Light on Me (2021)

A love story with no obligations, beautiful and adorable

I just finished watching this after binging on hours end with my friends and I've got no words to describe what I'm feeling right now. I had dropped it after watching 5 episodes in hope of starting it again after it airs, but didn't feel enough enthusiasm though something kept prodding me to watch it over and over and I'm damn glad I did.
I don't remember the last time something made me feel so fluffy and warm. From the start, I did not want to judge the acting as I wasn't close enough to figuring out the characterizations. Later I realised, F**k, they are perfect.
Woo TaeKyung is inherently silent, observant, straight-forward, honest and brave.
Noh ShinWoo is a fairyland dream every person would like to have, sweet, bad at expressing himself, a bit awkward and cute.
Shin DaWon was straight up annoying, suffocating and so fake that it hurt, his character development was drastic and beautiful.
NamGoong Shiwon is an angel with a beautiful smile and beautiful heart, quite a bit mysterious and lovable goofy.
Lee SooHee was toxic, quite stubborn and defiant, too possessive. But something I liked about her, even when she hated TaeKyung, it wasn't because she was homophobic, she was scared of being replaced by someone and that was it. Doesn't make me overlook her underhandedness and disturbing nature though.

The plot: Beautiful.
There was a lot of cringe in the beginning, but then it evened down and became so heartwarming that I nearly died of sweetness overdose. As a person who is not very fond of fluffy and sappy romance, I had no qualms watching and crying over this. Pretty and stunningly written. The actors played their part so well it looked like they were made for it. I could just feel the tangible love between TaeKyung and ShinWoo at the end and did not want them to leave from the screen, I wished i could keep watching them.

The love triangle: Most realistic and healthy one I've seen in a while. It made me angry, made me cringe, made me feel broken and sad and made me feel elated.

Noh ShinWoo: Hands down my favorite character, and nothing will change that. He's a perfectly constructed character, so well done that he might even feel like a summer dream. But that's what was needed to fill in between Shin DaOn's imperfections and TaeKyung's brutal honesty. He's someone I'll remember for long and long.

Special love to the teacher and Namgoong, they were both saviours, yet appeared human and had their own story and irreplaceable importance in the story, very unlike side charaters in many other bls.

I'm always going to remember the last episode, mainly TaeKyung and ShinWoo holding hands, looking at each other, kissing and just being in love with everyone, the people who matter to them being sweet and supportive.

It's a drama I'd want to watch again someday and smile till my face hurts from all that exertion with no regrets.

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Young love and mindfulness

This series is truly a gift to watch. It has so many amazing parts to it I lost count of, but let me narrow it down to a few.

You will fall in love with these characters. Every single one has a unique personality. They are some of the most well-constructed, fleshed out and well-developed I've seen in a long time. I love how they highlight the conflict between characters with so much self-reflection and mutual understanding. Yes there is a love triangle, but you will be pleasantly surprised at how they handle it. Yes there is a jealous female lead, but it blows my mind how they turn it around. These characters have some of the most healthy friendships and relationships with one another. This series has so much impact towards queer youth and their path of discovery, along with making mistakes as a teen and learning to maturely fix them.

The acting is incredible. The K-drama industry knows how to pluck the right actors for the right roles. The whole cast in Light On Me nailed the personalities of each character. I love how the whole cast off-screen act like a family, too, including the staff.

The story is heartwarming and blew me away. I appreciate how instead of resting on a fantasy, this series properly expresses the frustrations of rumours and confusion with your own identity. It's also interesting to note that you never truly know who Taekyung will end up with until the very end. At least in my case; I had an idea, but it still leaves you unsure. Of all of them, Daon's journey hit me the most, as I could relate to parts of him.

I can't get enough of the OSTs. They are absolutely beautiful. Great choice of music in this series.

I'm truly going to miss this show. There are subtle hints of a possible extension, whether season 2 or a side story, but we shall see. If you've been holding off on watching Light On Me, now's the time to watch it. Seriously. You will be immediately hooked on it.

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A Rare Gem in the World of BL

At a glance Light On Me, might seem like just another high school romance, but if you look under the surface you'll see that there is so much more to this drama than meets the eye.

