Before Your Eyes Stop (2020)

FANTASTICA

Pensé que por ser una serie corta (o película fragmentada) tendría fallos o falta de trama o argumento, pero no.

La trama es concisa: relación amo/guardaespaldas pero de chicos de bachillerato. Me gusta la edad elejida, ya que le da cierta seriedad a la trama sin ser un amor adulto, ni tampoco de instituto. Tiene alguna trama secundaria, que para mi gusto, se quedan flojas, pero las usan para el desarrollo de la trama principal, así que tampoco opacan el resultado general.

La actuación de los personajes, así como el cast, está bien conseguido. Te crees lo que dicen los personajes (los principales sobre todo), vives el drama con ellos, además que es una trama bastante seria. También me resultan bien elegida la pareja principal, los personajes resultan lindos y coherentes con sus personalidades, que además están bien desarrolladas.

Es cierto que no desarrollan en exceso el bacground de los personajes, más allá de algunas líneas, pero resulta suficiciente para llevarte por la historia, y sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que es una serie de dura hora y media.

Me ha gustado que no cuenta con demasiados clichés, y los que tiene, están bastante bien integrados en la trama.

¿Me la volvería a ver? Si, seguramente si ¿La recomiendo? Totalmente, si te gustan los dramas algo más "serios" y lacrimógenos, este es el tuyo.

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Hermosa

Súper corta y súper bien lograda. Una temática profunda, con la que logré empatizar de inmediato por un vinculo sobresaliente, el desarrollo fue impecable pese a su corta duración, demostrando amor, ternura, drama y frescura al mismo tiempo. Claramente muy dinámica, por lo que es entretenida y a su vez disfrutable, ya que es profunda y tiene drama, pero a su vez no se mantiene en el sufrimiento.
Por ahí si hubo escenas que requerían un mayor tiempo, y si, hay un par de cosas que cambiaría, pero insisto, a juzgar por la cantidad de capítulos es increíble lo que lograron con esta serie. Súper recomendable

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En general es un buen drama, si un poco cortó pero igualmente entretenido, la química entre los actores en verdad no es broma. Espero que en un futuro hagan más proyectos parecidos. Siempre espero con ansías los nuevos capítulos y en general es un drama que creo nadie debería perderse, tal vez al principio parezca bromance y más por el hecho de que para el ep 6 aún no hay beso pero me gusta que la trama se desarrolle lentamente, el hecho de no tener situaciones tan intensas de verdad logra que te metas en la trama y que cada pequeño gesto valga mucho. Es un buen drama de verdad no se van a arrepentír de verlo.

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Para ser el segundo BL coreano, no fue nada malo, y se la historia fue más BL que la anterior.
La música me encanto.
Es una linda historia, de como se acepta el amor después de 15 años de convivencia, y de como solo hace falta un tercero que perturbe para que los verdaderos sentimientos salgan a la luz.
Aunque la mayoría del drama parece ser un bromance, se percibe ese amor entre los personajes, entre dos "amigos" que desde la infancia han estado juntos, que no han tenido más amigos que ellos mismos.
Me llamo mucho la atención el hecho de que la familia del prota permitiera que ellos vivieran juntos, visto desde la perspectiva cultural coreana... es bastante interesante.
Por ultimo, los coreanos nos creyeron pendejas, tontos, y ciegos... o sea, cambian al actor para la escena final y principal... eso fue muy chistoso.
Pero en resumen, es un buen drama.

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Es una serie con actores de talla nacional ya que han trabajado en producciones de gran importancia en el país lo cual recalca, lo profesional y talentosos que son en sus interpretaciones lo cual llevará a la serie a un nivel de actuación adecuado como los matices adecuados para trasmitir el mensaje de la historia sin temor a llegar hasta donde deban llegar ya que el profesionalismo está presente en una parte importante del elenco.

