starryskai
Not for everyone, but close to a masterpiece if it's your style
Very slight spoilers if any...
This is a show that requires patience, an open mind, and readiness to analyze what you're given.
The director's main field is in theater, which shows in how the story is told and how it's filmed. It could easily be adapted into a stage play. Thus this is very different than a typical bl and going into it thinking that it is similar would be a mistake. Tbh, it'd be a mistake to think of this as a romance at all. This is neither a romance nor a plot driven show. Rather it's an emotional psychological show that stars a simple 3 member cast.
This is a show with an incredible amount of details in the dialogue, and in lines (as in structural lines in the building, it makes sense once you watch). There are no flashbacks (think of this as a play), so everything is told purely through dialogue. This may be a turn off to some cause it can be more difficult to follow than a typical flashback. However I actually really like it because I can use my imagination to see what happened all while being able to watch the actor's emotions as they tell it. I'm able to see their real present emotions.
I'm writing this after my second watch. I previously watched this months ago, but decided to rewatch so I can absorb all the information and hidden meanings properly and I'm glad I did. Now that I know everything, every line as a hidden meaning. Every line has power. Despite this being a slow show there is not one moment in this show that is not important. Repetitive? I guess maybe, but that's really a stylistic thing. I'm on the side of it working to hammer in the points while also adding new info. It's also a show that works on the past and present having a significant amount of parallels. So if you're like me and like shows where you can analyze the scenes and dig deep into whats happening, this here is a gold mine.
Plot wise it's about the divide between people who live different kinds of lives, those who live trapped by the past, and those who fight to create a present they are proud of. In is a man who hides in fear from the world hoping nobody finds him, but it secretly lonely. Mol, a woman who ignores truth by living in a fantasy and rejecting anything that doesn't fit her ideal. And Wang, a young man who fights to find his truth and be free. The story revolves around these three and the emotional conflicts between them.
The acting is phenomenal. Brilliant casting choices. The acting is on the theatrical side, but because the show it written like a stage play, I say it fits. It might not work in some other shows, but here it's totally fine and I loved all the actors. Some of the best acting you'll see in a bl (if we're calling this that).
The reason I didn't give this a 10/10 is because admittedly the age gap does throw me off. I originally hesitated for a long time to watch this because age gaps are an immediate turn off for me, I gave this show a chance because I kept hearing nothing but praise for it. Now, this is not a romance and they don't end up together, so I deal with it. I also think that this emotional rollercoaster of an age gap family conflict show wouldn't work as well had Wang not been Mol's son. The show heavily relies on the parallels between the past of Mol/In/Siam, and the present of Mol/In/Wang. It also heavily relies on Wang being the young rebellious kind who grew up in a slightly more accepting society. This show would not work the say it did had this age gap not existed.
I absolutely don't blame people who don't watch the show due to the age gap, but I still think that even with it, 180 degree is an incredibly well made show that, if you have the patience for it, will take your heart, swing it around and crush it for 8 episodes, and then hand it back to you as you stare off in disbelief at what you just watched. It's quite good at repeatedly throwing emotional scenes at you when you're not ready for them. Just when you think the emotional stuff is over, it hits you harder in a different way.
This is a show that requires patience, an open mind, and readiness to analyze what you're given.
The director's main field is in theater, which shows in how the story is told and how it's filmed. It could easily be adapted into a stage play. Thus this is very different than a typical bl and going into it thinking that it is similar would be a mistake. Tbh, it'd be a mistake to think of this as a romance at all. This is neither a romance nor a plot driven show. Rather it's an emotional psychological show that stars a simple 3 member cast.
This is a show with an incredible amount of details in the dialogue, and in lines (as in structural lines in the building, it makes sense once you watch). There are no flashbacks (think of this as a play), so everything is told purely through dialogue. This may be a turn off to some cause it can be more difficult to follow than a typical flashback. However I actually really like it because I can use my imagination to see what happened all while being able to watch the actor's emotions as they tell it. I'm able to see their real present emotions.
I'm writing this after my second watch. I previously watched this months ago, but decided to rewatch so I can absorb all the information and hidden meanings properly and I'm glad I did. Now that I know everything, every line as a hidden meaning. Every line has power. Despite this being a slow show there is not one moment in this show that is not important. Repetitive? I guess maybe, but that's really a stylistic thing. I'm on the side of it working to hammer in the points while also adding new info. It's also a show that works on the past and present having a significant amount of parallels. So if you're like me and like shows where you can analyze the scenes and dig deep into whats happening, this here is a gold mine.
Plot wise it's about the divide between people who live different kinds of lives, those who live trapped by the past, and those who fight to create a present they are proud of. In is a man who hides in fear from the world hoping nobody finds him, but it secretly lonely. Mol, a woman who ignores truth by living in a fantasy and rejecting anything that doesn't fit her ideal. And Wang, a young man who fights to find his truth and be free. The story revolves around these three and the emotional conflicts between them.
The acting is phenomenal. Brilliant casting choices. The acting is on the theatrical side, but because the show it written like a stage play, I say it fits. It might not work in some other shows, but here it's totally fine and I loved all the actors. Some of the best acting you'll see in a bl (if we're calling this that).
The reason I didn't give this a 10/10 is because admittedly the age gap does throw me off. I originally hesitated for a long time to watch this because age gaps are an immediate turn off for me, I gave this show a chance because I kept hearing nothing but praise for it. Now, this is not a romance and they don't end up together, so I deal with it. I also think that this emotional rollercoaster of an age gap family conflict show wouldn't work as well had Wang not been Mol's son. The show heavily relies on the parallels between the past of Mol/In/Siam, and the present of Mol/In/Wang. It also heavily relies on Wang being the young rebellious kind who grew up in a slightly more accepting society. This show would not work the say it did had this age gap not existed.
I absolutely don't blame people who don't watch the show due to the age gap, but I still think that even with it, 180 degree is an incredibly well made show that, if you have the patience for it, will take your heart, swing it around and crush it for 8 episodes, and then hand it back to you as you stare off in disbelief at what you just watched. It's quite good at repeatedly throwing emotional scenes at you when you're not ready for them. Just when you think the emotional stuff is over, it hits you harder in a different way.
Was this review helpful to you?
