The Eighth Sense (2023)

No doubt, one for the BL (LGBTQ+) books.

It may just be my opinion, but I've always felt there is a difference between BL shows and LGBTQ+ representative shows, and I feel like The Eighth Sense dipped into both genres, but definitely, and successfully, crossed the finish line in the latter.

It's been compared to SKAM in comments by many people, myself included, and as a fan of SKAM (multi), I can agree that 8th Sense resonates and has many parallels with it, but this show stands alone as well and had the grace to finish in a way that was satisfying as an ending, and yet leaves it open for a second season (if we should ever be so lucky).

As usual, I'll begin with the;

THE GOOD
- This show's story has RANGE, but not in that way where screen time is wasted taking us down deviating extra unnecessary character exploration which distracts from the point and causes frustration. Rather, we see many sides to many characters, and they all have a part to play toward the main story, but in a very succinct and definitive way, which adds perspective to the realistically unflowery plot; because life isn't all unicorns and cotton candy. However, the story remains focused on the developments and up and down romance of the leads, while also touching on the human condition and how difficult it can be to deal with and navigate and make sense of people, life and social norms. Even at the end of the last episode, we see the difference in temperament and personality between the entire group, but especially the two leads.

- The filming style is very much to my personal taste, and I'm not just talking about the use of angles, cuts and LUT, but the way the story is told in a way that keeps the viewer guessing about Jae Won and the state of his various relationships with the people around him. I also really appreciate the lack of suffocating music, in this show there is music where it should be, not all over the place, and the music is suitable. Additionally, there is also no obnoxiously, eye rolling and drawn out stares or lean ins between the two leads.

- I have zero complaints about the acting and certainly no complaints about the ML's chemistry with one another.

- The theme of surfing was utilized well, in that the show did not revolve around it, but instead we discovered Jae Won loves the ocean because it calms him, and the surfing theme was also used as a major plot device to develop the relationship between Jae Won and Ji Hyun. Very well executed in only 10 eps.

- This show has complicated but healthy conflict resolution relative to the circumstances, realistic problems between friends and non-friends, believable awkward, ugly, confusing and sad moments between people. Even the fact that Jae Won forgives Tae Hyung for the bullshit he pulled is believable, because people often struggle to cut bad people out of their lives, especially when they feel insecure about their own personalities, worth and feelings. And Jae Won's depression and hints of PTSD throughout was portrayed well without trying to overdo it, they introduced it with some mystery, and then even when it became clearer, it remained subtle but relevant. In fact, in all scenarios, I feel we saw and learned as much as we needed too to follow the story.

Honestly, I could say more, but really, the overall show was just fantastic in my opinion.

So there is no BAD or UGLY, but I will say;
People like Tae Hyung and Eun Ji are trash people, from the start they were jealous, rude, disrespectful, condescending, bitchy and self absorbed. Eventually Tae Hyung even became malicious in actively intending to get Jae Won suspended, and Eun Ji was revealed to be a flat out liar, clinging to Jae Won while blatantly lying about effing around on him just because she thought he didn't know. She was not sorry for being shitty, she was only sorry she was caught. Trash people my dudes. This show may depict the truth of how hard it is to shake them off, but honestly, trash people should be tossed out with the non-recyclables.

HIGHLIGHTS;
Jae Won and Ji Hyun's kiss in the ocean, a great depiction of how they were just looking for a reason to close that final distance between them.

Jae Won nervously joking when asking if Ji Hyun's boss would do something inappropriate to him.

JP and YW hooking up. I did not see that coming 😂


The Eighth Sense is something I would definitely recc watching, it's up there for me with SKAM (Norway/Belgium/France/DRUCK), Young Royals, Sense8, HIStory; Make Our Days Count, and Not Me in terms of shows that manage to touch on different issues and situations while still incorporating LGBTQ+ and great love stories that are well depicted.
I have no complaints about this show.

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The most beautiful and deep bl seen so far!

