Does a good job adapting the manhwa with the few episodes there are, but overrated

A surprising amount of 9.5 and 10 star reviews on this site oh lord. There's still much room for improvement

So I've read the korean comic, in fact I'm still reading it while waiting for English translations. I still prefer the comic version, but for what it's worth the drama does alright with fitting the important parts into 8 episodes. If I watched all the episodes at once I would probably think the pacing is too fast, but since I only got to watch 2 episodes as they came out per week I thought it was ok. However I do think because it's only 8 episodes the progression from enemy to lovers still feels rushed. Sure Jae Young thinks Sang Woo is cute I guess, but was taking off his cap all it took for Jae Young to fall in love? And how did Sang Woo start to like Jae Young back, it went from "he's an annoying classmate" to "i like him" pretty fast. There isn't much depth to their emotions.

First of all, I think the casting for Sang Woo is pretty spot on in terms of appearance. Jae Young I would have liked if they got the red longer hairstyle right, but it's no big deal. I never like lip piercings though so I don't know why they have him wear that in the first episode. But in the manga I do get a more westernized vibe from Jae Young which I would have liked to see more in the live action. The acting is okay, but after watching other korean BL series like To My Star and You Make Me Dance this definitely pales in comparison. You can tell that the actors are idols instead of people who studied acting. Sure they're eye candy (especially Jae young) but sometimes their facial expressions are awkward and I hate the zooming in and 10 second long stares that happen in so much romance kdrama. The acting is bearable though, as for rookies they're a lot better than some other BL I've watched. They have some funny banter but sometimes it just feels forced and not natural? Everyone is saying "omg their chemistry is so good" which people say for almost every korean BL drama lol. The last two episodes where they kissed I didn't get the same satisfaction I did as with the previous two series I mentioned.

I wish at the end they didn't go with the usual "I'm not going to leave for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because I love you" trope. Like why can't Jae Young just go to Dex and they do a time skip where he comes back from France and gets back together with Sangwoo? Maybe I'm just a realist but I hate it when people give up their potential dream/job for their new lover. Like what if they break up in the future lol.

Overall this series is okay, but overrated in my opinion. I hear it has a high budget, which I couldn't tell tbh besides the nice clothes and lighting/aesthetic I guess. I still get excited when a new chapter of the manga comes out, but while watching the drama I got bored honestly. I dropped the series on episode 3 but decided to pick it back up because of how many other BL fans were singing praises about it. Even after the end I'm not super impressed. I guess I'm biased since I liked the manhua much better. The drama is fluffy and lighthearted which appeals to the masses I suppose, but don't expect too much substance either.

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Wtf is going on this season

My first reaction after the first few minutes which lingered into the rest of the series...I came in excited about the second season as there were still a lot of questions to be answered from the first season. But somehow, this season added even more questions and plotlines that don't make sense. They should have killed off Yoo Han because the kidnapping reason for his disappearance sounds so lame, and it feels like MC is cheating in a way by adding the new love interest Sehyun. The "romantic" moments between the two feel out of place and abrupt, at this point I'd rather them just stay as friends even though this is supposed to be BL. They're cute but they never tied up the loose ends with Yoo Han so it feels wrong for them to be together romantically.

What happened to Yeon Woo's color rush moments? None since his probe Yoo Han got kidnapped IN FRONT OF WEON WOO and Yeon Woo couldn't save him somehow /facepalm. I would get excited when Yeon Woo feels excited from the color rush, and feel sad when Yeon Woo stars experiencing decoloring. Now these moments are gone because Sehyun is a Mono too.

There is so much to explore in terms of the world building with Mono and Probes, but like the top reviewer said they wasted all the potential and added an unnecessary plotline. It's focused on some secret society shit and Sehyun's sister. Which I guess could be done well, but it's just way too rushed and the way the main characters are able to enter the "secret" society is too easy, lol. This season has a hard time focusing on who the main character is. Sometimes it's Yeon Woo, othertimes it shifts to Sehyun or Sehyun's sister's perspective.

