Love in the Big City (2024)

A GREAT SERIES!! MUST WATCH

The series dives deep into the nature and realism of love, tackling it in four distinct themes from the book:

1. Friendship (Platonic)
2. Family (Filial)
3. Romantic Love
4. Self

Unlike most BL stories I’ve come across, this one feels refreshingly authentic. There’s no idealized fantasy here; instead, it captures a raw take on love—especially for someone who’s still figuring out their identity.

It’s a great series (and a read) that explores a variety of issues, especially around romantic love and Go Young’s attachment struggles. Each of his three relationships reveals a new self-discovery, reflecting how much love mirrors our own self-understanding. In reality, romantic love often feels fleeting, needing patience, understanding, and a clear sense of self to know if it’ll truly last.

Go Young’s imperfection makes him relatable. His character is flawed, which somehow makes him even more compelling. Though each of his love interests is unique, he always ends up doing the same thing—falling headlong for someone he just met and letting his imagination run wild. In his first relationship, especially with Mr. Photographer, he over-invested despite not feeling much in return, causing Mr. Photographer to falsely hope and change himself for Go Young, which led to his own downfall.

"If obsession isn’t love, then I have never loved." This quote sums up Go Young perfectly. His intense infatuation with love itself drives him to act rashly, often in ways that harm both himself and others. His obsession with Mr. Fish went so far that he nearly ended his own life, showing how his view of love spiraled into something damaging.

As they say, "If you fall in love, fall for the person—not just the idea of being loved."

Then comes Gyu Ho. Compared to Mr. Fish, Gyu Ho’s relationship with Go Young feels plain and routine. Their lives revolve around daily work and chores; there’s none of the thrill or risk that marked Go Young’s time with Mr. Fish. They rarely go out or even make time for romantic moments. At first, Go Young feels they’re growing apart because of this lack of excitement, but after their breakup, he realizes Gyu Ho was his first true love—they actually matched in a way the others hadn’t. With Mr. Photographer, only Mr. Photographer was invested. With Mr. Fish, his commitment issues tore them apart.

In contrast, Go Young and Gyu Ho took the time to build something real. They embraced each other’s imperfections and learned to adjust together. They found that love itself isn’t flawless, and neither of them were either. But, despite their efforts, they kept breaking up repeatedly, and after a while, it’s hard to keep fixing something that’s been shattered too many times. One of the book’s most striking metaphors is a scene with a lantern: the lantern shines and rises but ultimately falls short and burns out—much like their love.

In the end, Go Young realizes that love is a journey, and we shouldn’t let romantic love define who we are. By the series’ end, all of his relationships have faded, but his friends, T-ARA and Mi Ae, remain. He sees that friendships can be forever, while romance sometimes can’t.

Ultimately, he learns that love is complex, that self-acceptance is vital, and that even if he doesn’t find a ‘forever’ partner, he has his friends—his true constants in life.

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A Different Take On Love

I'm not really into BL dramas, but, this one got me curious and gave it a shot. First, I really like the realistic approach. As far as I've seen, Korean entertainment is starting to loosen up their conservative side in terms of doing this type of genre, which is a good move I may say.

For the story, I got hooked on the first 6 eps. of the story. It was a roller coaster of emotions. I honestly liked Go Young's character. Not only he is cute, literally, but has a pure heart as well. The friendship he made with Mi Ae was truly priceless. I really loved the strong bond between these two. Though, at the back of my mind, I was hoping they would notch up there friendship beyond sisters. Still, the bond remained inspite of pursuing their different track in their lives. And yes, Mi Ae's wedding was so heartwarming to see. The song between these sisters show how bonded they really are.

Go Young's squad was another epic characters in this drama. Having friends through thick and thin are truly priceless. I'm just not sure if he was able to open up with them about his sickness. As far as I remember, he was too cautious for them to learn about it after seeing their reactions of one person they know who was infected.

