This review may contain spoilers
Game changer
I was really impressed with this. Extended run time and clever plot tackling themes of homophobia and mental health. Lead actors who show a convincing range of emotions and intimacy. People might claim the MDL rating is over-inflated but in the context of LGBT+ representation and the limited budget, this is one of the best. I didn't see the plot twist at the end coming, so that is testament to the story. It gets better as each episode goes on.I saw some reviews that criticised the fantasy plot-line and found it a distraction. I disagree. I think it is refreshing to watch an LGBT+ series with a developed and distinctive plot. Representation is important but I want to see both: LGBT+ romance and a clever, engaging drama that does not skirt around important issues. This series delivers on both fronts. Hopefully this will encourage studios to consider a 12 episode, 1 hour format.
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?A BL with a red flag
With such high ratings for this BL (8.9 on MDL), the last thing I expected was its worldbuilding to fall apart in the very first episode. And not just worldbuilding, but the basic character development as well. Yeo Woon changing his attitude in a blink of an eye while Myeong Ha, who's mission in the game is to make Yeo Woon happy, keeps treating him condescendingly. I can also recall the choice for Myeong Ha in the game to save either Yeo Woon or the grandma from death, and it makes no sense. Why would the game which goal is to make Yeo Woon happy offer to kill him? Ridiculous.?Another disturbing issue is Myeong Ha's behavior in confronting the homophobic bullies at school. Myeong Ha kisses the offender on the lips saying "Now you're gay too", therefore demonizing the sexual orientation, and by that moment we don't even know if he is gay too or not. This scene hit me in the head with such internalized homophobia and made me feel uncomfortable to watch the rest while that issue of Myeong Ha is never mentioned again. Aren't BLs supposed to be a safe space at least for gay people? Isn't it one of their purpose along with entertaining heterosexual girls?
By comments of confusion from other viewers, I'm not the only one. There is enough runtime for the show to unfold, 8 episodes for 30-40 minutes, but it doesn't use it right. I genuinely cannot understand why the drama has so many fans if the quality of writing is absolutely incomparable with such BLs that are immersive from the very first scene, e.g. The Eighth Sense, 2023, or the shorter one with the similar concept of videogame dating Our Dating Sim, also released in 2023.
?The BL K-drama attempts to tackle such topics as loneliness, ability to rely on another person and ask for help, life regret, and even suicide. However it doesn't go further simply stating them, as the writer doesn't have enough skill to unfold such complicated issues. Especially if you're about to watch this BL with the amazing Death's Game in mind, you will hardly be moved by the plot of Myeong Ha making value of his life in other people.
Overall, there are parts to love about this BL drama, like the adorable actors, but the atrocious and problematic writing doesn't contribute to the mood at all.
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This review may contain spoilers
Would've been a flop if it were not a BL
Unique storyline poorly executed with cringe acting and weak character chemistry.Added characters like Sangwo lacked development, sudden feelings for Myungha lacked buildup. Yeowoon's sudden affection was unexplained.
Also why is no one questioning the age gap here? Logically, Myungha is 29 and yeo woon is 18
Direction and handling of the error plot were complicated, ending felt rushed with no clear conclusion.
Relied heavily on the appeal of visually attractive leads and BL genre tropes, masking deeper issues.
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LOVE SUPREMACY ZONE
As this is the first kbl of the year there are most likely high expectations. Since recent years we've got some great bls from Korea, and I'm excited for what 2024 will give us. As someone who's watched the first 4 eps (will do w the others) more than 10 times, I can say this is one of my favs. If you say that you didn't enjoy a singular scene after watching the whole show, you're lying to yourself.Very SHORT Summary: Tae Myungha, who is originally 29, is transported into a simulation where he is 19. His one mission is to make Cha Yeowoon happy, but if he fails to do so then he will face death.
LIKES:
What is there to dislike? This show has brought nothing but surprise to me. Not in a bad way, in a good way. It isn't repetitive like other bls. This one is one of those where you're unsure what is up next. It follows the mains and has you wanting more. It was Thursday (the day eps 3&4 came out) and I didn't want them gone. They're so cute that you just want to put them in your pocket. I even had hoped the weekend would end sooner due to the fact it would be closer to the next episodes.
DISLIKES:
. . .
