What I liked:
First of all, I was suuuper excited for Ahn Se Min, but found his perfomance the weakest.. Therefore Kim Sung Hyun surprised me. I really liked his acting/his character and he made me smile here and there. Overall, all the characters were pretty much likeable and entertaining.
The ending OST is a bop! Love it.
I actually liked the haircuts and the fluffy pastel sweaters. :D Jung Ki Sub was such a fluffball and endlessly adorable. Some scenes were really cute, funny or just nice to watch.
Room for improvement:
I agree, the writing was weak. The story felt choppy here and there and it was rather shallow. Some circumstances could have been used in a more emotional engaging way. I just didn't care too much about the characters, buuuut I really enjoyed one scene in episode 7 and a lot of episode 8. So..in the end, I was actually happy about the outcome. :D
It's just a classic, light korean BL. I don't think you miss a lot if you skip it, but it's also not a waste of time watching it. It's just nothing that hooked me emotionally or made me really feel connected to the characters. But I love korean BLs in general, so I don't miss out on them. :D
Additional thoughts:
I think a lot of people lack psychological understanding to get the characters at some point - based on what I read in the comments and where I absolutely can't agree with. I started the show, read some comments and were pretty bummed, because I expected the worst. :'D But yeah, it's not bad and for me the, the actions were all logically and understandable. I won't elaborate any further, because I want to keep my review spoilerfree. :)
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JUST A CUTE AND FLUFFY LOVE STORY
First of all, I feel like I am watching Yeo Jin Goo or Yoon Chan Young and Im Si Hwan doing a BL here coz Kim Jin Woo Looks like Yeo Jin Goo and Yoon Chan Young and Gi Seop Looks like Im Si Hwan for me !!About the not able to admit or confess to our crushes, everyone feels the same I believe, coz I remember way back in my High School days, I was not able to confess to my crush too, but my friends confessed for me , so here it just happened that a certain guy who can't say no to everyone happened to meet a person whom he knows actually likes him but does not go out with him, and he began to became curious of finding out and as he do it, he fell with the guy ! That plot is not really new for me, in some ways I find the story and the situations on this drama really nonesense but a POV of a madly inlove guys, but why did I gave it a high rating? Its because It was very cute and fluffy, watching it makes you really feel good, that's what I like about it ! Given the great visuals of the leads and how they portray the characters was really entertaining and soothing in my eyes. Jeong Gi Seop and Kim Jin Woo lead me to their world, Jeong Gi Seop's character was something really new to me, he is innocent and soft while I think Jin Woo is strong and at the same time he was a baby, all they ever did here was to make me jealous of their beautiful faces, beautiful lovelife and the fact that they are rich and living in South Korea ! The Drama was easy to watch, not too heavy, it was so funny also, just beautiful from start to end. About Choi BalGeum. I LIKE his name by the way, his love story was a bit sad and dark for me, korean BL always has this plots where an ex lover comes back and shake a certain character, anyways I am not really a fan of that, I actually skipped Choi Bal Geum's love story , I am sorry , just happy with Jin Woo and Gi Seop here , my favorite part was when they finally confessed to each other and they were sticking like a glue on the street, that was so funny, I am happy by the way that it was not too short so the run time was enough for the story, not rushed. ONLY I hated that I am confused with the ending ! Was it that they are not able to recognize each other after a long time or was it before they actually met ? Like the very beginning ? I don't know how can I move on with that coz I so love them , I am thinking that maybe there might be a season 2 ? Anyways , so happy with this drama, Gonna re watch this many times in the future and a recommended one and Gi Seoo is so Pretty , I like his voice so gentle, he is really gifted with that appearance !
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CUTEST CUTIES TO EVER CUTIE!!!
Boys be brave.. You did it. MY CUTIES!!! I can't lie when I say they are SOOO cute and I can't believe its already ending. Everything was great from the acting to the music in some scenes. I wish it was longer, but it was great while it lasted!!STORY:
Jung Ki Sub is Kim Jin Woos friend, if you can even call him that. His acquaintance at best. When Jung Ki Sub asks to stay at his place, and having no choice but to accept, how will Jin Woo be able to keep it all in when Ki Sub is his secret crush?
