Cherry Blossoms After Winter (2022)

Nothing new, but made very well: sweet and cute but serious enough

Cherry Blossoms After Winter does not score with a highly original plot. The story is simple, even predictable at times, but everything is put together so nicely that you might not want it to be any different.

The set-up is simple: Hae Bom is an orphan who is taken in by his mother's friend, Tae Sung's mother. Being the adopted child, he predictably knows his place and is grateful to Tae Sung's mother. One thing that I wasn't expecting, however, is how the supposedly good looking and popular guy (Tae Sung) is the one having a crush on the other guy (Hae Bom) first, and not the other way round. So while we the typical attractive but seemingly cold male lead, the story is not about how the supposedly less attractive and socially awkward guy has a crush on an attractive, practically unattainable guy.

The flashbacks to the leads' childhood time are brief but effective in showing their relationship and how their personalities have been shaped by their childhood experiences. At the same time, the way they transform each other is endearing, with Hae Bom becoming more sociable after Tae Sung opens up to him and Tae Sung becoming more cheerful.

One thing that this series does especially well is the way it suggests the undercurrents of homophobia in society that may get in the way of the leads' relationship, whether it is through the school bully who taunts them by calling them a gay couple (even before they are one) or through how Tae Sung only tells one friend, Yong Hee, about his love for Hae Bom even though he has more than one close friend. There is hardly anything original about this, but I could clearly feel the characters' awareness of the situation they are in and their latent pain, such as when they see a straight couple holding hands on campus but they can only walk together and remark that they, too, are a couple.

This is not a series that breaks new ground. It is very conventional in many ways, but everything comes together nicely. The acting is on point, the scenes are beautifully shot, and hardly any time is wasted on unnecessary dialogues or scenes. From early on, the characters are people we can care about and want to see having a happy ending.

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Wish it was longer like the manhwa!

As someone who has read the manhwa it's refreshing and heartwarming to see it come to life in this short drama. With that being said I wish the show was a bit longer. The actors did a wonderful job of portraying their characters as well as show the chemistry and love that Haebom and Taesung have for one another. The producers did a good job of showing the main conflicts and events of the show, but I wish it wasn't only limited to that. It seemed that every time there was a conflict they rushed to end it. Considering the fact that it's a drama the drama isn't showcased in a way that leaves you satisfied when the conflict is resolved. There were lots of sweet moments featured however, which made me so happy to watch.

SPOILER BELOW
I wish it didn't end the way it did. The last scene where Haebom gives the rings to Taesung. There was nothing wrong with it but I did want more from that scene. In the manhwa Haebom and Taesung got married in the end, and that's what I thought I was going to get with the last scene. But there was only an exchanging of the rings, no wedding, no look into the future and no kiss. It is a very sweet ending but I felt like something was missing, the drama did not feel complete.

I'd say this is a must watch for BL fans around the world, it's short and the sweet moments are very heartwarming. It's just fun seeing these characters come to life and love one another. If you have time then definitely read the manhwa, you get more stories and some adult scenes in the manhwa!

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One word to describe this: RIDICULOUS

To be honest, I felt ridiculous while watching this! Everything about the story, the acting, the cast, and everything else was ridiculous! I can't believe I'm completed this. I might as well have dropped this if it hadn't been for its length, although I don't usually drop dramas! I was expecting for more from this, after watching some good Korean BLs. But now I'm completely frustrated.

I'm not sure how the story in the Manhwa is because I haven't read it, but the story in this drama is completely problematic. It had a lot of issues that I couldn't get my head around:

1. The ML, Jo Tae Sung, who had been unable to communicate with Seo Hae Bom for years, was suddenly hurt when he saw him being bullied. I don't think he was bullied out of nowhere. Also, the bully seemed to recognise Hae Bom, and he seemed to to be his usual prey. So there's no way Tae Sung hasn't encountered Hae Bom being bullied in the past.

2. Another issue was Hae Bom's development of feelings for Tae Sung, which felt rushed and unrealistic. How could he fall in love with someone who had completely ignored him for the past few years?

3. Then there's Tae Sung's mother, who had previously opposed their relationship and then suddenly agreed. It was not clarified why she did so.

When it comes to the cast and acting, it is anything but likeable, let alone good. They had no chemistry at all. Their performance was comparable of that of children. It was almost comical how bad it was.

What I liked in this drama: Nothing.
What I disliked in this drama: Everything.

I'm not so cruel as to rate dramas 1 or 2. So, I have given this the utmost I can give: 3

It's true that this drama offers incredibly cute scenes and is full of fluff. So, this is a good watch for people who enjoy fluffy high school romance dramas, but not for those who want a good and sensible story with good acting.

