ALL HURT & NO COMFORT

This series looks at love through rose-tinted glasses and calls it a day. Emotionally manipulative and angsty, this BL tries so hard to make you root for one of the main characters but fails hilariously.

STORY & CHARACTERS: There's nothing new or unique about this story. You've seen this shtick before in most breakup dramas. The common tropes of moving back to the childhood village, reuniting with the past lover, and having the main love interest chase the other stubbornly - have all been used before, but that's not the problem. These predictable tropes aren't really the story's downfall. It's the fact that the mystery of the break-up was recycled from the first season. The themes of insecurity and low self-esteem were already the major conflicts in S1.

Season 2 was basically the same thing, but with higher budget and more unnecessary characters that got more screentime than the two main characters.

There's no plot twist here, folks. One of the main characters (Ji Woo) is literally just the carbon copy of his S1 persona. He did not develop at all, but just regressed to a more selfish coward who spews hypocrisy and hate every time he opens his mouth. He verbally abuses Seo Joon, the other main character but asks for comfort from the latter ("please hug me"-ep 10) when he's the one who finally gets rejected.

This is endless angst with Ji Woo consistently hurting Seo Joon for 7 episodes:

First strike: JW knew that SJ has extreme emotional trauma from being abandoned by his parents, and yet he still abandoned SJ without a proper goodbye on his birthday.

Second strike: Every chance he gets or in all their interactions, JW sees it fit to hurl emotional abuse & insulting words to SJ. SJ did not do anything wrong in this relationship. Even with his his exhausting schedule, SJ still makes time to see JW. Sometimes, he only sleeps for two hours just so he can hang out with JW. SJ neglects his health and his own friends for JW.

Third strike: JW let SJ sleep in that brutally cold camper van for DAYS because he couldn't summon enough humanity to be kind to the person he proclaimed he loves.

Fourth strike (and the most hurtful): JW slept with SJ, and told SJ the morning after that they could continue this "fuckbuddy" relationship. That was the lowest blow, and you could really see the exact moment SJ's face falls at the implication.

TLDR: This series has no heart. It tries so hard to tell a deep, idealistic story by making everyone cry their heart out in the dark (seriously, the lighting is so bad. I can barely see anything), but it doesn't quite make it because it's hard to get past the baseless cruelty & hurt. There is NO justifiable excuse for JW's behavior- of him emotionally scarring someone just because he himself is feeling lonely & isolated.

JW's pain & chosen isolation are understandable. His mental instability is not his fault. Choosing to break off a relationship is not a sin nor should it be condemned. He has every freedom to do so, but nothing can ever excuse or justify every single hurtful word and behavior JW chose to throw at SJ.

FINALE: There's no comfort or genuine resolution in this story. It isn't realistic or even idealistic at all. Nobody would want to have this kind of relationship filled with inequality & insincerity. In the end, the writers will try to put a band-aid on all the emotional trauma & abuse, but it's simply not enough. Strong angst & decent acting, but not much else. This love story is as shallow and insincere as Ji Woo's love for Seo Joon. Truly a tearjerker but for all the wrong reasons. 5/10

Read More

Unique and Unforgettable

The only reason why this drama is not a perfect ten for me is because I probably would not watch the first half of episode 1 again, so the rewatch value isn't perfect. But everything else is freakin' dope in my humble opinion.

STORY: The writing is strong, and the plot unique. With the overflow of romance dramas in S.Korea, it's terribly hard to find a gem like this. This drama deals with exorcism (both the Christian and the shamanic exorcism), with very unique Korean traits. Even though the atmosphere is mostly dark and gruesome, the mystery and the characters' relationships pull you in. It has no romance at all, but the very strong family and friendship ties (*cough bromance cough*) make this story a lot more valuable and compelling.

