I hate the fact that the drama was advertised/classified as a BL because their relationship was portrayed of being…
the story resonates more with real life than fiction. johan didn't wanna bother ryu... like the man saved him when he saw no light in his life, brining him to a different country, supporting him. he just didn't wanna put him through more pain, which is understandable from his pov. if he did that, it would have more sounded like he's abusing his tolerance. plus they were not financially doing well, with the baby and sumiko in their life.
i agree to that the story could have made them meet earlier than that. sumiko knew but she chose not to tell ryu...
on the other hand, ryu reflects a normal adolescence guy. he quit cos he couldn't do it anymore with the pain in his heart... and he could not land a decent job despite attending many interviews. and, he gave more of an asexual vibe. he later realised arata's feelings for him, but he didn't feel the same about him. in case of johan, he was affectionate but not in a sexual sense. he wanted more of a platonic romance in my ops.
and yeah, i hated the part where they were planning the marriage. sumiko was more like a sibling to him.
the series is just sad... like it was written by god lol
and yes i agree with you.. this is not bl. this is just a story with queer characters.
post series clarity: I didn’t follow the timeline well at first, so now I’m trying to do the math. Johan says he was born in 1995 and is Korean age 22 (actual age 21), so his first visit to Japan would be in 2016. He serves in the military for 2 years, so he likely flees Korea in 2018. Seiichi dies in 2018, and Kanau is also born in 2018. Johan leaves when Kanau is still an infant, so let’s assume it’s late 2018. The C-virus lockdown happens from late 2019 to 2021, and Kanau should be at least 6 years old by now (judging from the cast). Sumiko tells Ryu that Sua called her about Johan’s illness a year ago (though I’m not sure why she kept that to herself). Johan and Ryu meet again sometime after 2023. So the story seems to start in 2016, but the timeline still feels unclear.
Now about the BL plot: I originally thought the only gay characters in the series were Arata and the Korean bar guy, until I started piecing this together. Johan tells Ryu that he was “the same as him.” We’re not sure if he meant the church confession, since Ryu never mentioned quitting ice hockey before, so I’m assuming Johan was referring to his sexuality. Also, why would Johan specifically visit a gay bar when there were plenty of other bars around, especially in 2016? Korea still isn’t very accepting of homosexuality, even in Big 2026. All these points make me think Johan is gay but reluctant to accept it himself.
i lost my hope cos of last week's ep, and watched just cos i started. BUT i wasn't disappointed. both the eps-11,12 were soo good. and the plot twist...that was cool
here from absolute value of romance comments. it's really surprising it was out in 2016! thanks that one kind soul in the comments i got to watch this gem.
i completed it . was so good. but i still prefer this one better... cos yk the comedy and how he wasn't angry about the genre but his not being the main character ... that was a brilliant twist
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johan didn't wanna bother ryu... like the man saved him when he saw no light in his life, brining him to a different country, supporting him. he just didn't wanna put him through more pain, which is understandable from his pov. if he did that, it would have more sounded like he's abusing his tolerance. plus they were not financially doing well, with the baby and sumiko in their life.
i agree to that the story could have made them meet earlier than that. sumiko knew but she chose not to tell ryu...
on the other hand, ryu reflects a normal adolescence guy. he quit cos he couldn't do it anymore with the pain in his heart... and he could not land a decent job despite attending many interviews.
and, he gave more of an asexual vibe. he later realised arata's feelings for him, but he didn't feel the same about him. in case of johan, he was affectionate but not in a sexual sense. he wanted more of a platonic romance in my ops.
and yeah, i hated the part where they were planning the marriage. sumiko was more like a sibling to him.
the series is just sad... like it was written by god lol
and yes i agree with you.. this is not bl. this is just a story with queer characters.
I didn’t follow the timeline well at first, so now I’m trying to do the math.
Johan says he was born in 1995 and is Korean age 22 (actual age 21), so his first visit to Japan would be in 2016.
He serves in the military for 2 years, so he likely flees Korea in 2018.
Seiichi dies in 2018, and Kanau is also born in 2018.
Johan leaves when Kanau is still an infant, so let’s assume it’s late 2018.
The C-virus lockdown happens from late 2019 to 2021, and Kanau should be at least 6 years old by now (judging from the cast).
Sumiko tells Ryu that Sua called her about Johan’s illness a year ago (though I’m not sure why she kept that to herself).
Johan and Ryu meet again sometime after 2023.
So the story seems to start in 2016, but the timeline still feels unclear.
Now about the BL plot: I originally thought the only gay characters in the series were Arata and the Korean bar guy, until I started piecing this together.
Johan tells Ryu that he was “the same as him.” We’re not sure if he meant the church confession, since Ryu never mentioned quitting ice hockey before, so I’m assuming Johan was referring to his sexuality.
Also, why would Johan specifically visit a gay bar when there were plenty of other bars around, especially in 2016? Korea still isn’t very accepting of homosexuality, even in Big 2026.
All these points make me think Johan is gay but reluctant to accept it himself.
Feel free to correct me
thanks that one kind soul in the comments i got to watch this gem.
but i still prefer this one better... cos yk the comedy and how he wasn't angry about the genre but his not being the main character ... that was a brilliant twist