The Eighth Sense (2023)

Blueming Rebooted

Interoception is the sensory system that helps us assess internal feelings. And increasingly, it's being recognized as the 8th sense along with sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, balance and movement in space (vestibular sense) and body position and sensations in the muscles and joints (proprioceptive sense) .

Word to the wise: do not watch the super hyped show just after they'd finished airing! All those rave reviews will have you expect an extraordinary watch and you risk to be disappointed because while looking for the brilliance, all you'll notice will be the flaws!

And this drama has a loadfull of flaws. Unfortunately!

I started watching it yesterday but before that, I checked the reviews without reading them : I only looked at the rates and it was scary! Out of 71 reviews that had been published until yesterday, only two had rates below 9.5 (8 & 8.5 to be exact!). So of course I expected to have my mind blown away. Well did but not the way I expected !

The plot is standard trope filled university bl romance: two guys meet, click, get together, split up because of a misunderstanding, there is the obligatory mean ex, suffer for an episode then get together and we have an episode full of fluff! THE END I have to give it to them though, they went a bit deeper with mental health issues and the consequences thereof but still...

While I was watching the first few episodes, there was a nagging feeling in the back of my head of déjà vu but I only realized why towards the ending: everything about the aesthetics here screams of Bleuming: same dulled colours (everything is in shades of blue and grey), silhouettes, shadows and a lot of night shots! The only colour you see is in the opening credits which I found rather original (though again, the first design image which is supposed to be a wave looks more like a snake!EDIT It is actually a sign for infinity...). Coupled with some iffy editing, and I had to check if I was not watching the wrong drama! It was pretty but depressing....

The music did not help the mood: it was totally discordant (wrong notes played apparently) and uncomfortable. They were probably going for such impression on viewers so that was a success. The music got better and smoother as the drama progresses, ending the episode 9 with a great song by Conan Grey "The Story". The ending of that episode was perfect so imagine my surprise and confusion when I discovered there was another episode, which turned to be completely useless and totally unrealistic fluff! They pulled the same stunt in Bed Friend ruining a perfectly good angst filled story.

Another thing that was wrong with this drama is that it reminded of of a lot of korean webcomics. I do not think it was based on one though, but all the characters come straight out of a shounen ai manhwa! Starting with the main couple (both actors are excellent) but their pairing and chemistry did not convince me: one is rich manly "top" and the other one is poor slightly build "bottom" eventually putting his head on the other one's shoulder and practically purring and all I could see are so many comics with such a scene. I actually did not like them dumbing down Ji Hyun after they finally started dating but, on the other hand, doesn't that usually happens to FL as soon as they fall in love they become incompetent to string two words together? Both actors were relatively at ease with each other but they sorely lacked chemistry. There were some interesting dreamy sequences of the main couple just walking side by side....Beautiful! The whole escapade to the seaside, playing in the sea was breathtaking as well. On the other hand both characters were good guy to a fault, never a wrong or mean word to anyone: always kind and polite. At one point Jae Won's "best friend" eaten by jealousy and envy, does everything in his power to ruin his life over a stupid incident! Guess what: he is forgiven, no hard feelings! Those two are just too good to be true! I guess I am just an incurable cynic, I do not believe in the fundamental goodness in everyone! I know I am not so...

What puts this BL a cut above the other korean ones, is the natural skinship between the leads. Just like in Blueming! But very seldom seen in KBLs...

The one serious issue they tried depicting are the long term effects of PTSD Jae Won suffers from. It was interesting to see his sessions with his psychiatrist, though the first time we see her in ep1: I found her rather weird. But then, a few episodes later she was talking about not knowing whether to go to her suicidal patients funerals or not. That's when my alarm bells rang! Is that really important? How about asking yourself why you did not manage to stop your patients from committing suicide? The general advice is: if you are feeling down(sad, depressed, suicidal!), talk to a professional. And I know even a professional cannot save everyone, it is sad but true. But shouldn't that incite them to question their methods and try to learn from that case in order to know better the next time they come upon a similar case? The way Jae Won deals with his feeling and his trauma is THE eighth sense!

The cast of secondary characters were a mixed lot, mostly awful people starting with the two MC's best friends who have no filter or boundaries and NEVER accept no for an answer. And of course there was the usual bitchy and mean ex who, of course again, tried her damnedest to ruin her ex's new relationship. Fortunately, Ji Hyun would not take any of her nonsense seriously which is never the case in dramas so it was refreshing to see it here! These three useless and awful characters got too much screen time (well they needed to fill up 10x40min episodes!!!). The whole drama and this group of students looked very much as if it came out of one of Playlist Global's web drama: the acting was on the same unconvincing level!

