Love in the Big City (2024)

LIFE AT ITS PUREST

"i wonder why you sleep in utter silence like you're constantly on tiptoe. as if you're never home, no matter how long you've lived here. "

Pure, raw and both beautifully written and directed. I don't recall any other korean show with this level of realism. It's just life. With its ups and down, the bounds we create, the love we seek, the distance we fall apart.

I loved how the story was told, the connections Go Young make on his journey navigating into the universe we live in and the society we sometimes feel rejected from. It's heavy but also very simple, a sigh of what it is to be alive. I was giggling, screaming, got sad, felt the happiness, peace and despair. His relationship with Gyuho broke me into pieces.

Nam Yoonsu, how to not fall in love with you. What a great cast and amazing performances from the whole team. I beg for more shows like this to come.

Leia Mais

Like a slap in my face

I’m speechless, I mean I don’t know how to begin with.. It’s raw, beautiful, it’s daring, it’s relatable… The series set the bar high in terms of the great acting, what they want to convey and the topics they’ve brought up in it but also of course, the really nice cinematography.

It feels like, each episode is like a movie in which we kind of witness what happened around him, his feelings, his relationships. It’s like following his chapters of his life.

After watching it, I had bittersweet feelings yet I’m impressed, it was a bit too real.

Sorry it was quite short but I think I sum up my thoughts on this series.

Leia Mais

someone please share a spare heart with me

It was so wow. From the very first seconds, it captured all my attention, and now I feel like I might need a spare heart. My English doesn’t allow me to describe fully all my emotions, but my bestie and I spent a lot of time, words, and even tears just trying to move on after it.
It doesn’t mean that the series is bad; on the contrary, it provoked so many emotions that we couldn’t watch anything else for a while. At first, it was like, why can’t they end up together, why didn’t they try harder… then, oh, actually, maybe this is better for everyone. It's just that we’re not as decisive or strong as Yeong to hold on.
And Yeong still needs to learn how to live with Kyley and how to love. I hope he’ll be alright.

About Yeong Su, I'm not sure I totally understand—or maybe I just don’t want to believe it. Was it really all just a plan of his? Was Yeong initially just research for him? But then he fell in love, got scared, and pulled back?
That was painful.
And the story with Habibi isn’t clear to me. He lost his vision for two weeks, and then what? What was the cause?

About Kylie. It cause me to learn more, cause I’m convinced that this condition requires ongoing treatment. I didn’t really like how it was portrayed in the series, though.
And the issue with condoms seemed unrealistic to me in 2024, given the huge variety available.

Leia Mais

Tour-de-force. And it lingers in your mind after finishing it.

Love love love this. Binged it and loved it. Great acting, great storyline with great chemistry between the characters which makes it transcend beyond a typical BL. It is sweet without being cloy, it is sad without being overdramatic. After finishing the show, the afterglow of it lingered on me - sadness, hope and sentimentality. The last I had such a feeling after watching a series was after finishing the English series 'Normal People' based on Sally Rooney's novel that also had a similar-ish story line. This series is perhaps the closest and most accurate depiction of gay people living in asian countries. Best series so far on here this year, regardless of genre. Absolutely brilliant.

Leia Mais

Loved it

Even at the beginning I was interested, which is rare for me to want to finish the whole series in one go. I was so happy when I heard they were releasing it in one go. I would definitely recommend this series to all, Some can probably relate to it or most people actually. some much happens in a short 8 episodes so you’ll definitely stay interested.. IMA NEED A SEASON 2 THO, it’s really good, I haven’t watched a show like this before, especially a Korean drama that’s has all of this type of recognition. I was also really exited to see yoonsu as the main actor I’ve seen other stuff he’s in and I love his acting. He did not disappoint. His narration also I could feel “a connection”? I'm not sure what it call it but I also really enjoyed the narration in the show it helped you understand his point of view really well if you could not understand by just watching. Which his acting portrayed the emotions said in the narration..WOULD DEF RECOMMEND!!!..