The sad fate of Go Young's mom was another heartwarming moment in this drama. Though, I know there are times that he needed to vent out by going out to the club with his friends while his mom was being taken care of by a caregiver. It just felt a bit off. Like, thinking his mom was suffering and there he was clubbing. But, yeah, as youthful as he is, probably that's really his way to ease out his burdens. It's just sad that he never admitted to his mom his preference but yeah, his mom learned about it through the photo and yes, when she gave her full savings to Young, it's a sign of her acceptance. Am sure it was a really tough decision for the mom knowing she's active in Church based on the background given.

And yes, for Go Young's series of relationships, the first cheater boyfriend who eventually gave him the virus on the latter part of the drama. And the very serious, Nam Gyu, the photographer who also ended up in a sad fate. In which, Young was really not into him. Then, there was Young So, the hideous activist. Really not the right partner for him, though he was very passionate with Go Young. The real deal Gyu Ho. I really liked how they met at the bar. and I think, GH was the one who truly cared for him. Accepted as who he was. Yet, they have different paths to take. I guess, their love for each other wasn't truly enough.
I was a bit confused with Habibi's character. He suddenly popped at the last 2 eps of the drama that felt drag for me. I probably missed how he met Habibi as I tried to forward some parts. Am not sure how he was related to Gyu Ho. And it seems he met him in a dating app I think or social media page, this I'm unsure of. But, his character seems just a filler towards the end. Nothing significant since he has a family and his work confused me as well. He is Japanese but speaks good English. He travels a lot I presume since they met in Korea and also in Thailand.

Anyways, the ending is just okay for me. But, not what I'm hoping for. The relationship of GY with his dad is another complicated story. Overall, it was a good drama. Actors absolutely nailed their roles specially, Nam Yoon Su. The steaminess in this drama were very well portrayed. It made me believe that it is their gender preference in real life. But like I said, the final 2 eps. simply drag for me. Lots of flashbacks of GY and GH that I find irrelevant since their not even getting back together.

This is really recommendable who's really in to BL dramas. Not really my cup of tea. But, the actors are truly commendable, honestly.

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Queer chronicles of a gay guy living and loving in the big city of Seoul : a raw and poetic journey

This is clearly one of the most qualitative BL that I have seen so far, not necessarily one that I would easily re-watch but one that really left a strong impression on me. It is drastically different from what I have seen in the genre, as it provides a deep dive into the life the central character of the story, almost like a chronicles of his life. It can be seen as a slice-of-life with a lot of dramatic elements put in a realistic but at the same time poetic way.

The main character is a writer who in a way narrates his life to the viewer, which really give it a different flavor to most series. His relationship with his mother as well as with Kylie were central pieces of the story to me. The romantic interests in the series were more like passing boats into the hero's life, not the main focus but bringing up so many thoughts as he evolved through the various relationships. The ending felt bitter-sweet and made sense given all that happened to the hero and the way the storytelling was built from the start. I would not have minded an additional episode to better round up it up tough.

Casting was very solid overall with the main actor clearly being the strongest part of the series. I really hope to see him in other works because it is his performance that elevated the watching experience and made me care that much for the character he portrayed. The cinematography was pretty good: the apartment of the hero was a character in itself evolving with him as he went through various life events, the OST was also very fitting to the drama and there were quite a lot of very memorable scenes that were filmed super impactfully.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a different kind of BL story. It is more of a chronicle of a life rather than a standard romance. Of course, I have nothing against fluffy and butterflies romance or angsty tales of passion but here it is a different proposal both in terms of content as well as storytelling. The good writing, the very deep topics relating to what's happening in real life as well as the interesting arc of the main character arc strongly resonated with me and make it worth your time. If you enjoy BL such as 'I Told Sunset About You' and 'The Eighth Sense', I think you should give it a shot.

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A journey to self-acceptance

In the Korean queer drama sphere, this is unlike anything I've watched. This is a series holding the weight of emotions, love, trauma. There's so much packed in 8 episodes that you can miss out on the little details, but regardless it holds a message: self-acceptance.

