This review may contain spoilers
It pains me to rate this so low because if the entire drama had been more like episodes 1-8, it might’ve gone into my all time favorites. But it has what you call car crash writing, when you’re in the car and the wind in your hair feels great and then you realize the breaks are broken and then things just SPIRAL.I’m going to start with things I loved:
The entire mood of the show is really nice, and that includes the OST. I know a lot of people hated on repetitive music, but the songs fit the scenes perfectly and I loved the mellow atmosphere of the entire drama.
The chemistry is so good. There were so many scenes where I had to pause and just SQUEAL because they were so cute together.
But this show proves that chemistry isn’t everything. In fact, story probably is.
Nothing feels wrapped up at the end. So much of the drama hinged on Jin-ah needing someone to provide for her future, and that question was never really answered, especially with how annoying and haphazard the ending was.
With that being said, the plot entirely got very repetitive and it essentially ruined Jin Ah’s character. Every conflict was about someone hiding something from the other, and for Jin Ah they felt like nonsensical, selfish decisions.
That’s not to let Joon Hee off the hook — his decision to run away to America without discussing it with Jin Ah first was annoying, and it just felt like another avoidable miscommunication.
The sexual harassment plot was super real and I really enjoyed the heaviness of it. I kept waiting for the cathartic ending and the sismance where they all worked together to defeat the executives…but no, we never got it. It felt very open-ended and almost discouraging with the way everything played out — and though there might be an aspect of realism to that, it added to the feeling that we had watched 16 episodes and gotten hope, just to be told “why bother?”.
The sismance thus had so much potential, but because of the office plot, I never got what I wanted from it. The same could kind of go for Jin Ah and her bestie, who started off adorable and then became victims of the melodrama and had over ten years of friendship dissipate into thin air.
And lastly, the worst part: Mom. I’m already a hater of Disapproving!Parent trope, and I had braced myself for overbearing parents, but nothing like this. It honestly pissed me off that the drama treated it as parental love from beginning to end. At some point a middle-age woman should be able to make her own decisions and recognize the toxic people in her life. Every line out of the mom’s mouth was about marrying into a high-status family or about how worthless Joon Hee was…and honestly she just never got better. Her ending was out of the blue and by then she had gone too far for any redemption. She could’ve dropped dead and I would’ve thrown a party.
So. Long review, I know, but I had a lot of thoughts watching this.
Was this review helpful to you?
Most dramas give you a fantasy idea of love that we don’t often see in real life. The rich guy falling for the poor girl or the asshole becoming nice because he’s in love. We get the handholding, piggyback rides, and back hugs. And we almost always only see the leads falling in love, rarely do we see the real problems that come after the relationship has started. They don’t show the ugly parts of love like miscommunication, or no communication at all, selfishness, bad timing, the clash of different personalities, and the input of family and friends. Once the honeymoon period is over, and you’re no longer enamored with a person, that’s when you start to see your partner for who they truly are. You see all of their flaws and have to make the decision of whether or not to accept them.
This is what Something in the Rain does, but it’s safe to say that most people like realism when people are falling in love, not when they are falling out of love. We loved watching the leads Joon Hee and Jin-ah fall in love in slow motion, but when the writer and director asked us to watch their relationship fall apart in slow motion, most people did not like it.
With the story, it presents you a realistic portrayal of love, a realistic portrayal of people by allowing them to be flawed, and a realistic portrayal of a matriarch family. It sounds perfect, but to a certain extent it becomes a detriment. We’ve seen the mom who opposes the relationship many times before in other dramas, that even though it’s realistic, it comes off as a cliché in this. It also doesn’t help that Jin-ah’s mom is unbearable. I recommend that if you decide to watch this that you watch it understanding collectivist culture which means family comes before personal desires. So, though it may seem ridiculous that a 30-year-old woman is listening to her mom, many women just like her have to live through this. It’s just a difference of culture. That being said, it doesn’t make Jin-ah’s mom any less annoying.
The cast and characters are great. Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae In are incredible in their roles and display a perfect chemistry that their relationship feels real. Both of their characters are very realistic and flawed, but this once again can be a detriment, because they are so painfully flawed that you can end up hating them, especially Jin-ah who is the most flawed character in this drama. I appreciated her realism, but I did not like that she seemed to regress as a character instead of growing. I felt that she did not change at all in the second half nor learned from many of her mistakes and that was disappointing.
The pacing of this drama is very slow, but in a good way. It takes its time showing our leads fall in love and because the actors are so good and have so much chemistry the pacing doesn’t feel slow at all. Many people have complained that the pacing gets slower in the second half, but in actuality it’s the same pacing, it just feels slower because the leads are no longer falling in love but facing difficulties that can be annoying to watch.
My problem with this drama more so is with its ending because it was unearned. Despite how annoying Jin-ah and her mom were, it wouldn’t have bothered me as much if we had gotten the pay off with the ending, not with a happy ending or a sad one, but a realistic one. Instead we were given an unearned one that did not go with the realistic storytelling in the beginning.
Overall, I think the writing, directing, and acting was amazing. Though there were problems in the narrative, I thought the level of writing had stayed consistent and whether or not you like it is based on whether or not you enjoy realistic portrayals of love including the ugly parts. I just wasn’t a fan of the ending. I loved the music and the way it matches the warm mood of the drama that the director created.
