O Oitavo Sentido (2023)

La découverte de l’amour et de liens d’amitié qui seront les racines d’une vie d’adulte.

Je vais commencer par dire que le genre BL ne m’attire pas, non que les amours homosexuelles me dérangent, mais dans les quelques uns que j’ai vus, le plus souvent l’intrigue pauvre et la psychologie maigre ne servent que de prétextes à des scènes d’un érotisme soft.
Mais pas ici ! Les deux héros ont une vraie personnalité, qui se découvre petit à petit, laissant entrevoir une enfance difficile, un deuil ineffaçable et la charge mentale d’un héritage à assumer obligatoirement pour Jae Won, qui sera bien moins solide qu’on ne l’aurait supposé, face à l’apparition inattendue d’un amour qui bouleverse tout. Quant à Ji Hyun, au contraire, cet amour va éclairer sa vie, lui permettre de s’affirmer, car il comprend tout de suite par intuition puis par raisonnement l’importance capitale pour lui de ce sentiment. Il l’assume sans se poser de questions oiseuses, et ne se laisse pas démonter par la réaction de fuite de Jae Won. Contrairement à ce qu’on aurait pu croire, c’est le plus jeune, le plus innocent qui va donner à l’autre la force de s’assumer.
Le réalisateur a eu la grande intelligence de placer la rencontre initiale et l’étincelle amoureuse dans le cadre de la mer, dont nul n’ignore la charge érotique symbolique, et qui en plus donne de très belles images, sans oublier le bruit envoûtant des vagues ! Ce n’est pas gratuit non plus que Ji Hyun découvre aussi le mondé de l’université, sa liberté, son ouverture, qui donne un cadre idéal à un épanouissement personnel. La réalisation est délicate, nous permet d’entrer sans brutalité dans le cœur et l’esprit des protagonistes. Les rôles secondaires sont bien écrits les personnages féminins ne sont pas des silhouettes insipides de faire-valoir mais sont réelles, particulièrement l’amie Ae Ri et la chef du club de surf. C’est une équipe de débutants, j’espère qu’on les reverra !
Bon jusque là, on se dirige vers un rama parfait ! Mais la perfection n’est pas de ce monde et je relève deux défauts à mes yeux :
- Une abondance de très gros plans, assez obscurs, qui rendent les scènes d’amour un peu trop indéchiffrables (ou alors c’est ma cataracte débutante ! ^_^)
- Et la fin m’a déçue, car en un épisode tout devient je ne dirais pas « rose bonbon » mais doré comme un couchant de carte postale ! Tous les problèmes si bien évoqués ont disparu, et la vie semble tout à coup d’une extrême simplicité ! J’aurais aimé (et je crois que c’est la première fois que je dis ça !) au moins deux épisodes de plus, avec la présence du père de Jae Won, de la famille de Ji Hyun, une réaction de l’environnement un peu moins bisounours que celle qu’on nous donne.
Ces deux (petits) défauts n’empêchent que ce soit un très bon drama dans le genre BL, pour la bonne raison que ça a failli ne pas en être un, de BL, mais simplement un drama sur la jeunesse, la découverte de l’amour et de liens d’amitié qui seront les racines d’une vie d’adulte.

Je le conseille fortement !
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Leia Mais

A real explosion of emotions, a true masterpiece

I don't even have the words to express how much this series made my heart beat, stumble, fall, shiver,... The production is obviously amazing, and the work in each scene is phenomenal. The colors, the sceneries, the dialogues, the acting, everything took its own place and made it beautiful. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time a real piece of moving art. The actors gave so much depth to their characters, the storyline served them well. This is truly a masterpiece and one of the best series I have ever seen.

I also have to talk about the last scene of episode 9, a work of art, one of my favorite songs from my favorite artist perfectly depicting their relationship and the way they evolved together. The music did serve perfectly the intent and I won't exaggerate to say it was the best bl moment I've seen on screen.

