Reviews

That was hot...and informative

A very compassionate and sexy introduction to BDSM + a cute love story. Time flies when you're having fun they say, and it very much did as I watched Love and Leashes. Hot actors for a hot story and it even had time to add in some valuable lessons in self love and self acceptance. Plenty of steam but there's also moments that are touching, cruel, and sweet. A quite refreshing love story, and we love when a both the man and woman can take the lead (you'll see what I mean at the end). You might want to have headphones for some scenes but otherwise, WATCH IT NOW...or else ;)

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The most subtle BDSM movie ever....

Forget fifty shades of grey, this movie shows you how BDSM actually works. Love and Leashes proved that a 'sex' movie doesn't always have to be vulgar and explicit. The movie covers introductory to BDSM very well, I don't want to spoil much but trust me, you'll learn a lot from this movie. This movie is also debunking current issues such as sexual harassment, degrading women in work place, and many more. A little bit of everything, right? I like it because it's like a breath of fresh air, I really love the light atmosphere, relationship between the two main characters aren't too frustating, and the pace between them is nice to follow. The acting was good, but not that great. There is one scene that got me "kyaaah-" like way too excited for my own good, lol. The ending is pretty much rushed, I don't quite like it but it doesn't make the movie bad. Overall, I would love to recommend this movie if you need cute, yet spicy office romance!

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Previously on 2gether...

This will be short. I think it goes without saying, but this movie is, pretty much, exclusively for people that have watched the two series of 2gether. It’s basically a “previously on 2gether” followed by 10 minutes of new content. With that being said, I like the ending. Was that a marriage proposal? I’m not 100% sure. I see it more as a commitment to stay together as life partners. I’m glad they didn’t go all out and tried to put an actual wedding at the end.

The movie obviously is focused on telling the story of Tine and Sarawat, and how they ended up a couple, with all the highs and lows. For that reason, the side couples just… get together without much explanation in the movie. Since, as I mentioned before, the target audience knows everything about how Man/Type and Mil/Phukong ended up together, that’s not a problem. I really liked the final song.

The movie receives extra points for the cute baby and puppy at the end.

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Butterflies, Butterflies, Butterflies!!!!

I must say female directors are really killing it, there's a notable difference in nuances comapred to male directors. It's the same case in this, the small details in the slow burn romance that director Park Hyeon Jin show fantasticly.

Isn't there atleast one secret desire waitng within your heart? Something that you can't admit to yourself.

Love and Leashes was not what I expected, especially with the 18+ rating on Netflix but it was probably for the better. It showed a more realistic approach and focused on the slow burn romance of our leads.

Here's what I found good about Love and Leashes

Story
it bravely took an unconventional and unique topic into life especially in Korea, so that's something to applaud. Besides that we get office situations, friendship, and slow burn romance. One problem I do have was the Hanna and Jihoo storyline, it was unnecessary.

Social Issues
The things shown here might be over the top and in your face but nonetheless it was still shown well. Right from the start we see how men and women are treated differently inside a workplace and goes on throughout the film. Many more realting to this as you decide to watch.

Comedy
10mins in and I am laughing out loud. The comedy here is my style, very light and fun.

Technical
Music was slow and romantic, perfectly fits the theme of the film. Cinematography for a romantic comedy was also good.

Pacing
A lot might dislike the slow burn romance and think this has bad pacing. However I sooo love it, the build up, the character developing, the realization of love.

Acting
SEOHYUNNNNNNN the woman that you areee?? She was outstanding here, it was a 360 turn to the image she has created. Proves how great of an actress she is.
This is my first time seeing Jun yeong and thought he did as well as Seohyun. Portraying someone that is considered uncanny is difficult and props to him.

Favorite part
During the scene where they were alone in the office. As I said Seohyun is amazing, her expressions and eyes changed in a blink of an eye. Furthermore it unlocks different varieties of emotions throughout and jad me at a lost of breath.

Ending
PERFECTTT!!! Just watch it right now.


