Choco Milk Shake (2022)

Adorable historia de mascotas.

Primero he de mencionar que me parece muy raro el concepto de mascota que vuelve a la vida con forma humana para ayudar a su antiguo dueño. Es raro, porque la relación entre ambos sigue teniendo un toque de dueño-mascota que no me termina de gustar. Y creo que por eso esta serie vale la pena verla, porque consigue, sin hacer grandes aspavientos, o giros dramáticos, que dicha relación cambie hasta convertirse en una bonita historia de amor entre dos adultos, Sí, uno de ellos es adorable y sonriente, y el otro más serio y responsable, pero es una relación que funciona y que podría darse en la vida real. Todo lo real que pueda llegar a ser una serie de televisión.

La historia es basante simple y no está muy elaborada quizá porque cada capítulo es muy corto -si elimino las escenas que son un poco superfluas podría quedar una película de noventa minutos- o quizá porque el propósito era crear algo simple de ver con actores monos. Lo que si tiene que quedar claro es que no hay un gran desarrollo de la trama, no sabemos mucho sobre el protagonista, Jung Woo, y sinceramente hasta unos cuántos capítulos no me enteré que trabajaba para su Tío, pensé que el dueño del bar tenía un interés romántico en él, y que sus mascotas, ahora humanas, le ayudarían con la relación.

Reconozco que no suelo leer los detalles de las series de este tipo porque a veces destripan lo cuentan casi todo. Pues no, Jung Woo, trabaja para su tío, su madre está muerta, su padre no se menciona, se dice cómo consiguió a Milk y como lo perdió, y también como falleció Choco, un poco de sus relaciones pasadas y poco más. De su tío, el otro humano, no hay ningún elemento de su pasado salvo que le gustaban las recetas de su hermana, la madre de Jung Woo, y que sigue dirigiendo el negocio familiar. Hay un contexto familiar en el que poner los personajes y poco más. La falta de profundidad también se refleja en las relaciones con otros personajes secundarios que son realmenta anecdóticos.

En cuanto a la relación amo-mascota, humano-humano antiguo mascota, está bien presentada. Me han gustado como los actores han interpretado a sus personajes peludos, puede que Choco se haga un poco pesado, pero si lo imaginas como era caundo tenía cuatro patas: un adorable perrito pequeño, muy juguetón que amaba a su dueño, tiene sentido la actitud tan posesiva y pegajosa que tiene con Jung Woo.
Milk, tanto humano como gato, es todo un personaje, y quizás el que más cambia a lo largo de los capítulos.

En términos generales es una serie adorable que no pretende ser una serie de ciencia ficción, o un gran drama, sino que quiere ser algo más sencillo y que puedas ver en una tarde, con una taza de café al lado.

Te deja con una buena sensación, y en mi caso no he sentido que he perdido el tiempo viéndola. Y eso ya es algo. Eso sí, no a todo el mundo le gusta este tipo de series, pero en mi caso a veces son un soplo de aire fresco entre tanto drama coreano, que pueden llegar a ser muy excesivos.

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Uncanny, but in a fluffy way with some important lessons.

First of all, I have to say this had some of the best castings I’ve seen. Lee Jae Bin and Kim Seong Hyuk both embodied the animals they were acting as. Especially Seong Hyuk. He was acting more like a cat than my actual cat does.

That said, I think they did so well with showcasing the traits said animals have, it was actually hard for me to get into the romance side of it. Especially with Choco - he was both acting too much like a dog, and was treated too much like a dog for me to ship him with anyone. It just did not sit right with me… The casting was so good, I think it was too good, however weird it might sound. Still, they were able to charm me by the end, I left my brain outside of my room as I was watching, and just enjoyed the sweet moments.

Plot wise, I enjoyed it a lot. That’s a story on crack for sure. I had to stop myself from thinking about my animals being human, because the cringe was too strong. I appreciated this fluffy way of dealing with the topic of loss and acceptance of it. How different characters showed different ways of dealing with it - be it acceptance, denial or a hopeful outlook or just postponing it a little bit to enjoy the company for as long as possible. Not to mention the importance of chasing after things that bring you happiness.

Acting was good. Lee Jae Bin and Kim Seong Hyuk for sure did the best job. I bought everything they sold and have no complaints.

Production wise, initially I did have one complaint - the show felt empty. Few people pointed out how there was never anyone in the café in the beginning episodes. Small things like that take away from the show, as the story does not feel real. Luckily, that “emptiness” became a part of the plot the moment characters addressed it, so the issue was solved in my eyes. Except for that, it was a really good production for a short show like this.

Overall, it was enjoyable. Probably better as a binge watch, like many shorter dramas - would be a good movie. Waiting for that last episode was truly painful.

Milk was my favorite and I wanted to see more of him. Give him a nice short spin-off pretty please!

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Short but impactfull, best Korean BL of 2022

Eventhough it is a short series / web drama but this Korean BL did a justice for viewers. Good story, awesome cinematography, heart whelming music and proper acting. The actors did a great job to portray the characters. I can feel their chemistry and emotion especially between Jungwoo and Choco.

