SO SO GOOD
short and simple, easy to binge and very very cute. this made my heart so happy with how low stakes it was and there wasn't any struggling with sexuality or homophobia or anything of the sort included in the show (MORE OF THIS PLEASE!), just 2 guys who like each other :)the story itself is not something we haven't seen been done before but i think this goes to show how even simple/cliche plots can make for loveable shows when done right.
admittedly i have not seen *many* bls but this one is still one of the best that i've seen. the production is good, there's no awkwardness or cringiness, acting is good (especially considering both of them are originally idols) and it's just a fun, quick watch that left me wanting moreee. the pacing of this is just great and means that it's not boring at any point nor does it feel rushed.
there were scenes that made me smile and my heart clench, i am so happy i watched this but so sad it's over. really cannot recommend it enough. excited to see what else korea has in store for us in the bl department because they're getting better and better:
1. real kiss scenes
2. sapphic side character
3. is not cringey
4. good acting
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promising first half disappointing second
When I started watching this show it felt like a breath of fresh air and it didn't take much time to quickly fall in love with all of the characters and the warm, cozy feeling the show provided.I LOVE Aoki's friendships with Hashimoto and Akkun and love how the show handled the love triangle, keeping it light-hearted and funny (+Hashimoto is such a good friend I love her so much she has to be one of the best female characters in a BL). Ida is such a sweetheart and I was earnestly rooting for the MLs to get together. His willingness to give Aoki a chance and his care for him makes for a heart-melting watch. Overall I appreciated the cute little story that it was with its extremely lovable 4 main characters.
However after the camping episode things started going downhill for me. The charm of the show seemed to have diminished and I found myself getting very bored. We saw less and less of the 2 best friends that I had grown to love and instead had episodic conflicts that failed to keep me interested. With Hashimoto and Akkun taking a backseat in favor of the main couple and other sideplots the ending to their romance wasn't satisfactory to me either as enough time wasn't given to them onscreen for me to have really felt the buildup and development of their relationship although initially I had gotten invested into them as a future side couple as well. With a cute and funny set-up Kieta Hatsukoi's ultimate downfall was its length. Though 10 episodes each being around 20 minutes long doesn't look lengthy at all it felt like it with how the story meandered on with a lack of focus and direction that the initial episodes had. It felt like we were going in circles with how situations would occur just to prevent the couple from getting together which made me grow tired of them as a whole. I think this would have worked much better for me if it was a movie consisting of eps 1-4 instead of a series. Also please note: the second half was not terrible and I understand why people seem to love this show (the high-school innocence of the friendships and romance is really very sweet) it was just not for me as I didn't find it to be anything special or entertaining/cute enough.
(Feel bad giving this 6.5 stars but considering I only genuinely liked and enjoyed 4/10 episodes it might just be generous)
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