Don't get the hype... it's still toxic.

7.0 Overall; entertaining, I enjoyed it, and the acting is really well done, but in the end, it has serious flaws that I can't look past.

It was good and had a more interesting plot than your typical Thai BL. That does not make it worth all the hype; it still has all the same problematic elements that your typical Thai BL has.

I love mafia related/crime stories. One of my favorite BL's is HIStory 3: Trapped. I remember when I first watched it, I wanted more but better-developed stories like that in BL. I thought Kinneporsche would be that, and it's definitely getting closer, but still has so much of the toxic sh** that I just can't stand it anymore. I watched this as it was airing, and could understand at the time that people were excited because we were getting something "different" and with a more developed plot than a typical BL. But that doesn't mean it deserves the hype it's getting— and the amount of unconditional love this series has garnered honestly baffles me. Like, it's good, it's entertaining— but there's still so much of the same toxic and disturbing tropes in it as the usual BL. It's not that different.

HIStory 3 Trapped did the mafia concept way better; cinematically, no BL beats ITSAY. In the end, Kinnporsche was entertaining but certainly does not reach the pedestal people like to put it on.

I want more series with serious, developed plots; Kinnporsche — I'd hoped would come close to that — missed entirely. It had a great premise and setup, but when it came down to it, it devolved into typical BL tropes of power imbalance, fetishized abuse, and "love makes it all okay." It threw the plot to the wind of coincidences, used the mafia as a backdrop more than anything else, and turned two interesting characters to mush once they "fell in love."



- Semi-spoilers ahead-

Honestly, when I watched this as it was airing and the stuff with Pete started going down, I remember searching comments for other people who found it disturbing or saw that it was an obvious case of VERY, VERY disturbing Stockholm syndrome, as Pete is kidnapped, abused physically, mentally, and even sexually— and then falls in love with his abuser. But literally… no one else seemed to have a problem with this, because their romance was… cute? Sexy? Because they liked Vegas? Their plot was so disturbing to me I could barely watch it. I liked Vegas too— was ready for him to be the best part of this drama— and he could have been, if what he did to Pete was framed differently. If it was framed as " Vegas is a very bad person who did some fucked up shit", if he'd consistently been considered the villain, he would have been a villain/character that I could really like. But instead... We got this weird fetishization of Pete/Vegas, this angle that because Vegas has an attitude of "Only I can abuse you" it's cute and romantic... This is exactly why there's so much toxicity in BL plots; because when it happens but fans like what the outcome is, they decide to ignore it.

The plot between the two male leads involved some of the same abuser/power imbalance dynamics, that in a regular show would have been called out but in a BL are seen as just elements used to increase tension and totally acceptable. And definitely when compared to Pete's storyline… it was mild.

While the mafia set-up made it different to other BL series, in the end, the details of it didn't amount to being so different. The best part of this show was Tankhun tbh. The only consistently interesting and redeemable character lmao.




I have long wished that the BL industry could get some better writers— not just in regards to skill, but in, I don't know if this is the right word, morals? I have not read the original book because so many fans have mentioned that it's even more graphic and disturbing than the series, and especially now with everything coming out about the writers and the power they held behind the scenes, things need to change. I wish there were better writers out there so studios don't have to give power, money, and attention to people who are abusive or perverted.

I feel so bad for the cast, to whom this filming period must have become a nightmare.

So many people are still hoping for a season two— I'm begging for there not to be one, for the sake of the actors. Not unless they can do it without the original writers (lol).

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This Show-

The story is, frankly, nothing new: it's a story of coming to face yourself, who you are, and the struggle of love. What makes this show stand out is how it was done.

The cinematography is the best I've seen in BLs. It's just really good, period. The color and saturation, the angles, the tracking shots, was all done so well; every frame contributed to the unique mood of this show presented by the setting and by the characters. Honestly, I'm not a film major, so I can't truly analyze the cinematography, but there are lots of other reviewers that had done so. Even knowing nothing about film, I'm sure everyone who watched this could sense something special about how it was put together, even if you can't name it.