The themes about being left by someone you love is common in drama. But the story about unconditional love from someone used to be your pet who have died years ago and suddenly appear as human at your front door is uncommon in drama.

Overall I really enjoy this short series. I want to thanks and appreciate all the actors and crews who did great job. I hope many more people watch this series becuse it is so good.

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My favourite BL series of 2022

It is interesting, that some of the best BL series this year revolved around the topic of the life after death - ”On Cloud Nine”, ”Eternal Yesterday”, ”Something in my Room”, and of course the most beautiful series of 2022, ”Choco Milk Shake”. I was excited when Strongberry announced this series, because this South Korean production company has never disappointed the BL community with their short films, and the worst thing about CMS was that we had to wait for those magic 12 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays when it aired.

The plot is a fairy tale: Choco and Milk, Jungwoo's dog and cat, want to reunite with him after they died (Choco in a car accident and Milk because of an illness), and they find a way to cross the rainbow bridge and meet him in human shape. The three of them spend a short, but beautiful time together, before Choco and Milk have to return to their place in heaven, from where they will watch Jongwoo for the rest of his life. For a moment, Choco is tempted to stay with Jungwoo, but Milk reminds him that he will be gone for good if he does.

This sounds very much like the plots of other animal-to-human series like ”Meow Ears Up”, but CMS is unique in that it is the cutest and most fluffy series of 2022, but at the same time has always an undertone of angst, because the viewer realises very soon that Choco and Milk won't stay with Jungwoo for long, and I know that many people around the world were scared like me thinking of the moment we would have to say goodbye to Choco and Milk.

When Choco and Milk actually leave in episode 10, this is one of the saddest moments in any BL series I've watched so far, but Strongberry wouldn't be Strongberry, if they didn't make Choco and Milk come back once again in episode 11 – ”this time not to make Jung Woo happy, but for their own happiness” - so that the ”magical love story” can go on for another 99 days or so.

But it isn't only the story that makes this series the most beautiful of 2022, it is also the acting. Lee Jae Bin as Choco and Kim Seong Hyuk as Milk must have spent a lot of time observing cats and dogs, because in every action, with every facial expression it is absolutely clear what kind of animal they used to be in their previous lives. Go Ho Jung as Jung Woo and Park Seung Bin as Jung Woo's uncle, and the owner of the bar where his nephew works, are good actors, too.

Cinematography, directing and editing are first class like in all Strongberry productions, so there is literally nothing to complain about. The live chats during the premieres of the episodes were a gathering of enthusiastic fans of the series from all continents, and all the episodes have been watched by more than a million viewers, the first episode even by more than 3 millions. This proves that Strongberry have hit the nail on the head once again.

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short sweet/bittersweet romance, need a season 2

Overall: this could have easily been a 9.5 or 10 from me except how they handled the ending (information in my comment under a spoiler, I'll bump it up to 9.5 if they have a season 2 and explain things more clearly). Aired on YouTube. Watch the extra scene after the credits.

Content Warnings: threatened violence, past pet death, stalking, mental health struggles, kick

What I Liked
- cute and funny moments
- some subverted tropes*
- Jung Woo's very realistic reaction to the situation
- the actors did an amazing job
- excellent production value (feels very Kdrama with blurred backgrounds, close ups), the music was very well done
- cameo from Long Time No See actor

Room For Improvement
- the explanation for how it all happened is in a separate video and it would have been better to incorporate it into the series itself
- they spent some of their valuable screen time in unnecessary plot threads like the blind date
- *the ending was a letdown and I'll say more in my comment under a spoiler

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A story of cat and dog who return to their owner as humans. I like how they keep the mannerisms, but didn't act so stupid/naive like how animal turned human usually portrayed.

The romance part got me a bit conflicted.
I'm fine with Milk's part, because he act more mature and his love interest is someone new.
But, a dog with his owner? I'm not sure how to feel about that. Choco still act and treated too much like a dog, it's a kinda hard to see him and Jungwoo in a romantic way.

However theme of loneliness, dealing with grief and letting go were portrayed nicely.
It could've ended on ep 10 and it's still a fitting end, but it'd be too sad. It's good that there's ep 11, with the happy end.

Acting was okay. I must say the actor who played Milk just great. He really embodied the behavior and mannerisms of a cat.
Setting and music was good, it fits the story.

Overall, since i could forget the fact that Choco and Jungwoo started as dog/owner, i find it as an adorable story with good message and I could enjoyed it.

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Adorable first half. Mediocre second half.

Continued to watch the show because of the concept. This is my first ever time watching a show that featured animals turned into humans arc, so I figured to give it a shot, but supposing it was a short web series, the plot holes hindered me from fully engaging in the romance side of it.

I get that Milk and Choco became humans and started feeling human-like emotions, hence them, falling in love with humans, more specifically the Uncle and Jung Woo was sort of valid. However, the development of how it came to that stage was poor but understandably so, considering this is only a short web series.

