Semantic Error (2022)

My new favorite Korean BL

Overall: I read part of the manhwa and novel that the series is based on and I think they did a really wonderful adaptation. This is a good example of narrowing the focus to fewer characters/romantic relationships to fit it in a shorter runtime. Watched on Viki, also aired on Gagaoolala in some regions. (minor spoilers)

Content Warnings: bullying/harassment, non con/dub con kiss (sleeping)

What I Liked
- the character aesthetics/styling
- good side characters like Yu Na (also that reference to her being bi was awesome), we avoided the evil woman cliche
- I really liked that Jae Young‬ actually left Sang Woo‬ alone a couple of times instead of the aggressive pursuit/stalking that is frequently romanticized
- the music fit well
- the whimsical editing in the beginning linked it to the manhwa
- funny parts like all the plaid shirts and some sassy responses
- the color symbology (going to have to re-watch again and pay attention)
- good production value (and English subs were added quickly)

Room For Improvement
- more lip ring was needed
- it felt a bit choppy in areas like we ended at once place and then the next scene is a different location/time, also not sure how much time has passed in between certain scenes and it would have been nice to know
- I wish Jae Young had actually followed Sang Woo's physical touch boundaries for more than 1 episode or they had had a discussion to adjust the boundaries in a later episode

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Short, simple and Sweet

This is such a cute little web series... easy to watch easy to binge easy to go oooh... and easy to follow... to be honest it does not have a lot of substance but it is still entertaining and will probably have you captivated from the first episode as this little semantic error shows opposites attract, enemies to lovers done simple and right.

The main leads are simple yet kind of complex. Mr colourful a bubbly, playful design major meets Mr binary code a very by the book, same ratine, same types of clothes, same cap...

And this collision of characters is just beautiful, giving us bickering, colourful interactions, and a whole lot of character development in 8 very short episodes.

The acting may not be perfect (it is a web drama after all), but it is still fun to watch and every emotion (lack of emotion) come across perfectly. The cinematography is pretty good with lots of pretty colors. And there are no annoying side characters.

This is far from a masterpiece and probably does not deserve the 9 stars for being particularly good but time flies as you watch it, it leaves you wanting more and with very few complaints thus the high score...

There are also some interesting details in this consent wise, but they may be considered spoilers so I will just mention that it is interesting and not perfect...

All in all if you like sweet and simple this may just hit the spot, if you are looking for complicated high quality plot look somewhere else.

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I want and NEED more of this

The thing that gets to me about Semantic Error is that it treats its premise in a way that is fun, and not taken too seriously. The drama is based off a webtoon and I’ve seen dramas fail when trying to adapt the plot from that to a show. Semantic Error succeeds in so many ways and keeps everything it needs to to make sense.

I understand the chemistry, the acting is phoenomanal and coming from a BL when comparing to a full sized drama, the effor the actors puts in needs to be recognized. I wish BLs’ could be longer, but as for now we only get 8 episodes. Every moment I’m enjoying, and I want more honestly but beggars can’t be choosers.

To sun it up, the chemistry is there, the story is easy and fun to follow, and most importantly the drama isn’t upsetting and makes sense. The motives of the characters whether petty or not are adorable, and the profession of the relationship is well paced out.

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This one's definitely not overrated.

I’ve been having a rather terrible streak with South Korean BLs lately. Given that the ratings Semantic Error were pretty high, I naturally went in with high expectations for this one.

The main characters are fairly compelling as individuals. (Mercurial extrovert meets an uncompromising stickler for orderliness.) This clever trick of ‘opposites attract’ never gets old because 1) it makes for mildly amusing exchanges and 2) it creates some wonderful tension that builds up to spicier scenes.

As with many other characters in Asian BLs, Sangwoo struggles with his feelings and finds it challenging to express words of affection. To understand the shifts taking place in his heart, it is necessary to read between the lines. He doesn’t say “I’ve missed you”, he goes to see the person he adores the most and waits for them. He doesn’t say “I think I feel the same,” but initiates a kiss instead.

The pair is likeable precisely because they have so many tender moments of endearment like these. Each character subtly changes their behaviour to accommodate the other in their life. And that is how the wonderful, slow creep into romance begins.

Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/03/15/semantic-error-2022-review-when-eccentric-geek-meets-quirky-designer/

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AN AMAZING RIDE

This is such a huge level up for korean bls!!

No awkwardness, smooth acting and carried out the plot perfectly with matching music. The chemistry is amazing!
Honestly, I am always a little uncertain of watching korean bls because they don't often reach my expectations, however, Sematic Error really made such high standards. Definitely one of my favourite bls in no time without any doubt. The kiss and skin-ship was all amazing; nothing too excessive or weird! Sweet interactions and all actors did amazing!!

Go for it, it's fun and worth it! Wish we got longer episodes to be honest and as someone who read the webtoon too, it would've been amazing to see more scenes from there but either way, carried out nicely.

