Blueming (2022)

Better than Where Your Eyes Linger

As this was by the same director of Where Your Eyes Linger and To My Star, I was excited and had high expectations for it. I really enjoyed the cinematography here especially at that beach kissing scene and bed scene though I was like "Ms. Hwang Daseul please turn on the light a little I wanna see the action?!") It was still shot so beautifully and artistically that you could still see and imagine what was happening! Really liked the shots at the end too where they came back to the hotel. I'm impressed with how Kang Eunbin who played Cha Siwon is a rookie actor, yet he made me cry so much along with him (maybe it's because I could somehow relate to his story? yup probably) because you could really see and feel his hurt and trauma from the divorce of his parents and how he was pressured to lose weight by his mother so no one could judge him. Not a good thing even though she was "doing it for his own good" but I appreciate how they somehow forgave each other. Jo Hyuk Joon who played Hyeong Daun was really charming when he smiled too, and his voice is really nice to listen to. There was no internalized homophobia from both leads so that's refreshing. Also, anyone notice the guitar has the initials D.B.W on it? I feel like that was a clue that it was that guy who Do Banwoo liked playing the guitar. Overall an 8.5 for me because it's not that much of a unique plot and I felt a little cliff hanger from the ending. Compared to Where Your Eyes Linger, this had a better cinematography but To My Star is still the best story wise for me for sure.

Leia Mais

Romance is a bonus book!

Finally, the wait is rewarded, no fanservice, no bright smiles to seduce the audience, no PPL, no militancy, no questions about sexuality, no lover hunting, no unrequited love, just an ordinary story of two guys with their inner problems. I like the fact that the thread of this drama is the making of an autobiographical film (they major in filming).

Don't judge the book by its cover, it's a very good summary of their personal story. Yes, they are good looking and popular but no one knows them really because they don't let anyone get close enough to see the crack in their minds, in their hearts. This drama told a story of trust, trusting other enough to open up, to stop trying to be perfect, to believe in themselves, to close the scars of bullying / of past and move on.
As their friends said so well, they will be fine, they have found each other.

Leia Mais

It's (kind of) healing

It contains personal taste so please take it with a grain of salt for everything I said.

I really enjoy the watch! I'm someone who is a fan of this kind of drama, something that isn't too heavy, but isn't too light. Everything seems chill and laid back, something I would watch when I want to get away with everything and have a quick escape on my own (and I guess I should give the credit to Ms. Hwang for that). The pace feels right, not too quick but not dragging at all. I don't understand about the cinematography and any other technical stuff, but for something that has limited budget and limited airing time, it did a great job! The one who acted as Siwon and Dawoon also acted quiet well, remembering they're new (?) in the industry. But standing ovation for Siwon's mom!! The scene where she got emotional was done really good!!

If you want to watch them, I guess just give it a try? Especially if you want a quick watch when you're bored, or if you want something that's not all fluffy but also not heavily angst-y either. But for me, definitely, it's gonna be my healing drama where I want to clear my mind and just have a good time for 2 hours and so, along with To My Star!

Leia Mais

Not for me

I was really disappointed with this one, after hearing and reading on how good this drama was meant to be. I found this drama a little babyish and extremely childish to say the least.

The one good thing that I came away with after watching this drama, is that insecurities are real, and I did like how he overcame them and carried on moving forward, the down side for me was the mother, not understanding how he felt and she kept on saying how she did everything for her kids so that they don't feel the absence of the father, in a sense yes I agree single parenting is hard, but not understanding how he felt and the reason why he portrayed his feeling through a short film, showed how he was dealing with things.

I won't say i didn't like it, it's cute, but i found a lot of stereotypes in the character personality that made the drama unrealistic
and because of that you don' really empathize well with them. I also did not find the chemistry between the leads to be anything with a WOW factor they fitted each other but more on sympathy basis, the one was always left alone cuz the parents were producers so taking comfort from the insecurity classmate, I am not if there was love enough for that?

Overall: for me this drama is a NO, i am not sure the reason behind the high reviews, but this is my personal outcome, I might decide to rewatch it, to get a better sense of it.

Leia Mais

I was impressed, and I think you will be too

Watching this all at once makes me believe releasing it in one day was the right decision. It flows and feels like a movie, not a drama. I don't think you'll like it or appreciate it as much if you just see an episode or two a week.

This. This is top-tier. If Romance is a Bonus Book is a love letter to books, Blueming is a love letter to films.

It manages to capture "a feeling" in every scene, and the cinematography is everything. Semantic Error went for a style similar to its original work, with bright colors and loud music and graphics. This was toned-down, with warm colors, unassuming music, and subtle cuts.

