This review may contain spoilers
The best K-BL drama released this year☝?
My opinion is that this is the BEST Korean BL drama released this year!I randomly stumbled upon this series while it was still airing, and it got me really interested since I haven't watched a good BL in ages!
The chemistry between the leads is amazing, and the cast is truly awesome. I love how adorable and cute the relationship between Myung Ha and Yeo Woon was.
I absolutely loved how Tae Myung Ha approached Cha Yeo Woon and tried to make him happy. But instead, Yeo Woon fell for him, and then Myung Ha also fell for him. I was totally surprised when Sang Won also developed feelings for Myung Ha, and it was hilarious when he told the bullies that he's gay! ? The last two episodes really broke me, but thankfully, the ending fixed everything and the whole series healed me. The game errors got me really stressed everytime fr.?
I love how the growing love for each other is expressed through the series. It's definitely a must-watch!
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Sweet and DarK
This was an easy watch, mostly sweet with a bunch of rays of darkness as death keeps hanging in the ait in this life turned in to a game where the protagonist gets an insight to the other peoples feeling about them...The story is okay it has some odd parts, some interesting parts, some that have you thinking... some parts are under developed and come to an end a bit to fast. While one of our male leads is sugar, spice and everything nice the other guy is kind of bland... Having what makes people take pity on him be the most interesting thing about him... he does have a nice smile but I did not really connect with him on any level at all...
The second male lead on the other hand catered to my guilty pleasure bad boy gone cute and gave major SLS... The other characters are also pretty decent , lovable and interesting, except for some bullies but those wer okay written and having them not be so nice kind of goes without saying.
The kind of original plot twist in this drama make me want to rate it higher but the moments of cringe, me not really understanding some stuff and the male leads blandness keep me from upping the score.
So what can I say it was an okay watch, definitely worth watching but not a must watch.
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+100 positive affection towards this series
I must say. This series has BUDGET. It either has budget or is just being directly well enough to look like it. I really think it’s a mix of both. To me, it’s more the heart behind something and the direction that makes it good. I’d thought that maybe with a series as pretty as this that might be compensating for the lack of direction, story, and heart.. but it doesn’t. The visuals enhance the story and all the way around it’s a wonderful drama.I will add more when I get to my laptop, but this one is a really good one. I hope the last half of the series continues and is better than the first half.
I love it when you can tell that every scene and everything shown has a purpose. There is no fluff in this drama and it utilizes everything given to it in the right places. The money went towards the right place, the casting, this drama does not waste your time. It has a lot of heart and I'm so glad it went through with the queer romance.. that is in terms of following through the difference of being a devoted friend, to truly and unconditionally loving someone.
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Greatly well done.
This came as a surprise to me. I didn't think it would be good. Most of the time kbl are mediocre cause either of bad plot or short run time. But this didn't have that issue. A very interesting plot and good enough run time (although more is always good). I liked the plot. It was something new. Although i would have appreciate they would lay down the rules of the game and made it more game like. Like looking at stats and what not. Because it was kinda of confusing. But other than that very good. I love the chemistry of the main leads. They can act very well.Especially the kisses. It didn't feel awkward and they kissed like any normal couple will do. Which is very rare in KBL. So i am thankful for that. Anyways good watch. I wish in the future we will get a 1 hour kbl. Cause they can do so great even with the time constraint.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Unexpectedly turned out to be really good
I don't usually watch BL series, but I watched this one because of Cha Woongki. The plot isn't something that I would tend to watch, but I admit that it was quite intriguing. I liked how the characters' personalities unfolded or developed throughout the story. The characters' actions annoyed me at times, but I actually ended up rooting for all of them. I didn't expect the writer to drop the bomb (aka sad backstory) on the last two episodes, but I'm just glad that the story ended well. Good job! ??Was this review helpful to you?
A deeper understanding of love and happiness
What a fantastic way to start 2024 with a remarkable Korean BL. It’s been on my watchlist for so long and just waiting for the release day, now finally, I was able to finish the show. To be honest, I am not expecting the fantasy touch as its concept and I find it too hard to get the whole story but you just need to focus on the build-up of the characters to enjoy the drama to the fullest.It all starts with a mission to make Cha Yeon Woo happy, as we all thought, this has to be the objective of the game but in the end, we realize that it is not. The point of the game is to give him another chance for Tae Myung Ha to acknowledge himself, love himself, to find his purpose and happiness in life. I admire the clever way of writing the script -unique and excellent.