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When you expect nothing and you get everything and even more...

Honestly I didn't know about this series. I discovered it when the first 2 eps had already aired so I went and watched the trailer.. It was ok but I didn't have many expectations ..I waited a week until the eps 3-4 were released and then I started watching and I guess pretty much everyone knows what happened then..I fell in love with it!! The story(+ I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers romance), the characters, the music..just everything is AMAZING!!!
The acting it was great and the chemistry of the main cp was even greater(and so frickin CUTE)!!!
Each actor delivered their character the best way possible and there was not even one scene throughout the whole series that felt awkward or not good..and every emotion was 100% perfectly portrayed!!The 2 ML are the perfect fit for their roles!! I really really really want to congratulate the casting team and
express to them my deepest gratitude!!!
The music in the episodes and the ost were great!!
The storyline was complete without plot holes I felt almost like I watched a 16 episode drama and to be honest I didn't expect that from a drama with 8 episodes so that's a + to the perfect score that has from me 10/10 and if I could I would rate it 100/10!!!!

I really wanna know how do you expect from me to move on now?..Just how?
I hadn't felt like this since I finished "The Untamed " .
Thank god we still have "Cherry Blossom After Winter" which is the next best thing atm..

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SO SO GOOD

short and simple, easy to binge and very very cute. this made my heart so happy with how low stakes it was and there wasn't any struggling with sexuality or homophobia or anything of the sort included in the show (MORE OF THIS PLEASE!), just 2 guys who like each other :)

the story itself is not something we haven't seen been done before but i think this goes to show how even simple/cliche plots can make for loveable shows when done right.

admittedly i have not seen *many* bls but this one is still one of the best that i've seen. the production is good, there's no awkwardness or cringiness, acting is good (especially considering both of them are originally idols) and it's just a fun, quick watch that left me wanting moreee. the pacing of this is just great and means that it's not boring at any point nor does it feel rushed.

there were scenes that made me smile and my heart clench, i am so happy i watched this but so sad it's over. really cannot recommend it enough. excited to see what else korea has in store for us in the bl department because they're getting better and better:
1. real kiss scenes
2. sapphic side character
3. is not cringey
4. good acting

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Started Strong…….

This series is an overall good watch. It was a really strong start but the last couple of episodes really fell flat story wise and felt really rushed due to it being only 8 ep 20 min (avg) long series. The confession scene was great and had me in my fells and seeing the dramatic difference in sangwoo in that scene. If it was longer with a more fleshed out story, I would def give it a bit of a higher rating. Music was great, acting was great and the two leads did an amazing job. Imo their chemistry was good. Not the best I’ve seen but it was good enough. Sure, not the bl of the year but surely a bl to watch because it was a good time. I just really wish we had more longer K-BLs, like LOM.

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Credible Piece of K-BL

I won't spend much time on this since there are plenty of other reviews, but I do have a few things to say. It's nice to see for once a K-BL that has a decent run-time. No quick romances, no rushed plots, and some very nice character development. While this was just another ordinary college love story, Semantic Error did one heck of a job at getting it right.

Let's Dive In.

Semantic Error is a Korean college-based love story about a stoic uke and his bubbly seme (a dynamic I always love). They end up meeting on not-so-good terms, but through some trials and tribulations, their relationship starts to bloom. The plot is as basic as it can get; throw in a little enemies to lovers, and you've got yourself the formula for a simple BL drama. However, with a great cast and a crew that had a good clue about what they were doing, SE came out to be way better than I expected. With something that gains a lot of hype, I tend not to be able to watch it for what it is, and instead for what others want me to see it as. While I really did like SE, it was very far from perfect.

For one, I'm not a huge fan of enemies to lovers, so the first few episodes were quite annoying with Jae Young going around and intruding into Sang Woo's personal space after he's explained multiple times to leave him alone. Same can kind of go with Sang Woo with his tendency to be just a little too stoic at times, and dismissing Jae Young's feelings about not being able to go on his trip. Once we hit the middle mark, things start to get better. Their build-up was fantastic. My favorite part of a BL is watching their feelings for one another blossom, which this series does a perfect job at. However, there was a nonconsent kiss that was thrown in, and it's so left-field. You would never guess that something like that would happen when the plot was running so gracefully, but as soon as that happen, I was pretty much confused. Jae Young would've been so willing to kiss Sang Woo if he were awake, why do it when he's asleep? The ending was pretty good, and I wouldn't have expected anything different.

One thing that for sure caught my eye was the beautiful height difference. I'm so weak for that shit. So when Sang Woo gets on his tiptoes to kiss Jae Young, yep, that was the moment.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - as basic as it could get, but it still was entertaining and enjoyable. With a good cast and a decent script, this simplicity and overused story arc worked. The main pairing also had a really good build-up that was the highlight of my watch.