We need more K-drama BLs like this.

STORY:

While Light On Me might look like your typical high school BL, there is so much more to this drama.  There is no over dramatic fights.  No crazy ex-girlfriend or disapproving parents.  No instant chemistry.  Nothing!  The characters and situation is very realistic.  It does follow the typical troupes, but nothing is too overdone.  

The best part of the drama is that while it does follow the usual romance troupes, it doesn't really follow the stereotypical plot.  For example, a normal romance plot would have the loner fall in love with the popular kid and the feelings are reciprocated, but in Light On Me it's different.  While Taekyung does fall for Da-on and Da-on seems to also feel the same way, some unforeseen circumstances force them apart leading to Shinwoo, who has been leading us on with a game of cat and mouse, to suddenly step up to the plate.  It's very interesting to watch since the drama is so unpredictable.

Also, despite being a K-drama, Light On Me gives us the ideal love triangle.  Like the Taekyung, we're stuck between whether we are on team Shinwoo or team Da-on.  Both men are the ideal man for Taekyung.  They both care for Taekyung and have done everything in their power to help him.  Both Shinwoo and Da-on have their flaw and struggles, but it's all things that can be worked out together with Taekyung as a couple.  There is nothing overly dramatic about this love triangle.  It's very stable and Taekyung will not have to suffer dramatically in any way, shape, or form regardless of who he chooses to love.  The best part about this love triangle is that while Shinwoo and Da-on have a crush on Taekyung, they openly talk about their feelings for him together and they cheer each other on even though they are love rivals.  Yes, they are rivals, but above all they are friends.  They really are the embodiment of "bros before hoes" with their friendship.

Shinwoo & Taekyung

Shinwoo and Taekyung's relationship started out bitterly since Shinwoo seemingly hated Taekyung from the beginning, but after a while we learn that's not the case. He always thought Taekyung was cute from the beginning, but he's too introverted to say his true feelings.  Taekyung, on the other hand, hated Shinwoo because Shinwoo always seemed to be against him.  He was unintentionally thinking about Shinwoo constantly since he was so concerned about being hated by him.

Shinwoo and Taekyung are the perfect couple.  Taekyung is very forward with his thoughts, while Shinwoo doesn't really say his true feelings.  They really balance each other out.  I think that they really are perfect for each other.  Towards the end, Shinwoo does start to say more of his own thoughts without holding back, which I thought was amazing because so many misunderstandings occurred because he didn't speak his mind.  Also, Taekyung finding it amusing to tease Shinwoo is great character development because up until that point we didn't really get to see much of Taekyung's personality aside from his truthfulness.  I like how they bring out the best in each other.

Da-on & Taekyung

Da-on and Taekyung's ship was sailing from the get-go. From the moment they met Da-on was kind to Taekyung and provided him with the moral support he needed to maneuver through life and making friends so late in the game. Taekyung mentions numerous times how he saw through Da-on's perfect facade, but he still saw Da-on for the man he could be and loved him for it.

While Da-on still has lots of issues to work on, I think Da-on is also perfect for Taekyung because they bring the best out of each other. Even after everything that they go through they are still good friends and take care of each other. Although late, Da-on tries to get his life back on track so that he can one day be the right man for Taekyung.

Da-on & Sohee

Sohee... I just pity her. She seems like a smart girl that will go far in life, but she's too obsessive. She also can't take a hint. She's been chasing after Da-on for 3 years, yet he hasn't given her the time of day. Shouldn't she figure it out already? She also follows him around constantly, yet she doesn't know anything about him. She goes around saying he's nice to everyone, so don't misunderstand, yet she's misunderstanding him completely. She's just annoying. I wish Da-on would have completely cut her off after all the crap she put him and Taekyung through, but instead he forgives her. Da-on is too nice and too good for Sohee.


OVERALL:

Whether or not you are on team Shinwoo or team Da-on, there are so many great moments that Light On Me gives us. This isn't just a BL. This is a story about friendship and first love.

I hope there are more dramas like this in the future because it's refreshing to watch a romance series (BL or not) that is realist yet dreamy, and isn't so dramatic and intense.