THOUGHTS:
Lets cut to it. As much as I'd LOOOOVEE to give this a 10/10, I just can't. Somethings.. Missing. First off, the second couple. I felt like the 2nd couples screen time was rushed. They gave JUST ENOUGH for me to understand what was going on. As much as I enjoy both of their visuals, if you're going to not give at least close to an equal amount of screen time, why include them? It felt like they had less screen time than a cameo in a drama. Secondly, the female character. I'm not saying that I hate her. Personally, she is such a cutie and I would have loved to seen more of her and I can understand her doing what she did, but its just the way she felt the need to be so upset with Ki Sub and even trying to ruin him and Jin Woos relationship. It might be reasonable, it might not be, but to me its kind of.. Crazy? I mean yeah, I may do something crazy to protect my friends, but if its in the past then it's in the past.
ANYWAYS. Now that we've gotten the bad out of the way, lets cut to the good!
Almost every scene between the two brought a smile to my face, the twos chemistry is BREWING!!! Everything from the staring into the eyes to even just giving him a keychain made me giggle. The communication? Lacking? NO! Although Jin Woo usually kept to himself, there was still such a bond between the two that made it a great dynamic. Speaking of the dynamic.. Jin Woo being like a black cat and Ki Sub a golden retriever?? AHHH!!! I might just pass out from cuteness!! Their pairing altogether is just GOLD. The warmth they could feel within each other?? The way Ki Subs heart monitor would increase because of Jin Woo?? MY CUTIES!!!
In all, I love this SOOO MUCH. And other than the things I've mentioned, this drama was so cutie and I'd put my life on the line for Jin Woo and his cute expressions?
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A Memorable Watch Indeed
Sometimes the only way to truly find oneself is to get lost first, to become disoriented by all the things that you have trouble facing until what you really want becomes the magnetic north that sets you free.The Korean BL Boys Be Brave adapted from Seok Young’s webtoon Can’t Confess and starring actors Kim Sung Hyun (Kim Jin Woo), Nam Shi An (Jung Ki Sub), Jung Yeo Joon (Choi Bal Geum), and Ahn Se Min (Ji In Ho) is all about being found inside a lost place.
The synopsis of Boys Be Brave is simple. Four people, all of them opposites, each of them with very different lives and ways of dealing with those lives, coming together in an insightful, romantic way that reveals who each of them truly are beneath layers of insecurity, masked smiles, and pride.
Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/17/boys-be-brave-series-review-ep-3-to-8/
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one of my favorites kbls of this year so far!
If you haven't watch it, give it a try. It's such a cute, funny and interesting drama!each episode has a good story that will keep you watching it.
Likes:
- The acting is good! I love the cast they did a great job with their characters, special mention to Kim sunghyeon, he did a great job with Kim Jin Woo, his facial expressions, the tone he used, gestures, etc. love him!
- Both couples. God I love the chemistry, the stories, the different dynamics. please I need a kbl just for the second couple too!!
- The few songs they used are really good
- The balance between comedy and angst
- Backstories of their characters (just wish they were a little bit longer)
Dislikes:
-yeah I didn't like the begging, forcing them to live together was a little ?
- like in every single kbl, the time. I just wish the chapters were longer so the stories will be more consistent and more explanation of some things. such a shame that kbls still having less support and budget that hetero kdramas :/ cause they have the potential to give us more about the characters and make us to connect more with them
and I think that's it for my dislikes.
conclusion.
I enjoyed it, I definitely will watch it again since It's already finished. congrats to the actors and actress beacuses they did a great job, the production too, they did a great job choosing the cast and directing.