Leia Mais

Prepare your heart

I messed up… I somehow got into my head that this was going to be a light-hearted comedy (yes, I was lucky to not see any spoilers!) but how wrong was I… you definitely need to prepare your heart and feelings for a drama like this. The plot kind of threw me off slightly, I don’t think we saw Young’s love journey through the eyes of Mi Ae, I think we saw his love journey through his own eyes - his trauma, his love and his heartbreak. He really had it all and we had to witness it all. I do think some of his actions weren’t the right actions to take but he really did go through so much. I definitely think the saying of ‘You don’t realise something until it’s gone.’ Is definitely true for Young and the drama. I really loved this drama from start to finish and it’s definitely on the shelf for one of the best Korean BL dramas in my opinion. Yoon Soo did such a great job acting as Young, in fact all of the actors did a good job. Would I like to see a little bit more? Maybe with the two reuniting? Yes. I don’t think it will happen but to keep my mind at peace, it will happen someday.

Leia Mais

Good representation!
It's a very high quality show, I can tell there was a budget. I liked that the narration makes you feel like you're the one living this and struggling along with the main character. It's very entertaining and some parts hit hard as a member of the LGBTQ community, it feels like good exposure of the real life struggles. The acting was also INCREDIBLE, I found myself crying just because it felt so real and genuine that I forgot it was just a show. The story is also amazing, it made me reflect a lot on life.
I wish this wasn't seen as just a "bl" because it should be a mainstream show meant for the whole world to see, its also better than the average bl that feels like it's just feeding teenage girls illusion. However, I can't help but feel empty at the end, it's sad but the truth and I personally relate a lot more than I wish I did to the character, it's fiction but it felt painfully real.

Overall, an all-rounded show with good actors, good story and expensive quality, anyone that likes k-dramas should watch.

Leia Mais

A Realistic Portrayal of Queerness in Conservative Places - NOT a BL

To elaborate on the headline, the story follows a realistic journey of a gay man in a very conservative & bigoted environment such as SK. Despite the curated places in which queer life rejoices, our MC deals with bigotry and prejudiced outlooks on various aspects of his queer experience. Therefore, if you go into it expecting a BL cliché, disappointment will await you. The show has its ups and down, let's dissect.

TRIGGER WARNINGS !!!
Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Sexism, Suicide, Suicidal Ideation, Abortion, Prejudice Against HIV Patients, Sexual Assault (IMO), Cancer, Death.

- MC, aka Ko Yeong:
to put it simply, he's a dynamic character. he can be a bit frustrating at times although I personally didn't feel bothered by those situations. for example, when he aggressively turns down the photographer guy, I couldn't help but think he was being needlessly cruel during the act. however, upon observing the following sequence of events, I understood why he choose to be bluntly honest, to the point of cruelty.

Additionally, I loved how unnerved as a person he is. despite the social dilemmas and often times, outright traumatizing experiences he went through, he remaind optimistic. Watching him grow up and mature was such a delight, albeit gut wrenching at times. His growth regarding love and romance was very relatable as most queer people in conservative places struggle with imagining a happy future with a romantic partner, but that doesn't stop the yearning and loneliness which often feasts on the failures of meeting said yearnings.

- Social Commentary:
I'm impressed with how packed the show was with social commentary on several topics within the show, which is mainly why I think it would be unfair to call the show a BL. no offense to BL fans, I like a fair share of them. However, it's undeniable how facetious and fetishising the industry is as a whole. what sets shows such as Love in the Big City and I Told Sunset About You is that they deal with queerness as a reflection and portrayal of real life rather than arbitrary fiction. that aside, the show deals with a plenty of social taboos, not only concerning queerness, for example:

* Feminist issues: the show has a healthy dose of discussion regarding sexism and feminism, from the shaming of sexually liberated women to abortion to misogyny. although I think more could've been done, the little we got was appropriate and left space for discussion and reflection. ~8/10

