Axelle
France
FINALLY a good bl sequel
PROS:
- the cinematography!!! you can definitely tell they got more budget & creative direction for this season because some shots literally fucking stunned me, they were gorgeous!!! they went full film d’auteur for this one & I couldn’t approve more, this is my jam!!!
- the characters, and especially kang seo joon. like I just love this character so much??? everyone in this show fucking WORKS, but kang seo joon is like this cartoon-y character who also feels so real & he’s just really fucking amazing.
- I love the writing & its realism. this sequel made me realize that even the original season had a deeper aspect to it compared to other kbls, a sort of looming feeling of mental health issues & other problems, even with a happy ending. and in that way, the writers perfectly continued that story & gave us more context as to who both characters are as people, and I think the writers did a great job underlining the possible problems in their relationship & playing on their differences. I feel like this sequel worked when all of the others haven’t because the writers stayed true to the characters & story they wanted to tell. obviously season two has a different tone & setting, yet both seasons really work together, whereas it’s usually really not the case.
- the chemistry & acting just work. I don’t think han ji woo’s actor is the best actor & the more emotional scene wasn’t the best imo, but apart from that this pairing just works really well, and overall the acting is very solid. even with all the issues between the characters, the chemistry between the actors makes you care about this pairing a lot more.
CONS:
- v angsty, and I know that this is not what some people are looking for in this sequel, and in that case I would skip this one out. or just binge it all in one go bc I guarantee you, binging the first 8 eps and then having to wait a week for the conclusion like I did was HELL.
- I think han ji woo is a very interesting character that I really like, but since he’s been the driving factor for every drama & break up this couple has had, and he’s very cold & everything, in some moments it was really hard to care for him. there was literally a point in the show where I felt like these two were better off broken up, and I’m not sure that’s exactly what the writers wanted. so I think they went a bit too far with ji woo’s cruelty in certain moments, when it should’ve been slightly more push & pull rather than one hurting the other repeatedly if that makes sense.
WOULD I REWATCH IT: maybe not on its own bc it’s very angsty, but if I rewatched the original show I would definitely follow it with season two.
CONCLUSION: FINALLY a sequel that is not disappointing!!! I despise second seasons, but here I’m so glad I gave this one a chance, despite not even knowing how it was gonna end! This just proves me that you can introduce angst, break ups and challenges in a sequel and still make it good, and I’m just really happy that one of my favorite 2021 shows actually got the sequel it deserves <3
- the cinematography!!! you can definitely tell they got more budget & creative direction for this season because some shots literally fucking stunned me, they were gorgeous!!! they went full film d’auteur for this one & I couldn’t approve more, this is my jam!!!
- the characters, and especially kang seo joon. like I just love this character so much??? everyone in this show fucking WORKS, but kang seo joon is like this cartoon-y character who also feels so real & he’s just really fucking amazing.
- I love the writing & its realism. this sequel made me realize that even the original season had a deeper aspect to it compared to other kbls, a sort of looming feeling of mental health issues & other problems, even with a happy ending. and in that way, the writers perfectly continued that story & gave us more context as to who both characters are as people, and I think the writers did a great job underlining the possible problems in their relationship & playing on their differences. I feel like this sequel worked when all of the others haven’t because the writers stayed true to the characters & story they wanted to tell. obviously season two has a different tone & setting, yet both seasons really work together, whereas it’s usually really not the case.
- the chemistry & acting just work. I don’t think han ji woo’s actor is the best actor & the more emotional scene wasn’t the best imo, but apart from that this pairing just works really well, and overall the acting is very solid. even with all the issues between the characters, the chemistry between the actors makes you care about this pairing a lot more.
CONS:
- v angsty, and I know that this is not what some people are looking for in this sequel, and in that case I would skip this one out. or just binge it all in one go bc I guarantee you, binging the first 8 eps and then having to wait a week for the conclusion like I did was HELL.
- I think han ji woo is a very interesting character that I really like, but since he’s been the driving factor for every drama & break up this couple has had, and he’s very cold & everything, in some moments it was really hard to care for him. there was literally a point in the show where I felt like these two were better off broken up, and I’m not sure that’s exactly what the writers wanted. so I think they went a bit too far with ji woo’s cruelty in certain moments, when it should’ve been slightly more push & pull rather than one hurting the other repeatedly if that makes sense.
WOULD I REWATCH IT: maybe not on its own bc it’s very angsty, but if I rewatched the original show I would definitely follow it with season two.
CONCLUSION: FINALLY a sequel that is not disappointing!!! I despise second seasons, but here I’m so glad I gave this one a chance, despite not even knowing how it was gonna end! This just proves me that you can introduce angst, break ups and challenges in a sequel and still make it good, and I’m just really happy that one of my favorite 2021 shows actually got the sequel it deserves <3
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