Overall this was everything I could search for in a piece of art, a real, raw love story with heavy subjects but with a line of healing. There are so many things to say about the details and how the whole series was thought that a review might be too short to talk about everything.
I would like to thank everyone who worked on this amazing series and encourage anyone reading this review to watch it because it really deserves a lot of support.

Leia Mais

Not your usual happy kind of bl series ,touches important topics like depression

Words aren't enough to express how much I loved this series ,the trailer itself caught my eye so I was very much excited to watch the series .What I loved the most about this drama was that it was realistic and not some happy fictional story .The cast were perfect ,they played their characters so well ,it's like the characters were made for them . Being in love while dealing with depression isn't easy at all ,I was totally screaming when Jaewon came back to senses and went in search of Jihyun . I could relate to his avoiding tendencies after that kiss happened between him and Jihyun . The gazes that both of them shared ,the details were small but enough to catch our eyes and it just gave me butterflies . I wasn't expecting such a passionate kissing scene between them ,it didn't feel like they were acting ,hats off to the team of The eight sense .Not only they have us scene that dealt with depression, to let us know a glimpse of it .

Leia Mais

Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful

Although simple, the storyline delivers a realistic depiction of young romance, friendship and transition to adulthood. The acting was phenomenal as you could really feel the emotions of the characters even without excessive or sometimes any dialogue. The cinematography and music choices were the cherry on top to make this my favourite show to date. I wish I could watch it all over again. Although I would love to see a season 2, the ending was realistically perfect and satisfactory.

TW: This show does mention depression & grief so please be wary if these are sensitive topics.

Leia Mais

"Strawberries, Cigarettes and Infinities."

The title is exactly how I'll 'literally' describe this one. Just like that Troye Sivan song with a twist. By the way, I strongly urge you to watch this drama first because stories like these are meant to be felt rather.

Kim Ji Hyun, a freshman fresh out of the countryside takes up a part time job at a busy restaurant near his University as soon as he lands in Seoul. There, he has an encounter with a popular university student, Seo Jae Won, while breaking up a fight in the bar. Jae Won, who has just returned from his military service, is an overly friendly Sunbae who thanks him and attempts to befriend him from the get go.
Still getting used to the scary bustling life of the Seoul City, Ji Hyun, perturbed and intrigued, decides to accept Jae Won's friendship, going to the extent of joining a Surf Club by seeing his familiar presence.
Jae Won, who has struggles of his own, finds comfort and happiness in Ji Hyun.
Their relationship begins to teeter on a balance scale as both of them attempts to come to terms with the changes taking place in their life.


Warning:
This is a full length headache inducing rollercoaster of angst, fish tanks, water, alcohol and art pencils. Maybe 'The Eighth Sense' might be enjoyable for only a certain niche audience as the characters are not the typical conventional type. It was purposefully made with the intent of resonating with the viewers and not for the sole aspect of enjoyment. Yes, there is enjoyment. But, it makes you reminisce and ponder. The directors, cast and crew put their all into this creation and their hard work is clearly reflected in the final product. So, a round of applause to everyone both behind and in front of the scenes.

The series floats on the strength of its very characters, may it be the introverted Ji Hyun or the extroverted Jae Won or even the supporting characters. At one point, we find ourselves being relatable to anyone in the drama. It's hard to talk about what the drama deals with without spoiling the plot… which is non-existent because the plot itself is the life of the characters and how they deal with what's being thrown at them. It's about the fears of opening up about yourself and fitting into the contours of the peoples' expectations about you (Jae Won) and giving away your heart and feelings that you treasure to total strangers and learning to adjust somewhere away from your comfort zone (Ji Hyun).

Their chemistry was on fire. I usually don't feel this way, but something about Ji Hyun and Jae Won just clicked into place for me.
It was not a sweep-off-your-feet romance. It was the hit-you-over-the-head-and-leave-you-muddled type of romance. Which happens to be exactly what I keep looking for. Just two people falling for each other in a natural manner without any flamboyance. It's just them and their feelings.

