Let's just cut right to it, this show was painfully boring. There, I said it. A story built around partial amnesia has real potential, but between the choppy scene structure and random flashbacks thrown in constantly, the whole plot ends up feeling more tangled than it needed to be. The romance doesn't fare much better either, it's written so poorly that I never really found myself invested in this couple. Both leads come across stiff on screen and deliver their lines in a really awkward way. The show runs 8 episodes, each somewhere around 30 to 35 minutes. Hanuel, a 29 year old language teacher, wakes up after an accident only to realize his memory stops at age 19. It turns out he'd been in another accident back then too, which is why his memories cut off at that point. He has zero recollection of the fact that he's currently living with his childhood friend Saebyeok, who's now a huge celebrity. That makes the whole situation even harder for Hanuel to wrap his ...
Felipe's sixteen and has always been insecure about his weight because kids gave him hell for it growing up. He's out as gay and lives with his mom, who's a big presence in his life. Summer rolls around and he'd honestly rather stay in binge watching stuff and reading manga than go swimming outside. Then his neighbor Caio, who Felipe's had a crush on since they were kids, ends up crashing at their house for two weeks while his parents are away. As if that wasn't awkward enough on its own, Felipe realizes he and Caio haven't actually spoken in years. They just drifted, and Felipe's convinced himself Caio's one of those straight jock types who'd never be into a guy like him. Neither of them seems happy about being stuck together again. But things start shifting once Caio brings Felipe around his lesbian friend, and that's how Felipe finds out Caio's actually gay too. It comes out that Caio's mom has spent years shutting down anything about him that felt too gay, so he's basically been hiding who he is out of fear, which probably explains why the two of them stopped being close in the first place. From there it plays out like you'd expect, both guys slowly opening up, admitting they've had feelings this whole time, sharing a kiss, actually enjoying being around each other. There's a little conflict near the end when the parents find out, but Caio doesn't back down, he tells everyone openly that he and Felipe are a couple.
This isn't some groundbreaking new take on the genre, but honestly it doesn't have to be. What makes it stand out is who's actually at the center of the romance, and how both guys have to unlearn the assumptions they made about each other and themselves. It also gets at this idea that growing up isn't just about figuring out who you like, it's about learning to be a little gentler with yourself too. I really liked that these two are basically opposites. Felipe's mom has made him totally secure in being gay, but he still struggles hard with how he looks. Caio's the opposite physically, confident, athletic, that whole hot jock energy, but he's hiding something deeper because of how his family's treated him. This is a genuinely feel good watch, the kind that wants you smiling watching two guys fall into something neither one saw coming. You get late night talks, shared hobbies, old memories coming back up, awkward moments trying to reconnect, little realizations about who the other person actually is now. Felipe figures out Caio isn't who he thought he was, and Caio starts seeing just how much Felipe's been quietly dealing with on his own.
It's honestly kind of refreshing watching a bigger teenager get to be the actual romantic lead in a gay love story, getting to feel wanted, getting to be kissed, getting butterflies, getting nervous about sex, actually having a boyfriend, being the main character instead of the funny friend off to the side for once. The mom's a great character too, loud with her love for her son but also not afraid to call him out when he needs it. Caio's journey looks different but works alongside Felipe's story well. Felipe's learning he deserves love and that he's attractive, while Caio's learning he's allowed to just exist as himself after years of his mom controlling how he acts. Everyone in the cast does a solid job, and the two leads genuinely have chemistry together. By the end Felipe gets the kind of happy ending he's spent his whole life seeing other people get instead of him. If I had one gripe, it's that it can feel a little too neat and easy sometimes. It'd be nice if real life actually worked out that simply for everyone, but this is meant to be a lighthearted romance, and for that kind of movie, it does exactly what it sets out to do. (7/10)
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