The acting was not at all bad. The actors did pretty well, except for some emotional scenes being kind of stiff from the actor playing Jung Woo, which caused me to not feel those scenes as much as I would've liked to.

The first half of the show really carried it for me. It was cute and funny, mostly because of the animal-like characteristics Milk and Choco displayed that was executed well. The second half was where the romance began, which was where it fell off for me. Once again, mostly because of the lack of development. In my opinion, they could've partnered up the voice-overs of the actors with montages of how they came to realize how they fell in love with each other which would've made it better, but what's done is done.

The last episode for me was like a mere spin-off for those who wanted a positive ending, but I'd simply like to imagine that episode 10 was the real ending, since it's more realistic.

Jung Woo had to accept the reality of not being able to bring back people and things that were already gone and that's something everyone should learn to accept as well, hence episode 11 being kind of a turnoff for me. Despite this, I understand that it's a form of escapism for some people, and I have nothing against that.

It was a solid 7/10 show for me. Definitely worth a shot at watching.

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Support the Adorable Cast!

I remember when I first started the BL genre, I cried every time because the stories typically surrounded the theme of coming out, acceptance, and loss. But dang, KBLs have come along so far. I didn't know anything about the Strongberry production team and rather, stumbled across the Choco Milk Shake trailer by accident. Had no idea what it was about but after watching that trailer, I knew I had to give it a chance. And I'm so glad I did.

I've only gone through episode 1 and wow. Those 12 minutes flew by!

Super adorable cast and very playful characters. Loved how beautifully shot everything was. There's honestly so much potential here and I'm so excited to see the rest of the series, so much so I rewatched the 1st episode 5 times already lmao.

If you want cute, handsome, wholesome, and funny; treat yo self to come Choco Milk Shake!

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Could have been so good without the romance...

I am conflicted about this drama, there is a lot of goodness in it pretty faces, funny scenes, decent acting, lovely gazes and some pretty deep thoughts between the fluff.

Had they only made this a story of friendship support, pain and healing, though I hate the word healing this would have been great and would probably have gotten a much higher score, however having a romantic plot line between a dog and a human does not work for me at all and makes me feel really uncomfortable. I am trying to understand this phenomena as I do see it from time to time? Is wishing one pets became human a real thing? Do people actually want to have a romantic relationship with a human with the the mentality of a dog? Hot and muscular as the person may be, knowing this is the human form of the pet he once cared for? Seriously? Why? I get that there is a lot of love but romance? Really?

Losing my dog was one of the hardest things I have ever been through, going home to a dog less flat was unimaginable several years later I still miss my dog a lot. I have had pets most of my life, so I do understand that there is a strong bond between a pet and their owner, but the pet is completely dependent of it´s owner and is more like a toddler than a lover. Lee Jae Bin did an amazing job showing us that he indeed was a dependent dog that loved his owner unconditionally. Kim Seong Hyuk who played the cat was hilarious to watch, his love line was a bit more acceptable, as he was mentally less dependent and more mature. While still keeping cat qualities + his love interest is not with his owner.

Seeing these side by side made it even more clear that the romance between Choco and his owner was disturbing.

The production itself was pretty good for what I assume is a low budget production. So basically Sweet and interesting story but kind of disturbing... that could have been great if they just left out the romance.

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Adorble and clever

This is a story about a man's dog and cat coming back from the afterlife as humans - I don't think so much reincarnated as incarnated.

The casting and acting are wonderful - although human now, the pets still act like a dog and cat - Choco (dog) follows his former master everywhere, even at home, and escapes to follow Jung Woo when he goes out (especially if he's on a date), and Milk plays the "love me. Stop touching me" game of a cat.

There's no particularly important message to this, other than perhaps Carpe Diem, but it's relentlessly pleasant and fluffy without ever being cloying.

My only criticisms are, and the first is specific to me, the guitarist on the soundtrack kept sliding his fingers down the fret, which sets my teeth on edge and I often had to watch on mute.

More substantially, this is overly sanitized from the source material, being a hard G-rated. Choco is just plain sexy, but other than that, there was no heat between the leads - they had decent "hug" chemistry, but it felt like a primary school romance rather than an adult one, and that limited chemistry made it hard to invest as much as I would have liked to in the romance.

Still, this is one of the better series that aired this year, and is one you can go back to over and over.

The finale clearly set things up for a S2, which would be welcome.

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Strongberry does it again and we definitely needed an 11th episode

This is a short BL about a man who loses a pet cat and dog when he was younger and they come back into his life as humans. Strongberry are masters at short storytelling and this is them at their best with a great OST and great looking actors to boot.

But this is a story about loneliness, grief and letting go. It's beautifully told in just a few locations and is a different kind of unconditional fantasy love story that is well told.

I don't want to give too much of the story away but episode 11 is much needed to give this story closure so don't stop too early.

The acting of both Choco and Milk as the pets was so on point that you really understood the difference between cat and dog.

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