Yuri Live Action: Seonam Girls’ High School Investigators, Episodes 11 & 12

May 24th, 2015

seonamEarlier this year, South Korean TV made a breakthrough in portrayals of same-sex relationships with a lesbian kiss. The show takes place in high school;  like North America’s Degrassi High, the series dealt with things that teens might actually have to deal with; bullying, pregnancy, relationships, people, etc.  Wrapped in a setup that all would-be Harriet the Spys or Velmas might feel comfortable with, we join several outsider girls in a relatively normal high school, where they uncover the dark secrets of their fellow students…then try to make things right.

Seonam Girls’ High School Investigators is available to watch in it’s entirety on Viki.com, free and legally. Today we’re going to discuss Episodes 11 and 12. They center on two female students, Eun Bin and Soo Yeon, who are photographed kissing. Soo Yeon is identified, but refuses to name the other girl. Predictably, she is teased and ostracized, but her will is too strong and eventually, the other students back off. In episode 11, she asks the Investigators to please find out who is photographing students in compromising positions and posting them to the school online board, not for herself, since it is already too late, but to save Eun Bin from being discovered.

You can watch the episodes for yourself, so I won’t bother with a summary, but I have to say, I was completely captivated by the Investigators, who are so utterly dorkariffic that I adored them. Way more important than the kiss itself  was the discussion the Investigators have between themselves about homosexuality in general, how it made them feel – and why – and what they believed they ought to do  – and why. When they conclude that they would never like a person less for being gay, I wanted to hug them all. The kiss was fine, but the conversation was magnificent! It’s stuff like that, that’s gonna change the world.

That having been said, I want to take a step back and talk about the kiss for a second. It’s supposed to be sweet, slightly awkward and it is. It was exactly what it should have been. And for all that, it’s a million times a better kiss than anything I have ever seen in any Japanese media of any kind. Major score for the Koreans, they know how to kiss. ^_^

If you have no patience, don’t like Viki or have some other reason to not watch, I will leave you with this supercut of some of the Soon Yeon / Eun Bin scenes:

But you should watch this and learn to love the Investigators…and the distinct possibility for a happy ending. The story appears to end with Soo Yeon transferring out of the school…but that doesn’t mean she and Eun Bin are separated.

Really, just watch these episodes and get back to me. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Way better than I expected, but  par for the course on Korean dramas, so I’m told.

10 Responses

  1. Well this looks fun, shall have to give it a shot when I’ve got time!

  2. Laura says:

    I’m watching this series at the moment ( on viki) haven’t gotten to these episodes yet though but the whole show, so far, has been just brilliant. I love it’s quirkiness.

  3. Nala says:

    “Major score for the Koreans, they know how to kiss.”

    I watched a lot of Korean dramas and sorry to say their kisses were bad, including hetero ones, only a few were believable and memorable. However, I have watched the this show’s kissing clip from another site and boom! was I surprised. I heard good reviews from this so it’s on my plan-to-watch list. I hope I won’t be disappointed!

  4. Day says:

    Alright, guess I’m going to have to suspend my moratorium on K-dramas!

  5. claremon says:

    It is surprisingly good. Love the whole shows but now I want more of Eunbin x Soon Yeon. Thanks for the recommendation.

  6. I really enjoyed this two parter, Soo Yeon is the kind of character I very easily feel for and admire.

    It’s a very effective episode, but it also show behind South Korean still is. I don’t think in the West or even in Japan our protagonist needing to debate among themselves if they are going to tolerate Homosexuality would be acceptable.

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