Amor na Cidade Grande (2024)

A Journey Too Late

This was originally 2 different comments I made on the message board that I have slightly reformatted to make a review. I get it lacks some of my normal wordsmithing and is brief, but it gets the job done easily enough.

Watched entirely in 1 sitting starting at realease time to around 6:30 am in the morning in my neck of the woods. I wont go too in depth here.

So let's quickly breeze over the strengths.

Great acting, good intimacy, some strong chemistry, appropriate realistic skinship, 3 dimensional characters, some real-world struggles, heartbreaking moments, and adorably cute moments. Directing was strong, cinematography solid, texture and feel to the series was complete and both realistic yet simutaneously dreamlike. Hour long episodes in a Netflix-like 8 episode dosing with a decent budget and a cast with some recognizable faces and not just no-name-this-is-their-start actors.

I do want to interject here that our main lead Nam Yoon Su gives an outstanding performance. He brings the character to life and doesnt hold back allowing our Ko/Go Young to be a fully realized being. He should be proud of his performance, and more than any role he has yet had, shows his acting chops.

I also want to give a shout-out to the deft Jin Ho Eun. He is a true chameleon on screen. He has a sturdy list of shows under his belt and has skillfully shown how to be both a monster to, as in this series, a cute as a button bright eyed engenue. I feel he is overlooked a lot as he has delivered strong performances one after another and again doesnt dissapoint here. I also am happy to see him in a role that actually highlights how attractive he can be.

HOWEVER, it has some flaws and shortcomings which hold it back from being an exceptional experince. Which I'll list in a spoiler tab below. Thus, it's held back from being great to instead being a solid good show. It is worth your time but its real world approach and overall sad and depressing ambiance and general story will keep it from being most peoples favorite or go to series.


BELOW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

The flaws:

1) Usage of time.

There are a lot of missteps in how the 8 episodes covers almost 10 years of the main characters life. This is aggrivated by how they break the story into 2 episode mini stories, thus the 8 episodes tell 4 different love/encounters. Making large swaths of time defaulted and inserted inbetween the blackout of 1 story and the fade in of the next.

Since they only have 8 episodes many of the significant relations come and go very quickly and are delt with too clean and neatly. Our main character's relationship with Mi Ae seems little more than a blip on the radar with no lasting significance. Same goes with the loss of his complicated relationship with his mother, who if you add up the time jumps had a very slow march towards death over at least 3 years. The main characters childhood is told in blink or your miss it clips that bring up some serious trauma and issues that are mostly left unexplored or dealt with but seem just to be reasons for his bahavior, sadness, and state-of-mind.

Also, the clothing, accessories, look of the world and characters doesnt change from begining to end...which for a decade of time...especially for hip 20something city boys, is not realistic.

The final 2 episodes are dreamlike in their delivery and feel like a very different show compared to the previous 6 which make it a pain point that this is where we end our journey with these characters. In a weird sexual depression fever dream while having an affair with a married man who takes our lead to various hotels around the world while he recalls the love of a relationship he had ended, as far as i could tell less than a year ago, these episodes are supposed to symbolize the end of this era in our leads life, but they are so whimsical and non-concrete, it comes off more like a mental exercise than true substantial growth and a solid seal to this slice of our pritagonists life. The relationship that plays in our Go Yeoung's mind didnt yet seem to hold the gravity and importance it should as it was still very fresh. Youd expect this type of story after many years have expired and with age you look back and realize that was love and you lost it. The wisdom of old age making you see your regrets. It was further exacerbated by the relationship being mere minutes ago in the viewers mind as we had just spent 2 episodes moving through it begjning to end and seeing many of the scenes already...again a failure of how they use time

2) Stunted emotions and growth.

Possibly it was just the time limit but a lot of the emotions came and went with the wind. Like mentioned above in the time problem, it bleeds over here into a stunted growth and emotional problem. Our main lead has many revelations but changes very little of himself due to them. He deals with major life altering hurtles, death of a lover, death of his mother, suicide, and of course contracting HIV, but all of it comes in a scene and leaves in the next. This could be a societal issue, yet other Korean shows do not operate as such. This could be a character issue, but then the whole point of the show is about the emotional and mental growth of our lead andnwhat he wants and expects out of life which makes this here then gone approach to the story feel misplaced. It may be the fault of the writer of the original work or the writer of this adaption, as in they all have Peter Pan complexes, much like our lead, and thus do not know how to write true explorations of healing, moving through trauma, overcomming, and changing ones life. Instead its shed some tears then run to the bar and get trashed and then never talk about or deal with it again. Its solved, the emotions were let out...

