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Guilty pleasure, I guess...
I swear I was open minded as I could be starting this series. From the start I knew that it’s a simple melodrama and I shouldn’t expect much from it, I should just sit down and enjoy. I wasn’t expecting elaborate plot or great action. Just good chemistry and a lot of emotions. And it started just as it should be. Right away we got interestingly composed characters. Shin Joon Yeong is an asshole of an actor who gets diagnosed with terminal illness. No Eul is poor reporter with loan sharks breathing down her neck who lost her job because she was so desperate for money that she took a bribe. She want to make a documentary about Joon Yeong but he’s clearly against it. Until it turns out that they’re actually long lost friends.So I have to admit, first episode was exactly what I wanted from it. We got some additional plot lines, additional exposition showing what exactly happened before that lead to this situation. And it was a pretty solid introduction to the characters. You know, two full episodes of flashbacks, thanks to which we exactly knew what for the next 18 episodes our main characters will be moping about. And there’s plenty of moping here. And watching longingly through the glass at laughing people. And lying and deceiving. Are you interested yet or should I continue?
So for first couple of episodes I have no objections to. Characters’ actions are pretty logical, even when they don’t seem like that. Like the way Joon Yeong acts. He just doesn’t care at one point. He knows that he’s going to die so he’s not looking at the consequences of his actions. He’s not bothered by the outcome so he just proposes to No Eul during his concert in from of thousand of fans. Does it make sense? Has No Eul showed her interest in him? No to both, but he couldn’t care less, really. And honestly, that totally makes sense, even if it doesn’t seem like it.
And it all was nice and breezy until I’ve noticed one worrying thing. I could swear that last episode that I’ve watched then, and it was something in the middle of the drama, consisted in 90% of two guys starring at a girl longingly from the distance, and honestly it was a bit much. But the notion of it being simple melodrama still persisted, so I hope for the better.
All things aside, Kim Woo Bin gave an amazing performance throughout the whole series. The problem was that characters were absolutely unlikable, doesn’t matter from what perspective to look at them.
Almost all characters in this drama are awful human beings. They lie, deceive, are insincere and get angry easily. They don’t talk to each other, and if they do, they either lie about their feelings or are absolutely awful to each other. Seems like their aim in life is to make their or somebody else lifes miserable.
No Eul is absolutely shameless, trying to get money left and right. Even after getting billion Won from Ji Tae it seems to not be enough from her and she want to get more from Joon Young. And she’s absolutely not hiding her motives here. And no, the argument, that she had financial problems and she tries to provide for her family is not an excuse to her behaviour. And Joon Yeong is honestly not better. Some of his actions can be excused, but most of the time he behaves as a grade one asshole. I’ve figured out that something is wrong with him when he made No Eul believe that he’s in critical state in hospital just to get her confession. And until somewhere half way into the drama, their love-hate relationship is what het this drama going, it’s the guilty pleasure in the purest of forms. But it gets tiring pretty fast to be honest.
Because I swear, 90% of this drama is just everyone suffering from the distance without telling anyone why they suffer. And as it traditionally goes with this type of drama, a bit of communication and honesty would solve most of those problems. Here everyone claim that their method of coping with the situation is the only true one so there’s zero talking and only sulking. BTW, the remaining 10% of the drama is just understatements that further complicate the plot.
The plot is pretty slow, and it’s not the issue of lack of development, it’s just that relationship of main characters is very stagnant. The issues that they’re having are not being resolved, they just get more and more complicated without actually moving forward.
Some events seem to not have any real influence here. We get some informations that are soon to be ignored, replaced by other events. No Eul discovers that Joon Young was the one who stole the usb with evidence in her father’s death, but apparently that’s not a problem for long. Everything seems back to normal pretty quickly especially that she also discovers that he’s dying. And while we’re at it, not much shows that he’s actually terminally ill. Some headaches, some blurry vision and some minor memory problems but for most of the time nothing really indication that he’s supposed to be dead in a month, since he’s living pretty normal life so far. And I know that showing his suffering probably was not an aim of this series, but it just looks hard to believe that he’s really in a bad state.
In the end, it started as a nice guilty pleasure and ended as a partially pleasurable torture. To each their own I guess.