Friendship is another strong theme - Ji Hyun doesn't have many, but the ones he chooses are spot on - Ae Ri, Joon Pyo and his lovely boss. Then we have Jae Won, who has many, both the neutral and the good ones.
And… the scenes where the seniors forced their authority, threw their weight around, provided important advices gave me war flashbacks as I has been through a handful of situations like that, unfortunately.

Acting wise…
Jae Won was, perhaps, one of the most difficult characters to portray on screen. I'm beyond impressed by how Lim Ji Sub pulled it off so convincingly that there are parts of the drama I would not rewatch to save myself from emotional damage.
I related to Ji Hyun on a really scary level. So, his actions and responses were nothing strange to me. Also, for a rookie actor, Oh Jun Taek killed his debut. Every single character's portrayal was to a tee. Even Yoon Won, Ae Ri, Joon Pyo, Eun Ji and Tae Hyung.

The drama is also excellently filmed. Every shot, including the filters and the lighting were so beautiful. The last two dramas that managed to look aesthetically pleasing to me were 'Blueming' and 'The Forbidden Flower'. It managed to perfectly capture the essence and emotions of the characters.
The Soundtrack deserves an award as it managed to enhance the intensity of certain scenes.

The opening BGM by Unalaska will forever be engraved in my brain.

As for the representation of Mental Health. I have no idea about how accurate it was, but the last two episodes made me feel that the therapist was going to need a therapist.
Though initially planned as a drama with 10 episodes, it was mashed into a movie and I wonder if they straight up lifted scenes straight off the movie version and spliced it into this one, because there are some obvious jump cuts that can't be attributed to anything else other than poor editing. Particularly EP3 and EP4, where characters' conversations and even the BGM gets split in between.
The second last episode seemed so sudden and I felt like time sped up somewhere and I totally missed some stuff, but I still can conjecture where and what had happened. But, the timing is still confusing to me, but I shall forgive this drama for once.
I'm a jumbled mess of thoughts, but this one is definitely a solid 9/10 for me.
Imperfectly perfect and unique in it's own little ways.

Leia Mais

Very nice icing on a mediocre cake

I wanted to watch this as soon as it finished because of the hype, but frankly I feel like I'm going insane reading only 9 and 10 star reviews, so I thought I'd contribute.

- Plot: This is frankly my biggest complaint about the series. While I appreciate that there wasn't unnecessary conflict or excessive filler, there were plot holes left and right that get brushed off by the "artsy" vibe. The gaps and cuts leave the audience to consistently fill in parts of the plot themselves. It's nice that the writing doesn't say everything, but they use this as an excuse to avoid explaining plot events and actions that don't make sense for the characters and situations that have been established. I feel like the high production value and again, "artsy" vibe distract from the actual holes in the plot and leave most viewers to assume that they simply didn't "get" it, rather than recognize this as a fault of the writing. It's the equivalent of flawlessly coloring and shading a portrait so that nobody notices the eyes are completely different sizes.
- Acting: ...and this is the highlight of the series for me. I thought pretty much all the actors did a great job with their characters. It wasn't too heavy handed or cringey (the dialogue was decent, which helps), and felt that the entire cast had great chemistry. I enjoyed watching the friendships between the characters as much as the main couple's relationship. I also appreciated the styling of the characters -- it felt like they all had distinct styles, which suited both the actors and the characters.
- Characters: The main couple definitely falls into the webtoon-BL tropes, with the perfectpopularrich love interest and the smallawkwardloser protagonist. I liked them as individual characters though, especially how they behaved differently around different people. The best characters by far were the (non-ex) female characters, which is really refreshing for a BL. They felt like they had actual personalities! It's nice to see at least some female characters the audience isn't supposed to hate. Not a huge fan of the "fat character who is always eating" trope or them suddenly pairing up the only plus-size characters, but otherwise decent.
- Mental health angle: As much as I appreciate an openly depressed main character and genuine discussion of mental health issues, there were definitely some flaws in the execution here. The "I'm just here to get my drugs" aspect and questionable mannerisms of the therapist really invalidate a lot of the later therapy scenes. It seemed to be going in a good direction with the "If your trauma is causing your relationship issues, you need to sort out your trauma first" point, but that was wrapped up way too quickly with yet another "unspoken" development (read: plot hole). As a plot device to give insight into a quiet character's emotions without weird internal monologues, the therapy plot worked worked. As a genuine portrayal of trauma and treatment, less so.
- LGBT: Interestingly enough, the reviews here seem to be split on praising this as a great LGBT story, and praising it for not shoving an LGBT agenda down your throat. While this is a step in the right direction for KBL series, it still feels very much like a BL, and I was actually a little upset at the characters' reactions to other LGBT identities. The biggest flag for me was the portrayal of drag, as a character gives a report on Hedwig and the Angry Inch while dressed in the drag style from the movie. The character is both demonized and mocked, and the audience is set up to react to the character in the same way. I frankly have no idea why they included an entire scene just to make someone in drag the butt of a joke.

