The Second Half Is Worth The Watch

This was one that surprised me. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. It was definitely a tale of two halves. It almost seemed like each half was created by two different directors as they were so contrasting in tone, style, depth and cinematography. I’ll be honest, if I had watched the first half only, this would have gone on my list of bls that I watched and never thought of again. But the second half packed a punch. It’s the better half. It’s tragically beautiful and I’m so surprised I came away feeling hopeful, despite the bitter and painful things unfolding on screen. There was so much beauty in the relationship between the lead and the mother of his dead partner. So much beauty in uncovering that the dead partner truly loved him. So much beauty in the bonds formed through pain. I recommend this movie whenever I can because I don’t think many people watch it long enough to get to the second half - which is where it shines.

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Better Than Part One In Some Ways

In a lot of ways, this sequel is stronger than part 1, but there are also things that you can look past in part 1 that you cannot in this sequel. The highlight of the series for me was getting the insight into how Kiyoi feels about Hira by seeing things from his POV. I enjoyed seeing them in a relationship (something that we did not get to see in part 1).

Overall, I felt like progress was made in their relationship - transitioning slowly from the servant/master dynamic to a more rounded relationship with outwardly reciprocation of care and affection. The frustrations come from seeing how deeply rooted Hira is in his low value of himself and how that has caused him to become a ‘toxic observer’. He’s so content with just observing and serving that he doesn’t realise that by idolising Kiyoi and essentially not letting him past the barriers he’s put up for himself; that he’s hurting Kiyoi who is looking for something deeper and wants to be treated as a human and as his partner. What Hira is doing is a form of withholding and it can be just as hurtful and toxic as emotional abuse. I understand why he’s like this. It’s a form of self defence that he has developed throughout his life to protect himself but it’s no less frustrating to watch and no doubt painful and damaging to others because of how acutely unaware of it he is.

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This BL Does Well For What It Is - It’s Become An All Time Fave

What starts off as purely a servant/master dynamic, slowly develops into a genuine deep care for each other. When Hira looks into Kiyoi’s eyes you get a sense of why he’s able to fall so deep. The actor who plays Kiyoi has the most expressive eyes that swallow you up. And like the ying to his yang, Hira’s eyes are so piercing you feel like he really sees you when he looks at you. Its the feeling of having all his focus, love and admiration. That’s a powerful feeling. So much is conveyed in a single look so you can also understand why Kiyoi becomes attracted to Hira and falls for his piercing gaze, because Hira is someone who really sees him and is someone who appreciates him for the first time in his life without wanting anything back. You really buy into these two characters from different worlds. That they are able to fall in love with each other. It’s believable that they each get from one another, something that was missing before. It’s not perfect but I think it does a good job of balancing flawed characters who have toxic coping mechanisms and it does so with sincerity and honest emotions. Having good chemistry goes a long way to making these characters feel real and grounded. Their chemistry is one of the best I’ve seen in bl land. They have the perfect amount of tension that keeps you hooked until they finally get together. They’re two people who shouldn’t work on paper but they manage to carve out a space where they both fit together for each other.

In reality, I’d rate this an 8.6 but MDL doesn’t give that option.

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Beautiful Bittersweet

This one was such a beautifully heartbreaking story. The only criticism I would level at it is that with the ending reunion scene you don’t leave feeling as hopeful as you should. You can’t get away from the feeling that they lost something that they can never get back - the feeling of what might have been. The regret slightly overshadows everything and you leave feeling more bitter than sweet. It’s for this reason I cannot give it a 10/10. It’s a blemish on an otherwise magnificent bl. Like ITSAY, this series can stand up against any mainstream production. It’s another cinematic masterpiece. The young actors are able to convey so much - the angst, the fear, not knowing what you feel, not wanting to accept what you feel, the burden and the expectations, the flawed thinking of youth, the unfairness of the world, and the loss of something precious that can never be re-attained. If I could sum this series up into one phrase, it would be ‘an exhaled sigh’.

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My Thoughts on End Of the World With You:

Neither of the main characters are likeable. Ritsu is the worst but Matsumi is not much better. They are unlikeable in different ways. Ritsu is an awful person. He is the f*ck-boyest of all f*ck boys. Usually you either like a character, like to hate them or they are at least relatable. Neither of the characters are any of these things. They are just awful - to the point where you don’t care what happens to them. I’m not invested in anything they do, any hurt they feel or any hurt they do to others. This wouldn’t be a problem if the show didn’t keep trying to make you root for them. Nothing had the emotional impact needed. The only character I was rooting for was the meteor. And the fact that ‘that’ didn’t happen only makes this show that much worse.