Hablando de la historia su matiz, que trasmite de drama coreano con shot film la hacen agradable de ver y serena, lo cual lleva a querer más y mas en cada capítulo porque te atrapa lo cariñoso, sublime y tranquilo que puede ser un amor adolescente no correspondido según cada parte, sus miradas pensamientos te atraviesan y te hacen gritar de emoción sus vidas no son fáciles pero se nota que tienen la fortaleza para superar eso que se les presenta al frente y ser mejores y estar juntos.

Son un dúo divino el cual solo debe darse cuenta que no quieren perder lo que siempre han amado y tenido, dejar los miedos atrás y darlo todo por lo que quieren y eso para mi es el punto porque debes ver la serie y sentir esa fuerza para lograr tus objetivos que aun no son tan claros pero deberán ir ordenándose.

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Perfect soft angst.

You know that perfect angst that rather than making you feel like you want to die, makes your heart flutter? That was it.

Truth to be told, it strongly felt like every fanfic ever came to life and... it works. Pinning over each other for years, longing and wanting the other, but never taking the step forward, protecting each other, making sure the other is not hurt. All the best tags we can find in fanfics are here too. While the story is extremely simple, the directing, editing, acting, ost... everything works in such a harmonious and perfect way, I fell for the show and died a few times waiting for the next episodes to air.

Some people wished it was longer, but I honestly disagree. With this type of plot it would be hard to make a good show, which wouldn't be a cheap fan service. The storytelling here was perfect. Not once was I confused about the plot or characters' motivations. They used the screen time efficiently and showed a cohesive story from the beginning till the end. I think extending this drama could ruin it.

Tae Joo and Kang Gook are nothing alike, but that's why they work so well together. Playful and flirty Tae Joo driving the stoic and collected Gook mad. The dynamics of them, the jealousy they tried to tame... That's the highlight of the show- amazing chemistry between Gi Chan and Eui Soo.

Usually I don't pay that much attention to ost, but the songs used here were truly amazing and fitting. If I noticed them, it means they were really good :)

So why not 10, if I loved it so much?
There were a few scenes where I was not completely convinced by Gi Chan's acting (like the talk with his dad in the last episode). At times I could not connect to the emotions he tried to convey. Since the cast was small and the plot was simple, it all relied on the acting skills of Gi Chan and Eui Soo. I believed every line Eui Soo said, but felt disconnected from the few delivered by Gi Chan. What's more, I wasn't the biggest fan of how they executed the last few scenes. Not to get into spoilers, I was happy with the content, but not crazy about how it was presented and structured.

That said, I would DEFINITELY recommend watching.

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A Beautiful Story.. Loved it

OMG, when I heard the there was going to be a Korean BL, I was a little skeptical because as we all know Korea is known for its hot and thriving BL industry ??? (sarcasm in case anyone doesn't get it).

But seriously, I was really shocked at the quality of it all, it was really awesome and really great and I loved every second of it.

Before we kick off, I would like to highlight If you are someone looking for like just skinship, then I don't think this is the series for you, if you want story, great acting, production etc, then this is for you.

Also please try to watch the series on Rakuten Viki to try and ramp up its popularity and make the show have good ratings.

Before I go into the review proper, I like to highlight (again) to anyone reading that it is the tiny moments in this show that makes it gold. Like the fact they sleep on the same bed, Koreans have bedding for the floor, so we kind of know they choose to sleep on the same bed. Another is the fact Gang Gook hated Tae Joo touching anybody else's ears (the weak spot attack❤️❤️). All those tiny moments really make the show kind of great because it's like builds up the chemistry between them but also the tension.

Now to the main review. This show was a simple 100 out of 10 for me, from the first episode, I loved the interactions, Gook always being there to protect Tae Joo.

We start off with the bullies chasing Tae and we start to see the type of relationship they have, they have grown up together and are kind of extensions of each other. Now the first place where I get to understand the depth of the relationship is where Tae's father slaps Gook, as a punishment to Tae, this kind of shows to me that his dad understands that Tae has deep feelings and care towards Gook because you wouldn't necessarily care about your bodyguards (Gu Jun Pyo ?, Boys over flowers says hi). So from that, I start to get their relationship.