It makes a lot of the issues, which are devstating and hefty, feel skin deep and easily managable. When he is driven to suicide by a toxic closeted self hating lover while trying to mend the broken relationship of his mother dying from cancer who has the same Christian damnation outlook on him...it grows until he tries to check out...but then wakes up saved, gives a thumb heart to his friends, and then moves on never talking about it again. Like well he didnt die...lets go get drunk....and party. And this his how the show handles every truly emotional milestone. As if acknowledging it happened is the same as healing through it.

3) The HIV card....

It is the gay plague after all...even though world wide, it is more prevelant in heterosexuals than homosexuals since the late 90s...but still this is a gay story, we must have HIV.

For Korea, and where they currently are on LGBTQ+ representation and stories, as well as real laws and overall societal view of homosexuals, I can see how having a realistic story that represents the trails of a realistic homesexual and what he faces including the taboo HIV seems bold and groundbreaking....

As a westerner this is 30 to 40 years too late...this whole series was reminiscent of a 90s gay story. From the film Jeffrey to the show Queer as Folk to even the 80s independent film (which too has a splattering of famous male leads) Longtime Companion. Let alone award winning Angels in America...which is currently being performed by famous Korean actors in Seoul as I type this.

At least they didnt make him die in the end.

But Korea has had films, that have dealt with these themes already, and are much older, let alone the western stories that can be watched. It made the story seem archaic and out of place. Made too late.

This is exacerbated by the fact the story would not have changed at all, if the character DIDN'T have HIV. It affects nothing. It is even brought in only half way through as an almost suprise twist. His contracting it is a brief monologue. He tells only 1 person that he even has it, he has no health issues because of it. It does not cause him to loose any relationship or sexual encounter. And it is little more than a plot point. Thus, simply having him NOT have it was an option as its only point is for him to say its with me till i die. Again it feels superficial and a stunted and an unneeded poor use. Thus, just as point 1 bleed into point 2, now point 2 bleeds into this point 3.

Last note on this, the way they introduce the HIV was confusing..as in did he contract it between his mothers dying and meeting this new boy. But then he meets the boy on the night of his mothers funeral. And it has only been 1 year since his last relationship...and then he says hes had it for 5 years...and then your like...did i miss a time jump...there are alot of them...and then you relaize wait...this happened b4 the show started. Hes been HIV positive since the first frame. And it slowly sinks in that you watched him have sex with mutliple partners and carryon two meaningful relationships without telling anyone involved that he is HIV positive. He then has more partners and doesnt tell them...this weirdly, at least for me, makes the HIV have a detrimental effect on the character. This is a serious sexually transmuted disease and he selfishly and irresponsibly goes around and does whatever he wants while hiding it so he wont be stigmatized or ostricized. He pretends....and it kinda makes him a really bad person.

8.0 = B+, 4-Stars. A solid all around entry that will likely not disappoint.

Leia Mais

An okay drama that could've been better

This "queer" story falls short of the heights of excellence. Among its flaws, none are as detestable as the violation of a gay male space (a gay club) by a "straight" identifying woman (31:59 of episode 1). The sanctity of a gay male space is not to be disturbed, it's a space for men of like mind and heart to be unabashed in their same-sex desires, away from the harsh gaze of the heteronormative society. Entering a single-sex space with the intention of pursuing someone of the opposite sex to carry back to one’s bed reveals a lack of understanding of, and respect for, the space's true purpose

What was that sudden, unceremonious reference to HIV? HIV isn't a gay disease and a character's sexuality doesn't warrant the inclusion of HIV in a storyline

The doctor's assumption that the main character's HIV was sexually transmitted is inconsistent with his assertion that the chances of transmitting HIV through sex are low (39:50 of episode 5). The main character's life was unaffected by the disease, and there was no reason why he should be among the rare cases of sexual transmission. HIV is being used for dramatic effect

The narrative device of "straight" identifying female characters befriending gay male characters and becoming the medium through which gay stories are told is tiresome and troubling. Why a "straight" identifying woman, and not a gay woman, a fellow member of the community who shares the same struggles and experiences of discrimination? Can't a gay woman and a gay man get along and be depicted as friends for once?

