7 Days Before Valentine (2023)

A Masterpiece and One Of The Best! Magnum Opus!

Undoubtedly, this is one of those series that will either be loved or panned, mainly because of the esoteric and metaphysical nature of its theme and its presentation as a Greek tragedy. It is allegorical with metaphorical representations of life presented in temperaments of profound introspection surrounded by an almost overwhelming sense of loss, guilt, and shame. It tackles all the hidden and unexplored and often times buried emotions of humans we do not want to face or find impossible to bear. It strips away for us to see and quite literally experience and feel. We see it through the eyes of a protagonist and an antagonist at the same time; with each character being both. This series is a thought-provoking, intellectually stimulating elegy that uses the language of words to embody love. If you want to see lust, or romps in a bed, or contrived love scenes, or soft rituals of love, this is not for you. If you want to see a deep, meditative, and, at times, profoundly poignant perspective of human nature augmented by the process of finding what the meaning of love is all about, then this is for you. There is nothing ‘cute’ about this transmigration at all. It is deeply solipsistic, pensive, and intensely mystifying. There is also nothing ‘clear’ about this series. It is symbolic with symbolisms of all kinds bombarding you. At times they overwhelm you. Everything has meaning. Even the smallest of details. Blink and you might miss it. You have to decipher their meanings. Much happens mostly through words but also through deep reflections in expressions of the faces, manners, and body language of the main two characters, as well as all the other characters in this series.
The rest of my review of this phenomenal series is posted at BLBliss.com.

Leia Mais

Frustrating but enthralling

Going into this show you need to understand that the protagonist is the MOST frustrating character you will ever encounter, with a redemption arc that comes late in the show. With that in mind, it is still a very good show to watch. I enjoy watching shows that tackle social commentary with unique means and this is exactly what this show does. You get to reflect on society and yourself as well throughout the show. The cinematography was beautiful and that aided in the overall storytelling. Why this is not a 10/10 show for me was mostly because of the main character, I understand that he is supposed to be unreasonable and I also understand that we are supposed to follow along his growth journey with him, but I have a short temper so it was hard to watch sometimes. But that's more of a me problem, not anything inherently wrong with this show. All in all, this is a great show to watch and then ponder on some more in your free time.

P.S.: This is not really a BL in the way that you think of one. It is a love story that entails men if that makes sense.

Leia Mais

Of actions and consequences

Honestly speaking, I didn't catch a lot of the symbolism and easter eggs they probably hit us with because I wasn't in the right mood to be paying attention to all the details when I started. What did catch my attention (and made me inevitably pay more attention to the rest of the series) was the balance between actions and the subsequent aftermath. Butterfly effect, ripple effect, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, whatever you want to call it.

I watched a lead make bad and impulsive decisions whose after effects he only feels a while later, being guided by a jaded and patient lead with a dark past that led him down the path he was currently on. I watched them navigate situations messily, learning lessons along the way, and growing (even though it took a while for one of our leads to do it, while all our other lead needed was closure).

The show is shot in a very art house manner, theatric, with twelve acts, scene lighting, long conversations and an air of sombre. It's slow and dramatic, but stick with it and you get to witness a story of love and loss, growth, acceptance, forgiveness, a story written on the shores of sadness. All of this leads to one of the best finales I've watched, truly. Stories like this usually end on an open note, but the point of the series was closure, and we do get it.

Sombre, sorrowful and full of meaning that I may not have quite caught onto, but it did make an impact.

Leia Mais

Nice inter-time love story, heavily influenced by Goethe and Genki Kawamura

I recently started watching this series, and was immediately captivated. The storyline pretty straightforward: Sunshine makes a pact with a supernatural being, who grants him 7 wishes in order to bring his boyfriend back (very much like Dr. Faustus did with the devil in the classic novel by Goethe, however to a different end), and for this has a price to pay. The price for every wish is to make someone disappear from the world (an idea very similar to the exceptional novel "If Cats Disappeared From The World" by the Japanese author Genki Kawamura, which cost me two sleepless nights). Each wish predictably leads to unanticipated results, which gradually teach Sunshine a lesson about life and complexity. The story is based on the book by Patrick Rangsimant, but (at least the few pages that I read) there are differences, especially with respect to the overall atmosphere. In fact I like the adaptation more. I cannot tell about the actual plot and its ending, since the series is ongoing.

The acting is quite good, and the two main lead characters have great chemistry (according to some research I did, which I am not sure is correct, this reflects their relationship in real life). Despite the reason for it, they definitely are very convincing.

Technically the series is good, the sound background very nice, cut and angles are very good.

