gemini
The BL Abyss
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Don't listen to the haters!
It seems I have an unpopular opinion regarding this kdrama. I really enjoyed it!The chemistry between the two main leads and the hyperrealism was great to see. It isn't your typical soft, fluffy romance. If that is what you are looking for you will like the relationship between the lesbian side couple (who are adorable) or boycott the show completely.
I read the webtoon after finishing the drama adaption and I have to say I didn't like it, it was very choppy, and felt like the story wasn't really going anywhere. It was then abruptly ended with a rushed, thrown-together ending (I believe the author had a certain reason to cut it short).
In the webtoon the ML is very one-dimensional and although he is 'nice' to girls he has a coldness in his eyes throughout the story. In the drama Song Kang did a great job at portraying the aloofness of Park Jae Eon, he also portrayed a lot of emotion with his eyes. which wasn't seen in the webtoon, and even when Park Jae Eon would act a certain way you could see the emotion in his eyes of how he really felt but wouldn't acknowledge or be honest with Na Bit about.
In the webtoon the FL is assertive, she starts a consensual sexual relationship with a man and when he crosses the line she moves on to someone else. In the drama Han So Hee portrayed Yoo Na Bi as assertive at times but also composed. She starts a consensual sexual relationship with a man she is attracted to, it isn't until other people start to find out that she feels what can only be described as shame for her actions.
Having a consensual adult sexual relationship is not 'toxic'. I've seen a lot of people throwing this word around when describing this kdrama. If you want to have consensual casual sex with one person or multiple people that is not toxic, as long as those within that relationship understand that it is casual sex. Which, within this drama is understood by both Park Jae Eon and Yoo Na Bi when starting their friends with benefits relationship.
Getting personal here, I had a casual relationship similar to the leads in this show when I was in my early twenties. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, like most casual relationships but that's just reality. Who watches a fictional kdrama that doesn't end on a happy note?
If the drama adaption had ended the way the webtoon did it would have been abrupt, perplexing, and gone against the direction of the drama. It also would have been unwarranted for potato boy, as he deserved better than someone who had feelings for someone else.
I would have liked to see the drama carry on a little to see some insight into what a relationship between the leads would be like but unfortunately, you don't see if Na Bi gets to go to Paris or if Park Jae Eon takes the scholarship in America. I guess it's left up to the imagination how their relationship progresses or fails, following their middle finger to society's standards when they decided to continue their relationship despite what other people's opinions on it were.
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Korea just seems to knock-it-out-the-park when it comes to zombies
Kingdom was one of the first kdramas I watched, it popped up on my Netflix suggestions and I was not disappointed!The season was short, but I think this worked in its favour, any longer and it may have dragged out. The acting was brilliant, even from side characters and the zombies themselves. The show really did well at just showing the absolute panic there would be if an outbreak like this started, and this isn't modern-day but the Joseon period so no semi-automatics to save yourself when a hoard is coming.
The twist and turns really added to the suspense, you really feel like you are piecing the story together with the characters and the twist at the end had me shook!
I would recommend this show to anyone that loves the zombie genre and I would definitely rewatch it.
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The comedy from Ma Wang (Cha Seung Won) is just great, especially when he bounces off of Son Oh Gong (Lee Seung Gi). Their whole love/hate/respect relationship is gold.
Overall it was a great watch as kdramas go; action, romance, comedy, supernatural, etc. - There's a lot of genres this show falls under! I would recommend giving the show a watch and it's definitely one I would rewatch, in fact, I already have.
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Cruel Intentions but for kids
When I saw this show pop-up on Netflix as a recommendation I was excited to watch it, the trailer made the show out to be something different from your average romance kdrama. As I watched the first few episodes I realised what it was about - Cruel Intentions - or at least the book that that film was based on. Now although I wouldn't consider Cruel Intentions the greatest film of all time, it's a pretty decent film. So I became pretty invested in the show and was interested to see where they would take the story and characters and how similar or different it would be from the film.They took it everywhere! With the hundreds of side character stories that were happening all at once.
There was so much going on storywise you really had to focus if you wanted to keep up.
The whole bet and revenge plan had no reason to it and it was all very... tame? Especially following the 'outing' of their teacher's affair at the beginning of the drama. The actors themselves seemed ok and the chemistry between them was there and that was probably the saving grace of this show but I don't think they were given the best direction or story to work with.
I feel like I've been pretty lenient with the ratings I have given, I wouldn't recommend this drama or give it a rewatch.
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I’ve read better fanfiction.
I have asked myself ‘why am I still watching this show’ since episode 4 or 5, and I can’t give you an answer.My rating (which started as a 7) has dropped dramatically after every episode I watched.
So far this show has lacked any type of direction and is struggling to tell a simple story. Some may say “it’s only a BL” but there have been a few BL’s over the past year alone that have managed to turn the tide for the genre (Bad Buddy, KinnPorsche & Not Me).
When Check Out episode 0 aired it showed potential at being a mature BL that was moving away from the usual drivel that is produced. However, the story telling from the first episode has been weak.
If the show writers were struggling to come up with compelling characters and a story, the amount of characters should have been reduced along with the amount of episodes released. This show could have perhaps been a nice mini-series if there was decent direction for the actors and a compelling dramatic affair storyline. I’ve read better fanfiction.
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I expected more
Most of the way through this show I didn’t know what was going on, mostly I think this was down to the useless subtitles.The setting for this show was beautiful and some of the cinematography was excellent, it had potential to be a cute story if there had been an effort to write a decent storyline. However they decided to pack it full of pointless couples and useless characters.
The only decent chemistry was from the boxer couple, they showed sparks from the moment they met (sorry BournPrem).
I feel the writers should have focused on their growing feelings, along with the ML’s and cut a lot of the other characters out that were not related to the main storyline which could have been really interesting if more effort was made.
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