Boys’ Love K-Dramas?
Pride Month may be over, but love is here to stay. South Korea has begun producing its own Boys’ Love (BL) dramas again in 2020—quite the shocker since it is no secret that the country’s overall sentiments on same-sex relationships are not exactly the most positive or accepting. At the present time, there are two BL K-Dramas available for viewing so far, which we will be discussing further below.
The two K-Dramas are of the short web drama format with a total of eight episodes, each spanning slightly over 10 minutes long. While great for a night of binge-watching, the format does raise some concerns on how this sensitive topic is going to be portrayed and covered with such limited content time.
Let’s jump right into the two K-Dramas at hand which have gotten some buzz internationally since their inception.
Where Your Eyes Linger
Han Taejoo (Han Gichan) is an 18-year-old high school student and is the chaebol heir of a family-run business conglomerate. With high expectations placed upon him, he often feels oppressed.
The silver lining in Taejoo’s heavily controlled life is being accompanied by his childhood friend Ganggook (Jang Euisu), who doubles as his unofficial bodyguard in his daily life. Unlike the playful Taejoo, Ganggook is cool and distant, and more built physically.
As the two boys navigate their teen years and daily life, they begin to share a very special relationship unique to the two of them.
When an outgoing female student named Hyemi (Choi Gyuri) is transferred to their high school, she falls for Ganggook. Her advances towards Ganggook inadvertently stir up and force the two childhood friends to address the elephant in the room—the unspoken romantic tension between them.
Thoughts
The actors were absolutely amazing in their performance and delivery of their characters. The subtle facial and tonal shifts were well-executed and added an element of realness to the characters and their circumstances. The romance between the two characters retains an air of innocence and is great for viewers who are more inclined towards the simplicity and purity of the romance genre.
Where Your Eyes Linger is a delightful watch, but the subject of homosexual love is not explored thoroughly—which is a double-edged sword itself. The show definitely is easygoing enough for those who simply want some light entertainment. However, those expecting anything more might be disappointed as the whole series might come off as quite surface level, which we can hardly fault the series for given its short runtime.
There are indeed many instances of homophobic undertones and this implies careful consideration and portrayal of homosexual relationships by the creators as they are not simplifying and glossing over the struggles that come alongside such relationships. In a way, it is a tactful way of approaching this sensitive issue. The resolution of Where Your Eyes Linger does feel a little contrived, but viewers are quickly placated with a heartwarming reunion, leaving the rest up for the viewers’ interpretation.
Mr. Heart
Regardless of how life never seems to be smooth-sailing for him, Sangha (Lee Sejin) continues to bravely face each day with a smile and boundless optimism. Sangha is a member of the school track team, but long distance has never been his forte. Instead, he is great at sprinting short distances.
Jinwon (Cheon Seungho), conversely, is a record-breaking marathon runner in high school. He is extremely dedicated to this passion and poised to be the next big name in the marathon sport.
However, after enrolling in university, Jinwon finds himself struggling to perform. The club coach suggests Sangha help out as Jinwon’s pacemaker. Jinwon is vehemently opposed to the idea of receiving Sangha’s help initially, but a unique relationship begins to form over their shared passion for running after some time.
As the two become closer, they begin to realize their feelings for each have crossed the boundaries of a typical friendship between two boys. Will they be able to move forward in their relationship without losing everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve?
Thoughts
As the follow up project to Where Your Eyes Linger, Cheong Seungho and Lee Sejin’s chemistry is quite different from their predecessors but overall still pleasant for the audience. Honestly, the setting and character’s backstories are not wildly different, and it is truly the actors’ unique rapport with one another that helps to distinguish Where Your Eyes Linger from Mr. Heart.
From the get-go, Mr. Heart is much bolder in terms of exposure and the characters’ interactions with each other—if even a little racy—but the creators are smart enough to justify them with just borderline believable set-ups for viewers to suspend their logic. Some of these seem to be thrown in for some shock value and to satiate viewers’ thirsty eyes, which surely worked in the show’s favor. The plot gets a little ambitious and ridiculous near the end, but it's nothing longtime K-Drama viewers haven’t learned to deal with.
Conclusion
Having a greater diversity when it comes to content has always been a great thing for viewers. Although the scale of the two BL web dramas produced thus far is a little less than spectacular, it does leave us wanting more—which is a good sign for W-STORY and their future direction with their BL dramas.
While LGBTIA+ representation has been growing in prominence in Western media, South Korean media still pales in comparison. Over the past years, there seems to be a growing international demand for more Asian BL content from the success of various series including The Untamed, HIStory, 2gether, and others from the surrounding region. Although South Korea has cemented its position as the home of many iconic drama serials, it has not produced any acclaimed series exploring the intricacies of homosexual relationships (save for A Frozen Flower from a decade ago).
Hallyu fans know that the broadcast industry in South Korea is indeed capable of producing great BL dramas if they put some money and soul into it, and it is frustrating to know that is unlikely to happen anytime soon given the optics.
Money and views talk—don’t fret if you’re an international Hallyu fan and LGBTIA+ ally. Show your support for Korean artists that have come out, and dramas on LGBTIA+. Who knows? Perhaps we may get a full-length drama series with a LGBTIA+ protagonist soon.
Meanwhile, catch Where Your Eyes Linger legally on Viki, Netflix Korea, or WeTV Thailand, while Mr. Heart can be found on Viki.