The conclusion isn't a happily ever after; it's more of an anticlimactic question mark, tinged with the bitterness of an uncertain future. Sad or open endings are a trademark of most "queer" stories, their writers seem to have a vendetta against gay happiness

I find greater comfort and warmth in BLs/gay stories that celebrate the joy of the romantic fulfillment and validation denied to gay couples. They surpass their sad or open-ended "queer" counterparts

Although "Love in the Big City" isn't a masterpiece, its depiction of a gay person's life prevents me from rating it too low. I've decided on a score of 8 that acknowledges the value and the flaws of the story

Leia Mais

A Different Take On Love

I'm not really into BL dramas, but, this one got me curious and gave it a shot. First, I really like the realistic approach. As far as I've seen, Korean entertainment is starting to loosen up their conservative side in terms of doing this type of genre, which is a good move I may say.

For the story, I got hooked on the first 6 eps. of the story. It was a roller coaster of emotions. I honestly liked Go Young's character. Not only he is cute, literally, but has a pure heart as well. The friendship he made with Mi Ae was truly priceless. I really loved the strong bond between these two. Though, at the back of my mind, I was hoping they would notch up there friendship beyond sisters. Still, the bond remained inspite of pursuing their different track in their lives. And yes, Mi Ae's wedding was so heartwarming to see. The song between these sisters show how bonded they really are.

Go Young's squad was another epic characters in this drama. Having friends through thick and thin are truly priceless. I'm just not sure if he was able to open up with them about his sickness. As far as I remember, he was too cautious for them to learn about it after seeing their reactions of one person they know who was infected.

The sad fate of Go Young's mom was another heartwarming moment in this drama. Though, I know there are times that he needed to vent out by going out to the club with his friends while his mom was being taken care of by a caregiver. It just felt a bit off. Like, thinking his mom was suffering and there he was clubbing. But, yeah, as youthful as he is, probably that's really his way to ease out his burdens. It's just sad that he never admitted to his mom his preference but yeah, his mom learned about it through the photo and yes, when she gave her full savings to Young, it's a sign of her acceptance. Am sure it was a really tough decision for the mom knowing she's active in Church based on the background given.

And yes, for Go Young's series of relationships, the first cheater boyfriend who eventually gave him the virus on the latter part of the drama. And the very serious, Nam Gyu, the photographer who also ended up in a sad fate. In which, Young was really not into him. Then, there was Young So, the hideous activist. Really not the right partner for him, though he was very passionate with Go Young. The real deal Gyu Ho. I really liked how they met at the bar. and I think, GH was the one who truly cared for him. Accepted as who he was. Yet, they have different paths to take. I guess, their love for each other wasn't truly enough.
I was a bit confused with Habibi's character. He suddenly popped at the last 2 eps of the drama that felt drag for me. I probably missed how he met Habibi as I tried to forward some parts. Am not sure how he was related to Gyu Ho. And it seems he met him in a dating app I think or social media page, this I'm unsure of. But, his character seems just a filler towards the end. Nothing significant since he has a family and his work confused me as well. He is Japanese but speaks good English. He travels a lot I presume since they met in Korea and also in Thailand.

Anyways, the ending is just okay for me. But, not what I'm hoping for. The relationship of GY with his dad is another complicated story. Overall, it was a good drama. Actors absolutely nailed their roles specially, Nam Yoon Su. The steaminess in this drama were very well portrayed. It made me believe that it is their gender preference in real life. But like I said, the final 2 eps. simply drag for me. Lots of flashbacks of GY and GH that I find irrelevant since their not even getting back together.

This is really recommendable who's really in to BL dramas. Not really my cup of tea. But, the actors are truly commendable, honestly.

