Light on Me (2021)

More than meets the eye

Wow, it's interesting to read the reviews here and see how polarised people are about this show. I came to this one a bit late - so many shows to watch, so little time! - this show did not disappoint. Let's dive in!

So maybe let's start with the positives? The Korean industry is only just warming up to this genre, but we knew at some point they were going to upgrade from 6 x 15 minute episodes to a full 16 eps. REJOICE! I think Light On Me really nailed it with the length of this show. 16 x 25 minute-ish episodes was great pacing for me. So often K-dramas want to give us so much that they end up giving us too much - think Crash Landing On You's epic 16 x 1.5 hour episodes - even as a huge fan of the CLOY show I could see how much padding went into the eps. So for me the length of the show was spot on - just enough to properly set up and grow the story line for us, but not too much that we start to see some silly scenes.

Aesthetically, this show is really beautiful and pleasing in its restraint. It opted for the surreal technicolour treatment that K-dramas tend to employ, especially so in their high school settings. However it is uncluttered and clean, as is the music. We are not smacked on the head with the OST every few minutes. In fact, everything is so minimalist that it really forces us to focus on the actors. The colour work and editing is so schmick. Every small grimace and slight hesitation is magnified to deliver a super-charged version of the sweaty angst and pressures of being 18 and in love for the first time. And oh boy, do we get all of this in spades.

On to the negatives - surprise, surprise, the baddie is female - AGAIN! Thanks, BL genre. I mean, in the context of this show, I get it. The story called for a female love interest, but did she have to be the antagonist AND the most unlikeable character too? The BL industry seems to think so ... over and over and over again. Also, how the most popular boys in the school so easily decided to adopt an orphan puppy at the start of the show was a bit unrealistic. Plus, we only ever saw the 4 boys in the student council room for the entire show, despite their being apparently 20 students in the council. There were a few of these little details which broke the spell a bit for me, but they were minor hiccups which did not detract from the show.

Which brings us to the story. On the surface, this is a very standard high-school love triangle, but it really, truly isn't. For starters, the love triangle is so creatively set up that we do not and can not know which two people will end up together until Act 3. We are totally rooting for either the Shin Woo or Da On camps, not just from episode to episode but from scene to scene. In some ways, we end up rooting for all four boys and their lives, really. Therein lies the strength in this show for me - each of the four characters are vivid, compelling and SO DAMN LIKEABLE. Yes, even Tae Gyung! Unlike many other reviewers I did not find his acting awkward ... I mean, his character was meant to be socially awkward, right? I was invested in all of them and very divided about how it was going to be resolved, which of course is exactly what they wanted.

So how does it resolve? In a really mature way, which, let's face it, is unrealistic for 18-year old lovesick boys. But I guess just like the four super likeable boys of this story, maybe this is the version of reality that we want to believe in.

PS: the ever popular Spock Hairdo continues to dominate.

PPS: For a super detailed and really illuminating read, I highly recommend Absolute BL's review of Light On Me on Tumblr.

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Adorable!

Actually, at no point was I rooting for Daon. I don't feel like he was ever right for Tae. Daon is handsome and kind, but I don't think he ever knew what Tae wanted or needed, whereas Shinwoo effortlessly fit with Tae. I wished Daon a happy, healthy, journey to self discovery much like Tae did.

The reasons I didn't give 10/10:
1) I wanted a clear break between Tae's feelings for Daon and Shinwoo.
2) Lee Sohee. She was redeemed for me in the end, which pushed my 8 star to a 9 star, but gosh she was MEAN!
3) I wanted more from the only kiss scene we got in the last few minutes of the show.

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Simple and direct series

I like this series, maybe it would have been better on a nonuniversity background.
The actors acted in pretty good sync with their characters. Background music and sounds were pretty enticing.
The story is cute, simple, and direct, but too immature/kiddish.
This series is perfect when for when you are in the mood for something too light and fluffy and won't mind watching something slow.
A part of the story which doesn't make sense at all is a girl hanging out in an all-boys school, even while on a trip. There were some plot holes in the story including this one.

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THE.BEST.KBL.

I agree that LOM can be a bit utopian and boring for some people… but I honestly don’t mind the utopian part. They delivered the message and story well. For me, It gives a fairytale vibes or some sort and like watching anime but not anime and not anime adaption, if you know what I’m saying. LMAO. But, it is realistic in the story bits and script. ALSO, it’s not boring at all. I hate slow paced series, but this show is about self discovery for one, so it made sense that the production team took their time with it(and this is coming from someone who has the attention of a goldfish?). This is a deeper level BL compare to the mainstreams where straight guys switch gears left and right like it’s nobody’s business. Unlike surface level BLs, this show dives into the inner struggles, the realization, the battle between one’s self and the prejudice of the real world we live in. The only reason this BL is not the winner in KBL category in my opinion tho is because the lack of intimate scenes. Shows like this can never win in an industry that is saturated with skins, sex, and just overall stereotypes. Hands down one of the best BLs. No unnecessary dramas, no clichés, a love triangle that actually matters, a storyline that actually makes sense, great chemistry between casts in out of the series. In the end, you’ll be in love with all the casts and the production choice with the direction of the story.

