BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“And so, may you dispel my darkness and fill it with new light. Just as the dawn always does. You become my new beginning every day.” – Quote from Never Forget Your Enemy
Wow! This is a really good BL series that is getting mediocre reviews that frankly I just do not understand. With a bit more tweaking, this could have been a Top Ten contender. Sure, it is not ‘flashy’, but it is certainly one of the more intriguing and entertaining series of the year. Where it stumbled was the screenplay – with the middle dragging on much too long into mundaneness. Further, the twist and turns in the plot got a little too much in the weeds and should have been made clearer and crisper. In other words, the story lacked cohesion, moving unevenly across timelines and references. Of course, there are tropey scenes throughout with scenarios that are downright unrealistic and a massive amount of just awful miscommunication and/or non-communication themes and thesis that literally make no sense. Had even a smidgen of openness occurred, a goodly portion of the tribulations that befell the protagonists might not have occurred. And for that, I can understand why some would have seen this series in a more negative light. Nonetheless. it is still a masterful attempt at a unique story.
I found the story’s premise irresistible. It had me hooked from the beginning. Usually, amnesia plots are a sign of weak plot development and thus ripe for confusion and boredom. However, this one was intriguing and held my attention. Why? Because everything about it was so unexpected, including how interesting the characters turned out to be. Additionally, the acting of the protagonists was tight and quite believable. Because they did not display the usual characteristics of individuals in the positions that were supposedly representing, that is what made it so fascinating for me.
It is a progressive story of Ki Ha Neul (Hwang Jun Su) and Yeo Sae Byeok (Lee Ja Woon). Sworn enemies in high school who simply could not stay apart from one another. Theirs was such a deep intrinsic connection that even their classmates sensed and knew early on that they were predestined to be together for life. Sae Byeok had been perhaps a bit more overt and open about his feelings towards Ha Neul but neither honestly made much of an effort to hide their true feelings.
The story, however, begins with Ha Neul in the hospital after being hit by a car. When Sae Byeok rushes in to hug him and ask how he is doing, Ha Neul looks confused as to who he is. His last recollection is when he was 19 and then they were not friends and certainly could never ever be lovers, as Sae Byeok says they are now. In addition, this individual he is staring at does not even look like Sae Byeok.
Ha Neul suffers from dissociative amnesia from the accident. Both try and recreate their life story for him to regain his memory. Not all the memories and recollections are pleasant ones, however, and they must navigate painful remembrances as well as relive several not-so-pleasant retrospections for them to realize what they had and have. I found their journey to rediscovering who they were completely tenable and rather engaging. In many cases, it was a poetic journey.
The most unexpected twist was that Sae Byeok had become a famous star and was developing quite a following with a lot of avid fans. Sometimes an avid fan can turn very, very ugly.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? There are several fascinating and sinister characters in this series that added a greater plot twist and thrill to the overall story than was expected. While starting out innocently enough as a passionate fan, Lee Si Ri (Park Eun Jo) soon becomes a stalker and becomes obsessive about Sae Byeok. When she begins to secretly follow him, she discovers that he is romantically involved with Ha Neul. Unfortunately, she snaps and loses grip onto reality. She schemes to murder Ha Neul but something goes horribly wrong. Park Eun Jo’s portrayal of this character is fascinating as it is so spot-on and accurate. Perhaps the character herself seems cliched, but I can assure you, she is not. I KNOW individuals who are as obsessed with stars as Lee Si Ri is and have gone to excessive lengths to be with them. Living in the Los Angeles area, it is easy to access/reach many celebrities and the stories I have heard, seen, and know of are similar to what has been portrayed or at least attempted. This REALLY does happen, as tragic as this is and her portrayal of this type of character was so spot-on that it was frankly scary. A second great performance of someone who has also lost contact with reality and that was her brother, Yun Jeong Han (Lee Ja Woon). Claiming to be a barista who had an affection for Ha Neul, he too tried to harm Ha Neul. Lee Ja Woon’s portrayal was also quite sinister almost from the beginning especially with his cold, calculating stare and manipulative behaviors. He seems scary even with a friendly, innocent, sweet face.
Perhaps the concept here that threw people off is the plausibility factor. In some sense, our protagonists come across as an unlikely pair, yet their love for one another is among the most intense I have seen in a very long time. Although Sae Byeok might seem to be an an unconvincing candidate for stardom, having known a few, I can assure you, he is not. His crime, if you will, was he was so intensely in love with Ha Neul that he tried to shield him from all aspects that would cause him any kind of psychological pain or trauma. Of course, that is unrealistic and indeed, as Ha Neul has pointed out to him did not permit him to be an equal partner for him and did not allow him to share in his uneven burden of trying to carry the weight of the relationship. These two, to some degree, faced some incalculable pain but when they faced it together, they got through it. When it became uneven, it nearly destroyed them. Ha Neul was feeling like he was holding Sae Byeok back, like a shadow, equally as much as Sae Byeok was terrified of being alone. Both were terrified of losing the other at the same time, both needed to have distance between them to allow time for each to discover who they truly were more so for themselves.
This was a beautifully sensitive BL that is cognizant of two individuals who needed to find out who they were to each other before they could be together. Their lovemaking scenes were exotically done with some of the finest and most intense kissing scenes I have seen in a very long time and some of the best for a South Korean series. The cinematography became moody, reflected in the dark blue hues and tones especially in the end indicating not exactly sunny days are ahead but intense, intimate days filled with a strong deep love for one another. Although blue represents sadness and depth, it also creates a feeling of renewal and stability. I think many perhaps missed the intensity of their connection. Theirs was a deep personal commitment to one another. Passion, devotion, dedication, and fidelity are their mantra. Rare commodities for a BL.
These two gave new meaning to being in a life-long commitment to one another. I loved the strength and symmetry of their love story. This is a very, very good BL.
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