A Story About Freedom
I must say I was a bit skeptical about this. With the amount of dramas recently getting 40 minutes to 1 hour long runs each episode who struggled to maintain a storyline cohesive and engaging, you do get a little aprehensive. The Eighth Sense shows up and tells you that, yes, the episodes are long, but you are going to be so enthralled you will be begging for more. I mean it. I felt like time simply slipped through my hands every single time I watched this show. How did it manage to go by so fast?The Eighth Sense is one of those projects that stand out because of how clear it is that it's a labor of love. It is a thrilling and passionate story of pain, drama, romance, yearning, and a deep and beautiful portrayal of serious and important themes like trauma, mental health and so much more.
But most of all it is a story about freedom. We follow two characters who yearn for it. Jaewon, who struggles to forgive himself and move on from past traumas, which in turn makes him take cover and shut himself off from the world and Jihyun, who struggled how expansive the world in front of him could be and struggled to break free from his own fear. The characters are full of depth, multifaceted, and most of all, HUMAN.
Combine that with oustanding acting not only from the main couple, who can communicate such raw emotion and chemistry with each other without even speaking a word, but side characters as well (Yes, I am looking at you Lee Mira as Yoonwon), an incredible and unique OST (Which, by the way, introduced me to the incredible korean band Wetter, which i've been listening to everyday for the past 5 weeks) and a superb work from the directors, who brought a distinct storytelling method and editing style to the korean BL industry.
Ok, I know I'm doing too much praising this show, but seriously! It's completed deserved.
Now I'm going to get a little personal here and tell of the impact this show can have on a person. As someone who's on an ongoing battle with mental illness and who's recently went off meds (Yay! Victory) this January after years of feeling numb and not like herself, I was, for a very long time, pretty apathetic and not exactly connected to the whole spectrum of human emotion due to some long term side effects.
Now, when I tell you, this effing show. Because of this effing show, for the first time in so long I felt literally everything rush back to me at once. I went through the whole emotion wheel, spectrum, 5 stages of grief, EVERYTHING. I finally felt like a functional human being, but also a complete MESS. Werner du Plessis and Inu Baek, I'm coming for you!
This show is a must watch, even if you don't care about the genre. I'll say it again, great acting, great sountrack, great use of symbolism, great directors.
Also, it's about surfing as well.
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Best BL korea ever made
I have so many things to talk about this masterpiece. This was so real. Everything was so well put together and REAL. I just finished watching it and went running to write a review because it deserves all the appreciation. First: IT LASTED. 40 minute long episodes for a korean BL? They finally did it and I am so happy. Second: The actors were great. Not only they were cute and handsome but their acting was impecable, since there was a lot of emotions and I got really involved. Third: It was so well written. I loved how everything the boys did was so natural and realistic. The way they protrayed depression, trauma and therapy made me really, really satisfied. I loved how patient Ji Hyun was with Jae Won, someone who suffered so much and was trying to deal with his emotions and protect others. About the soundtrack: I thought the songs were fine, I guess it went well with the surfing theme. But when they played Conan Gray I cried soooo hard.Something very common in BLs is that women are often just there to be the ex or the girl who will be heartbroken. This one portrays women in all kinds of ways, making them very nice and supportive friends and I couldn't be more happy with Ji Hyun's friends in general.
I also liked a lot how even though some characters were completely disgusting the whole show (and I don't forgive them yet) they were able to have a fresh start in the ending. They suck but they seem to be willing to try and change. It's part of our reality to change and not be the villain forever.
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La découverte de l’amour et de liens d’amitié qui seront les racines d’une vie d’adulte.
Je vais commencer par dire que le genre BL ne m’attire pas, non que les amours homosexuelles me dérangent, mais dans les quelques uns que j’ai vus, le plus souvent l’intrigue pauvre et la psychologie maigre ne servent que de prétextes à des scènes d’un érotisme soft.Mais pas ici ! Les deux héros ont une vraie personnalité, qui se découvre petit à petit, laissant entrevoir une enfance difficile, un deuil ineffaçable et la charge mentale d’un héritage à assumer obligatoirement pour Jae Won, qui sera bien moins solide qu’on ne l’aurait supposé, face à l’apparition inattendue d’un amour qui bouleverse tout. Quant à Ji Hyun, au contraire, cet amour va éclairer sa vie, lui permettre de s’affirmer, car il comprend tout de suite par intuition puis par raisonnement l’importance capitale pour lui de ce sentiment. Il l’assume sans se poser de questions oiseuses, et ne se laisse pas démonter par la réaction de fuite de Jae Won. Contrairement à ce qu’on aurait pu croire, c’est le plus jeune, le plus innocent qui va donner à l’autre la force de s’assumer.