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Warning: It will be a happy ending for the main characters but not for the viewers

I thought I've seen the best in Korean BL series. Not until I saw Light On Me. It's not finished yet but I am already putting it on top of my Korean BL ranking and definitely in the top 5 of my all time favorite BL series. What I like about Korean BL series that I've watched, they're short. Well, actually not quite in the case of Light On Me coz it is 16 episodes, which I don't mind at all. But for a series that is 25 minutes per episode, it is relatively short compared to most Thai BL series which run for an hour or more per episode. Korean BLs are short yet direct to the point. They hit differently. The quality is always superb. And the storyline is realistic.

Light On Me ignites my dimming fire. I was starting to lose my interest in watching BL series after my disappointment on Fish Upon the Sky. It was until episode 4 that I started to watch this Korean series. And boy I am so glad I did.

A Tale of Thousand Stars, Lovely Writer, History 4: We Best Love, I Promised You The Moon and Light On Me are definitely in the top 5 of the best BL series that came out this year. Still deciding on their final ranking.

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this series had me coming back each week to watch more. the love triangle was done in such a satisfying way. no one couple overshadowed the other; both had good chemistry; and both made sense.

i enjoyed the acting, and i think the awkwardness fit into the series really well. i think it portrays the "first love" in a really raw, innocent way. you can tell that all the boys are inexperienced when it comes to love, but they find themselves along the ride because of each other. i think that's really sweet.

i don't enjoy the idea that the only female became the antagonist, but she did, and i can't change that. the way her character came off was very childish, and without namgung's guidance, i don't think there would be a lot of hope for her. i think society in general could've gone well as the antagonizing factor, but that's also overdone, and for that i'll give this series credit.

overall, it's nothing new as a story, but it sure is cute, and it's worth watching. it's definitely up there in my list and i recommend giving it a watch if you're into the kdrama scene.

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Yesterday, Today and Probably tomorrow

This was a gem of a show. From the way the characters were written, to the production,  to the OST, this is in my top 3 BLs. What i enjoy the most about this show was that the characters felt real. People handles things in a realistic manner. No one ran head first with misunderstanding that tend to plague most shows. People actually communicated in this...which I was completely surprised by because that's something that barely happens in BLs...misunderstanding are literally in their job description.

But here we had characters talk with each other.
Taekyung being open about his feelings, whether it was him revealing his desire to be with the person he was falling in love with, to when he was disappointed in the person who he fell for.

Another thing I liked that unlike other love triangle in dramas, this one, while still pretty stressful, wasn't toxic. Daon and Shinwoo could have been at each other's throats but instead they kept calmed, albeit there was some awkwardness here and there they were able to continue being friends despite  being each other's love rival.

Namgoong is the friend that I think we all need in reality. What I like about his character is that he comes off like the class clown, always playing video games or eating so it's like he would be in dark about everything that's happening around him and yet, he's actually extremely aware of everything happening with his friends. Even going as far as trying to give advice while acting like he doesn't know what's going on...but does.

Sohee...imma say this...I feel like she should have worked harder for what she did. What she did could have had dire consequences for Daon. She was incredibly selfish for what she did. Yeah she apologized but this wasn't like she broke his phone or didn't return a book she borrowed five months. This was way worst then that.

There's just so much I love about this show and I'm honestly so happy that I got a chance to watch it. Hopefully the people behind this show keeps up the good work.

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An Absolute Delight to Watch!

When I first heard Light on Me is based on a BL dating simulation game I was skeptical whether this would be good or not. This series completely exceeded my expectations. The 4 MCs are all lovable and adorable that went through great character development. I overall feel Lee So Hee was not really needed to be inserted in the story, but she did add in the drama and developed well as a character as well towards the end. The writers did an amazing job with the story-telling. It was difficult to tell who Taekyung’s end game was until the very last episode.

Overall this story was a delight to watch and conveyed great messages of:

- not being afraid of who you are
- having the the right friends around you
- normalizing homosexuality
- owning up to your mistakes

Light on me was consistently good from beginning to end and even became highly addicting to watch. Kang Youseok has stolen my heart with his acting <3 This drama was overall a nice, feel-good series. Absolutely loved it, definitely one of my top favorite BL dramas I hope gets another season if possible.

