A new television series on Here TV titled Falling For Angels explores Asian men tackling gay racism in Los Angeles.
Falling For Angels is an anthology series that explores “every facet of modern-day relationships—love, sex positivity, sexual health, heartbreak and more,” according to its website.
Taking place in Los Angeles, the series focuses on neighbourhoods including Silver Lake, Bel Air, Leimert Park, Boyle Heights, Koreatown, and Malibu.
In the second episode titled Koreatown, the plot centres around two gay Asian men Kevin (Ty Chen) and Gino (Dale Song). Kevin is a young Taiwanese-American who grew up in a traditionally white American neighbourhood. Gino is an adopted Korean-American who who plans on visiting his birth parents in Seoul.
The episode focuses on Kevin trying to understanding his own heritage compared to Gino’s.
Writer Steven J. Kung based the episode on his friend who is also an adoptee. “He played lacrosse. He grew up in Boston and has that accent. When he went to L.A., he felt like he wanted to get in touch with Korean culture, and the way he accomplished that was going into Koreatown and just being.”
Director Steven Liang said that the episode showcases the beauty of Asian American men. “One of the reasons I was really interested in this script is because it conveys Asian American men as attractive — not only to other races but to each other,” he said.
Watch the episode below.