The Eighth Sense (2023)

Instant angsty classic for BL dramas

This story doesn't focus solely on the romance of two attractive men, which I have no problem eating up the kind of shows that do that, HOWEVER. When shows like The Eighth sense come into the genre, it easily places itself into A+ if not S tier for me. That's thanks to the story and character depth creating a sense of reality. The writing isn't the only thing this show offers however. The cinematography, soundtrack, and acting are all phenomenal here, which is also why I find myself rating this show so highly. Falling in love is a hard thing to capture in a drama but throw in some angst and or trauma and it's like tasting food with seasoning after not experiencing that much flavor in a while... Anyhow, The Eighth Sense is a MUST WATCH for BL enjoyers

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A simple catch

I would like to start with the right words, but my eighth sense is not well developed. This series managed to give me a new perspective on bls. A true watershed moment, there are already some Korean bls that stood out for their originality, but the eight sense creates an atmosphere that differentiates it even from a possible reboot. The work of the main actors conveyed all the good points of a well-crafted and very humble directed script. The secondary actors helped create a space for the main couple to demonstrate with all their strength the great chemistry they two have. Jae and Jihyun's story was marked by great originality and a romance that captivates the viewer from beginning to end, the soundtrack is wonderful and fits with all the scenes. The comic reliefs all came together well and amused us a lot. the production is good. The rewatch value is very high as it is worth diving into this experience. I'm really happy to watch it and I hope to see a lot more of them.

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The Eighth Sense: A Raw and Powerful Exploration of Mental Health

The Eighth Sense is a refreshing departure from the typical South Korean BL drama. Instead of relying on sugary sweetness, it delves deep into the complexities of human emotion and relationships. This series stars Lim Ji Sub as Seo Jae Won and Oh Jun Taek as Kim Ji Hyun, delivering performances that are both raw and captivating.

The story unfolds slowly, painting a portrait of two young men grappling with their own personal struggles. Ji Hyun, a newcomer to the bustling city, is trying to find his place, while Jae Won, a seemingly carefree ex-military man, hides a deep-seated battle with mental health. Their paths intertwine, and a tender romance begins to blossom, but it's the characters' individual journeys that truly shine.

One of the series' greatest strengths is its honest portrayal of mental health. Jae Won's struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts are handled with sensitivity and care, offering a glimpse into the darkness that can consume someone from within. The show doesn't shy away from difficult topics, and it's this unflinching approach that makes it so impactful.

The acting is superb. Both Lim Ji Sub and Oh Jun Taek deliver performances that are both nuanced and emotionally charged. Their chemistry is palpable, but it's their individual portrayals of complex characters that truly stand out. The supporting cast is also excellent, providing depth and dimension to the story.

While The Eighth Sense is a powerful and thought-provoking drama, it's important to note that it's not for everyone. The subject matter is heavy, and the pacing is slow. However, for those willing to invest the time, it's a truly rewarding experience.

Ultimately, The Eighth Sense is a testament to the power of storytelling. It's a drama that lingers in your mind long after the credits roll.

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If you want to cry because it has an end watch this

I don't like writing long reviews so lets get straight into it
For context I've watched bl's like LITA , KP, My personal weatherman...


I need to say the chemistry is perfect, all the longing stares and small glances. This series makes you yearn for more, this is the series where you will watch every second of the episode without skipping forward. I found myself really enjoying the long scenes that could be shorter, but the whole point (for me) is to show the real thing, the raw emotions and how time does affect the story.

When they went on a trip together, the short but powerful NC scenes were amazing, I loved them more than the NC scenes in LITA. They felt more real? More lust and yearning for each others bodies and physical touch .


When one of the character almost dies it shown us- the viewer what the other character felt/thought . It left us in total shock. In the episode after the accident we didn't know if he will survive. And we thought he died. Because that's what the other character felt.

Even tho the series has a happy end I found myself crying in the last few minutes. You just felt unfiltered happiness. It was such a beautiful ending.

This is without doubt one of my favorite bl's and I think I will re-watch it for the third time.