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Overall
To anyone just wanting to watch a romcom but wants it a little racy, this is the movie for you. Honestly even if it was a slow burn, I think none fans of this can overlook it because the build up was as entertaining in my perspective.

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Final problem that rather unnecessary

Its funny that what makes me wanna watch this movie because one comment in Youtube that says this movie would be pg13. With such a controversial topic like bdsm, how can they make it pg13? So i intrigued to watch it since last month. So here’s my thoughts (I will try to avoid spoilers, but LOL)
Story : like i said, this is controversial topic about sexual preference, so (understandably) people would expect sensual and explicit scenes. This movie can maintain the sensual tension without giving sex scene at all, while there are people who dissapointed by it, it is huge plus for me since i don’t really mind if there is sex scene or not. My favorite scene is their “final play”, for me that scene really give many emotions. Had it been inconsistent with their sensual theme, that particular scene would be fell flat for me. Their story about culture in workplace also done well without screaming too much feminism
Acting : this is my first time watching seohyun and jun young act, and they really deliver. Seohyun as a straightforward, no-nonsense character is really endearing and jun young can pull off being good like puppy boy without being pushover. The side character is quite OK, i like Le El character here.
Music : nothing memorable but i think it suits the movie
Rewatch value : highly rewatchable, i think i would rewatch it after this
One thing i complained about is their problem in the end, i know it will happen as i watch the movie (they are quite reckless in first half), but the problem feels so abrupt and the conclusion is kinda rushed. If they just focused on their relationship after the contract ends, maybe i will give it 8.5. But for me, the ending makes me give it 8

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this is the 1st time i watched a K-Movie, that was basically the drama that i watched a week back. and Only cause in the last ep of the drama, a commenter mentioned that Maybe in the movie we would get "more" plot wise - that would satisfy 'us' more then in the drama - and as i was majorly disappointed with the ending i got in the drama - thought WTH when saw this uploaded...

have to say, nothing new here - this is the 8 min's of "meat" without the starting and ending credits - stuck together, nothing more nothing less - and for sure nothing new... ah yeah - there is one hell of a french-kiss between Ki Jin and Young Woo (initiated by Young Woo) after the yr long disappearing act Ki Jin pulled (still call b.s on how that whole situation was handled. cause no one disappearing on my ass and then i take them back like nothing happened - there would be hell to pay). so i didn't 'get' it watching the drama, and i don't get it here - yeah one could say "love makes u stupid" but still calling b.s. - there aint no "...apologizing once is enough..." plz

the only reason i aint miffed that i rewatched this, was cause of Yi Bin - or rather scenes between him and Young Woo. cause the translation in the movie differs from what 'we' got in the drama, and here it makes sense, as opposed to the drama where it left me confused. not that i got a clear picture about the past between the 2 - and yet think they should've ended up together - it would've been a better ending IMHO, but it is what it is.

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Delightfully awkward, refreshingly sexy and suprisingly empowering - the whole romcom package

Listen, this probably is not 9.0 out of 10.0 movie. The plot is thin, the pacing odd; I will gladly admit to all of that. But what can I say- I am not immune to the charm of a romance done right, and that is why Love and Leashes essentially is. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I was thrilled when I read the premise of this. I think the way sexuality has been tackled as a subject matter in K-dramas in the past has been sufficiently awkward and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen when kink got thrown into the mix, expecting to get a genuine gem or something so bad it just had to be good. I am happy to report that this movie definitely belongs to the first category.

Let’s start with the vanilla part of it all, before we dive into the plot. All the actors are pretty solid. Our male protagonist was a bit stilted and awkward at parts, but nothing that bothered me too much. While this movie isn’t overly sexual compared to Western films of the same genre, there are more than enough scenes that must have been pretty uncomfortable to film, but the chemistry between our leading pair stayed strong, so props to the actors. I thought they both brought a lot of charisma to their roles and I really enjoyed watching their dynamic evolve.
The cinematography is also pretty good. I can’t think of a word better than stylish. Sexy but not too much, to the point where it feels like you’re just looking at raw meat. In fact, this contains very little nudity but still managed to be pretty steamy, which I would largely attribute to the lighting. This is just very cool-looking sleek movie. The cinematography might not have been terribly creative overall but it definitely had its moments. I also thought the way this was cut added a lot of charm, the office scene (you will know which one hehe) especially stood out to me, I enjoyed it a lot.

