Where Your Eyes Linger (2020)

She really came and you know what she did? THAT.

Mama, you just gotta leave it to the Koreans to make a proper BL drama.

In such conservative society like South Korea's, it is quite rare to come across LGBTQ+ related media. I feel like I can name just a handful of these queer works because there really aren't that many in the first place, so I am quite excited to see South Korea taking the steps to bring more LGBTQ+ content to their popular media. And this the good shit right here.

The story is absolutely captivating -- a beautiful angst with the right amount of everything that makes any drama successful. I mean you got romance, action, comedy, unrequited love, suspense, fear, you name it. It was really surprising to see so many of these things being cleverly comprised in such short episodes. It was so good I couldn't even mind the fact that it was set in a school -- I come from Thai BLs and the school drama is an extremely tired trope that needs to be prohibited. In all honesty, it's really hard to find something bad with this drama.

The acting was superb. This time, I am only focusing on the two leads we got because it's truly all about them to the point that other actors were just there to get the plot moving (all the actors were good, let's at least give them that well deserved credit). Kang Gook and Tae Joo were, in lack of a better word, a BL dream come true. Gosh, they killed it. The chemistry, the tension, the desire, just every feeling was very palpable and well executed. Seeing Kang Gook trying to keep his composure when he's alone in a room with Tae Joo was captivating and had me at the edge of my seat.

In all honesty, the fact that this drama hasn't been picked up for a full hour-long episodes remake is homophobic. I can see this gaining more success if it only had better publicity.

With every good thing, there's always the bad side of it, and even though this drama is excellent the way it is, I do feel like it is lacking in story. There were quite a bit of unanswered questions that DESERVED some time to be fleshed out. That's why this drama needs a longer remake: there's quite a bit of information that needs to be given to fully grasp everything that is going on here.

So here's hoping that someday this work of art can get a proper drama series.

I can't recommend this drama enough. It raised the bar so high that it's gonna be hard to top. Most dramas I've seen aren't at the level, sis. You should definitely give this a try.

Leggi di Più

A surprisingly decent gay drama short!

Like some people here, I too was anxious with the censorship that could disrupt the whole story but honestly, this drama was better than expected. We got two great underrated young actors that really interests us on what’s gonna happen to them despite their “master-servant relationship”. I even liked that we got to see the character Kang Gook‘s martial arts performance. Literally all the scenes involving him here are fireeeeee!

Some argue that the short was too short but this short is better than some of the kdramas that literally take an hour in every episode. This drama fit the bill at being short but sweet! Also the music was nice enough on the ears!

Definitely worth the shot if you prefer your “innocent BL” and don’t have time to binge dramas with long episodes.

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O primeiro BL coreano dita o tom de por onde devem ir os próximos lançamentos

