Dramas/Specials Completed In 2023

Overall a cute and easy watch. Not without its flaws, but I can overlook most of them. I liked the chemistry between the leads, and the intense dental products placement was borderline funny. If this is bromance, it sure is bromance in overdrive.

Highs: the cinematography, the growing friendship of Chan Hong & Don Hyuk, the parents, that hug (!) and Lee Shin Youngs dialect. 

Lows: The disjointed storyline and wanting to tackle too many genres in so little time.

Some interesting comments and takes on what constitutes a normal marriage, individual happiness, pressure/expectations from society and social circles and alternative ways of being together as two people in love. But things start to drag and go in circles halfway through, and they could have optimized the whole ride (and made it less frustrating), if they had dropped three-four episodes. I swear, when they introduced the doppelganger "fruitless love" influencer, I almost lost it. 

Yes, the ML is unbelievably dense and a horrible communicator, but a stunningly handsome Sakaguchi with messy hair, glasses and weird sleeping patterns still manages to make the character mostly adorkable. Yes, FL is more open and direct, but her bad communication skills causes just as many unnecessary problems. 

Too bad all the misunderstandings end up taking so much time, that we hardly get to see these two being on the same page as a couple. Instead we get a weird, sudden shift between the leads as the FL withdraws and causes a new conflict and separation right when the ML finally gets it and starts expressing his feelings. The 2nd ML was such a green flag and honestly the better match for FL (better chemistry too) but at least he got his happy end as well. 

Shoutout to the cute squishy faced cat.

I'd like to order one Mr. T.O. with a massive scoop of Tanaka Maririn and please sprinkle a generous amount of Minegishi on top. My life would appreciate it. Thanks.

Art.

When they went for the second kiss in the rain, I wanted them so badly to stop. But then Yeon Woo slightly started to move his lips and I had a hopeful thought, they'd try harder and make it tolerable. Unfortunately his lips had stumbled right into Woo Jaes personal space, where passion comes to curl up & die, so we got awkward kiss take 2. 

I'd take lingering gazes, hands slightly touching.....a hug? or a smile? over these kisses. Any day, any show. I don't even need kisses, if there's chemistry. But they didn't even have that, and I shipped Yeon Woo with the manager from the beginning. 

Oh well, at least we got some nice scenery shots, a very long gratuitous look at Yeon Woos abs + a nice OST. "You in my Dream" sung by Oong is stunning!

This genre usually always delivers, if there's some heart and emotional gravity at its core.

Show had some nice action sequences. Especially one in a library, where a character burned a lot of calories. One major annoyance; all the constant waiting around for things to get worse, before anyone snaps out of it and moves. I know, it's ingrained in the genre and well, basic human instinct, but it kept happening over and over, making it impossible to let it slide.

12 episodes is more than enough, as some parts unfortunately still dragged. Best not to analyze the root cause of the situation and think about how it all adds up while watching, because it doesn't.

Archery, right up there with flamethrowers in terms of looking awesome.

Understated, heartfelt and unassuming slice-of-life. Show is so quiet and modest in tone and vibe, you almost forget to pay attention to the skillful writing, moving messages and solid acting. While I thought some of the themes were delivered a bit heavyhanded and didn't feel fully integrated with the story, I can mostly look past this. I was at one point hoping for another conclusion to the main leads' mutual stories, but the writer knew better, and I ended up really appreciating how the ending was handled.

There were quite a few highlights, but one that especially stuck with me, is the confrontation scene in the forest. I thought the long shot/wide shot was such an surprisingly effective choice for that scene. Usually, the camera would be right up in the faces of the actors, but here the distance worked wonders. It was risky to shoot one of the characters in the scene almost completely from the back. Especially given how emotionally heavy the dialougue was. But I was still moved without even seeing his facial expressions. Nicely done.

The part 2 that should never have been.

A romance/coming of age story with a darker undercurrent spotlighting mental health conditions, grief and accepting loss. Show delivered scene after scene of natural acting, outstanding chemistry and offbeat cinematography.

Whenever BL productions are released with a general quality this high, it really puts into perspective the number of other BL productions which appear to be pulled straight from the "manga/webtoon/manwha to live action"-assembly line, sprinkled with one or two idols, a nice OST and delivered neatly wrapped up to the streaming services.

Like most BL productions The Eighth Sense didn't have a huge budget. In addition it wasn't an adaptation and one of the main leads was casted right off the street not even having the advantage of being used to perform in front of a camera like idols turned actors are.

While show was rough around the edges (editing, scene transitions, parts of both dialogue and storytelling) with a few unfortunate drawbacks (episode 7, that one easy-breezy conflict resolution, the therapist), it greatly succeeded in showing the benefits of taking a few steps back from the assembly line. And what can be achieved when passion, sincerity, boldness and care is thrown into the mix. Watching this series felt like every single person, who was part of making it, signed up ready to bring their A-game.

Serious notes must be being taken in the industry with more recognition of, what sets not only The Eighth Sense, but other shows with similar high, but different qualities apart from the rest. It doesn't have to be all angsty, gritty, artsy or deal with heavy themes. It can be light, fluffy and polished, while still creating a full course meal out of a few basic ingredients. Our Dating Sim recently did just that. One great show is preferable to 20 run-of-the-mill ones. Even if it means slowing down the assembly line, these productions need to be handled with more intent, patience and care.

Definitely not the light and quick watch the number of episodes and cute poster would have anyone believe. This is slow-moving, emotional slice-of-life and then some. It takes 30-45 minutes before the show hits its stride, after which it becomes quite absorbing and touching.

Sota handles the role of Ichito well and is able to convey the quirks of the character without going overboard. Obviously, the plot revolves around Ichito, but it's mainly because of every other character and how their story connects to him, that he becomes interesting and engaging.

While the show revolves around compassion, connection and humanity, it also spotlights real issues and concerns about health care and how medical professionals can get stuck between their responsiblities towards their patients, personal lives and being part of an imperfect system.

A bit uneven, but overall a gratifying watch. Tissues are required (and lots of them) before going in.

Promising start, horrible finish, disappointing overall. Most memorable parts: Park Tae In's chiseled visuals and that cruel chocolate box double takedown.