Leia Mais

WE COULD HAVE BEEN BEAUTIFUL

"In the heart of Seoul’s electric hum,
Where towers scrape the sky, and dreams collide,
I found you, a fleeting ghost in the throng,
A silhouette dancing in the neon glow. "

I'M CRYING WHILE WRITING THIS

I felt this, entirely, every bit of it, laughter at its sincerest, a symphony of unspoken hopes, echoing through the alleyways of solitude, two men wear their hearts like a fragile charm, amidst the shadows, their secrets intertwined. It is very hurtful, very sickening but it is the true testament of the life of every gay man with HIV. This is beyond a lovestory, it is a tragedy and if you can not handle pain it is going to break you because it is one of those shows that will teach you that you can't always have everything that you want.

Now of course before I forget to mention just about how we have the best of friends, how fun and sadsy these guys dance to T-ARA'S SEXY LOVE. A female roomie who is an entire package of a Roomie you would want that you can't help but feel jealous. If i am not counting the shitty hookups and weird but then immediately projected failed relationships, his awful taste in men, the friendship is golden from start to finish. I mean its not like gay friends like that are easy to find and that part of the story deserves respect.

I am in love with the cast, they did pull it off, with perhaps the deepest understanding of their characters, you can feel the frantic pursuit of love in a very vast city, the characters are but small insignificant people, but they make themselves matter, every emotion gets deeply etched, once again if you are after depression you are on the right track.

Damn, who wrote the bloody script, I can't forget that one too, every word feels deep enough to cut the soul and you feel it in your marrow and ask yourself how is it that fate could be as heartless, but luckily enough they told no lies at all, this is what has always been happening in a patriarchal society like Korea where for gay men survival can be a living hell.

They shouldn't lie to you, this isn't fiction, this story is the true awfulness of a country like Korea to gay people. But will you love the story? Yes. Everything about this series has been executed to perfection, from the sombre scenes, the cruel heartbreaks, the longing of all characters for a place to call a loving home, rejection from the family and persecution of the world, its all in here and it is enough.

Definitely one of the best Korean BLS of all time, I'd trade a lifetime for it, even Netflix after all life isn't just rainbows and butterflies and if you feel you can not take in too much tragedy, don't bother otherwise, watch at your own risk

Leia Mais

Learning to Accept Love and Live Without Regret

The story was written quite well I feel and overall had solid acting from all characters, major or minor. In a time where many k-dramas feel they have grown formulaic, this one felt fresh in many episodes. I felt that it had a strong strong and somewhat flat but overall appropriate ending for the story's meaning and purpose. The few qualms I have with the drama are easily ignored as it truly shines with Go Young's internal monologue and how it never drops the original meaning it wants to convey.

I'm truly glad that the ending did not result in a rush to mend Go Young's love life with the perfect guy and end off with a happily ever after. The eight-episode format as well significantly improves the drama's quality and its ability to convey all it has to say in a timely manner. By the end, it was nice to see Go Young grow as a person and understand that while he has changed so much from all his experiences with love, he's still learning. However, he doesn't let his regrets consume him by the end, whereas a more naive version of himself may have.

However, as mentioned earlier, there are a few minor points where the story can feel a bit weak. Particularly, Go Young's friend group's hangouts occasionally. While I'm glad they don't slowly disappear in screen time and the supporting characters have depth to them, it can feel empty watching some of the scenes and seeing nothing happen or be said. This is true with a lot of these pocketed scenes across the plot, where it feels like 5 minutes just passed by and nothing, even in the overall episode, was contributed.

But, again, all of these are more than made up for in the acting, the story overall, music and great depiction of a variety of gay men and how they'd actually interact.

Leia Mais

Yeong's worst enemy....

This series had me until episode 6 and then it just was a dull hum until the end. It's was a beautiful realistic story. One of the greatest joys was watching Yeong move from being self indulgent over exhuberent college kid to a self aware realist, a published writer. This is also the greatest sadness. He drew on his experiences, his environment and poured it into his writing. Along the way he lost his sparkle.

