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Semantic Error korean drama review
Completed
Semantic Error
3 people found this review helpful
by Meg
Mar 12, 2022
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

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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