* Religious bigotry against homosexuality in a way that mainly focuses on queer people's truama rather than exposing the hypocrisy of religious bigots, which is what I encounter more often. interestingly, we've encountered two very different portrayals of homophobia caused by religion. the first instance being the editor boyfriend whose shame and internalized homophobia pushed him into living a double life. in one, he doesn't deny himself the carnal pleasure of sexual intercourse with Yeong whereas in the other, he viciously contributes to the abundance of bigoted ideologies cemented in academic spaces, something that I personally think is sinister considering SK's hyperfixation on education and pretentious academic achievements. The second instance is Yeong's mum who went from sending her son to conversion therapy to slowly accepting him. Although there was no scene in which they talk it out, I am satisfied with that since change doesnt happen overnight and she clearly didn't have the time to sit it down and deconstruct her prejudice, yet she did give her son the closure he needed in a final act of love. 9/10

* HIV:
This one might be the heaviest imo. the show fleshes out the soical reception of HIV's patients and how prejudice against them is integrated into the fabric of every aspect of life, even queer spaces. we see how Yeong's diagnosis affected his relationship with almost everyone and everything, from potential lovers to friends to work to travel. I think this one is an enough reason to watch the show. so incredibly well done. ~10/10
(regarding the sexual assault trigger warning, proceeding to have unprotected sex with someone and giving them an STD/STI while knowingly being actively reckless with others, is sexual assault in my opinion.)

*Mental Health:
there was an attempt. I don't think it's one of the most impressive or well-done I've seen but it was good enough to deliver the point and delay the emotions of the characters to the viewer. I think they quickly moved from the suicide of the photographer, although they did a good enough job addressing Yeong's attempt. I'm unsure whether i would've liked it better had they spent more time delving into the mental stuggles that queer people go through in a highly difficult environment such as Seoul, nonetheless, I'm satisfied with what we got. 7/10

- The Friendships:
MC's friendship with Mi Ae is quite impressive considering that majority of depictions of the friendship between gay men and straight women almost always fall into either fetishising the man or simplifying the woman. Contrary to that, Yeong and Mi Ae's friendship showcases a true bond and platonic love for one another.

Yeong's squad, although I wish we got a closure of them reflecting on their prejudice against HIV patients, I loved their bond and how they showed up for each other. In places where queerness is condemned, having a safe space and safe people who share, love and relate to one another in crucial and it shows during the series.

- The Romance:
very realistic which is why I think the show dropped in ratings here lol. we didn't get the rosy, once in a lifetime love story which we're used to in BL and other queer productions, instead we went through the motions of a young gay man's search for love and companionship. there were times when honesty might've saved the situation but it also might've created a deeper resentment between them. it's a series filled with "what if". I found myself wondering what if Yeong did this or his partners did that, hoping for a "better" outcome, which is sadly very reminiscent of real life.

ultimately, I think the outcome of each of Yeong's relationships was realistic, although depressing.
*the photographer: he can't force himself to love someone even if in his mind, he knows that person is good for him.
*the influencer: ironically, Yeong reaped what he sowed.
*the editor: Yeong can't fight the editor's battles with internalized shame and homophobia for him, it was a dead-end from the start.
*Gyu Ho: even if on paper, they could've worked, it was a bundle of social systems that wrecked their dyncamic. I think of their relationship as an example of "the one that got away", they both weren't growing in the same direction unfortunately.
*Habibi: idk how to describe their "relationship" other than a rebound.

Honorable mentions:
- the acting is very good! I can't wait to see more from Nam Yoon Su.
- love the T-ara songs lol.
- the cinematography is good.
- explicit scenes aren't a cringe fest, hooray ig.

THE ENDING:
open ended. I have no problems with open ended projects if done well, which is what we have in this case. some might be unsatisfied with where the events stopped. However, I enjoyed the growth and developments that we witnessed and as I think the show is realistic, it was yet another aspect of realism. we can't conclude the story just yet, life continues.

OVERALL:
such an amazing show where more could've been done but it ultimately left the door open for interesting conversations. it might be disappointing if you look at it idealistically, but realistically it is very well done.