There is foreshadowing in almost every episode, with some red herrings thrown here and there, but most would still point out to the crux of the mystery. My most favorite foreshadowing happened on Ep 8 where the main character, Hwa Pyung woke up in jail. The drunk guy next to him was murmuring something in his sleep, saying "It's all your fault. It's all you."

I'd never think that this scene would mean so much. It's just a passing comment meant to wake up our main character. But it actually does mean a lot for the ultimate twist in the end. There's a lot more foreshadowing that I appreciate (i.e. Yukgwang's fate revealed in Ep 2 and the death of crows in Ep 4, etc. ), but the "jail scene" above is my absolute favorite.

In my opinion, the ability to integrate a lot of meaningful foreshadowing to the story definitely shows the strength of the script. It shows that the people involved are not just shooting arrows into random baskets. They actually know where the story is going, and that's what makes this drama more substantial and impactful.

CHARACTERS: Aside form the strong story, the other thing I like most about this drama is its CHARACTERS. We're not only talking about the perfect casting but also how the story broke all stereotypes for all the main leads:

Psychic Taxi Driver Hwa Pyung - Despite the incredible childhood trauma this guy has experienced, he still remained kindhearted and open minded. His past is so dark and desperate, but his attitude is still sunny and laid back. He's also very gutsy and reckless. And very brave to a fault. He'll do anything to save a life. Not one to be bothered by any formalities, he'd always say what's on his mind. A very capable psychic but a very lousy taxi driver though. He never completed a single trip for any customer throughout the series.(smh)

Exorcist Priest Choi Yoon - TBH, even though this guy's a priest, that does not stop him from being the rudest and most straightforward person I've ever seen in any drama. Probably the most uptight one in the room, but still one of the most reliable friend to have around. But even with his poor bedside manners, he would still be the first one to literally sacrifice everything, including his priesthood and his life, to save people. Self-sacrificing to a fault and uncompromising.

Detective Gil Young - I loved that even though she’s the only female in the series, she isn’t no damsel in distress. In fact, she has the most action scenes in the story. Being the sole protector of the trio, this female lead's stubborn and brave. She's the muscle of the group also the brains, as her incredible intuition saves them most of the time. Has a huge problem with authority (according to her sunbae and chief), but an amazing detective nonetheless.

I also liked how all of them almost lost their jobs because of their mission. Actually, Hwa Pyung lost his taxi driver gig in he middle of the series; Choi Yoon almost lost his priesthood; and Detective Kang Gil Young was suspended and reprimanded a lot of times -- all because of their involvement in the capture and termination of the evil spirit, Park-Il-Do. I like how realistic it got, how it definitely affected and dominated all the aspects of their lives and relationships.

ACTING: Not only the main leads, but even the supporting and minor characters have strong acting chops, especially all the possessed characters. Their realistic acting gripped your attention from start to finish, allowing you to feel both sympathy and righteous indignation to all the people who have hurt them.

MUSIC: It's really hard to pick a favorite aspect of the show when everything is just mind-blowing. From the opening soundtrack to the background music- to the terrifying rhythms and melodies of the rituals and scenes- everything is just flawlessly created. This drama has my favorite track of all time - "Somewhere", which is just hauntingly beautiful. Both the original and memory version of the song has that bittersweet and melancholic feel to it. I simply love it.

REWATCH: I've already rewatched this series many times. So the rewatch value is still definitely high. I just steer clear of the first half of episode 1. Because that episode almost made me "nope" out of watching it, TBH. I persevered thankfully.

TLDR: This is, so far, the best Korean drama I've watched. It exceeded all my expectations. The fact that I wasn't even into horror and gore and it still drew me in episode after episode is a huge thing for me. Really impactful and memorable. I will never forget this series. Thank you OCN for such a wonderful series.

Read More

Inappropriately Comical

Finally finished this korean drama. Though I'm not into comedy, I decided to give this one a try because I enjoy these kind of themes (murder/mystery/crime), and it suprisingly has a higher average rating in mydramalist. But wow, what a letdown.

