A heartfelt and warm love story

Okay listen, I will be honest and say that I am a VERY big fan of Omega X so was already familiar with Jaehan and Yechan and obviously loved them a lot before this series came out BUT I can honestly say that despite really liking an actor, if the show is disappointing I can and will be objective and say I didn't like it. I've watched shows with actors/idols I love and found them lack luster and have said so (Jun baby i'm so sorry but Tinted With You was lacking a lot, you did your best with what you had). Now getting that out of the way I'll move on to my review of A Shoulder To Cry On.

I don't want to go into too much detail as that's not necessarily my style of review but I will say that the main leads had very good chemistry which does not come as a surprise to me seeing as they are band mates and have known each other and lived with each other for a while. However, it really shined through in this series,

I hadn't read the manhwa before watching so I had no specific expectations going into this. The plot line was pretty interesting to me and while a high school BL isn't exactly something fresh or new, especially in Korean BL, I think this one was executed fairly well and made fresh with Taehyun's background. I think that Taehyun's tragic background and his psychology as a result of it was an interesting point to have and also I think the problems both boys faced are problems that the youth and even some adults can relate to and it was nice to see the boys slowly grow closer and become a safe haven for each other and push each other to be better people. I really enjoyed the story line, acting and directing for this series and it has a high re-watch value for me and will become a comfort series for sure!

Now, this section of the review is going to be a rant ,so sorry in advance but honestly i'm not sorry. The relationship between Taehyun and Daeyoel started out rocky and we gradually saw them warm up to each other and become a comforting safe space for each other. Let's remember that they were both in high school when they met and since neither of them had been in romantic relationships before they were clumsy and immature which is to be expected from teenage boys experiencing love for the first time, especially with someone who has the emotional trauma that Taehyun has. They had a huge falling out in high school and they hadn't kept in contact so when they first met again years later, them not automatically getting in a relationship together is understandble as they needed to get to know each other again and build back trust in their relationship and probably build back the friendship that was there before as well. With the next and final time, I want to remind people that previously, when Taehyun confessed, Daeyeol did NOT ask to date him or anything, he asked for Taehyun to wait for him until he was mentally/emotionally ready to be in a relationship with him so with that, the second time skip didn't really tell us how long they had been in a relationship with each other at that point so considering their past and the fact that neither of them really dated anyone in the 2 years that they were seperated from each other and the fact that their relationship could be more recent I think their bashfulness or "awkwardness" is understandable and even realistic to a certain degree. Not everyone loves the same way, not everyone is comfortable with physical affection and everyone has different paces they are comfortable with in their relationships. Both of them being men has nothing to do with physical affection and it is a stereotype that all men are horn dogs who can't keep their hands to themselves. I don't know the reason we didn't get a kiss, if it was the directors choice, if it was the fact that they are in the same group so their company didn't want them to, or if it had anything to do with their ex CEO, who was often on set wreacking havoc and being the psycho that she is. In any case, I don't think a kiss is that important. A controversial opinion to have in the BL sphere apparantly but if the story is good and the chemistry is there then I'm not mad about not getting a kiss. I've seen many straight drama's with no kiss but were great still as well so this is not just a BL thing but an East Asian drama thing. Besides, I'd rather have no kiss than an awkward dead fish kiss. The reviews that are saying this is just a bromance or queerbaiting are very narrow minded and some of y'all are telling on yourselves that you're here only for the sexual content and not the actual story because I see y'all rating crappy shows high just because the NC scenes or kisses are intense and steamy, just say you fetishize gay romance and go. How in the world can you see two people save each other as their lock screens, go on a spontaneous overnight trip, hold hands or link arms, stare at each other lovingly, flirt openly, wear matching pajamas and use matching toothbrushes, sit in the others lap wrapping their arms around each other, sharing a lollipop, and stay up all night talking while laying next to each other in bed and low key cuddling and tell me that they are just friends and not boyfriends? Who are you to judge their relationship in the first place? You have to kiss someone to be dating? Do you do all those things with your friends? Because I never have, even friends I've known for years. Romantic relationships are different depending on the individuals and there is not one specific way to show and express love, as people watching LGBTQ+ content, this should be something you're aware of more than anyone else and yet the ignorance is glaring. As someone who is Asexual, maybe I relate more to this or can at least understand it. I'm alright with kissing, holding hands and cuddling with a significant other but anything more than that and i'm uncomfortable and gain nothing from it anyways. Of course i'm not saying either of the characters are Asexual but i'm saying that everyone has different levels of comfort with physical affection. If we go by crazed BL fan logic, if I don't have sex with my significant other does our relationship not count? If i'm dealing with anxiety or depression on a specific day or even just a day where i'm feeling fine but need my personal space and don't want anyone touching me, even my significant other, does that mean we're not in love or not in a relationship because I don't want to kiss or cuddle them in that moment or on that day? This logic is ridiculous, narrow minded and ignorant as hell. It's 2023, lets open our eyes to all the different forms of love.

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