The pacing isn't perfect. Time doesn't always work nicely when you have a large story to pack into eight 45-50 minute episodes. Nevertheless, with what they had, they made it mostly work.

Nam Yoonsu isn't just an actor, he's also an advocate. His performance in the drama and his persistence afterwards is something I admire. It's not often you see an actor being proud of their work, let alone in Korean queer media. Sadly, conservatism prevails in a rapidly developing society, I can only hope Yoonsu's advocacy is recognized under a mostly positive light. He committed to his role as a young adult maneuvering in between different realities and brought life to Goyoung. Additionally, the entire cast in this were fantastic.

The humour comes in great bursts. I was genuinely laughing during some scenes. To the scriptwriter, thank you for bringing in humorous jabs during tense scenes.

Flawed characters. Goyoung isn't perfect, Mi Ae isn't perfect, Gyuho isn't perfect, etc. But they make it work navigating as outcasts in society. I love how the writers weren't shy in expressing imperfection. It leaves you feeling discomforted, but in a way, it reflected in a lot of my life stories.

Themes of being an outcast. Goyoung is a gay man with something holding him back from love, navigating under a religious guise ironclad to Korean society. I loved the subtle ways in which the story shows the effects of being an outcast from character to character. There's so much I would discuss with this, but it would end up being a boring novel. In the many layers of Goyoung, he finds his eventual acceptance as a difference to the "norm". I appreciate his development as a character.

Cinematography is incredible. It's as if the words taken from the novel have been firm-pressed into animate scenes. The movement, the subtle tune of music, the careful blur to focus on a character. I could go on, it's just spectacular.

Watching Love in the Big City made me reflect on my own life, and the last time a show had that effect on me was I Told Sunset About You. This is going to be something that I will likely go back to, as it's unlike anything I've seen in a long time. It felt like a cinematic reflection on a young queer man going through a portion of his life to self-acceptance. I hope this review sparks a tick on your watchlist; you don't want to miss watching this.

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A fresh perspective

Honestly my expectations were sky high but while watching ep 1, especially in the middle of the episode I kinda found some scenes cringe, so I almost dropped it. Also when it showed more friendship/roommates dynamic I kinda was uninterested because I thought it would be solely romance about two people. But thankfully I completed 2nd ep and was hooked. I was rooting for 1st cp and than the next and finally realized, this was not just a love story but story about love in life. So many people come and go and it’s very common for people to date many people over the years. I really loved the research guy cp, when he said to break up & go young punched him, his eyes looked painful, like he was hurting bad inside. I could feel his pain of unable to accept himself and how he was lost and hurting. I loved nurse guy cp too, loved how it showed many dynamic of dating and how over time, the fire is lost even though the love is still there but there are so many moments when you question it. I have never been in a relationship so it made me realize a lot about love. Go young was a relatable character, not perfect but very real, sometimes we don’t know how to appreciate the love given until it’s too late. So all in all, absolutely loved it and it made me reflect a lot in life too, also loved his friendship with 3 other guys and his ex roommate. There were so many good parts but gonna end it here. Hope there is 2nd season

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Prepare your heart

I messed up… I somehow got into my head that this was going to be a light-hearted comedy (yes, I was lucky to not see any spoilers!) but how wrong was I… you definitely need to prepare your heart and feelings for a drama like this. The plot kind of threw me off slightly, I don’t think we saw Young’s love journey through the eyes of Mi Ae, I think we saw his love journey through his own eyes - his trauma, his love and his heartbreak. He really had it all and we had to witness it all. I do think some of his actions weren’t the right actions to take but he really did go through so much. I definitely think the saying of ‘You don’t realise something until it’s gone.’ Is definitely true for Young and the drama. I really loved this drama from start to finish and it’s definitely on the shelf for one of the best Korean BL dramas in my opinion. Yoon Soo did such a great job acting as Young, in fact all of the actors did a good job. Would I like to see a little bit more? Maybe with the two reuniting? Yes. I don’t think it will happen but to keep my mind at peace, it will happen someday.

