This review may contain spoilers
This miniseries is like a war.
This miniseries is like a war, because the protagonists have to endure an impossible number of emotional blows!
First (01.), a young man confesses his feelings for his best friend (Ryu). It’s incredibly distressing. What are the chances that these feelings will be reciprocated? Answer: virtually nonexistent.
02. As expected, the feelings are initially just being processed. During this time, however, rumors start spreading, and the young man jumps out the window and ends up in a coma.
03. The pressure on Ryu is immense because he feels guilty in so many ways. He is not allowed to visit his friend, whom he seems to care for in some way.
04. Ryu "flees" to Berlin, Germany, where a childhood friend works and studies. Lost and adrift, he enters a church that is the target of an arson attack.
05. Ryu is rescued from the flames by Jo Han (or Johan/Johann). He now feels guilty about this, yet he can’t even properly thank him, because Johan is a typical loner who believes he shouldn’t show his true feelings. He is completely incapable of accepting gratitude.
06. To cheer him up, Ryu’s childhood friend takes him to a boxing match. How crazy is that decision? There, Ryu realizes that one of the boxers is Johan, who gets knocked down. I know a lot of people enjoy this sport. It would weigh heavily on me. We also learn at that moment that the boxers have been bribed, which weighs heavily on Johan.
And we meet Johan’s sister, who is studying medicine in Germany.
07. We learn that Johan and his sister grew up practically without parents, and that Johan supports his (clever) sister in any way he can.
08. Back to Japan, Ryu is still so shaken by his friend’s accident/suicide that he gives up his career as a college ice hockey player. Here we meet Seiichi, who’s always in a good mood and spreads cheer wherever he goes.
09. Meanwhile, in Seoul, Johan is giving up his boxing career.
10. Johan visits Ryu in Japan, where he meets Ryu’s parents, and we learn about the death of Ryu’s uncle 13 years ago. An artist whom Ryu obviously enjoyed spending time with as a child.
11. Ryu’s best friend wakes up from a coma, and the two talk. Ryu apologizes—and, as I suspected, the one who came out about his feelings suddenly doesn’t want to understand Ryu’s feelings, who feels responsible. And then we don’t see anything more of the “best friend” for the rest of the series.
12. Johan completes his military service. He spends two years in squalor, is bullied for being a former boxer, and has to endure hardships for which no one takes responsibility.
13. After finishing his military service, Johan goes to a bar whose owner he knows well. Some patrons arrive who behave badly, provoke trouble, and unleash raw violence on the bar owner. Johan puts a stop to it and learns that the whole thing was a setup, an act of revenge by a scoundrel.
14. The press finds out from the former boxer in a gay bar, which ruins Johan's potential career as coach.
15. Of course, Johan can’t think of a better solution than to hide away. Until Ryu pulls him out of a tight spot and takes him to Japan.
16. Ryu’s high school girlfriend is now back in Japan; she meets Seiichi through Ryu, they get married, and she’s expecting a child.
We learn that the high school girlfriend was neglected by her parents and was raised by Ryu’s parents.
17. Seiichi, the cheerful, life-affirming guy, is hit by a truck while singing and doesn’t survive the accident.
18. We witness Seiichi’s funeral and the accusations hurled by a parent at Ryu’s heavily pregnant school friend.
19. And as if all this shit weren’t enough in terms of challenges and failures, Johan has to suffer from an incurable disease.
20. Johan does NOT confide in Ryu and does what he does best: run away.
21. Johan pretends to be interested in someone else, moves out, and leaves a mess behind.
22. A few years later, Ryu’s school friend finds out that Johan is sick and doesn’t tell Ryu until a year later.
23. Ryu and Johan meet again in Germany, where Johan is in a wheelchair and has essentially made his final video testament.
Sorry, folks, this is just too much for me. A bomb carpet of 23 impacts.
There are many wonderful moments in the series.
But there’s also a constant lack of communication. I’m German, and I’m often seen as rude... addressing things head-on—both what’s going well and what isn’t. And if a script can only work because people talk past each other, don’t say what’s on their minds, and out of misplaced concern don’t want to be a burden to anyone, then to me that’s a disaster for me.
Of course, you shouldn’t just brutally throw the truth in someone’s face. But… make up your own mind. How many movies and TV shows would have lasted if the characters had just come clean with each other relatively early on?
I think a script like that is incredibly weak—it would be much more sophisticated if writers could find a solution for it. I think either the writer is trying to make a point so that you say, “HEY, WHY AREN’T YOU GUYS TALKING TO EACH OTHER?” or he's just being lazy to find a solution.
The series is well made. The writer must have done a tremendous amount of research, or perhaps he lived in Germany himself. The scenes set in Berlin are very well chosen. The details are almost spot on.
The basic story is good, too. Two people in "need" meet and heal each other. And together they are strong and weather a few storms.
But does it really have to be 23? Three would be enough for me. Or if we want to be generous in judging negative events, let’s make it 10. But please, not 23...
The actors were excellent. I fell in love with every single character. I’d take them all home with me and take good care of them.
The music was not too bland, but not overpowering either.
This series is not a BL series!
BL is a genre of its own. A world lined with rose-colored velvet that makes hearts race when a man seduces another man. The male lead cannot simply be replaced by a woman, because part of a BL story is the “Oh my, I’m a man—why do I have feelings for a man?” moment, and I submit to my male-male partner without any sexual submissiveness.
So, BL fans, this series is NOT in the BL genre.
This series is about as far from being BL as Tokyo is from Berlin.
This series is a battle zone. Unfortunately.
Dear Shunki. Please show me your next piece.
I’ll gild that for you then. Promise.
