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watching BL in the corner of my room
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Was Not Expecting to Like This As Much As I Do
Yeah, I'm surprised too, but I genuinely loved this series. For it to be a mediocre production, it gave what it needed to give. Was it perfect? No, very far from it, but it had a very impressive plot, with surprising turnouts that I rarely ever see in BL. The Cupid Coach demonstrated that little production can do it too.
Let's Dive In.
The Cupid Coach is a fantasy setting of a dude named Latte (or Tae) that has a crush on his college senior and with the help of his friend (sister? Aunt? Cousin? Relative? I honestly don't know who she is to him, so we'll call her his friend), Namwhan, he gets a lucky stone, wishes upon it, and a cupid appears to help with finding his love. Of course, the rest of the plot is pretty evident, except in some cases, it's actually quite unexpected how things turn out. But I love that this series does that, gives us something so unanticipated that by then, we're hooked cause the plot isn't what we were thinking it would be. Now was it because of COVID? Perhaps, since they did film during the beginning of it all, but it luckily led to a really pleasurable ending.
What I liked: Again, the plot. While seemingly basic at the beginning, it gets a lot better a few episodes on. You watch and think you know how things are going to turn out, but then get whiplash when you see that it's not like anything you were expecting. In the midst of the series, Nite (cupid) ends up disappearing after sharing a kiss with Tae. While Tae is in desperation to get him back, he takes time for himself and goes on a trip (the one that he and Nite were supposed to go on together) While there, he meets another guy named Nite, who has all the same attributes as the original, expect, he's human. While their one-nightstand wasn't the best way to go, they end up getting closer due to Nite 2.0's charisma and Tae slowly getting over Nite #1. You're thinking the entire time, "okay when is the original NIte coming back?" but he doesn't! And in a BL, it's very rare that the original love interest for the main lead doesn't end up being his LI in the end. So for me, it was a game-changer, especially since I liked Pak (Kaitoon in Love Area) a lot better as Nite rather than Peace who's acting was very bleak, and the only thing going for him was his smile and biceps. Granted, most of the cast was brand new, and their acting wasn't much better than moderately sufferable, but Pak came in and definitely gave the acting skills needed. I loved his overall personality and his charm. He really opened Tae's eyes into understanding that he was the realistic love he's been looking for. The ending was the best part of the entire series. Tae's too scared to kiss Nite 2.0 cause he's scared he'll disappear like the first one. But NIte 2.0 shows that he's there to stay as long as Tae needed him, and I loved that. The only things that weren't my favorite were 1, the drunk one-night stand, (I was kind of hoping NIte 2.0 would be like "no I didn't do anything, you took off your clothes in the middle of the night" but oh well), 2, their intimate scenes afterward weren't as bad as some others I've seen, but they were just so aggressive that it was a bit cringey to watch. and 3, they did fall in love with each other in a span of a few days, with Nite 2.0 giving off love-at-first-sight vibes. But who doesn't want a cute little vacation sweetheart?
More on the plot, I liked the fantasy aspect. While the CGI of the magic, and whatever godly world Nite went to were absolute trash, it still doesn't take away the excitement of it all. I just wish they actually would've done more with it. They utilize it so much at the beginning, but in the midst of the series, they stop entirely. I would've liked to see Nite causing more catastrophe with the use of his magic, more predictions, more transportation, maybe even others finding ut about who he is.
I liked that Tae was an already out and proud gay man. There wasn't that typical aspect of the BL story in which we have to see the realization of the main lead, the coming out, and all the extra that comes with it. Don't get me wrong, that part of a BL is one of my favorites, but here, it was nice to see that the main lead knew what he liked and wasn't ashamed of it.
Onto what needed some for-sure improving: Production was as mediocre as it gets, but the last few episodes, It gets way better, like weirdly better, as if they updated the crew and cameras and everything. Even them being at a very luxurious hotel was a bit off-putting (no bad, obviously, but weird) since their budget beforehand was noticeable from the sets they used. Anyways, before those last few episodes, the production was rough. The camera would be still, then all of a sudden there would be a jolt like someone accidentally hit it, or when they did move with the camera, it was super unstable. The subtitles were on drugs. If I were someone who needed perfect subtitles, I would've dropped by episode 3, and they sadly just get worse going on. Again, I'm not the target audience, but damn, they were just really bad, like have to pause to read again and try to understand what they're trying to say bad. There were some other nit-picky things, but this was obviously not top-tier work, so no use complaining. I did like the title sequence and the music though.
