Now that I’ve seen two different members of 2PM is series, perhaps it’s tme to check out their music next! In any case, Soul Mate was another wonderful sereis that Netflix somehow had the foresight to pick up and release.
At the beginning, we meet Japanese hockey player and university student, Ryu, who is grappling with a bit of an identity crisis when he learns that his good friend tried to commit suicide after confessing his feelings to Ryu. Confused, Ryu honestly didn’t have a good or bad reaction, but it was the discovery of his friend’s homosexuality that eventually pushed him to try and take his own life. Believe it or not, but Ryu is forgiven, but he feels like hockey isn’t a part of his life anymore. In order to avoid his feelings of guilt, he visits his best friend in Germany for a time.
It is here that his life crosses paths with Korean boxer, Johan. First, his life is saved in a burning church, and then he meets him again by chance at a fixed match. Reluctant to get close to Ryu, Johan is a bit cold, but is eventually worn down by Ryu’s kindness. Ryu implores Johan to live life on his own terms, so he quits boxing. That decision isn’t one that is taken lightly by the man who was making the most money off of those matches, eventually leading Johan’s life to a rock bottom place.
Ryu lifts him up out from that hole and offers that they live together in Japan. There, Johan’s new life slowly starts to take form. The pair have a sweet, routine domestc bond that is put to the test some time later when Ryu’s childhood friend is left a widow just before the birth of her daughter. The three then form an unconvenvtional family for quite some time. The rhythm between them all somehow works in a way that I wouldn’t think would be widely accepted in Japan. But I do have to remind myself that this is a work of fiction, so anything is possible. Heck, Ryu’s parents are freaking awesome in the face of all of the changes in Ryu’s life.
The biggest blow comes when Johan learns that he is likely battling ALS after going in for a routine check-up for a cold. He is positively shook by this news. At first, he attempts to make more cash to stay in Japan to get treated, but then decides to head back to Korea. In this decision, he doesn’t disclose his illness to Ryu, making him believe that he’s found a significant other. It was kind of shocking to me that Ryu doesn’t try to find Johan again sooner. Of course, he does learn of Johan’s illness in the end, and gosh if I wasn’t battling back tears.
While this wasn’t a BL in the way that I am accustomed to, this series certainly wasn’t lacking in emotion. It’s clear to me that even though Johan and Ryu didn’t have a physically intimate relationship, it was a serious of a relationship that I could envision. They did truly embody the title of the series, in my opinion.