The characters:

I really disliked Teh. That was a big drawback on this show for me, and I almost quit watching because I got fed up with how he treated Oh Aew, but in the end his story arc brought me around to understanding him. He had some scenes that tore me apart and really made me feel for his character. He came a long way from the beginning of the show to the ending, and I want to have faith in him for the future, but some of his choices and actions in this season are leaving me in doubt.

Oh Aew: I loved him. He was a relatively static character in this show; his personality didn't change or evolve, but we as watchers slowly came to understand and to see him better. He deserves so much, and that's another thing that made me kind of dislike Teh: I really liked Aew and Bas. Aew needed someone like Bas, who could believe in him and trust him, not be embarrassed by him. Unpopular opinion, but I really shipped Aew and Bas, * Spoiler * even though I knew that it was not going to happen (or at least, that they wouldn't be endgame). I really wish Bas had gotten a happy ending too.

I felt for Tharn. Her acting was so good, especially in the last episode, when she faces Teh. I could see every emotion and realization play across her face. This kinda goes for all the actors: they were so good. In a show that depended on close-ups and at times even extreme close-ups, and lingering shots on all of their faces, the actors did such an amazing job with emotion.

I did struggle with how slow this show went. Part of it is just because I'm in school and busy and had no patience because I know that the shots are beautiful and the slowness is part of what makes this show so good. But I really struggled with it, haha.

I might add more to review/clean it up later. I need to get all my thoughts in order, as this show has so much to consider and unpack.

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Engaging to the end

I had such a good time watching this show. It is in no way perfect, and in terms of technical aspects of storytelling and production, it probably wouldn't be among my top shows. My technical rating of it would probably be more around 8 or 8.5, but my enjoyment of it is around 9 or 9.5, so there's that.

But. But...

It was seriously so much fun to watch. I really loved the basic storyline of the counters, and I loved the character development that happened for each of the main cast. So Mun's friends are actually the best, and I want a gang like that someday.

Also am I the only one who hoped that in the end So Mun and Hyeok U could become good friends? I really wanted a bigger Hyeok U redemption arc. I feel like a lot of his faults stemmed from his father and [ SP OI LER] would probably be resolved by the end, when his father is out of the equation and So Mun has helped him to realize how terrible he's been.

If you're looking for a fun show, something light-hearted with serious moments, fun characters, and a pretty good story, then watch this show. It's worth it.

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Watch It!!

Ahh this show hit me so hard!!

It's been a while since I've watched a kdrama that has driven this deep into my emotions. I wish that I'd been able to take it slowly and savor it, but the cliff hangers at the end of each episode kept me binging this show. The music was incredible; it worked with the mood and the scenes so well.

The acting is just... 10/10. I've watched several of Lee Joon Gi's other shows (lawless lawyer is another favorite) but he really outdid all my expectations in this one. I'll definitely keep watching for him. I've never seen Moon Chaewon before, but I hope to see her in something else again soon. Their chemistry together was soo good; they made this complicated relationship so believable.

PLOT:

I really, really loved this plot. At first, I had no idea what it would be like; I really put off watching this drama because the description of it didn't sound too interesting to me. But I loved the intersection of crime/mystery/romance/humanity/mental health that this drama tackled. The themes it explored are so so important, and it did it so well.

I would really like to rewatch this at a later time, slowly, cherishing the episodes. I definitely recommend watching it! Even if you're not a fan normally of crime/mystery, I still think many people can love this show.

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I wanted to like this drama so bad. It got so much hype, and I did like the initial episodes, so maybe someday I'll go back and finish it.

But.

Right now, I just can't get over how manipulative she is, and how he still falls in love with her despite that. Yes, she has trauma; yes, she has a unique personality; but everyone treats those things like those are excuses to allow her to bully him into loving her. This kind of romance just isn't for me. With what everyone said about it, I thought it would be better. But little bits of creative "storybook" touches and the rep for mental health wasn't enough to make me feel okay with how the main couple started off.