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Yes man vs No man
Both lead characters Jin Woo and Ki Sub are very neurodivergent coded with very different coping mechanisms in relation to their respective family members that are directly responsible for raising them. Jin Woo being an isolated regimented perfectionist out of from his childhood habit of earning perfect scores to hopefully get his father's attention to spend time with him. Somewhere along the line he's shifted to thinking that he will never have his father love him more than his father loves his work, but he continues living life the way he always had with everything precisely planned out. Ki Sub never turns anyone down so as to not disappoint them, but he does so anyways when whatever he agreed to inevitably falls apart because he doesn't care like the other person does, which includes relationships with both women and men. He has a mysterious heart condition that his school doctor or nurse sister has been monitoring him for since he was a child and he never wanted to create conflict with her, so just agreeing to everything asked of him. Whatever it is, the show never goes into, but I truly hope his love is truly the miracle medicine needed for his heart to heal.Ki Sub went through life sublimating all of his desires, but his subconscious seemed to finally fight back with the timeline of spending time with the person he's been unconsciously crushing on since he started college before he immigrates to the U.S. It's absolutely unhinged the way he barges into Jin Woo's home and life. It's interesting how Ki Sub immediately points out Jin Woo likes him and asks him why he won't confess and Jin Woo has witnessed all of Ki Sub's campus confession acceptances and heartbreaking to know where it goes to not want to confess. Ki Sub going through Jin Woo's things is extremely rude too and not right to do and his contract making can be seen as a desperate move he's doing to stay close to Jin Woo before his brain and heart finally connect the dots as to the reason why. His consistent presence is something Jin Woo actually needed, that Ki Sub isn't just going to accept his confession without any meaning. Thanks to modern technology and the culture of filming people without the consent, which also yikes, Ki Sub can see himself outside of his own body how he looks at Jin Woo. He's so used to seeing how people look at him when they like him, he can finally understand what his own feelings are.
Kim Hye Jin is the bi and self aware queen who becomes besties with her perfectionist habit twin Jin Woo who called Ki Sub out on behalf of her friends and crushes and finally finds someone of her own. No notes. Meanwhile Balg Eum is a self conscious wreck to the point that he lashes out physically and emotionally at In Ho he never deserved being abandoned wordlessly in high school and definitely not being treated so violently when he finds Balg Eum again. With the way Balg Eum was punching In Ho, it was like the latter betrayed him or something, but the poor guy was innocent of everything! Balg Eum was just embarrassed that his family is bankrupt while In Ho's seem to be financially stable enough for him to pursue piano and he can afford to buy an expensive watch as a gift in present day too. Though it's not delved into, he could have just saved up for it too, we don't get to know too much about In Ho except that he truly loves Balg Eum unconditionally. I'm glad Balg Eum became self aware at last that it's his own ego problem and he definitely needs time and distance to be a better person, but he really put In Ho through hell. He wasn't even working so much to pay off debt for his family, it was just to save up money to save face for when he one day meets up with In Ho again.
Although Jin Woo and his father finally come to an understanding that the latter threw himself into work as a coping mechanism for the grief of losing his wife and Jin Woo's mom, it was also such a heartbreaking moment when his father offers going home to spend time with Jin Woo and both understand it's too late and not what either needs anymore. It was so civil and such a crushing blow to the heart. Jin Woo is already all grown up, lives on his own, and now has Ki Sub as his companion to enjoy and experience life with. I hope he and his father figure out a way to connect differently eventually. Although we don't get a meeting scene between Jin Woo and Ki Sub's sister, Ki Sub made it pretty clear who is the one that makes his heart beat and calm, so he's pretty much out to his sister and I'll take his word for it that his family is happy for him to make decisions for his own happiness. Jin Woo and Ki Sub's public New Years celebration kiss and no one making any sort of deal about it is so sweet. The little epilogue that they have crossed paths before in high school as they walked in opposite directions during winter time is a lovely little closer too. They always had a magnetic pull towards one another even with a brief glimpse that probably neither even remembers.
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Glow-in-the-dark stars & delayed confessions!
Good show. It was a decent fun K-BL after some time (in my opinion, since it's the first one I completed in a while)While a lot of individuals complain about the 2nd couple being more interesting and under-appreciated-- I say, nope. They barely had scenes, and that left them underdeveloped and also... idk, they were the same old angst shit. *SPOILER* the ending suggests they'll most probably do a sequel for this couple, but I'm not sure I care enough *SPOILER END!*
Now, to the main couple-- I thought they were cute and their individual characterization made them unique. I also liked how they both changed and developed as individuals with the help of each other. Their chemistry was adorable and while I would've liked a teeny tiny bit more romance, in conclusion, their story was sweet. In contrary to many viewers' illogical hate towards his character, I think Jung Ki Sub is the highlight of the show. The occasionally pretty cinematography was a plus point too.
