Saebit Boys' High School Council (2021)

Very enjoyable

Finally, a Korean BL that isn't as short as a movie! I loved this series a lot, the love triangle was competitive but not too fierce which I enjoyed. It was hard to tell who Woo Taegyung was going to end up with at times, I liked this as the story remained interesting and I wanted to watch the next episode quickly lol. There being an original OST made the drama very enjoyable, it feels like its own thing because of it.

I really liked that the characters were comfortable saying they like each other without having to ask about the sexuality of the other. I think this BL is very important for South Korea so people will be more open-minded regarding sexuality.

I only wish there were more romantic moments, but I guess that as the characters are high-school students, they are shy and not daring in love.

Overall, I am very happy with this drama and highly recommend everyone to watch it. This is one BL you do not wanna skip :).

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Our favorite BL of all time.

We thank the production team every single time for the sixteen episodes that it contain when we rewatch it.
Such a beautifully written coming of age story (especially one part in the story that is shown so beautifully).
It's fluffy and genuine. Noh Shin Woo is probably one of our most favorite lead characters ever.
Same with Namgoong Shiwoon. Way at the top of the list of awesome side characters.
Everyone needs someone like him in their lives to brighten their day.
The OST is beautiful and the acting is sweet. The High School trope will always be one that we adore and Light On Me reminded us once again why.

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Surprisingly Well Done

The first time I watched this show, I thought Tae Kyung was too awkward and the show was okay. But it stuck with me enough that I added the theme song to my playlist on Spotify and I ended up coming back to watch the show a second time. This is one of my top two Korean BLs at the moment. It feels sufficiently well developed and tackles some tough topics - but not in a way that weighs you down. It's also longer than most KBLs I've seen and much better acted.

Spoilers below:
Tae Kyung in definitely still awkward, but I appreciate his sweetness and his caring for others. I love the way Shin Woo cares about him from the sidelines, and how their relationship develops from begrudging classmates to friends and eventually to romance. Shin Woo loves quietly but fiercely, which is lovely. Da On is a good guy, but he's a doormat, and he lets his fear rule him. It's nice to see him get character growth about this. Everyone really gets developed as characters except Namgoong, but I wouldn't change Namgoong for anything. He's awesome the way he is. He's there to fill a certain role, and he does it with pizazz.

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Flawed male leads made the show even more relatable

In many BLs, the male lead is constructed to be a dreamboat-type character without any flaws (e.g. Phana in 2moons or Sutthaya in Fish Upon The Sky), which ironically, results in the character becoming quite bland. In Light On Me, there's Da On and Shin Woo, who are relatable characters precisely because they are flawed in their own way.

I’m generally not a fan of over-the-top drama when it comes to BLs so a messy love triangle sounds like it could be a bit much. Thankfully, Light On Me had plenty of wholesome and lighthearted moments that took the edge off the drama, making the series a surprisingly easy watch.

The conclusion of the series may be predictable but how the story unfolded still held its fair share of surprises from time to time.

Read my full review at: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2021/12/25/light-on-me-2021/

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Un drama sobre la amistad y la aceptación hacia uno mismo

La historia es bonita, divertida y reconfortante. Tiene su dosis de conflicto, en especial con un cuadrado amoroso que perdura la mayor parte del tiempo, pero no se da en una manera que agobie.

El drama me encantó de muchas formas, aunque no fui tan fan de los últimos episodios. Creo que prefirieron mantener a la audiencia en duda hasta el final, en lugar de dar un cierre mejor desarrollado a los personajes y relaciones.

Disfrutaría mucho si hicieran una segunda temporada, en especial por el misterio en el último episodio. Y los personajes son de esos de los que no te cansas de ver.

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Korean BL, but this time with higher production

The popularity of BL dramas has been growing in Korea. As a result, we now get to enjoy this 16 episode, half hour per episode run-time drama with a higher production value. And like the Thai BLs that came before it, with added runtime we get added story. This drama feels superior to most other KBLs for this reason, and for other reasons as well.

STORY: Well, this is a high school drama. So go into it expecting exactly that. We see many cliches and tropes, but we also see plenty of unique and interesting content as well. This story is overall very fluffy, though it has serious moments as well. It portrays a very innocent kind of love, the kind lots of high schoolers would expect to be involved in. The love triangle is fully believable and done excellently. We get to see some typical moments like wiping frosting from a lip, catching a falling love interest, and a pesky evil female character. We get to see harder hitting moments like rumors, bullying, homophobia, the pressures of high school and what it means to always be the best and act the best while looking the best and the pressure that puts on a person. We get to see someone win the big competition despite the fact that they absolutely should not have by any metric. You know how it goes. Overall, this story was able to pull me in despite its flaws and I love it.

ACTING: Kang Yoo Suk as Shin Woo manages to show a good emotional range in his character as he struggles with his feelings and how to express them. In a character that is chronically unable to say how he actually feels, being able to deliver believable nonverbal emotion is key, and Kang Yoo Suk does this well.