Acting: 8.5 - Everyone's acting was really good. I think there were times when Jae Chan (Sang Woo) should've put on a stronger performance, or not just have one facial expression for the first four episodes, but that might've been more of a director's choice. Everyone else was decent, including the supporting characters.

Music: 6 - Again, I don't really pay attention to that type of stuff, but it wasn't disturbing to the series, so I'll give it a 6.

Rewatch value: 1 - I did really like it, but this is very far from my taste of rewatching material.

I do recommend this BL for anyone just entering the BL scene. It was pretty lighthearted for the most part, it could be funny at times when it wanted to be, and if the simple plot doesn't do it for you, then the beauty of the leads will.

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Cute and nicely made with a bit of unfulfilled potential

Semantic Error is nicely produced. There isn't much that is original about this BL, be it the enemies-to-lovers plot, the 'opposites attract' sort of romance or the problem that one party is going overseas. However, the production value is high and the computing metaphor is nicely sustained throughout.

There is nice attention to detail. I like how Sang Woo's costume changes reflect the changes in his personality, like how he stops wearing checkered shirts and then stops wearing a cap everywhere. And while the enemies-to-lovers plot may have at least one party being rather toxic, in this case, they are mostly just being childish.

While the series has been very well received, I somehow find that an additional something could have brought it to greater heights. The BL couple is likable; they look cute together and the kissing scenes are nicely shot. Yet, I can't help but feel that something more could be done about the depth of their love. We see them thinking about each other and pining for each other after they have a fight, but perhaps the complexity of each of their feelings could have been more strongly depicted. And I'm not talking about the introduction of passionate sex scenes or things like that. But when Jae Young gives Sang Woo a birthday present, for instance, perhaps the process of how he prepares the present could have been shown to show how much he really cares. Sometimes the scenes that do help to show their feelings are a little too brief. The symbolic significance of the scene in which Sang Woo looks at a picture Jae Young has drawn on his hand could have been explored more deeply. It could show Sang Woo's sadness when he thinks that Jae Young is disappearing from his life. It could also show how Sang Woo is being wistful thinking about how quickly the time he spends with Jae Young has passed although Jae Young has been a nuisance to him at first. Of course, it can also show that he is thinking of how they won't last long as a couple even if they start a relationship. Unfortunately, the scene is a little too brief to really help explore Sang Woo's thoughts and emotions fully.

The characters are people who are easy to like and care about, which is always a good thing for a BL series. However, I think I could have felt more for them if the full potential of the scenes had been fulfilled.

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it was ok

i am rewatching it now to see if i missed anything to make me think it was just okay-to-bland and no i feel the same. it was fine, it was cute but that's it...it was just ...ok? the more i sit with it the more flat i think about it while knowing in my brain it was cute but not feeling it the way i want nor what others do.

imo what the show lacks is heart and a sense of true intimacy. of friends, of space, of romance, of life. it's evident even the way the scenes are set up. i understand that they were in higher alert for covid when this was filmed but that's the reality of all productions from here on out until the world gets its shit together. additionally, though i do not think that it is as high as people think, if the budget for production WAS high then it absolutely should have been better! we should have been able to see it with thoughtful production, editing, shot choices. and i'm sorry but it was shot very perfunctorily and that was evident. but the whole thing is so sterile /and/ perfunctory so it makes sense.

i don't care for nor notice patterns of supposed cross-gender norms (miscategorized as heteronormativity) placed on these relationships or characters and i do not think that is the issue since BL is definitively and staunchly dedicated to masculinity even when it tries to imply some type of 'female' in more feminine characteristics. i mention this because the issue with them wasn't the tall/short thing but there was 1) a difference in caliber of acting 2) very obviously that other kid is young and he is very very small so it is kind of jarring to see one, who is very much not college aged anymore, and someone else who graduated high school 2 years ago (and is very much college age!)

what's most shocking to me is the reception of the show. i have noooo idea how it got so popular or even exactly why like what kind of contagious feelings that people caught for this show. i know there must be people who are pretty ambivalent towards it like i am. i wish it had more oomph or pizzaz or something. i have seen and watched way worse but i have also seen, watched, and /enjoyed/ the way worse and that's the biggest bummer for me. it doesn't have to be special but it could be something eye-catching, or really funny, or something to just stand out or makes you want to latch on to it except for the red clothing or the BLK coffee shots but that's about it and that's not enough. even his fake tattoo was boring and so new (hello! makeup!)

i didn't care for the manhua but they're so different that it doesnt really matter anyways. maybe the story from conception wasn't that interesting anyway? who knows but this one had no ambiance (literally with the way it was edited and no audio tracks of ambiance but also figuratively)

i don't remember the music (and i am literally rewatching it) and usually i hate music in these shows anyway so let's just say it was fine. would i rewatch? well i am now so.


the girl was hot and i love plurisexuals and that's about all i have to say now

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