Obviously created as a satire, this 16-episode kdrama is comedy gold. It's crazy hilarious. Even if the tone is sometimes dark, the humor and comedic timing are still integrated seamlessly. Which is, in my opinion, the only thing good about it. Its humor.

Everything else is just bad, to be honest. It's over the top and ridiculous. This is probably the drama's main goal - to be over the top- but its ridiculousness just overwhelms all the good stuff it has. It surely has heart and it has good intentions, but trying to portray a convincing dark murder/mystery plot with all that outrageous acting and storyline is impossible. People actually die and suffer here but because of the inappropriately comical mood, I honestly don't know if I have to take it seriously or not.

STORY: The first four episodes are actually great. It sets the tone and introduces all the characters well. All of the main leads - the amnesiac Yook Dong Shik, the psychopath murderer Seo In Woo, and police officer Shim Bo Kyung- have interesting backgrounds and motivations. After those 4 episodes though, the story drags on with all kinds of unnecessary shenanigans. By ep 6, I already know where this is going, and unsurprisingly the ending is super predictable and anticlimactic.

For anyone watching this because of the "supposed bromance" between the sadistic Seo In Woo and the doormat Yook Dong Shik, don't hold your breath. After ep 5 or so, the magic is gone. It's just pure cat-and-mouse game here. The psychopath will finally find out the truth and lose interest towards the MC (Yook Dong Shik), and it's just pure repulsion from thereon; with the sadistic cat mostly trying to kill the mouse, if you know what I mean. (Shame, really. They look cute together.)

CHARACTERS : What really let me down was the main character himself. Yook Dong Shik has been a doormat all his life. This guy has been bullied by everyone for being too nice and naive. There is nothing wrong with being nice, but not to the point where it's already abuse. And the problem is, Yook Dong Shik knows this. He knows that he is being taken advantage of, but did he change anything in the end? No.

In his speech in the final episode, this guy still referred to himself as "the chump and an absolute sucker" and that he would rather "suffer than let anyone else suffer" which sounds really altruistic but in reality, this is abuse too. Letting people take advantage of you does not only hurt yourself; it also damage other people. You make them irresponsible and terrible human beings, which in the long run, will make the world worse. You ain't helping anybody at this point.

The female lead, Officer Shim Bo Kyung is also almost too good to be true. Very conscientious and idealistic. Sounds like a great character, right? She really is. Except for when she accidentally ran over Yook Dong Shik (YDS) with her car and lied about it (ep 1). This was the reason why the main character YDS had an amnesia and became the root of all their problems.

Also, she lets YDS- an untrained and powerless civilian- to accompany her to very dangerous investigations which is not only gravely irresponsible for a cop, but also illegal. (Yikes). But at least, she's the most capable officer in the show. Everyone else in the police department is just laughably incompetent. It's just played for laughs, but when you think about it, it's just really sad because this is the sole reason why the psychopath wins every single time.

Speaking of the psychopath- the sadistic Director Seo In Woo has all the trademark characteristics of an intellectual serial killer, and I was relieved that his character is actually portrayed seriously. He has a solid and consistent character all throughout. Evil, but meticulous. Cold but highly intuitive and rational. He's one of the most believable character of the show. But in the end, there's still no character development and he just remained wicked all throughout.

FINAL EPISODE : I mostly judge dramas by their finale, because I think the ability to tie things altogether and have a satisfying ending is what makes a drama memorable. And this is where the drama falls short as well. Honestly, it could have all ended at ep 10, but they managed to drag it to 16 eps so they could add more unnecessary filler scenes in it. So by the final episode, there's no suspense anymore and I was just tired of it all.

The ending fight between the two male leads are just the same ridiculous, repetitive antics. There's no earth shattering moment of genius or coolness from the main character. It's just terrible, really. Not worth the 16 eps I painstakingly watched to get to this. I honestly hoped that YDS could have at least be cooler in the end and gained the psychopath's respect, but no. All his coolness already fizzled by ep 5, and he could not even outsmart the villain. It's just brute force and luck in the end, which is really disappointing.