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A hit or a miss

Light On Me has as much good stuff as it does drawbacks. It has a very generic plotline, cliche scenes that I cringed at, a relatively slow pace, and the feel of a very typical rom-com (which isn't a good thing considering the plots going around these days). But Light On Me is also an example of a very mature take on romance, and the love triangle in this is done with so much thought that one can't help but admire it and its simplicity.

The acting was a bit awkward to watch in the beginning. In fact, I took a 4-month break after watching the first two episodes. But once it grows on you, it's not as hard to watch anymore, and one might even find it adorable as I did.

My sister, on the other hand, refuses to complete watching this and I do not blame her. This show is not the best I have watched, and it is a total hit or a miss. It is up to the individual to decide their stance on it.

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Light in the Dark

Light on Me is a relatively short, but sweet drama that I found engaging despite its faults. On the surface, it does come across as your typical high school drama complete with all the tropes you've come to expect from BLs. However, the more I watched, the more I saw that there is a depth to it, not so much with the story, but certainly with the characters. There's something about it that's almost relaxing and it made watching it very easy.

Light on Me does not break the mold of high school dramas. There's nothing new here, the same old tropes are used. However, aspects like learning to accept yourself and stand up for yourself are explored and add to the story. It took a couple of episodes for me to really get into the story. I struggled with Taekyung as the lead because he was so robotic. However, as other characters were introduced, I found myself becoming more invested. I will say that the robotics do extend to the other characters to an extent and it does make it harder to form attachments to them. It gets better as the drama progresses though. Some aspects like turning the sole female character into a villainess was frustrating. It's overused and the whole scenario of her spreading the picture was unrealistic and unnecessary. The passage of time was also not well documented and it would have been nice to have some idea of how much time had passed between events. The love triangle, which I am generally not a fan of, was actually really well done here. Both couples have their pros and cons and there's enough understanding that they really could go either way. I do wish a bit more time had been given to the build up of Taekyung and Shin Woo's relationship since it was endgame, but it was still done well enough that I can't complain too much. The pacing is slow and steady, which is part of why I found it kind of relaxing. There are no real extremes, it has a course to follow and it does so quite well with very little meandering. I appreciated that.

The characters are where it's at with this drama. There's an element with each of them that they are more than their appearance and outward actions and I really enjoyed that.
- Taekyung starts out as a loner who doesn't feel the need to have friends. However, despite his introversion, he's relatively confident in certain situations and honest to a fault. As he gets involved in the student council and starts to make friends, it becomes clear that he has a big heart and is actually a very selfless person. My biggest qualm was the fact that almost right up to the end, it seemed like he was still vacillating between Shin Woo and Daon. I would have liked to have a clearer picture as to when his feelings for Shin Woo started to manifest.
- Shin Woo comes across as cold and rude but in truth he's a sweetheart who just takes time to warm up to people. He's loyal to his friends and has great respect, both for Taekyung and Daon. The way he treats them both is a testament to his character. Despite his love for Taekyung, he's willing to step aside for Daon because at the time, that's who Taekyung loved. However, once things fall apart between the two of them, Shin Woo takes the initiative to step forward and pursue Taekyung. He's respectful of Taekyung and despite his own awkwardness, does his best to be there and support him.
- Daon was probably one of the most compelling characters for me. The evolution of my perception of his character as more of it was revealed was very interesting. He starts out very likable, a little too perfect, but a good guy. But as things progressed, I realized, he wasn't very genuine, he was very much a people pleaser and he lacked perspective and knowing how to prioritize. If anyone needed his help, he dropped everything to help them, meaning that Taekyung, if they'd entered into a relationship, would never be his priority. And eventually I just realized that he was selfish and really only cared about himself. But the great thing about him was that once he realized all that, once Taekyung pointed it out, he put out the effort to change and better himself. He stopped caring about what others thought and catering to their needs and that was so refreshing to see. Because despite those faults, Daon was not really a bad guy. The neglect and lack of love from his family obviously played into a lot of his mindset and actions. I think he had the most character growth out of any of the characters and I loved it.
- Namgoong was one of my favorite characters. I loved that beneath the goofy surface was someone who was far more mature, observant and wise than anyone gave him credit for. He truly cared for his friends and was fiercely loyal to them, helping them in any way that he could and sometimes that meant calling them out for their crap. He was just an all around good guy.
- While not a huge player, I really liked Mr. Seo for his wisdom and his investment in the students. He obviously cared about all of them and made an effort to connect with them. He's the kind of person you wish all teachers were like.
-Sohee is almost not worth mentioning. She's the token female character that it was decided should be the villain because she's loved Daon for three years and therefore, first come first served, regardless of how Daon feels. She somehow decides posting a picture of Daon and Taekyung together is a great idea to break them up and have Daon go running into her arms except that it blows up and Daon cuts her off. Predictably she apologizes to everyone, everything is forgiven, and they're all friends. Boring. She could have been so much more and I'm disappointed that this what they decided to do with her.

