I don't get the hate

I genuinely don't understand why people are saying this drama is confusing. They leave things in the dark on purpose to build suspense, but otherwise it's pretty straightforward. That doesn't mean that it's a great show, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

There were some really....odd choices made here. The first half of the show was super awesome to watch and the cinematography is surprisingly good, with really interesting lighting/color choices throughout. The plot falls off a little bit with some unrealistic twists (but honestly, how many BLs are realistic?). It honestly reminded me a bit of manner of death, with hidden identities and secrets, while the leads also attempt to take down some corrupt individuals. An enjoyable watch with some lackluster fight scenes and oddly timed music, but overall a good time. Plus, with only 10 episodes, this one was a shorter watch that kept my attention the whole time.

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Disappointing

I think the issue here was the writing of the characters. I love watching crime dramas, and I thought I would be really into this based on the synopsis, but it unfortunately missed the mark. I've seen Jang Kiyong in other shows and really enjoyed his performance, but his character in this one totally fell flat. You're waiting for something to happen between him and the female lead, waiting for his cold exterior to crack, and you never really get that. His character isn't very likeable, and even though you're rooting for him, you're not really sure why.

I think they also tried to do a bit too much weird worldbuilding and almost sci-fi kinda stuff. It felt like it should have been introduced earlier or simplified in order for it to make sense. I feel like there was a lot of potential wasted on this one.

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I thought this was supposed to be good???

I watched this because I kept getting tiktoks about it since the second season dropped and I was thoroughly disappointed. The main characters are so annoying and unlikable that whatever plot they were going for just didn't work. Hira constantly gets bullied by his classmates but when it's Kiyoi he likes it? Then throw in a weird time skip, a much better potential boyfriend for Hira, and a whole lot of unnecessary conflict/miscommunication and that's about all that happens! Did they like each other the whole time? I guess so! Too bad they never actually told each other this or else the show would have been over in the first episode.

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Enemies to.....Almost Lovers?

This show was honestly way better than I expected. When I initially watched the trailer, I didn't have much interest in a show that seemed to be about high schoolers fighting each other. However, this show was so much more enjoyable than I thought. While the beginning was kind of slow and missing the backstory for awhile, once it picked up it was fantastic. The chemistry between the main leads had me confused about whether or not this was BL (it's not) for the entire time.

When two rival schools merge into once, the students have a hard time getting along. This is especially true for the students of class 2, who are all the known troublemakers from both schools. With a brand new homeroom teacher who seems unable to control the class, the students' rivalry gets out of hand. Shin (Nani) used to be top dog at his school, but with the merge it seems he's competing with Ken's (Kay) gang for that spot. Saint (Sky) seems to always be getting in the way, as he's determined to rekindle his friendship with Shin even though Shin has made it clear he's not interested. Old problems in their past friendship resurface as tension continues to build between the students - and their business with a local drug dealing gang.

Sky and Nani were FANTASTIC together. While I may have been hoping for a kiss, the "bromance" of the series was still super great to watch. I did feel like they could have sped up some of the plot in the first couple episodes, but as I approached the end, this series just got better and better. I'm super excited to see what Sky and Nani do next!!

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The entire plot could have been avoided with a ten minute conversation

This is one of the most generic BLs I have seen. I honestly had no intention of watching it, but after seeing Joong and Dunk in other shows, I decided to give it a shot. It was extremely predictable, with drawn out back-and-forth conflicts that didn't actually help build the characters. If Joong and Dunk's characters would have just sat down and had a conversation, the entire show would have been avoided.

Daonuea (Dunk) confessed his feelings for Kluen (Joong) in 11th grade, and with no response from Kluen, Nuea went on his study abroad trip for 12th grade and tried to forget about it. That is, until the two reunite their freshman year of college. Trying to forget about the confession, Nuea pretends to have not known Kluen, but it seems the feelings are still lingering. When others start pursuing Nuea, he's torn between trying to move on and staying true to his own heart.

Thank god this show was only 8 episodes, because it took forever to get anywhere with the plot and if that was drawn out any more I would have dropped this. The only reason I didn't rate it lower was that the relationship does become very sweet and cute, and that part is fun to watch. However the miscommunication and constant "you should move on and find someone better" got old SO fast, and I think the entire first 6 episodes could have been condensed to two, and the couple could have had some more interesting challenges when they were together. Instead, we got a very stereotypical show that didn't really do anything new, besides an ending that clearly just wanted to set up a sequel. This is probably only worth watching if you're a fan of Joong and Dunk and are waiting for a new show from them....

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Breaking the Cycle

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo does a fantastic job portraying both of the main characters as complex and flawed individuals, emphasizing the role that trauma plays in the victim's life. While I do think that the time skip was a bit early and that I would have loved to see more of the high school days of the characters, I think that for the time they had in this show it was absolutely beautifully done and worth watching.

