Assassins in love: ‘Long Time No See’ is the boy love K-drama you need

Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The Baker. Even Spy Kids falls into the cliched love story of two assassins having to kill each other, but they fall in love along the way. Yet as cliche as it is, we can’t get enough of it. No wonder we love Long Time No See.

This K-drama from 2017 focuses on renowned hitman “Flying Dagger” as he starts to see assassin “Wild Dog.” But can the two stay together when Flying Dagger’s secrets and his true identity come to light? While initially released as a mini-series, Netflix initially uploaded it as a movie for newcomers to enjoy. 

Produced by an LGBT film studio in Korea, Strongberry, Long Time No See is a refreshing BL drama that while having some cliches, breaks a lot of the traditional BL drama cliches we see nowadays. If you need a reason to binge this mini-series, we got several. 

The relationship is a real relationship from the get go

As cute as the “fake turned real” relationship cliche is, it’s nice to see an actual gay relationship that started as a real relationship and grows overtime. The relationship between Flying Dagger (Tak Woo-seok) and Wild Dog (Yeon Seung-ho) feels raw and honest, especially since they both work in similar careers so it’s wonderful to see them share that pain together. 

These two have their ups and downs just like every other couple. But at the end of the day, they’re staying together and committed to each other, no matter what the world brings to them next. It’s such a nice change from people pretending like they’re not gay to actually being gay.

The action kills

For such a small studio, Strongberry knows what it’s doing in terms of action. You’re sitting on the end of your seat every time the story kicks up and becomes action based. Since it is a story about the mob, it’s important that the fighting doesn’t feel cartoonish and feels authentic.

Nailing the perfect balance, Long Time No See feels like a legitimate action K-drama on top of the BL plot. The stunts and fight choreography feel so natural and flow perfectly. It’s like watching a dance number, except with guns.

The chemistry between the leads is electric

Part of what makes the relationship between Flying Dagger and Wild Dog so genuine is the killer chemistry between Tak and Yeon. For both men, this was their first time in the leading man spotlight, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. They bring such emotional depth to their characters, it’s astonishing.

Plus, it’s clear the two care for their characters and want to show off every side of them. These aren’t just two stereotypical assassins, they’re complicated people who happened to end up in this life. It’s such a crucial part to their relationship that could only come from the actors themselves. 

It’s not a tragedy

You heard us right: A BL story that doesn’t end in tragedy! We’re still shocked about it too. 

So many great BL dramas just end poorly because the writer is lazy and wants to add some last minute drama to make it spicy. But Long Time No See actually cares about its characters, and doesn’t try to make up some last minute excuse for why they can’t be together. 

We won’t spoil the twist on how everything comes together, but just know you don’t need to worry about your soon-to-be favorite couple getting split up by tragedy. 

It supports small artists

If you creep on Long Time No See’s My Drama List page, you’ll see that Strongberry takes the time to respond to everyone praising the series. On top of that, they’ve mentioned they’re interested in season 2 if they can get the financial support to make a season 2. 

If you check out Long Time No See, you’re supporting a small studio trying to tell independent stories. Plus, if you purchase the chapters from them, you’re directly giving money towards season two of the drama. What more of a motivation do you need?