Acting was great, but it was all downhill from there.

First off, I want to say that Zuho was AMAZING for speaking in support of the LGBTQ+ community when he recieved criticism for taking this role. What an icon.

Secondly - the acting in this was really good! I was surprised that Kim In Sung (Han Joon) was a rookie. He emotes so well, especially with his expressions. In such a short time frame he really made me fall in love with that character, and his voice is very comforting.

Unfortunately, that's about where the good points stop. Zuho, though he did GREAT at selling this character, played a total asshole that was damn near impossible to like or empathize with. Yoo Jae was red flag city - jealous, spiteful, intentionally hurtful. The scenes with the chocolates mortally wounded me!!! I honestly hoped up until the last two episodes that Han Joon would realize he deserved better, which imo would have been a better ending.

Aside from one of the main characters being a total douche, there just wasn't enough time for this story to be fully baked. Even cutting it as a movie instead of into episodes would have helped with the flow. It just felt like there was more to be told that we didn't get to see, like chunks were missing. And I feel like if we had seen those, it would have made for a much better drama in the end.

That being said, I hope to see Zuho and Kim In Sung in more dramas, that are hopefully a bit more fleshed out.

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Si-Won, a perfectionist who cares about appearances and popularity above all, feels immediately threated by Da-Woon, who is handsome and seems to have the perfection Si-Won strives for without even trying. I really enjoyed the dynamic that Si-Won found Da-Woon "fishy" or a threat to his popularity, when really Da-Woon just had an honest interest and attraction to Si-Won and was flirting with him. This was a refreshing take on the enemies-to-lovers trope that I hadn't seen before.

The most enjoyable part about Blueming in my opinion is the subtlety. It isn't overly dramatic, there is no crazy twists, its an honest look at two imperfect characters who slowly grow an attraction towards each other. It is so subtle in parts that you may have to go back and watch certain scenes to understand what happened - I think this is a strength and also a slight issue.

I enjoyed this more on the second watch through, where I was able to catch more of the subtleties after knowing the end result. This could be a draw back for some people as you may not want to watch something more than once. However I do think that the appreciation grows the more you watch it and realize how thoughtfully detailed this series is. That being said, even on the second watch, I found there were still parts of the dialogue I didn't understand.

I also found myself wishing there wasn't as much time spent on the side characters, as their plots didn't really go anywhere and weren't resolved, however I am hopeful this is addressed in the second season.

Overall a great short series that is beautifully shot and doesn't smack you over the head with BL or drama tropes.

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Not perfect, but it gets so many things right.

This BL isn't perfect, but it's really wonderful and tries a lot of really interesting things. It's more like watching an indie movie than a Kdrama.

The art direction had some big hits and big misses. I appreciate they took risks, but some of the risks just muddied the water.

- Use of color - between Ji Hyun and Jae Won. Ji Hyun is often dressed in and surrounded by soft and bright colors, while Jae won is surrounded by dark colors and blackness, signifying his mental health struggles.

- Sometimes the cinematography, lighting and use of color was SO good, like in the climax of episode 9. It took my breath away. And sometimes it was so bad and jarring that I had to rewind a few seconds to make sure I hadn't missed anything between the awkward cuts and fades.

-Lighting sometimes was perfect and impactful, and sometimes you could barely see the actor's faces or make out what was happening.

- The music score was PERFECT, no notes, loved it to bits

- Acting was fantastic on all points.

As for the story -

- I really enjoyed that this series attempted to address issues surrounding mental health, and that you cannot judge what is going on in someone's life based on the outward appearance. I loved that one of the main characters not only had depression, but was in therapy and medicated. I've almost never seen this portrayed in Asian media and it was extremely refreshing.

- I love that Ji Hyun and Jae Won legitimately complement each other and the characters actually grow and learn. I love that Ji Hyun is shy and reserved, but comes out of his shell and is always direct and honest. I love that Jae Won initially seems perfect but is deeply flawed, and finds refuge in Ji Hyun, who does not allow him to wear his "mask". It's great storytelling of a couple that actually fit together and make each other better, rather than just two characters smashed together that don't really work.

- I really dislike female characters being used as a plot device for jealousy or competition - I don't think Eun Ji was necessary at all. There are so many other unexplained bits I would have rather had resolved than all the time spent on her. I understand having unlikeable characters, but we already got that in Tae Hyung. Other than that, the female characters were their own people and were not just comic relief.