There are heartwarming moments here and there that made the drama bearable to watch at least. I especially like YDS's close relationship with his family and his bromantic moments with Chil Sung are really precious.

TLDR: I'm probably not going to watch it again. Way too predictable and no character development. Though humorous and heartwarming, this drama lacks a whole lot of logic and purpose.

Read More

Unoriginal and Problematic

There is nothing in this short Korean web drama that you haven't seen before. It's like every scene is just a rehash of all the bromance/BL scenes you've ever watched.

STORY : The story basically revolves around a rich young heir who has feelings for his best friend who is also his bodyguard. They've been best friends for 15 years, and it's obvious from the get-go that both of them have feelings for each other. A conflict arises when an admirer for one of them appears. This will be their main problem throughout the story.

With an unoriginal premise like that and a total running time of only 1.5 hours, I didn't really expect much. My expectations were already very low, but I was surprised that I still got a bit disappointed in the end.

CHARACTERS : The two main leads are definitely good-looking but so problematic and illogical. Let's start with our main character, Tae Joo. I was initially relieved to learn that even though he's the rich heir, he's not the stereotypical arrogant or condescending bully. Despite his rich looks and upbringing, he's far from being fragile or uptight. The guy is actually pretty laid back and grounded.

But he's such a huuuge flirt. He openly flirts with some other guy's girlfriend (which was the reason why he was getting beat up at the start of the story) and kisses her without much thought at the next episode. And unsurprisingly, we will never hear from her again.

Tae Joo is also very blatant in his show of affections for Kang Gook, the other main lead. Kang Gook is his best friend and bodyguard. Tae Joo is so sure that Kang Gook likes him too that he tries to seduce him every chance he gets - which sometimes disturbingly borders on sexual harrassment. Like the part where he lied about his broken arm to get Kang Gook to wash his hair in the shower while he's butt-naked himself.

And then right in the end, he stands up, faces Kang Gook and orders him to join him. KG is clearly uncomfortable in this situation, and refuses. (This is basically sexual harrassment. It doesn't matter if the other's gay or into you. If he's unwilling, don't push it.)

And he repeats it many times too, initiating unwanted contact every chance he gets.

From this, we can already see that Tae Joo is not only manipulative and bossy, he's a huge hypocrite as well. He gets mad whenever Kang Gook degrades himself by saying he's just Tae Joo's "servant and bodyguard" but then he bosses him around and manipulates him constanty throughout the story. That "hug me like my mom did" was really low. Because he knows that Kang Gook wouldn't be able to refuse that one.

Tae Joo is also the one to give Hye Mi (the female lead) Kang Gook's number. Because according to him, "Kang Gook should learn how to date", but gets seriously mad when the two seemed to be getting along better. This hypocrite gets to flirt with everyone while Kang Gook watches in the sidelines, and then gets mad when KG does the same thing to him.

But Kang Gook is quite problematic too. It's obvious that he's in love with Tae Joo as well. But unlike TJ, he keeps his feelings to himself and always refuses TJ's advances. He agrees to date Hye Mi, despite of his feelings for TJ. His indecisiveness eventually broke the poor girl's heart as she gradually realizes that she never had a chance to begin with. (But we all see that coming anyway.)

ACTING: Mostly decent, but nothing memorable. There is tension there but very few physical touches, and you can really see that both actors are slightly uncomfortable.

MUSIC: Aside from the opening song, I could not remember any background music or soundtrack in here.

FINAL EPISODE: I mostly judge a drama by its last episode. The ability to tie things together in the end and make a satisfying ending is what makes a drama great and unforgettable. Sadly, this drama's finale is as lacklustre as the other previous ones. In the final episode, KG is shown walking with his suitcase, thinking about TJ. He was thinking of giving up on TJ. Seems like this guy couldn't wait anymore.