Both are great, just in different ways.

I loved how, at its core, this was about opening up to someone. Finding a person you can share your insecurities with who won't look at you differently because of it, someone you can comfortably be vulnerable with.

Sexuality wasn't even a topic or issue because it was of no importance to the story being told. It wasn't the point. Seeing people onscreen actually declare their sexuality is great for representation. Having it be a non-issue is also great. We can tell stories with LGBT+ people without necessarily making it about them being LGBT+. Straight romances and stories aren't generally about them being Straight; it's about the story.

When I reached the end of this film, I realized it had never come up. And my reaction was simply, "Oh."

This was lovely.

Leia Mais

coming of age, self worth and self acceptance, lonely prince, sunshine/tsundere

Honestly I wasn’t sure about this going in, and I’m still not entirely in love with it. It’s a tiny bit dark and a tiny bit bittersweet, almost too honest to a university experience and first love for my liking. Not enough of a BL fantasy.

I found the main character, SiWon, pretty unlikable for the first half of the series - even with a believable backstory guiding his superficial behavior. Even knowing that the way he acts covers up insecurities. I would’ve like to see the director take strides to SHOW US the things that DaUn later says he admires about SiWon - kindness, cuteness, softness with perhaps more gentle treatment of his sister? Even his mother? As True Beauty did.

As is often the case with an unlikable uke, I’m not sure why the seme is courting him at all. (See my problems with the first few eps of Secret Crush On You, too.)

DaWoon’s backstory of lonely prince is a bit too typical to the romance genre but it makes for a good contrast to SiWon’s warm, if superficial and slightly dysfunctional, family life. Sunshine to cover pain is a solid archetype.

Both leads turn in solid performances and by ep 5 this show turned the corner and got really good… for me. The bad guy was really well drawn, all of the characters and portrayals we dealt with honestly and were super believable. Every character was flawed in a different way and I liked that. So this became a narrative about understanding and accepting others people’s flaws without hurting them, and there is nothing wrong with that message.

Korea gave us decent kisses (2022 is the year Korean boys learned how to kiss each other… apparently, I blame the unexpected popularity of To My Star last year). There was even an elegant, and very Korean, sex scene. Not to mention a nice mature apology and makeup sequence. So that, for me, I found the ending quite satisfying.

Ultimately what this show showed us was two characters maturing because of each other and their mutual affection. And that affection was never itself the conflict point (coming out or being gay isn’t really addressed - again, normal for Korea). Instead conflict was built around other aspects of identity, popularity, and self-worth.

In the end, I actually really liked Blueming, it’s a solid BL. As is expected of Korea, there’s judicious and very elegant use of tropes, but production values are a touch lower than usual.

I was delighted that it had a longer treatment than most KBL, it has about a 3 hour run time, which really allowed the characters time to grow. And also grow on me.

Leia Mais

A little gem

OMG, that was amazing! One of those dramas that just warms the heart..makes you want to smile the whole time and tear up momentarily at times, and all at once… visually beautiful, nice music, a great pace and flow, and great acting…well done!
I like the pairing of the couple… I like that there isn’t the height difference thing, which can work, but kind of reminiscent of M/F pairings… also that their vulnerabilities are laid bare, and are the essence and their differences of character in the story, even though on the surface they may seem very similar…

Leia Mais

Blooming Moments Full Of Butterflies

Awesome emotional LGBTQI+ Show to binge watch in 2022! <3

This adapted series had me taken aback in many ways and hit me unknowingly. After we were gifted with the adaption of "Semantic Error" I thought it will be unlikely to get another LGBTQI+ series of this standard but I was wrong. "Blueming" is living up to these standards and truly gifted me with an awesome evening full of butterflies.

Production / Music >> 8.0
The "Blueming" was directed and edited under a strong and talented crew and displayed by some very good acting. The natural lighting was able to set a certain mood with calm and warm colours. The cinematography was on point and resulted in incredible moments being captured, which made the short-seeming episodes so much more powerful and impactful.

Plot >> 8.0
First impressions were rather weak but it kept improving and had me captivated starting from the 3rd episode. It´s a fresh university love story with misunderstandings from Si Won´s side, which originate from his self-doubts. Despite a few common twists, the entire story gets undermined with a comedic undertone which makes the series lighter and more relaxing to watch. Overall, the harmony of Da Un and Si Won made this rather ordinary plot, well ..., extraordinary!

