Semantic Error (2022)

People might hate me, but it has to be said

For people who read Semantic Error webtoon might have a high expectation for this drama. I waited months for this drama to air. First thing I saw this drama in Mydramalist upcoming, the lead actors detail had not even come out yet. But once it airs, the story is just too different from the original and not in a good way. A lot of people said this is the best BL drama, but clearly there are other BL dramas that are far better than this, like - Light on Me, or other Thai, Taiwanese, Chinese BL dramas.

The acting in this drama is not too good too. Jang Jae Young expressions are awkward, and Chu Sang Woo is literally flat af. I know that Chu Sang Woo personality is supposed to be boring and blah, but even webtoon version can express Chu Sang Woo better than the drama.

No hate, just my opinion, probably one of the worst BL drama I've seen so far, and not even going to talk about Cherry Blossoms After Winter, because I read the webtoon too, and had high expectation, but left with a disappointment. so both of these dramas are just not it. If y'all enjoy and love this drama, I'd recommend reading the webtoon version of both Semantic Error and Cherry Blossoms After Winter, you'll be surprised of how good the webtoon version of them.

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Best Korean BL Drama to Date

Korea has had some catching up to do to compete with BL dramas from Thailand and the Philippines, but "Semantic Error" narrows the wide gap considerably. This one fires on all cylinders. The story is very realistic and captures the personality of a rational thinker (Sang Woo) perfectly. I really appreciated the fact we could focus on our main characters without the padding and distractions of multiple sub plots. It's also very cinematic, like a top flight feature film, without a constant stream of unnecessary dialogue. The photography sparkles and the music score is right on point. I found myself savoring each episode 2 or 3 times. The cast is amazing -- no doubt helped by the well-drawn script. So, it pains me not to give "Semantic Error" a full 10 but it falls a bit short of the gold standard set by Thai BL dramas like "Why R U?" that take us beyond a basic bromance of hugging, holding hands and a little kissing. The conclusion leaves open the possibility of a sequel, so maybe we'll get something a little more interesting, like a scene at a jjimjilbang?

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Cute But Typical BoyLove Show

I never read the manga, so this review is solely based on the show. As per most S.Korean BL dramas, there is hardly any physical contact and few kisses. The 2ML had decent chemistry, given that this series was extra short. The production was good and the directing okay. No real special effects or cinematography that stood out. It's easy to watch, very little drama. The changes for both ML, came on fast and would've felt more realistic and impactful had there been more episodes to build each character and their backstory. Sang Woo obviously had OCD, but maybe a little bit autistic too (hence why little emotion shown, always in his own bubble and didn't like to be touched). As for the other reviews saying that they were straight and suddenly were gay, that's a stereotype. I know a lot of gay men, that you wouldn't know were gay, until they got drunk.

This show was the usual formula for the BL/hate to love/university crush story in S.Korea. Still it's a gentle introduction to BL, if it's your first time watching such. It's annoying that the last episode was mostly used to recap what we've already seen and could've been used to show us what they were like 3 or 4 yrs into the future, to give us real character growth and perception of their relationship. All in all it is okay, the music wasn't outstanding but fitting and i would rewatch it, if I need something fast and cute.

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A simple story well told.

Well, the title of my review kinda says it all. Boy meets boy, boy - against all of boy's "better judgement" - falls for boy, boy's emotions take control of boy. And that's what happens to both boys. "Semantic Error" is just an old-fashioned love story without the unnecessary forced complications thrown in to create drama. Whatever drama unfolds is about as natural as you can get - and it's one of the most realistic portrayals of a budding romance that I've come across in a long time.

The actors work beautifully together - it's like watching an evenly matched tennis game. There are so many moments of "I know that guy/girl", that at times I felt like I was watching my own friends fall in love. Couldn't ask for more. Well written and well directed, I gave its "Rewatch Value" a straight up 10 because I'm planning to re-watch the whole thing this weekend.

One last thing I'll add - I loved the lighting. I know it's an odd thing to say, but I work in film and television and I was so happy to see that neither the art director nor the lighting director just randomly throw up a million twinkling lights in every other scene. That alone managed to pull me even further into the story without them distracting me for a second and taking away from the story. Well done.

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One of the Best Korean BLs yet.

Listen. I knew it was coming but damn I didn't want this show to end.

