10/10 no notes
I don't know if this is the sort of story that can only truly be appreciated by people at a certain point in their lives, but it hit all the right notes for me week after week. The acting is superb, the unfolding storylines are relatable, and everything feels warm and realistic.Loving in the wake of loss and burnout might look less romantic on the surface, but it is slower and more intentional... and feels grounded even in moments of desperate intensity. The small adjustments that you make to accommodate an important person in your life, and needing to balance that against other commitments or considerations (without resentment) is exactly the kind of mature love being portrayed. A love that is quieter and perhaps less possessive, but no less deep.
Watching this series has felt like a hug that I didn't even know that I needed.
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The Great Unbuttoning (and magical rebuttoning)
Ah 'Tide of Love', where my favourite part is Jaehun's thumb ring. [Also known as 'Don't Tell Mum I Became A Rentboy', 'The Great Unbuttoning', and 'Fun Tips For Raising Houseplants'.] Never has a show promised so much and delivered so little (other than the enjoyment of making fun of it).This is BDSM for people who have almost zero knowledge of BDSM.
After the first few episodes I might just have been watching it for the thumb ring - by the final episode it felt like they really figured out that the thumb ring was the star of the show 💛
We all love bread... but seriously, please do some grocery shopping before someone gets scurvy.
At least we get a happy ending for grunt boy and thumb ring accessory.
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Intergenerational story about love in all its forms
This isn't a stereotypical BL, but some of the best queer stories aren't... and I love that we are getting broader diversity in storytelling that incorporates love in all its forms.We have an orphanage in financial difficulty, a grandpa who is a writer learning to move with the times out of desperation, a family divided by past wounds and insecurities, best friends with conflicted feelings, and a bittersweet backstory from grandpa's youth to work with... and the story manages to deliver on eveything in a meaningful way.
This show is very healing, even though it shows sad moments and difficult conflicts. Everything feels very human and the ability of the characters to overcome their difficulties is in large part due to the love that they have for one another - even when they haven't always expressed it, or have made mistakes and missteps along the way.
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Favourite BL Series
I've completed over 80 shows and, so far, this remains my favourite story. Definitely one where I feel like you need to watch a few episodes to really get hooked, but this is such a charming and slow-paced romance that it is worth putting in the time. By the time I got to about episode six, I was so emotionally invested that this could have become my unfinished business if I had died before finishing the series.I would happily watch the lead actors in another series together, though I've not seen anything thus far to indicate that this is likely to happen in the near future.
Loved the music, and actually really liked the focus on temple culture as well.
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Beautiful Trash
I went into this series with high expectations. I'm a fan of buddy cop series, so the idea of that setting as a BL was intriguing to me. I thought the pilot looked amazing, the actual trailer for the series definitely hooked my interest, and I'm fond of both JoongDunk and AouBoom.Visually the show clearly had a decent budget, the music was good, and it definitely had some scenes and moments that were very well done. For example, the cage fight was a really great scene. Unfortunately the sloppy direction and poor editing resulted in a series that was overall far too often nonsensical in tone and sometimes jarring when rapidly switching from a life or death situation to oh let's throw the BL fans a bone with a sweet moment. Jade and Kamin come across as largely incompetent at their jobs, and the entire handling of what should have been a very serious investigation into serial murder was ludicrous. Even putting that aside, the complete lack of trust between Jade and Jay meant that things that should have been resolved and people who could have been protected all got fucked because... what... friends don't dob friends in to the police?!
The directing/editing team seem to have been on a mission to cut out as much physical intimacy as they possibly could without being publically bashed for being homophobic... which is an odd choice for a BL. I might have been able to forgive that if they had actually delivered on a cohesive and compelling plot overall... but they didn't manage to do that either.
I basically only finished watching this because I felt sad for the actors, who all seemed to have done the best they could with what they were given.
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Great show and important social commentary
Great chemistry between the leads, excellent representation of friendships and the importance of communication. Important social commentary on the negative aspects of the entertainment industry and idol contracts in particular. Probably my second favourite BL show (thus far) because every step of the way the relationship development is earned and the bumps along the way make sense in light of the characters and their past experiences (as well as societal and industry pressures).Despite being quite deep, this is also incredibly funny in places, and just an all-round good viewing experience.
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