A Very Well Crafted Drama

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this series. I have huge respect for series that are written well with a clear vision for its characters, its story and what it’s trying to say. Even more so when these aspects are executed to a high degree.

At the start of this series, it had a really ominous ‘Stepford Wives’ feel to it. I thought there might be a supernatural or Twilight Zone element to it. Every character was suspicious to me and I couldn’t shake the feeling that all was not as it seemed. The series does really well at sustaining this feeling of mistrust and second guessing. It adds to the mystery and intrigue of the school and it’s characters.

The actress who plays Ha Rin has the most incredible micro-expressions. Figuring out what her deal was kept me on my toes as a viewer.

I come away after completing this series thinking of that famous speech by Charlie Chaplin about oppressive regimes. He talks about how the power that is taken from the people can be returned to the people through revolution. These lines come to mind,

“dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people…don’t give yourselves to brutes - men who despise you - enslave you - who regiment your lives - tell you what to do - what to think….don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men - machine men with machine minds and machine hearts……don’t fight for slavery…fight for liberty….you the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful….let us use that power - let us all unite!”

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As Close As You’ll Get To A Chinese BL

Let’s address the elephant in the room. There are no overt love confessions or overt intimate contact due to Chinese censorship rules for the entertainment industry. Therefore, all Chinese bls produced in China have to be packaged as ‘bromances’. Saying that, this is the closest I’ve seen a Chinese bl come to being ‘overtly bl’ since the implementation of the censorship rules. This drama walks the tight rope between adhering to the censorship rules and portraying a couple in love onscreen. You’re able to see them be more intimate in the latter episodes and we are promised an uncut version once season 2 is out.

What this show does well is that it’s able to do so much with sub-text. The emotions are strong and the performances are compelling. Like its predecessor, it has relatable down to earth characters and plenty of heart. It does manage to set itself apart from Addicted/Heroin and find its own voice and story along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think future Chinese bls should follow its blueprint.

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It’s A Heartfelt And Emotional Series In All The Best Ways.

This was a really strong series. The acting was some of the best I’ve seen in a k-drama. The blend of emotional, comedic and dramatic scenes were balanced really well. This balanced tone is often difficult to achieve or sustain in a drama but it’s done to a high quality here. The presentation of mental health, therapy and recovery were explored in a heartfelt and accessible way. I also liked the dark fantasy/supernatural fairytale element to it. The illustrations and narrative metaphors were woven quite expertly throughout. I don’t often comment on cinematography but not only was this shot beautifully (lighting, camera angles etc), but the artistic vision of the director shone through. I noticed whenever a character was in a solitary shot, it’s juxtaposed with the wider background/atmosphere which not only helps to create the feeling of loneliness but it also allows the story to breathe. In the close up shots, the use of the wider lens allows it to feel intimate without feeling claustrophobic.

The twist…because it was somewhat revealed in episode 4, I didn’t realise they were trying to hide it from the audience or have it be a twist until episode 13. I spent the majority of the series knowing who it was. This affected how I followed the story (in a good way) as I interpreted the actions in real time how they were meant to be interpreted later on after the reveal.

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Didn’t Fulfil It’s Own Potential But It’s Still A Decent Series

The first four or five episodes were well paced, intriguing and had strong storytelling. The plot and the explanations were believable and exciting. I really thought it was going to be a 9 or a 9.5 drama. Unfortunately, after episode 5, what I can only describe as plot-holes everywhere, brought the story and execution down to an 8.5 and at times an 8. The intrigue was still there but if you have to dumb down your smartest character just for the plot; then you are doing something wrong. This pretty much remains the issue for the rest of the series. Although the intrigue remains and the premise continues to be smart-ish with a few twist and turns; it gets harder and harder to overlook the things that don’t make sense or that are allowed to be sloppy for the sake of moving the plot forward.

Though I will still rate this an 8.5, I’m disappointed that the creators fumbled this one when it could have been a 9.5 or even a 10/10 show.

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Another Nostalgic Blast From The Past

When I say I have searched high and low for this movie for YEARS, I’m not exaggerating. I watched this in either 2013 or 2014 and I’m not good at remembering movie names so all I could remember were parts of the plot. This movie, after The Suspicious Housekeeper, set me on my k-drama journey. This drama has stuck in my mind because of the (explicit for it’s time) rape scene. It wasn’t implied like the scenes I’d seen in k-drama rom-coms up to that point it was brutal. There’s also this one scene with the umbrella after the child versions had been kidnapped and that scene will stay forever in my memory. It’s what lead me to finally find this series again after all these years.

It is a product of its time. I remember the picture quality being smoother/crisper (which is to be expected), this makes it harder to watch and gain the full quality this many years later but the heart of the story is still very compelling.

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Finally Found It Again After All These Years!

Watched this years ago and finally remembered the name of it only recently. I still remember how many emotions this series stirred up inside of me. I felt so deeply for this woman who lost her child, even though at the time I had never experienced that level of loss before. But I could identify with the loneliness and becoming a shell of a person.

I think this might have been the first drama themed k-drama I ever watched. Prior to this I had only viewed the teen and YA Korean rom-coms. I went to watch it again after finding it on MDL and I think the production value still holds up. The acting is really strong and the story is still impactful.

I remember the year I watched this was the year after my youngest sister was born and I was obsessed with saying, “Bok Nyeo-nim shiro” and “Krom”. My younger sister would follow me around the house saying, “NimNim”. She’s ten years old now and whenever I turn to her and say “Krom”, to excuse myself; she puts her hands together like a robot and says, “Krom” back to me like she’s saying, “permission granted”. I love it because it’s one of the things that we bonded over. This and using other tv/movie references in our daily lives.