Ok now let’s get to the meat (terrible choice of words, I apologize):

I haven’t read a single chapter of the webtoon, so I had absolutely no clue what the heck I was getting into but I can’t help but acknowledge how healthy this romance was! When it comes to bedroom-activities I want to everyone to do as they please as long as it is consensual. That being said, sexuality does not exist in a vacuum. I don’t want this review to be a deeper discussion of the ethics behind BDSM, as I for sure am not an expert on the subject, but it’s worth noting that, from a storytelling-standpoint alone, it’s difficult to justify why someone would get enjoyment out of beating the shit out of their partner. Dominant and submissive- these ideas are all about power. It is an incredibly delicate and difficult task to tackle that subject without immediately falling into unhealthy tropes. A story about such a relationship gone wrong can still be meaningful and interesting- but you have to be aware of the toxic dynamic as to not accidentally glamorize abuse. Many other stories have tried and failed the exact same thing (looking at you 50 Shades Of Grey) but for the first time ever I feel like I was offered a believable and healthy glimpse into the world of BDSM.

So what has this film done differently compared to other popular kinky franchises? Let’s first talk about the obvious: our dom is a woman. This might sound trivial to some people but for me this played a huge part in the power dynamic of this couple. As mentioned in the paragraph above, our typical relationship-patterns are not something that have appeared out of thin air. The woman taking a passive role and the man taking the dominating one- that is not a phenomenon that just sort of happened but the result of a deeply patriarchal society.
I want to avoid comparing this film to the 50 Shades-franchise too much because it’s simply too good to be branded as its Korean counterpart but since both tell, or at least attempt to tell the stories of women falling into the world of BDSM and finding sexual liberation, I will have to draw a few parallels:
In 50 Shades we have impressionable and painfully naïve Anna who is being coerced into her partner’s lifestyle. Christian is her first ever boyfriend and other than his attractiveness she virtually has zero reasons to be into him, as he tends to be extremely cruel to her, even outside of the bedroom where it’s all supposed to be part of the play. Anna never seems to make peace with her partners fetish, she just learns to love him despite that until he finally overcomes his trauma and gets over it.
Ji-woo on the other hand is confident and outspoken, those being the very reasons Ji-hoo starts to feel attracted to her. He treats her with immense respect, constantly making sure that she is okay with the whole thing, as he is worried about traumatizing her. She gives him the clear okay for a BDSM-relationship, does extensive research on the topic and gets to explore fetish on her own terms. Ji-woo takes an active part instead of just taking it. We actually see her find joy in taking the lead and being playful and kinky in the bedroom.
Our male love interest here, does not have to be taught to be vulnerable, it’s a core element of his part in the relationship. That alone made for a much healthier romance than I have seen in countless vanilla love stories. Neither does he have to overcome his kink, unlike Christian Grey. Instead Ji-hoo, while being aware and open about his his fetish, is still on a quest to find self-acceptance. This means that he, just like the female protagonist, has to grow into his role of the BDSM-partnership. Our pair gets to explore new things together because they are both equally inexperienced. There is balance in the unbalanced. Their power might be unequal in the bedroom but in the real world both characters maintain a healthy relationship as they figure out how to navigate a master/servant-dynamic together.
But the film doesn’t stay uncritical of the dangers that come with a kink built on an offset power-dynamic. Not only is there a scene dedicated to “fake-doms” abusing their power, our female protagonist herself has to learn the boundaries of her role. The film makes it clear that just because Ji-hoo is a submissive, does not mean that he is entirely passive or anything close to pathetic. Clear communication and respect are still what their relationship thrives off.