It’s got a lot of very well executed nc scenes (probably some of the best in bl land), so you can watch it just for that and no hate to people who like it just for those. No hate either for the people who enjoyed the series. We all like different things. Each to their own and all that. I do think it does deserve an automatic 5 or 6 rating just for the production value, the plot (which is easy enough to follow) and the script (which is decent and the dialogue flows). It’s just everything else that it falls short on. They made the characters so unlikeable which affected the character development and drained all the heart and connection out of the story. Watching it feels really hollow as all I could think was, “I do not care for these people, I cannot warm to them even knowing they’re about to die. Why are you asking me to root for their survival??”

Matsumi had potential moments where I thought his character might become more likeable but as I said, he’s just awful (albeit in a different way to Ritsu). For example, there’s a scene where I guess the writers try to endear his character to the audience by making him ‘attempt’ to comfort a young boy. It was 6 parts tone deaf given the current situation and 4 parts hypocritical given how he’s been living his life. I kept thinking, “you’re in no position to be giving advice buddy, and have you looked outside lately?” As I said, it’s just hard to root for his character. There’s nothing that endears you to him.

That said, I think the worse thing about this series is that after watching everything on screen, the only take-away is that they will remain these awful people. I firmly believe that if the world was not ending or if the world didn’t end in the end they would revert to their same awful selves. I know writers can choose at the swoop of a pen, to make characters ‘live happily ever after’ but nothing onscreen suggests that these people have become better people and will stay together. I’m sure Ritsu would keep hurting Matsumi if the world doesn’t end. Case in point: Ritsu had remained the same person over the past decade and if you are inclined to believe he’s had some sort of awakening now due to the meteorite; it doesn’t explain why after meeting Matsumi again, he still manipulates him and still feels entitled to Matsumi’s time and presence. Brazen is the word that comes to mind. He is yet again using Matsumi exactly like he did ten years ago, which is to seduce Matsumi and use him for his own benefit. I sincerely believe that Ritsu likes Matsumi because Matsumi loves him. Even narcissists need love, even if they just feed off it. I’m never fully convinced that Ritsu grasps the depth of the damage he has done to Matsumi. He seems to centre himself and his feelings in every interaction with Matsumi, both in the past and even now. How can you truly be sorry if you’ve never taken the time to really self reflect on your actions, the damage you’ve caused and how the person you hurt might be feeling? It’s clear he hadn’t done so when you have scenes where a mutual friend had to point out to him that Matsumi might not want to see him. Scenes like in the library where he expected Matsumi to be ‘over it by now’. Sometimes understanding you’ve hurt someone is understanding that you shouldn’t ever show up in front of them again. Let alone force them to talk to you (even if it is the end of the world). The writers try to explain Ritsu’s shitty behaviour by adding that he’s su*cidal but even this feels self serving and like a throwaway explanation of why he is the way he is. There is no depth to this added plot point and just further establishes his selfishness (in contrast to the other character who followed through on her su*cidal ideation). His character being this way is not the issue. Not all characters are going to be decent people. I’m giving these examples to illustrate how little his character has actually changed from the start of the movie to the end. The issue is with the writers insulting the intelligence of the viewers and trying to gaslight them into accepting that Ritsu has had some sort of character development when that just doesn’t play out that way on screen.

I think the writers had a vision for these characters and their path to redemption and all that, unfortunately, they should have written better redemptive qualities into the characters for that to come across (It doesn’t). Instead they just remain awful characters that we’re supposed to pretend are the opposite and that’s what makes this series so awful.

Upon second viewing, there was something I could appreciate that I could not appreciate the first time around: the secondary characters make for a better story. Any emotional depth came from the relationship between the trans character and the young boy. The young boy was annoying at times but their characters are more aligned to what the story is telling you they are and are infinitely more interesting than the main characters. Their budding romance is endearing. I would gladly watch a series with the trans girl as the main character or watch a series that explores the ‘super’ abilities of the young boy. I thought that was really intriguing.
Also, in this second viewing I found everything more farcical. I could not take most of it seriously. Additionally, I didn’t notice it before but the main leads’ kisses are very awkward and fish-like. Matsumi always seems to be gulping for air like a fish out of water whenever he opens his mouth. Suffice to say, it held up even worse on second viewing.

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A Solid Drama

This drama is one of those k-dramas that is really great overall but is perhaps missing that something really, really special that makes it resonate below the surface and takes it from a great k-drama to an outstanding drama. Don’t get me wrong. This is a special drama in that it got a lot of things right. It’s more solid in execution than a lot of the k-dramas of late. You absolutely won’t regret watching it. The first couple of episodes were strong and I think it has the type of ending execution we’ve all been yelling for years that we really want (even though the non-romantic plot side was anti-climatic and wrapped up somewhat too easily for the amount of tension that was built). The middle and the very last episode were less polished but again, great overall.