The intimate scenes between them and I don't mean intimate in that way are so awesome, because there is an extra added level of unsaid words but they just both kind of know that they are there and the gay panic particularly on Gook's side was funny. Tae I feel wanted Gook to start dating because he felt it might take care of his feelings for Gook but as we see, that kind of backfired as Tae because it brought out his jealous side more. The girl I get is meant to make them realize how they felt about each but I wouldn't lie, I hated seeing her on my screen.

Then finally when they started to collide at mid-episode 4 and eventually, Tae told Gook to walk at the ending of episode 4, coupled with the Light Soundtrack playing in the background, I had a meltdown, cause I was thinking this is those type of shows that everything would not be resolved till the last episode but I was very happy that beginning episode 5, Tae went back for him, meaning he could not bear leaving Gook out in the cold like that. From there the relationship progressively got better and by ending episode 5, we had our almost kiss/kiss scene in episode 6???. The ending though kind of broke me, from Gook's gay panic to that ending of episode 6.

I don't like the Kim Pilhyeon, I mean they asked you to keep an eye on them, how does that lead to you having to report that you saw them kissing, like the chairman (Tae's dad) would never known if not for your big mouth, but I mean we should have all known that Tae would go to England from episode 1. I definitely was not a fan of his dad????
By the way, I was so confused by the ending of episode 7, like why was he working at the restaurant? But I like that they cleared that up, that it was kind of in the future

Episode 8 was so and so for me, I liked the way the fight was stationed, it wasn't like unrealistic that he beat like 10 guards at once but one or two at a time, made it more dramatic and real for me, with the music, it was cinematic.

But I mean I kind of liked the fact, that they still kept the reaction that a lot of South Koreans would have to having an LGBT kid. They didn't create this magical world where everyone (especially the parents) are all so accepting and always knew the kid was gay or something. I mean, it hurt us a bit but it was real.

Plus the fact when they finally got home, that Tae was asking why didn't Gook just accept his feelings earlier, "they didn't even get to do that" according to Tae, I felt is the most on brand thing with teenagers right now.

Can we appreciate the fact that they didn't spend a lot of the storyline with the girl intervening, they actually kept it BL. Like they didn't pull one over on us in the last few seconds. I mean it was also cool that they made Kim and Hyemi end up together, kind off made sense.

Overall, I really wished this had longer episodes and more episodes, there could be so much they could have explored with the high level of story telling and acting they had but this is still just perfect. Having a 2nd season wouldn't hurt but I doubt they would because it kind of had a good ending

I loved the extra layer of side comedy, He Mi's mother was the funniest because she was all of us, shipping Tae and Gook. Hyemi mother was everything, from shipping TaeGook to always shading Hyemi❤️❤️❤️ and even shading Pilhyeon that Gook was more handsome and mature. Then her crying made me laugh like a maniac

For the acting, OMG, the acting was soooooooooooo good, I loved the acting from the entire cast, it made it all so much more believable.

Finally the music ???... They have my heart in terms of soundtrack ❤️❤️❤️❤️. I absolutely loved the music in this, I mean the OST had like 4 songs (Light, See U, Looking at you and You) but I felt they used it so well, that it really brought out the moments more and made it all that more powerful

I really hope that WYEL is what kicks off Korean BL because no offense to other countries (Thailand ???) but the Koreans have shown they are simply better are making dramas than them, with creative stories, great production, and high quality, amazing acting and cinematography meant for gods. Imagine 20 episodes of Korean BL with 40 minutes running time.

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MORE MORE MORE

Good story, good pacing, cute guys and good acting - what more can you ask for? I have one thing, I want more time with them!!! The series is too damn short!

This is a testament why Korean dramas are leading all other its asian counterpart, this is a web drama but it certainly doesnt feel like it. The plot and the execution including the sets are well polished, and all the actors did a terrific job.

I even found myself singing with the song!