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Best Korean BL I've watched

I'll start this review saying that The Eighth Sense is by far my favourite Korean BL.
I watched without knowing what it was about, and I can say I was amazingly surprised, it's a great series which really has it all - great and natural acting, excellent characters, great story and fantastic production (and of course, incredible chemistry).

If you haven't understood by now, I really loved this BL!!

What struck me the most was how natural the characters felt.
There was no forced or exaggerated personality trait, or over the top character.
They all felt really human and really real, with their flaws and depth. With their multiple faces, none of them is pure evil or completely innocent like I've seen elsewhere.
The story is also really good, on the simpler side, but as the characters are really amazing, it easily makes up for it :D

This series made me feel many things, but mostly, it's been a while since I've felt this warm to the characters and the different friendships. I just really love the way they were written, they feel like a cosy bunch of people with whom you'd love to hang out everyday!

If I had to say one negative thing about it, is that it's still too short, even though there are more episodes which last longer than most Korean BLs.
I just can't get enough of all of them :3

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A cuddly piece of euphoria

So apparently you can summon your distant lover by playing a Conan Gray song to him. I'll make sure to try that out. Happy Valentines, my single friends!

🔸No matter how much you're lost in life, if you are with the right people everything else will come along. This incredible, thoughtful, sensual and inspiring work of art is a rare collaboration between a Korean and a foreign director Baek Inu and Werner du Plessis. It is coming-of-age genre, and explores such themes as adapting to the new environment (Ji Hyeon in Seoul), processing traumas (Jae Won and his depression), trying to live up to someone's expectations and finding your inner strength. You can tell right away that creating a safe space for queer people was the priority for this BL. There are no triggering scenes, hate speech, rejections based on orientation, but instead there are many understanding friends that support the main characters along the way. You can safely watch this drama. Without a single explicit frame, sexual tension and intimacy flood the screen in all the right moments. I'm hypnotized.

Stunning, stunning performances of Lim Ji Seob and Oh Joon Taek! Their expressions are so subtle, and you can feel little electrical sparks lighting between them on screen. From now on, I demand to see these actors in big successful projects only!

🔸The drama feels especially real because it's not isolated from the real world. It is full of references to such movies as I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay or Hedwig and The Angry Inch, or the influential needle drop The Story by Conan Gray. Several quirky characters like the English-speaking bartender or the cheerful cashier with the K-Trot USB are always surprising and bring diversity to the table even if their influence is insignificant. I imagine this richness is the result of the collaboration. In this case, I'd love more international projects in Korea.

🔸As for the title "The Eighth Sense", I think it's nothing more than an homage to the creator's favorite movie The Sixth Sense. The plot is not even vaguely resembling the 2001 thriller. The only thing they have in common is the main character having counseling sessions about his mental struggles. From the other angle, the title doesn't make any sense as well. Eun Ji, the supporting character, says: "I realized the five senses weren't everything. Just follow your senses. Who knows what might happen?" But what are the other seven senses then? I feel like this particular line just appears out of nowhere to justify the title.

But hey, now I finally learned how to spell "eighth"!

🔸The Eighth Sense is by far the most vibrant and living K-drama (not just as a BL) that doesn't have that manufactured TV production touch. I actually felt a little bit high watching it (hahah) from how much I related and how bad I wanted to be in that campfire circle with the surfing club folks. I wish the cast and the crew good luck and a big success in the future!

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Great Acting, Confusing Motives

I loved the first few episodes and really enjoyed where the story was going. It is shown that one of the main characters goes to a therapist / psychologist and gets some sort of medical treatment, also his behavior shows that of someone who is mentally struggling. The confusing part is that when the 2 main people meet, it is fine, then it gets deeper and the guy shuts down. He feels guilty about some story stuff and in the end, obviously, they get together, but the guy doesn't seem to be specifically unwell anymore? What I mean is, I do not understand at all why and at what point he decided to open up to the freshman sweetboy and stop closing off and being careful etc. The switching point made little sense to me. I feel like the younger guy got mistreated way too often and while I enjoy the two, I feel like they have a lot to work on as a couple. They didn;t even state that they can always show their worries with them, which is important as half the drama is about mental health struggling mainboy.

