BLISS RATING: ★★★+
“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” – Richard Puz, The Carolinian
I am usually not at a loss for words about a series but this one truly stumped me. Something beyond words can best describe this series. It is one of the most thought-provoking series I have ever seen. In addition, it is an amazing and an astounding story of life in its most esoteric form. If I tried to describe this series, it would be an almost impossible task as it traverses common reference points and twists life into knots. While the title implies this has something to do with vampires, it does not. Yet, it does in a way. It is a story of life everlasting not caused by sucking blood from someone but by mutated genes. Or is it? Is it a belief system that caused people to believe they will live forever? Or is this life a simulation or a holographic image of life? This is beyond perplexing and transcends common sense and reference points.
In essence, this barely qualifies as a BL series. There is one but it is secondary to the story of immortality. Ji Han (Oh Dong Joon), has just returned to Korea from studying in Paris. Ji Han seems like a pensive person and conveys a sadness about him. While sitting in the park, he becomes beguiled to a guy who is dancing. Ji Han strikes up a conversation with Asin (Kit Chan Kyu), and instantly both are drawn to each other and to some degree it feels as if they have always been rivetted to each other. It just ‘feels’ as if it should be this way. There is a sense that somehow in the past they have been together and in the future they will be also.
Time in this series feels fluid yet it remains current. The beauty here is that these two really do seem like they belong together and have always been together and remain so. Their interactions feel natural even if they supposedly only recently met. Asin has a female friend who is interested in obscure abstractions, and she is exploring the idea that certain people because of mutated genes can live forever. She thinks there is one near them. Jay (Kit Dan), is on a mission to find this person and manages to do so with the help of Asin’s hacking skills and Ji Han’s intellectual prowess.
They find Hyung Tae (Ahn Dae Kyum), who indeed is immortal. Initially, he is upset with them, but they try and explain to him that they were not the bad guys; just curious, but that there are others who are endangering him. Indeed, there are. I do not want to describe anymore as it would spoil your reaction to this series.
Is it sad? Hopeful? Pre-ordained? Inevitable? Luck? Fate? Or plain, just love. Can and does love conquer over all? These are just some of the questions you will have when you watch this series. This series is frankly mind-bogglingly beautiful, and I loved it. When Hyung Tae is alone with Jay, they talk and, while never acted upon, there seems to be an attraction between the two. She asks him if he ever had anyone special in his life. And yes, he did. But he explains why love is a myth and why he remains alone. It is one of the best philosophical, yet fatalistic descriptions of how eternal life would be a living hell.
His reasoning is that the person he is dating is constantly changing but he is forever the same. He knows that the other person will try and want to change him, make him feel guilty, or try to get him to do things he does not. Since he has unlimited time and never ages, he realizes the futility of being with another person who will change, but he will not. While eternal life seems enticing, it also seems lonely, sad, and to some degree stuck in his present world which is incompatible with the real world. This was a brilliant dialogue and worth watching and listening to. Incredibly powerful.
This is almost two stories. One with the Korean actors who do a good and decent and believable job in the portrayal of their characters. They are at times surprisingly good and I did buy their characters. There is no question that they all had chemistry together and the BL couple sure did. They were cute and adorable and because they seem so dorky to me, I am glad that they found each other (even if they were the skinniest men on the planet). I really like when guys like this who are simply the boy-next-door-type (there is nothing wrong with that) do get some happiness and are able to form lasting relationships.
On the other hand, you had the ‘bad’ guys trying to kidnap Hyung who were, how shall I put this, just AWFUL. Theirs is one of the worst acting I have ever seen in any BL series, and they would have been better to have re-cast these roles differently. Honestly, this acting was amateurish at best and awful at worst. These were English speaking roles and honestly this was the best that they could do? They really were quite awkward as if they had never acted before. Everything felt off with those characters and it really distracted from the whole series. Too bad. It might have even worked if this was supposed to provide some comic relief, but it was not.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? While they were all good, I must tip my hat to Ahn Dae Kyum who played Hyung Tae, the immortal. He gave a fresh perspective to this role. He could be warm and sensitive but be detached and stoic as well. Yet, at the end, it was his humanity that will get him through life. He displayed a certain arrogance about himself, after all, he is immortal, although he shows vulnerability, compassion, and empathy. Although he showed his human side, would he eventually succumb to being and acting like a Dracula? That is some powerful acting that can convey all of these emotions in such a short period of time. He really did a great job in playing a person who felt secure in his immortality and displayed an aura of invincibility.
This is a unique series, especially coming from South Korea. The gay couple is presented in a positive light without a lot of drama or pain and at the end, these is still hope of a continued relationship. The story itself is incredibly interesting and quite different. The screenplay (minus the silliness of the English-speaking parts) is superb. Watch this for its philosophical and esoteric bents. You will appreciate that. It is not bad cinematography either and I really liked the music, although it was a bit too loud at times. The music was a nice supplement to this series. With few exceptions, musical scores do not generally affect me, and I hardly even notice them but this one did capture my attention. Without giving anything away, I loved the ending. It seemed fitting yet hopeful and could go into any number of different directions, should they decide to make a Season 2 of this.
I do not like the name of this series as it has nothing to do with vampires, in the Bram Stoker sense of the word. While it does have life everlasting, it is way more interesting and provocative than a simple bite on the neck. Chock this up as a guilty pleasure, maybe? I am still trying to figure it out!
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