- I also have an issue with Jae Won's ghosting - I don't think it was really addressed or made up for enough how harmful and toxic it is to ghost someone like that. Especially after being intimate with someone for the first time and experiencing shared trauma. I know that these characters are imperfect, and that Ji Hyun is a sweet angel baby who didn't let the ghosting get him down, but I feel like it was glossed over how incredibly painful and shitty that is to do to another person.

- The ending was perfect in my opinion - I know it has been said that it's a "love fixes everything" ending, but I don't agree. The ending scene shows the characters discussing that they don't know what will happen, but they will try together, whether it be Jae Won's mental health problems or anything else life can bring them. They know that struggles will still happen and that Jae Won is not "healed", but they are ready to take them on together.

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"you're allowed to be weak, at least with me." *cries forever*

I think most of the people who give less than positive reviews for this are focusing too much on the plot.

Which may sound silly or counterintuitive, but the plot is just not the selling point of this drama, and if you can put that aside, you'll enjoy it more. The plot is nothing really special - if you're looking for a crazy deep and mysterious storyline, you won't really find that. The "twists" they try to throw in late in the game seem totally unnecessary and don't really land. But if you focus on the characters - their interactions with each other, their chemistry (even in the friendships), the dialogue and emotion, this show is really enjoyable.

The chemistry between the two leads is insane. The unwavering eye contact. The gay panic in the first half.... *chef's kiss* There were several scenes I went back and watched several times because I was so enthralled by their interactions (the nightmare scene, the night beach house scene, the pool scene). I am really excited to watch more of First and Khao together in their next series, they are both incredibly talented and feed off one another beautifully.

One complaint I have regarding character development was that I wish they had done more with Akk struggling with his sexuality (on screen). They definitely touched on it but I think it could have been a bigger part of his story. As an LGBTQIA+ person, it is really refreshing to see that depicted as it is usually a huge part of our lives and finding ourselves as people. I liked that they went into it instead of the classic BL "Well I'm just gay now" but I felt like it could have been more fleshed out.

In a nutshell - watch it for Akk and Ayan alone, it's worth it! Going to watch the Our Skyy 2 specials now :)

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Just perfection. I have so many feelings about this show it's not even funny.

I'm in my early thirties and the thought of watching a show about high schoolers was not really appealing to me, but I kept hearing about how good this drama was. Within one episode I understood, and somehow it kept getting better as time went on. I usually go for shows with more mature themes, and this was a breath of fresh air for me. I didn't need violence, sexual content, language, etc to keep me engaged. These characters and the magic between them is so much more than enough.

Gemini and Fourth have amazing chemisty. I would watch them do anything together. Their roles in MSP are so comforting and they truly make each other shine. There were times when I was literally kicking blankets and screaming because of how cute and wholesome it was. The side characters are so endearing as well. There is a lot of depth and heart to it. If you took out all the BL elements it would STILL stand as a good show about family and platonic love.

My one complaint would be that Gunn's shyness with kissing was never addressed. I don't mind a fake-out kiss a couple of times, it just went on for so long and was never addressed (was he just nervous, or was he scared? Did he have a complex about kissing? etc). Outside of that, absolute perfection and the music was great too, which is a cherry on top since in a lot of Thai dramas the music element feels forced or shoed in.

This isn't just a good BL or a good drama, it's one of the best shows PERIOD that I've seen in a really long time and I would recommend it to anyone of any age!

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Romanticizes Toxic Relationships and Sexual Assault

Let me just say that a plot based around one of the leads being homophobic (regardless of the reasoning) was definitely off putting for me, but I wanted to watch this because it's one of the BL "classics". I should have listened to the warnings because this show is hot garbage and is actively harmful to queer representation in the media.

We have an actual sexual assault in episode one, cool cool. Episode two - more sexual assault, while he is CRYING and asking him to stop. Episode three - more sexual assault - he actually starts to enjoy it this time but guess what? He asked repeatedly to stop before they got to that point. That's still sexual assault. This is the first three episodes.

Episode four - Type says he'll have sex with Tharn to "repay him" so they're "even". WHAT???? I feel like I'm losing braincells. Why would you WANT to have sex with someone who offers to sleep with you to "get it over with"????

Honestly it just perpetuates the completely bogus stereotype that gay people are dangerous rapists and I can't stand that. "I couldn't hold back my feelings" is not an excuse for assaulting someone. And yes, these are 1000000% unquestionably sexual assaults.