Having said that, I do have some criticism as well. I am not a huge fan of overall dramatized stories (you know the one that make you cry all the time). I like emotions to come in finite portions, while here (especially in the last episodes), the drama simply grows and grows. It is not a perpetual whining yet, but I feel that the series would gain more with a touch of down-to-earth objectivity. But this is a matter of personal taste perhaps. The second (rather technical?) thing that bothers me are the countless flash-backs, which not always serve a purpose. I would go for shorter episodes, since rewatching so many scenes again and again in most cases brings no new information.

As a whole, I am really enjoying this series, which gratefully is not another high-school puppy-love BL drama, but explores more aspects of the human nature, and clearly comes from the pen of an author with certain life experience and maturity. We certainly need of those.

Leia Mais

Cupid Reaper falling for Sunshine

Im liking that this 10 episode giving me a love story with Sunshine and Kyu aka Cupid Reaper 🩷🩷 i can't wait to watch next episode between these two characters. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥🫢🫢🩷🇬🇧 does sunshine fallen for Kyu. He starting to understand why Rain left him for Air, he was an arrogant young man with his head in clouds ⛅️ 🙄 i think sunshine was to know more about Kyu aka Cupid Reaper. 😉 is to understand your inner self ✨️ this why Cupid Reaper came into his life, Kyu made the same mistakes that he made, by putting things right from the start.

Leia Mais

Comment ai-je failli passer à côté de cette série!

Alors oui, si l'on cherche un BL avec tous les tropes, les bisous, les câlins et le scénario écrit avec les pieds, il faut absolument passer son chemin. C'est une série onirique et pourtant si ancrée dans la réalité de tout à chacun. Il y a le côté onirique pour les références à la mythologie occidentale, mais surtout elle nous parle de nous simples humains si compliqués et avec un égo si fragile. Les acteurs ont été juste dans l'interprétation de leur personnage. Les décor et les choix artistiques étaient osés et tranchants mais ils mettent en valeur les propos de l'histoire. C'est une franche réussite. Je ne comprends pas qu'elle est reçue si peu de bonnes notes! C'est sûr qu'il faut réfléchir, que rien n'est tout cuit et qu'il est bien d'avoir les références qui y sont proposées, mais elles sont quand même expliquées même si c'est succinct. J'ai trouvé tous les choix artistiques intéressants et valables. Le personnage principal est très bien écrit, il est ce que les humains sont, égoïste, égocentrique et solitaire. C'est une balade philosophique et une prise de conscience sur la faiblesse humaine. Il y avait aussi une réflexion sur la prise de parole politique qui était très intéressante : sans rébellion ni contestataire , il n'y a pas d'avancée sociétale, de recherche d'équité et d'espoir pour les plus défavorisés. Cette série est aussi sombre que lumineuse. C'est une introspection sur l'âme humaine. 10/10 à ce bijou étonnant et inspirant.

Leia Mais

THIS IS NOT A BL!!!!!

Yes, there is romance! Yes, there are hot guys kissing! And yet, it is not a bl, it is so much more! So if you are here for the bl, you are bound to be disappointed, hence the awful rating this drama has on MDL! Go watch something else!

This is a story about grief, relationship break up, life, selfishness and love.

Sunshine is an up-and-coming actor whose boyfriend, Rain, dumps him a week before Valentine's. He finds himself drinking in a bar/flower shop, and someone takes him home dead drunk. That someone turns out to be Kyu, a cupid reaper who offers him seven chances to win his boyfriend back by erasing people he thinks are responsible for the break up. As the days go by and people get deleted without Rain coming back to him, Sun comes to the realization that the break up was actually his fault!

What an interesting concept as grief management! Sun is incapable to see his own flaws and erasing people puts those flaws in the spotlight, so the more he denies them, the more they are visible until he has to admit it is his fault and nobody else's! Sun is young, cocky, full of certainties, like a lot of young people are, unwilling to accept that they do not know everything and that they are not the centre of the universe! Kyu, the cupid reaper, tries to warn him, make him realize the error of his way but he stubbornly ploughs forward. Their relationship is admirably well written: starting from the initial animosity and impatience to friendship and to love. Nothing is rushed!

The production is perfect: it is well written, very theatrical in its set up since we mainly see Sun and Kyu on screen talking. Most of the action (dialogue!) takes place in Sun's small flat. They talk a lot and the director transposed to tv the theatrical set up with different lighting of different parts of the flat. When Sun tells the story of his relationship, we see the flashback acted out in the background. Amazing idea! Works perfectly well!

