“Blueming” official poster
The BL genre is gaining popularity recently in South Korea with the release of around 5 dramas in early 2023. And as the genre grows, so does the quality and quantity. However, that doesn’t mean past dramas don’t have any of that. A good example is “Blueming”. “Blueming” is a Korean BL drama released in 2022, and it consists of 11 episodes of about 14 minutes each. Without wanting to stand out, “Blueming” turned out to be a real masterpiece, and this for several reasons. If the setting seems simple and classic enough, it’s everything else that makes this drama a true gem of the Korean BL industry.
“Blueming” didn’t try to set the standards higher or change the game, but it probably played a big part in improving the BL dramas released afterward. As BL is still a very new drama genre for the Korean film industry, there are many ways to improve, but for that, some dramas must pave the way, and “Blueming” certainly did that job for BL dramas. There are many settings that make a better quality drama, including the acting, the sets, the uniqueness of the setting, the direction, and more. And in “Blueming” most of those settings were the best they could have been for that particular drama. So let’s see 5 reasons why “Blueming” can be considered a masterpiece of the BL industry.
1. The cast and their chemistry
“Blueming” backstage
What makes a good drama is first and foremost the cast. And more specifically their chemistry, i.e. how well they get along. That was a 10 out of 10 for the “Blueming” cast. Cho HyukJun (playing SiWon) and Kang EunBin (playing DaWoon) were very natural in their performances, making the character’s growth and the evolution of their relationship very realistic as well. It didn’t feel forced or forced, everything was going smoothly and it wasn’t rushed either, making the change in status between the two characters really natural. The good chemistry of the actors is essential for the BL drama to have a good and natural outcome, and to improve the quality of the drama soon.
2. The inclusion of deep and serious themes
Throughout the drama, we learn a lot about the characters and their personal issues. This is something that has rarely been seen before, until then BL dramas were somehow too light and didn’t touch on sensitive subjects, but “Blueming” changed that. Of course, this is part of the original webtoon story, but it has been adapted very well for the screen. Not everything has been said, but from the characters’ facial expressions, their actions, and the various settings, some sort of symbolism has emerged from the drama and its key scenes. In case you haven’t seen the drama yet, we shouldn’t spoil too much, but topics like family issues and the struggle to find or accept yourself are covered in this drama. Another topic that should be mentioned is the topic of the film industry. It’s a drama, but it talks a lot about the film industry, as Siwon, one of the characters, is a film student, so it’s interesting to learn about the subject while watching a drama.
3. Colorimetry and light representation.
Drama “Blueming”
This drama was edited with great precision, with special care given to the details of colorimetry, which is controlling the colors of an image or video. As mentioned earlier, “Blueming” is touching on some specific subject, and color is here as well as a means of translating the characters’ emotions. For example, when Siwon is feeling happy, free from all pressure, the colors are very bright and vibrant, and the light is also very strong, giving that same feeling of happiness and freedom that the character is experiencing, on the other hand, when he is surrounded by people, or under pressure, the colors are almost disappearing, leaving for a very neutral and dark tone, which gives a dark air to the scene, just as the characters are feeling at the moment. So not only are the colors very symbolic in the drama, but special care was put into the editing to give the drama this new layer and quality.
4. The Double Meaning of “Blueming”
Drama “Blueming” and behind the scenes
The word is more commonly known as ‘bloom’, of course. One might think that “Blueming” is just a bad word, a way of stylizing the drama’s title, but there’s more to it than that. Of course, “Blueming” references the word ‘blooming’, because of the love that blossoms between the two main characters. But it could also be interpreted as the flowering/development of both characters separately. So there is a first hidden meaning here, but that’s not all. As mentioned earlier, the drama’s colorimetry is very detailed and well thought out, and in fact, the entire drama has been edited in a blue color scheme. The whole drama has very cool tones, and this is due to the editing with blue tones as an overall layer, this is the first detail related to the use of “Blueming” as the title. The second detail that echoes the title is the omnipresence of the color blue. It might not be as evident when you first watch the drama because you’re already focusing on what’s going on, but if you look a little closer, you’ll quickly notice a blue element in many scenes. It’s almost invisible at times, but it contributes to making the title make more sense and gives it this chill vibe throughout.
5. The highlight scene
Drama “Blueming”
Of course, what most people will consider the drama’s standout scene is the intimate scene between the two characters. This scene must be mentioned as the reason why this drama is a masterpiece for many reasons. First, “Blueming” was one of the first dramas to integrate a somewhat suggestive intimate scene like this one. Nothing is shown that should be censored, but it’s pretty easy to guess what’s going on there. “To My Star” a BL drama directed by the same director of “Blueming” also included an intimate scene, but it was given a touch of humor to make it a little lighter, while in “Blueming”, the romantic, or should we say sensual “the tension can be felt when viewing the scene. But this scene was not only a ‘first’ for the industry, but the way it was presented also played a big role. The reason why it is the highlight scene is not only because it is the climax of the love relationship, but the setting is a simple blue curtain from which a light source comes out, and the shadows of both actors. This is the scene where the blue color is most present, and the fact that the actors they are not in close-up and only their shadows are reflecting in the camera it really gives this feeling of delicate touch and intimacy that represent the scene.
These were all reasons why “Blueming” can be considered a masterpiece of the Korean BL industry, some reasons were quite apparent and others were harder to guess, but we hope they will help you see this drama in a new light. . !