Overall, I thought the good acting and high production value show through, but they can only do so much to distract from the actual issues in the plot. It's icing on a bland cake -- nice decoration, but there's nothing special underneath.

Leia Mais

If I had to pick just 1 BL to watch for the rest of my life….

Yes. It would be this one.
I’m not exaggerating. In my opinion, this is as close to perfection as we’ve ever seen from this genre.
And of all the lovely, tender, funny, touching, artful moments that this show bestowed on us I just think that it’s the realism of the characters and the story, and the fact that over the course of 10 episodes I came to genuinely love and admire most of these characters, I have so much empathy for them and so much affection. I feel that they are my people and I could t be happier with their very happy ending.
Ji Hyun, our sassy, beautiful and genuine boy. Love him to bits.
Hyun Bin, tone def bumpkin tho you may be, you are a good friend and a bold noona slayer.
Yoon Won, such an unexpectedly endearing character. A delight. Go get yours momma.
And my dearest Jae Won…handsome, soulful, protective, helplessly in love with Ji Hyun, I wish you every happiness ❤️❤️❤️❤️??‍♂️??

Leia Mais

What an absolutely beautiful show

I cannot stress how much I absolutely adored The Eighth Sense, its truly one of the best shows I have ever watched. The story, the acting, the production, the cinematography are all beautiful, the chemistry Oh Juntaek and Lim Jisub have is amazing and I seriously need a Season 2 for them, they did an insanely good job at portraying Jihyun and Jaewon. There are many likeable and interesting characters aside from the 2 leads, my favourites being Yoonwon, Aeri and Joonpyo. Jaewon is a really well written character, everything about him feels very real, and Jihyun is just as good, their development in just 10 episodes is wonderful. I cannot stress how much I recommend The Eighth Sense, it has its happy moments and its really heartbreaking moments, but experiencing all the emotions was all part of how much I enjoyed it. I would really recommend this show to everyone, even people who aren't interested in typical Korean Dramas/BLs. I really wish I could erase my memory and experience this show all over again. I tried to give my ratings critically but really I can't give this anything below a 10/10, it's just so wonderful ??

Leia Mais

A delicate story about mental illness and finding yourself (with a few loose ends)

I only started watching The Eighth Sense last week, but I quickly fell in love with its grounded yet somehow dreamy atmosphere. The cinematography and lighting were truly phenomenal. This drama felt more like a movie than a show, and I appreciate the care the cast and crew put into creating it.

The OST was simply wonderful, too. I found myself looking for the songs after I finished each episode. I'm listening to The Story by Conan Grey as I type this.

Onto the show itself. I really enjoyed that surfing was what brought Ji Hyun and Jae Won together. The last time I personally experienced surfing in media was either The Shallows or Teen Beach Movie. (And I won’t complain about seeing the actors in wetsuits). It was something fun and different.

