This review may contain spoilers
A bright spot during a slow season!
I watched six different BLs during the summer of 2021. Four of them, at least for me, were extremely disappointing, but I watched anyway, due to the lack of content. Two of them were decent: Golden Blood (which was pretty good) and Light On Me, which was great. Here are my pros and cons:
PROS
ACTORS. I really loved all the characters, and the actors played the roles sympathetically and with commitment. All the boys were eye candy. Even the girl who played Sohee (whose character I couldn't stand) played the part spectacularly. Loved Taekyung's quirky personality, possibly modeled on someone with autism (?). Shinwoo was (eventually) so sweet and adorable, Daon, as the other member of the love triangle, managed to be so likeable... and Namgeung was the best friend everybody wishes they had.
STORY. I'll admit, I wasn't sold on the series after Episodes 1 and 2, I felt that Shinwoo was too cold and mean. But I am so glad I kept with it. My favorite BL of the summer!
TWICE A WEEK. I liked the concept of having two episodes per week, it was nice not to have to wait an entire week for a new episode.
HOMOPHBIA ADDRESSED. Of course, a lot of LGBTQ+ shows address homophobia, which is great and so necessary. I liked the way Light One Me handled it, by not ignoring it (like some BLs where practically everyone is gay and homophobia doesn't exist), or veering into full-phledged drama (which can be fine... but this series wasn't the right place for it). Kudos!
CONS (not many!)
SOHEE'S REDEMPTION. I thought it was too fast. The girl had major stalker issues, which evolved into purposely hurting people. And then, just within days, she is cured. Sorry, no. After a year of therapy or, at least, major soul-searching, perhaps. But I'm very happy that she and Namgeung did not end up as a couple, because it looked like that's where the story was heading.
TAEKYUNG AND THE PRINCE CONTEST. He won? How?? Okay, he wore cute clothes. But he gets up there and totally freezes for three minutes and, when he finally does say something, he sounds like he's being held at gunpoint to spew out one sentence. Sorry, not buying it. Were each of the other contestants in a coma?? Or maybe their talent was strangling puppies...
Still, this was a really satisfying watch for me, 9.5.
PROS
ACTORS. I really loved all the characters, and the actors played the roles sympathetically and with commitment. All the boys were eye candy. Even the girl who played Sohee (whose character I couldn't stand) played the part spectacularly. Loved Taekyung's quirky personality, possibly modeled on someone with autism (?). Shinwoo was (eventually) so sweet and adorable, Daon, as the other member of the love triangle, managed to be so likeable... and Namgeung was the best friend everybody wishes they had.
STORY. I'll admit, I wasn't sold on the series after Episodes 1 and 2, I felt that Shinwoo was too cold and mean. But I am so glad I kept with it. My favorite BL of the summer!
TWICE A WEEK. I liked the concept of having two episodes per week, it was nice not to have to wait an entire week for a new episode.
HOMOPHBIA ADDRESSED. Of course, a lot of LGBTQ+ shows address homophobia, which is great and so necessary. I liked the way Light One Me handled it, by not ignoring it (like some BLs where practically everyone is gay and homophobia doesn't exist), or veering into full-phledged drama (which can be fine... but this series wasn't the right place for it). Kudos!
CONS (not many!)
SOHEE'S REDEMPTION. I thought it was too fast. The girl had major stalker issues, which evolved into purposely hurting people. And then, just within days, she is cured. Sorry, no. After a year of therapy or, at least, major soul-searching, perhaps. But I'm very happy that she and Namgeung did not end up as a couple, because it looked like that's where the story was heading.
TAEKYUNG AND THE PRINCE CONTEST. He won? How?? Okay, he wore cute clothes. But he gets up there and totally freezes for three minutes and, when he finally does say something, he sounds like he's being held at gunpoint to spew out one sentence. Sorry, not buying it. Were each of the other contestants in a coma?? Or maybe their talent was strangling puppies...
Still, this was a really satisfying watch for me, 9.5.
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