The ending was so anticlimactic. They find Yeon Woo's mom and assume she's dead because of her hairband drifting in a pond...there's no dead body, and Yeon Woo just quietly accepts her death even though his mom seemed so important to him in season 1. Also the "kiss" between Yeon Woo and Sehyun was so fake even though Sehyun imagined it. I didn't think there could be a kiss any worse than what happened with Yeon Woo and Yoo Han in season 1 but here we are. Stop it with the head tilting to make it seem like the actors kissed please.

The first season had some odd moments too but overall I was able to follow the story and a depth of emotions. In season 2, whenever someone is sad or angry, it feels so surface level. I can't tell if it's the actors' fault because I think mostly the writing and editing is just so bad. I came in with higher expectations based on the reviews - I wish I could say I liked it as much as the others did, but I didn't.

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Good all the way up to the last 10 episodes

I was invested in the plot and characters...until around the last 10 episodes, which were a trainwreck. The beginning definitely felt dragged, while the ending was totally rushed and felt like a different writer wrote it. I liked the acting for the most part but it's obviously been dubbed over because the mouthing of the actors is not in sync with the voices. That irked me in the beginning but I got used to it. As usual I love the costumes of historical Chinese dramas. Music was unremarkable. Overall I liked the romance between the main leads, but there is a lot of love triangles and killing for the sake of love. An awful lot of scheming and betrayal going on, which you expect from a drama that takes place in the palace I guess, but at one point almost all the characters are unlikable or evil. If you like that then this is your cup of tea. Like the others have mentioned the ending felt rushed as if they were trying to tie all the loose knots so it wasn't very satisfying at the end. I wouldn't rewatch just cause it's so long, but overall the storyline was interesting if not over the top sometimes.

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I didn't think I would like the romance as much as I did - it's the "girl-dresses-up-as-guy" trope that I've seen in multiple k-dramas before but not as cheesy in my opinion. And even if there were cheesy bits I thought it was quite well done and comedic. Both the male leads are likeable - usually I get second lead syndrome but this time I was rooting for Gu Yanzhen all the way. Bai Lu and Xu Kai have such good chemistry. Some people wish there was more romance, but I personally think it was a good amount given that there were bigger things (war) to worry about lol. The kiss scenes were taken out but you can find them on the internet.

THE SETTING THOUGH! I adore the outfits, the bars, the party scenes...it really makes me feel nostalgic for a time that I wasn't born in. I liked the songs too which help to paint the classic 1910s vibe. There are quite a lot of political discussions though so for me I skipped over/sped up those parts but was still able to understand what was going on mostly. If you know about/are into that period of chinese history then great!

The main character, Xie Xiang, is smart and a very strong girl, and not a damsel in distress character at all. In fact the rest of the female cast is pretty badass too, which I really appreciate.

Gu Yanzhen first comes off as the playboy troublemaker type and I liked how this trait didn't entirely go away but you see his character develop as he goes through different experiences. Xu Kai's acting was great, he really fit the role of Gu Yanzhen (the eyebrow thing and wink he does though! <3 ) He is definitely eye candy in this drama, but with spot on acting as well.

But boy it started off light-hearted and the last 10-15 episodes got more intense. I ended up crying in the later episodes as things got more sad... I thought the dubbing was pretty well done too, and I still can't tell who is dubbed and who isn't lol. I watched the episodes on dailymotion, the subs aren't entirely accurate probably, like one caption literally said "hoes before bros". If the political/military part makes you not want to watch it I say do it!! I'm not a big fan of the genre either but the relationships between characters and the romance were enough to make me binge watch this show and give it a solid 9.5 rating!!

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Most well acted Korean BL I've watched so far

I came in thinking I wouldn't be interested in the storyline to be honest. While there isn't anything super dramatic or fantastical in this series, I actually realized I preferred it that way. It portrays an honest romance without cringey slow motion or cheesy lines that you get in korean dramas and bl dramas. The acting feels super natural and both actors do really well to portray different ranges of emotions and the development of their relationship. I love how their personalities seem to clash together in the beginning, but they end up finding comfort with one another in the end. It makes my heart so warm! I also like how it's not a typical coming out/or gay existential crisis series as sexual orientation is never mentioned here. The same story could be said if it was between a man and a woman. Other cliches in BL or nonexistent here, like the annoying girl who is in love with one of the guys or the parents disapproving of their sons' relationship. The only sad thing is hows it's so short, but I'm also excited because there's going to be a season 2 soon! I hope it lives up to the first season.

