Seoul Blues (2024)

Needs more creativity in story telling

Pretty much the same story as their others. The formula is the same, they discover they have feelings, kiss, they get together, someone kisses someone else, they break up then get back together during the last 3 minutes of the final episode, and end with a kiss. They need to go back to the story board and think of other stories they can tell that doesn't involve cheating. And also not have the same actor playing the same bad guy role.

The production quality is good and the acting is superb just needs to be more creative with the story telling. If this is your disputation of gay life then you're putting a negative cogitation on gay culture and gay relationships.

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Why is it sooo bad?

Oh my god, that script.
I can't help it but thinking this is script has nothing to do with real gay life.

A man confessed to a boy (just visually, not implying the boy is not a man) and the man get a confession from a girl and then decided to date her even when he is loving that boy. Where does that happen? In a heterosexual woman writers fantasy? Then all the drama with the ex who is just an asshole happens and it felt sooooooo forced. And then they cut kissing scenes especially in the finale where the kiss is part of the story. While I have no problem with cutting fan-service, it's a no go if it is relevant to the story.

So overall I feel sad for the actors who did their best, even if they are inexperienced and felt a bit stiff at times. We can only hope the next series will be more realistic and not just fantasy. It's not the worst show this year but still bad alone from the storytelling. If you have not seen it, you can safely skip it.

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Worth the watch but....

Sukfilm has struck gold with their actors. They deliver in every performance from Blue Boys/Bad Guy/Seoul Blues. If you are a looking for short piece to relax after a long day, go for it. Usually between 8.5 - 11 min per episode. It's on a very low budget but the scenes are shot in a way that it's not a hindrance but an asset. They make the viewers feel a part of the conversation as it's very intimate.

While the storyline is very formulative, it can be thought provoking at times. Should they or shouldn't they? As with this series, should Dae Yeoung not have cheated on Jeong Ha? Should Dae Yeoung have easily walked away from Do Jin? Was Min Ji a pawn? Was Jeong Ha the catalyst for the series of events? Should Jeong Ha have forgiven him?

Let me explain:
Dae Yeoung cheated because he wanted some sort of closure and answer for his disappearance. He was still hurt and having been with Do Jin for a long period, he had lingering feelings for him. He previously thought this was the person for him so it will be hard to let go. You can love 2 people at the same time. Do Jin was selfish, greedy and a great manipulator. He set out to destroy Dae Yeoung's relationship to get him back.

Min Ji was used but she put herself in that position. She saw from the beginning how close Dae Yeoung and Jeong Ha were, even hinting at it. Yet, she chose to reach for something that was out of her grasp. By asking one to be in a relationship, wouldn't she have eventually broken their bond? Dae Yeoung knew and should have done better.

Had Jeong Ha been honest with himself from the beginning, the events would have been different. Their friendships would have changed but Min Ji would have respected it. Had Jeong Ha not let his ego be stroked by Do Jin and listened to Dae Yeoung, he would have saved himself a world of hurt. Reflecting on the part Dae Yeoung played in his life and his own failings, he chose to forgive.

I like how more complex the characters are becoming. No easy answers. The script writer on the other hand needs help. It's becoming too obvious what the next words would be and nothing new is learnt. Women can be supporters and not only antagonist or manipulative. Cheating is always a dividing subject but not the only one. Social disparities, abuse, mental health, etc There are other stories to be told.

Overall it was a nice series. The actors chemistry is there with better storylines, it can grow.

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Great actors. Good music. Okay story.

Loved the actors/acting and loved the music. The story/plot was their weakest point but it's not bad. I thought it was okay. Just needs some work. The actors and the music are what bumps this from an 'okay' series to to a 'good' one for me.

