Odessa Jones
American living in South Korea
Perfect.
This is the rare BL story that takes place in a realistic world--complete with homophobic classmates, teachers and parents--yet still manages to provide some hope and sweetness for our young lovers, Chen and Wan. The depictions of homophobia are upsetting, so brace yourself. The secondary story line, about a gay boy who tries to commit suicide after repeated bullying, is a reminder that it's dangerous simply to be gay in many situations. And it gives us context for understanding Chen's attempt to hide his sexuality--to virtually hide his entire personality. The actor who plays Chen is so low-key he's sometimes guilty of underacting. But this fits with Chen's restrained, introverted, cautious personality. This emotional restraint is the opposite of Wan's enthusiasm and eagerness.
It's great to see a BL story where the characters are the same age and have such complementary personalities. Too many romances are based around power imbalances or personalities that bring out the worst in each other. (HIStory: Obsessed and HIStory: Right or Wrong, I'm looking at you.)
The format (eight 12-minute episodes) could have been a weakness, but "Red Balloon" does better with its short run-time than other web dramas. The first episode is slightly confusing, because we meet the characters in the present before the main story shifts to events in 2003. A few scenes would benefit from more length or detail, especially when secondary characters are first introduced. But that's all I can come up with for critiques.
The best thing about "Red Balloon" is that the frame story, which shows Chen and Wan as adults, asks us to think beyond a simple romance of star-crossed lovers and consider the cost homophobia exacts from families. LGBTQ individuals are often portrayed as threats to the traditional family. But in "Red Balloon" the greatest threat to families is the homophobia that forces people into sexless heterosexual marriages. "Red Balloon" came out in the year that Taiwan passed legislation that will allow gay marriage to become a reality. In that context it makes a good argument that gay marriage laws make for stronger families. (Stay around after the credits of the final episode for one final scene about Chen's ex that reiterates this point.)
Icing on the cake: the soundtrack. It uses some indie songs with beautiful melodies. They contribute to the emotions even for people like me who don't understand the Chinese lyrics.
This is the rare BL story that takes place in a realistic world--complete with homophobic classmates, teachers and parents--yet still manages to provide some hope and sweetness for our young lovers, Chen and Wan. The depictions of homophobia are upsetting, so brace yourself. The secondary story line, about a gay boy who tries to commit suicide after repeated bullying, is a reminder that it's dangerous simply to be gay in many situations. And it gives us context for understanding Chen's attempt to hide his sexuality--to virtually hide his entire personality. The actor who plays Chen is so low-key he's sometimes guilty of underacting. But this fits with Chen's restrained, introverted, cautious personality. This emotional restraint is the opposite of Wan's enthusiasm and eagerness.
It's great to see a BL story where the characters are the same age and have such complementary personalities. Too many romances are based around power imbalances or personalities that bring out the worst in each other. (HIStory: Obsessed and HIStory: Right or Wrong, I'm looking at you.)
The format (eight 12-minute episodes) could have been a weakness, but "Red Balloon" does better with its short run-time than other web dramas. The first episode is slightly confusing, because we meet the characters in the present before the main story shifts to events in 2003. A few scenes would benefit from more length or detail, especially when secondary characters are first introduced. But that's all I can come up with for critiques.
The best thing about "Red Balloon" is that the frame story, which shows Chen and Wan as adults, asks us to think beyond a simple romance of star-crossed lovers and consider the cost homophobia exacts from families. LGBTQ individuals are often portrayed as threats to the traditional family. But in "Red Balloon" the greatest threat to families is the homophobia that forces people into sexless heterosexual marriages. "Red Balloon" came out in the year that Taiwan passed legislation that will allow gay marriage to become a reality. In that context it makes a good argument that gay marriage laws make for stronger families. (Stay around after the credits of the final episode for one final scene about Chen's ex that reiterates this point.)
Icing on the cake: the soundtrack. It uses some indie songs with beautiful melodies. They contribute to the emotions even for people like me who don't understand the Chinese lyrics.
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