Angel Eyes: Early Thoughts

It isn’t too often that you find yourself swept away by a simple story. Despite protests and vehement denials, we all recognize that there is a part of us – be it large or small – that has become jaded. Why do shows become progressively grittier? Why do we no longer find satisfaction in what was perfectly awe-inspiring and mind-boggling just a few years ago? As we’re presented with the latest, as we experience the newest, the old seems less enthralling, less captivating, less… everything. We want more. We want ever more. We want so much more the second time around.

And yet… sometimes there is such beauty in revisiting the old, in just appreciating the simplicity of life. Miracles and the unbelievable events are what make life so precious. Yet in the madness, we oft forget that there is much power in the ordinary. The opening weekend of Angel Eyes deftly illustrated the beauty of simplicity and innocence. There are no mind-boggling twists and turns, no “gotcha!” moments of trickery. It is what it is, and it does not attempt to be anything other than what it is: a beautiful love story of one boy and one girl on the cusps of adulthood, placing their trust, faith, and hearts in one another’s hands.

What is so saddening in Kdramaland is the all-too-common pattern of shows starting out wonderfully… and then petering out. I fall in love… and then grit my teeth through the rest. As mentioned in the First Impressions post, I was – and am – a bit gun-shy where writer Yoon Ji-ryun is concerned. Boys Over Flowers did Hallyu some big favors, but no one denies the story needed some major help – and I mean major.

The posters for Angel Eyes were absolutely gorgeous – and appreciated for not being the typical three-headed human version of Cerberus. And the teasers? *swoon*

Everyone has high-def cameras in this day and age. What makes a director special in my book is his/her color palette. One of my big issues with tvN is the sense that I’m looking through something – I feel like there’s a thin sheet of who-knows-what between the drama’s world and me, and it is frustrating and off-putting, to say the least.

But I digress. With one foot firmly out the door, I watched the first two episodes of Angel Eyes… and was swept away. It was beautiful and poignant, and what made it so was the very simplicity of it. It’s nothing new, nothing that hasn’t been portrayed by tens – hundreds – of other films and dramas. Yet… it worked. And it worked because the love displayed was unconditional and pure.

Sadly, the burned-too-many-times drama soul in me was reluctant to give my all to the show. After all, perhaps even more common than dramas-gone-bad are adults-outdone-by-child-actors. *cough MoonSun cough* What if Lee Sang-yoon’s dimple wasn’t enough? And what if – horrors! – seeing Goo Hye-sun made it impossible for writer Yoon Ji-ryun to stay away from Boys Over Flowers-­mode? *shudders* With all expectations suspended, I sat down for Episode 3… and loved it. And Episode 4… and loved it even more. And along came Episode 5… and finally Episode 6… which I absolutely LOVED.

Unfortunately, Dramaland did a number on me, and I still can’t wholly get behind a show. With a huge portion of the story arc completed in all of 6 episodes – which, don’t get me wrong, is one of the reasons I love the show (yay for speeeed!) – I’m concerned we’re entering weepfest-land with some makjang thrown in for good measure. But. And this is a BIG but. I cannot be more no-holds-barred 100% supportive for the first 6 episodes of Angel Eyes. If the show ended today, I think… yes, I honestly think I would be perfectly happy. And I would rank Angel Eyes as one of the best in my books. It’s that good. Truly.

I’ve been backspace-ing and re-typing a mabajillion different ways to keep this spoiler-free so you can watch the show and enjoy it in its entirety. Go. Watch Angel Eyes. And come revel with me.