In general, the drama wins a lot and has something great to offer to its audience. Casting a beautiful set of actors to play the roles is the typical norm we see from K-BLs, but this one is not the usual one. The actors are such great actors who can deliver and be firm with their characters. I love the genuine acting with top-notch chemistry that is a must for a romance genre. I’ve been a fan of Cha Joo Wan since his debut acting in School 2021 and have been following him on Instagram since then, but I am still amazed at how soft and pure he is and feels like he is Cha Yeo Woon in real life.
Love for Love’s Sake is the perfect title for the show. It allows viewers to understand that love in general is complicated but an important factor in life that makes us alive. This drama receives a lot of love from the community and I am happy for the warm feedback as the actors and crew behind the success of this drama work so hard to produce and promote such a masterpiece. I’m going to be honest, I don’t enjoy it to the fullest unlike with a few K-BLs but I am pretty sure that this show is part of my Top 10 K-BLs of all time. It's just that, the story may be a little confusing at the beginning but worth watching since you will fall in love with the ending.
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Best Korean BL I've seen yet
I binged Love for Love's Sake and was blown away by how good it was! The actor who plays Tae Myung did an incredible job - I loved the way he pulls the viewer into the story and brings you along for the journey through his eyes. I couldn't help but be wooed by his charm and eyes. His chemistry with the other lead was believable and sweet. You could feel his care and affection for him, and when it's returned, I just melted. I could definitely watch more of the two of them.Overall I was impressed with the story, acting and production - it's the best Korean BL I've seen to date and may be one of my favourite BLs so far! I will definitely rewatch this again.
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Worth the watch!
I am a big fan of bl's and have a really hard time with the messages and plot being mostly sub-par. This one was just lovely. Interesting concept and wonderfully acted. Most of all, I really appreciated the message. It was sweetly innocent, and while I love me some passionate kisses, this was still meltingly adorable with it's chaste affection. I also think the way they executed the "game" quality was really well-done and accessible, even for a non-game player like myself.Was this review helpful to you?
Kbl with an actual plot!
This is definitely the best kbl to exist so far. It starts from the unexpectedly cinematography and ends with the stunning acting of the cast.At first I really thought I'd be just a sweet high school romance but it has so much more into it. The sudden and intense angst with the perfect amount of adorable scenes really hit it off! The first episode focused on their relationship but then it slowly turned to the purpose of the game and why it was even created.
It had so many unexpected turns!!! Amazing. I also REALLY love how there's no right and clear ending - it's open to your interpretation and I love hearing all the different theories.
Amazing!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Definitely a good watch!!
Usually don’t write reviews but I had to for this one. Loved this show overall, the chemistry between the characters, the seemingly never ending subplots. The one thing that did throw me off was that it felt like the writers had too many ideas for this show and not enough time to fully flesh them out. Somehow they fitted a sci-if plot with a dying grandmother, an alcoholic father, and mother who abandoned her son and made a new family w/o him, a social media influencer plot, and way more into just 8 eps. Not to mention woongis character’s abroad boyfriend that was never spoken of again. Love for loves sake would’ve really benefited from something like 12 hour long episodes rather than 8 thirty minute ones. Other than the pacing, I would really recommend watching this. I was invested in the characters from start to finish and the guy who played yeowoon had my full heart. Loved his acting and portrayal of sadness, especially in the break up scene.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Liked it ok for love's sake
With all the glowing review and the current high rating on MDL, I expected much more than this. But even without those expectations, I would still consider this drama as a disappointment personally. Let's just start with things that were done right:1. Very strong premise and theme. This drama hooks you right from the beginning and keeps you engaged throughout. Seeing the world through Myung Ha's lens (or more correctly a VR game lens) started the drama on a very lighthearted note and disguises its darker themes which I enjoyed. The depiction of emotional turbulences through "system error" is a very good choice in my opinion - it really got me on the edge of my seats and gets me anxious to see whats going to happen next. The way they inserted the mental health theme, loving yourself, and finding a constructive community for yourself is well introduced, although this could have been expanded more if they had more episodes.