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Really intriguing concept for a BL

I love the concept of the mono and probe, with the mono being colorblind until they meet their probe who lets them see color. Lots of potential for relationships which the drama did well with at times. I was hooked on the first episode and was pleasantly surprised by how good the actor for the main character Yeon Woo is. His acting feels natural in even serious moments. However the same can't really be said of of the actor for his love interest, Yoo Han. There's something about the way he talks that's too soft/monotone, and his emotions don't come across that well. Their chemistry is fine for the most part, except that kiss near the end lol...it looked super fake. There are other parts that make me laugh out loud, like when Yeon Woo sees color the visual effects are pretty cringe.

I thought the two guy friends in their class were cute, I wish they had more screentime but they just disappeared after like the first two episodes. Usually I get annoyed by the MC's friends but they were fun.

Storyline is good but chonky at times. Like it feels like there's a gap in between scenes or suddenly the main characters are really close for no reason. And at the end it reveals that Yoo Han has face blindness, which I feel like is a big deal too and could've been used for the plot but he just casually revealed it like wth?? I want to know more about Yeon Woo's mom and her disappearance. I'm looking forward to watching the second season, thought I wonder how it will be with a new actor for Yoo Han's character.

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I expected more based on the reviews here but it was just okay to me

I ended up stopping at episode 11 so here's my review of it.

My main gripe is with the actor for Taekyung. He's stiff. I get that he's supposed to be awkward, but an example of someone who portrays that better and with more complexity is the guy who plays Shinwoo. Taekyung's delivery of words feels so robotic and emotionless whether he's happy or sad. His crying scene was just him covering his entire face and whimipering, so I couldn't read his expressions. And the end kiss scene was awkward because he just stood there being kissed. From the get go I don't bother to care who Taekyung ends up with because he isn't that likable and I don't get why two guys would even fall in love with him lol. I guess he's straightforward, but that's like the only personality trait he has. Also, to add to Taekyung's robotic personality, his face looks unnatural to me - too much makeup or plastic surgery with the super pointy nose and chin. I also hate the stereotype in BL that the "cute" guy has to be clumsy. In the first episode he dramatically trips on his feet and pokes Shinwoo's butt with a dildo, and later on he bumps his head on a door which somehow leaves a bad enough injury that the guys who like him worry over it over the next few episodes.

On the other hand, I LOVE Shinwoo's actor. He is excellent with his facial expressions. You can see his longing for Taekyung at times from his glances, and his awkwardness is endearing and likeable compared to Taekyung's. It makes me wish he was the lead actor instead cause he clearly has more skills. Can we stop casting idols/ex-idols as lead actors in a BL drama just because of their looks, and instead cast people who can act?

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My favorite BL Kdrama along with To My Star - both are cute, sweet, not toxic, and not cringey!

This and To My Star are great examples of BL dramas with limited episodes/time done right. Sure they fell in love kind of fast but it wasn't necessarily love at first sight. For example 3 years had passed since their first encounter, and Hoseok falls in love with Shion after watching him dance. I love that because I was mesmerized by Shion's actor's dancing as well. It could've been rather cringe but you can tell that he has a passion for dancing and that the actor also has some experience with modern dance.

I love the music combined with the cinematography in this one scene where Shion is auditioning. The lighting is rather dark but there is a spotlight on him. Then Hoseok appears from the darkness, even though in reality he's not actually there but Shion is dancing for him. Hence the title. That part was done especially well and I keep rewatching it.

Their acting felt super natural to me and I like the way each actor portrays their emotions. It's not overly done to me. Some scenes people might say is cringey weren't at all to me because of how the actors deliver their lines. I squealed at moments from the cuteness. The kissing is as good as To My Star's - an actual, real sensual kiss unlike those of some other BL dramas I've seen...I also like how Shion the more "cute" character is the more aggressive one when it comes to initiating skinship and kisses, while Hoseok looks scary/intimidating but is adorably shy.

The only downside would be the ending, since the conflict with the rival and Hoseok's loan shark business was resolved kind of quickly. But overall I really enjoy this series and wish there would be a season 2! But if not I will be rewatching this series, and I've already been replaying the ending song "Today" over and over.

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