People excuse this drama because its "of its time" but it was 2019. Not even four years ago. Not 1980. Consent was a thing.

Even if I wanted to overlook the multiple assaults on Type performed by Tharn (which I don't), they go on to have a completely toxic relationship where they are both completely selfish jerks to one another for the purposes of drama. Type (regardless of his trauma) is an absolutely horrible friend and a completely disastrous partner who is not only hurtful but actively toxic. There's really no other plot to speak of outside of this toxic-for-the-sake-of-entertainment relationship.

I'm convinced at this point that MAME has never seen an actual healthy and functioning queer relationship or just refuses to write anything that isn't toxic. Even for entertainment purposes there is just so much better out there. Stop objectifying and making sexual assault "sexy." It isn't.

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I don't mind fluff - MSP is one of my favorite dramas I've seen in a long time, and maybe this hurt my experience of watching Bad Buddy.

I had heard so much good about this series that I think it set me up for disappointment. It had some similar themes to MSP but I did not feel the same magic. There was basically no plot other than the watered down Romeo and Juliet - most of the time the episodes didn't really have any direction or end goal. Pran - while I understand he was tsundere and more introverted - often seemed legitimately put off by Pat, to the point I kind of felt sorry for Pat most of the time. I think it did some things well that have been stated before (addressing bisexuality, dismantling the top/bottom-husband/wife cliche) but I don't know that it was enough to put it in the top BLs out there for me.

Even the fluff felt kind of one-dimensional - it all felt like it had the same tempo throughout the entire show and did not really pick up. I also don't understand why they chose to do the time skip and the decision (or lack thereof) with the parents in the last episode - that felt like it was undoing a lot of the progress that had built up until episode 11.

I don't know, I guess maybe I just don't get the hype.

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WHOLESOME CONTENT!!!

In a slew of mid to low tier KBLs, Love Tractor is a delightful glass of cold lemonade.

Both leads, despite being newbies to the industry, did a great job and sold believable and likeable characters. Yechan is impossible not to like. Just a soft, delightful lil himbo. It's lighthearted, funny, and wholesome. While it could have done even better with longer episodes and more time for character development, they really did an amazing job of filling a 20ish minute time slot. I waited for it to feel rushed at the end and it never did.

The rewatch value is high on this one because its just so dang cute. I could see myself rewatching after a bad day or just in need of some warm and fuzzies.

Slight spoiler but the most important criteria for KBLs (in my opinion) --- NO DEAD FISH KISS!!! REJOICE!

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One of the only examples in BL I can think of where a love triangle is done right. 99% of the time, we know exactly who the main character is going to end up with - Light On Me did a great job with both of the potential love interests being likeable and rooting for both of them for different reasons. All of the three characters involved were mature about the love conflict and not messy - which was probably not realistic for high school students - but it was refreshing to see.

The issues I have with this drama are a variety of little things that add up. Why were Da On and Shinwoo so interested in Taekyung? He wasn't particularly interesting, nor did he have much personality. There was no background on any of the boy's lives whatsoever, except for a tiny bit with Da On, which made him one of the more easy characters to understand. By the later episodes I was ready for resolution, which felt anti-climactic and like it took too long to get there. Why did we need the only prominent female character to be a villain? How on earth could Taekyung have possibly won the prince competition? Did they ever actually do anything for student council? There was just a lot that didn't land for me.

Also, Namgoong carried this series. It would have been so much drier and more boring without him. Not only was he the comic relief, but he was the most rational and relatable character. There were times while watching I basically just waited for when he would show up and lighten things up.

Side note - if you enjoyed the ending song "Spark", STAN A.C.E! Extremely talented and underrated k-pop group that deserves the world.

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Watch this when you need to be healed.

Just a perfect drama. Watching this feels like a warm hug at the end of a long day.

While so many BLs have toxic characters, miscommunication built in as a plot point, and tropes stuffed in to the gills, Our Dining Table comes in quietly and softly. The characters are so realistic without being awkward or forced. The dialogue and interactions are never overly dramatic for the sake of it. This is as much a love story as it is a story about friendship and family, and finding "your place" in the world.

I could pull this apart with all of the things that make it so good, but it needs to be experienced!

I think everyone should watch this drama at least once, it is setting a new standard of the shorter episode BLs for me and will absolutely be rewatched as a comfort show. This was a healing experience!

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A different tone of Masterpiece than ITSAY, but still a Masterpiece.