In conclusion, this was cute for what it was. Nothing extraordinary, or something I'd rewatch-- but, cute.
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It was alright
It was alright I guess. The plot lacked dept tbh, cause I didn't even know the main lead had some disease. Also I beg to korea to stop having more than 1 couple in their BLs. They barely can handle the first one but they want to add another with their time constraint? Just stick to one couple pls and handle their plot well. Both of the couples plot were lacking tbh. Now the acting I definitely seen better but it is not the worst i guess. Overall a pretty okay show. But it had the potential to be better tbh like any other KBL.Was this review helpful to you?
THE SERIES STRAIGHT TO MY TOP 3 KBL DRAMAS.
KiSub and Jinwoo are so cute and good looking. i like how KiSub never takes anything personal and Jinwoo cant hate him. They make the perfect couple. I wanna know who actually has an under eye mole in real life between the 2 of them. The second couple needs a series of their own. They are so good with emotions. Thumbs up!!!!!........KBLS SHOULD HAVE HOUR LING EPISODES PLEASE!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
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So Many Tropes So Little Time
I tend to write notes as reminders so I can come back to write a review. I wrote so much for this one I decided it was long enough for a review.Story: "Oh, My Trope" should be the title of this series.
1. Co-habitation
2. Love contract
3. Change yourself to catch a love interest
4. Perfect romantic love interest list
All that & it was the lead couple.
The 2nd pairing:
1. Family bankruptcy
2. Income gap - inferiority complex
3. Excessive delivery jobs as fodder [1-2: Ok. This kid had 5.]
The tropes are on overkill.
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Acting/Cast: Overall, the actors were pretty good. They conveyed the story well. I felt that the one playing Jung Ki Sub (2nd MC) needed a touch up, but then I found out this was his 1st job; kudos to him for holding his own.
Jung Yoo Hyeon, was a star. She played Kang Hye Jin, only significant female presence. If only there were more episodes b/c her story is great. She's the first bisexual/would be lesbian storytelling in a Korean series & there was nothing. I would like to have seen the girl's face.
I feel Choi Balg Eum & Ji In Ho could have made a great story & far more interesting story than the MCs. I was left upset, wanting & dissatisfied. These two were matched so well & I felt their chemistry but their story had no cohesion & felt so sloppy. I know what they might have wanted to do but the beginning, middle, or end didn't match. You really sat there thinking it was the ex who was the problem, then you find out it was MC2's friend all along who was the jerk.
I really wished the story was 16 eps so the writer could have given justice to Kang Hye Jin, Choi Balg Eum, & Ji In Ho. The second pairing in particular.
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Production: Horrible shaky cams - I'm not sure if they were trying to be artistic w/ the coloring but they would do beauty effects from soft to sharp - be inconsistent w/ focus, lighting; in appropriate usage of these elements.
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Music: Not much in their arsenal. They had about two REAL songs & I only liked one of them. So....yeah. I believe that song is called Silent & was only played for the Lead Couples having an intense moment.
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Rewatch Value: None whatsoever.
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Thanks for all the hard work
The storyline really leave a big impact on me, i love how each actor display well the emotion towards their acting, but its not enough for me because i'm hoping that boys be brave will have another season that more focus about the second lead and the main lead love story. Anyway, big applause to the director who put much effort for making this masterpiece, and for the actors i love you allWas this review helpful to you?
Cute and quirky, a fun watch !!
This is one drama which started out as a bit weirdly confusing to me because of the very unconventional kind of main leads and very different storyline.Its not a usual thing to find such a quirky pairing - of a crazy introverted yet cute boy with another crazier, a bit innocently stupid and all over the place boy.
Even the styling and appearances are very different from any BL we might have already seen. And all of these makes this drama a very fresh watch with different kinds of characters and settings.
The actors have impeccable chemistry, the kiss scenes are probably one of the best I've ever seen in a korean BL. Its so well done, passionate and cute.
The second couple made me tear up a bit, but they are really cute too.
There are a lot of heartwarming scenes . The music score and cinematography is cool too.
A good watch and definitely worth your time.
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