Soul Mate – Series Review

Ryu is a Japanese hockey player on his university team. He's great friends with his teammate Arata. They're two of the top players on the squad. One day, Arata suddenly confesses his feelings for Ryu. The love confession catches Ryu off guard, and he's too startled to respond properly. Arata didn't expect his friend to feel the same way. He just needed to get this secret off his chest. "I just wanted you to know how I feel. That alone is enough to change my world," Arata tells him.

The love confession was witnessed by other students on campus. Soon, it became juicy school gossip. Many people assumed the two guys were dating. Ryu denies the rumours, but they spread anyway. Afterward, Ryu's awkwardness around Arata is enough to cause them to drift apart. They stop talking for a while. Then, Ryu receives shocking news. The homophobic torment has taken its toll on Arata, who jumped off a building. Arata survived but fell into a coma. Ryu feels incredibly guilty and blames himself for everything.

After Arata's suicide attempt, Ryu loses all interest in playing hockey. Feeling lost, he visits his childhood friend Sumiko, a fashion student on an exchange program in Germany. The two have known each other since they were kids. They're close, but there are no romantic feelings between them. Any time someone asks if they're a couple, both are quick to clarify they're just friends.

One night, Ryu wanders into a church alone and slips into the confession booth. He pours his heart out about his guilt over what happened with Arata and starts crying. However, the person on the other side of the booth isn't a priest. It's actually Johan, an up-and-coming Korean boxer who is visiting Germany for an international match. Johan understands Japanese, so he accidentally overheard everything that wasn't meant for his ears.

Ryu is still trying to calm down when he steps out of the booth. The church is no longer a safe place. Someone had set it on fire. Instead of running away, he collapses on the spot. Ryu might have been burned alive if Johan hadn't pulled him out. After regaining consciousness, Ryu tracks Johan down to thank him. Johan seems unfriendly at first, brushing off Ryu's attempts to connect. Ryu gets the vibe that Johan doesn't like him very much, so the two leave each other on awkward terms.

Later, Ryu and Sumiko go to a boxing match. Johan is one of the participants. Johan's younger sister Sua is there too, cheering him on. She's enthusiastic and introduces herself to Ryu and Sumiko. Johan ends up losing the match. Afterwards, he's surprised to see the same guy he rescued at the church. Sua helps break the ice between them. As they spend more time together, Ryu is relieved to discover that Johan isn't as cold as he seemed. Even after they return home to their respective countries, Ryu and Johan stay in touch. They exchange messages and build a friendship from afar.

The first time I watched Soul Mate, I was bored. An interesting moment or a meaningful conversation would pop up every so often. However, the story feels slow because there's so little romance. The leads spend time together, but their scenes seem painfully platonic. Just two bros hanging out politely, five feet apart because they don't wanna touch. Do they flirt? No. Do they kiss? Nope. There's not even a hint of passion or desire. Soul Mate will disappoint some BL fans because the couple's connection is purely emotional.

Soul Mate has too much contrived melodrama. I accept a certain amount of angst in stories, but this series goes overboard and makes me roll my eyes. Expect car crashes, health scares, and every common tearjerker trope. I was also put off by how much the LGBTQ+ characters suffered. They're the victims of homophobia, constant tragedy, and over-the-top gay trauma. Someone is jumping off a building! Someone else is getting attacked and called slurs! After decades of depressing gay stories, I wanna watch uplifting dramas about pride and visibility. Instead, Soul Mate circles around the same old negative LGBTQ+ tropes.

At first, my main critique was, "This doesn't feel like a BL drama." After a while, it changed into: "This isn't an enjoyable drama." I planned to give Soul Mate a mediocre review. But then, the finale came… Something clicked for me. In particular, the line "Being able to feel hurt is an incredible thing" gave me chills. As the last scene left me emotional, I had second thoughts about my earlier opinions. Did I misjudge this series? I rewatched Soul Mate, paying close attention to the subtext this time. I noticed many subtle nuances I had missed, making me appreciate the story more.

During my rewatch, every moment became meaningful. I saw Ryu's redemption arc more clearly. I connected with Johan's emotional struggles. Even their relationship suddenly made sense to me. While Ryu & Johan won't say they're in love, I can read between the lines and understand what's left unspoken. Yeah, these two love each other without the need to make it physical. I feel like a detective who cracked the code on this ambiguously gay relationship. Wow, I get it now… After this belated realization, I was forced to eat crow and admit Soul Mate is actually quite poignant.

Soul Mate is a polarizing series that splits the BL fandom into two groups. Those who see the beauty in this drama and those who don't. There are online arguments and thinkpieces about whether it deserves the BL label. I say yes, it's BL! Others call it a bromance, queerbait, or straight propaganda. This project comes with two reputable stars. They do a great job capturing all the pain and complicated emotions. But I gotta wonder if they're comfortable with same-sex affection. Did Soul Mate only focus on the emotional bond because the actors won't get physical with each other?

Before you decide whether to watch Soul Mate, I want to set your expectations. There's no physical intimacy. You won't see the guys kiss on screen. Instead, you get an almost aromantic take on a same-sex relationship, which will either fascinate you or frustrate you. Also, the writing isn't perfect. I side-eye the angsty cliches and negative gay tropes. With that said, I still spent a long time thinking about the story after it ended. I connected with the characters and cared about their relationship. Even without the BL moments, Soul Mate left a strong impression on me.