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It gives the vibes of watching Brazilian soap opera( I'm brazilian ) The plot entangled with lots of melodramas, and dramas, and things that may not be necessary, but is good enough to keep me entertained.
This wasn't a master piece but it complete its task, it was really enjoyable.
The beginning it had a romcom feeling, mixing up dreams of having your favorite idol being in love with you and a very sweet and fluffy feeling, little by little history got darker and deeper.
If you don't like deeper plots, you will probably hate it. Thats the thing about this drama. You may enjoy the fluffy but not the darkness. So you gonna end up hating it. I liked it both. Even though the feelings had some contrast, that contrast was what I liked the most about this drama. The sweetness fluffy of a handsome boy and all that hard to get we are used to see in romcoms, slowing turning into a heavy sad drama.
If you're not up to it, to that ride of feelings and atmospheres don't watch it. If you want only something easy going, you may like the firsts episodes but you gonna end up hating it.
To me, what made this drama great, exactly because of that ride.
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Fond: liking or to cherish.
The title and synopsis give away most of the story. While I enjoyed the writing it could've given us more context to the sub characters. The writers clearly used them to fill the 20 episodes but we learn little to nothing about a few of them.I enjoyed the story and acting of the ML/FL. The first couple episodes let you know it's going to be emotional. But I was amazed how often I laughed or was upset because of the characters throughout the entire show.
The flashbacks were done amazingly and didn't take away from the story. I have definitely recommended this show to friends.
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Cliched but engrossing drama with surprisingly good acting
Six years after the air date, here is me take on the show (for those who have been waiting with baited breath):It is surprisingly engrossing!
Yes, it is filled with cliches, but they are handled well; it has some very bad relationship dynamics (lots of grabbing and manipulation and emotional cruelty) -- and that is NOT OK -- but given the heightened emotional stakes and the overall melodramatic tint of the show, it's less atrocious than it would otherwise be; a lot of the story is not realistic at all, but it is relatively logical and it actually flows at a reasonable pace. In all, its weaknesses can be overlooked because it's fun!
The acting in the show took me by surprise, truly. I have seen some reviews criticizing the female lead for some "shouting" and such, and there is some of that, but it looks like a sizable proportion of it was written into the script. I am basing this on the fact that the show cuts to people's reactions to the character's loud behavior -- so this was asked for, and delivered as asked.
Will not be rewatching it because it is simply too long for that, but I do not consider it time wasted.
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K-Trauma not a K-Drama
Knew what was coming from the very first episode , but i still couldnt prepare myself for it.The last few episodes were so painfully beautifull and heart-crushing... The ending was so painfull and this show turned out to be one of the first Tv shows/movie to make me cry
There was nothing about this Drama i Mean Truma that dissapointed me. The plot line was never boring, The acting from Suzy and Woo Bin was absolutely amazing and the Music Cues were on point.
This has to and will remain to be one of my 10/10s and would Definitely Force/Encourage people to watch it ( Though idk if i should cause no one should watch such a sad ending)
This show is guaranteed to make everyone and everything cry.
The only reason the rewatch rating of this show is low is because there is no way Me(or Anyone ) can handle watching this masterpeice again.
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It's not the best melodrama, I must say, but it's not that bad either.
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I don't know why it has so less rating, but from my personal point of view it was all good..
Just the ending was kinda short like nothing surprising... Could have been better..
But other than that it is one hell of a drama which will make you smile and cry over and over again :)
P.S: The Story was kinda different than other stories, so worth it.
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A Tear-Picker
This series truly had me addicted, I started with one episode and could not do anything else, I watched it to the end. I laughed, got mad, and cried enough in this series. I truly felt drawn into the story-line. I am only sad for the ending though, I felt like their story should have been longer, I wished with all my heart he got treatment for his illness. Although I wished for a better ending I respect the cast and production for not trying to get a few more episodes out of it."The series focuses upon successful superstar Sin Joon Young ( Kim Woo Bin) who awkwardly meets his old flame from his youth, No Eul ( Bae Suzy), a producer of documentaries. When their respected careers awkwardly make their paths cross once again, No Eul is surprised to learn how much Joon Young has changed into a shallow and materialistic individual, rather than the kind-hearted person she once fell in love with, however, Joon Young also begins to stumble upon a life-changing truth which may finally ruin his relationship with his former love...