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Lives Up To The Hype - A Must Watch

This is one of those dramas that will stay with me. It’s very emotionally heavy (lots of emotions bubbling underneath the surface) and it’s these volatile emotions that lead to quite graphic scenes of violence that may make viewers uncomfortable but I think it’s dramas like this one that needs to be viewed so that those emotions can sit with you. It’s important to feel these emotions vicariously (which you do - very much so) and recognise where they are coming from. They should resonate with you, as it’s a hard look at how people become this way.

This drama was very illustrative, with the three main leads representing how someone can end up so far down a certain path. Each character is at different stages of that path. Soo Ho could have easily used his skills to become a school bully and give in to baser instincts but he doesn’t. Even when he has issues with Boem Seok he makes sure not to cross the line. He is someone who knows when to stop. Shi Eun is someone who was headed down the wrong path and about to give in to all his (understandable) anger and pent up frustration. I could feel him holding back in the earlier episodes. The tension was so thick and heavy, at times it felt suffocating so I can only imagine how much Shi Eun was being stifled by it. You can drown in those kinds of emotions and life circumstances where you feel like the boot is constantly on your neck. All that anger and resentment just to be greeted with more of the same each day. No wonder people in these circumstances flip out and rain down hell in a violent outburst when it finally breaks them and the anger comes spilling out.

Thankfully, Shi Eun was brought back from the brink before he went too far. He had someone like Soo Ho to pull him away from the edge and most importantly, Shi Eun was receptive to his help/intervention. This is where Boem Seok differs. The writers, director and most importantly; the actor, did a great job of showing the similarities and parallels between Shi Eun and Boem Seok’s characters and then showed how unlike Shi Eun, Boem Seok allowed himself to go to the brink. Unlike Shi Eun, he did not heed the warnings to stop before he was too far gone. And while he was justified in his anger and needing remedy for his pain; he crossed the line and became a victim who victimises.

What’s even more resonant is seeing how Boem Seok’s actions also drags Shi Eun past the brink as he loses it at the end and gives in to his pent up anger, frustration and resentment. Watching him in the second half of the finale, I felt so exhausted and emotionally drained. He looked tired, empty and like he had just returned from war, a shell of a person. This is the outcome when people are pushed too far. This is how someone loses the light behind their eyes.

The actors portray the complex states of emotions expertly. If you want to see characters who are real shades of grey; this is a drama that is a great illustration of that in the most harrowing way. You will not be disappointed.

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Highly Recommend To All

The really good parts of this series, I loved wholeheartedly. I found it funny and devastating and supernatural and uplifting. Even though most of the supporting characters show up for a short time, their performances are no less compelling and touching as the main characters’ performances. I really liked that the anthology style of each ‘case’ works on their own individually but also ties in together with the main story.

The reason why it’s an 8.5 and not a 9 for me is because from one minute to the next I was either extremely riveted or slightly bored (there was no in between). The riveting bits were really riveting and engaging. If I could suggest one thing to make it better, it would be for them to tighten up the narrative a bit.

There were also plot points that kinda went nowhere but these were small plot points. I don’t know if this was a translation issue or an issue with the series itself. For example, they drew attention to something the boss’ male employee said that was ‘off’ in that school girl with the clips case but they never expounded on that or did anything with it. So, that part felt unfinished and like they dropped that part of the story.

I can’t stress enough though, that this is a really good watch and I’d highly recommend it. It gets you in the feels in all the best and most devastating ways. Like everyone else, I’m praying for a series 2.

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If You Accept That All The Characters Are Kinda Terrible It’s Mildly Entertaining

After watching this series, I wouldn’t rate it lower than a 5.5. I’d give it a 6 and that’s because the timeline is all over the place and the acting is a little below average. The NC scenes also weren’t giving. They just made me laugh out loud. As for the rest, as much as I have a bias against cheating being portrayed as something for people to just get over and as inevitable; I didn’t get to dwell on this because I was so preoccupied with trying to follow the storyline/timeline. Each episode was waaaay too long and overall was 8 episodes too many.

This series is somewhat what I wanted Only Friends to be. A bl that is filled with only terrible, debauched characters that you can watch with fascination without feeling sorry for ANY of them. Of course, Only Friends has miles better production value and writing but the problem arises when they try to paint these types of characters as people to root for. Just once, I want a series that embraces the shitty-ness of people and is self aware in that regard. I’ve always thought this would be a fascinating concept to watch unfold onscreen where every character is self-indulgent and only thinks of themselves and their wants. Where no characters are redeemed and there is no pretence of them being decent people.

The ‘messiness’ of the characters is what turns viewers off the most from this series but I found it entertaining in a morbid fascination kinda way. Like watching a couple fight on the street or like watching a wildlife documentary. lol

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The Second Half Is Worth The Watch

This was one that surprised me. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. It was definitely a tale of two halves. It almost seemed like each half was created by two different directors as they were so contrasting in tone, style, depth and cinematography. I’ll be honest, if I had watched the first half only, this would have gone on my list of bls that I watched and never thought of again. But the second half packed a punch. It’s the better half. It’s tragically beautiful and I’m so surprised I came away feeling hopeful, despite the bitter and painful things unfolding on screen. There was so much beauty in the relationship between the lead and the mother of his dead partner. So much beauty in uncovering that the dead partner truly loved him. So much beauty in the bonds formed through pain. I recommend this movie whenever I can because I don’t think many people watch it long enough to get to the second half - which is where it shines.

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