Enjoyable but could use more OOMPH

This show was pleasant from start to finish with enough drama that it keeps you watching and enough plot to keep you entertained. That said, I think it was missing a hook. I didn't get caught up in it and when I would stop watching after a few episodes, I wouldn't really think of it until I sat down to continue watching it. (unlike some other shows that would play in my head when I wasn't watching and I would itch to know what comes next).

I have to say though, JaeHyun did an exceptional job for his first drama. I am so proud of him as an NCTzen and hope to see him play in many more roles with his talent in acting.

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Realistically a 6.5/10, but enjoyability is 8.5/10

Honestly, this is going to be a very short review but I just needed a place to vent. Fighter was played SO INCREDIBLY WELL. I liked Tutor's acting too but Fighter was definitely the highlight for me.

The show itself was very choppy and sometimes a mess but everytime it got back to a scene with Fighter and Tutor, I was sucked back in. They had amazing chemistry and when Tutor broke up with Fighter, I could genuinely feel the desperation and heart-wrenching emotions that Fighter was going through. It definitely left a hole in my heart that luckily was filled in Ep 13.

So for their story line and Fighter's acting it's a solid 8.5-9/10. But overall, because I can't just ignore the rest of the show, it's brought down to a 6.5/10. If you're not bothered to sit through most of it, I'd suggest just watching scenes with Tutor, Fighter, Saifah and Zon.

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Honestly Blown Away

I'm not really into BL dramas because so many of them aren't made very well or are rushed. You never get to connect to a character and many of the side stories don't add flavour to the show, it just adds some time to make the show longer. (Personal opinion)

However, that being said, this was one of my favourite shows and I really have to commend the writer, director and cast. They all did such a good job of telling this story and got me emotionally invested. It was well paced and they put effort into telling the story of representing the difficulties of coming out in Korea as well as genuinely representing LGBTQ+ love as a real love story.

The only reason why I haven't been a fan of BL is because they put 10% of the effort into BLs as they do on straight love dramas. My point being, I already want to rewatch this and relive the happy, sad and heart-fluttering moments. This is an absolute gem and I hope more shows like this, representing LGBTQ+ love correctly, will come out in the future.

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I never realised how fast a show can plummet until I watched this....

MAJOR SPOILERS:

This show had such potential and I was honestly going to give it a 8.5 AT LEAST, from the first few episodes. BUT, I think there should be a cap on how many plot twists a show should have. Like the first few plot twists I was like "oh noooo, what happened" but by the end of it I was just baffled at how ridiculous it got. The show should have either had the stalker storyline OR the terminally ill storyline. The show should have either gone with turning it into a sad drama and killing of the ML OR had him go through his illness with her until he was in remission. WHY DID HE FAKE HIS DEATH?!? To put someone through 5 YEARS of grief, ESPECIALLY someone who has literally lost so many people in her life is just wrong... and then to come back and just giggle while she's crying as if her whole world didn't just flip upside down because the person she loved so dearly and thought to be dead turned out to be alive? IF HE DIDN'T WANT HER TO KNOW HE WAS ILL, WHY DID HE GO BACK TO THE COFFEE SHOP JUST CUZ SHE SENT HIM A MESSAGE ON INSTA???? ESPECIALLY IF HE WAS GOING TO FAKE HIS DEATH ANYWAYS WHICH IS SO MUCH MORE CRUEL. The writers absolutely MURDERED this show in such a small span. As you can tell I'm pissed.

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Concept is great. Execution not so much

I started watching this show just to kill some time but after the first episode I was roped in. The concept was actually very interesting and I liked the idea of them developing "egos" and becoming aware of being in a comic. However, after the 6th episode I started becoming very sceptical. The actual comic was kind of ridiculous, the character development was non-existent and even though Dan-Oh was supposed to be this "cute" girl, I was actually just getting annoyed at her mannerisms as they seem so unrelatable. But still I kept watching because I wanted to know more about the black hole, Ha-ru and why he can change the stage, if they were going to find the writer etc and none of those things ever got explained. The actual interesting parts of the story that gave it depth were rushed while the scenes that had romance in it were slow. Honestly, the character that I got most invested in was Beak-kyung since they actually put in effort to show why he was so mean to Dan-oh and he started opening up and becoming more himself whereas everyone else just seemed so shallow. Also another thing that annoyed me was, why did Ju-da pick Nam-ju over Do-hwa? Like Nam-ju was literally the most boring character in the entire story and why get our hopes up that she was going to pick Do-hwa by rejecting Nam-ju a few times, when you're just gonna make her pick Nam-ju anyways? The ending as well was so unsatisfying, even if you disregard all of the plot holes.

The best thing about this show was the acting (especially of the male characters) and the music. If you're looking for a filler drama because you don't know what to watch then yes, I would recommend this over a lot of other mediocre dramas but that's only because the concept is still very interesting.

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Painful and Beautiful

This drama absolutely killed me from the moment it started. The cinematography mixed with the music and plot, really gets in your feels. I know there are many people who didn't enjoy this show or just thought of it as average but for me, it left a gaping hole in my heart. I think what this drama does so painfully well, is present love in a modern and emotional way. It's not about the rich-guy-poor-girl dinamic that so many dramas tend to follow, it's about two people who have had painful pasts and don't know how to love others and to be loved anymore. Yu Na-Bi seems so defeated by life all the time but the unique relationship she forms with Park Jae-Eon makes her feel and hope again. She doesn't want the 'good guy' because she's experience that the 'good guy' could just as easily end up as the bad guy. Jae-Eon is himself from the beginning and doesn't promise to only commit to her but then cheat on her. He may seem like the bad guy but at least she knows what to expect. They need each other equally to grow, even if it is in their own f***ed up way.

