Unpopularopinionbydemand
watching BL in the corner of my room
This review may contain spoilers
My Precious Series
Ocean Likes me was a pleasant surprise that I needed. Initially, seeing the trailer, I wasn't all that enthused about this, but eventually, this came next on my list of things to watch, so I tuned in. Good thing I tuned in without looking at reviews as the majority thinks this was mediocre at best (which I won't argue much on, since I can agree to some extent), and negative comments lead me to a negative mindset, and I'm glad I didn't have one when going into this series. Ocean Likes Me is a precious gem that I appreciate having the opportunity to watch.
Let's Dive In.
Ocean Likes Me is another BL based around being a chef/owning a restaurant in which Ba Da does, renting out a little shop on the beach to sell his udon, but his problem is that he's so shy that it's hard for him to get customers until he meets Tommy, an inspiring musician who helps him gain leverage for his restaurant. And the rest is history. The first episode was a little rocky, and I didn't love how they introduce us to Tommy.
If there are a few things I can nit-pick at in this show, then it's definitely how they introduce Tommy to Ba Da and the other girl. It made no sense, and in the end, served no purpose. He gets hit by the car Ba Da is driving and they panic and act like he's dead. It's too much for me to take seriously, and it's super silly for a series that mostly serious.
Although their relationship was heavily rushed, I literally could care less because they are the cutest humans I've ever watched. The number of times I went, "awe" to my screen was too many times. And I loved how realistic their relationship looked and felt. the little kisses they shared were so natural, and the cuddles and Tommy's little pouts and cutesy voice. God, I loved them. Again, their relationship feels rushed with the build-up of these two going by too fast to where we don't really feel their romance until their relationship begins. They hadn't had enough time with one another for Ba Da to go on a hunt for him, and confess his love to Tommy, although both actors do an amazing job, it is a bit anti-climatic. The ending is a bit rushed too, but I do like that Ba Da is supportive of Tommy leaving him to go pursue his dreams instead of holding him back, and it comes to suck that in the last 5 minutes, we get a time jump with no explanation of what went on for the both of them since then. They do get back together, which is nice, but again, we need to physically see their time on screen so we can find the space and heart to care. Other than those few obstacles, Holland and Gichan have incredible chemistry. I wouldn't mind seeing them again at all.
I really appreciate that we see Ba Da is openly gay/pan and has already been in an mlm relationship before. We don't spend too much time on the "revelation" that most K-BLs have, and instead, we really just fall for the story. Holland is also an openly gay Korean idol/actor which is incredible, and I love that he was able to portray such a healthy gay character in a healthy gay relationship.
I was surprised that I didn't want to chop my own head off at the realization that this was another food BL because of my literal hatred of Gichan's opposite partner in WYEL's food BL, My Sweet Dear (Euisoo). It was a trainwreck, so bad that I couldn't even manage to get through it, but this didn't throw me off one bit. I was happy that the cooking competition didn't take up too much time that we already didn't have. It happened quickly. and I don't feel the need to skip or FF.
On top of that, the cinematography is gorgeous. They get some beautiful shots of the sea and do a wonderful job at silhouetting the two main leads with the sun behind them and it's breathtaking.
Ratings;
Story: 8 - I think it could've been stronger, They didn't have much time to tell a full story with only 15 minutes for the 8 episodes, but they did what they could, and I appreciate that. The rushed relationship was handled a little sloppy at the end, the build-up could've been stronger. However, these two work on screen and create beautiful chemistry and told a simplistic story as best as they could.
Acting: 9.5 - I really think everyone pulled through in this. It was my first time seeing Holland act, and he did a wonderful job. I like how completely opposite Gichan felt in this compared to his character in WYEL who was a lot more bubbly and childish. Here, his mature and it shows. The others did well too. Nothing to complain about in this department.
Music: 7.5 - Holland has an incredible voice. He's a part of the very few people that I don't skip over when they're singing. So I'll give them that.
