"His Man": A Pivotal Step In The Creation Of South Korean LGBTQ+ Contents

"Its about damn time". Looking back now to a couple of months ago when this series was announced, perhaps this would be the words or reactions from some of the global fans of Korean arts and entertainment. Over the last couple of years, much to the appreciation of many fans, we have received quite a number of LGBTQ+ content from South Korea. Starting with the BL "Where Your Eyes Linger" starring Jang EuiSoo and Han GiChan, thanks to the success of the series, there has been a global interest in South Korean-themed LGBTQ+ stories. This interest has spurred the production of hit series like "To My Star", "Semantic Error", "Blueming" and "You Make Me Dance".

"Representation in any form or magnitude always matters". Telling the stories of a minority and marginalized group, these series have not just been able to garner much attention and appreciation for its cute and lovely storylines or its handsome actors, but also for its fearless strive to continue to spotlight the reality of many LGBTQ+ individuals, reaching out to many, and sharing stories about the realities of the world that many can draw a sense of familiarity with.

"Oh, now, there is someone like me on TV." It is not that South Koreans were the first to create an LGBTQ+ content, but for many, contents like this hold great value. This is not just for the global fans who enjoy the country's art and entertainment, but her localized people, who are still deemed as the minority, who can take courage in seeing an active representation of their lives being proudly on display. Despite their popularity, BL series are often considered just fictional as oftentimes, they do not really capture the essence of being in the LGBTQ+ community. This is where a reality series like "His Man" poses an even more valuable stance in the push for real LGBTQ+ content in South Korea.

The announcement and further airing of the reality dating show "His Man" is one of those moments that will perhaps serve as a further catalyst towards the exploration and creation of more quality LGBTQ+ content in South Korea and perhaps even more globally too. A first-of-its-kind series, this series centers around 8 single men who are looking for love, and being brought together in a shared house. Here they meet and interact with each other with any one of them being a possible love interest of the other and eventually being His Man.

Starring Kim ChanGyu a content creator, Lee Hyeon, a Drag artist, Jeon EunChan, a brand manager, Hyeok Jun a hairstylist, JeongHo a dancer, Kim ChangMin a pastry chef and YouTuber, Kim SeonYul a sommelier, and Lee JeongHyun a makeup artist. These 8 brave men took a chance not just on finding love but on themselves as they proudly shared their stories and gave a deeper insight into the lives of an LGBTQ+ person leaving in South Korea.

Now that the series is over, here are some of our key takeaways from the season.

 

1. The unnecessary backlash

Perhaps many sort of expected this coming, but we also hoped it wouldn't. Despite its popularity and receiving a ton of appreciation as a groundbreaking project, it also received a lot of criticism and complaints from some groups in South Korea. From insensitive comments to petitions and protests, many were adamant to stop the airing of this show. A troubling, yet uncommon occurrence, this just projects that there is still a long way to go when it comes to acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.

 

2. The casting

Great and applaudable. We love how diverse and inclusive the casting was. Where "His Man" really wins is how they brought in individuals from various fields with distinct personalities and traits. All of whom were also very handsome, with each having his own unique charms that many would not just find appealing but also relatable.

 

3. The wholesome camaraderie of the cast

Being part of the same community, there are bound to be some levels of similarities in their experience in life. The interactions of the cast were such a thrill to watch. Filled with so many beautiful, adorable and hilarious moments, the members' tiki-taka banter, despite meeting each other for the first time was one of the key highlights of the series. Not without its emotional moments as well, especially during the confessionals, we get to see the members open up about their lives in the most heart-gushing way.

Also, despite it being a "competition for love" we got to see these 8 men form a strong bond in a friendship that was truly heartwarming. One of such moments was in episode 8, during their round table discussion. Opening up about their life journeys till this point, coming out, the desire for acceptance and happiness, each member was able to connect with not just each other but also the viewers too, many of whom may draw similarities to some of the desires shared by them.

 

4. The editing: things that could've been better

There were several moments in the course of the series that might have left some of its viewers confused. Perhaps due to its editing, but it felt like considering how it ended, there were key moments that didn't play out well. For one, while the introduction of new members served as a refreshing boost to the house, we believe it didn't level the playing field or give everyone a chance to fully connect or have a sense of closure over not being selected by the other member or their love interest.

In the case of JeongHo and HyeokJun, we did witness the pivotal moment where their attraction was formed but towards the end, while we had various moments of swoon-worthy interactions with them, it would have been more wholesome if there were more. Quite similar to the triangle or square that was formed by Kim SeonYul and Kim ChanGyu. While we might have seen the many moments where ChanGyu fell for JeongHo, we barely saw anywhere SeonYul displayed an attraction other than friendship for HyeokJun, which made it all the more surprising towards the end, especially when for the majority of the series, they shared a room together. If there is a season 2, hopefully, there will be, these should serve as a learning curve for a better season.

 

5. A fairytale ending for all

While we appreciated the reality of not always falling in love with the person you want at the end, it would also be nice to see them all have a sort of happy ending. While we understand that it is a reality series, after all, and this aspect is as real as it gets, it was a bittersweet ending for us as viewers of the show, seeing some walking off with His Man and others standing bleakly looking on like sad statues.

However, as Kim SeonYul said to Kim ChanGyu, they are just 8 men here, and the chances of finding a partner are very very slim and limiting. Perhaps in the next season, we can get a match-making theme, where a perfect pairing matchup is done and all the members get to have His Man at the end.

Did you enjoy this series? Did you like the final couple? Tell us some of your takeaways from the series in the comments section below.