IN CONCLUSION:
You most definitely NEED to watch this if you are debating to. This is one of those shows that hooks you the first episode. Could it be confusing? Yes. But it clicks after the first few eps. Others may disagree but I couldn't ask for a better kbl to start off 2024. This may take the #1 spot with Semantic Error and The Eighth Sense.
Who would I be if I didn't add this amazing quote? (From EP 8)
"I finally realized that every answer I had hoped for was in everyday life that's too mundane to be "fate", yet too beautiful to be " chance." Happiness must be hidden somewhere in my each of our days. "
Things are bound to happen, whether you want it or not. It may not be determined by a supernatural power, but it wasn't just a possibility. You make it happen with how you continue on in life, and I hope you can reach happiness just like Tae Myungha and Cha Yeowoon, whether it's through love or not.
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This drama is like catnip to me <3 Love it !!! I'm emotional thinking back about it...
This excellent BL series really brought me a lot of feelings and emotions. The thematics approached in it resonnated so much with me...It contains tropes I love (in particular a fantastical element with the virtual reality/game aspect) and I really enjoyed so much watching this series. Because I'm greedy sometimes, I wish it would have been longer but it has a very good duration when comparing to most Korean BL I have seen.The casting was very good. I believed in the different friendships and bounds forming. The romantic scenes were amazing and honestly I am still a bit sentimental thinking back about them just after finishing the series. The main characters had a lot of emotional bagage to carry and the actors really portrayed convincingly the broken parts of their roles. The evolution of their relationship felt very natural and organic from both sides. Both main male leads did an excellent job but I must say that Lee Tae Vin is the one who impressed me the most...He succeded in playing with many layers and I hope to see in in more dramas.
The soundtrack was really good, it had a KPOP vibe that I usually enjoy and really brought a great energy to the overall series. I enjoyed as well the filmmaking. I do think they made the most with seemingly a limited budget. There were some really strikingingly beautifully filmed moments (especially some of the most romantic scenes).
I would recommend this strongly to people looking for a Youth BL, it is very fluffy but at the same time deeper than it appears. It is an healing watch that will brought you all the feels. If you enjoyed "Our Dating Sim", I really think this one might win you heart as well. It left me with such a lasting impression on me and I will gladly rewatch it <3.
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Fun concept well-told and acted, surprisingly complex and emotional characters :)
29-year-old Tae Myung Ha gets transported into a virtual world game where he exists as his 19-year-old-self. He's given a mission to make Cha Yeo Woon happy, else there will be a dire consequence. Will Myung Ha accomplish this mission? Would Cha Yeo Woon be happy if he likes him, though?A fluffy romance with thrilling twists. It has a unique concept, time-travelling to a virtual game world and using the game prompts to move the plot. I really appreciate that the mission was dropped right away, and that they explained the rules and world-building so well. I think those rules are very important to get me on board with any time-travel story. I also like that they added details about the “love supremacy zone”, debuffs, etc… which make for an exciting watching experience.
Among all characters, Myung Ha was the most engaging for me. His 29-y.o. confidence stays in his 19-y.o.-self, so he doesn't hesitate to speak up his mind based on the game prompts. I like how he initiate conversations to Yeo Woon. Furthermore, him being fish-out-of-water in this game allowed him to face his own internal struggles besides doing his mission, so it’s easy to feel sympathy and invested on him.
As the story goes on, the foreshadowing danger sneaked up when I wasn't aware of it and the way they do it felt thrilling. The last two episodes gets quite emotional, but also a little confusing, and I felt it ended a bit random. I know it's a weird word to describe an ending, but that's how I felt. Nevertheless, it was fun overall!
Mar, 2024
Find me on instagram: @kdramajudge
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Best Kbl of the year
I don’t normally write reviews but I have for this one .I watched the series without expectations considering they are actors I’m not familiar with but I would say it was worth my time .
The budget , story line , acting , emotions , everything is a 10/10. The story line had a very deep meaning and made me reflect on my personal life . The fact that I could resonate with the characters and how they went from being alone to having each other warms my heart .I hope to see more of them in good series like this . Definitely worth everything
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I was confused
I dont think a singl plotpoint actually like fit with the other plotpoints ngl.I only watched the show for Cha Woongki tbf so I wasnt expecting much and I could have probably focused more and understood the plot better.