First, I saw someone say this in another review and I can't agree more: Korean BLs have so much potential. This show is just one example. I'm so excited to see what will be adapted and created next.

Links 'n info.
This was adapted from the ongoing Korean Manhwa Semantic Error that was written by Jeosuri and illustrated by Angy.
- You can read the official English translations of the webtoon here, https://manta.net/episodes/4778 on Manta Comics. This is the only official site for English translations.
- I think you can read the original Korean manhwa on Ridibooks.
- English translations of the novel are available on the Sleepy Translations site here, https://sleepytranslations.com/series/semantic-error/.
- Ridibooks, the publisher of this novel, has set up an IG (https://www.instagram.com/jaeyoung_j_/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/jaeyoung_j_) account for Jaeyoung, the ML.
- There's also an anime somewhere online.

Characters ‘n relationships.
I will say it a million times: Park SeoHam and Park JaeChan are PERFECT for their roles. Seriously. I could not have asked for a better Sangwoo and Jaeyoung. Their chemistry, their dynamics, and their character development was great. All of the little moments between them and the actions they did make sense. Everything had reasoning behind it and you could tell the two leads understood their character.

I have emotional feelings for Yuna. The bisexual (or pan, they didn't specify) representation had me crying. That women made my day and was the highlight of the episode. Also, Jihye- she's so cool. Her character was never that annoying side girl in a BL, she was like a side love interest but became a total bro.

Plot 'n pacing.
The pacing of this was so good. KBLs are notoriously short and that can sometimes make the plot and romance feel rushed but this show was completely different. Everything made sense. The pacing of the relationship between the two leads never felt rushed or uncomfortable, it was gradual and worked great with the 20-30min episodes. There was a good balance of plot, cute romance, and platonic friends hanging out scenes.

Dislikes + Why 9/10 rating?
I don't have very many dislikes for this show. This is up there on my top Korean BLs list now. They gave me everything I wanted and more. However, there are two things I felt was not so great:
1. I can see the comparison of the manhwa to the tv show being a problem for people. I don't have any issues with it but this has already been talked about a bit so it's understandable.
2. The beginning was a little sketch tbh. The stalking and insane amount of shit Jaeyoung did to annoy Sangwoo was honestly creepy. It never felt malicious, like he would actually hurt him but still. This only lasted 1-2 episodes so it wasn't that bad but It was not my favorite.
Other than that, certain moments felt repetitive and cliché at times but not to bad.

TL;DR: Watch it!! It's a great Korean BL! Definitely recommend watching if you're looking for a college, arts-y, and funny BL. Also, worth it to rewatch!!

CONTENT WARNINGS: Some stalking and light violence. On screen kisses but no sexual content.

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Unexpectedly good!

This drama really surprised me. The story is simple but quite interesting and manages to hold us sufficiently to keep watching and the characters are very charismatic. The “error” idea with Sangwoo was really clever. The chemistry between the actors is good and in general I thought the story was developed satisfactory within the limits of the drama. The main actors were really good and cute together, and they fit their characters. I didn’t feel a awkward performance at all between them.

Of course, the fact that it's only 20 minutes in 8 episodes means that the characters won’t be exactly super well-developed and we won’t get deep into their story and their emotions, but for me the amount they showed here was fine enough for me to buy their story and their romance. Unfortunately, I think Korean dramas will always have this kind of problem because the duration of each episode is too small for having a good development but among all Korean bls I've watched, this was one was definitely one of my favs and even though it wasn't perfect, it came pretty close. I thought the ending was satisfying and it was a good conclusion.

Overall I really liked it!

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Semantic error: Clear!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED WATCHING THIS! ABSOLUTELY! I haven't read the manhwa and I started watching this on my friend's suggestion. It has the entire story fit well in 8 episodes. I wished it were longer tho! There's no touch or unnecessary cheesy cringe stuff anywhere, but trust me, my heart raced like crazy during many episodes. It's the chemistry the leads had and the emotion they carried. This is definitely a level up for K BL, or just BL in general. This series can be referred as a guide on 'how to make a short yet heart throbbing series IRRESPECTIVE of genders and orientation'.

Casting: CHEF KISS. I loved their height difference and they're very pleasant to the eyes. I loved their chemistry and how gay they were in the series. Was totally invested in those homosexuals.

Plot: ❤️ This is a rabbit ?️. You'll want more of it. Rumours are there about a season 2. If that happens you'll hear me scream.