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Blossoms ever after ?

Warning: There are a lot of spoilers in this review so read at your own discretion XD!

The moment I realized that this drama was about to air I was super excited. I had read the manhwa a little bit over a year ago and I enjoyed it so I was waiting to see how it would look like when it was casted as a series.
Lets start slow haha!

~Cast/Acting~
I thought the cast was really well chosen and the acting for each character I found was close to what I could understand from the character's depiction in the manhua itself. The chemistry between the main couple is really good and even the friendships where really well portrayed.

~Story/Plot~
Okay this maybe a bit hard because I read the manhwa so I had high expectations on how much they would follow the story line. There are a lot of new scenes that were added to the drama that were definitely not in the manhwa like the camping scene with Taesung and Haebom and their friends from school and towards the end when Jia and Younghee somehow end up in this conversation about liking each other...? (i will come back to this). Another thing that bothered me when I was watching was how after Haebom accepts Taesung's feelings, they both graduate from high school and end up in university (but its a minor issue, it was still shot well and everything). I feel like because the series was to end in 8 episodes they had to rush and cut out some of the important interactions between Taesung and Haebom in the earlier parts of the story and even when they were in university. So in short, I compared the storyline to the manhwa a lot so its kinda short of my expectations but the scenes that were shot from the book itself were well done.
I was also confused about a couple of things in the last episode.
1. what is happening between Jiah and Younghee??? That was never in the manhwa for all of its 5 seasons and now when they are sitting and drinking in bar they admit feelings for each other...? really confused and this threw me off for the rest of the video
2. The ending between Haebom and Taesung when Haebom pulls out a pair of couple rings (which of course doesn't happen in the manwha XD). First of all was that a fast forward in time to after they left university and start working?

~Music~
The music was good and it fit well with the story and the placement of the music was nice. I haven't actually went and searched up the OSTs and listened to them but thats something I intend to do soon!
(maybe then I'll come back and add my thoughts to this section haha)

~Rewatch and conclusion~
Honestly its tough for me to say if I would rewatch this or not, I want to say yes and no at the same time. Yes because for a show it was well done, the actors and everything was okay, music was good too but I think what is holding me back was the fact that I had read the manhwa and so I had such a high expectation for the series. Since it kinda fell short of my expectations, I think it was hard for me to get into it and I think it would be hard for me to rewatch it. Who knows though... maybe I'll come back to it if I have free time just to relax you know. Would i recommend it to a friend? Yes (as long as they haven't read ithe book yet XD).

Overall I think if you haven't read the manhwa yet, you would enjoy this more than I did so watch the series first then read the manhwa ;)

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Very enjoyable and super adorable

I WON'T SPOIL THAT MUCH; YOU CAN READ THIS REVIEW. IT WON'T SPOIL YOU. I'M JUST GIVING SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE SHOW.

Okay, I had a good time with this series. This series has such a cute, wholesome relationship between the main couple. There was nothing to get mad at in the show, and I liked how everything was going smoothly. I did not have to feel angry; it was calming and peaceful. There are some things I wish they could've changed; however, I think this series was produced in such a beautiful way. They adapted this series from a manhwa which is currently ongoing.

I read the manhwa and enjoyed it. I love the storyline between the couple, Tae sung and Hae Bom. Within reading the manhwa and watching the series, I was able to identify some similarities and differences. Anyone can read the manhwa, but bear in mind that it is highly mature and contains a lot of adult content. When I watched each episode, I was impressed by how they were able to maintain the same storyline and depict each scene in the same way that the manhwa was adapted. Throughout the series, it was cute, lighthearted, and pleasant.

In the manhwa, when it comes to the transition from high school to college, they go more in-depth about their lives than in the show. In the series, it is understandable because, within the show, you cannot add every little detail. You have to change it up and make it unique in your own way.

I am not going to lie; I did get teary eyes when Hae Bom was being bullied. Those scenes made me sad. I hate seeing someone getting bullied. No one should ever have to go through that pain.

What I liked about the series:
- The main couple had good chemistry
- Jin Huk, who played Hae Bom, did a fantastic job of portraying the character
- Jo Tae's sung best friend, Yong-Hee, was one of my favorites
- Production, acting, and cinematography were amazing
- The ost was specular
- The storyline was beautifully done.
- The side characters were funny

What I think could've been better
- duration of the show could've been longer. I needed more!
- Jo Tae-sung could've been less forceful in the beginning when Hae Bom needed time to think about the relationship

In ep 8, when Hae Bom found out that Tae Sung's mother knew about them dating, I am glad that he used his voice and let Tae Sung's mother know that they love each other. Also, at the end of episode 8, I was happy that they added the scene of Hae Bom giving Tae Sung the rings; that scene was just precious. Also, the way that Hae Bom had his hand out when Tae Sung was putting the ring on his ring finger had me dying. I found that scene to be so cute and funny at the same time.