Le réalisateur a eu la grande intelligence de placer la rencontre initiale et l’étincelle amoureuse dans le cadre de la mer, dont nul n’ignore la charge érotique symbolique, et qui en plus donne de très belles images, sans oublier le bruit envoûtant des vagues ! Ce n’est pas gratuit non plus que Ji Hyun découvre aussi le mondé de l’université, sa liberté, son ouverture, qui donne un cadre idéal à un épanouissement personnel. La réalisation est délicate, nous permet d’entrer sans brutalité dans le cœur et l’esprit des protagonistes. Les rôles secondaires sont bien écrits les personnages féminins ne sont pas des silhouettes insipides de faire-valoir mais sont réelles, particulièrement l’amie Ae Ri et la chef du club de surf. C’est une équipe de débutants, j’espère qu’on les reverra !
Bon jusque là, on se dirige vers un rama parfait ! Mais la perfection n’est pas de ce monde et je relève deux défauts à mes yeux :
- Une abondance de très gros plans, assez obscurs, qui rendent les scènes d’amour un peu trop indéchiffrables (ou alors c’est ma cataracte débutante ! ^_^)
- Et la fin m’a déçue, car en un épisode tout devient je ne dirais pas « rose bonbon » mais doré comme un couchant de carte postale ! Tous les problèmes si bien évoqués ont disparu, et la vie semble tout à coup d’une extrême simplicité ! J’aurais aimé (et je crois que c’est la première fois que je dis ça !) au moins deux épisodes de plus, avec la présence du père de Jae Won, de la famille de Ji Hyun, une réaction de l’environnement un peu moins bisounours que celle qu’on nous donne.
Ces deux (petits) défauts n’empêchent que ce soit un très bon drama dans le genre BL, pour la bonne raison que ça a failli ne pas en être un, de BL, mais simplement un drama sur la jeunesse, la découverte de l’amour et de liens d’amitié qui seront les racines d’une vie d’adulte.
Je le conseille fortement !
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Love it
Just finished exam and not sure what to watched and happened to came across this by accident and boy was I in for a surprise. This series is reaaaally niiiice. The Storyline, The slow burn up. I love it. Am actually at episode 6 and I went back to rewatch all the others and come back to 6 ??. So far it have me hooked. First time watching these guys and they haven't disappointed . After an finished going to see what else they came down it . Take my little advice and go check it out for yourself, you won't be disappointed just my . opinion completed and a rewatch for me its that gooodVond je deze recentie nuttig?
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A real explosion of emotions, a true masterpiece
I don't even have the words to express how much this series made my heart beat, stumble, fall, shiver,... The production is obviously amazing, and the work in each scene is phenomenal. The colors, the sceneries, the dialogues, the acting, everything took its own place and made it beautiful. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time a real piece of moving art. The actors gave so much depth to their characters, the storyline served them well. This is truly a masterpiece and one of the best series I have ever seen.I also have to talk about the last scene of episode 9, a work of art, one of my favorite songs from my favorite artist perfectly depicting their relationship and the way they evolved together. The music did serve perfectly the intent and I won't exaggerate to say it was the best bl moment I've seen on screen.
Overall this was everything I could search for in a piece of art, a real, raw love story with heavy subjects but with a line of healing. There are so many things to say about the details and how the whole series was thought that a review might be too short to talk about everything.
I would like to thank everyone who worked on this amazing series and encourage anyone reading this review to watch it because it really deserves a lot of support.
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Not your usual happy kind of bl series ,touches important topics like depression
Words aren't enough to express how much I loved this series ,the trailer itself caught my eye so I was very much excited to watch the series .What I loved the most about this drama was that it was realistic and not some happy fictional story .The cast were perfect ,they played their characters so well ,it's like the characters were made for them . Being in love while dealing with depression isn't easy at all ,I was totally screaming when Jaewon came back to senses and went in search of Jihyun . I could relate to his avoiding tendencies after that kiss happened between him and Jihyun . The gazes that both of them shared ,the details were small but enough to catch our eyes and it just gave me butterflies . I wasn't expecting such a passionate kissing scene between them ,it didn't feel like they were acting ,hats off to the team of The eight sense .Not only they have us scene that dealt with depression, to let us know a glimpse of it .Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Perfect in every way
I just want to say that if I could give more than 10 Stars I would definitely do that, but I can't so that's sad.My honest opinion: This Show is litterally perfect in every way!
I loved All of it
From plot to cast, everything.
The cinematography is beautiful and aswell.
The chemistry between the characters is just wow.
They showed the mental health problems and the struggle they come with so good.
I absolutely loved every second of it with my whole heart so I will definitely rewatch it!
They have my heart forever<3
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Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful
Although simple, the storyline delivers a realistic depiction of young romance, friendship and transition to adulthood. The acting was phenomenal as you could really feel the emotions of the characters even without excessive or sometimes any dialogue. The cinematography and music choices were the cherry on top to make this my favourite show to date. I wish I could watch it all over again. Although I would love to see a season 2, the ending was realistically perfect and satisfactory.TW: This show does mention depression & grief so please be wary if these are sensitive topics.