2. Some characters are multi-dimensional and well written. Yeo Woon's progression from distaste to liking the feeling of having company is so so so sweet to see. I also love how Sang Won develops from just a rich brat who is a bit of a bully into someone who helped teach Myung Ha how to receive love and help. Myung Ha is the most complex character of all - he started out the journey thinking that this is a self sacrificing journey where his end goal is to make Yeo Woon happy and to save Yeo Woon, but was actually put in this journey to learn how to love himself. I do love that he is so ready to do anything to save YeoWoon but my heart bleeds for him because he just can't extend the same kindness and love to himself.
3. Homophobic bs does not fly in this series! I love how Myung Ha just does not stand for any type of homophobic remarks made towards himself or others. It is rare to also see a character like Sang Won so ready to accept the fact that he likes men that easily. Is it the most realistic depiction of self discovery? Probably not for most people but I don't care. This is the ideal world that we should be working towards anyways - where kids are not afraid to express themselves because all sexual identities are normalized.
Things that did not tick my box:
1. Myung Ha still having the 29 year old mentality while dating an 18 y.o. I understand that he travelled back in time. But maybe get him to start forgetting that he was 29 y.o at some point? There were so many moments where Myung Ha and Yeon Woo's interaction felt paternalistic which was actually expressed by multiple characters. I just could not buy their relationship as a romantic one because of this. In the end, he was given a chance to fully go back and live his life as a 19 y.o, so in my head I am just believing that he will lose his 29 y.o mindset and perspective and start actually living life as a 19 y.o.
2. Series is way too short to successfully execute the intended themes, premise, and character development. This is such an interesting story and there is potential for this series to be iconic. However due to the length of the series, everything felt rushed and nothing was fully resolved. They had so much potential with the mental health and self love themes, and I guarantee that with 8 more episodes and proper character development, this would have been a solid 9/10 from my end.
Yes, there were more positives than negatives, but the rushed execution is just too jarring for this series to be anything but average. The actors were excellent though and I am so looking forward to watching their future projects.
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The Midnight Library.
I was fooled into thinking that this was some isekai style comedy drama, but oh no. It sits right up there with 'Oh no! Here Comes Trouble!' -- dramas which are disguised as comedy when in reality, they hold a much deeper meaning.The drama opens with a despondent 29-year-old Myung Ha (Lee Tae Vin) in a bar, reading his senior's soon-to-be-turned-to-a-game novel about a couple who finally get their happy ending. He is dismissive about the HE, and points out that Cha Yeo Woon, a supporting character with no 'happily-ever-after' is the one whom he pays attention to. His senior asks Myung Ha whether he would be the one to give him a happy ending -- Myung Ha soon falls asleep drunk and wakes up as his vibrant 19-year-old self... right in the middle of the said game.
His task? Save Yeo Woon within 300 (?) days or face death.
As Myung Ha tries his best to bring a suicidal and lonely Yeo Woon back to life, we slowly begin to learn about who Myung Ha is.
The gaming aspect is strongly welded to Love for Love's Sake -- there is not a moment where I forgot that Myung Ha was not even from the gaming world. What is intriguing is how we discover small snippets of his life through various incidents. Yes, Myung Ha's ultimate task is to unpeel Yeo Woon's various layers and make him choose the things he genuinely cares about. But, what does it ultimately bring for Myung Ha, who doesn't even exist in the first place? And what will happen, when Yeo Woon starts to develop feelings for him?
The answers to several questions were slammed down on my head in the penultimate and final episode, and I still do not know whether to be happy or sad. It was a bitter experience, watching them.
Myung Ha must've been one tough character to play because out of everyone portrayed, he had the most secrets. Kudos to Lee Tae Vin, particularly for the last three episodes because no one call pull of that feeling without understanding the character.
Cha Joo Wan convincingly played the role of a cold tough guy to an honest and strong individual quite well. I liked his sincerity and straightforwardness.
Myung Ha's two other friends and the little sister brought a sense of normalness and 'familial' feeling to what would otherwise have been a rather lonely drama. His relatiobship with his grandmother was what I liked the most -- she was the link which existed in Myung Ha's life, both the virtual and the real one.
[The Midnight Library is a book by Matt Haig by the way. Love for Love's sake, despite it's flowery title reminded me of this book.]
I think for one has to watch this drama by self to experience it -- pretty sure that this is the type of story that is either a hit or miss. Either you understand it or you just don't. It strikes a deep cord and might not resonate with many, but ultimately it definitely is a different story for such a short drama.
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