Eu assisti esse BL logo que ele saiu em 2020, porém como a ideia é rever todos as séries para deixar o review aqui, eu voltei a vê-lo agora e acredito que pouca coisa mudou na minha opinião sobre: Where Your Eyes Linger é um dos melhores BLs coreanos lançados até agora e ele dita muito bem (ou assim eu espero) de por que caminho devem ir os próximos que virão depois dele. Claro, há essa altura já sabemos que muita coisa boa e muita coisa ruim já veio depois dele, mas acho que antes de mais nada, essa série cumpre um papel fundamental em fazer um ótimo trabalho para puxar o interesse do público e das empresas em mais produções do segmento.
Nessa história dois amigos de infância, Kang Gook interpretado por Jang Eui-Soo e Han Tae Joo interpretado por Han Gi-Chan vivem em um relacionamento fora do comum, afinal mesmo sendo melhores amigos eles também tem uma relação de patrão e empregado. Tae Joo é um garoto astuto e mimado, filho de um poderoso e muito rico empresário, enquanto Gook um rapaz mais intenso e contido, que vem de uma origem humilde. Ambos moram juntos bancados pelo pai de Tae Joo, com o pretexto de que Gook seja o guarda-costas de seu filho. Mas ambos começam a perceber que seu relacionamento muda quando ambos começam a não conseguir compreender e lidar com seus sentimentos mudando um pelo outro, e deixando de ser apenas o que se sente por um amigo.
O plot é bem comum e clichê, porém a diretora e escritora da história Hwang Da Seul soube aproveitar isso muito bem e decidiu desenvolver a história na perspectiva mais rica que esse enredo poderia dar que é a luta interna com os próprios sentimentos que ambos os protagonistas estão enfrentando, ainda que de maneiras diferentes. A trama então se aproveita da diferente personalidade da cada um dos dois para ampliar esse plot e nas situações que a relação entre os dois personagens começam a lidar por conta de seus sentimentos.
As atuações estão muito boas, o Gi-Chan consegue entregar uma performance muito bacana e crível do seu personagem, e o Eui-Soo, apesar de estar em um território comum em termos de personalidade para os personagens que ele já atuou, acho que conseguiu criar uma versão muito palpável desse personagem que tantos conflitos internos. Os atores e personagens secundários são bem aproveitados, e fica um destaque para a participação do Jeon Jae Yeong que conseguiu fazer um antagonista muito querido na maior parte do tempo.
Algumas pessoas reclamam da duração da série, eu acredito sim que mais tempo teria dado mais oportunidade de explorar melhor as relações dos personagens entre si, principalmente do Gook com a Hye Mi, assim como poderia ter sido melhor desenvolvido mais partes da trama que acho que ficam um pouco no básico: como a traição do Pil Hyun mais pro final da série ou a relação familiar do Tae Joo. Mas entendo que por ser uma série pioneira no país, tinha suas limitações e acredito que os produtores fizeram um bom trabalho com o tempo que eles tinham, e focaram nas coisas que precisavam mais de atenção.
O final da série é mediano, acho que ele cai num clichê de timeskip que eu pessoalmente não gosto, e que apesar de fazer sentido, acho que precisava de elementos para completar alguns porquês que abrem com a volta de Tae Joo para a Coreia ao final. Acho o beijo final um pouco morno, mas também compreensível pela fase do segmento naquela época. Porém num geral acho que a série termina de forma bem positiva, o casal tem um final positivo, os personagens secundários tem seus arcos concluídos de certa forma, e a história leva há algum lugar.

Veredito final: 8,75
Série super recomendável, principalmente para quem está começando a se aventurar nos BLs! Dá pra assistir em uma sentada.

Leggi di Più

A beautiful story… would recommend to watch!

This was a good story, though the story line is somewhat common, I really enjoyed watching the series. Each episode I was rolling around on my bed because of how cute they acted around each other. Though, I really wished the episodes were longer like the ones in Thailand which are 1 hour each episode. If you’re planning to watch this then go right ahead. I’m sure you won’t regret watching it! :D

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Leggi di Più

Perfect

This was the shortest story I have ever seen that was still captivating. The plot isn't new to the industry but the acting and pacing were very well done. This made me want to watch it, this made me wonder about my own friends... They have been best friends for years, everything they did for each other was born out of this love for each other, their friendship is what makes this work so well, the tension kept the episodes coming. The acting kept me believing and the music honestly wasn't amazing but it did it's job to set or add to the mood. Also, it actually didn't have any tropes, which had me smiling at how genuine their entire relationship felt.

This was a perfect series that despite being so short left me perfectly satisfied at the ending.

Wouldn't mind a season 2 though.

Leggi di Più

The feeling of longing is purely felt

*happy ending*

This story is a breath of fresh air. I like how it shows the difficulties between choosing the person you like and your own responsibilities. Han tae joo took too long to notice his feelings and Hye mi became the 'mating horse' for our couple.

I feel that this series could have benefit from more episodes. The ending is too rushed, too short, and some of the conflict raised is still not solved. They just met in japan and then it ended like that with a kiss.

I guess its up to our imagination how they really ended. Still the cinematography of this series and the acting are top notch. This is a must watched for those looking for some lighthhearted angst of a love story.