And of course the ending is pure cringeworthy fluff where everyone is forgiven and they all ride into the sunset and live happily ever after! Bah hambug!? written by Mr Scrooge

Leia Mais

Overrated work of art?

I guess it was my high expectations because of the praise that this show has got so far but when I watched it I couldn't really connect with it the way I wished to...
First of all the editing was weird in some cases, I was just left confused on the overall pacing of the story and the decisions made on continuation of it. Even if it was intentional it just didn't help what felt like a very lackluster story.
By the end I expected to learn more specially about Jae Won to really know his back story and the way he acted, and while I did understand his actions it felt overall lacking and like they could've explored more but decided to leave it vague, which just by the end made me not connect with him as I would've liked to.
A great portion of the characters (specially the ones in the club) were unlikeable, and were mostly forgiven or left without consequence in the end, which just made it harder to keep watching.
The music was alright and story could've been better, just the execution felt weird and even if experimental or different to what's out there in terms of BL it felt too cliche and weirdly paced in a lot of the cases, like if it wanted to focus more on the psyche of the characters why not show more of the therapy sessions of Jae Won for example instead of only snippets in some episodes for example.
I've been enjoying the last K-BL releases but this one just isn't up there for me, which makes me disappointed and makes it feel overrated in the end.

Leia Mais

I sense a masterpiece...

The chemistry between JiHyun and JaeWon is so so so good! It starts right off the bat. In every scene they have had together thus far you can sense a feeling of yearning between the two; the tension between them is very much there. JaeWon and JiHyun have already had more scenes than I can count on my hand that made my heart flutter. Every look between them has a spark. The chemistry between them only grows more and more after each episode passes.

The cinematography is so so so pretty and only keeps getting better! The directing is very nice. Everything about the show flows smoothly thus far. It has a very cohesive feel to it. No comedic funny tracks playing, there are moments when there is no background music and I really appreciate it. This gives the show a sophisticated feel to it.

The story is pretty simple but very engaging. I want to see JiHyun and JaeWon's relationship blossom. The setting is nice. Both leads are so so so handsome. JiHyun is adorable and JaeWon is very handsome. They match each other so well. I love to see an introvert get their perfect love story.

I'm excited to watch them fall in love and be in love. I just want to watch more. I wish the whole show were out. Seriously, I would binge-watch this in one sitting if I had the chance. If this show keeps up what it has been doing it is going to be a masterpiece, more than a 10/10 for me. So far I see nothing at all wrong with this drama; it is as close to perfection as you can get.

The way each the leads act is not frustrating at all. The script is very good. Seriously, I have not seen a show portray mental health issues as good as this one. The topic is handled with care, and it is very realistic and hit home.

It is nice to come across a show as good as this one. Seriously, you never intend to come across dramas like these. For, I always try to hunt for them, but whenever I go out looking for a masterpiece of a show I am disappointed. Masterpieces just spring upon you... at least for me. Like I am hooked and a show hasn't done that for me in a while. I fear this show is going to be all I think about for a long while. Yeah, I will definitely be rewatching this in one sitting when it is all out.

I'll make sure to update this review as I continue to watch the show.

update:
What really touches my heart is the bond that they have. JiHyun is JaeWon's safe place; he is the most comfortable when he is around him. They both make each other so happy and feel the most at peace when with one another. Watching them grow closer and closer is the most heart-wrenching thing. I truly wish them both happiness. Another thing that makes this so great is that both of the leads are not one-dimensional. They both have great depth to them, especially JaeWon with his trauma. Watching JaeWon come to terms with his trauma and how the show describes the trauma that he has is just done so well. It is not offensive or over the top. I just love this so much. And the fact that JaeWon feels so safe around JiHyun just really gets to me. Like he found his person, they found each other at the time they both needed some comfort. I just... it is just... i love it so much.

Ending comments:
This show is truly a gem. The music, the environment, directing, cinematography, acting, just everything is more than perfect. My heart was going all sorts of crazy throughout the whole show.

Leia Mais

eh....average.

a very average show. i feel like........it didnt do shit tbh. spoilers ahead bc i have no concept of shutting up when im disappointed lol

tldr: weird editing, no connection to the show, typical boring dynamics between characters, rushed ending, tried to do too much but couldnt succeed.

