There are love stories that seem straight out of a fairy tale, perfect idylls in which the “happily ever after” is guessed from the first meeting. Others, however, are built from the pain, losses and wounds that their protagonists carry, and “Soul mate” is one of them.
The Japanese miniseries follows, for a decade, the relationship between Ryu and Johan, two men marked by loneliness and by decisions that have changed the course of their lives.
Ryu leaves Japan trying to leave behind the guilt he carries after a confession that altered his best friend’s life, while Johan, a Korean boxer, seeks refuge away from his own wounds.
The meeting between the two occurs in Berlin, a city foreign to both of them, and where an accident ends up bringing them together.
One of the greatest successes of the production, directed by Shunki Hashizume, is the chemistry between Hayato Isomura and Ok Taec-yeon, the protagonists. Their interpretations support a story that is committed to second chances. Furthermore, the different settings (it was recorded in Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo) accompany the evolution of their characters.
Critics, however, have shown conflicting points of view. While some viewers have highlighted the sensitivity with which it addresses loneliness and second chances, others have questioned its slow pace, the constant use of clichés and the fact that the protagonists’ relationship is never fully defined.
Where to see: Netflix