Acting/ Cast >> 9.5
Personally, Jo Hyuk Joon´s portrayal of Da Un was the highlight of this series. He totally made this calm and reflected character come to life and not only enchant Si Won, but also the audience. Da Un´s caring and goofy personality match well with the reserved and a bit helpless Si Won. The actor's harmony had a huge impact on the overall effect of this series. The supporting cast was also delivering a knowledgeable performance and should not be left out of the praise.

Rewatch Value >> 9.0
Because this emotional series was RATHER light to watch there is no reason for me to not come back. Definitely, a series to come back to once in a while to enjoy some second-hand-blushing :) "Blueming" made my creativity bloom and is a show I´d highly recommend watching.

Leia Mais

Wholesome but short

There were some scenes in this short web drama that really hit me hard when it came to insecurity and family, and I was really surprised that this drama was so pure — its really just about two people who found each other and fit perfectly together like puzzle pieces.

There are some parts of it that kind of went in over my head though, where conversations were confusing and I wasn't really sure what was going on. And of course, since it's a short web drama, there are some subplots I wish they delved into and side characters I wish they explored but there was no time for. Other than that, though, this was still a really nice watch.

Leia Mais

way to know yourself

What a nice romance story it is, about confidence, believing in oneself, family, insecurities, acceptance and love. It is first drama after long time not about homosexual love and how ppl react to it, but about two young ppl, who love spending time with each other and have insecurities and change with time, accept them self and open to each other. Blooming/blueming....
Very good video quality, color filters, directing, artistic style here and there. Also nice soothing music.
After finishing this drama, I felt very good, so rellaxed and comforted.

Favourite quote: "Something that doesn't bother me, could be someone else's huge burden"

Leia Mais

Refreshing, tasteful and mature, more than just BL. ITSAY vibes without the melodrama

I absolutely loved this. It's so refreshing in many ways, especially if you’ve watched your fair share of BLs. These characters act like real people who organically like each other without the need of a love triangle or extenuating circumstance to push them to admit they like each other or god forbid, that they like a man. There’s no cliché oops I fell and kissed you, no evil ex partners etc.

Story: There’s a distinct element of sincerity to this story. It’s a simple love story without the standard BL tropes wasting screen time. For a South Korean BL web series with short episodes- this one doesn’t have the jarring pacing or lack of depth that most other KBL web series suffer from. It really comes off as more of a well-paced movie if anything. You don’t feel like you’re missing anything and the only time where I felt like there was any moment that could even be considered boring or filler was in the last episode as the main conflict wasn’t one that needed a lot of screen time, so they bulked it out a bit more than needed.

There’s real people with complex relationships with their families in this series, which I found quite relatable as well. It’s rare in BLs these days where I find some value to the story outside of the BL component. These non-BL scenarios usually come off more like filler and aren’t that deep in most BLs. But in this one they actually add to the story. I LOVED Si Won’s plotline with his mother as that was so relatable to me and their pinnacle scene together where their feelings come to a head was more realistic to what I think would happen in most families in real life- rather than being an idealized happy ending moment where everyone says sorry and admits their faults.

There are real kisses in this, especially top tier if comparing them to a lot of awkward KBL kisses. They look like they actually want to kiss each other. The scene on the beach stole my heart with the innocence and realism to it. The love-making scene isn’t something I would even call a NC scene like I would with most in Thai BLs for example- because it was legitimately a romantic, genuine, mature and beautifully shot scene.

Acting/Cast: Both male leads were fantastic. Their interactions with each other were so fluid and believable. I loved every glance, smile, conversation and kiss. Looking at the actor’s profiles, I think this may be due to the fact that unlike a lot KBLs these days- they went with actors rather than KPOP idols. Where I feel like a lot of the idol turned BL actors don’t commit as much to the role and are clearly awkward with the kissing scenes. Even the side characters in this are enjoyable, they can all act well and for once I enjoyed all the side stories rather than wanting to fast-forward through them.
This was filmed beautifully and had a lot more visually interesting shots than say 80% of BLs. This filming style and the music reminded me of ITSAY as it had that kind of more artsy, thoughtful style too it. Although I enjoyed this series a 100% more than ITSAY as the melodrama of ITSAY was too high for me where this story was more realistic and enjoyable IMO.

Music: The music is great in this. There is not one song I found lacking and each perfectly fit with the scene.

Rewatch Value: There aren’t many BLs I rewatch- but I will rewatch this one in future. It’s just beautiful in my opinion. The subtle and natural looking interactions between the MLs is enough for me to rewatch- seeing how much Si won makes Da Un smile by just being who he is. Their chemistry is lovely.

Leia Mais