And I just thought - wow. Are you for real? After that heartful confession three years ago, and pining for your bestfriend for a long time, you're going to give up like that? Did you not communicate for three years? I understand that it's a long distance relationship but how shallow are your feelings for each other that both of you did not find a way to communicate for three years? Like come on, it's 2020. Whatever happened to cellphones or computers? It all seems heartless and dumb at the same time. Like that confession never mattered.

(But he's probably much better without that manipulative guy anyway. Just sayin') ;)

TLDR: The main problem of this drama is that it's not only unoriginal (trust me, you've seen this jazz a hundred times), it lacks depth and intellect too. It's pleasing to the eyes yes, but for a "supposed love story", this one is terribly soulless, dated and unsatisfying. Everything here is half-hearted, like nobody even tried. Decent acting, but not much else.

Read More

Unenjoyable Art

This is ART, no doubt about it. Stellar acting, exquisite editing & script and gorgeous, breathtaking shots. This Korean BL shouldn't be called just a "BL". This is "the BL" of the year for sure. This is the result when the directors & scriptwriters finally took its audience seriously. It's a near-perfect series. Beautiful & honest. But as it stands, I could NOT wait for it to be over.

STORY & CHARACTERS: It's painful. The whole story. And no, I'm not talking about the heartwrenching scenes. I'm just saying that it drags. GOD, it drags. Painfully dull. I bet that the majority of the people here who rated this a perfect TEN for a rewatch would never watch this again. Because the story is all the same. It's a repetition of self-sabotage. The MC Yeong jumps from one guy to the other and sabotages the relationship himself. Honestly, it's one disappointment after the other. And here lies the pain. It's too realistic that it fails to be enjoyable anymore. I can't even root for the MC because he's a raging asshole. He' a hypercritical, pretentious coward who demands so much from his partners but in the end, he's the one who's going to run away. And I get that this is a drama and supposed to show an honest portrayal of relationships but it just feels dismal and almost cruel.

The ACTING is at least superb. I must say, the casting is so good. Everyone really stepped up to the plate. I just want to give Yeong's gay friends a shoutout too. They stole the spotlight for me. Their shenanigans are very entertaining and very real. Speaking of them, I should mention that whoever wrote the summary for this BL is tripping. What a misleading summary. Thought for sure the girl BFF, Mi Ae would be there for the MC throughout the whole series. Made it looked like she'll play a huge role too, but she was barely there.   She was not even there for Yeong's mother's funeral. Why put her in the summary at all? The summary should've mentioned Yeong's very loyal and wonderful gay friends instead! Not the hetero girl who barely did anything for Yeong. She even outed him just to save her boring-ass relationship with the judgmental guy.

MUSIC: Could not remember any memorable bg music or soundtrack for this BL because I must have fell asleep halfway thru. (Not kidding).

REWATCH: Obviously 1. Would not touch this again. It's not a waste of time. At least I learned something. There were a LOT of memorable quotes and nuances. The scriptwriter really did a great job with MC's lines and POV but they're not just enough for me to care at this point. MC should just be single forever. He's perfect alone. He has great talent and have such great friends. I don't know why he has to feel like he needs to be in a relationship just to feel happy or feel complete.

Bottomline: Most definitely NOT a love story. It's ART & a critical success for sure, but its hopeless and bleak, and awfully unenjoyable. It's like a painting you'd admire for its details but will never keep.

Read More

Unbelievably Good

To be frank, this series was at the bottom of my watchlist. I am not a fan of multiple pairings and the heavy themes (cheating, non-con, & toxicity) highlighted by many reviewers of this drama definitely turned me off. I wasn't really looking forward to it. But my curiosity and boredness overwhelmed everything else and decided to give "Together With Me" (1st one of the trilogy) a try. Not even two days have passed and I found myself at the final episode of TWM Next Chapter. That's how fast I binge-watched the whole thing.