For me, it felt rushed at the end and the plot just suddently shifted in a weird turn.
Like bro, how was the message of this show "enjoy every day" like my guy, this show was a fantasy about being in a game, like wth.
I also didnt think the characters had ANY chemistry, like none, nada. I mean other than that one sister (dont remember her name). I feel like she actually made the show better cause she was funny.
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A GAME with a PERFECT Ending???
A great start in the year 2024 I would say…. Ah…the first two episodes itself got me hooked. The story, the acting, the actors, the portrayal…..everything is exceptionally good.Coming to the story one thing I would like to appreciate is it is exactly the kind of ending that I wanted. Basically these kind of story tropes would end either as an open ending or a sad ending. So, I really really appreciate the author and the team of LFLS regarding the ending. At first, I thought the story is kind of familiar but as the story progressed it became very interesting and I felt that I misunderstood it for being a similar kind of story. There are many surprises and twists in the game…hahaha. Even though I felt that ep 3 &. 4 were a bit rushed, and few scenes were incomplete for me, the finale made it up for me.
Coming to the acting, the actors did a phenomenal job. I really liked myungha and sang won’s acting. Yeo woon’s acting was really good when he was being tough with myungha but when he was being flirtatious and acting cute it felt like cringe to me. The same cringe I felt with kyunghoon’s acting as well. But I have no complaints though LOL. Maybe it is only me who felt this way cause it is just an opinion or preference of mine, so you might like it if you are okay with people acting cute.
Hence I would say this drama is really good, the story is great and the portrayal of the story is amazing. It’s been a long time since I have watched a drama like this. So….GO WATCH IT!!!!!
PS - IT IS WORTH YOUR TIME :)
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Korea Continues to set the STANDARD
With all 8 episodes now completed... I want to highlight this masterpiece properly. The ensemble cast really delivered. I want to particularly give praise to the stellar acting of Lee Tae Vin in the final two episodes.. he truly carried the episodes on his back and delivered the emotion needed to take this show through to its finale. Cha Joo Wan was fantastic as the love interest of the male lead. his eyes tell it all and he conveyed his emotions really well. His lines will resonate with me forever such as : you're my first everything.... I can do better with practice. A scene stealer for me though was easily Oh Min Su who portrayed Chun Sang Won and his characters opening to his own queer identity was so refreshing and he delivered some really iconic lines in the show such as '' You are so frustrating... until now I only dated girls '' ''so what If I'm gay ''Love for Love's Sake is another Gem - I highly recommend it. Korea has a way of filming shows that really connect to me as I grew up watching shows like Skam and Skins... the way Korean actors deliver emotion through their face is so nuanced and precise that you don't ever have to guess what they are thinking.... the acting is so well done.
Korea has started the year strong yet again... they did it with Blueming in 2022... the Eight Sense in 2023 and now this in 2024.... this show is so good.. the acting is stellar... the plot is refreshing and the ensemble cast are all delivering.
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Lovvve it
I got a review from someone to watched this and let me say i loooooooooove it sooooo far. Reminded me of the eighth sense. I love korean and Japanese bl so when one drops i eat that up like noooooothing. To me its always there story line. You may or may not get a kiss scene ????? but its the chemistry, the story line eveeeeerything . So far i have no complain hope people dont sleep on this one. Am enjoying so far bring on the rest of the episodes and lets see how it goes.Was this review helpful to you?
Did we watch a different drama? Special premise and that is all
I am wondering what am I missing. Can someone enlighten me please. What was 'the best drama I ever watched' about this?Myeong-ha was definitely a great character and props to the actor behind him. Caring. Responsible. His writing was interesting. I liked Sangwon too, I thought his position was very unusual and appealing for a BL, but also underdeveloped. He had a lot of potential.
As for Yeo-woon, I did not believe the character one sec. The chemistry between the leads was lacking left and right. I cannot with that really. He was very one dimensional for me.
Perhaps it is about somewhat misplaced casting, too few episodes for the meaning to prevail or not great writing.
Sometimes cute, sometimes engaging most times left me quite unmoved - meh. It is 8 x 40min, so not too long. The story is unique and Tae Myung-ha is crush worthy so up for you to decide.
Thanks for reading.
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