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Gray Shelter korean drama review
Completed
Gray Shelter
7 people found this review helpful
by jreviews
Apr 29, 2024
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

The BLification of a non-BL story

This is a difficult one to rate. As a short story about the hardships of life, this is an easy 8. It has great acting and is filled with emotions. As a BL though, it's basically a 2.

Let me explain...

Had someone told me to watch this without me knowing it was a BL, I would have never suspected the two characters being in love. Their kiss came so out of the blue, I thought it was a dream sequence for a moment. If you ask me, this story would've worked a lot better if it were about brotherly love (not the borderline incest kind BLs seem to be obsessed with). It was emotional, and the two guys reuniting after a long time and becoming the warmth and color in each other's lives once more would've been very cute and touching. There was no need to force a romance into a space where there wasn't any place for it.

It's not that the actors didn't have the potential for romantic chemistry. They easily could've had some, but it's just that the story wasn't written for it. It feels like someone wrote this without any romance in it, and on the day of filming, one guy on set was like "BLs are popular. Let's make this a BL!" So, the director was like, "Alright. At the end of this scene, just kiss." So, the actors did what they were told, but both were confused about what the hell is going on.

I don't have much more to say. It was a sad little story with a glimmer of hope in the form of human connection. That connection should've just been two guys who once were forced into being step brothers and became the love and light in each other's lives, then drifted apart, and at the worst time, they reunite and choose to be brothers once more, even if their parents are no longer together. It doesn't solve all their issues, but it gives them a reason to keep going. The story didn't need anything more than that.
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