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Chained To My Bully Stepbrother (AI Vertical BL Drama)

This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat.  The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...

Jun & Jun (Korean Series)

Koreans and a few Japanese BL series have done a good job of showing us office romance. To be honest, some of them have been a bit concerning where the boss shows misuse of power but then there are others which fall under the cute category. This show, with all its shortcomings, falls into the latter category, where the drama is minimum and the idea is to give you a warm cozy and quietly funny, in it sown way, a love story. The show is an easy watch of 8 episodes with run time of about 25-30 minutes each.

Lee Jun is starting as in intern at a marketing agency. He used to be a former idol but he left that life behind. We are told later that a friend of his from those days, Heyon, is the one who got Jun this job. We also find out that Heron is secretly in love with him. It turns out that Lee Jun's new boss is Choi Jun, a childhood friend of his who left him long time ago as a kid when his parents moved to America. Choi recognizes him instantly but it takes Lee a while. Choi leaves no stone unturned to flirt with Lee, who secretly enjoys it but also is aware of his position in office. Meanwhile Heyon and Choi also eventually become familiar of both their growing fondness for Lee. For a specific marketing campaign, Lee Jun is able to secure the company a very famous idol/singer whom he used to be friends with. And guess what this famous singer also has a huge crush on Lee Jun and is more than happy to do anything that Lee asked for. Given the title of the show, we do know that it's eventually Choi Jun who will be together with Lee Jun but the way it all plays out eventually was nicely done. 

The one big issue with this show is unnecessary fluff towards the middle of the show. Lee Jun is under the impression that Choi is engaged (which is not untrue) to a girl who he also has met , but Choi never bothers to clarify the reasoning behind it until much much later. I mean you are working every day together. All this would have taken is a 5 minute conversation to clear the air between the Jun(s), but I guess, how would have the drama proceeded then. Also, the whole office gossip, and interns chit chasing does get boring because it really has not much relevance to the story overall. What I did enjoy was how Choi Jun lets play out teasing Lee in his own way. He likes him, flirts within but also feels that he is intentionally fooling around with Lee to get an idea of where his head is at. It was also funny, in my own little head, how Lee's friend who got him the job and is his immediate boss also likes him and there is this unsaid competition between two bosses in the office on who's gonna win Lee. And if this wasn't enough, we get the famous idol singer/model enter picture who also is bestowed with our Lee. Only if, I could have so many admirers in life. The actor playing Choi Jun has this interesting boss like sex appeal, to which someone like me would be instantly attracted. The actor pulls off his role well, capturing the character's confidence and charisma. I am not a fan of the confused character which is played here by Lee Jun. Also, the romance is not very well developed between the lead actors and a proper growth would have been nice. Clearly the childhood flashback scenes could not. Have been the beginning of a love affair.

I know it does sound like that I only have negative things to say about the show, but guess what; despite all this I still enjoyed watching the show. I loved Jun's fiancé Yeung. We all need such bubbly and supportive friends in our life, full of energy and zest. I also enjoyed some of the banter between characters in restaurant, especially when Choi Jun and Lee's friend who both like Lee talk. And of course, the dreamy actor playing Choi Jun. Overall, it is one of those shows, in which, if you go in expecting nothing, you may be pleasantly surprised. The show still doesn't offer anything novel per se but I wasn't bored at any point and that's something. (6.5/10)

Comments

Sailor Maan said…
A totally enjoyable and lovable one for me! At first I thought "another one of those office romance", but the dynamic between the totally oblivious Lee and the firting Choi was great. What I liked the most was when Choi gets obviouly terribly jealous but can't say a thing. Killed me everytime. Lee has his charm too, and it's funny, and cute in a way, to see how oblivious he is to everything. The support charaters were great imo, especially the girl fiance, she was the best!
And OMG for once in a Korean BL they had great kissing and intimacy! Especially in the end, I really loved their dynamics.
My main complain, besides the weird middle (poor/typically drama stupid communication about the fiance, and weird couple devolepment), is we don't get to see Choi shirtless. Totally unacceptable! Thank God google is here :p

If you want a "nice if you don't have high expectations" one, you can try "Why R U?", korean version. It's actually really funny!
Golu said…
Noting down 'Why r u' and yes that finale was hilarious, right from the first seen when her and Jun end up sharing the ride with other Jun.

I am starting to think that these days there is lot of work on my mind, and I wonder of thats the reason I am unable to Gove my full attention to the potential good shows like this.
Sailor Maan said…
I think your reviews are always fair. I had a great time with this one, but I also think it can't compare to "The eigth sense" or "Our dating sim" for example. Our state of mind of the moment influence the experience for sure. And the fact you have watched too many of them and feel bored of the same recurring tropes perhaps? I hope work will calm down a bit so you can enjoy them again!

Btw I told you I'd hoped we would come to NY in autumn but it is sadly posponed. It will "just" be Canada for us this time. Definitely exciting, but I was really hoping I could have bought you a drink or something, to thank you for all the good time I have reading your blog :) Let's just save it for another time!
Golu said…
That's a bummer. I would really have loved to meet you in person and same for miss, if you ever come down to New York.
I just came from a quick short trip to barcelona, Bologna and San Marino. ;)

IN addition to writing my blog, being busy with work; I am also trying to travel the world. I am 117 UN countries down. lol

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