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● REVIEW
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LIKES:
--The OST is very nice. I've always been a fan of the music SUKFILM uses and how they enhance the emotions of the scenes. Hopefully they release the soundtracks list soon.
--The actors and acting is also very good. I enjoy the chemistry and acting a lot.
--This relates back to the actors and acting. Although I may not agree with certain actions or allowing certain actions to happen, at the very least, I could understand the characters' emotions due to how well they were portrayed
--Although Dae Young cheated on Min Ji, at the very least, he confessed right away after it happened instead of hiding it. That's kind of a low bar, but I'm willing to give them some credit for that. They could've dragged that out or lie to her some more, but they didn't.
--The series was short enough that there wasn't really anything that made me feel annoyed or bored. I think the length worked in its favor in that aspect. Although, I also wouldn't mind a longer series for more character/plot development.

DISLIKES:
--I don't mind cheating in plots. However, when the same character cheats more than once, it becomes hard to root for the character or become attached to them, especially when it is a main character. It's hard to like a series when you can't sympathize with a character because they let the same mistakes repeat. I'm not taking too much points away for this as the acting/emotions during those kiss scenes with the ex were done well.
--Initially, the story sets up the friendship as being very important to Jeong Ha, but it didn't feel like such a big deal when we never saw Min Ji again. We could've focus on the friendship more and maybe the guys trying to reach out to Min Ji after the fallout. Instead, we just moved on to the next plot about the ex, making it seem like preserving the 10 year friendship was not really that important.
--There are some extended kiss scenes/dialogue that are behind a paywall. I'm not actually taking points away for this, but I felt the need to mention it as a dislike =P

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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It Is What It Is! Nothing More! I LOVED it!

Frankly, I am astonished this series has gotten such poor to mediocre reviews. I loved it. I loved it for two reasons. First, it tells a full story, albeit short and sweet but to the point. Sure, its brevity is both a hinderance and an asset. I wish there would have been greater character development. Nonetheless, this mini-BL accomplished more in a short period of time than most droning on-and-on BLs characteristically do. It had a beginning, middle, and a fine end. Secondly, we saw flawed characters. These are not individuals who are straight from the trope play book. In some sense, they are not at all likeable individuals, yet they are so relatable to who we are as people. In other words, they are untruthful, blemished, and maybe disingenuous. Traits, I am afraid, we all share at one time or another in our lives.

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Will we ever retire the "he-who-must-not-be-named" ex. Why can't ppl just say "this is my ex, so-and-so"?! Why do we have to pretend not to know each other and give vague warnings like "he's a bad guy", "don't see him again". Wouldn't it be easier and make actual sense to tell your new love that they just met your nasty ex and this is why that person shouldn't be trusted blindly? I'm sick of it, it's stupid, it's not how adults behave. Stop it!

Didn't love that Dae Yeong started dating Min Ji. I don't think he wanted to hurt her, i think he wanted to rush himself in getting over Jeong Ha and make him jealous, and Min Ji was the quickest and safest way he could accomplish those goals. He didn't think it through, which happens to a lot of us, and their little trio was obliterated. More episodes could've given us some redemption for him, but the series was too short for us to see him learning any lessons. He is selfish to the third power, and he stayed that way. He even let his ex kiss him more than once. He helped in the end, but he shouldn't have been forgiven so easily for that crap with his ex, and certainly not for willfully using Min Ji after they'd all been friends for a decade. He should've had a talk with Min Ji before he allowed things to progress with Jeong Ha...and not because 20-somethings should be so mature, but because they'd been friends for a decade! This group seemed more like ppl who just knew each other for ten years. I mean, how could Jeong Ha not know about someone Dae Yeong dated for a year and who broke his heart? This group wasn't as close as the show would have us believe.

Jeong Ha is not responsible for anyone else's actions, but he could've accepted his responsibility for how things played out. Again, he's not to blame, but he played a role. He should have been honest about his feelings for Dae Yeong and he should have asked calmly why Dae Yeong didn't want him to be around Do Jin. I've had it with this kindergarten-level communication. Sit down and talk to each other, and use names and proper nouns and verbs and complete sentences!!! These dramas treat communication like a game of charades.

The OST for this little drama is amazing!

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Blue Boys + Bad Guy

Oh.. they really need to invest in some writers..

Let's get this out of the way, we're not here for substance or depth, while it is entirely possible to make it with just eight episodes, that's not why you watch this.

