The series that opened the door — I'm just not sure it holds up the same way anymore
This was one of my entry points into BL — manga first, then the animated version, and then the genuine surprise of discovering a live action adaptation existed. SeoHam and JaeChan carry it well, and the rivals-to-lovers dynamic actually works: a rule-obsessed computer science student and a charismatic design star who collide by accident and can't quite untangle themselves from each other afterwards. It's still sweet, and I mean that sincerely.
What I notice more now, watching it with different eyes, are the lines along the lines of I'm not gay, I don't like men, I just want you. I understand the context. I know what queerness looks like in Korea and I'm not asking a BL series to carry the weight of political commentary. But when a show touches that territory, I personally find myself wanting either genuine engagement with it or none at all. The half-distancing — acknowledging the feeling while quietly disclaiming the identity — is something I've grown less patient with the more BL I've watched.
I think I need to rewatch it. I came to it early, before I had much of a reference point, and I'm genuinely curious whether it still lands the same way now that I do. The fondness is still there. The questions are just louder than they used to be.
What I notice more now, watching it with different eyes, are the lines along the lines of I'm not gay, I don't like men, I just want you. I understand the context. I know what queerness looks like in Korea and I'm not asking a BL series to carry the weight of political commentary. But when a show touches that territory, I personally find myself wanting either genuine engagement with it or none at all. The half-distancing — acknowledging the feeling while quietly disclaiming the identity — is something I've grown less patient with the more BL I've watched.
I think I need to rewatch it. I came to it early, before I had much of a reference point, and I'm genuinely curious whether it still lands the same way now that I do. The fondness is still there. The questions are just louder than they used to be.
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