Choe Chan Yi as Da On stole the show for me. Dealing with new developing romantic feelings, the struggle of coming out to himself, the pressure he is under as the sweet and kind student body president, the emptiness of absent parents, and the turmoil of rumors and homophobia, Choe Chan Yi was able to express all of the feelings that come with these issues with a smile on his face (mostly). Brilliant acting. I will follow his career closely moving forward.

Go Woo Jin as Nam Goong Shi Woon was a great choice in casting. He is able to seemingly effortlessly switch from the goofy, loud comedic relief wingman to the serious and often wise (or good at pretending to be wise, at times), caring friend who makes sure everyone's emotional needs are being met and sees all the sides of disagreements. Like Kang Yoo Suk, I enjoyed seeing this actor's range.

Lee Sae On as Tae Kyung... you will read plenty of reviews that strongly dislike his acting and call him robotic. He isn't as bad as many people seem to think - a lot of it is due to him playing a character that is a "self-imposed loner" and therefore lacks friends and social skills - but I do think this actor has a bit of a way to go to catch up with his peers from this drama. There is a ton of potential in him, though. Despite the odds, I didn't hate him or his character. It all just ended up feeling a bit flat, unfortunately.

Remaining cast seem overall fairly suitable without anything standing out in particular.

MUSIC: The OST is enjoyable. The music seemed consistently fitting and not overwhelming in any scenes. I often forgot to listen to it, and that's great. It helped set the moods in various scenes without pulling focus away.

The Korean boyband A.C.E, already well known for speaking out on LGBT issues and breaking gender norms through their various styles over the last handful of years since their debut in booty shorts, recorded the track SPARK for this OST. The song is beautiful in sound and message, and was used fittingly throughout the show. A.C.E's leader, Jun, has stated that this track and project were important to the group as they want to promote the idea to their fans that there are many kinds of love that are just as beautiful as the expected norm, and that they accept their fans no matter who or how they love. Stan A.C.E.

REWATCH VALUE: I would watch this drama again in the future. I found it enjoyable enough to enjoy it again, and would like to look for any moments I may have missed in the first half that gave more of Shin Woo's feelings away.

OVERALL: This drama isn't what I would ever call "groundbreaking" but it is sweet, somewhat sad, fluffy, and entertaining. Most of the acting was on point. The camera angles and lighting were usually very good. The message wasn't profound but it did have a message to tell, and it delivered on it.

Very much looking forward to more work from this director and several cast members.

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The Most Heartfelt Bl Korean Highschool Drama

At first when i started watching this it's full of second-hand embarrassment 😂 then it's straight to comedy scene that keep me watching this without skipping any moment. As the lover of angsty+hate to lover dramas(or it's just SW being a tsundere🤣) this is really what i will put in top list of bl drama ! the heartfelt content it makes me fully awake with big eyes even its 5 in the morning 😂 they are so goddamn cute especially the main couple♡ there's so much more i want to say but words can't I really describe how much precious and gold this is! overall I'll give 10/10! reallyyy worth the time(≧▽≦*)

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Nice school romance with great characters

Binged this series in two days.

I don't watch K-drama a lot, but this is my favourite so far. I love the story, though it's also a bit painful for me.

I was really, really rooting for Daon and Taekyung to be together. I mean, the way they treated each other was so sweet, and Taekyung's confession ("You said that nothing belongs to you, so I want to belong to you") was just so powerful to me.

However, I know from the start that Daon would be a very hard person to be in a relationship with. Someone who's aiming to please everyone would just hurt people they care about in the end.

And with the way the series gave Shinwoo ML treatments (I mean, special bgm when Shinwoo and Taekyung got close to each other?) I just know that Daon wouldn't have a chance.

For more than half the season, I was hopeful that I'll be wrong and Daon-Taekyung would get together (they like each other, what else might happen?), but by the time Daon said to people that he's nice to Taekyung just because Taekyung's a new member, I guess I just gave up. Taekyung deserves someone who's not afraid to declare their feelings to him. Daon was just not the one. I know he had his own reasons, but still.

Shinwoo was a great character too. I love how he knew when to give up and when to fight again. His awkward moments with Taekyung were very cute. This is unrelated, but for some reason he really reminds me of GOT7 Jinyoung.

But no matter what, I think the best character in this series was Namgung. He might not be directly involved with the conflicts in this drama, but the way he tried to light things up, and how he's giving advices (which he got from Mr. Seo) was just nice. I thought he's a bit of jerk at first for not helping Shinwoo, but it was a mistake ony part, because he actually helped, he just used his head more by calling the police. From then, he continued worm his way to be a character I'm fond of.

Some people might hate Sohee for her tenacity and what he did to Daon and Taekyung, but I actually don't think that she's a bad character. Yes, she's obsessed with Daon and what she's done to them wasn't right, but she's learning, trying, and well, who doesn't make a mistake in their life?

As for Mr. Seo, I was so glad that they got a scene dedicated to celebrate his birthday. He cared a lot for his students. With the last scene where he met someone (from his past?), I wonder if we would get second season or maybe a spin-off.