For me personally, there are great dramas that don’t connect to me that deeply simply because I can see the actors playing the characters rather than just being immersed in the characters. This is not to say the acting isn’t solid. It is. However, this reminds me of when you go to see a play and although you can appreciate and are impressed by the seasoned acting, you can very much tell the actors are acting in a play. In order for me to connect to a drama on a deeper level, I need to not see the actor but only see the character. For this reason I can only say this drama is a solid drama that was executed well and deserves praise but I cannot say it is a drama that gripped me or will stay with me in any way. I admired the love and strength of the characters and what they went through but it was like watching actors in a drama and that’s it. Other less polished dramas have that really, really special something that gets you below the surface; that has so much heart you know you are experiencing something unlike others when you watch. For me, this is not such a drama (although great overall).

If I could, I would rate this an 8.7 as I think it’s higher than an 8.5.

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IT HAS SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT RESONATED WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE

CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!!!

I want to start by saying that I rated this drama an 8.5. I did so because, for me, this rating indicates that the drama is above average (average is 8 for me). The reason it’s not higher is that, although I think this series excelled in some aspects, the quality of the second half was not as strong as the first half. When deciding on a rating, I consider various factors, but I’m not too fixated on any one of them, nor am I a strict critic. My view is that all the technical and emotional aspects of a drama should serve the sole purpose of making you feel (I think QOT excels at this) and buy into the story the creators are trying to convey. Therefore, as long as this is achieved to a high enough degree, I don’t get too caught up in the individual technical aspects themselves. In other words, I personally don’t care about how they go about doing this, whether it’s done messily or more polished as long as I can feel it and buy into it.

Think about those films where you have one character who is well-trained but lacks that extra spark, and then you have another character who is not technically gifted but has raw talent and passion despite being rough around the edges. Simply put: they captivate you. "QOT" falls into the 'rough around the edges but has something special' category for me. The series managed to resonate with so many people from so many different demographics, which is no easy feat. Its ability to make you deeply empathise with the characters and the story made it such a huge success. Even if you are someone like me who doesn't follow actors and went into this series blind and without bias, you could sense that there was something special about "QOT" that had the ability to draw you in. This doesn't mean the series was perfect—it's not perfect—but you can recognise that there is something about the way in which it conveys emotion that captured a large audience, whilst also acknowledging that it was not as consistently strong in other aspects.

I watched this series week by week while it was airing and I was impressed with how well the narrative was structured in the first half of the series. Everything from the dialogue, scene setting, framing, editing, and story flow was well executed. I noticed how skilfully the story was developed from episode to episode and scene to scene. The narrative flowed smoothly and had a clear direction. It didn't surprise me that it had mass appeal, given its structuring.

I noticed that as with many k-dramas in recent years, the quality of the story presentation tends to decline in the second half of the series. This ultimately affects the overall quality. Until the second half, I was ready to rate this series 9.5 out of 10. I usually base my rating on how well I feel the creators have a handle on the story. While I initially felt that they had a secure handle on things in the first half, it became less so in the second half.

I cared about not only the leads, but also their family and friends. I even enjoyed the characterisations of the bad guys, though I didn't like them as people. Usually, I only care about the main characters in dramas and certain side characters. The rest I'm pretty neutral about as long as it doesn't impact the main leads too much. But with this series, I found the supporting characters equally compelling. I can't say for certain why it's these specific characters in this specific series, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's the show's ability to convey honest emotion in a relatable way that makes it stand out. The emotional resonance of this series brings together heartbreak, hope, and love (both romantic and filial), in a way that keeps it uplifting and prevents it from becoming too despairing.

I particularly enjoyed the family dynamics of both the FL and the ML's families, both separately and together.

We find out a lot about who the two main leads are as people through their love and resentment for each other, which is shown first amidst their broken marriage. The FL is a strong and formidable character, much like the other women in her family. She appears intimidating and cold on the surface, but this is her defence mechanism against her harsh upbringing, particularly with her mother. She is headstrong and a force to be reckoned with, far from the typical naive female lead. The ML is introduced at a point in their marriage where he desires to leave. Initially, he is portrayed as a man traumatised by his wife, seeking to escape her by any means possible (similar to Beom Ja's previous husbands), to the extent that he sees her impending death as his salvation and celebrates his chance at freedom. As the series progresses, my compassion grows for both the ML and the FL. It becomes evident that they still love each other, and something has greatly strained their marriage. Furthermore, the audience gains insight into the strengths and capabilities of the ML. He too is smart, skilled and can hold his own (unlike Beom Ja’s previous husbands). You realise that he matches the FL quite well despite initial perceptions. After a few episodes, you come to view them as a unit/a pair in the way they are characterised. Their interactions and love for each other comes across as genuine and refreshing. The audience becomes invested in their relationship and what they go through.