Despite having such a lighthearted premise, The Eighth Sense approached mental health and childhood trauma in a delicate yet realistic manner. It is clear that Jae Won has been struggling for a while, and I loved that they depicted his relationship with his therapist throughout the series. I like it when a show doesn’t shy away from characters using prescriptions for mental health issues, too. It goes a long way in reducing the stigma around an unnecessarily taboo topic. Ji Hyun has his own share of trauma as well, and the two of them become each other’s safe space.

Honestly, the plot wasn’t particularly complex. It has a basic boy meets boy, boy is attracted to other boy and is confused about it, they kiss, an ex is introduced, they break up, they get back together structure. But what makes this show special is the 3-dimensional characters. So much of the story comes from the characters themselves that it doesn’t matter that the plot is just the same skeleton wearing a different skin.

Ji Hyun, my wonderful boy. He has the patience of a saint. He starts off as this timid, country mouse, but he grows into his own by the end of the drama. He’s learned that it’s okay to be afraid as long as you don’t let it stop you. Jae Won was a big part of that. Props to Oh Jun Taek, too. His performance was wonderful, and the chemistry between him and Im Ji Sub was amazing. You could feel the tension when Jae Won and Ji Hyun so much as looked at each other, and it translated beautifully to their blossoming relationship in episode 10.

I really have to give it to Im Ji Sub, though. He’s mastered the lifeless stare so well, and it’s heartwrenching to watch him recede into himself after Ji Hyun’s accident. Everything about his performance was amazing. Jae Won’s false confidence, the mask he projects to the world to protect himself slowly being broken down by Ji Hyun. It’s all on his face. And the breakdown he had when his camera was smashed? Terrible. Awful. I hated it (Spoiler alert: I didn’t hate it).

And the friends! Ae Ri and Yoon Won are the best side characters, no question. Yoon Won is Jae Won’s only real friend (because we’re not counting Ji Hyun), and they’re both so good for each other. I actually didn’t like Ae Ri at first because she came on so strong to Ji Hyun, and I was worried she was going to act irrationally because of what I assumed was the crush she had on him. However, I grew to love her when she and Ji Hyun settled into their friendship. Also, I’ll throw an honorable mention out to Ji Hyun’s boss. She was wonderful as well and acted as a mother figure to Ji Hyun and Jae Won at the end of the show.

I’m also impressed by the skinship in this series. We got some great kisses sprinkled throughout. My favorite scene would have to be the end of episode 9 though. The Story by Conan Grey was the perfect song to encapsulate Ji Hyun and Jae Won’s relationship and finally break through to Jae Won. It culminated in one of the best kisses (or series of kisses) I’ve ever seen in a BL. It’s definitely in my top three. I’m glad it didn’t stop after one emotional scene. We continued to see them kissing, hugging, and cuddling like any other couple. I also loved that Ji Hyun took charge in multiple scenes. So happy they let him be the big spoon because Jae Won deserves to be held just as much as Ji Hyun.

That was the good of the series. As much as I loved it for all of these reasons, the finale left me wanting. The conflict between Jae Won and Ji Hyun had been building since Ji Hyun was released from the hospital, but after they kissed, everything was fine. Although I was frustrated with Jae Won for avoiding Ji Hyun after the accident, I understand why he did it. And I understand if he couldn’t explain why he did it just yet. Depression can make you think irrationally, and that’s not his fault, but I wish he could have at least apologized. He caused both of them so much pain, but it was completely glossed over aside from a line in which Jae Won vaguely promises not to make Ji Hyun sad in the future. I wanted some sort of resolution or conversation in which they talk about what happened between them. Living with a mental illness is tough, and not communicating makes it even harder to navigate for both parties involved. I’m glad they got their happy ending, but it feels like they skipped a few steps in the middle.