Gyu Ho and Nam Gyu both suffered the same fate. Yeong's inability to accept love without expectations caused him to lose two people who truly love him. It seems all his relationships were doomed due to his desire to have the razzle dazzle fireworks to continue throughout, without being able to accept the mundane. Only after they were over, would he be able to see what he truly lost and regretted. Not knowing his true self and his inability to be alone encouraged two relationships that should never have been. Habibi and Yeong Su came with hidden baggage, one abusive and the other just sad. Yeong Su lived in shadows and manipulated Yeong's niaivete to live in his internalized homophobia. Habibi, with a hidden wife and child, embarks on a journey with him, hoping to capture a bit of Yeong's sparkle to relieve his boredom. Seeing him too drunk and overworked, Yeong chooses himself and walks away. Both relationships were poor choices to facing a life of solitude and expected failures.

His mother is shown to have moved from denial, abhorring, to knowing, to minimally discussing. She doesn't accept his life but still loves her son.

The real charmers, the electricity powering his life, were his close group of friends and roomate Mi Ae. Yet, even with them, some bits of his life were closed. His HIV status is only shown to be discussed with Gyu Ho, who loved him enough to truly accept him as he is. Gyu Ho, after the cowardly way Yeong breaks up with him, never contacts him again. Though, through the bartender at their favorite spot, he let's Yeong know, he is still loved. Not yet ready to make any contact, in the end, it is his friends that he is seen enjoying the fireworks.

The story was beautifully told, and with flashbacks in the last two episodes, we get a fuller history of the reality of his best relationship, Gyu Ho. The sad part for me is that he began to let his status have an effect on him and as he took stock of his life, became more subdued. The last two episode felt like a gradual slide down from the high.

Every character was skillfully brought to life. Yeong was a free spirited over the top whitty self accepting non judgemental dreamer who was scared to dream and Nam Yoon Su killed it. This is a must see at least once.

Note to directors and editors at large:
Flashbacks: This is how it's supposed to be done. Ever flashback should reveal something new and actually propel the story being told.

Leia Mais

Incredible acting, important series, so so writing

The actors did a great job, I commend to the them cause they brought the characters to life in such an immersive way, even when the writing had some problems in my opinion.

I appreciate the will to talk about the many struggles of a person part of the LGBTQIA+ community, but since the themes are particularly sensitive I felt some issues were rushed into the plot, like Yeong being HIV+. This is such an important question that it deserved more time to breathe into the story.
I feel like the overall length of the series was enough, the issue is how it was spent: some moments and themes needed more time and attention or the writer could’ve chosen to focus on one/two but do a better job. Some others got way too much space and didn’t even add much to the story cause of their repetitiveness (the many club scenes, the multiple scenes in which Yeong was with his mother, she said the same things and he then ran away leaving her with the caregiver…).
The religious guilt linked to the mother and Yeong Su is another sensitive matter and it was barely touched (like the scene where his mum clearly got him locked up in a psych ward when he was a teen?! You can’t just drop that scene and move on like nothing happened!)
I also would’ve loved a happy ending, gotta be honest, and I’m not one for them.
I often hear members of the community saying how refreshing it is to have representation that it is not only tragedy after tragedy when it comes to dramas/series/movies based on their experiences, and I feel like here we leaned way too much into the depiction of the hopelessness of a gay man. As much as it’s the experience of many and it’s important to represent it, I felt that Yeong Su was being the protagonist of a witch hunt more than a coming of age/slice of life to the point of feeling cruel for the sake of it. I feel very torn, cause it’s and important piece of media, but it was executed ok.

Leia Mais

A Vivid Portrayal of Queer Struggles against Heteronormative Society

“With or without it, you’re still you.”

I should warn you now: this review may not make much sense. I’ve just finished Love in the Big City, and my thoughts and feelings are a bit scattered. But isn’t that what Love in the Big City is all about? It’s about thoughts, regrets, and emotions that seem all over the place, yet somehow come together in a relatable and bittersweet culmination of life’s chaotic realizations.

Adapted from Park Sang Young’s novel, Love in the Big City is less a love story and more a journey of finding peace and acceptance with yourself and your circumstances. It follows Ko Yeong (Nam Yoon Su), a gay man navigating multiple relationships, from his best friend Choi Mi Ae (Lee Soo Kyung) to his mother Eun Suk (Oh Hyun Kyung) to his lovers—Kim Nam Gyu (Kwon Hyuk), No Young-Soo (Na Hyun-Woo), and Gyu Ho (Jin Ho Eun)—all while coming to terms with his HIV diagnosis, which he refers to as “Kylie.”