It makes a huge difference whether you’re watching a female character grow into the role of a submissive partner or a dominating one. I don’t want to give the impression that I think that every woman that enjoys getting spanked is singlehandedly upholding the patriarchy. As I said, everyone should do as they please as long as it’s consensual, but Love And Leashes makes a much better and more convincing case for female sexual liberation. And ultimately makes a more interesting story, especially taking cultural differences into account. While sexism is an issue everywhere, when it comes to emancipation, East Asia still has a very long way to go. Women being submissive isn’t just role-play, it’s the societal norm. So it is not surprising that Ji-woo expects her coworker to be the dominating type after learning of his fetish. That role already reflects what we as a society expect out of a man. But getting to see Ji-woo find genuine joy in fulfilling her role as a dom was strangely empowering to see. This was a genuinely educational, romantic glimpse into the BDSM-world. They treated the subject matter with the respect it deserves while still being lighthearted enough to work as a romcom and I can’t recommend it enough. While this might not strictly deserve the high rating I gave I think this charming film excels exactly at what it is trying to be with all its flaws and awkwardness. Love and Leashes is a must-see this Valentines-day for everyone looking for a refreshing take on a truly unconventional relationship.

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Simple, Sexy and Clear - Recommended

This was a good film with a clean and simple storyline. The actors did a phenomenal job playing these characters, not once do they falter. It's a great film to start the conversation about BDSM - informative yet not too graphic. The side characters are a good addition and help keep the plot straight without too much interference. Kudos to the leads for making the characters seem so real. A definite mention for the director and screenplay writer - jobs well done. The movie is exciting and makes for a good watch. It has a good enough light side to it where it can be rewatched. Lots of fun and a definite recommendation!

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A daring theme but lackluster execution

Right from the day the trailer premiered on Youtube, I had high expectations from this movie. Looking at the cast was the biggest surprise because who ever thought that Seohyun and Jun could ever be in a movie which has a risque and BDSM theme?! I was expecting a lot of naughty scenes and some nudity but this movie was tamer than I thought. While the focus on the playing part is quite evident, I expected a more daring scenes like 50 Shades which this movie is definitely not.

PLOT:
I liked the first half of the plot better than the events that followed towards the end. It was slow and not as funny nor deep as it was trying to be. While I did like that this movie attempts to educate general viewers on BDSM and to show that kinks aren't always shameful it also misses its mark in a lot of places. While the set up is quite fresh, I felt like this movie missed out on a lot of its potential. Not to mention some clichés towards the end that just made my eyes roll and the ending was also a bit lacking for me.

CAST:
While Seohyun really, really tried to come as a cool and mature woman to me she still has the same cute face she did years ago in SNSD. Knowing her real life personality, I appreciate that she must have really worked hard to seem believable in this role an d I'm glad that she is someone who is ready to take on bold projects. In spite of it all she still lacks a lot in the acting department and should stick to side roles. Jun is decent but again- I only ever enjoyed his acting fully in his past dramas. But I could tell that the cast really worked hard for their roles which was good but the acting wasn't the best (although they were really easy on the eyes).

OVERALL:
While I was super excited to catch this movie on its premiere date, it fell terribly short of my expectations. It could have been shorter, deeper, better acted and better written. It does have places where it worked, especially with breaking stereotypes on BDSM and dealing with embarrassment and trying to hide it from others, it still had a lot to make up for. Now I am not sure if the movie was worth the wait and excitement I had over the past weeks. This isn't a movie to recommend but fine if you want to kill time watching something chill over a weekend.

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For a movie that's solely based on someone's sister complex, this one rates high above my list-

Joke aside, can I just say

Action: 10/10
Cast, Story, Effects, Script, etc whatever else in this movie do not matter. Just kidding again, let me rate the cast 10/10 too.

Also even though I don't really remember much about what happened in the anime/manga, I can say that I'm 99% certain [spoiler] Sojiro doesn't have any role in this arc (??? or not, IDK at all. I'll check later). Even then, for me it's not an unwelcome addition. Also, thank you for giving us the pleasure of watching more Aoshi fight scenes (I think more of it wouldn't be bad either). And I'm rating this a 0.5 less than perfect only because I felt the movie is a bit dragging (IF I didn't feel it I'd give this one a 10, no matter how ridiculous some scene may be).

