.

I think it's a must-watch experience, even for those who feel squeamish, even for those who are particularly sensitive to certain depictions of sex/sexuality.
It's a humanizing experience.

Kudos must be given to the cast. In particular, Nam Yoon Su, who seems to have been made to play Ko Yeong. It will be a travesty of epic proportions if this man isn't showered with all of the prizes and then some. He incarnates Yeong to an extent that is unbelievable.
Equally Jin Ho Eun, who is perfect in his role.
There are several instances throughout the series where I found myself wondering at the details: the gasps; certain touches, certain movements; small decisions that seem to me to have been informed by the actors themselves. These characters are embodied by these actors. These actors have understood something in these characters, they have connected to some very important, basic truths regarding who these characters are.
Yoon Su and Ho Eun lead a stellar cast in providing us a lesson on acting.

The cinematography is beautiful, and sometimes I felt I was watching a movie. This is the power of the image, to capture a certain state, a certain emotion, with the impetus not to lie but rather to communicate a very powerful truth. A poignancy.

Again, I return to the overall feeling that Yeong is this flawed character. He sometimes acts peevishly, immaturely. But we are not being led to glorify his behaviors, of whatever sort they may be. Relationships start and then they crumble, in many different ways. In the horizon there is hope for reconnecting with a desired lover who was thought to be lost; or perhaps not, maybe that won't happen. Many of us wouldn't be able to support Yeong in our lives; or perhaps, only in very small dosages.

"Love in the Big City" stands tall for its portrayal of characters who love but may not understand love; who suffer yet hide their suffering. Who try to cope sometimes in not the best, or perhaps even healthiest, of ways.
But this is not programmatic; the series isn't trying to show us what is right or wrong.

It gives us a glimpse into this particular world. And in this, I felt I have learned something precious and important.

In particular, I want to recommend episodes 5 and 8. These are my most favorite, true works of art.

So, thank you to those who sought to censor this. In a sarcastic move, may I be made aware of what's to be on the censorship list next? I want to support that too.

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Masterpiece

Love in The Big City is a true work of art, a series that is both stunningly beautiful and profoundly moving. The creators masterfully portray the complexities of life, painting a vivid picture of love, loss, joy, and sorrow.

The show's exploration of romance is both idealistic and grounded in reality. The characters' love story is a captivating tale of passion and devotion, but it is also infused with a sense of melancholy and longing. The ability of the writers and directors to capture the bittersweet nature of human relationships is truly remarkable.

Moreover, LITBC is a significant television series due to its historical context. It is a movement of revolution, inspiring viewers to question societal norms and strive for a better future.

In conclusion, it is a masterpiece. It is a series that celebrates the beauty and complexity of life, while also serving as a catalyst for change.

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Promising and dynamic

(This was after episode 2). So far this has been a candid portrayal of modern youth both heterosexual and gay. The uncertainties, the joys, the friendships, the sadness of irrevocable mistakes...all these occurred in just the first two episodes. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series. Without being overly graphic we're given a glimpse of how it feels to be gay in a society that is very traditional. Even those that were critical of this series would say "well done".

(Continuation of review after completion.)
I binge watched this series. It is indeed a masterpiece!
This was a unique series...a bl with "slice of life" moments. I loved the friend group that remained supportive throughout the series. There were so many variations of an eventually failed relationship. I think the flashbacks in Bangkok of Go Young's romantic relationship was enlightening. The lantern scene seems to indicate his deep love for his boyfriend which would imply he released him from their relationship when he moved to China to pursue career opportunities. However, from a different perspective whether a relationship is heterosexual or gay a long-term relationship is going encounter struggles and varying degrees of excitement. Any healthy relationship requires nurturing, compromise and communicating. It seemed sad that in a passive way none of the gay romantic relationships portrayed a healthy loving long term one. It seems that all of the relationships were transitory and brief except the four friends. This movie definitely made you reflect and, also, included the element of risk in unprotected sex. After recovering from the sadness of the ending, I think rewatching this would bring discoveries of new aspects in the story. This brought the "bl" of this movie to a different level. I guess what I'm trying to say it was superbly produced and ended up being a drama more than a typical "bl" series.

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Worth it!

I am not even surprised by the ending. I don't know if I like it. However, it feels very realistic, and I think many people can relate to it. Besides the ending, let's talk about the production and acting. Holy Cow, every single cast member on the show did an incredible job, and I would like to mention that none of them were cringy! This is how a BL is done. I also want to give the stylist some credit. Their outfits were fantastic. They all looked great at all times. I wish Korea would make more BLs like that because they know how to work chemistry between the leads. It's an incredible show, whether you like the ending or not.

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Wholesome

What can I say about this? This series hits different as this shows the real life experience of a gay/queer man, this is so relatable I experienced the same exact experience of Go young (except having Kylie on me Im negative) in this big city. You will meet a lot of people specially guys and will experience a lot including happiness,love,pain and all of that. I just love how the series ends, it shows a true situation of a gay man who’s regretting and realized things but his hope for finding the love again is still there even if he’s tired and make a lot of wrong decisions. This is so realistic, unlike any other series that has a fictional storyline and always happy ending story. This series is not sad for having a bad story of something this is sad because it shows the real life experience of gay man, I cried because I can relate to young I felt the lost of someone bc you need to let them go, and in the end you just need to hope that someday someone will come and give you the love that you deserved. I really like Gyu and young to have a sequel even if just one special episode or movie that shows Gyu’s pov how he felt and how was he when they broke up and went to china because we saw young’s pov after their break up. And I was hoping in the end that they will be happy together I just feel bad because they love it other they deserve to find each other again after realizing what’s lacking in their relationship. Im not expecting for S2 and such because in the book they have the same ending as the series. But im hoping they could make atleast a movie or one episode that shows gyu’s pov 🥹

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Rewatching Immediately

I just finished this series today. It took every fiber of my being to not binge it all when it first dropped. I wanted so badly to watch it in its entirety but also didn’t want it to be over too soon. This series is a masterpiece. I’ve read the book on which it is based and remember liking it but now - in addition to rewatching the series - I will immediately be rereading the book. The cast is pitch perfect, the filming style is naturalistic yet romantic, and my favorite bits are whenever the group of friends are on screen. I cannot recommend this show enough and I hope it receives all of the acclaim it very much deserves.

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