Last one, Taekyung. I wasn't really into him at first, but his honestly did made him interesting, and before I knew it, I got to like him. Like, I'm rooting for him. I literally shed tears when he realized that he liked Daon. And when he's rejected by Daon too.
Thankfully he's okay now.

I usually don't like a love triangle story, especially the one where the MC liked someone, got rejected, and the liking another person in a short period, but this series made it feels natural.

It still pained me that Daon let go of his chance tho. Hopefully, if there's any continuation, he'll get his own happy ending.

The osts are nice. I love them. Especially at the end of ep 14.

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Loved this one so much

I won't take up your time with a minute by minute breakdown of why I loved this drama so much. I loved the casting and the acting is spot-on - perfect. The characters all felt comfortable in their own skin and owned their characters - you could (and do) easily get attached to your favorites.

My only gripe is how too many dramas make the bad person good before the end credits role. What she did was selfish and horrible - to be playing on the beach again with everyone by the end was sad. She got away with everything and all she had to do was pout, shed a few tears and say she was sorry. She affected reputations of individuals - she took their private lives away. It was mean spirited and cruel. They should have promised to eventually make amends but, it should have been off camera.

Other than that - LOL - I will save this to watch again and again.

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WOW, ALMOST EXO MEMBER!!!

story sucked, acting was actually not bad for like newbies!! bvery handome chaseueinrgursi~~~
the story was good if it prez x mc, not vp x mc
it -just feels like you knew the ending but tghe story went one way but it went back to your expectations??
love triangles idk
but yeah it was very like you were like WOW IT'S NOT GONNA BE A BASIC LOVE TRIANGLE STORY but it was
good production quality
better than mediocre acting
cast had a lot of chemsitry and was cute!!!!!!!!11111
disappointing plot!
anyway stan iu1111 we love mushroom boy in this housse!!!! woo taekyung KAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY (gay)

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Well handled coming to terms with yourself gay romance

A charming series which responsibly explores the difficulties of facing your own sexuality, coming to terms and finding love with another (and learning to love yourself)

Story & character development

I read some reviews criticising how the love triangle was solved, but I disagree with them. One of the main drivers of this plot was focusing in on the fears of facing your own sexuality and the challenges of finding that special connection amid the maelstrom of a school life in a culture unfriendly to gays.

Take a case in point which I think was extremely well handled. Many criticise the decision to wrap the plot up with Tae Kyung
choosing Shin Woo over Da On. But they miss something extremely important. I write from personal experience as someone who came out as gay later in my life, mid twenties. I can assure everyone that that first year was horrendous (in my case not because of any issues with family members not accepting it). The entire dynamic of my life radically and irretrievably altered. The very thing I had spent my *entire* school life running from, hiding, being ashamed of - was just there. When a gay man (even moreso for gay teenagers) actually face who they are, it takes a long emotional process to find that new equilibrium in your life.
My point here is, Da On's character needed to take time to face himself - his real self - having taken the courage to face it openly despite the myriad challenges he would be facing subsequently. His character needed Tae Kyung as a friend, there to help him in what would be a tough time ahead. Believe me, in real life the first year you're out is often not a time you want to spend wooing a first love, it's a brutally draining emotional journey. Da On's character needed to take time for himself and that ending seemed correct to me.
As for Tae Kyung, what he needed was someone to love him, give his character the attention he so obviously yearned and craved. This was simply not a role Da On's character was in a position to give him. He was now finding a new balance in his life between the work he genuinely loves, learning to love his new self and there just wasn't room in his life at that time for him to meet Tae Kyung's needs.

Whereas Shin Woo was someone ready to be what Tae required by the end. Shin had already faced Da's journey prior to the beginning of the series, and had found a balance in his own life. He was emotionally, personally ready to be be the romantic partner Tae was searching for.

A love triangle done right for once:

To my mind this love triangle plot is a rare case of one being done extremely well. And I say this as someone who actively dislikes love triangle plot devices, but in this case it fit in perfectly with the character development in the story.

Teaching profession:

Another good aspect was the role they had the educator play, dishing out advice and wisdom free from judgement. It sends a message about the importance of educators in our lives. I recall a time when one of my Chinese first year uni students came to me after I finished teaching a module, burst out crying and asked me advice about if she should tell her parents she was a lesbian. I still - years later - think about that conversation, and the advice I gave. I LOVE the subtle emphasis on the importance of our teachers and elders. The role these people play has impact on the students they teach, those who look up to them and also stays with the teachers themselves.

Charming series, well executed. My 7.5/10 represents a comfortably above average gay romance which tackles important subtleties known to gay people very delicately and sensibly. If what you're looking for is melodrama, or some bullshit fan-shipping opportunity this series isn't for you. But if you want a charming, well paced (maybe sometimes slightly slow at points) story which can provide a small insight into being gay, coming to terms with this and facing public ridicule with courage then this is for you. That this was a South Korean production makes me very excited for the future, given it is a country with a notoriously conservative culture regarding gay rights and romance.

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