Leia Mais

In the darkest times, there is still room for joy and hope

'Love in the Big City' is one of those series that surprises you from the first images. Its greatest success lies in its power to enrich the panorama of South Korean television dramas with LGBT+ themes, widely represented in 2024 with other works of great value, while at the same time denouncing heteronormative and patriarchal society.
Equally beautiful and moving, as bitter, harsh and disturbing, the LGBT+ drama, not of the BL genre, with the largest budget from South Korea touches on extremely important themes and moves something within each person from the first moment, while offering an anthropological approach to queer lives in Seoul in the 21st century.
Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Park Sang Young, nominated for the Medicis Prize, the Booker Prize and the International Dublin Literary Prize, the romance series is adapted by BigStone Studio in collaboration with Merry Christmas Studio, along with the financial sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture of South Korea, and follows Go Yeong (played by Nam Yoon Su), a cheerful and sincere college student, who navigates life as a closeted gay man who goes through a journey of personal growth while encountering problems family members and different romantic partners, in Seoul's complex dating scene.
I am sure that many will not agree with me when I say that 'Love in the Big City' represents the possibility of entering, fully, on a promising path for South Korean BL series (and from other latitudes), by transcending this genre and going several steps further to tell us an LGBT+ story, since the series avoids falling into the typical and light stories of adolescent fantasy and excessive romantic love, by showing us sufficiently explicit sex scenes and not being created and oriented to an audience - especially - female, since its main budget is to reach the public of said community.
On the other hand, every time a television series project on these topics is outlined, the dilemma between repetition and innovation appears from the very beginning. 'Love in the Big City' has almost achieved the miraculous balance of alternating the constants and the invariables, in a set that cannot be denied, at least, the virtue of novelty.
I wish there were many dramas like this one that paid similar attention to the solid psychological outline of their characters, giving prominence to filial and everyday human conflicts for queer people in societies in which there is still no legal protection of gender identity and sexual orientation against discrimination, and to always delve into what is essential, in personal identity, in the realization of the dreams, desires, freedoms and aspirations of everyone equally, without forgetting a certain expressive distinction.
It seems to me to be a series conceived for a sensitive audience that loves subtleties, not for those who intend to build an impregnable fence of prejudices regarding LGBT+ people, because as the directors and scriptwriter affirm, the love between the members of this community is the same as that of Any other couple, while proposing a certain narrative cadence, takes its time to explain, and sticks to a certain elegance in the dialogues, sometimes colloquial, sometimes metaphorical, or epigrammatic.
As in other LGBT+ series, here appear the parents who do not accept their homosexual children, the young people who must hide their homosexuality from society, the secrets hidden for decades, and of course, the loves and heartbreaks. But what is not abundant in the LGBT+ production that we have seen are characters as nuanced, complex and contradictory as Go Yeong, Sim Gyu Ho, Kim Nam Gyu, No Yeong Su and Habibi, all of them Go Yeong's boyfriends, or Yeom Eun Suk and Choi Mi Ae, as the main protagonist's mother and best friend, respectively.
While Go Young's mother disapproves of her son's homosexuality, while being ashamed of having uterine cancer, as one of the many characters in the series who suffer from self-deception in trying to deny their various physical and mental conditions, Mi Ae is proof of how important chosen family is, especially in LGBT+ narratives.
In a country like South Korea, where traditional family values are so ingrained in the culture, acceptance does not always come from the biological family. Mi Ae and Go Yeong's relationship is that silent reminder that the people who truly have your back are not always the ones you share DNA with: they are the ones who choose to walk alongside you regardless of obstacles and prejudices. The friendship of these two characters is a challenge to the typical idea of family and manages to be shown on screen with total freshness.
'Love in the Big City' does not shy away from explicit language or images, which is rare in the Korean entertainment scene and brings an advantage to the BL scene. On the contrary, he takes care of every last detail and leaves nothing to chance.
He also exudes beauty, capturing picturesque moments with a well-thought-out, bulletproof script, in which at times, his autobiographical narrative becomes very obvious, but apart from that, it provides a new perspective on the life of a writer.
