Review: The Shipper

Hello, friends! Bashful Bi is here with my first review! I'll start off with a show that isn't reviewed very often (at least, to my knowledge): The Shipper. This could be because it just came out, because it wasn't widely publicized on YouTube, which many international BL fans use to watch shows, or because of another reason you can see below in SPOILERS.

Summary (official):

Pan and Soda, two fujoshi girls, like to imagine boy couples getting together. The two that they both like to partner up are two best friends in the school: Way, the cool athlete, and Kim, an outstanding student. Although, in truth, both know that the whole story is just a fantasy, because Way already has a girlfriend, PhingPhing, which irritates the two girls. 

One day, after almost causing Way to be expelled, Pan meets Kim, who volunteers to take Pan home, but both have their souls reaped due to an accident by the angel of death. After realizing that their time isn't that over, she sends their spirits back into their bodies. When waking up, Pan finds herself in the body of Kim from the mistakes of the angel of death. Meanwhile, Kim's soul in Pan's body is still not recovered. The angel of death promised to find a solution, but for now Pan has to stay in Kim's body. 

But being Kim is not easy at all. Even being near Way creates an awkward moment. In addition, the matter is even more difficult. Pan soon learned that Khet her friend in school is the real brother of Kim. This puts her in an even more awkward situation. However, she decides to use this as a chance to make her ship sail. Will Pan successfully get Way and Kim shipped? Or is it all too much for her?

My thoughts:

This show ended up not being anything I thought it would be going into it--and that's, ironically, a good thing. I thought the very beginning was really, really cringy, because both Pan and Soda were shown as the worst of female stereotypes: squealy, giggly, and silly. It seemed that the whole show would be just about that, and the only reason I didn't immediately stop watching it was because I was bored. I'm also not a huge fan of supernatural aspects in romance shows (Twilight ruined that for me a while ago), especially when they are presented as comedy the way it was in the show. It just makes my eyes roll and my fingers skip forward to the next scene. 

But the show then began taking a dive beyond high school stereotypes, and exploring the thoughts of the characters behind those actions, as well as their relationships behind the superficial. By the middle of the show, when I had watched all of the episodes released up to that moment, I was genuinely invested in the problems and goals of all of the characters, as well as their friendships and familial relations, and I couldn't wait for the next episode to come out! 

When the show was over, I realized that it's more accurate to categorize The Shipper as a show about true friendship than boys' love, and I was honestly completely fine with that. Yes, the romance aspect of it ended up being more interesting than I thought it would be going into it (I really thought this show was going to suck), but the other kinds of relationships were what really made me love this show. Some of the parent-child dynamics were also captivating to watch, and definitely resonated with me. 

This story wasn't just some ripoff of a wattpad-style novel a thirteen-year-old wrote after school, it was a portrayal of genuine affection in all its forms and facets.

SPOILERS:

PhingPhing was a serious bitch and that made me angry. Way, you deserve so much better! I disliked her from the moment I saw the way she looked at Way, and I absolutely hated her after about a few minutes. Seriously, imagine convincing your boyfriend to be in on your lying scheme about how far you've gone with him, and then hiring people to go after his best friend with a knife when things don't go your way?! What an absolute snake! Yeah, sometimes people just suck, but that doesn't mean I won't be mad about it.

The friendships between Kim and Way and between Pan and Soda exceeded any friendship I have ever seen in a BL show. Heck, any TV show. Being there for someone, even when no one is looking, is the epitome of loyalty and real love. Also, Way refusing to let his feelings for Kim get in the way of him being his friend struck a personal chord with me and really warmed my heart. And Khet... oh my god, I love him so, so much. He is all-around an amazing person, and if any of us have anyone half as good in our lives we should be overwhelmingly thankful. He deserves better than anything the scriptwriters could have given him.

Now, let's talk about the ending.

It made me want to scream, and cry, and throw myself out the window. What do you mean, Kim is dead?!!! That was -1000% satisfying, and I couldn't stand it. I want to be clear that I am a sucker for happy endings in BL shows--I watch these shows because I want to feel happy, and a ship not sailing because one of the guys is literally dead does not make the cut for that. Sure, Kim's death served as a lesson to be himself to Way and to act on his feelings to Khet, but it absolutely broke my heart. Guys, I sobbed genuine tears at 2am as they dripped onto my laptop keyboard when the angel of death said he was dead. This is going to seriously upset my rating for this show, and probably why most people aren't going to talk about it in the future.

But if anyone watched the unsubbed section after the credits of the last episode (I did because I was too busy blowing my nose to turn it off), you'll see that Kim, apparently, has unfinished business on Earth. Praying for a season 2, where he is resurrected (permanently)?

Overall:

Rating? 7/10 (lots of amazing things, one thing that absolutely broke me)

Flavor? Vanilla (there was literally one kiss)

Watch again? Maybe, but only if I brace myself for an emotional rollercoaster.

Recommend? Absolutely!