I will definitely rewatch this series and heres hoping that Korea will produce more, and hopefully next time it will be a full blown mainstream series.

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When there is more representation I can be picky, but for now this'll have to do

In my humble opinion, this drama does not add up to the hype. I am thankful that South Korea has started making more LGBT dramas and movies, since it is a great step forward. However, I think we LGBT+ people have a tendency to go a bit crazy when there is any kind of representation, and we are so greatful for the scraps that we hype up stories that really aren't that good, and sometimes aren't even healthy relationships. I have seen a lot of student-teacher relationships, or age gaps that are not approperiate when it comes to gay stories. Where Your Eyes Linger is a portrayal of an unhealthy relationship between a "master and servant". Not only are they not equal, but Taejoo is actually mean towards Gook and uses his position and authority against him to deliberately make Gook uncomfortable. That is not the vibe for me.
Moreover, I think that the acting was... awkward at best. It is very clear to me that the actors are uncomfortable and they have no chemistry. The one kiss scene was not really a kiss, just a peck, which would be fine if it wasn't the case with so many gay dramas and series. I just felt really forced to me.

But, just because I did not like this drama does not mean that I won't gobble up any other representation, however awful. I am in a desert and representation is my water. So I know I'll still be watching these types of dramas that I don't like until there is more representation with variety so that I can afford to be picky. I cannot wait until that time comes.

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Fan Fic Turned to Life

I'll keep this review short, simple and spoiler free because I don't have much to say.

Remember all those crazy one shots or fan fictions you read on Wattpad, trying to imagine yourself being inside the story with your favourite celebrity in it that makes your heart race and wishing for more? Yeah, this is exactly what you'll see in this Korean BL.

The story is sweet and charming. The chemistry is on point between Tae Joo and Kang Gook. Of course the story is simple and straightforward but once again, Korean Dramas have used their strength on perfecting their editing, acting, directing and the OST soundtrack. For a first Korean BL production, I have nothing to complain. I'm not gonna spoil the show, I'll leave it in your hands for you to judge.

Do I recommend the show? Sure. It may be unoriginal in terms of the same old overused plot but there's no problematic tropes used there which makes it nice and refreshing to watch. Enjoy the ride now that all the episodes are out and you don't have to wait every week yearning for more episodes.

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Where Your Eyes Linger is a Korean BL, which makes it an extremely rare beast.

The premise is pretty simple and very Korean: a Candy/Chaebol romance that happens to be between two men.

The poor Kang Gook is the best friend and bodyguard of Chaebol heir and wannabe teen playboy Han Tae-joo, for whom he has secret feelings. The two live together, go to school together, do martial arts together. They're basically inseparable in a dynamic that harks back to feudal Joseon bromances. It's a dynamic that didn't entirely work for me at first due to the disturbing power imbalance between the two boys, and I found the first few episodes very rough.

However, once the show settles into itself and stops finding excuses for them to grapple with each other, it begins to deal quite realistically and even movingly with the emotions of the situation. Gook is Tae-joo's servant and nothing - not their feelings or their friendship or anything else - can change that. Instead of using this power dynamic to set up the somewhat uncomfortable and unequal relationship I started to fear, the show instead treats it as a barrier, which in real life it would be.

The show also makes a few more quality decisions, especially around its second female lead who is textually treated in the same way as a traditional kdrama second male lead. It's a refreshing decision, not just from a kdrama perspective but from a BL perspective as well.

As a web drama, Where Your Eyes Linger is far far too short and as such the narrative is rushed. It would have benefited from longer episode lengths.

But despite a rough start and the use of some truly questionable music decisions, this is a classic kdrama romance scenario that happens to have two men in it. And that's the best thing about it. It means that some of its peculiarly Korean narrative decisions worked for me when I would have found them tiresome in a standard drama. I think it's great that they made a drama that treats homosexual romance in exactly the same way as it would have treated heterosexual romance.

That alone puts it heads and shoulders above every other BL released this year.

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