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.