The acting was top notch by the entire cast but especially by Atom. That guy is a walking, overflowing fountain of talent that just needs a bit of streamlining. He managed to show every side of Sun's personality: the odious, self centred one, desperate one when the realization struck(lots of crying involved: he's rather bad at it!) and finally a new man who matured through the experience (he actually looked older and calmer!). And that smile! The rest of the cast was just as good: the dialogues are delivered lively, realistically. There is a scene where Sun and Kyu argue while talking over each other. I was stunned by it: for the first time in a drama I see a real argument. Or Sun's audition scene: extraordinary piece of acting! Some side characters could be deemed annoying but Jared, the flower shop assistant and the landlady were just quirky and lovable!

The music was excellent: two songs played during the drama giving subtle hints as to the plot!

Last, but definitely not least, the cinematography and set design: breathtaking. The colours were mostly dulled shades of cold colours, so the only visible colour was red. There were touches of red all over the place: red lamp, red flowers, red taxi, red chair etc.etc. usually one single item per scene! There were also indication throughout the set of the widespread consequences of Sun's deletions: through posters, costumes and sets! The constant in all those changes is the poster campaign for the new perfume Sun did an ad for: Once the Devil! Which makes watchers wonder if Kyu is an angel of the Devil. The final scene explains that they were both a Devil, once for each other!

The ending is a bit surprising. Suffice to say it is a happy ending! Almost perfect, Kyu(not Kyu anymore but Sky) and Sun meet on the plane calling each other Q! They were actually each other's Q: halloween Q and cupid Q and they saved each other's lives! I binged it in two days: episodes are short and easy to watch if you are fan of slow burn dramas!

Just one final remark: the character of Kyu (or Q) reminds me of Star Trek: The Next Generation character Q! Kyu puts Sun through trials by demanding him to erase people in order for Sun to learn about himself! Didn't Q do similar thing in Star Trek? Just a thought!!!!

Leia Mais

Is this even a bl???

This is a repeat on how trailers do be misleading!!!!
I am now going unto the seventh episode of this series and i am yet to see a spark or hint of romance between Q and sunshine
And is it me or am i the only one that recognizes that rain and sunshine can never get back together????
Like it is super obvious that everytime sunshine makes every possible person that kinda hinders their relationship disappear,) rain either forgets he exists, move on to another person, or never existed or become friends with benefits 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️
Sunshine cant be this dumb to recognise this simple fact !!!
I guarantee most ppl who watch this is confused as to where the romance is and me too
I would mostly call this a bromance if anything
Like is Q and sunshine are going to end up together???
Because i am not seeing anything that hinting that they are going to be together
Man it is like i am walking down a long narrow path and it is never ending
Like it is so clear sunshine is not the brightest bulb everyone knows this and let me be real
The time when he erased rains ex boyfriend now tell me if this maths is mathsing
So when rain broke up with sunshine he told him that he was in a vulnerable moment when he met sunshine and he needed someone at the time
Now note, that the peron who made him vulnerable was rains ex
So common sense, when he erased rains ex
What do u think will happen ???
He would not know sunshine obviously 🙄🙄
Because rain would not go to mins bar where he would meet him and he would not vulnerable
At this point he is just randomly choosing ppl to erase
My advice to him (even Q said it himself) move on he is never going to go back to you get it through ur head!!! Just imagine he is doing all this stuff ( leaving potential dads without their child in ep 2, changing civilization ep 6 etc) just for one guy who does not like him anymore 😕😕😕😕

Leia Mais

impresi awal series 7 day . . .

Series ini mengangkat cerita yang menurutku menarik ya, mirip-mirip seperti film "marry my dead body" tetapi dengan bentuk cerita yang lain (serupa tapi tidak sama). Bentuk ceritanya aku menyukainya, dari segi vibes, di awal scene episode satu entah kenapa mengingatkan saya dengan vibes film "your name engraved herein" tetapi dengan perpaduan warna merah dan biru yang kuat, cahaya mengalami distorsi sehingga menampilkan effect "light blurry" beberapa scene bahkan menurutku terasa sangat menyeramkan (seperti film horror). dari segi dialog dan scene, menurutku terlalu realistis; beberapa adegan seperti berdebat terasa terlalu realistis, tidak terasa seperti drama yang disetting ; ini seperti bergerak apa adanya sesuai keinginan aktor (autorun dialogue). Dari segi karakter, menurutku sudah cukup bagus terutama karakter "sunshine" yang tempramental aku sangat menyukainya, dia seperti seseorang yang berusaha untuk tetap bahagia dan memaksa menyingkirkan kemungkinan-kemungkinan buruk di dalam hidupnya. Dari segi alur, mudah difahami ya, alurnya jelas tidak mononton dan tidak berbelit-belit, saya akan segera melanjutkan eps.2 karena jujur "series ini emang bikin penasaran" + menurutku seru untuk diikuti. Sangat rekomendasi.

Leia Mais