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A love story with no obligations, beautiful and adorable
I just finished watching this after binging on hours end with my friends and I've got no words to describe what I'm feeling right now. I had dropped it after watching 5 episodes in hope of starting it again after it airs, but didn't feel enough enthusiasm though something kept prodding me to watch it over and over and I'm damn glad I did.I don't remember the last time something made me feel so fluffy and warm. From the start, I did not want to judge the acting as I wasn't close enough to figuring out the characterizations. Later I realised, F**k, they are perfect.
Woo TaeKyung is inherently silent, observant, straight-forward, honest and brave.
Noh ShinWoo is a fairyland dream every person would like to have, sweet, bad at expressing himself, a bit awkward and cute.
Shin DaWon was straight up annoying, suffocating and so fake that it hurt, his character development was drastic and beautiful.
NamGoong Shiwon is an angel with a beautiful smile and beautiful heart, quite a bit mysterious and lovable goofy.
Lee SooHee was toxic, quite stubborn and defiant, too possessive. But something I liked about her, even when she hated TaeKyung, it wasn't because she was homophobic, she was scared of being replaced by someone and that was it. Doesn't make me overlook her underhandedness and disturbing nature though.
The plot: Beautiful.
There was a lot of cringe in the beginning, but then it evened down and became so heartwarming that I nearly died of sweetness overdose. As a person who is not very fond of fluffy and sappy romance, I had no qualms watching and crying over this. Pretty and stunningly written. The actors played their part so well it looked like they were made for it. I could just feel the tangible love between TaeKyung and ShinWoo at the end and did not want them to leave from the screen, I wished i could keep watching them.
The love triangle: Most realistic and healthy one I've seen in a while. It made me angry, made me cringe, made me feel broken and sad and made me feel elated.
Noh ShinWoo: Hands down my favorite character, and nothing will change that. He's a perfectly constructed character, so well done that he might even feel like a summer dream. But that's what was needed to fill in between Shin DaOn's imperfections and TaeKyung's brutal honesty. He's someone I'll remember for long and long.
Special love to the teacher and Namgoong, they were both saviours, yet appeared human and had their own story and irreplaceable importance in the story, very unlike side charaters in many other bls.
I'm always going to remember the last episode, mainly TaeKyung and ShinWoo holding hands, looking at each other, kissing and just being in love with everyone, the people who matter to them being sweet and supportive.
It's a drama I'd want to watch again someday and smile till my face hurts from all that exertion with no regrets.
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Prime example of love that is shown more than spoken
As I started this series back in July, I had no expectations whatsoever. But then, entering into the first half of the 1st episode, I realized how wrong my judgement was. It was so thoughtful and deep that I decided to stop at ep 8 and binge watch it after the last episode aired. And I never valued any decision I made more than that.This series is an existing example of how affection and bonds can be gracefully and magnificently shown without delving too much into them. It teases on the emotions, lets it float on the surface for the audience to pick up and analyze. Every interaction, each sideway glance, all the quiet smiles and loud fights gave this series so much life and domesticity that it left me with a pleasant ache.
The actors, each one of them did a beautiful job out of their roles, they owned them. The chemistry between the leads felt like molten rocks and flowing water, slick and domineering.
This series would be rightfully called a family drama with romance and slice of life. Every character was impeccably written and directed, every family diverse, every relationship unique. The subtle signs and affections scattered all over the series through expressions and even household decorations, just perfection. Special mention to the coloured glass panes of Su Yu and Wu Bi's part of the house, they made the cinematography a hundred times more impactful, influencing the moods and scenes with all the colours they gave off.
Till the 22nd episode, I had no expectation of witnessing anything remotely similar to kiss, yet it took me out like a gun shot each time they kissed each other on the cheeks, felt butterflies and stars on their intimacy. Speaking of intimacy, the series exuded sticky warmth through every intimate shots and gestures with such ease that it hit raw and real.
Many may argue that this is not BL or even call it queer baiting, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I can't imagine the amount of bravery and guts it took for every person associated with this series to step up and play such roles when china has harsh and inhumane censorship rules. Hats off to every staff and actors involved in the making of this.
This would forever be one of my top rated BLs, eagerly waiting for s2!
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This review may contain spoilers
A love that needs no labels, a love that dares to stay undefined.
Throughout the series, I had mixed feelings about the way the story was told. I found myself confused, endeared, longing, and melancholic, every emotion and scene burying deeper into me and leaving me with more questions than answers. The story itself is hard to relate and integrate into, yet, the characters add so much depth, flaws, nuance and vibrance to what would otherwise hold no form.One of the asterstrokes of the story was Sumiko and Ryu's mother, both abandoned by family that ought to catch you when you fall, yet refusing to stay within the grasp of its pain. Their kindness, strength, refusal to diminish themselves even when it comes to being a mother, a wife, and a friend, refusing to give up love for their own self in the name of sacrifice truly settled down something deep within me.
Ryu and Yohan's relationship was so sheer, raw, unexplained and unapologetic. The team took such a brave yet dangerous step in deciding to leave most of their genuinity, closeness and tenderness hidden behind the scenes. And this is exactly what pushed us audience into the role of the society around them. We know they live together, we know they belong to each other in ways we'll ever be left guessing, we know they share a home- and that's all we know. Oftentimes, we look at snippets of people living next to us and carve out their life deciding we know enought about them to do so. Just like that, within this story, we are left to project our ideologies into their relationship, forcing it to fit within frames that were never meant to hold them.
We yearn for a conclusion, a label, a status, an answer. But, the series remains stubborn in not giving one. It dares us to fill in the gaps left behind while silently moving forward on its own terms with no remorse. And that's where it perfectly captures life and love. It flawlessly denies conformity and definitions, truly existing free within a literary utopia where to live together and create a home, you owe no one any explanations.
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