Bex
In my bed
So goddamn fluffy it’ll make you puke rainbows
Cherry Blossoms After Winter is an incredibly fitting title for this show, yet not at all seemingly relevant. It was so colorful and so soft. I can’t describe this show as anything other than mind-numbingly gentle. Objectively, I see this show as incredibly mediocre, but subjectively I was entranced.
Looking back, the story wasn’t jampacked, but that’s okay. The first 5 episodes followed their life in high school and how they slowly transitioned into something more than friends. The last 3 followed their university life with some bigger (but not *that* big) problems. I think the 25-minute episodes were a great length, and it felt neither rushed nor dragged in my opinion. However, one big thing about the story that I wish they explored, was the fact that the two of them grew up as brothers. It’s no secret that Tae-seong had like Hae-bom ever since they were kids, but they didn't explore their past relation-dynamic enough. Since they barely talked as they grew older, and they practically grew up as brothers, shouldn’t there have been a little more conflict from that regarding their feelings for each other? It's not often you end up falling in love with someone who was raised as your brother, you know. This is coming from a non-Webtoon reader, so I’m sure there are a bunch of time skips and holes that only people who have read the Webtoon understand.
As for acting, it was alright. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the acting was great as much as the leads’ chemistry was great. There were quite a few moments where the acting felt awkward when the characters were shy or flustered, but it didn’t make the show worse. Nevertheless, THEIR CHEMISTRY!!! I loved that it didn’t just have one or two fish kisses and one deep kiss like most K-BLs do. They did what people in relationships do: hold hands, give small and quick pecks on the lips, and give random hugs. It was nice.
The production of this show was good compared to what they had. The budget was higher than the average K-BL, but it’s obvious we’re not so far in the game that we have big companies as sponsors. But it was nice that the sets were varied. And OH MY, Tae-sung’s family must be so goddamn rich for them to have that house. Occasionally throughout the drama, I suspect the audio was ADR'ed. Probably because it was too windy sometimes so they had to re-record some lines. But it was fine.
Random small things that I enjoyed:
- I love it when BLs use the word gay. I feel like most of them shy away from the actual topic of homosexuality.
- The blatant product placement in episode 6 was so funny to me, like the three scenes in a row where the characters used that weird jumbo lipstick. I usually dislike obvious product placement, but it was just SO apparent that I enjoyed it.
- HAE-BOM AND TAE-SEONG HAVE A LITTLE RAINBOW IN THEIR APARTMENT!!
- Their friends were surprised but supportive of their relationship.
- I laughed every single time they were like "Ugh, I can't sleep" and all of the lights around them were turned on.
Overall, this show was great. More than great. Even though it was so average. This is what I call a simple watch, not because of the length but because of the content. A lot of K-BLs try to pack in way too much story into 120 minutes of TV. Cherry Blossoms After Winter nailed the story-duration ratio. If you’re interested, give it a try!
Looking back, the story wasn’t jampacked, but that’s okay. The first 5 episodes followed their life in high school and how they slowly transitioned into something more than friends. The last 3 followed their university life with some bigger (but not *that* big) problems. I think the 25-minute episodes were a great length, and it felt neither rushed nor dragged in my opinion. However, one big thing about the story that I wish they explored, was the fact that the two of them grew up as brothers. It’s no secret that Tae-seong had like Hae-bom ever since they were kids, but they didn't explore their past relation-dynamic enough. Since they barely talked as they grew older, and they practically grew up as brothers, shouldn’t there have been a little more conflict from that regarding their feelings for each other? It's not often you end up falling in love with someone who was raised as your brother, you know. This is coming from a non-Webtoon reader, so I’m sure there are a bunch of time skips and holes that only people who have read the Webtoon understand.
As for acting, it was alright. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the acting was great as much as the leads’ chemistry was great. There were quite a few moments where the acting felt awkward when the characters were shy or flustered, but it didn’t make the show worse. Nevertheless, THEIR CHEMISTRY!!! I loved that it didn’t just have one or two fish kisses and one deep kiss like most K-BLs do. They did what people in relationships do: hold hands, give small and quick pecks on the lips, and give random hugs. It was nice.
The production of this show was good compared to what they had. The budget was higher than the average K-BL, but it’s obvious we’re not so far in the game that we have big companies as sponsors. But it was nice that the sets were varied. And OH MY, Tae-sung’s family must be so goddamn rich for them to have that house. Occasionally throughout the drama, I suspect the audio was ADR'ed. Probably because it was too windy sometimes so they had to re-record some lines. But it was fine.
Random small things that I enjoyed:
- I love it when BLs use the word gay. I feel like most of them shy away from the actual topic of homosexuality.
- The blatant product placement in episode 6 was so funny to me, like the three scenes in a row where the characters used that weird jumbo lipstick. I usually dislike obvious product placement, but it was just SO apparent that I enjoyed it.
- HAE-BOM AND TAE-SEONG HAVE A LITTLE RAINBOW IN THEIR APARTMENT!!
- Their friends were surprised but supportive of their relationship.
- I laughed every single time they were like "Ugh, I can't sleep" and all of the lights around them were turned on.
Overall, this show was great. More than great. Even though it was so average. This is what I call a simple watch, not because of the length but because of the content. A lot of K-BLs try to pack in way too much story into 120 minutes of TV. Cherry Blossoms After Winter nailed the story-duration ratio. If you’re interested, give it a try!
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