The acting certainly could have been better. Sae On in particular was far too doll like and it wasn't just the makeup. I understand the character was supposed to be introverted and awkward, but he was just wooden and lacking in almost any expression. Particularly comparing him to Yoo Seok whose character was also introverted and awkward, yet he's still so expressive and brings so much to the screen. Chan Yi's performance sometimes felt a bit empty, but for the most part he did quite well. And Woo Jin just brought Namgoong to life and was a pleasure to watch.

The makeup was a big issue. Particularly for Sae On, he had so much makeup packed on that he looked like a mannequin. The others weren't quite as dramatic, but all around it was excessive. That being said, I did like the fact that this was a longer drama. I wish more current BLs would keep with this because that made a big difference. The production value also felt higher and in general it was better quality all around. The music was great. I really enjoyed the closing song and several of the other songs worked in.

This was just a very enjoyable journey and my only issue is how long it took me to discover it. I would certainly recommend it as one of the best Korean BLs I've seen and hopefully future ones will follow in its footsteps.

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Confusing…

This show was realistic. But sometimes… that’s not always what you want in a show. I do think that the love triangle was a cute idea, as it shows how difficult love can really be. The only problem I had with it, is how long the carried it on for.

From episode 1 to almost the end of the 16 episodes, it felt as the main character barely existed. The two bonded well, until the side chacter came in. It’s almost like he completely forgot about the main chatcter, which I definitely didn’t like.

On the last few episodes.. it felt so absolutely random. At that point, I was so done with it all and had no hope. Until he woke up one random day and had feelings for him?? I didn’t understand.

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still hate love triangles

tbh cuter than expected.

the story was eh. namgoong best character hands down. da-on is shallow but finally grows a spine after a while i guess. taekyung...hes based on a dating sim what can you expect. shin woo cute. i got real annoyed with taekyung. i did not like him much until the end basically. the actual story is better developed compared to other bls but i think execution was a bit lacking. like they thought about it but only shallowly. also fucking hate so hee what she did is completely unforgivable. she is fucking delusional.

acting. tbh not bad. yang seohyun cant do emotional scenes but eh i didnt care for them. kang yoo seok can act omg he was actually good. lee sae on was hit or miss. go woo jin? mwah i wanna kiss him. choe chan yi wasn't too bad either.

music. loved that ost. so good. its on repeat. the music in this was on point.

rewatch. some parts i'll rewatch but eh probably only a couple of particular scenes.

overall. its cute and you can binge it. you might get mad at the characters tho. like really mad. cute leads tho.

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Not bad but not good.

I hated how this BL portrayed TaeKyung's and ShinWoo's relationship.
At the beginning of this drama, I was pretty much rooting for them to end up together since their personalities clashed. I really enjoy enemies to lovers stories, and I thought this was going to be one of them... And then everything went downhill.

After TaeKyung and DaOn started catching feelings for each other, the story only revolved around them, leaving ShinWoo's character to the side. The love triangle transformed into ShinWoo being the third wheel.
This could have been resolved if they had made them break up explicitly and focused on ShinWoo and TaeKyung, but until the last episode, TaeKyung and DaOn openly said they liked each other, and they seemed to work on their relationship.
ShinWoo stopping TaeKyung in the last episode really made him choose him over DaOn? What would have happened if he wasn't there to do that? Yeah, this didn't sit right with me.

Realistically, this drama had some good moments and some funny scenes, but it failed to make me feel for the main couple. Everything has been set up for TaeKyung and DaOn to continue their relationship, including things like the bracelet and DaOn finally saying he likes him. They could have just gone the easy way and made them end up together in the final episode.
Even though I originally rooted for ShinWoo, in the end, he just seems like a replacement.

In conclusion, the BL drama fell short of my expectations as it sidelined ShinWoo's character and prioritized TaeKyung and DaOn's relationship, leaving ShinWoo feeling like a replacement with a resolution that didn't satisfy.

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this drama took my heart .

As a BL fan, I love love love the drama. at first, I just watch it for fun but the end was unexpected. the boy was lonely and had no friends. his life came to change when he came to the new school. all cast were new but took my heart away. life is not easy to come out like him. light on me will be my favorite drama and I will watch it again and again. the kiss was only at the end but the episodes were too lovely. I will highly be recommended this drama to you. Noh shin woo and woo tea Kyung couple was like dream to me. till today morning I was hoping for them to be together. truly loved this drama. there may not be so much story but the main point of drama was clear like water. woo, tea Kyung first was not clear for him. da on was also so good but sorry I support shin woo and tea Kyung. from my heart I was praying that shin woo and tea Kyung end up together. the waiting was worth it. I hope for session two. it's great to watch this kind of drama. hope you guy also love this drama as much I do.
thank you!

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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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