Rewatch value: 5 - A good chance I could rewatch, Just because I loved the way that the actors portray these character's relationship.
I recommend this with all of me, I finished in pretty much one sitting because I couldn't manage to not watch. Some hiccups, but this is still very much so worth the watch.
Let's Dive In.
Ocean Likes Me is another BL based around being a chef/owning a restaurant in which Ba Da does, renting out a little shop on the beach to sell his udon, but his problem is that he's so shy that it's hard for him to get customers until he meets Tommy, an inspiring musician who helps him gain leverage for his restaurant. And the rest is history. The first episode was a little rocky, and I didn't love how they introduce us to Tommy.
If there are a few things I can nit-pick at in this show, then it's definitely how they introduce Tommy to Ba Da and the other girl. It made no sense, and in the end, served no purpose. He gets hit by the car Ba Da is driving and they panic and act like he's dead. It's too much for me to take seriously, and it's super silly for a series that mostly serious.
Although their relationship was heavily rushed, I literally could care less because they are the cutest humans I've ever watched. The number of times I went, "awe" to my screen was too many times. And I loved how realistic their relationship looked and felt. the little kisses they shared were so natural, and the cuddles and Tommy's little pouts and cutesy voice. God, I loved them. Again, their relationship feels rushed with the build-up of these two going by too fast to where we don't really feel their romance until their relationship begins. They hadn't had enough time with one another for Ba Da to go on a hunt for him, and confess his love to Tommy, although both actors do an amazing job, it is a bit anti-climatic. The ending is a bit rushed too, but I do like that Ba Da is supportive of Tommy leaving him to go pursue his dreams instead of holding him back, and it comes to suck that in the last 5 minutes, we get a time jump with no explanation of what went on for the both of them since then. They do get back together, which is nice, but again, we need to physically see their time on screen so we can find the space and heart to care. Other than those few obstacles, Holland and Gichan have incredible chemistry. I wouldn't mind seeing them again at all.
I really appreciate that we see Ba Da is openly gay/pan and has already been in an mlm relationship before. We don't spend too much time on the "revelation" that most K-BLs have, and instead, we really just fall for the story. Holland is also an openly gay Korean idol/actor which is incredible, and I love that he was able to portray such a healthy gay character in a healthy gay relationship.
I was surprised that I didn't want to chop my own head off at the realization that this was another food BL because of my literal hatred of Gichan's opposite partner in WYEL's food BL, My Sweet Dear (Euisoo). It was a trainwreck, so bad that I couldn't even manage to get through it, but this didn't throw me off one bit. I was happy that the cooking competition didn't take up too much time that we already didn't have. It happened quickly. and I don't feel the need to skip or FF.
On top of that, the cinematography is gorgeous. They get some beautiful shots of the sea and do a wonderful job at silhouetting the two main leads with the sun behind them and it's breathtaking.
Ratings;
Story: 8 - I think it could've been stronger, They didn't have much time to tell a full story with only 15 minutes for the 8 episodes, but they did what they could, and I appreciate that. The rushed relationship was handled a little sloppy at the end, the build-up could've been stronger. However, these two work on screen and create beautiful chemistry and told a simplistic story as best as they could.
Acting: 9.5 - I really think everyone pulled through in this. It was my first time seeing Holland act, and he did a wonderful job. I like how completely opposite Gichan felt in this compared to his character in WYEL who was a lot more bubbly and childish. Here, his mature and it shows. The others did well too. Nothing to complain about in this department.
Music: 7.5 - Holland has an incredible voice. He's a part of the very few people that I don't skip over when they're singing. So I'll give them that.
Rewatch value: 5 - A good chance I could rewatch, Just because I loved the way that the actors portray these character's relationship.
I recommend this with all of me, I finished in pretty much one sitting because I couldn't manage to not watch. Some hiccups, but this is still very much so worth the watch.
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