Literally, Tae Sung would die for Hae Bom. Tae Sung is super protective of him, which I enjoyed very much because Hae Bom was lonely at the time because he did not have his mother to grow up with. Tae Sung and his mother were the only people that grew up with Hae Bom, and they were always there for him. Tae Sung had a one-sided crush on him since they were children; however, when it came to them being in High school and Tae Sung found out that Hae Bom was going off to college soon, Tae Sung finally got the courage to admit his feelings for Hae Bom, because he did not want to lose the love of his life. Although Tae Sung was cold-hearted before the relationship, it made Hae Bom feel uncomfortable. When they were kids, the words were misinterpreted, and this caused Hae Bom to feel that Tae Sung never liked him back then. They lacked communication before they got into the relationship; however, with the problem that they had going on, Tae Sung made sure to always stay by Hae Bom's side. Hae Bom thought that Tae Sung's mother was providing him with those cakes for his birthday, which she never did; it always has been Tae Sung.


Overall, I truly enjoyed this show, and I would rewatch the show. Also, I recommend those before watching the show to read the manhwa before. You will gain a better grasp of the show if you read the manhwa.

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Subtle, Feel-Good, Sincere Romance.

To me, this series felt like a higher rating than the sum of it's parts (technically, more like a 9/10 but enjoyable and satisfying enough to be one of my favorites). It was like being wrapped in a cozy blanket of hopeful sincerity. It's slice-of-life with a focus on feelings and while there are multiple emotional moments, there's no big drama (other than school bullying at the beginning). I enjoyed every minute and will watch again.

Notes on general differences from the manhwa at the bottom of review.

There are eight 25min episodes. I liked that we got to see HaeBom and TaeSung's story over a couple of years even though the time constraints meant that time passed quickly. The passing of time was slower in the beginning so it was easy to understand and connect with the characters and watch the transition of their bond into something more romantic. Then time jumps became a little bigger and more frequent but still retained character arcs. The mother's arc near the end felt the most rushed but it still worked; it feels like she would have gotten to that point anyway so doing so quickly didn't really break character.

I would have loved to watch more details of HaeBom and TaeSung's relationship as it unfolded, but was still very satisfied with what was shown. The staying power of their bond is reiterated over time so their happy ending and hopeful future is believable.

Their dynamic may seem stereotypically simple and unbalanced at first, but over time it's demonstrated how their strengths compliment each other's weaknesses and they balance each other well. They also put effort into understanding each other. Fondueforkharpoon's review expands on that and pretty perfectly sums it up.

There is a lot of skinship and cuddling and a couple passionate kisses.

While HaeBom was adopted by his mother's friend when he was 7 and grew up in the same house as TaeSung, I appreciated that the story *didn't* feel like a fetishization of brothers.

I enjoyed the friendship that the side characters YongHee and JiAh had with TaeSung and, over time, HaeBom. They were very much supporting roles but still felt like real people, not caricatures.

Cinematography was often soft and lovely, though some of the handheld camerawork was a little unsteady for my preferences (the constant small movements felt like maybe it was done on purpose to underscore high emotions but I found it distracting). Music fit scenes and emotions well.

Notes on the manhwa:
General Spoilers below.
The show follows vol.1 very closely then makes a few adjustments when incorporating vol.2. The show smartly makes the give and take between TaeSung and HaeBom clearer and more balanced, which I love. The one thing the show left out that I felt missing when I watched it (before I even read the manhwa), was the Mom's concern that TaeSung forced HaeBom; that HaeBom was in a position where he didn't feel he could say no. That's one of the Mom's biggest issues in the manhwa.

The show also integrates their growing physical relationship smoothly and believably once they start living in their own apartment. The manhwa on the other hand, is very chaste except for some kisses for vol.1 & 2, while vol.3 is mostly all R rated scenes (which are well done, by the way, and focuses on the progression of their physical intimacy). I've just started to read vol.4 and it seems to be bringing in more plot from the world around them again.

Fondueforkharpoon has a wonderful review that says other things I was thinking as well.