Leggi di Più

the acting is great but...

this is the first time i watched drama with having headache, seriously this could be better. the cringey-ness are too much than the soap opera. the story are too rush but the acting is good although there's a bit awkwardness between them I can feel the tension* in it. the bgm are too much, y'know when they talk (like a pov) then the bgm sounds. it's almost every episode like that kind of cheesy ngl. overall it's worth to watch if you love angsty+master;servant relationships.7/10 (if you want to watch this then watch :) this merely opinion doesn't need to be the reason you shouldn't watch it/drop it. )

Leggi di Più

Eh

Story: It was really kind of boring. Some things just didn't connect or make sense and I'm not sure if it was the translation or the show itself. I found parts engaging and interesting, but overall I wanted more from this show.

Acting/Casting: Despite the plot lacking the acting and casting were fine. The actor's talent is probably what saved this for me. The only thing I didn't like was the kiss. Some BL shows do a barely touching kiss on the lips, this was one of those shows.

Music: Suitable and enjoyable for the scenes.

Rewatch value: It's worth checking out once since it's so short, but I don't feel I will come back to rewatch it.

Leggi di Più

Your typical but sweet romantic drama

I liked the plot, I watched it aaaaand...well, it was nice.
I don't think it deserves more than an 8/10, because it's your typical and average romantic drama, and since it's kind of short (when it comes to the number of episodes and the duration of these), there's no exploration of the characters in depth.
I wanted to know more about the circumstances that brought them together, what made Kang Gook become Tae Joo's bodyguard, etc... in fact, they only state facts, and you have to accept them as they are. No backstory. Just focus on their relationship.
As for their relationship, it's full of that lovely angst we nurtured ourselves through fanfics, and made us love it so much. But sometimes, you end up not understanding their feelings (or was it only me haha)

anyway, it was a nice web series, maybe I'm asking too much (maybe cause I'm used to more "complete" stories ? or maybe cause I grew tired of the romance genre ?). I'd would honestly recommend it, especially for first time BL watchers, but I wouldn't expect a lot from it

Leggi di Più

Short but impactful

This was another drama that I started when it first aired in 2020, but did not finish along with Color Rush and Oxygen.

I thought this was going to be a sweet story between a bodyguard and the male he was protecting but it was a bit more than that. The emotions I had while watching was unexpected.

I went into thinking that bodyguard, Kang Gook, would be the one to find his feelings changing for his friend, but it turned out to be the other way around. With Kang Gook, seeming to be finding someone who liked him, instead of Han Tae Joo, the guy most people are attracted to, Han Tae Joo finds himself upset. Though he comes to terms with his feelings a lot quicker than expected. Even to the point, where he confirms it with his father. Knowing that he will be sent to England.

Kang Gook telling Han Tae Joo that the week he spent in Japan was the happiest because he was free of him and looking after him, was so heartbreaking. You can tell it was not true, but it left the mark he wanted it to.

The time lapse was nice. With the episodes being so short, it is hard to tie everything together. I don't know if the movie will add extra scenes to help it flow better. I keep saying I am going to start Kinnporsche but I keep trying to finish series that I have yet to complete or ones that are short.

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An Apt Title For An Apt Drama

literally perfect. the best friends to lovers pipeline with the yearning and the angst the grief and the longing and the eventual hard-earned, happy conclusion. it tackled some heavy themes like power dynamics and feeling of constantly wondering if someone likes you for you or for what you can do for them. of course there's miscommunication in the sense that sometimes, when you're gay and afraid of losing the one person in the world you care about, who cares about you... rejection from them can cause your whole world to colapse. it's about forcing yourself to maintain the status quo when you already know things are in motion and you can't help it. it's a lot about tackling that self-recognition head on. it's about knowing, in earnest, that trust more difficult to give than love is. and then giving both. the actors had immense good chemistry and they really sold the story. this drama isn't sixteen eps long and it didn't need to be. YET it keeps you wanting to know more and never storp watching.

They really weren't messing around with the title of the drama, they really nailed it. literally 80 minutes of an emotional roller coaster ride that packs so much intensity into it the gays really felt that and by the gays i mean me. an all time fave <3

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