Undeniably, Uncontrollably Fond isn’t the type of drama to watch if you’re looking for something” fun and fluffy” ; the focal point of the series centralises upon terminal illness, tragic love and angst with Lee Kyung Hee’s ( The Innocent Man, Chocolate) screenwriting hoping to tug at heartstrings of viewers , rather than relish in a sweet romance tale (as shown in his more light-hearted works). The show is certainly effective within inflicting heartache onto viewers towards the particular fate of our characters, however, it is still certainly problematic when it comes to characterisation, as well as clearing up the evident inconsistencies which arose in this angst-ridden ride as well.It is important to note that the acting in the show is certainly quite good. Kim Woo Bin and Bae Suzy are undeniably brilliant actors, however, it is fair to say that their characters are tackled interestingly, to say the least.
Bae Suzy’s character, No Eul is undeniably a kind-hearted soul who is passionate about her work and desperately tries to make amends with Joon Young over the course of the series . On the other hand, No Eul often felt too dormant within her actual role and presence as a fleshed-out individual onscreen. Whilst it is important to stress that a show doesn’t necessarily need to go into a whole life story upon a character in order for viewers to “ get to know them personally”, it’s hard to really distinguish or get a grip upon No Eul as a character outside of her “ necessary flashbacks “ and past relationship with Joon Young. Even minor details such as her interests, interactions outside of her workplace and reactions to prominent obstacles over the course of the story , often felt passive and lacking in emotional depth to truly portray her as a well-written female lead.
Then of course there is Kim Woo Bin’s role as Joon Young. Undeniably Joon Young goes through several terrible ordeals even before the main events of the series, which fundamentally shapes his certain outlook upon life, relationships and characters (No Eul, being the evident subject of Joon Young’s changed interactions and feelings). No Eul’s entry into Joon Young’s life again comes nearly simultaneously with his life-changing news. This consequently causes him to try pushing No Eul away, as she becomes his saddening and haunting reminder of a past that he’s tried to reject, and he can never return to.
This of course leads us down two routes of “ problematic” characterization; the first within Joon Young’s behaviour, and secondly towards this behaviour is inflicted towards the female lead No Eul . It’s important to say that Joon Young’s reactions and attempts to drive No Eul away by flirting with other women, did add a slightly realistic reaction towards the male lead’s scenario. Joon Young is supposed to be only human and naturally intrinsically driven like most people towards rash decision-making.
However, Joon Young’s often anger-driven emotions and reactions towards his situation by throwing things or beginning a screaming match, soon became both frustrating when he began to lash out at times upon No Eul. A lot of fans of Uncontrollably Fond’s pairing often seem to gloss over the fact that ,for the majority of the series, Joon Young was emotionally abusive and physically harassed the female lead upon several occasions ( not least throwing her out of the car in the middle of nowhere, grabbing her arm often without consent and often manipulating her feelings rather than merely being honest).
Again, this is not saying it was “ wrong” for Joon Young to have feelings anger or for the show to touch upon emotional abuse or physical harassment, but it was concerning that the drama neither raised this up prominently as a terrible issue or relationships, and suddenly tried to “ sweeten” this by Joon Young and No Eul’s more “ romantic” feelings before the finale. This sudden transition from Joon Young tossing No Eul out of a car to hugging her several episodes later, wasn’t just nonsensical, but ridiculous in terms of character and relationship progression.Nevertheless, despite the questionable relationship between the two characters, the finale did leave a sucker- punch for viewers’ feelings. Without spoiling too much, it is fair to say that upon reflection the ending isn’t “ sad” per say because of the fate of our characters, but rather the blinded acceptance towards what is happening in their present, rather than their pasts or futures.
Overall Uncontrollably Fond wasn’t a bad show with some well-written qualities of the psychological complexity of coming to grasps with terminal illness, relationships, love and an emotional ending. On the other hand, Uncontrollably Fond had little greater character depth, straying away from cliches and explanations ( not least the “ unexplained illness”) ,a healthily progressive portrayal of relationships and problems of sugarcoating issues of emotional abuse and physical harassment within the main couple as well. As a drama to pass the time and as a tearjerker , Uncontrollably Fond is undeniably a good-binge watch, however, if you’re looking for a show with genuine depth and a well-written relationship between our leads, then look elsewhere because Uncontrollably Fond certainly isn’t the one that you’re looking for. "
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To start off, this drama is a rewatch drama- meaning, you need to hate it half way, drop it, and then pick it back up from the beginning to understand what the hell is going on. Other dramas I can categorize as 'rewatch dramas' are Oh My Venus, and Oh My Ghost (I didn't plan for them to both start with Oh My.)