And we arrive at the space where the stars live: To translate the convoluted climate of loves and heartbreaks, secrets and hopes, desires and obsessions, longings and frustrations, an extraordinary cast was required. Despite accusations from a section of South Korean homophobic society that the series aims to "glorify and promote homosexuality", despite threats to Nam Yoon Su from conservative viewers, anti-LGBT+ groups and some of his followers, who claim to be disgusted with the actor for his decision to appear in a gay role, even though this could damage his future career and that of some others involved in the series, 'Love in the Big City' reached a histrionic level awesome.
Some exceeded expectations, surpassing the high levels of professionalism to which we are accustomed: Nam Yoon Su once again reveals himself to be exceptional playing a closeted young gay writer who is HIV positive and is drowning under his family's expectations, dealing with the constant judgment of society and also struggling with the kind of love that consumes you but may never be enough. He is convincing in playing a person who masks the sadness of existence with his innate vivacity. He is undeniably charming and conveys many emotions as the main protagonist.
This actor, recognized for his participation in the 2020 Netflix series 'Extracurricular', which earned him recognition both inside and outside South Korean borders and was nominated for Best New Television Actor at the 57th edition of the Baeksang Arts Awards, He plays Go Young with emotional restraint, reflecting, in addition to his happy and outgoing character, the nostalgia and conflict that his character carries and that he must hide from everyone. Her performance brings depth and authenticity to a character who challenges gender norms, in search of self-acceptance and in the midst of fighting for her place in the world as the central axis of her story.
For his part, Jin Ho Eun embraced unbridled histrionics already seen before, and took risks in an acting style where moderation and restraint prevail, to offer us Go Yeong's true first love.
Both this actor and Nam Yoon Su have obvious and compelling chemistry and are fascinating characters.
With the intensity of allegro vivace they pulsed with their characters Jung Chan Young, Byun Jun Seo and Lee Hyun So, as Jeon Eun Soo, Park Ji Tae and Han Ho Min, respectively, Go Yeong's three friends; while Kwon Hyuk, Na Hyun Woo and Kim Won Joong knew how to personify the first as an immature man in love who cannot distinguish between obsession and love, the second as a person who has difficulty accepting himself and makes even those who love him They love sit alone, and the last is the love that comes when pure love is gone, and must have the ability, or not, to serve as a balm to heal the wounds.
This series is one of two totally different productions of the novel (the other is a film version), also released in October 2024.
The eight-episode series is directed by four filmmakers, each directing two episodes respectively.
The four stories in the original novel: "Jaehee" (told in episodes 1 and 2, directed by Son Tae Gyum), "A Bite of Rockfish, Taste the Universe" (episodes 3 and 4, Hur Jin Ho), "Love in the Big City" (episodes 5 and 6, Hong Ji Young) and "Late Rainy Season Vacation" (episodes 7 and 8, Kim Se In), illustrate how the queer community, since the beginning of the century, has lived under a dual system of being "privately out and publicly in the closet," as South Korean society has not fully recognized LGBT+ rights.
As the social backdrop of 'Love in the Big City', this setting reflects the characters' constant tension between pride and shame. Taken together, the four stories offer a raw and detailed portrait of Seoul and the gay meeting places in the South Korean capital, where the tall buildings and wide, illuminated streets and alleys contrast with the turbulent inner lives of the characters. The scenes are meticulously crafted, with a balance between the poetic and the emotionally complex, adding layers of meaning to the plot.
As the narrative addresses these questions, it does so with an air of inquiry rather than sermon. This series is full of questions and leaves each of us to come to our own conclusions.
The series shows us that there is still a long way to go when it comes to fighting prejudice, stopping hate and fighting discrimination for being "different".
Go Yeong's growth is slow; sometimes frustrating. The pressure to fit into the "normality" imposed by society and family is always present, and the series keeps the tension alive. In his journey of self-improvement, the character expresses what many people are feeling right now and in many settings in the world: The struggle of trying to discover where you fit when the world rejects you for being who you are, and when who you are is in question. direct conflict with who everyone expects you to be. But the beauty of it all is at stake.
'Love in the Big City' manages to be introspective and deep without falling into melodrama, and leaves us with small moments of humor like flashes of light that remind you that even in the darkest times, there is still room for joy and hope.

Leia Mais