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If you ask me what romance as a genre really lacks then I'd say: authenticity. And maybe I'd be wrong according to a lot of viewers but I really do get surprised when I come across stories like these which by the sheer force of authenticity bring out those emotions in me–and let me tell you that's hard given what a crudgy watcher I am.
And it doesn't have to be a pulpy show of chastity or, on the other side of that scale, terribly unnecessarily raunchy; it can be something as small as hands brushing, smiling when the other isn't looking (gosh I hate that! BUT it works here, it works). The Eighth Sense really doesn't have a lot to offer on this metric, it does not have full-blown NC (it's not wrong to have sex scenes, except i mostly feel it's a terrible substitute for plot) yet it left my insides in a happy state of “butterflies”!
Ji Hyun and Jae Won are the perfect opposites attract trope. Ji Hyun, newly moved to Seoul from a remote part of the country feels quite lost and he understandably develops a sort of reverence for the senior who takes him under his wing and (seems to) have his shit together. Then, a feeling Ji Hyun can't understand, emotions heightened after he and Jae Won kiss. But let's stay friends, a poor, poor follow through.
An important part of the story is Jae Won dealing with emotional trauma of witnessing (and believing himself to be the cause of) what is the most painful event in his life. It's been years, he's almost thirty and has been going to a doctor regularly. This unhealed trauma is a source for grief to both parties later in the story and there are so many ways this can go wrong.
The Eighth Sense doesn't go down the path of "loves fixes everything" but that we can experience the same excruciating pain in safety and support. While Ji Hyun becomes a sort of safe space for Jae Won, JW himself recognises the problems of that (and even discusses it with his doctor). This a very positive depiction of the importance of mental health not just from the perspective of the sufferer but also Ji Hyun’s side, how he must try to understand him in a different way.
Secondly, I loved that Jae Won as a character is not defined by his trauma. Neither is Ji Hyun merely a puppet, a stand-in "love healer". There is an inherent kindness in both of them that they protectively branch out to each other (and to me, any relationship be it family/pets/friend/romantic comes with kindness). The side characters supplement the story with being draggy fillers.
Coming to the production itself, beautiful acting. I found myself holding my breath in a few scenes (eagerly leaning into the screen, nose touching pixels and all). Jun Taek (Ji Hyun)in episode 9: wrecked my heart. His happiness is my happiness, his grief is my grief. And normally that would imply grief for the one who brought grief to my aggrieved child but Ji Im Sub (Jae Won) stole my heart too. Man he's got that hollow look down pat, and that way he visibly kind of lights up when JH is around.
My major problem in the show were the openings, that wannabe edgy look is something I dislike but I got over it. There were many blackout scenes and sudden cuts which I again attribute to the "wannabe edginess" but okay, not a major issue compared to the other wonderful thing about this show: the soundtrack. I don't listen to music, I have a reason for that, but I recognise very well that showmakers often don't know shit about choosing the right music. And they unlike me cannot–should not–cite mysterious reasons for their ill choices of music (basically playing the ost over and over or different parts of it sometimes slower and sometimes faster. This is why shows like the eighth sense and kinnporsche and i told sunset about you stand out to me in the bl romance genre).
I think I've accomplished my mission rant abt The Eighth Sense. Hopefully it's going to make some more crudgy souls happy like it has made me for the last 5 weeks. (Also that poster has a whole new meaning when you get past that scene, awesome choice).
PS: when I say no NC I don't imply a lack of sexiness because damn that tension and their dynamic? fire. hot. (and I do mean it, I'm a crudgy soul remember?)
And it doesn't have to be a pulpy show of chastity or, on the other side of that scale, terribly unnecessarily raunchy; it can be something as small as hands brushing, smiling when the other isn't looking (gosh I hate that! BUT it works here, it works). The Eighth Sense really doesn't have a lot to offer on this metric, it does not have full-blown NC (it's not wrong to have sex scenes, except i mostly feel it's a terrible substitute for plot) yet it left my insides in a happy state of “butterflies”!
Ji Hyun and Jae Won are the perfect opposites attract trope. Ji Hyun, newly moved to Seoul from a remote part of the country feels quite lost and he understandably develops a sort of reverence for the senior who takes him under his wing and (seems to) have his shit together. Then, a feeling Ji Hyun can't understand, emotions heightened after he and Jae Won kiss. But let's stay friends, a poor, poor follow through.
An important part of the story is Jae Won dealing with emotional trauma of witnessing (and believing himself to be the cause of) what is the most painful event in his life. It's been years, he's almost thirty and has been going to a doctor regularly. This unhealed trauma is a source for grief to both parties later in the story and there are so many ways this can go wrong.
The Eighth Sense doesn't go down the path of "loves fixes everything" but that we can experience the same excruciating pain in safety and support. While Ji Hyun becomes a sort of safe space for Jae Won, JW himself recognises the problems of that (and even discusses it with his doctor). This a very positive depiction of the importance of mental health not just from the perspective of the sufferer but also Ji Hyun’s side, how he must try to understand him in a different way.
Secondly, I loved that Jae Won as a character is not defined by his trauma. Neither is Ji Hyun merely a puppet, a stand-in "love healer". There is an inherent kindness in both of them that they protectively branch out to each other (and to me, any relationship be it family/pets/friend/romantic comes with kindness). The side characters supplement the story with being draggy fillers.
Coming to the production itself, beautiful acting. I found myself holding my breath in a few scenes (eagerly leaning into the screen, nose touching pixels and all). Jun Taek (Ji Hyun)in episode 9: wrecked my heart. His happiness is my happiness, his grief is my grief. And normally that would imply grief for the one who brought grief to my aggrieved child but Ji Im Sub (Jae Won) stole my heart too. Man he's got that hollow look down pat, and that way he visibly kind of lights up when JH is around.
My major problem in the show were the openings, that wannabe edgy look is something I dislike but I got over it. There were many blackout scenes and sudden cuts which I again attribute to the "wannabe edginess" but okay, not a major issue compared to the other wonderful thing about this show: the soundtrack. I don't listen to music, I have a reason for that, but I recognise very well that showmakers often don't know shit about choosing the right music. And they unlike me cannot–should not–cite mysterious reasons for their ill choices of music (basically playing the ost over and over or different parts of it sometimes slower and sometimes faster. This is why shows like the eighth sense and kinnporsche and i told sunset about you stand out to me in the bl romance genre).
I think I've accomplished my mission rant abt The Eighth Sense. Hopefully it's going to make some more crudgy souls happy like it has made me for the last 5 weeks. (Also that poster has a whole new meaning when you get past that scene, awesome choice).
PS: when I say no NC I don't imply a lack of sexiness because damn that tension and their dynamic? fire. hot. (and I do mean it, I'm a crudgy soul remember?)
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