Goods:
>Suzy's character, Noh Eul has the best determination I have ever seen in a character. Even though she herself has some very down moments, she still picks herself up, and that is what made me love her character. Most people are hypocritical with Suzy's acting and I do agree that it is bad at times but I honestly feel like she brought this character to life the best she could. She has no parents anymore, is struggling with her brother and her fiend from HS is now a popstar. Wouldn't that be your worst nightmare? If I figured out that someone that was an ass to me in HS was a celebrity I would honestly be pissed.
> Speaking of Joon Yeong's fame- I feel like it was almost needed in this film. It was a little useless in the beginning but towards the end of the drama, he had a lot of connections due to his fame that helped him accomplish his revenge the best way possible.
>The backstory between them is very meticulous and was actually all over the place, but a lot of backstories that have past childhood friendships/relationships are very mushy or are just put in the story line too fast. I feel like the backstory here helped the story when it was getting boring, and gave them such a closer bond. Almost like the bond you see in the drama Bubblegum (which is one of my favorite other dramas of all time.)
>I love the fact that they were there for each other. In times of Noh Eul's deepest sorrows and hardest moments as she complained and screamed with a bottle of soju in her hands, Joon Yeong experienced empathy for her and wanted to be with her with everything. At the same time, his character did a lot of pulling back- which I can only put to as him not wanting to get close to her since his impending doom of cancer slowly killing him. But, at his last waking moments- I really loved his character. With all my heart I did. He poured all his heart (the character and the actor) into getting a hold of his mom again throughout the drama, and you can hear his desperate pleading towards the end. The scene will stick with me forever because it seemed so real. He did SUCH a great job with his character.
The 'Oh My God GET OFF OF MY SCREEN' bads:
>Why THE HELL did the rich family even have to be in this? Why? Every second that rich family that is practically connected to EVERYTHING have to show up. They were bratty, and the one teenage girl was a legit brat when it came to her fangirling obsession with Joon Yeong like stop it, seriously. She made me not want to even watch the drama at times.
>Im Joo Hwan. I've discussed in my Oh My Ghost review how much I hate his character and how I never will like him in any drama. He legit ruined this drama for me in a way. I loved the two main characters and Go Na Ri. If it focused more on the relationship between the two of them and less on Im Joo Hwan's character- I would've rated it all 10 stars. Gosh. Pleh. Anyway.
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One of my favorite Love-hate feels
At first, I didn't like the drama because they said it was a sad ending. But when my cousin recommended me this, and she said this is one of her top 1 favorite so far. Then I feel curious about it and I started watching it and it hooked me. Actually I didn't binge watch this, I finished it within one month because I'm not ready for the ending HAHAHA and also I have a lot of school works, so I cannot binge it. I only give 9 on re watch value because every time I saw this it hurts me too muchHere are the things that you need to know:
1. Good plot twist
2. The ending of each episode made me want to watch on the next episode (Gladly I can handle it because of too many school works HAHAHAHA)
3. You need to bring tissue or water on the last episodes especially if you are an emotional person (like me) I swear I'm not joking.
4. You cannot move on after watching the last episode, again if your an emotional person you can't get over it, your still crying over it.
5. There might be a tendency that you feel the characters make you angry except for No Eul (Bae Suzy). She is a very strong woman, no matter people hate her or discriminate her she is still continuing on her life and to stay strong. She inspires me a lot.
6. This is a heavy drama
7. Some people say that they don't feel interested on the first few episodes but for me it's not... The first few episodes make me hooked more.
8. You will fall for Kim Woo bin HAHAHAHA before he is not my type actually I don't feel a second lead syndrome on" the heirs" But when I watched this, GOSH! I was wrong, he is really handsome and a good actor!
9. Great Chemistry!
This is all that I can say! Overall I enjoyed it! I hope this helps for you
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