I know Nite was supposed to be a cupid (or god?) and so he didn't know all the mannerisms and things about modern humans, but he was still just too flat. Yes, play a quiet and reserved cupid, but still, there is a role there that needs decent acting. I won't blame it all on Peace since the script didn't give him much to work with either. I think the chemistry between Tae and Nite 1.0 wasn't very convincing. Besides Nite being cute and dainty, he didn't do much else. Sure, they had some cute moments, but the chemistry fell flat in most places. I think a better connection between the actors would've been a stronger point, but oh well. I believe they were supposed to be endgame, but because of COVID (even though we see Nite 1.0 at the end but whatever) something went haywire, and we ended up with what we got.
The fan-girls were aggravating. I skipped most of the scenes with them in it since I knew they wouldn't play an important role or move the plot along in any way. They are a nuisance and just annoying. Who wants a bunch of screaming and hollering and touching all the time? Which is a sad thing that they use these feminine men or trans women to even do this. They can also play main leads! Important roles! Not just be a group of obsessive and screaming fans.
One nit-picky thing. When the barista asked for a picture with Nite, we can't see him in the photo (which was a terrible technique they used, but that's a different story), but then later, when he, Tae, and Namwhan go to a field of flowers, she takes a picture with NIte with seemingly no problems, even looking at the photo and smiling. Again, nit-picky, but it's a consistency issue that bothered me just a bit.
Rating:
Story: 7.5 - Enjoyable at the least. I liked it way more towards the ending, which is where most of this score comes from. I don't really speak on Bhu and Que, but their relationship was just okay. Bhu got on my nerves half the time with wanting Tae to gain weight. Weird.
Acting: 5 - not the show's strongest aspect. Probably it's weakest. Pak added 2 stars automatically from just being the best out of all the cast. The weakest was Peace and Seua. At times Tee and Noey weren't all that great either. Everyone else was mediocre. The other 3 stars come from mostly me just feeling bad, and having hope that the cast will have more chances to grow and really showcase their acting abilities.
Music: 6 - I actually quite liked the OST. The rest of the music was the usual soundtracks we always hear.
Rewatch Value: 1 - Probably less than one if it could be. No chance I'm coming back.
I know I kind of go off, but, really, this series was decent. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would, and I think there are others out there that can agree with me. I recommend this, just 'cause it's pretty sweet, and only took me a day to finish.
Let's Dive In.
The Cupid Coach is a fantasy setting of a dude named Latte (or Tae) that has a crush on his college senior and with the help of his friend (sister? Aunt? Cousin? Relative? I honestly don't know who she is to him, so we'll call her his friend), Namwhan, he gets a lucky stone, wishes upon it, and a cupid appears to help with finding his love. Of course, the rest of the plot is pretty evident, except in some cases, it's actually quite unexpected how things turn out. But I love that this series does that, gives us something so unanticipated that by then, we're hooked cause the plot isn't what we were thinking it would be. Now was it because of COVID? Perhaps, since they did film during the beginning of it all, but it luckily led to a really pleasurable ending.
What I liked: Again, the plot. While seemingly basic at the beginning, it gets a lot better a few episodes on. You watch and think you know how things are going to turn out, but then get whiplash when you see that it's not like anything you were expecting. In the midst of the series, Nite (cupid) ends up disappearing after sharing a kiss with Tae. While Tae is in desperation to get him back, he takes time for himself and goes on a trip (the one that he and Nite were supposed to go on together) While there, he meets another guy named Nite, who has all the same attributes as the original, expect, he's human. While their one-nightstand wasn't the best way to go, they end up getting closer due to Nite 2.0's charisma and Tae slowly getting over Nite #1. You're thinking the entire time, "okay when is the original NIte coming back?" but he doesn't! And in a BL, it's very rare that the original love interest for the main lead doesn't end up being his LI in the end. So for me, it was a game-changer, especially since I liked Pak (Kaitoon in Love Area) a lot better as Nite rather than Peace who's acting was very bleak, and the only thing going for him was his smile and biceps. Granted, most of the cast was brand new, and their acting wasn't much better than moderately sufferable, but Pak came in and definitely gave the acting skills needed. I loved his overall personality and his charm. He really opened Tae's eyes into understanding that he was the realistic love he's been looking for. The ending was the best part of the entire series. Tae's too scared to kiss Nite 2.0 cause he's scared he'll disappear like the first one. But NIte 2.0 shows that he's there to stay as long as Tae needed him, and I loved that. The only things that weren't my favorite were 1, the drunk one-night stand, (I was kind of hoping NIte 2.0 would be like "no I didn't do anything, you took off your clothes in the middle of the night" but oh well), 2, their intimate scenes afterward weren't as bad as some others I've seen, but they were just so aggressive that it was a bit cringey to watch. and 3, they did fall in love with each other in a span of a few days, with Nite 2.0 giving off love-at-first-sight vibes. But who doesn't want a cute little vacation sweetheart?