Production: Very good. IDK much about technicality, but from what I know, this is nicely done. Less characters, less mess, great quality output.

OST: I liked the glitch they incorporated in titular BGM. Suits well.

Rewatch value: More than a 10 on 10. Now i'mma go read the manhwa and then immediately watch the entire series.
You SHOULD watch this series. You'll enjoy it. Trust this stranger.

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Not a trial run. I mean the real thing.

I can see why people say this is an absolute must-see BL series. I can’t believe I put off watching it for so long! Like sure, the plot is very typical – university based enemies to lovers plot – but it was really well executed. I really liked the overall cinematographic aspects of the series. They did great combining the colors, the lighting, the setting and the music.

Jang Jae Young & Chu Sang Woo: first of, I am in love with their height difference. I found it so incredibly cute throughout the series. The two actors have great on screen chemistry too. As for the characters, I love how different the two seemed to be. One is very extraverted, good in social situations but can sometimes forget his duties. The other one is introverted, likes things to be in order and hates slackers. They are so different, yet they make it work. Their relationship started from a (badly thought through) revenge plot. I do like that while they started as enemies, it never got to an abusive level as I have seen happen in other series. Jang Jae Young was quite quick to back off once he realized just how immature and stalkerish his actions were. Kudos to him for that. I also like that he respected Chu Sang Woo’s boundaries.

I am not sure if I am correct and I do not want to label anyone, but Chu Sang Woo did seem to be a neurodivergent person. He has a lot of OCD tendencies (e.g. rituals, how everything has it’s place, being on time). And I know he is supposed to be introverted, but at times it felt like there might be more than just that to it. He seemed very socially inapt; he also had a hard time understanding social clues. I actually really liked the comparisons between him (and events in his life) and a computer. I feel like it gave us a look at how he thinks.

I was ready to applaud Chu Sang Woo when he turned in the group project with only his name on it. Honestly, we have all been there at one point in our lives and wanted to do that too. And then saving them as freeloader 1, 2 and 3? Iconic!

It was a bit short, but it didn’t feel too rushed. The pacing was quite nice for the length of the series. I would love to see more..

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One of the best, if not the best

I love Semantic Error with my whole heart. I read the manhwa before i even knew it was being adapted into a series, and was just absolutely ecstatic. First of all, the production quality is amazing in the amount of time that they made this, and even though it's short, you can still feel like the kind of slow burn it gives. The actors have amazing chemistry, and the characters have amazing qualities. This may just be me being biased, but It's something you can watch over and over again and still get excited over certain scenes. The music is also AMAZINGGG. I have been listening to melancholy like- nonstop. Also Semantic error (the song) just lives in my head rent free. Definitely WATCH!!!

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Simple story. Great Chemistry.

Simple story. Great Chemistry.

Acting by Park Seo Ham was awesome. Damn the man was epic. He oozed charisma on screen. I loved his exaggerated entry scenes that were pure service to his epic looks, yes there was more than 1. Park Jae Chan pulled off his monotone character well and in a very cute endearing way. Though there were times you want to take Sungwoo and shake him. He makes me wonder on if there was anything in his past that made him that way or if was he just like that from birth. But either was both actors were good in their roles with Park Seo Ham hitting it out of the park with his performance.


I liked the simplicity of the drama, and the fact that there were no over-the-top issues that cause the character problems was nice. But the ending felt a little rushed. I love the electric current pass-through wires sound at the end of the episodes that highlighted the sparks flying between the leads. It emphasised the tension between them. I really like their push-and-pull. I want more of their relationship. Sadly Park Seo Ham is in the military so there won't be a season 2 anytime soon.
**** SPOILER ****
I wonder if they still have the same push-and-pull once they are in a relationship. I wish there were more than those 2 scenes of them once they get together. Even the 2 scenes felt rushed like they only had 2 mins to tell us how Jaeyong is trying to get Dex to take Sungwoo as well or with Sungwoo's tendencies to keep pictures of Jaeyoung in secret.
**** END SPOILER ****
It could have been more fleshed out with a proper full episode.

But overall it was a nice feel-good drama. I think it's a great binge-watch, which weirdly I did not do. I waited until the drama was finished and then watched it in the span of 10-15 days. I liked it a lot and will probably rewatch it at some time in the future.

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