--- like the editing was weird, i disliked the transitions between some specific scenes. i had to rewind and switch back and forth between certain episodes to make sure i hadn't missed shit let alone switching between the context of two scenes in the same episode.
--- the pace of the show suddenly picked up and then suddenly slowed down wayyy too much at some places. the ending was so rushed like whats the deal with putting that redemption thing on everyone and if u r doing that do it right and not for the sake of the trope itself, it fucks shit up.
--- back on editing, i really did enjoy the aesthetics of the first ep or hell even the second one but beyond that, all i had to say is meh. even the tone and colouring of the scene was messed up, like. at some places it was literally almost jarring and im not even a film/aesthetic buff to comment on this stuff seriously but holy shit, u just do not tone everything down in that shade when the guy is fine and dandy in the next five minutes.
--- the chemistry between every1 (protags included) was like. fine. it didnt allow me to form any sort of connection with any of them, they either pissed me off or i was just like '-_-' at them. thats my bored out of my mind face btw. ok but honestly it was chill in the beginning, but it lost its charm after ep 4. the characters were just not written that well. i will not touch upon jae won's bff and ex's character. i literally HATE arch typical characters like omg u r a writer at least write smth new. except ae ri! Seo Ji An did <3 job at acting i love her. she is the only character i care about she is just SOOOOO cool.
--- i dont get the narrative voice change neither do i get how ji hyun's personality took a turn 2 sassiness suddenly, or how jae won and ji hyun got together so suddenly or like yk what i dont get half the narrative decisions. most scenes took place abruptly, characters dynamic was changed abruptly or it just erupted abruptly. for a show with 10 eps spanning for more than 6 hours, i was expecting a steady development but instead of development, i just get served tropey dynamics. which hah. um. no thank u.
--- i dont think thats how therapy works if u are going to portray shit at least do it right, like the writer wanted to depict shit but did everything halfass-dly. half the plot points felt forced, nothing got resolved. everything is forgiven easily, no current plot points causes consequences, what pushes the plot points is some specific past event only that has got a 2 mins screentime mention. like. deep breaths. idk like ok do that but at least if x is happening at present, then x affects the characters and plot. deep dive in that x and explore its consequences before saying bye bye 2 x.

Leia Mais

« Let's try it together, even if we're afraid »

Sometimes, perfection isn't about the lack of flaws but about the emotions something can elicit.

So was this drama flawless ? No, it wasn't. But there was so much to love about it : the characters beautifully written, complex and fleshed out, the cinematography, the actors, the sounds and music, the meaningful dialogues and the realness of the story and situations. And of course a beautiful love story both delicate and realistic which makes the heart flutter.
It's been a long time since I loved a drama as much as I loved this one.

I really like Ji-hyun but Jae Won is my favorite character, complex, tormented, sweet and endearing. Both actors did a stellar job giving life to these two characters.
I also liked the care given to the writing of secondary characters. They help give life to the main characters.

If you're looking for a fluffy and cute romance, this one is probably not what you're looking for. But if you like character-driven dramas with a more realistic and mature side then I highly recommend it.

Leia Mais

Definitely up there

Enjoyed this drama a lot. It's probably 2nd or 3rd on my list of Top KBL's (fighting with Blueming on placement).

I loved thay we had real characters facing real issues. It wasn't just some fluffly romance for the sake of serving BL, or a watered down version of BL; no, the writer and director clearly had a mission to portray an honest story with believable characters, actual relatable human emotions/reactions and a well fleshed out story line that holds your attention and makes you want to keep watching.

The romance between Jaewon and Jihyun was really adorable. I loved the pacing of their relationship. At first you can just tell they were intrigued by one another due to the inital attraction they had to each other. But then afterwards, it became more of a, 'This person is my safe haven' type of feeling between them. You could see how they started to rely and trust one another, and actually form a deeper connection than just physical attraction. Also the real, deeep, kisses and smoky looks (I'm looking at you JW ?) that were shared between the two was the icing on top as well. Loooved all the cuddling in bed scenes as well, reminded me of Skam!

Only thing I would have changed in this drama is that not everything needs to have a Happy Ending. I remember JW said he wished he didn’t have to put up a front in front of other people anymore. He wished he could just be himself, so I wouldve preferred if he cut off his toxic "friend" from his life at the end. Granted, i know a person can't just do a 360° change in personality overnight but it would have been better to see him set boundaries with said friend rather than making amends with him and not actually holding him accountable to the shitty actions he pulled. Also, I feel there was more to explore with JW's family issues. Dk if they're planning a S2 to look into that or not (?) but would've been nice if we knew more about his relationship with his parents/got some resolution from it.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this. I’ve always said when Korea starts taking BL seriously and starts investing into it like they do with regular Kdramas, they will rule the world and I can see it is heading in that direction so I'm excited for the future.