This is a whole lot of drama, a whole lot. That, plus some good chemistry is the equation for this series.
And obviously Blue Boys + Bad Guy
Take the story of Bad Guy, but replace ex with best friend, and then add the story of Blue Boys part 2 to this. It doesn't make much sense just reading it, but you can make the parallels as you watch.

All the aspects were the same, there's always three or more people in the relationship, one person always ends up getting hurt, there's definitely morally questionable relationship behavior and of course, a ton of drama. Watch it for the drama and you just may enjoy it, but it's hard when you've watched two other series just like it right before you watched this.

I will say, the chemistry itself scored a couple of extra points from me, and hey, at least this time they didn't have a weirdly ambiguous ending.. who am I kidding? It was.. it was weirdly open ended even though it wasn't.

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The plot could be better

Predictable plot, nothing new to keep us on edge.

Low budget and you could clearly see that from the places they were filming but the angles were good so it wasn't that bad. The script was mediocore but the performance was enhancing. There was A LOT of unessesary drama that could be avoided if they all were honest with what they wanted (although you can't completely do that in 8 short episodes, about 8-12 minutes per episode), but it had a complete storyline with no unanswered questions.

Jung Ha was so keen on protecting their friendship with Min Ji at the start but it seems to be forgoten when he and Dae Young get together, which was somewhat infuriating .

The chemistry was on a whole other level so it made the series more enjoyable. There is little -almost none- character development though they presented flawed characters that made an effort to be better, so it made it relatable for the watcher to see because noone is perfect.

The soundtarck list was superb (I'm still searching for a particular song and for the life of me I can't find it anywhere)

It's worth watching if you want to binge watch something short.

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How to lose lifelong friends?

Lie and cheat!

I love messed up characters! And here I was served well and in abundance!

The plot is complicated: three lifelong friends, two men and a woman, meet only occasionally now that they are adults. One man confesses to the other one but is rejected because he does not want to ruin their friendship. On the rebound, the first man accepts the woman's confession. But it does not work. The men end hooking up eventually. The friendship is ruined. The first guy's ex appears and breaks them up.

I watched the cut version and again, it was confirmed to me that in order to follow a story, NC scenes are not necessary. I can get a hint: the heads get closer, lips touch and the next scene is them cuddling in bed....it is up to me to fill in the blanks and it is pretty much obvious!

The production is very, very low budget: sets are limited, colours are pale and cold, there are no extras. But the soundtrack is exceptional: there are some beautiful songs there!

The plot is too much for such a short drama and the second part in particular needed more time to develop. The ex seems like a real psycho only to be shown as cute and end up a coward: too much of an inconsistent character.

Moreover, the subs are not that good so I failed to comprehend what the ex tried to achieve with his last antic: posting a fake story accusing himself of being under influence. I think....

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wished for a better plot for these great actors (watch suggestions)

Overall: SUKFILM does some things really well such as chemistry/tension. However, the love triangles/cheating bog the series down. Aired 8 episodes about 10 minutes each https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYfaogVGCvwQ_32A8H9oWjdEtXVTWcrja&si=212BSBvITHARKx3G I am watched the cut version, the uncut has longer kissing scenes.

Content Warning: dub con kissing turned consensual?, non con kiss, manipulation, unwanted public outing

Watch Suggestions (to avoid cheating. love triangles and an evil ex)
- watch episode 1 and end it at 9:55
- skip episode 2
- watch episode 3 beginning to 45s, 5:15-7:40, 9:35-end
- watch episode 4 beginning to 1m and 6:40-end
- stop episode 5 at 2 minutes
- skip episodes 6 & 7
- watch episode 8 7:40-end

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry/tension
- visuals
- sweet moment with the first aid
- music (except that the singing was too loud during scenes with dialog)
- a character actually had a decent plan in episode 8

Room For Improvement
- the cliched woman character (which I think has appeared in all 3 of their BLs)
- one character is kind of a jerk/cheater (this is also a running theme in their BLs)
- I can't really be happy with the couple because I don't trust that there won't be cheating in the future

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