More on the plot, I liked the fantasy aspect. While the CGI of the magic, and whatever godly world Nite went to were absolute trash, it still doesn't take away the excitement of it all. I just wish they actually would've done more with it. They utilize it so much at the beginning, but in the midst of the series, they stop entirely. I would've liked to see Nite causing more catastrophe with the use of his magic, more predictions, more transportation, maybe even others finding ut about who he is.
I liked that Tae was an already out and proud gay man. There wasn't that typical aspect of the BL story in which we have to see the realization of the main lead, the coming out, and all the extra that comes with it. Don't get me wrong, that part of a BL is one of my favorites, but here, it was nice to see that the main lead knew what he liked and wasn't ashamed of it.
Onto what needed some for-sure improving: Production was as mediocre as it gets, but the last few episodes, It gets way better, like weirdly better, as if they updated the crew and cameras and everything. Even them being at a very luxurious hotel was a bit off-putting (no bad, obviously, but weird) since their budget beforehand was noticeable from the sets they used. Anyways, before those last few episodes, the production was rough. The camera would be still, then all of a sudden there would be a jolt like someone accidentally hit it, or when they did move with the camera, it was super unstable. The subtitles were on drugs. If I were someone who needed perfect subtitles, I would've dropped by episode 3, and they sadly just get worse going on. Again, I'm not the target audience, but damn, they were just really bad, like have to pause to read again and try to understand what they're trying to say bad. There were some other nit-picky things, but this was obviously not top-tier work, so no use complaining. I did like the title sequence and the music though.
I know Nite was supposed to be a cupid (or god?) and so he didn't know all the mannerisms and things about modern humans, but he was still just too flat. Yes, play a quiet and reserved cupid, but still, there is a role there that needs decent acting. I won't blame it all on Peace since the script didn't give him much to work with either. I think the chemistry between Tae and Nite 1.0 wasn't very convincing. Besides Nite being cute and dainty, he didn't do much else. Sure, they had some cute moments, but the chemistry fell flat in most places. I think a better connection between the actors would've been a stronger point, but oh well. I believe they were supposed to be endgame, but because of COVID (even though we see Nite 1.0 at the end but whatever) something went haywire, and we ended up with what we got.
The fan-girls were aggravating. I skipped most of the scenes with them in it since I knew they wouldn't play an important role or move the plot along in any way. They are a nuisance and just annoying. Who wants a bunch of screaming and hollering and touching all the time? Which is a sad thing that they use these feminine men or trans women to even do this. They can also play main leads! Important roles! Not just be a group of obsessive and screaming fans.
One nit-picky thing. When the barista asked for a picture with Nite, we can't see him in the photo (which was a terrible technique they used, but that's a different story), but then later, when he, Tae, and Namwhan go to a field of flowers, she takes a picture with NIte with seemingly no problems, even looking at the photo and smiling. Again, nit-picky, but it's a consistency issue that bothered me just a bit.
Rating:
Story: 7.5 - Enjoyable at the least. I liked it way more towards the ending, which is where most of this score comes from. I don't really speak on Bhu and Que, but their relationship was just okay. Bhu got on my nerves half the time with wanting Tae to gain weight. Weird.
Acting: 5 - not the show's strongest aspect. Probably it's weakest. Pak added 2 stars automatically from just being the best out of all the cast. The weakest was Peace and Seua. At times Tee and Noey weren't all that great either. Everyone else was mediocre. The other 3 stars come from mostly me just feeling bad, and having hope that the cast will have more chances to grow and really showcase their acting abilities.
Music: 6 - I actually quite liked the OST. The rest of the music was the usual soundtracks we always hear.
Rewatch Value: 1 - Probably less than one if it could be. No chance I'm coming back.
I know I kind of go off, but, really, this series was decent. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would, and I think there are others out there that can agree with me. I recommend this, just 'cause it's pretty sweet, and only took me a day to finish.
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