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Disappointing Second Half

STORY
The story revolves around high school life with Haebom being bullied and Taeseong as the "savior" brother.... for the first half of the drama. The second half suddenly catapults them into college and a whole new issue of the mother not accepting them.

The side characters in this story are extraordinarily underdeveloped (so, too, are the main characters, but to a lesser extent.)
- Taeseong's two friends are remarkably 2-dimensional and seem to serve no purpose other than appear in random scenes to support the main couple.
- The bullies disappear into thin air around episode 3.
- The mother begins as just a plain supportive mother, and we DO get to see a little of her backstory with Haebom's mother/her marriage, but both subplots are just dropped after they're introduced. She gets a dramatic change near the end of the drama, where she opposes the relationship between the MLs (which is understandable, seeing as they were basically siblings in her eyes) to randomly accepting them in the last 10-15 minutes of the drama, and then, boom, happy ending.
- ALSO (SPOILER, but I already marked spoiler at the beginning so....) something minor that peeved me...
That scene where Haebom's pushed against the wall and Taeseong tries to force a kiss on him (icky.) and the mother catches
them (Taeseong quickly makes it seem like they were fighting) and tells them off.... and then that's it. No stern talking-to, just
moved onto the next scene and then they're having a meal.
- The issues underlying Taeseong's (and Haebom's) childhood are brought up for 5 minutes every two episodes, and never expanded on.
- The college girl that crushed on Taeseong served no purpose whatsoever, and neither did that freshman drinking scene.

ACTING
While I understand that Haebom is meant to be the shy (as someone else put it, "damsel in distress") character, we never see his acting style or personality deviate from this preset character trait. In other words, there is NO character development and NO change... ever. There are some rare moments of banter between the main couple, but otherwise Haebom is always the quiet, shy, hands clasped in the front, eyes down, fidgety character.

Taeseong was more bearable, but only because he wasn't annoyingly childlike (HAEBOM). He saw a little development, although it's just the typical tall, dark, handsome, and stony guy becoming an affectionate and clingy boyfriend (which also got annoying at times, but as I said earlier, was more bearable.

There was little to NO chemistry between the two. Some of the kiss scenes were awkward as heck, but the lack of chemistry really showed through their daily interactions. Sorry, not sorry.

MUSIC
Forgettable, only really noticed the music through the 1 minute 25 second intro and the 2 minute outro in every episode.

POSITIVES
- There were cute moments, I will not deny that.
- The supporting characters were fine actors.
- Production was fine, nice color palette :)

I really truly wish I could rate this higher.

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Im disappointed...

This drama was very cringe...The story line is ridiculous. How do you all of a sudden fall in love with someone after ignoring them for years and yall were living in the same house since kids??? I had to skip a lot of the scenes because it was so cringe. There was not really any chemistry, it was kind of dry. There was this scene where the popular guy was walking down the hallway and all the other students were screaming and gushing over him like he was some kind of celebrity. It was so dumb I couldn't help but laugh. Honestly, I wouldn't watch this again, kind of wish I never did.

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Solid

*KOREAN BL IS ALWAYS SHORT* Just in case you weren't aware yet lol
Anyway, I loved this series! Definitely one of my fav KBL because it was nice to see something different. It's usually enemies to lovers and it gets old QUICK. Because this series is short obviously I don't think they gave enough references to their childhood together but based on what we received, I thoroughly enjoyed. Visuals for miles and there was no unnecessary drama, side couple situations or excessive characters to take away from our MC. This series was literally short, sweet and to the point. Exactly the way it should be for KBL.
BEWARE: Cavity overload from cuteness is to be expected!
Enjoy...

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A blossoming gay coming-of-age love story sweeter than cherry for the soul

Everything about this drama is so utterly cue, down-to-earth adorable, and wholesome, I CAN'T!! Each episode is a fluffgasm to the soul. I was nervous about how they planned to adapt an R-18 BL manhwa and due to censorship, they adapted the wholesome S2 plot and I'm glad everything tied up nicely at the end tho with them even getting married, SQUEEEL!! The actors were good but not as great as Semantic Error acting since the only downside was Tae-song's actor seemed stiff at times compared to the expressive class shown by Hae-bom's actor and CAN WE STOP WITH THE AWKWARD RUNNING SCENES DIRECTOR ON GOD, THEY MAKE ME THINK OF DASHI RUN RUN smh. If I had any other complaints, it would be the awkward directing in the first few episodes, you do not make an entire crowded set quiet for a scene, that's not how realistic BG noises and direction work. They had really cute chemistry together and their dynamic was a feast for the pure soul, with their height difference and kisses. Also, that shower and bedroom scene was just ooof 10/10 in spice, god damn Tae-Song❤️! Haebom being brave and talking directly to Taesung's mom was everything 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 The cozy vibes and ending scene gave me goosebumps it was so freaking romantic I am literally deceased after the couple/engagement ring exchange🥺🥰 pls South Korea make more shows like this, semantic error and to my star, I need more of these shows in my life