Perhaps words will not be enough to describe the emotions felt for this bl. I loved everything: the story, the cast, the osts, the dialogues, the colors and the care of every single detail.
The story is deep and deals with an important topic: depression.
The actors were extraordinary, I would even say magnificent in interpreting complex characters.
The colors are emblematic and perfectly represent the moods of the protagonists.
Wonderful music and osts.
Watching this bl was like taking a roller coaster ride of emotions; I felt joy, anger, sadness, happiness. My heart was pounding in some scenes and in others I felt like a punch in the stomach.
This bl is undoubtedly a small masterpiece because it is deep, touching and thoughtful.
It has become my favorite bl.

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Good BL story: original in its form with an artistic vision, hindered a bit by editing issues

This drama is more than a BL, it is a also a story about mental health, fear, trauma, growth and friendship....The romance is of course important but there are a lot of additional interesting topics approached by this series. I also appreciated to have a variety of female roles, not only bad-shit crazy woman stereotype but also sane and even good female parts.

I enjoyed the evolution of the main relationship within the plot. My main regrets are coming from the fact that some of the elements put in place over the course of the episodes (regarding the traumatic event faced by one of the character and his family, as well as the career topics and so on...) were left on-the-side and not really addressed by the end. I liked the attempt at life-lesson from the show but I was also a bit frustrated by the conclusion as there was some undeserved forgiveness warranted to some shitty characters.

Regarding the casting, I found the chemistry between the two males lead quite good but not necessarily sizzling hot. Still, they felt comfortable in the most intimates scenes (much less platonic than the ones in common South Korean BL story) and they made their relationship really believable. Both are a bit outshined by the secondary cast which does an amazing job in emotional but also fun scenes...Those secondary roles carried in a way the plot: some were showcasing the best of friendship and love, while some were the worst of it, and it was really well-acted overall.

The atmosphere of the series with its almost muted colours and tones, as well as its sensitive OST, set the show apart artistically-speaking. It is a bit unequal in terms of production quality: there are some beautiful filmmaking and directing but at the same time some strikingly odd editing choices (between the episodes and even sometimes between scenes). The shift between sequences can feel a bit erratic and jumpy, with the viewer not being sure how the characters reach directly point B from point A...

I would recommend this to people looking for an interesting and artistic BL story set in a university background with some surfing. If you enjoyed drama such as "I Told Sunset About You", it might bring you similar feelings.

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A beautiful, aesthetic story of love and attraction with an indie feel

This drama is probably one of the best K-BLs I've watched so far.

Especially the cinematography my favorite point here. The color grading was so aesthetic, amazing at conveying emotion and mood, and you could really see that someone poured their love and attention into every frame. The way it was shot, the angles and cuts, were so beautiful, refreshing, and just amazing at conveying the story. Also the intro and the way it worked with the store was just really cool. The cinematography of this drama was just incredibly enjoyable and had a great indie feel.

The story of this drama was interesting and enjoyable to watch. The characters were fun, realistic, some were even refreshing. Special probs to my girl Yun Won, one of my favorite female characters in a Korean drama I‘ve ever seen. Sadly, I did not really enjoy episode 8-10 as much as the ones before. Somehow, these episodes felt a little weaker, more "normal" (if that can be said in a negative sense) as before. This is the only reason why my rating for this fell below 9. Almost everything until episode 8 was just amazing.

Special shoutout to episode 6, which is one of the only episodes that I have ever given a 10/10 to. The cinematography, feeling, vibe, and acting in this episode were just outstanding. This episode in particular was in my opinion the best part of this story, and deserves an award.

Now onto the romance and acting. This part of the drama was incredible to watch, especially in the first few episodes. The story and chemistry between the characters felt so real. This feeling of electric attraction and being intrigued by a person from the get-go. Wanting to be so close to them suddenly, falling hard and fast, and everyone questioning why these two people like each other so much. It was so refreshing and real. I loved this natural progression of the story, and especially the way it was handled in episode 6. Also the kisses in this show were so REAL, emotional, beautiful, passionate. It's been a while since I‘ve seen something like this in a K-BL.

The story also dealt with mental health and depression in an interesting way. Especially how the acting and cinematography contributed to it was well done. I did feel like it could have been dealt with a little bit better, but mental health is such a hard topic that a lot of shows don‘t even begin to address.

To summarize, a really good show. Incredibly enjoyable to watch, good acting, good cinematography. A little lacking in some parts and it falls off a little towards the end, but totally worth it.

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