But who knows, maybe someday I'll finish it and feel differently.

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Guessing till the End

Overall

This show is one of the few mystery shows that managed to take me by surprise with the culprit and made it believable still. I continually guessed at it throughout the show, but in the mass of morally gray characters, it was difficult to know who was the true and ultimate evil at the end. I loved that. The characters didn't have unique ideas to them, but the actors played them with such personality that they really seemed unique and each developed in their own way. The Plot was born out of the characters actions, so that I never knew where it was going to go next, or who was going to be evil or get exposed or get arrested. This is really everything a mystery should be: I never knew, until they revealed it, who was guilty and who was good.



Spoilers below in the rest of my review!! (BIG spoilers in the characters.)




Characters



A strength of this show is that it had so many characters (which allowed us to be surprised by the mystery and the culprit) but it introduced them in a steady way that wasn't confusing.

I loved that I could never tell who was really evil, just a bit morally gray, and who would betray who. This show kept me on my toes guessing at all the characters, which might have been a problem if we didn't have Si Mok as our center of moral gravity. It was just so well written and acted.

Hwang Si Mok: I really liked him. I liked the slow development of his emotions and how his "sad past" of his surgery wasn't made a big deal of, and wasn't even really exposed until the later half of the series. It was refreshing from other Kdramas.

Lieutenant Han: I loved her. She was so believable, and her struggle with morality in her own team and work place was so well done.

Yoo Eun Soo: I miss her. The beginning had me doubting her and I really liked how her truth was simpler than what Si Mok and the audience was expecting.

Seo Dong Jae: Same as with a lot of the other in between characters, to me he was realistic in that he never committed to one side. He wanted survival, and to get that, he backstabbed whoever he needed to in order to stay on top;. I hated him in the beginning, and by the end if I didn't like him I at least understood him.

Lee Chang Jun: Evil. Eviiil. Even though he did something right in the end by working to expose the corruption, he still participated in it, orchestrated murders, and was overall really, really terrible. What a good villain though. I doubted that he was the ultimate bad guy sometimes; sometimes I thought he might really be good, and other times I was convinced he was satan. His story was so well done (I know I'm repeating it, but I'm really in awe of this show).



Plot


The plot was created by the characters, which is a basic element of storytelling that is so often ignored by TV shows in general. It was so well crafted in Stranger: the plot revolved around the audience being kept guessing at who is behind everything, who is going to backstab who else, who is going to die. At no point did I feel like it slowed down, or got boring, and unlike a lot of other Kdramas, I really liked the pacing towards the end.

My one problem with this show might be that there were too many flashbacks. Kdramas love to show flashbacks, and sometimes it is helpful, but mostly it just takes away trust that the audience will connect the dots themselves, and drags dramatic moments out.


Soundtrack was amazing. This is the first time I've had an instrumental stuck in my head and I didn't mind at all. I want to watch season 2, but I'm also scared that it won't hold up to season 1.

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Surprising, original and touching

Omg this show has my whole heart. It's super original, surprises you with the direction, and at then end it has a message that makes the whole story even more worth it and powerful.

Story: While the story is original and a lot of fun to watch, I think either the script or the subtitles were doing it bad lol— parts of it got a bit confusing, but even that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the show.

Acting: So good from all the cast, but Taevin was a standout. He's so good?? I'm definitely going to be watching him for future projects, I hope we'll get to see more of him.

Characters: I felt so refreshed by the characters in this show. They were different in small but important ways from typical BL characters. In particular, I think the friend Sangwon was a standout interesting character. (minor spoilers:) once a head bully— but even when he was a bully, it seems he was never one of the more malicious ones since kyungha wasn't particularly afraid of him— when he encounters Taeha, he changes. And even tho he doesn't get his way, he's vengeful or bitter, but instead is still a good friend to the whole group.

Overall such a fun drama, with a deeper purpose at the end that will make you feel all the more like it's worth the watch. I hope it goes to viki tbh so I can access it easier + in hopes that it gets better subs ;-;

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