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An average show that has an outdated flow of romance

Cliche, a popular cliche but still bearable to watch thanks to the actors themselves. The story doesn’t have anything new to offer nevertheless the whole show is considered to be a decent one. It started with the annoying South Korea’s bullying issue that has always been my major source of angsty while acquiring a school based drama. I hate the fact that everyone in the class turns a blind eye and doesn’t have the gut to help the bullied victim. The superiority of these devil students is making me mad. Eventually, a man came to the rescue and put an end to the reigning king of bullying. A typical scenario except that it feels good to witness the bully vanishing afterwards.

One of the first few plots that the story gave is the reason behind Tae Sung ignoring Hae Bom for a long time. All because of his tough place on trying to fade away the romantic feeling he has for him. As he says, “feelings can’t be forced” so he decided to take the risk and follow his emotions the moment he got the news of the possibility that Hae Bom will move out to their house after graduation. An acceptable valid reason for the cold treatment he gives to Hae Bom in years. The camping episode is a fresh breath from the school stuff that mostly only features bullying. However, I’m not expecting an early graduation for them. They reduce the storyline to fit the total length of the show with only eight episodes.

Kang Hui, the actor who portrayed Tae Sung, is a perfect actor to be casted to the main role. Everytime he acted cute, I badly wanted to go inside my phone screen and kiss his kissable lips. No matter what kind of emotions he feels (mad, sad, broke, happy), his lips are just so adoring to my eyes. His appearance as a whole is stunning; a handsome face and a tall height. A giant baby indeed that is perfect for hugs and comfort. On the other hand, Jin Uk as Hae Bom needs more practice for his acting. He was good enough but inconsistent in letting his character hold the certain kind of attitude needed for the story. The other character was okay and I don’t have anything good or bad to say for them.

For my favorite scene from this series, it's gonna be the wet dream scene. It was done perfectly; the intense glare, intimate exchange of kisses, and Tae Sung sizzling hot exposure of his fine body. Additionally, it’s a fun fact that the show ended in the spring season where Cherry Blossoms can be seen anywhere in Korea. The Original Soundtrack is a bop! Made me feel the last song syndrome from the no-skip opening of the show.

The downfall or moreover the thing that made the series a not-so-memorable show is the common executions of either romantic or plot twist scenes. There’s no something special about this one. If it was aired in previous years, a chance of becoming a hit will happen. Be that as it may, it is still good compared to other BLs with problematic characters.

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Short, Cute, Sweet and Unconvoluted.

If you want something to uselessly make you grin at your phone, this one is for you. It gives me the same feelings that I get by watching two British Shorthair kittens having fun.

Warning: it has a rather stale start. Hae Bom, the adopted son of the Jo Family, always felt indepted to them. What makes this worse is that their son, Tae Sung, is the exact opposite of him. Rather smart and strong compared to the sweet and small Hae Bom, their differences builds an unintentional wall in their relationship -- until they are put in the same class together.

The episodes start to get significantly better. Or it might be that I became acclimatized to the overall vibe and characters.
It's not too deep, and has that prim and polished vibe that most Korean dramas have, regardless of their length.
The one thing that is the true highlight of this drama is Hae Bom's character growth. He grew up from being a scared baby to someone who is not afraid to fight for himself. It was by the final episode that I truly understood why he was the leading character.
Tae Sung was rather an introvert, and I rarely saw glimpses of his mind. His two best friends, Ji Ah and Young Hee are the ones who weedle out the truth. Their relationship starts out awkward, but then slowly became fun to watch.
Oh yeah. That reminds me. EP5 had a scene that I did not expect at all to be included in such a fluffy drama.
I personally felt that it attempted to shed light on the prejudice and dilemma that the LGBTQ+ community face, even though it lasted for only a short while.

The cast did their best , particularly Ok Jin Uk for his performance as Hae Bom. He was very expressive for a rookie actor with not much experience. Both Hae Bom and Tae Sung were plain cute, if not, one of the cutest pairing I've ever come across in a drama.

If you are looking for something to watch as a short palate cleanser, I would recommend that you give this one a try.
I'll probably forget the names of the characters, but I will definitely remember the transient joy I felt while watching this.

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