Soul Mate Review: In a rather exciting twist, Netflix’s newest Korean-Japanese drama stars Ok Taecyeon and Hayato Isomura in a BL drama that blends romance, trauma and emotional healing showcased over the course of several years. The drama is a slow-burning story that is set in Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo and is sure to make hearts flutter and bring tears to viewers’ eyes.
Shunki Hashizume’s series is emotionally ambitious and undeniably heartfelt, even though, as with every other show in the genre, it sometimes struggles under the weight of its melancholy and sluggish pacing.
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Soul Mate Netflix Cast
Hayato Isomura, Ok Taec-yeon, Ai Hashimoto, Koshi Mizukami, Yutaro Furutachi, Lee Jae-yi, Chihiro Kato, Ken Yasuda, Kaho Minami, Tomokazu Miura
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Soul Mate Series Writer & Director
Shunki Hashizume
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Original Title
ソウルメイト
The series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 40 minutes.
Soul Mate Review
Loneliness and Fate Intertwined
Soul Mate follows Narutaki Ryu, who, after nearly destroying his best friend’s life, flees to Berlin, where he is saved from a church fire by Korean boxer Hwang Jo-han. This chance encounter results in them being invariably drawn to one another. Sharing grief, pain and unresolved trauma, the two lonely souls realise that they are soulmates soon afterwards and go on adventures in Berlin, Tokyo and Seoul, where they not only face their own demons but find peace and love in each other’s company.
One of the best things about this series is how we gradually see Jo-han and Ryu’s relationship evolve. Both of these characters are given time and space to breathe and evolve, knowing one another and themselves before the romance seeps in. Its realism and patience get under your skin as you see both characters coming to terms with their pain and trauma. Human emotions are treated with importance and patience, as a result of which viewers will find themselves rooting for the characters instead of waiting for a quota to be filled.
This also results in the characters having realistic chemistry – they aren’t simply performing something, they are lived-in characters with a soul. However, as mentioned previously, the sense of melancholy in the series is such that it overshadows everything in its wake, and the tenderness of their love is sometimes lost in the relentless tragedies that they have to face. At times, you wonder whether the bad times will ever stop, as it gets exhausting to watch them suffer over and over again. It somehow mars the experience quite a bit and leaves you heartbroken, rather than fulfilled.
Ok Taecyeon & Hayato Isomura Perfect Capture a Messy Relationship
Ok Taecyeon is an actor who is known for his charisma and larger-than-life performances, but in Soul Mate, he brings forth a different side of himself that will make longtime fans sit up and take notice. He’s surprisingly restrained and sensitive with his portrayal of Jo-han, and his flaws feel human rather than some character issue. Taecyeon captures the emotionally damaged and withdrawn Jo-han with ease and care, and your heart bleeds for the man who, despite his positive traits, feels like he’s drowning sometimes.
The emotional conflicts are more apparent when Jo-han tries to care for Ryu, which highlights just how broken and traumatised they both are. On that note, Hayato Isomura is the emotional core of the film and brings forth Ryu’s destructive and guilt-ridden turmoil extremely well. His performance is deeply affecting, and there isn’t a moment you don’t root for him, even during his darker moments. Their imperfect and messy romance, thus, affects you the most because you understand their pain so well.
Fantastic Cinematography and Atmosphere
One of the best things about Netflix dramas is how good they are at visual storytelling. With characters who have such a heavy burden to bear, director Shunki Hashizume captures their different moods through beautiful storytelling. Berlin, Tokyo and Seoul reflect exactly what the characters are feeling at every moment. Sometimes, when words fail, the fantastic cinematography captures the nuanced emotions extremely well.
A Restrained BL Drama?
One of the most anticipated parts of the series is, of course, its BL aspect and the idea of watching Ok Taecyeon and Hayato Isomura in a romantic entanglement has been the talk of the town for months. However, the series doesn’t really dive into the nuances of the Boys’ Love topic and is, instead, quite restrained. This is one of the disappointments of the series, as, although it’s quite happy to showcase the heartbreaking trauma of its characters, the romance and tender moments seem to take somewhat of a backseat, only shown in a subdued manner.
The series clearly prioritises emotional intimacy over showcasing that love physically, which goes with the overall theme of the show. But the lack of showing these emotions openly might disappoint fans who are looking forward to watching it onscreen.
Final Verdict
In the end, Soul Mate gets under your skin because it’s deeply human and, at times, emotionally devastating. The slow-paced drama tells a sincere tale of two broken individuals finding comfort and relatability in one another and overcoming years of emotional scars. While the pacing drags at times and the heartbreaks feel overwhelming, at its core, it’s a vulnerable story told well. With good performances and fantastic cinematography, this one is for BL drama lovers who like a more restrained romance, one that gets under your skin more often than not.
What are your thoughts on Soul Mate on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
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