I understand why people have strong feelings against this second season. I understand people do not want to see characters they love make moral mistakes and hurt each other. But if this was a fluffy fan-service season, it would not have been true to ITSAY.

ITSAY was an absolute masterpiece of LGBTQ media and I don't think that can be disputed. It's hard to live up to that. But I think IPYTM did an excellent job. ITSAY is a coming of age story about falling in love for the first time - but it is honest, messy, and raw. It never gratuitously gave us what we wanted. Therefore IPYTM needed to continue to deliver on that honesty. But the tone is different, as this is a different journey in the lives of Teh and Oh.

First loves when we are young rarely work out, and if they do, they do not do so without difficulty. I really appreciated that they showed us that people do change, and love isn't always enough to keep two people together. Sometimes you have to mess up, suffer, and make the wrong call again and again before you learn what you actually need.

I know there is a lot of hate for Teh, but here's the thing - Teh and Oh were always different people. Oh was always more in tune with his feelings and empathetic to others. Teh was always a bit more selfish and slow to examine his feelings or consider the feelings of others. Teh isn't a bad person and I don't think he ever did anything to intentionally hurt Oh, however he is still naïve and rash. They went from essentially being kids, to only being with each other and being shoved in a drastically different environment than they had fallen in love in. They are learning how to be partners from trial and error. They don't fully know who they are yet, let alone how to care for another person.

This series is one of the only ones that does not placate the viewer or comfort us, but shows us the raw and often painful journey of growing up. I really appreciate it so much, and I feel like it would be almost impossible for another series to compare to this one.

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I think this one has ruined other BLs for me. It's too perfect.

Where do I start with this? I was putting off watching this because everyone talked it up so much, and I have been let down by some of the most raved about BLs (looking at you, Bad Buddy). Now I can't believe I didn't watch this sooner. This drama is perfect, it's reductive to just place it as a BL because it is legitimately one of the most beautiful things I've ever watched, period.

The cinematography and music is just breathtaking. The music ALONE in some parts made me cry (episode 5!!!!). The two lead actors - how is this their first major work?! Both of them are incredible and make you feel what they are feeling often just through expressions without any words at all. The intimacy expressed in small gestures seemed more intimate than some of the NC scenes in other dramas.

Billkin (Teh) is SO good in particular. You can see in his eyes as he moves between the blurred lines of the intimacy of a best friend, and the intimacy of a lover. The confusion we feel when we are too young and inexperienced to know the difference. The confusion of not yet knowing what you like, let alone what you want.

Instead of just mindless fluff (which I do love, it has its time and place) this is one of the only BLs out there that actually captures the feelings of falling in love for the first time, with all of its awkwardness and mixed emotion. This is an honest representation of coming-of-age, with its messiness and often bad communication, when we are just too young and confused to know how to approach things.

And, as an LGBTQ person, I really admired a realistic portrayal of someone realizing they are not straight in a realistic and identifiable way. Not just waking up someday with the realization, or "I'm only gay for this person" but a slow and gradual build that may or may not be triggered by a specific person or interaction. The fear and nervousness of rejection from your family and peers. So often this is glossed over in BLs as being too "heavy" but it is an honest part of growing up and really touching to witness.

Just watch it. But make sure you get your permission slip signed for the feels trip.

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This drama had a lot of high points and a couple weaknesses that drug it down from being among the top BL dramas out there for me.

- Story was interesting and out of the norm for BLs. Refreshing after so many high school/college dramas. I enjoyed the gang dynamics and the dichotomy of the police vs gang with the main characters, even if this was unrealistic most of the time (those cops were...barely cops lol). I definitely was kept engaged by the story and wondering what would happen next. So often the romance is the plot with these dramas, that was not the case here. While it may have not been the most fleshed out or realistic plot, it was enjoyable and fun.

A main weakness for me was the kiss scenes - closed mouths pressing against each other are not my thing. This was remedied in a couple of scenes, but there were too many stiff, dead fish kiss scenes for my taste. That being said, the intimate scenes were quite good without being raunchy.

Character wise - I enjoyed that Tang Yi had some depth and wasn't just a stoic tsundere who refused to acknowledge his feelings. He was a fully fleshed out character with depth and more than one setting. Shaofei annoyed the hell out of me at first, but definitely grew on me. I really enjoyed the side couple and wish they got more screen time, though there was a bit of non-consensualness that kind of turned me off.

Overall a solid drama.

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