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Amazing.

I rarely give a drama a 10/10. I'll usually give an 8 or 9 if they are good, right? This one, I'm going to give a 10/10. The story line was really good and it unfolded well throughout the series. You got to see multiple different character developments and that was really great. I also really liked how the love triangle was portrayed differently then normal dramas portray them. Usually one falls for the lead and they end up together after the lead realizes they liked them all along. Here the story line of TaeKyung and Shinwoo, unfolded quite differently. It took a while for them to really get to know each other but Taekyung finally realized his true feelings for Shinwoo. This drama has become one of my favorite BL dramas, it was that good. #teamshinwoo

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Definitely my favorite BL series

As someone who loves High school romcoms I think this show pulled it off perfectly. The cast was amazing and every actor added to the show. Light On Me is one of the first series I’ve seen that has been able to pull off a realistic love triangle and I loved it. I got very emotionally invested in the storyline and the feelings of the characters and cried multiple times. I think the music definitely added a lot to the story and went really well with it too.

Besides just loving the show in general, I think it definitely deserves a 10 because of how it shows homophobia. In my opinion BL series have a tendency to avoid addressing homophobic issues. Asides from the stereotypical homophobic dad or maybe a homophobic side character the issue is rarely addressed. Light on Me *mild spoilers* shows homophobia in different ways through the show. Shinwoo getting bullied, the negative rumor about Daon being gay, and of course Daon’s own internalized homophobia or discomfort with himself for the first part of the show. I really appreciate how the writers didn’t just gloss over this aspect because it definitely added a lot to the show.

Anyways, if you haven’t yet I definitely recommend watching Light On Me

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Gem. Masterpiece. Best Korean BL.

Compared to the previous five-minute series, progress is noticeable with an unarmed eye. The first real BL at its best. Although there are no hot scenes, the love between characters just flies in the air! Another proof that good BL is made not by scenes, but by the plot. The actors played so realistically that you don't want to part with them at the end. This is the first time, when I liked the love triangle. Even the minor characters are so well spelled out that it's amazing. I advise everyone to watch it! You will fall in love with these cute characters at first sight...

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Pleasantly surprised and I fell in love with this series

I started this series with not to high expectations because it's a high school series. So I felt 'been there, done that'. But I still watched it as I was interested in how they were going to develop this storyline. And, while some parts were annoying the crap out of me, I must say that I was really impressed.

Story-10/10
So here's the thing! The story may seem like a simple story, but it's not. It went so in depth with these characters that I actually wasn't expecting it. The four main leads are portrayed a certain way in the beginning. But as the series progressed, you are able to see that this is not true. And that's one of the reasons why I liked it.

I also want to say that other series that I did watch where there was a love triangle, I actually didn't really care who ended up with the lead. That wasn't the case here. I was actually rooting for someone to end up with Tae Kyung (the ML). However, what did annoy the heck out of me was how the only female was portrayed in this series in the beginning. I really didn't like Lee So Hee. Like A LOT. But! I am still gonna give this series a 10, cause everthing else was so excellent.

Acting/Cast- 10/10
Is it wierd that I actually loved everyone's acting? Yes even Lee Sae On (Tae Kyung) where people are saying that he's stiff. I still loved it. All the actors acting I adored as they were able to bring the characters to life for me.

I want to also add that I absolutely loved Go Woo Jin's acting as Nam Goong Shi Woon. He basically stole the series with his amazing character.

Music-10/10
I enjoyed the music a lot. It was sweet and addictive. Hey! It introduced me to a K pop group that I didn't know about as well.

Rewatch Valu-10/10
Yes! I qould watch this over again! That's how much I love it! And I know that I would miss all of these four main characters so much! (Especially Nam Goon Shi Woon!)

Overall-10/10
I gave this series a full 10. And yes, as I have stated, it did have some flaws (really don't like Lee So Hee). But I felt that the other aspects of this series that I did like overtakes that and thus, I gave it a full 10. I would most definitely recommend this series and I'm gonna miss it like crazy now! (What the heck am I gonna watch now on Tuesdays and Thursdays?)

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