Above all, I was deeply moved by the relationships the characters had with each other. Their emotions felt nuanced and was palpable throughout. It felt really genuine as if they were those people going through those things. The main credit of course goes to the talented actors who portrayed the roles. Although I usually hesitate to watch emotionally heavy dramas, this series balanced the difficult emotions with an underlying sense of hope. It made me feel optimistic for the characters and their futures, amidst all the heartbreak, pain, and grief portrayed in the series.

There were also weaknesses in some of the characterisations too. Specifically, I felt that the backstories of SML and his mother (the mistress) were leading towards a more significant connection to the main family in the past, but this aspect seemed sidelined in the story. The story functions ok without it, but I can't help feeling that their characters were incomplete by the end. The mistress's motivation being solely about her greed didn't align with the direction I thought the story was taking, and it made her extreme actions to steal the family's fortune less convincing. If there had been a backstory about her scamming other people or if the main family had wronged her in some way, then her character would have felt more complete to me. The same goes for the SML and the grandfather, since their plot-line in the past was interconnected.

What stood out to me about the ML and the FL’s relationship's was that their love for each other was always evident, even when they were not physically together or going through a rough patch in their marriage. The series effectively depicted the complexities of their emotions - they could be upset, distant, or hurtful to each other, yet their love and care for each other remained strong. The main couple felt very real, showcasing the genuine impact of the struggles within their marriage. Despite the typical drama and clichés found in most k-drama romances, their relationship felt authentic and believable.

The one-sided, obsessive love that the SML had for the FL was interesting. Usually, I get annoyed by the second leads chasing after one of the main leads, but this time, I was fascinated by the layers to this. I believe the toxic nature of the 'love' he felt for the FL was well-explored, as well as how it was tied to the abandonment he experienced when his mother left him for the FL's family. There were multiple levels to his character, such as his desire to possess the person he felt was more deserving of his mother's attention, as if by possessing her, he would become worthy and gain access to the family from which he was excluded as a child. His hatred and contempt for the FL transformed into 'love' as a means to rationalise the intense emotions he felt for her. It's evident that he had never experienced love before, nor learned how to express it in a healthy way. It's unclear whether he truly feels love for the FL or simply believes he does. There's a great deal to analyse here, including the psychotic aspects of his character and how they shape his 'love' for the FL.

Overall, I am satisfied with the ending of the series, though a criticism I often hear is that it ended on too much of a bitter note because it revealed the death of the main character, although she died some years later. Some viewers wished it had ended before we found out she died, which I think is a valid point. Personally, I liked the bittersweet ending because we know she lived for a substantial amount of time afterwards. I found the final scene to be a powerful release of both emotion and conclusion, culminating in the main character joining his wife in the afterlife. The shot of him walking away as he turns into a spirit was very beautiful and emotional. I think the writers could have had their cake and eat it too just by showing a few minutes of a montage depicting their life together after everything transpired, instead of just showing us photos. For example, they could have shown them with their child, with the rest of their family thriving, growing old together, etc. This would have made it feel like less of a loss when we came to the final scene. It would have felt more like a life well lived and less bitter.

This series had its fair share of problems. I believe it had the potential to be a perfect series, but I think it's still a great series with that extra something. I found it to be heartfelt and emotionally beautiful.

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The Power of a Lingering Look.

The chemistry of the two actors/characters is palpable. It elevates the story to a height where it conveys everything that needs to be conveyed. It reinforces the script, the plot, the visuals, the framing; everything. It is the foundation and the highlight of the series. It goes to show how effective having great chemistry and deeply emotive acting can be for a series and it’s all achieved through these intense lingering looks. They say, ‘the eyes never lie’ and they speak so much truth between these characters, even when they try to deny the truth themselves. That’s how powerful the lingering looks are. This series does not get enough credit. I still think this is THE most tension filled chemistry of ANY k-bl that has ever existed. It’s so palpable, I could feel it through the screen which is quite impressive for a bl that had very few overt intimate skinship and a kiss scene only at the end. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife it was so thick.

It also has a very solid production. The visuals were crisp and polished and the acting, very strong. Especially the actor who plays the bodyguard.

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The Gold Standard of BLs

I cannot praise this bl enough. It’s an almost perfect bl. Realistically I would give it a 9.8 out of ten but MDL does not allow for that option. Everything is done to a high standard - the cinematography, the plot, the emotive acting, the soundtrack, the set design - everything.
It beautifully captures the feelings of first love, with the bittersweet heartbreak and raw emotional awakening that comes with it. I completely bought into this teenage romance. It resonated with the universal feelings of angst, uncertainty and overwhelming emotions we experience as teenagers. I would even put this series up against mainstream productions. It’s that good. It really is a cinematic masterpiece. This should be on every bl watcher’s list.

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