meaghen
Canada
This review may contain spoilers
Short & Sweet
I normally don't like to judge a web series too harshly because of two primarily reasons:
1. The time constraints it has for fuller character development (especially if there's conflict thrown into the story-line) & 2. The episode count. If it is under 5 episodes I usually feel like it can fail to capture major themes or at least have the opportunity to explore more of what is going on in the story because there's usually so much they are trying to do in under an hour and it really shows sometimes.
Thus, depending on the writing and production it can can be a hit or a miss. And can make us feel like why would they even bother making this into a series when they could have just made it into a short film. It would have been cohesive at least.
But I was pleasantly surprised with Where Your Eyes Linger.
I usually avoid Korean BL's because to be honest there's only a few series out there that focus entirely on the relationship between two men and of those series they are hard to watch because the characters usually end up unhappy or ambivalent (and with only a few of them out there among a zillion stories about hetero couples it's like... come on). We need MORE stories to encompass the complexity and beauty within the LGBTQ community and not less. So when I watched this (with zero expectation) I was shocked. For a Korean web series to focus solely on the relationship between two high school guys in a rather non-toxic way... I would say this is quite the rare gem.
Aside from the beautiful cinematography that captures you during each episode we learn a little more about what has been inside the hearts of Kang Gook and Tae Joo during each episode. After being 'friends' for nearly 15 years, we see our main characters attempt to navigate their changing relationship when Kang Gook slightly shifts their seemingly static relationship.
While getting a glimpse of their insecurities, passions, and the unbreakable bond shared between these two, I couldn't help but appreciate the story at face value and I really enjoyed watching it. Since we get to see the progression of those subtle, but affections glances transform into something so beautiful and very sweet between them, even when the conflict rose, I was left feeling very happy I watched this series.
The actors did very well in portraying their part (there was zero stiffness or awkwardness between them which quite frankly was a relief). So it felt sincere and authentic while you are watching.
I could only imagine if the episodes were even 20 minutes each instead of 10 because then this series would have easily been a 10/10 for me. But this seems like a baby step for Korean BL's... but it is in the right direction.
If you enjoy watching BL's this is definitely not one to miss. It's sweet & short, but it's definitely not void of raw emotion or character development. It did feel slightly rushed at some points (especially some plot points: like what happened to Tae Joo's mom?) but even so it felt like they did their best to make sure Tae Joo and Kang Gook's story feel in-sync at least. Although I would love a second season I'm sure we won't get it :(
Nevertheless I stayed for the solid acting and of course Kang Gook. They both deserved all the love in the world but especially our Kang Gook.
1. The time constraints it has for fuller character development (especially if there's conflict thrown into the story-line) & 2. The episode count. If it is under 5 episodes I usually feel like it can fail to capture major themes or at least have the opportunity to explore more of what is going on in the story because there's usually so much they are trying to do in under an hour and it really shows sometimes.
Thus, depending on the writing and production it can can be a hit or a miss. And can make us feel like why would they even bother making this into a series when they could have just made it into a short film. It would have been cohesive at least.
But I was pleasantly surprised with Where Your Eyes Linger.
I usually avoid Korean BL's because to be honest there's only a few series out there that focus entirely on the relationship between two men and of those series they are hard to watch because the characters usually end up unhappy or ambivalent (and with only a few of them out there among a zillion stories about hetero couples it's like... come on). We need MORE stories to encompass the complexity and beauty within the LGBTQ community and not less. So when I watched this (with zero expectation) I was shocked. For a Korean web series to focus solely on the relationship between two high school guys in a rather non-toxic way... I would say this is quite the rare gem.
Aside from the beautiful cinematography that captures you during each episode we learn a little more about what has been inside the hearts of Kang Gook and Tae Joo during each episode. After being 'friends' for nearly 15 years, we see our main characters attempt to navigate their changing relationship when Kang Gook slightly shifts their seemingly static relationship.
While getting a glimpse of their insecurities, passions, and the unbreakable bond shared between these two, I couldn't help but appreciate the story at face value and I really enjoyed watching it. Since we get to see the progression of those subtle, but affections glances transform into something so beautiful and very sweet between them, even when the conflict rose, I was left feeling very happy I watched this series.
The actors did very well in portraying their part (there was zero stiffness or awkwardness between them which quite frankly was a relief). So it felt sincere and authentic while you are watching.
I could only imagine if the episodes were even 20 minutes each instead of 10 because then this series would have easily been a 10/10 for me. But this seems like a baby step for Korean BL's... but it is in the right direction.
If you enjoy watching BL's this is definitely not one to miss. It's sweet & short, but it's definitely not void of raw emotion or character development. It did feel slightly rushed at some points (especially some plot points: like what happened to Tae Joo's mom?) but even so it felt like they did their best to make sure Tae Joo and Kang Gook's story feel in-sync at least. Although I would love a second season I'm sure we won't get it :(
Nevertheless I stayed for the solid acting and of course Kang Gook. They both deserved all the love in the world but especially our Kang Gook.
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