Juyeong is sent by his parents to study taekwondo in the countryside, where he lives with his instructor and the instructor's son, Dohwe. While Dohwe is very closed off at first, he slowly warms up to Juyeong. However, the abuse that Dohwe has suffered at the hands of his father quickly become apparent to Juyeong, and Juyeong is unlikely to escape the house unscathed either. The two boys start to develop feelings for each other while trapped in an abusive household, which leads to complications as things escalate. This story also explores the lasting effects of this trauma in both characters - where one is determined to run away and forget the past, while the other tries to cling to it.

This show manages to address two vastly different ways of dealing with traumatic events, and instead of portraying one as right and one as wrong, shows them as simply to different methods of dealing with the past. I found that both of the characters felt justified in their actions the entire time, even if it wasn't what I wanted them to do. The misunderstandings between the leads didn't feel like poor communication, but rather both of them trying to protect the other in the only way they knew how, which made the relationship much more interesting. I thought the chemistry of the main actors was wonderful. My only complaint was that it felt like some parts of the show were a bit rushed - I really wish we could have spent more time with them before the time skip. Otherwise, this show was absolutely worth the watch and the heartbreak is worth it in the end.

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An Episodic Suicide Prevention PSA

I went in to Tomorrow with an open mind, excited for the idea of grim reapers that don't actually guide dead souls, but instead prevent them from dying in the first place. However, I found that the mostly episodic nature of the show ended up making it feel repetitive and uneventful.

Choi Joonwoong (Rowoon) nearly dies when preventing a suicide - a suicide that was supposed to be prevent by the Risk Management Team of grim reapers. While in a coma, his soul enters Jumadeung, a company in the afterlife filled with grim reapers. He is told he can work with the Risk Management Team for 6 months and then return to his body in the world of the living. Joonwoong then spends his days preventing suicides alongside other grim reapers on the team.

I felt like I was always waiting to get more back story on the grim reapers on the team, as well as get more drama from within Jumadeung. While we got to see glimpses of it, it felt like it came way too late in the show. Instead of dragging on a single case for multiple episodes, I wish we got to see more of why the other reapers hate the Risk Management Team, the stories of the other reapers and how that affects them, etc. but they didn't truly flesh that out until the end of the series. I understand they wanted to portray these different suicide cases, but it started to feel a little heavy handed with the suicide prevention psa. I think if it was more balanced between grim reaper drama and the cases themselves, it would've been a much more well-rounded show.

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Coming of age without enough time

With a cast like this, I knew I had to watch Summer Night. It was a very fun show to watch and while I enjoyed watching it weekly, I would guess it's better watched in a shorter period of time. I wouldn't call it slow, but it did feel like a lot of conflicts were drawn out a little too long, especially when it's obvious who Star will end up with.

Lune (Phuwin) has always been a loner . After getting bullied at his last school and then transferring to a new one, he's become fine with this fact - and is also fine with simply admiring his crush Star (Parn) from afar. That is, until White (Dunk) decides he'll do whatever it takes to get Lune to join his friend group. Lune starts becoming closer with White, Star, Ivy (Lookjun), and Jewel (Ryu), but when White reveals his secret crush on Star, Lune feels obligated to hide his feelings. He feels even more obligated to do so when it turns out Star might have those same feelings for him. Faced with either losing a girl or his new best friend, Lune tries to please everyone and ends up doing quite the opposite.

I really enjoyed Lune's arc in this show, even when he was a bit stupid at times. However, I felt like the relationship between Lune and Star could have been so much better! It felt like there were so few scenes with them being happy together. Plus, the overly drawn out jealousy plotline got annoying real quick. With all the characters in the show, it felt like they were trying hard to balance out screentime, and it got the best of them. Honestly, if this had been a 12 episode series instead of 10 they might have been able to do a bit more, but it just felt like some things were rushed while others were too slow. But still, the cast was great and it was definitely enjoyable.

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An emotional story disguised as a comedy

Based on the description and the clips I've seen from this show, I expected it to be very silly. And while it starts off that way, the plot quickly deviates from the description and turns into something else that is much more emotional and serious - all while trying to keep a light tone. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it either took itself more seriously and explored these more emotional aspects more, or kept it light and fun throughout. I honestly only watched this because I'm a big fan of First, and it was definitely an experience.

Pan and Soda like to write fanfiction about Way and Kim, which causes some bullies to attack Way, calling him gay. This fight gets Way threatened with expulsion, and Pan, feeling bad about this, apologizes to Kim. Luckily, Kim seems very nice and offers her a ride home, only to crash on the drive. Then, the two end up swapping bodies, but Pan's body is left in a coma. Pan, in Kim's body, searches for a way to get back to her own body, all while learning things about Kim that she couldn't imagine. Her idealized version of him from her fanfiction quickly crumbles, and even as she tries to right his wrongs, she fears what will happen when his soul returns.

