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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 Turns out he had an injury that ended his football days, and that's what pushed him into being more withdrawn, and it only got worse once his younger brother got picked...
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Impression of Youth (Taiwanese Series)

By Golu
While we expect shows from Taiwan to be quite nice, this one disappoints. The story is full of clichés, nothing new is told and it's the same old love story. No attempt has been done to detail out any of the characters and the story is just super simple. Honestly, I expect more from Taiwan. Having said that, its a cute little love story that gives you slight warm feelings but once it ends, you are left with nothing at all, and that's because this show doesn't offer anything new or different. The series is 9 episodes of about 30 minutes each.

Since it is going to be hard to remember names, I will address them by their characters. A college art student is grappling with making something beautiful. His professor sends him to a coastal town for one month as a substitute art teacher, also hoping that he will get some inspiration to finish his art project. There he mets the homestay owner and his younger brother who studies art in the local school. This younger brother and the college art student begin to connect at many levels. They start early morning going to beach to get inspired to draw something and in the process both Strat to fall for one another and experience emotions like never before. They use these emotions in thier art as well. Then we have another slightly mature romance. The homestay owner is completely smitten by next door cafe owner who is remodeling the cafe. The guy lost his wife couple of years back and still has not come to terms with it. As the homestay owner become an unlikely friend and ally, (also because he has a huge crush on the cafe guy), the so called straight cafe guy slowly start to realize how much love and companionship he had missed which he is getting by the homestay guy. Their love is straight forward with a natural growth that you would expect. There are some misunderstandings towards the end when the college university student gets an employment offer from New York, but as would expect, he leaves that because his heart lies with his love.

Impression of Youth remained engaging, weaving together themes of artistic passion, self-discovery, and love’s ability to both inspire and heal. The college guy's journey is also about rediscovering his own voice as an artist, learning to observe and feel in ways that shape both his work and his heart. Similarly, for the cafe owner and the he stay owner, we see how love can give you strength to move forward, proving that new beginnings can emerge even after loss. Having said that, the big problem with the show is lack of any emotional attachment to the characters. The characters are pretty vanilla. The school student does try to add some youthful energy here, but overall it was just alright. I am not saying that it was a bad show, but it was almost boring because not much was happening. The show is strictly a timeless. I am not sure why the unnecessary twist of the girl liking the university boy was needed at all? It's almost like the template asks for a girl to like a boy so that we can show some gay tendencies or whatever!! It just didn't make sense. Also for the late 20s couple, the main is grieving his wife and suddenly when he has a drunken kiss form the other guy, the grief considerably dissipated and plunged head first into what can be assumed to be his first gay relationship. The reactions of both of them seemed rushed and unrealistic. Watch it if you have nothing better to do. It's very basic and simple series which will leave almost no impressions on you. So much for Impressions of the youth. ! (4.5/10)
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