This review may contain spoilers. If you are watching this, please, please, please support Seo Ham and Jae Chan but using legal avenues – Viki.

It will also be coming to Gagaoolala soon – from the rumors. If those are too expensive, check Kowoca to see if they have it – they have a 99 cent day pass that’s not renewable but you can get that, binge Semantic Error before it expires.

Okay, let’s move on.

I almost didn’t watch this.

Why? I don’t know.

The title sounded complicated and the way the world is I didn’t want complicated. Plus, I realized that Park Seo Ham was a member of the boygroup KNK and Park Jae Chan was from Dongkiz–which mean they are idols and the last time I watched an idol in a BL I wanted to commit a felony. Colour Rush was just bad and there is no way around it. So, I didn’t want to go through that again. Then I got onto Tiktok and saw clips and had to. There was just something about Seo Ham and Jae Chan together in these clips that opened up something that I can’t really explain.

For those who follow this blog and follows me on MDL, you know I am a huge fan of chemistry. Now, for others who don’t know me (yet) they may think I mean sex. That isn’t what I mean.

Let me break it down.

Sex scenes in most movies/dramas can look fake. Yes, I am aware they are in fact fake, but as an actor, it is up to you to make it look real even though we know it’s fake. Asian dramas are renown for trying too hard to make a sex scene happen, they don’t really think about how it would look to viewers. In 2gether the series they didn’t even try. They just ended with a high-five.

That pissed me off. The two characters had been dating long enough for a kiss to have been the appropriate thing in that moment of triumph. Sarawat and Tine high fived each other while Sarawat showed more care by hugging his friends. In that scene, a kiss would have been preferable but a nice hug would have worked just as well.

Then there is Color Rush. That kiss should have never happened. From the way they filmed it, I’m pretty sure the actors’ lips didn’t even touch. And that infuriates me more than the high five, I’m not going to lie.

With Semantic Error, a top all the wonderful things I can say about it like the writing and the acting and the music and the scenery–*breathes*–the intimacy was amazing. There wasn’t a love scene but I’m going to breakdown my favourite intimate moments.

Moment One – The moment on the bridge where Sangwu asks JJ what he would get if he accepted JJ’s offer to date. JJ steps in close, laced the fingers of one hand with Sangwu’s and pulls him into his arms. And it wasn’t one of those awkward, pat on the back, asses stuck out so the bodies didn’t touch. It wasn’t one of those, JJ is holding Sangwu but he’s standing there stiff as aboard and not returning the hug. No. Sangwu melts–MELTS–into JJ’s chest, cuddled into him, closed his eyes and exhaled as if he hadn’t exhaled before.

Moment twp – JJ and Sangwu are walking home after working on their project late. And JJ is finding out why Sangwu really wants to make this game–he’s finding out that making this came would make Sangwu happy. Earlier int he series, Sangwu had told JJ “before you touch me, warn me first.” Being a good man, JJ listened and as they walked home through a beautifully lit park at night, JJ turns to him and ask “can you touch your hair?” Sangwu gave his consent and the gentleness in the way JJ touched him–I was water.

Those two beautiful moments had nothing sexual in them. They were moments of comfort, moments that made Sangwu feel something meaningful and I was there for them and all the other soft moments after and before them. The moment Sangwu calls JJ “hyung” and the other instances of “sunbaenim.” The way JJ looks at Sangwu during the “hyun” moment. The moment JJ stood up and claimed Sangwu to someone else. The kiss in the bar, the hug after Sangwu realized “oh crap! I actually love the fool!” And took off to find him. I loved the softway JJ says “Chu Sangwu” like an a breath he had to take.

Semantic Error is the BL that that stays away from a lot of the garbage we’ve become used to. The garbage push and pull of “I can’t love him ever because he’s a man.” No, the moment JJ realized he was falling for Sangwu, everything changed for him and he embraced it. Even though he was confused, even though he was nervous, even though he second guessed himself. Sangwu took a little more convincing but he wasn’t running from JJ, he was running from the fact that in his head he couldn’t make the feelings make sense–that was the Error…that was the glitch.

My favourite quotes in this series was JJ saying to Sangwu “You’re exhausting.”

And Sangwu saying, “You’re such an error.”

There is such a beauty about this BL that sneaks up on you. There’s a softness that you don’t expect and JJ is such an alpha character that genuinely loves his smol Sangwu.

I am so proud of these two idols. I am so happy they accepted these roles, knowing they would have to be close to each other, knowing they would have to put their fear aside or their gay panic and give us characters that are wholesome and true and loveable and tender.

It’s only 8 episodes – but it is better than most BL’s that drags out to 12 episodes for no reason.

Seo Ham says he’s open for a season 2 if they want to make it. But we’ll have to wait 16 months as he is now in the military doing his mandatory enlisment. Jae Chan is also open to a season two and while people wait for My Engineer, I’m over here crossing my fingers, eyes, legs and toes for a season 2 of Semantic Error.

We need more stories like this. We need more stories without toxicity. We need more stories of people falling in love without falling for the sister’s boyfriend, or overwhelming angst that just brings everyone down. We need less “I’m a possessive boyfriend and I dont care of my actions hurt you.” We need more you’re having a moment so I’m going to hold you until you’re better – dramas. We need more alpha males who sees what their partners need and give it to them. We need more he told me to leave him alone so, I’m gone.

Semantic Error is all these beautiful things.

Keep your eyes on the stars,

Susukhaa