Another thing that didn’t sit right with me was the whole situation with Eun Ji. I was confused about when Jae Won agreed that they were back together because, unless I missed it, he never directly said anything. His friends all thought they were back together, too, and relayed that information to Ji Hyun. Then Ji Hyun saw Eun Ji kissing Jae Won and was visibly upset, but Jae Won never confronted him about it even though he knew Ji Hyun was there. You’d think that if she was kissing him without his consent, he would tell Ji Hyun so as to not cause any further misunderstandings. But alas, it was never brought up. At that point, Ji Hyun and Jae Won were still “together,” or at least they had shared intimate moments at the beach and hadn’t defined what they were. It must have been so upsetting for Ji Hyun, yet he never searched for an explanation. Maybe he thought it wasn’t worth getting into because Jae Won hasn’t shown any further interest in Eun Ji, but it was frustrating for the viewer.

There were also a few scenes that I felt were edited poorly. Particularly the scene in episode 6 where Ji Hyun gets injured. I had to rewind it multiple times to figure out what had happened, and I still don’t really understand. Did he pass out and nearly drown? Hit his head on a rock? We don’t see anything except him sinking underwater from his POV. It was just a bit hard to follow. Then people act as if he’s dead, but we find out he was in the hospital with a neck brace. I really can’t figure out where the injury came from. If anybody has an idea, please tell me!

Then there’s Tae Hyung. Nothing about him was likable. If Jae Won could act objectively, I’d say he should have cut him out of his life instead of accepting his peace offering, but leaving a toxic friendship is just as hard as leaving any toxic relationship. Tae Hyung is so clearly jealous of Jae Won, and he’s taking his resentment out on him even though Jae Won can’t control his family’s status. Jae Won has known Tae Hyung for years, and, honestly, I can’t fault him for forgiving him because I would do the same for the sake of the friendship, however fragile, and the familiarity.

Lastly, I’m so curious about what really happened to Jae Won’s brother. Obviously, it’s not the focus of the story, nor is it truly necessary, but knowing would be an interesting look into Jae Won’s psyche. Extending this to his whole family situation, what is up with his dad? We’ve heard that he’s aggressive, but we don’t know much more than that. I hope that we’ll learn more about Jae Won’s past if we get a season 2.

Overall, I enjoyed this drama. Despite my grievances, it left me with a lot of thoughts and feelings. To me, that’s the mark of a good show. Or, at least, one that has done its job. I would recommend this show to anyone who is interested in a character-driven story with a side of romance and self-discovery. It really was a delightful ride. I hope to see it gain some more traction!

Thank you for reading my (way too long) review! I just had a lot of thoughts and no one to share them with. Also, go watch the deleted scene on YouTube if you haven’t yet! It shows more of Jae Won’s breakdown.

Leia Mais

This could very well become one of my most favorite bl ever.

First of all, THEY ARE DAMN CUTE. and second of all the running time. Man 35 to 40 minutes with proper plot? count me in. Third, I sense a masterpiece coming. As usual the main characters shine. Ji Hyun esp. He is like those guys you would want to put in a box and protect forever. Also the actor for him is great. Hard to believe that it's his debut drama. Now Jae Won, my man jae won is great at this. I am already sensing a great chemistry between them.
Now I usually don't like side characters in Korean Bls. Mostly because they almost don't have any story or a good personality. One of the BL with great side characters I liked was To My Star, which also happens to be my favorite Bl of all time. Well you can guess that from my username. So now the thing is, I actually really like every side of the characters here. Even the meanie ex. Mostly because I like how she is portraying her character but I do hope that her character has some development in the future. and the others? They all are great. whether it be the kind but sarcastic employer of Ji Hyun or His best friend. The college friends. They all are great. The first two episodes left a really huge impression.
Now onto my biggest fear.
As you can see, I am a healthy relationship lover. Nevermind that I have a hamlet inspired profile. and one of the thing that is scaring me is the cheating trope. I hate it. I hate it so much. As much as I am loving the drama, if there is any cheating trope involved, like when Ji Hyun and Jae won got together and Jae Won cheats or something, I will lose my shit. Like this isn't probably gonna happen, but there is an ex-girl lurking around. So yeah if things like that doesn't happen and they maintain this perfect pace and chemistry with a good plot, this would make into my list as one of my most favorite bl ever. After to my star of course.

Will keep updated as epsiodes progressed on

Leia Mais