Either way, the characters were good and entertaining. sweetboy had good friends who took care of him, listened to him and guided him. richboy kinda has friends he doesn't share his problems with, a friend thats super jealous who he cannot seem to cut off, and thats about it. The sufing club theme and the theme with the barbecue drinking place was fun, I enjoyed watching the scenes with the lady who owns the bar sweetboy works at. I enjoyed every episode, I was just mad at several of them in the middle for the motives, mostly richboy and female ex-love interest making things unnecesarily confusing.

What I will say is that the entire thing is probably the most realistic depiction of a BL I have seen. I don't know about the friends accepting them as gay (or just liking guys, its not defined) because there is a large conservative sentiment but maybe some are cool with it? If you think of the drama more realistically it is more appreciable. Both actors are handsome and they did a good job with this one. I also enjoyed the length as Korean BLs can be super short.

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TRUST YOUR EIGHT SENSE!

Now that I watched this masterpiece several times(I have lost count), I have more deeper understanding of the story. T8S is in a league on its own - you can't compare it with any other BLs.

First, both Ji Hyun and Jae Won were attracted to each other right from the moment they met. It was evident - their body language said it all. It was love at first sight. I am not much of a believer of love at first sight. I always thought one might get attracted to someone and they might label that attraction as love. But this drama proved that could happen. The Eight Sense is all about following your guts. Your subconscious mind knows what it wants more than anyone else around you, even including yourself. Ji Hyun and Jae Won acted upon their instincts. They didn't say 'I had always liked girls' or 'I don't like others. I only like you' or 'How can I like a guy?' or 'This is wrong. How will people judge us?'. They only cared about each other's feelings. They were true to their emotions and didn't disregard them. They never doubted why they were having such feelings. In fact, they never confessed love to each other - they both knew they were in love and started dating.

Unlike other dramas, there was no dramatic scene to make them fall in love - like clumsily falling in the arms, one main lead doing something that impresses the other, etc. They met, they tried to avoid(ep1 Ji Hyun goes to his dorm even after seeing Jae Won is having a hangover; Jae Won avoiding Ji Hyun after the incident), they tried to approach(Jae Won approaches Ji Hyun with an excuse of an lighter when he had one; Ji Hyun joins surf club because Jae Won was there), they became intimate, they got separated but then their hearts couldn't bear it and they end up together.

In most BLs, the main obstacles would be homophobic family and friends, society judgement and pressure, ex returning suddenly to reunite with one of the guys or one of them already being in a relationship. But, internal trauma becomes the backdrop in this drama. The fear of losing another loved one haunts Jae Won and he tries his best to let go off his feelings for Ji Hyun, but couldn't. They didn't 'Fight the world to be together' instead they chose to 'Be together and fight the world'.
Ji Hyun being an introvert was courageous than Jae Won when it came to love. He did things that he usually wouldn't do - he joined surf club, he went with Jae Won to the beach not knowing any details, he put Eun Ji in her place. He was determined to win Jae Won back. After watching this drama, I have started believing in my guts more. I think all we have to do is trust that inner voice and believe that it will lead to the right path. Be bold and listen to your heart. No matter how you are treated badly by people for your guts and decisions, trust that you are doing the right thing.

I know many would be annoyed by Eun Ji and Tae Hyung. But, don't we all have one or two people who annoy us in our lives? Don't we have people who are ready to laugh and mock when we fall down? Don't we have people who don't regard our own happiness? So, don't drop or avoid this drama because you don't like the side characters. At least the couple has got Ae Ri, Yoon Won and Joon Pyo who didn't judge their love.

The song choices Ben Goldstein's I Can't Lose It All and Conan Gray's The Story - they were just perfect choices for the couple. I hope we all get a love as pure and magical as Jae Won and Ji Hyun's. I don't get why the ratings are dropping for this masterpiece. Why nowadays people aren't appreciating good stuff?

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the live actor

I love the show so much the characters the acting was amazing I need season two to come out I hope in the future they can release it.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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