The best part at the end was the confession. Those redeeming words: “I love you.”
First (01.), a young man confesses his feelings for his best friend (Ryu). It’s incredibly distressing. What are the chances that these feelings will be reciprocated? Answer: virtually nonexistent.
02. As expected, the feelings are initially just being processed. During this time, however, rumors start spreading, and the young man jumps out the window and ends up in a coma.
03. The pressure on Ryu is immense because he feels guilty in so many ways. He is not allowed to visit his friend, whom he seems to care for in some way.
04. Ryu "flees" to Berlin, Germany, where a childhood friend works and studies. Lost and adrift, he enters a church that is the target of an arson attack.
05. Ryu is rescued from the flames by Jo Han (or Johan/Johann). He now feels guilty about this, yet he can’t even properly thank him, because Johan is a typical loner who believes he shouldn’t show his true feelings. He is completely incapable of accepting gratitude.
06. To cheer him up, Ryu’s childhood friend takes him to a boxing match. How crazy is that decision? There, Ryu realizes that one of the boxers is Johan, who gets knocked down. I know a lot of people enjoy this sport. It would weigh heavily on me. We also learn at that moment that the boxers have been bribed, which weighs heavily on Johan.
And we meet Johan’s sister, who is studying medicine in Germany.
07. We learn that Johan and his sister grew up practically without parents, and that Johan supports his (clever) sister in any way he can.
08. Back to Japan, Ryu is still so shaken by his friend’s accident/suicide that he gives up his career as a college ice hockey player. Here we meet Seiichi, who’s always in a good mood and spreads cheer wherever he goes.
09. Meanwhile, in Seoul, Johan is giving up his boxing career.
10. Johan visits Ryu in Japan, where he meets Ryu’s parents, and we learn about the death of Ryu’s uncle 13 years ago. An artist whom Ryu obviously enjoyed spending time with as a child.
11. Ryu’s best friend wakes up from a coma, and the two talk. Ryu apologizes—and, as I suspected, the one who came out about his feelings suddenly doesn’t want to understand Ryu’s feelings, who feels responsible. And then we don’t see anything more of the “best friend” for the rest of the series.
12. Johan completes his military service. He spends two years in squalor, is bullied for being a former boxer, and has to endure hardships for which no one takes responsibility.
13. After finishing his military service, Johan goes to a bar whose owner he knows well. Some patrons arrive who behave badly, provoke trouble, and unleash raw violence on the bar owner. Johan puts a stop to it and learns that the whole thing was a setup, an act of revenge by a scoundrel.
14. The press finds out from the former boxer in a gay bar, which ruins Johan's potential career as coach.
15. Of course, Johan can’t think of a better solution than to hide away. Until Ryu pulls him out of a tight spot and takes him to Japan.
16. Ryu’s high school girlfriend is now back in Japan; she meets Seiichi through Ryu, they get married, and she’s expecting a child.
We learn that the high school girlfriend was neglected by her parents and was raised by Ryu’s parents.
17. Seiichi, the cheerful, life-affirming guy, is hit by a truck while singing and doesn’t survive the accident.
18. We witness Seiichi’s funeral and the accusations hurled by a parent at Ryu’s heavily pregnant school friend.
19. And as if all this shit weren’t enough in terms of challenges and failures, Johan has to suffer from an incurable disease.
20. Johan does NOT confide in Ryu and does what he does best: run away.
21. Johan pretends to be interested in someone else, moves out, and leaves a mess behind.
22. A few years later, Ryu’s school friend finds out that Johan is sick and doesn’t tell Ryu until a year later.
23. Ryu and Johan meet again in Germany, where Johan is in a wheelchair and has essentially made his final video testament.
Sorry, folks, this is just too much for me. A bomb carpet of 23 impacts.
There are many wonderful moments in the series.
But there’s also a constant lack of communication. I’m German, and I’m often seen as rude... addressing things head-on—both what’s going well and what isn’t. And if a script can only work because people talk past each other, don’t say what’s on their minds, and out of misplaced concern don’t want to be a burden to anyone, then to me that’s a disaster for me.
Of course, you shouldn’t just brutally throw the truth in someone’s face. But… make up your own mind. How many movies and TV shows would have lasted if the characters had just come clean with each other relatively early on?
I think a script like that is incredibly weak—it would be much more sophisticated if writers could find a solution for it. I think either the writer is trying to make a point so that you say, “HEY, WHY AREN’T YOU GUYS TALKING TO EACH OTHER?” or he's just being lazy to find a solution.
The series is well made. The writer must have done a tremendous amount of research, or perhaps he lived in Germany himself. The scenes set in Berlin are very well chosen. The details are almost spot on.
The basic story is good, too. Two people in "need" meet and heal each other. And together they are strong and weather a few storms.
But does it really have to be 23? Three would be enough for me. Or if we want to be generous in judging negative events, let’s make it 10. But please, not 23...
The actors were excellent. I fell in love with every single character. I’d take them all home with me and take good care of them.
The music was not too bland, but not overpowering either.
This series is not a BL series!
BL is a genre of its own. A world lined with rose-colored velvet that makes hearts race when a man seduces another man. The male lead cannot simply be replaced by a woman, because part of a BL story is the “Oh my, I’m a man—why do I have feelings for a man?” moment, and I submit to my male-male partner without any sexual submissiveness.
So, BL fans, this series is NOT in the BL genre.
This series is about as far from being BL as Tokyo is from Berlin.
This series is a battle zone. Unfortunately.
Dear Shunki. Please show me your next piece.
I’ll gild that for you then. Promise.
The best part at the end was the confession. Those redeeming words: “I love you.”
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