slow-paced, thoughtful, and sweet

Honestly, I have a hard time watching Korean BLs all the way. Almost all of them (especially recently) are poorly produced, clumsily edited, overly cheesy, and rushed with questionable storylines and extremely stilted acting. So I was pleasantly impressed when I began watching Blueming. It's not surprising to me that the same director helmed Where Your Eyes Linger, To My Star, and Blueming (they are, at least in my opinion, the best of the wave of Korean BLs these past two or three years), but I would still say Blueming is her best work by far. I would even say it's on par with some of my favorite full-length kdramas, something I can't say for practically all of the Korean BLs out there.

The thing I appreciate most about this short series is that it doesn't seem like a BL churned out to take advantage of the growing number of BL fans. It doesn't try to pack in a million tropes or BL character stereotypes. It doesn't engage in an absurd amount of fan service. It actually tries to put in as much depth as it can in such a short time frame. Although the premise (and the major conflict at the end, which was a little merghuughgh) might bring out the skeptic in some of you (especially the mother being so obsessed with how her children look), I don't think it can be written off as completely unrealistic. And out of this premise comes a real message about insecurity in society and the power others' opinions hold in shaping who we are. Cha Si Won and Hyeong Da Un aren't cardboard cutout characters either; they have complex personalities and backgrounds, from Si Won's irrational fear that Da Un threatened his own hard-fought popularity to Da Un's reluctance to talk about himself. And shockingly enough, there's actually character development. I loved Si Won's transformation from an insecure, shallow-seeming person to a more bold character that gives pretty great advice. It's really nice to see BLs maturing, not only in terms of romantic scenes, but really in terms of its themes.

Blueming also takes advantage of its short length to achieve a slice-of-life genre without dragging. It can almost be compared to the likes of Run On and Our Beloved Summer – slow-paced and down-to-earth, but not overly calming or meditative. And I know a lot of people complain that slice-of-life shows like these drag on for too long or aren't interesting, but the eleven short ~15 minute episodes really make it impossible to get bored. Blueming ends up with the best of both worlds – it solves the rushing issue many mini series have by slowing the pace down, a characteristic that works surprisingly well when you don't have much time. With this slice-of-life atmosphere comes really beautiful cinematography and compositions. I am by no means in expert (at all) in this stuff, but I appreciate the thought that went into camera angles and film techniques that give the show a very elegant, composed air.

And I can't believe I waited this long to talk about this, but Cha Si Won and Hyeong Da Un are so adorable together – like the cutest, most wholesome couple ever. Beyond the great cinematography and the complexity and the pacing, I really really have to say that I stuck around because they are so sweet and I almost died uwuing. The actors are by no means Oscar-winning or shockingly great, but they are natural and convey their emotions well and have pretty amazing chemistry with each other. I have to shout out Jo Hyuk Joon (playing Hyeong Da Un) for bringing out a very charismatic personality and subtle nuances in emotion, even when he's technically not the main main character (off topic but his smile deserves an award). He made me forget too many times to count that this was acting and not reality. Si Won and Da Un together are human, genuine, healing, and also flawed. I feel like I could watch hours of them just smiling at each other and not get bored.

But inevitably, I have to complain about the length. I know I said that the slice-of-life genre works for Blueming because it's short, but I honestly still feel like it's a little too short. I mentioned earlier that I loved Si Won's transformation, but I was disappointed that we weren't able to see the more gradual process of his development – there just wasn't enough time. Da Un's arc, given that the focus is mainly on Si Won, is also not explored in depth or completed really, and there's a lot to unpack there. Overall, I think one to three hours more of screen time could've deepened the themes more, fleshed out the relationships better, and brought the watchers closer to the characters. I'm not sure if there will be a second part or not (although I think 'not' is more likely), since a few side characters were introduced, but their stories were never really explored or wrapped up.

Whether you are a fan of BLs or not, I think this mini series offers something for any kind of watcher (in the contemporary fan realm – unfortunately there is no fantasy/horror/psychological thriller/historical stuff in this one, sorry). I hope Blueming gets more attention (although I know it's getting a good amount) as the new standard for BLs and mini dramas in general.

(Edit: okay so now that I think about it, given that we were gifted with To My Star 2, a sequel to this drama is not out of the question seeing as To My Star wrapped up a lot more fully than Blueming did. But Blueming also has a lot more (unfinished) side character storylines, and it did end with a "we lived happily ever after" line for Si Won and Da Un, so maybe the sequel will focus on the side characters more rather than Si Won and Da Un?)

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