OK well another thing. I want to thank whoever cast Mackenyu as Enishi, he's such an eye candy. And as usual, Takeru Satoh's acting is just. Yeah. So damn good. If there's anything this movie is lacking it's that I need more fight scenes!!!!!!

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Put things in to perspective, and pretty good, but not very entertaining and hard to rate.

I am confused, very confused... not so much about the movie itself, it is pretty straight forward though it does have some interesting twists and turns pretty good cinematography for a J movie, it is not too hard to follow the story-line. So why am i confused? Well I just do not know how I feel about the message in this movie, and about how they portray this issue. Part of me thinks that it has a really interesting take on this that we rarely see. It is not like they over simplify the issue in hand or something like that, I find myself liking and disliking it at once... and wanting them to dig deeper yet make it simpler at the same time. Yes I am contradicting myself here (that is my point).

What I do like is the people here, the side stories and the side characters seem to have made for a better story than the main one. The characters are relatable, not detestable, most are actually pretty sweet. Some may need a lesson or to in communication but the story would be pretty dull if everybody was perfect.

The entertainment value is not very high, but there are some scenes that may blow your mind and the quality to the production and story are high. And it does help put things in to perspective... In a lot of more or less subtle ways...

Honestly I could have rated this anything between a 6 and a 10 depending on what I focus on and the mood I am in.

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Fifty Shades of Pink

Fifty Shades of Grey, this isn’t. There are parallels to be drawn involving primarily the contractual relationship trope and the BDSM theme, if it isn’t already apparent. That is where the similarities end, however. Despite the R-18 rating, I would consider Love and Leashes to be much less intense and provocative but rather more fun and heartwarming. After all, this film is meant to coincide with this year’s V-Day which takes place in just a couple of days. Hence the more upbeat and romantic vibe, this is definitely a case of love being slowly unleashed.

Jung Ji Hoo is your average salaryman working in a 9 to 5 job. Unbeknownst to his co-workers, however, he has another side to him - one that involves a fetish for BDSM. One day, due to a mix-up by the delivery service, a female colleague finds out his secret. What transpires subsequently involves a whole lot of awkwardness and embarrassment as well as the resulting suggestive intimate moments, before eventually leading to something more profound.

Directed by Park Hyun Jin, who also co-wrote the screenplay adaptation with Lee Da Hye, the source material is the Naver webtoon entitled The Moral Sense conceived by Gyeoul aka Winter, which was serialised from 2015 to 2018. The original score was composed by Kim Hong Jip and Lee Jin Hee, with Lee Sun Kyu playing the guitar. Principal photography took place from April to July 2021.

What I Generally Liked

Running at just under 2 hours, I thought the film was rather entertaining and eventful. The concept is refreshing, by Korean or even Asian standards, for a mainstream production distributed globally by Netflix. You don’t often come across BDSM-themed romance as the main feature of the story and in this case, the subject matter was handled in a very tasteful and mature manner.

For me, the main takeaway from the film has more to do with the relationship dynamics in terms of the emotional connection between two individuals rather than purely the explicit nature of the BDSM acts themselves to be manifested as a comedic effect or cheap thrills. I particularly appreciated the nuances drawn from the eventual growth of both leads and the organic evolution of their relationship. Additionally, the film explores elements of office politics and gender discrimination that are very much borne of a deep-rooted patriarchal culture.

Given the involvement from Netflix, the film unsurprisingly delivers reasonably high production values. I’ve enjoyed the overall quality of the visuals presented and the set designs, while the accompanying music score nicely complements the ambience of the scenes.

My first time seeing both Seo Hyun and Lee Jun Young in lead roles and they gave a pretty decent account of themselves in their portrayals of Jung Ji Woo and Jung Ji Hoo respectively. I haven’t read the webtoon but I do think they managed to personify their characterizations the way they were intended to be convincing and relatable to viewers, to a certain extent.