I am telling you. IT'S THAT GOOD.

I mean, I don't want to exaggerate, but this trilogy has done something in me that no other Thai BL have done.

It made me feel that these love stories can actually be real and heart-stopping. That everyone is human, and all relationships are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional. I am just so done with other BLs that are just pretentious and just full of fluff. No hate to those BLs but I didn't know I was looking for something deeper until I've watched TWM.

STORY: A lot of people bash TWM Next Chapter because of its "cheating theme". But I felt like it should be congratulated instead, because up until now I haven't seen any BL drama that have effectively and realistically shown all the deeper motivations of cheating. Yes. Cheating is absolutely despicable and I love that the drama did not shy away from showing its motivations, aftermaths, and resolutions. It was so realistic and really can happen in real life.

Yihwa's workplace flirting and almost romance happened to me, and to almost everyone I know. Even when you are in a relationship, this can happen and it's very human to admit that you can be vulnerable too. I like her more this series. So relatable. Korn's cheating was because of so many factors - heavy pressure from his father, misunderstandings & fights with Knock and of course, deep pent-up sexual frustration. And I know a lot of people hated him for these, but his reasons are actually very real and true. He gets a lot of hate "for thinking with his dick" but it can actually happen. Even Farm's constant cheating is not random. It's deeply rooted from something that happened to him previously. That cheating can be an offensive (revenge) and defense (coping) mechanism.

I love the depth of this theme, and I was so glad it got explored in this drama.

I also love the fact that this show has a workplace setting. It clearly shows a lot of workplace terminologies and environment. It has a much more different feel than the overused university ambience.

But of course, what I love most about this story is the focus on not only relationships but of friendships and families as well. From TWM to TWM Next Chapter, the cast's meaningful friendship has been the highlight. I love that this group of friends is always ready to help each other out. Even though they have misunderstandings and fights, they still care deeply about one another. Fai's admonishment of Yihwa was so harsh but it comes from a place of deep hurt and concern. I like how, even though it's hard for both of them, they got to talk it down and listen to each other's reasons. This friendship was so meaningful and precious that I really don't get how a lot of people could just overlook this, and just laser-focused on the cheating theme.

Like they erased everyone's goodness in their minds and just let one bad thing overwrite everything else. :(

I know most of the time Knock's parents are used for comedic purposes but whenever they appear, it's just precious. Even Korn's father (whom everyone hates) is a realistic portrayal of an outdated, conservative parent. But in the end, it shows that he just loves his only son and just don't want his son to suffer because of his relationship decisions.

ACTING: Max and Tul are the KINGS OF BL indeed. All their interactions are just laced with explosive, heart stopping, orgasmic chemistry. It does not matter whether they're fighting or kissing each other, everything is just electrified and great to watch. Of course, time to give kudos to everyone's acting as well. They're all great - from the main to the supporting cast. Everyone in the cast is likeable. Even the villains PlernPleng (TWM) and her minions' acting are decent and unforgettable. And in TWM Next Chapter, I like Pete and Art's acting, even though they had the villains' roles.

MUSIC: I like that no matter how ridiculous it gets, the music is still A+. I love the sad tempo of the BGM and all its OSTs.

REWATCH: Do you even have to ask? I have already rewatched this series multiple times. I cannot get enough. This is an unpopular opinion but I don't care. TWM Next Chapter is the best in the trilogy, and KornKnock (MaxTul) reigns in the BL world. Despite all its bad reviews and heavy themes, I am so glad that I gave this one a try. It's so unbelievably good and unforgettable. Right now, I am cruising and stalking all blogs related to this trilogy.

Thank you to everyone involved in making this. The cast and the production company have done a wonderful job. I am so excited for MaxTul's "Manner of Death" and I really hope that this one is as good. :)

Read More