It’s a story about failure, success, and facing the parts of yourself that’s been through both.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/23/love-in-the-big-city-series-review-ep-1-to-8/

Leia Mais

Never have I wanted to die more than right now

I finished the series 10 minutes ago. I'm a fucking wreck but let's do it.
I don't know what's going on with Korean BLs lately but they've been HITTING for some reason. First, The Eighth Sense, then Love for Love's Sake, and now this one?? Why does everyone want me to kms??? No but seriously, they're doing something that I don't quite see in other countries' BLs, like Thailand's, for example.
I'll say this: I've only cried twice watching a BL. The first, watching Last Twilight, and the second, watching this.

So. What I liked:

- It feels realistic, even though I hope there's no-one on this Earth as unlucky as the poor protagonist. He falls in love, breaks up, gets broken up with, has happy times and hits new lows every now and then. He has sex, he has friends, he has family issues, he can be compassionate but also an asshole. I love it. I love Go Young not as a character, but as a person that might exist in real life. I could see myself being friends with him.
- Surprisingly sex positive, especially for a KBL. Even Mi Ae sleeps around and it isn't treated as something shameful or wrong (though she still gets mocked for it). I also appreciated the representation of someone who has to live with HIV. I don't know if they consulted people who actually have it, but as a viewer it felt quite genuine.
- The characters are all lovely. I was sooo invested following Go Young, I loved his friends despite their limited screentime, and I ADORED Mi Ae while she was onscreen. There's hints at backstories, complex personalities, all interwoven to create very believable characters.
- The main couple was amazing, show-stopping, incredible--- I just don't know what to say. The portrayal of puppy love (or the honeymoon phase) was mesmerizing.
- The existential dread and the feeling of being lost, unwanted, unworthy, etc- was too well done for my taste. It hit too close to home at some points.

BUT--

- The time skips can fuck with your head sometimes, it can be hard to tell how much time has passed between different scenes. And because the series covers quite a lot of time, it can feel like things are going at breakneck speed, especially when Go Young is going through different boyfriends.
- I do agree with other reviewers that, outside of his mental dilemma and shame with HIV, he didn't really suffer any side-effects from having it in his day-to-day life.
- Well you can probably already tell but this series is fucking depressing. Everything that can go wrong in someone's life goes wrong for Go Young, and it's so hard to watch him suffer through it all: loss of relative to cancer, HIV, multiple breakups, lost friendships, toxic exes, dead exes, the whole nine yards. I honestly cried less at my grandfather's funeral (/j).

Still, the series is amazingly well done. And incredibly acted. It's one of those rare occurrences where you forget that you're watching a character, not a real person.
Just, maybe don't watch if you're single, in your early 20s and in the brink of an existential crisis. It doesn't really help, let's just say that.

Leia Mais

A Great KBL

I really enjoyed watching the series 💯. The series teaches the important of loving oneself properly and how friendship is a very integral part of life. A very realistic ending and a beautiful story but there were so many things I couldn’t understand.
Why was his best friend not aware he had Kylie , where was she when he lost his mother and when he almost lost his life, she literally called him to hangout after not long after he lost his mother and we didn’t see her at the funeral . I didn’t really get his story with Habibi too . His friends deserved to know what he had been dealing with at least and they didn’t preach safe sex and how he was having relations with people while having Kylie , I feel like that should have been touched as well. But apart from that I loved it

Leia Mais

another not my cup of tea

honestly i can't really remember which series are not my cup of tea but definitely this is one of them. it's not that i don't like it but i just can't really understand the whole story line. what's the point of go young's love life story, i simply don't really understand. it feels like i just follow along his life story without any exact outcome/summary. that's it. again, it's not that i don't like it, i enjoy every go young's love story, but i just feel like it can be elaborated more for the summary or main point of this series. my brain can't interpret that.

honestly it confused me at first because i don't know which one is the main lead beside nam yoo-su. it broke my heart when the second male, the photographer, died. then it confused me again and again because every man seem not to be the main lead, not until that nursing student. but yeah maybe the main point is that go young's love is now gone because of what he did. idk.

maybe will not rewatch it because it's on viki and i don't really have any subscription of platforms. so.. yeah. not my cup tea but still a good one.

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