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Heartbreakingly Beautiful

The story of our main character was so raw, it was a emotional telling of 4 loves that he had, the first being one he couldn’t reciprocate, the second being one that wasn’t reciprocated and the third being all he ever wanted but love wasn’t enough. I purposefully said 4 because to me the fourth love was that of his friends who were there for Go Young from the very beginning to end, they were the love that lasted.
I gave this show a 10/10 because of not only the dedication that I know the actors had to the project or the plot that felt like a roller coaster but because of the delicate nature in which the show handled sensitive topics such as the telling of the lead’s HIV diagnosis and depression. It is all too often that I see the media look at HIV as a death sentence, I’m so happy that in such a closed society this show decided to depict it as an inconvenience that the character would have with him for the rest of his life. This illness effects so many lives daily around the world but with proper treatment, all it truly becomes is exactly THAT an inconvenience.
His depression and attempt at suicide was such a real experience, the show let us see him hit rock bottom but also let us see him in his small triumphs that always seemed big because it was a stepping stone for Go Young’s progression to learning to love himself.
The story left an impression on me that I’m not so sure I’ll be able to shake anytime soon. I’m very thankful for everyone who was apart of the making and pushing of Love in the big city, it left me wanting more with that open ending but also with the understanding that it was open because Go Young’s life is still going.

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A Powerful, Beautiful, Gritty Work of Art

This is one powerful, beautifully written and wonderfully produced work of art.

I want to say it was not your typical BL but in all honesty it was not a BL at all. Had it had a happy ending it would have been ruined.

This series touched me all the way to my core. So many of the damaged, broken, painful relationships felt horribly familiar.

I have decided to consider this a modern day Asian version of Maurice (E M Forster/Merchant Ivory) except there was no 'sort of' happy ending.

As someone who has lived a life that seems to always be faintly touched by sadness I identified fully with Go Young's character. My manic depressive nature reveled in the absolutely blue tone and mood of this whole production.

For gay men living today the series left few stones unturned. It beautifully renders the reality of guilt-ridden, devoted, not-so-devoted relationships with sometimes good and sometimes unworthy mothers. It touches on the many lousy paternal relationships. With No Yeong Su's character it honestly depicts those of us who hate ourselves for being so different and so hated by many in the world that we never ever gain enough courage to live our lives openly and honestly. The scene at the end of the relationship when No Yeong Su is on the floor just accepting the beating broke my heart. It was as if he felt so absolutely unworthy that he simply accepted his fate. The series dealt with those of us that are so damaged that when we are in a good and nurturing relationship we don't realize it and inevitably damage or end them only to realize, too late, that the relationship was a good thing.

I almost forgot to include a major character—RELIGION!
How could I when religion has played such a major, horrifying, world hatred-and self-hatred inducing role in the lives of so many members of the lgbtq+ community? But I guess, I could be forgiven because while it was there it pretended to assume the role of a background character. Introduced by Go Young's mother, insidious and serpent-like it slithered its way through her life and his impacting both because clearly there had been a moment when she had him 'caught up' in her efforts to 'fix him'. She spent so much of her time on screen praying for a miracle that never came.

I could go on and on but I think it best to stop here so that viewers can unravel and experience this for themselves.

I want to thank the production team for creating such a wonderful series. I want to thank Sang Young Park, the writer of the novel for doing such a beautiful job of realistically depicting the typical, unvarnished life of many gay men. I want to thank the actors for an amazing, amazing job especially Nam Yoon Su and Na Hyun Woo for their powerful performances.

On x.com user Rafa @dongttaro wrote "BREAKING NEWS: Love In the Big City (2024) received a 55 minute standing ovation from me in my living after watching it for the 3th(sic) time" …

Were we in a theatre, I too would give this a 55-minute standing ovation.

As for watching it again… it really touched too close to home ? I would end up drowning in my own grief. In time, I will probably find the courage to watch the happier moments at the beginning of Go Young's relationships.

I will end with this… I cannot recommend this series enough. To anyone coming across this review, I say please watch Love In the Big City. It is truly brilliant.

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