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"Strawberries, Cigarettes and Infinities."
The title is exactly how I'll 'literally' describe this one. Just like that Troye Sivan song with a twist. By the way, I strongly urge you to watch this drama first because stories like these are meant to be felt rather.Kim Ji Hyun, a freshman fresh out of the countryside takes up a part time job at a busy restaurant near his University as soon as he lands in Seoul. There, he has an encounter with a popular university student, Seo Jae Won, while breaking up a fight in the bar. Jae Won, who has just returned from his military service, is an overly friendly Sunbae who thanks him and attempts to befriend him from the get go.
Still getting used to the scary bustling life of the Seoul City, Ji Hyun, perturbed and intrigued, decides to accept Jae Won's friendship, going to the extent of joining a Surf Club by seeing his familiar presence.
Jae Won, who has struggles of his own, finds comfort and happiness in Ji Hyun.
Their relationship begins to teeter on a balance scale as both of them attempts to come to terms with the changes taking place in their life.
Warning:
This is a full length headache inducing rollercoaster of angst, fish tanks, water, alcohol and art pencils. Maybe 'The Eighth Sense' might be enjoyable for only a certain niche audience as the characters are not the typical conventional type. It was purposefully made with the intent of resonating with the viewers and not for the sole aspect of enjoyment. Yes, there is enjoyment. But, it makes you reminisce and ponder. The directors, cast and crew put their all into this creation and their hard work is clearly reflected in the final product. So, a round of applause to everyone both behind and in front of the scenes.
The series floats on the strength of its very characters, may it be the introverted Ji Hyun or the extroverted Jae Won or even the supporting characters. At one point, we find ourselves being relatable to anyone in the drama. It's hard to talk about what the drama deals with without spoiling the plot… which is non-existent because the plot itself is the life of the characters and how they deal with what's being thrown at them. It's about the fears of opening up about yourself and fitting into the contours of the peoples' expectations about you (Jae Won) and giving away your heart and feelings that you treasure to total strangers and learning to adjust somewhere away from your comfort zone (Ji Hyun).
Their chemistry was on fire. I usually don't feel this way, but something about Ji Hyun and Jae Won just clicked into place for me.
It was not a sweep-off-your-feet romance. It was the hit-you-over-the-head-and-leave-you-muddled type of romance. Which happens to be exactly what I keep looking for. Just two people falling for each other in a natural manner without any flamboyance. It's just them and their feelings.
Friendship is another strong theme - Ji Hyun doesn't have many, but the ones he chooses are spot on - Ae Ri, Joon Pyo and his lovely boss. Then we have Jae Won, who has many, both the neutral and the good ones.
And… the scenes where the seniors forced their authority, threw their weight around, provided important advices gave me war flashbacks as I has been through a handful of situations like that, unfortunately.
Acting wise…
Jae Won was, perhaps, one of the most difficult characters to portray on screen. I'm beyond impressed by how Lim Ji Sub pulled it off so convincingly that there are parts of the drama I would not rewatch to save myself from emotional damage.
I related to Ji Hyun on a really scary level. So, his actions and responses were nothing strange to me. Also, for a rookie actor, Oh Jun Taek killed his debut. Every single character's portrayal was to a tee. Even Yoon Won, Ae Ri, Joon Pyo, Eun Ji and Tae Hyung.
The drama is also excellently filmed. Every shot, including the filters and the lighting were so beautiful. The last two dramas that managed to look aesthetically pleasing to me were 'Blueming' and 'The Forbidden Flower'. It managed to perfectly capture the essence and emotions of the characters.
The Soundtrack deserves an award as it managed to enhance the intensity of certain scenes.
The opening BGM by Unalaska will forever be engraved in my brain.
As for the representation of Mental Health. I have no idea about how accurate it was, but the last two episodes made me feel that the therapist was going to need a therapist.
Though initially planned as a drama with 10 episodes, it was mashed into a movie and I wonder if they straight up lifted scenes straight off the movie version and spliced it into this one, because there are some obvious jump cuts that can't be attributed to anything else other than poor editing. Particularly EP3 and EP4, where characters' conversations and even the BGM gets split in between.
The second last episode seemed so sudden and I felt like time sped up somewhere and I totally missed some stuff, but I still can conjecture where and what had happened. But, the timing is still confusing to me, but I shall forgive this drama for once.
I'm a jumbled mess of thoughts, but this one is definitely a solid 9/10 for me.
Imperfectly perfect and unique in it's own little ways.