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SATISFYING ALL THE WAY THROUGH

I'm usually quite harsh on these types of shows where there is revenge but this show really captures a person's breaking point so well. HYJ had been thrown away by everyone she thought cared about her and when she wakes up a year in the past, she doesn't waste a second and immediately chooses to turn her back on everyone that betrayed her. Her attitude from that point on is just perfect! She doesn't back down and although she still struggles with the anxiety of being around her abusive family, she ultimately chooses herself at every turn.

I actually really liked Seo Jung Wooks character portayal. Of course he was a horrible person but his aura and even just the way he speaks reminds me of a classic Disney villain (specifically Shan Yu from Mulan). I think what sets him apart as a character is he's not a psychopath like Lee Jung Hye, he just never learned how to love anything or anyone including himself.

I kind of wish that the sister, Han Yoo Ra, ended up in a ditch somewhere tbh. God she was insufferable. Also no one found out that she's not actually biologically related to her dad. I do like that she ended up having to go back to that simp of a man, Se Hyeok. He deserves her simply for loving her so much he didn't care about hurting Yi Joo in the process.

All in all, I think this drama did a fantastic job of presenting a satisfying revenge plot. 10/10

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Comforting and Cute but Very Lacking Too

So let me first get into the obvious, the whole black-face-cultural-appropriation thing - if it makes you feel uncomfortable or makes you question whether it's okay, it's probably not. The writers could have gone with so many different typically dorky/weird character tropes and chose to represent their 'comedic relief' as someone looking like a man of colour. I'm not sure whether his skin colour was darkened as I can recognise that Asian countries have darker skin tones and CAN get as dark as he was but the dreadlocks and the reggae clothes were obviously cultural appropriation and just put in there for 'comedic' purposes. Plus the fact that they made him this smelly/gross character just shows what the writers think of black men. This was by far the most disappointing aspect of the show.

Second, the main couple - It was a sweet story and I'm okay with slow burns but I really get so peeved when they finish a show without any actual romantic/passionate interactions between the main couple. Like I'm still okay with the PG kisses that are in dramas usually but you can't sell me a love story only to then show it to the extent of a friendship... Besides that, I enjoyed their interactions and their chemistry.

Third, the rest of the cast - I absolutely love the Busan accent and find it really comforting for some reason (maybe because it's more tonal like my native language) so I absolutely loved the mum and dad. Saet-Byul's friends were great too and even though her sister sometimes annoyed me, she was sweet in the end and I'm glad she had a happy ending as well. I can't say the same for Dae-Hyun's sister though. DEAR GOD I HATED HER. She wasn't funny, she wasn't quirky or cheeky, she was just a LEECH. She regularly stole from her family, only went home to eat, and did NOTHING the entire 16 episodes that made me feel like she at least gave as much as she took. She just continued to take, take , take and act as if she deserved it. People like her really irk me to me bones and it really spoiled the show for me.

All in all, I have a lot of complaints but it was still enjoyable to watch for the most part and I like the concept. I just wished they tried a little harder to actually put out a quality show.

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In Response To Negative Comments...

I've been seeing a lot of negative comments about this show saying that it's americanized etc. so I wanted to write a review in response to this.

I disagree that this kdrama is trying to be more Americanized. I genuinely like that they tried to make something more suited for adult viewers with the dark themes, intricate plot, and some nudity. It's refreshing to see such an amazing cast take on a much more daring role and it really shows how talented they are.

I will say that the plot was a bit confusing at points. The jumps between present day, the past, and the future were done well for the most part but there were times where I wasn't sure where we were. Another negative is that I hate when shows split the main couple up after they've been through a lot because they need to "heal". I personally think it's a bad choice and unnecessary.

I will also say that the show could have used a bit more depth on the relationships between the characters, there was limited dialogue when the leads were on screen together and instead we just see them trauma dumping all the time. Maybe if the show had been slightly longer to accommodate some more character building, I would have liked this aspect more. Or even if they just got rid of the friend's plot line - this felt so unnecessary... like okay she doesn't want to just be a mom, she wants to work blah blah blah but like where did this story actually go? What was the point? They either needed to develop this WAYYYY more or take it out IMO. I wanted to see his ex-wife's downfall, I wanted to see the leads accepting this new love, I wanted to see more healing in the characters... What I really mean to say by all this is that I think this show could have been a solid 10/10 if they had a more solid focus on the emotional/psychological themes rather than throwing in some of the other side plots.

Onto the positives - I really like the relationship between the leads. Their chemistry was amazing and I felt compelled by their stories. It was heartbreaking at times too when you see how unsure the leads are about what love is meant to feel like and how they should be treated by their loved ones. I like to crochet whilst I watch kdramas and this was a show where I would just constantly stop and just watch because I was so hooked on what was happening. I know my paragraph on the negatives is so much longer but that's just because there were a few key positives that really make this entire show so worth watching.

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