The ML is just adorable, almost like a puppy who loves playing with whips, handcuffs and candle wax. The FL, on the other hand, is like a deer caught in headlights. At first, anyway, as she gradually gets a hang of the whole situation. In fact, her transformation from the down-to-earth girl next door to a dominatrix behind closed doors is quite remarkable.

For the most part, the film comes across as quite lighthearted but things do get a tad serious in the final third, where we get to observe a bit more substance in the portrayals of both leads as they finally deal with the repercussions of their actions. I honestly feel that Seo Hyun generally did more of the heavy lifting in this film.

Final Thoughts

As a feature length film that is meant to be mostly a romance comedy, I think the scope of the storytelling is quite extensive. Perhaps certain aspects could have been fleshed out more, such as the respective backstories of the leads and interactions with the people around them but I honestly think those aren’t particularly major issues. For all intents and purposes, and without giving too much away, I was rather pleased with the final outcome and closure to their story. Suffice to say, all’s well that ends well.

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Unconventionally fun!

First off, I have a very limited idea about BDSM and all I know from it was from reading novels so it's not really reliable. I have not read the webtoon too. My review is purely based on my enjoyment of the movie.

Well it was fantastic! I felt a rollecoaster of emotions. I felt happy, embarassed, ecstatic, confused and satisfied. I felt happy because they stuck with the romcom and it's not racy like how everyone who judged this show before its release thought. Some scenes I felt the secondhand embarassment. Some scenes I'm confused because I couldn't connect emotionally for obvious reasons.

I've been a fan of Seohyun because I'm SNSD's fan. I know she isn't the strongest actor in the group and I haven't seen her latest works. She improved by miles from the last time I watched her. And she sure does pick very interesting projects. She delivered really well. Her portrayal of Jiwoo is so relatable. I feel like I'm watching this movie in her pov. On the other hand, I'm not familiar with Lee Jun Young but he caught me eye and I'll look forward to his future projects. He acts so well and has great emotions in his eyes. How did I miss him in his previous projects? Their chemistry is so good too like damn I felt all the emotions in that kiss! I was a puddle. Bonus: both of them are so gorgeous!

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this and will definitely recommend for those wanting to watch a romcom but wants a fresh plot. Kudos to all actors and production team for investing in and going for something new.

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Romantic comedy fitting XXI century standards.

Not having much inside on how sub-dom relationships work, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the depiction, but I can for sure say the movie does an amazing job in presenting it in a positive light. The word best describing the movie is: consent. Everything that happens is the result of mutual agreement that focuses on the preferences and needs of both sides.

What’s more, while the movie presents Jung Ji Hoo as someone with, to call it broadly, issues, it flips the expectations the audience might have. It shows how the problems he faced were not the reason he sought that type of preference, but rather the judgment, he faced because of his preferences made him doubt himself. From the start, there was nothing wrong with him, but rather the society that puts unreasonable expectations and limits on everyone’s freedom of expression.

The thing that made me appreciate the movie more was the fact it never centered around sex itself. Focusing on other aspects of the relationship, with explanatory narration was a great choice.

Honestly speaking, the movie was just adorable. Watching Ji Woo and Ji Hoon try to figure out themselves, their preferences, but also work it out within their relationship was just an entertaining journey. I feel like there was a level of innocence presented on screen that will surprise many viewers.

The cast did an amazing job. There was only one scene that got me “this is just too scripted and unnatural for me to ignore” because of Lee Suk Hyeong’s delivery and the weird timing of the scene itself.

Production wise, I could not ask for more, though I might have asked for less. For me, some of the special effects were unnecessary. That said, they did not really lower my enjoyment of the movie.

Overall, it does a good job in presenting sub-dom relationship in a new light, that shows the more realistic and broad perception of it, without only focusing on the sexual aspects of it. It serves as a good criticism of the standards society creates, that serve no one and often hurt us. I would truly recommend it to all the 16+ audiences for sure.

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