Body swapping plotlines aren't typically plots I go for, and while this one had interesting dynamics with it, it still didn't quite get me invested. Of course, a major plotline is Pan trying to get her body back, but there were some dumb decisions made on her part that left me frustrated. However, I really enjoyed the ending and thought that the twists in the story were actually very interesting. As I said, I think that keeping with either the emotional or light tone throughout the series would've made this feel much more cohesive. I do wish I didn't have to ask the question, "is it technically incest if you kiss your brother, but it's someone else's soul?" but here we are.

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Watch for Daou and Offroad

I'm going to be honest, I only watched this because I liked Daou and Offroad in Century of Love. I didn't expect too much from this one, and it was exactly what I thought it would be - a sweet, cute BL with not too much going on. Based on the title, I did expect a little more.....translation? Or miscommunication because of language? But none of that happened.

Yang (Daou) is opening a business in Thailand, but because he's Chinese, he needs a business partner. He ends up in a partnership with Phumjai (Offroad), and though the two get off on the wrong foot, they end up opening a convenience store together. Phumjai just has one condition: Yang must teach him Mandarin so he can impress the popular Chinese influencer Tammy. As they work together and Phumjai tries to win over Tammy, feelings between Yang and Phumjai unexpectedly emerge.

Honestly, this show wasn't anything special. It was cute, it was fun, and hit a lot of major tropes in Thai BLs (including kidnapping.....which I still feel was unnecessary). Daou and Offroad have great chemistry, and I didn't feel like any conflict was too drawn out. If you're looking for a quick and light watch, this is a good one, but don't expect anything more than that.

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A Win for Win

I LOVED seeing Win in a role like this. This show was dark, freaky, supernatural, and INCREDIBLY well done considering it's so short. I really thought it was going to feel unfinished, but it's the perfect level of complete to be satisfying, while also gearing up for another season. The only critique I have of this one is the relationship.

At a competitive all girls high school, the top students start dying mysterious deaths, starting from the top ranked and moving down the list. Fa (Prim), ranked 3rd, starts to think that these "accidents" are anything but, and can't help but to notice they line up with the arrival of the new teacher, Mr. Ajin (Win). Thinking he has something to do with it, Fa starts investigating, and gets herself wrapped up in a world she wasn't ready to uncover.

In only 4 episodes, they managed to provide the perfect amount of background information and build the story at the perfect pace. You learn alongside Fa what is happening and how everything is connected, which was super fun to watch. My only complaint is a big one though - why WHY do we need any romance between Fa and Ajin?? I don't care about technicalities of how old they are or whatever, they meet as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT and a TEACHER. Luckily, any romantic feelings Fa has toward Ajin don't matter nearly as much as the horrible occurrences at this school. The horror elements are done way better than I had expected, and it had me captivated the whole time. I can't WAIT to see what season 2 has to offer!!

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It takes a century to learn to live in the present

I had been meaning to watch this one ever since it started airing, and I'm almost upset I waited so long to watch it. This drama is beautifully done, the acting is excellent, and the chemistry even better. While there may be a few plot holes and some annoyance at characters not being able to figure things out, it was overall a wonderful drama that is definitely worth watching.

After losing the love of his life in the 1920s, San (Daou) uses a magical stone blessed by a goddess to live in his current form for 100 years to find his true love's reincarnation. With only a few months left, San is getting desperate - he needs to find her in order to break his century-long curse. Luckily, the keeper of the shrine has determined where this reincarnation will be, and San is ecstatic; that is, until he finds out this reincarnation is a man named Vee (Offroad). Thoroughly convinced this was a mistake, San is determined to find his real true love, all while slowly falling in love with Vee instead. San is left to wonder if Vee is truly his soulmate and able to break the curse, or if these 100 years of suffering will end with his death instead.

I really enjoyed watching this. The special effects weren't very good and there were some aspects of the plot that didn't really work for me, but for the most part I thought the storyline was excellent and the characters were developed really well. There's a lot of repetitive drama when it comes to the relationship, but it is still meaningful and executed well. In terms of the background lore of the goddess, I thought it was explained well enough to get the point across without unnecessary exposition, which was great. I do think fleshing out some of the side characters a bit more would've helped round out this drama, but overall it was beautiful and worth the watch.

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GreatInn sold me on this one

Whoever decided that Great and Inn should act together was incredibly correct. They are such a good pairing, and it was refreshing to see GMM put adult actors as adult characters with real jobs and not just students. They hit on some cliches that definitely aren't my favorite (starting a relationship with a hookup, fuck buddies to "what are we", etc.) but overall the plot was super fun.