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Very nice icing on a mediocre cake
I wanted to watch this as soon as it finished because of the hype, but frankly I feel like I'm going insane reading only 9 and 10 star reviews, so I thought I'd contribute.- Plot: This is frankly my biggest complaint about the series. While I appreciate that there wasn't unnecessary conflict or excessive filler, there were plot holes left and right that get brushed off by the "artsy" vibe. The gaps and cuts leave the audience to consistently fill in parts of the plot themselves. It's nice that the writing doesn't say everything, but they use this as an excuse to avoid explaining plot events and actions that don't make sense for the characters and situations that have been established. I feel like the high production value and again, "artsy" vibe distract from the actual holes in the plot and leave most viewers to assume that they simply didn't "get" it, rather than recognize this as a fault of the writing. It's the equivalent of flawlessly coloring and shading a portrait so that nobody notices the eyes are completely different sizes.
- Acting: ...and this is the highlight of the series for me. I thought pretty much all the actors did a great job with their characters. It wasn't too heavy handed or cringey (the dialogue was decent, which helps), and felt that the entire cast had great chemistry. I enjoyed watching the friendships between the characters as much as the main couple's relationship. I also appreciated the styling of the characters -- it felt like they all had distinct styles, which suited both the actors and the characters.
- Characters: The main couple definitely falls into the webtoon-BL tropes, with the perfectpopularrich love interest and the smallawkwardloser protagonist. I liked them as individual characters though, especially how they behaved differently around different people. The best characters by far were the (non-ex) female characters, which is really refreshing for a BL. They felt like they had actual personalities! It's nice to see at least some female characters the audience isn't supposed to hate. Not a huge fan of the "fat character who is always eating" trope or them suddenly pairing up the only plus-size characters, but otherwise decent.
- Mental health angle: As much as I appreciate an openly depressed main character and genuine discussion of mental health issues, there were definitely some flaws in the execution here. The "I'm just here to get my drugs" aspect and questionable mannerisms of the therapist really invalidate a lot of the later therapy scenes. It seemed to be going in a good direction with the "If your trauma is causing your relationship issues, you need to sort out your trauma first" point, but that was wrapped up way too quickly with yet another "unspoken" development (read: plot hole). As a plot device to give insight into a quiet character's emotions without weird internal monologues, the therapy plot worked worked. As a genuine portrayal of trauma and treatment, less so.
- LGBT: Interestingly enough, the reviews here seem to be split on praising this as a great LGBT story, and praising it for not shoving an LGBT agenda down your throat. While this is a step in the right direction for KBL series, it still feels very much like a BL, and I was actually a little upset at the characters' reactions to other LGBT identities. The biggest flag for me was the portrayal of drag, as a character gives a report on Hedwig and the Angry Inch while dressed in the drag style from the movie. The character is both demonized and mocked, and the audience is set up to react to the character in the same way. I frankly have no idea why they included an entire scene just to make someone in drag the butt of a joke.
Overall, I thought the good acting and high production value show through, but they can only do so much to distract from the actual issues in the plot. It's icing on a bland cake -- nice decoration, but there's nothing special underneath.
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If I had to pick just 1 BL to watch for the rest of my life….
Yes. It would be this one.I’m not exaggerating. In my opinion, this is as close to perfection as we’ve ever seen from this genre.
And of all the lovely, tender, funny, touching, artful moments that this show bestowed on us I just think that it’s the realism of the characters and the story, and the fact that over the course of 10 episodes I came to genuinely love and admire most of these characters, I have so much empathy for them and so much affection. I feel that they are my people and I could t be happier with their very happy ending.
Ji Hyun, our sassy, beautiful and genuine boy. Love him to bits.
Hyun Bin, tone def bumpkin tho you may be, you are a good friend and a bold noona slayer.
Yoon Won, such an unexpectedly endearing character. A delight. Go get yours momma.
And my dearest Jae Won…handsome, soulful, protective, helplessly in love with Ji Hyun, I wish you every happiness ❤️❤️❤️❤️??♂️??
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What an absolutely beautiful show
I cannot stress how much I absolutely adored The Eighth Sense, its truly one of the best shows I have ever watched. The story, the acting, the production, the cinematography are all beautiful, the chemistry Oh Juntaek and Lim Jisub have is amazing and I seriously need a Season 2 for them, they did an insanely good job at portraying Jihyun and Jaewon. There are many likeable and interesting characters aside from the 2 leads, my favourites being Yoonwon, Aeri and Joonpyo. Jaewon is a really well written character, everything about him feels very real, and Jihyun is just as good, their development in just 10 episodes is wonderful. I cannot stress how much I recommend The Eighth Sense, it has its happy moments and its really heartbreaking moments, but experiencing all the emotions was all part of how much I enjoyed it. I would really recommend this show to everyone, even people who aren't interested in typical Korean Dramas/BLs. I really wish I could erase my memory and experience this show all over again. I tried to give my ratings critically but really I can't give this anything below a 10/10, it's just so wonderful ??Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
