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Contrast (Japanese Series)

By Golu
This is basically a high school BL where two guys who have nothing going on in common somehow end up getting really close to each other, and that's kind of the whole point of the title too. There's barely any drama or fluff packed in here, it stays pretty straightforward the whole way through. A little bit of friction pops up here and there, but it's nothing compared to what you'd normally get in this kind of show. Runtime wise you're looking at 8 episodes, each one sitting around 25-30 minutes. The two guys carrying the story are Akira and Kanata, and funny enough they knew each other's faces way before they ever knew each other's names. Kanata's the type everyone likes, always got people around him, popular guy, but there's this distance to him that people can't quite place. Turns out he had an injury that ended his football days, and that's what pushed him into being more withdrawn, and it only got worse once his younger brother got picked...
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Something's Not Right (Korean Series)

By Golu
Longing for unrequited love is the basic theme of this new Korean series. It is about the delicate thread that binds two friends who don’t quite know how to cross that final line. Sadly, with a nice story in their bag, the editing of the show is so clunky that scenes jump from one place to another in same timeline and occasionally keep going in flashbacks, it confuses you as a viewer. Also after a while you feel like shaking up the main lead and tell him that this is not the way about confessing your love. The show is 8 episodes of about 25-30 minutes each.

Ji Hun and Do Ba U have been friends for years since they were kids. Do Ba U has feelings for his friend for a while and sometime in high school he even told him that he likes him, but Ji Hun didn't take that very seriously. When Do Ba U cannot takeout anymore, he suddenly announces that they should break up the friendship leaving Ji Hun in a corner, who will not give up so easily. Enter another character who is trying to write a webtoon but needs a story writer and he finds Do Ba U, who apparently has been writing about his love. He convinces Do Ba U to allow him to create a webtoon for a competition around unrequited love, while harboring secret feelings for him at the same time. On this guy's insistence and in a last ditch attempt to save his relationship, Do Ba U asks Ji Hun to date him for one week only. A messy follow up entails where it's painful for Do Ba U to hide his feelings and Ji Hun wondering what really is going on with his forever friend. Of course, as you would expect, there is a happy ending but it takes forever to reach there.

Much of the drama is anchored in this push and pull, where one friend struggles to move forward while the other is painfully aware of his true feelings. The show plays with this tension in its early episodes, giving space for their uncertainty to breathe, but it very soon starts to become very frustrating. There are moments when you want to shake them both, to force their eyes open to what’s painfully obvious. The communication between the two is so painfully non-existent, that it gets very frustrating to watch. I mean, why cant Do Ba U make it very clear how it feels about Ji Hun and then take it form there. I do not appreciate the passive aggressive approach. Also his character is quite questionable. He was a terrible friend to Ji Hoon and he'll be the same as a boyfriend. Having someone so insecure around doesn't lead to anything good. Ji Hoon, on the other side made so much sense. He never realized his true feelings but at least he was doing everything to save his friendship. Yes, the third wheel helps Do Ba U to finally realize what he needs to do, but this miscommunication trop was stretched way too much in this series. The actors all looked good and acted well, but lack of detailed characterization, lack of communication and a really clunky editing made this show quite painful to watch. (3.5/10)
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