Dr. Wandee (Inn) finally works up the courage to tell his coworker that he has feelings for him, only to get rejected. In his despair, he ends up hooking up with boxer Yoryak (Great), who also happens to be his patient. The two of them start hooking up more regularly, in a strictly friends with benefits situation. Then, when Wandee's confession to his coworker spreads as juicy gossip throughout the hospital, he needs to convince everyone he's over this guy - and does so by convincing Yoryak to be his fake boyfriend. However, when you're hooking up with someone, hanging out outside of hookups, and pretending to be boyfriends by having romantic moments, how far off are you from actually dating? And of course, these "fake" feelings become all too real.

I love a fake dating plot, but I do feel like this one missed the mark on the whole "fake" part. Typically, I'd expect fake dating to not involve hooking up with said fake boyfriend. Wandee and Yoryak were dating in every aspect except the boyfriend label for SO LONG before they finally made it official, and at that point I didn't even realize they weren't officially boyfriends yet because it was so obvious they were. I feel like instead of dragging out the label, it would have been more interesting to either play out the friends with benefits to boyfriends or actual fake boyfriends (as in, no hooking up with each other and only acting romantic when around others) . Regardless, this show was super fun and I really enjoyed seeing Great and Inn act together. The plots outside of the relationship were really well done, and props to the show for including an asexual character that is still in romantic relationships and taking the time to explain. Overall, the show was light and fun without too much heartache involved, and the actors had enough chemistry to make up for anything the show lacked.

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Cute, but nothing more

I hadn't watched anything else from JoongDunk, so I wasn't sure how the pairing would be. I found the couple to be very fun and cute, and while the storyline lacked some substance, it was a very cute romance that was a fun watch. I will admit, as many of the reviews here point out, there was no "hidden agenda". There was a slight misunderstanding and that's about it.

Zo (Dunk) has a crush on Nita, a girl in the debate club with him. Nita recently got out of a relationship with Joke (Joong), but the two seem to still be hanging out a lot. Zo decides to approach Joke and ask him if they're dating - and if not, ask for advice on what Nita likes so he can ask her out. Joke decides to coach Zo on how to win over Nita by going on fake dates with him; however, it's clear from the beginning that Joke's real motive is to win Zo over for himself.

Based on the summary and the title, I expected a lot more time in the show before Zo and Joke ended up dating. The relationship pacing felt a little off considering the premise, but I really wasn't opposed to it. I thought the romance between teh characters was really nice and it was a light and fun story. I did that that towards the end, they tried to bring in too many family conflicts which took away from the relationship. I assumed the issues would revolve around them coming out to friends and family and maybe some other relationship troubles, but instead their issues were totally unrelated to the romance, and still for some reason affected their relationship. These conflicts should have either been brought up earlier, or framed in a way that directly impacted the relationship of the main characters. Overall I enjoyed watching it and thought it was a cute romance that could have benefitted from a bit more plot outside of the relationship.

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Delivered complex characters and a lovely romance

Typically I don't expect too much out of Korean BLs. Since they're so short, they often can't go into enough depth. However, Jazz for Two managed to balance their short time and the right amount of character depth perfectly, leaving you with complex characters without overwhelming you with backstory.

Yoon Seheon just transferred to a performing arts high school after being homeschooled for years. His classically trained pianist father has only ever allowed him to focus on classical music on the piano, and Seheon is constantly compared to his perfect older brother. However, Seheon really just wants to play jazz, and is hoping this new school will let him break free of his father. However, when practicing in an abandoned piano room at the school, Han Taeyi hears the song and is angered by it - not because it's bad, but because it reminds him too much of his late older brother's playing. Han Taeyi struggles to deal with the grief of losing his older brother, and takes it out on Seheon, only for Seheon to keep pushing Taeyi to become closer with him.

This show delivered on both the slowburn romance front and the entertaining characters. While the side characters didn't get much screentime, the two main characters each had distinct backstories and personalities, which complemented each other well. They start as polar opposites and appear to be enemies, but naturally over the course of the show we get to watch Taeyi deal with his grief and Seheon open up to Taeyi.

My biggest complaints about this show would all be resolved if the show was longer. First, the show tried to touch on homophobia, including internalized homophobia, but simply didn't see it through. It was brought up as a problem but then just disappeared? I also think that we missed out on seeing the early stages of Seheon and Taeyi together, because it seemed like they were fighting and then all of a sudden they were together? We never got to see the conversations or dates between them, and I think it would have helped to flesh out their relationship more. Frankly, we didn't get much time with them in a relationship because it takes so long for them to get together. I love a slowburn too, but I would have liked more happy moments with them as a couple. Also, some of the issues in their backstories (Seheon's dad, Taeyi's brother, etc.) could have used more screen time to really explore more. For the time it had, this show was wonderful. I'd say it's one of the more engaging and deep Korean BLs I've seen. However, the time constraints always seem to be my worst enemy for Korean BLs.

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