Leia Mais

Not sure about an 8th sense, or making a lot of sense but it did involve a whole lot of senses...

This drama has a pretty good story, it is complicated, but not to complicated and kept me interested from start to finish. Part of me wanted to rate this higher as while I do get a lot of my beloved cliches there is also some originality and I guess an authentic feel to the story. There is however also a lot of cringe and forced dialog. Some of this cringe is called out which is lovely but then they just keep at it...

The friendships in this are probably as good if not better than the romance in this I love most of the side characters, and love to hate the side characters that I should hate too.

I love the way this is filmed, even though some parts gave me motion sickness I do feel that they managed to use the filming to convey the emotions and development really well. The crew here made use of everything and indeed did get my senses involved in the story. This was especially noticeable in the peak moments of the drama as well as the sex scenes who where very tastefully made, not much nudity but they did indeed convey that some one in there was getting it on...

I am not really sure what to say about the consent in this, they talk about it but I am not sure I fully agree with them. And these are indeed real youths with a whole lot of problems, some could say kind of broken... like most youths (that I knew in my youth). I honestly kept wondering if some of the characters in this where going to jump of a bridge or start making out with some one as several parts could go either way in this.

The OST was both great and horrible some of the music was just not my taste while other song may just may make it to my playlist.

All in all a pretty decent watch that deals with a bunch of stuff (mostly mental health), is entertaining an easy (at times dark) watch.

Leia Mais

the best korean BL until now

i would like to say it was flawless, but i can't. it had some problems (yes, it had) but they were mostly technical (like some weird coloring not matching some times and the image quality going super low), but the story is 10/10. the acting was also good and i LOVE how it all feels so real and relatable. and my gosh the cinematography is surreal. the way they used camera angles to prioritize feelings over image (like the sexual tension in the shower; the love and happiness during their first time; the feeling of distress and sadness when yoowon was crying because nothing was working for her, etc).

i love how they talked about depression and trauma and the fact that there was a psychiatrist was really good. i feel like in so many korean dramas people are obviously depressed, suffering of traumas and such but they never visit a psychiatrist (honestly, one of the few times i saw it happening the dude went because he thought he was gay. it was just used as homophobic "humor"). so the eighth sense has my respect for using it correctly.

i always say i don't like when they use women as villain in bl. it's a really bad trope. but they used it right in here. because she wasn't the only "bad" person. i feel like all characters (maybe not junpyo, he's 100% pure) are grey characters. they aren't bad or good. they are exactly like any person you can find in any corner. but still, i hope in bl, if they want to make love triangles and such, they should start using men as the third one instead of women. i won't complain much about this dama because it gave us GREAT women. the female characters were so good, really. they were well so written it is hard to believe they were written by men.

well, the conclusion is that the eighth sense is BY FAR the best korean BL until now.

Leia Mais

wow

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Leia Mais

BEST BL EVER!!!

Starting this drama was the best decision of my life. I have never seen a BL with this level of acting, storytelling, cinematography, and romance. This drama has an amazing feeling, it makes you feel like you yourself are falling in love while watching. The two leads are sooo charismatic and they compliment each other so well. I have never seen two leads with this much chemistry, especially for a BL. Lim Jisub was casted by the director through mutual friends and Oh Jun Taek was casted on the street which is crazy to me because they work so well together!!! The drama is about youth, mental health issues, friendships, family, and so much more. I would recommend this to experienced or new BL watchers but it's seriously so good. The kiss scenes are top notch for any kdrama I've ever watched so pleaseeee give it a watch and you won't regret!

Leia Mais

The Eighth Sense: I See 2 Boys In Loveeee

First of all. Full episodes YES. It's about damn time we had full length eps and not 15 min ones! It pays off so much with the storytelling and development of the characters. Speaking of the characters, are leads are so freaking cute and heartfelt. Jae Won and Ji Hyun had perfect chemistry and all of their scenes felt believable. They really kissed and it pays off! I loved the discussion on Jae Won's mental health and seeing him in therapy. That was really cool and I've only seen it in Kdramas like IONTBO, which is one of my faves of all time.

Did I need to see Ji Hyun almost drown? No, and I knew where the plot was going after that. It got kinda cliche with Jae Won ignoring Ji Hyun to "protect him", but it was done well enough to where I didn't mind it too much. I needed the ex to go away though and I loved the friends Ji Hyun had, they were amazing. Finally, CONAN GRAY IN A BL!!! Loveeeee it.

Leia Mais