I only recommend watching this if you like realistic portrayals of love, if not, you’ll only find this infuriating in the end. If you don’t like slow pacing, I definitely don’t recommend this.
Was this review helpful to you?
First of all, I would like to congratulate the casts and staffs for challenging to make such drama, cause woman-older-than-man couple is a difficult aspect to portray in any kind of stories. The couple has to be well balanced, since if not, the viewers will start to feel uncomfortable. For this drama, the relationship part was absolutely perfect, and the mood created was well matched. I could have given 10/10 just for the couple.
The reason I gave 7.5/10 is not because the story was bad or the ending was unsatisfied, but the maximum I can give was 7.5/10 even the drama had a different ending. As I wrote in the opening, the way this ended could not meet the expectation. Honestly, I cannot exactly explain what the "expectation" was, and unsure what kind of ending could have been good. What I can say is, "Yes, it ended that way, but now it's back at ground zero... They will have to face the same thing again...". Lastly, about the ending, I want to ask others, "So everything was his fault then?"
Other than the ending, the drama had few unsolved issues like the sexual harassment incident and the family problem. It was unclear how those were resolved after all.
Story: As stated above, the directors did really well challenging such a heavy plot.
Acting/Cast: WONDERFUL!!!! Are they dating? One thing to say was... can you please not have such irritating mothers anymore?
Music: Nice, but would have been better if it had more variety and tempo.
Rewatch Value: You can come back to witness their chemistry, but other than that, there's nothing.
Overall: You should watch this drama. I recommend it. HOWEVER, try to suppress your expectation, cause you may end up having a discomfort...
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Don't bother.
The story started off sweet and ended up terrible. The lead actors are great together. It would have been great if the FL was written to be enough of an adult to live her own life.The FL's mother is such an off the charts control freak who wants her daughter unhappily married to anybody wealthy that it is not believable that any adult child would still have anything to do with her. Most of the show is spent in misery because of her, so it becomes a chore to even keep watching. I want to see just one show where the daughter doesn't break up with her love interest at some point just to please her family. Just one.
I only stuck it out because of Jung Hae-In, although it was very hard to watch the abuse his character endured.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I read a review that suggested we should watch episodes 1-9 and then the finale. I wish I followed that advice. I am not Korean and I simply can't understand if those parents really represent how typical parents are in Korea. I was so frustrated during the second half of the series that I wanted to throw my tablet against a wall. I mean, COME ON! If only I could kick that mother I would. And if I could kick Jin-a too I would, happily. But I guess I just can't understand how children in Korea should obey their parents no matter what. Drives me totally nuts (if it's true and not exaggerated in all the series I've watched)
I absolutely adored Jun-hui but I still would like him to yell some more.
Follow the advice and watch 1-9 (adorable) and then the finale. And don't EVER be like Jin-a.
Was this review helpful to you?
UNDERSTANDING LOVE AT A DEEPER LEVEL
What is love ?Is unorthodox love accepted ?
We are represented by the people around us and judged for the same .
Whether it's family , work or personal everything holds a view and opinion .
This drama is really wonderful .
You would see lots of people being dissatisfied with the ending .
But the director had the guts to convey what really happens .
Are you the kind of a viewer who watches an idealist romance ?
Everything has it's ups and downs .
This drama portrays the good and the bad with such convenience that it's baffling .
All the moaners in the review are immature to accept the beauty of this drama .
( These are all weak people and not smart . Like you average viewer with the disability to assess and tell diamond from carbon )
This has an indefinite ending .
Coz people really don't have answers for everything .
Life and relationships are stories .
And not all stories have a definite ending .
It does get slow but the director is giving you time to think what you could've done in that situation .
This drama comes with an art of reflection for what to do and what not to do .
PS : Cinematography is one of the key element of this drama . Purely phenomenal !
Was this review helpful to you?
I'm only here for Jung Hae In.
After watching "One Spring Night" I almost felt obligated to watch "Something in The Rain" too. The main reason I wanted to watch was to see more of Jung Hae-in who I have a newfound appreciation for, even if these dramas aren't actually new. I loved him so much in "One Spring Night", and I knew this was similar, so I wanted to see him in this too. In that respect, I definitely wasn't disappointed. Unlike "A Piece of Your Mind", where I thought his talent was wasted, I think he really shines in this one. I'm definitely glad I watched and got hooked pretty quickly, but he is literally the only thing that made me want to keep watching... and I know that's ironic considering who's in my profile pic!I will just start with this drama's biggest flaw for me, and that's Son Ye Jin as Yoon Jin Ah. It's hard to get into a romantic story when the main character irritates you as much as Jin Ah irritated me. Not only was she written to be selfish, immature, and annoying, but Son Ye Jin kept trying to play her as cute and silly and quirky which just made her even more annoying. She just seemed way too mature in age to be acing so childishly, which was a huge contrast to baby faced Hae In acting more mature in comparison. Maybe that's intentional but it was definitely hard to root for, even if their chemistry was amazing. It also could be cultural since I can't relate to how controlled by her parents she was as a grown-up, or how classism was so normalized. I usually like flawed characters too but It was hard to find redeeming qualities in Jin Ah. Joon Hee is a flawed character too, but I just kept wanting him to dump her and date someone better.
The supporting cast is generally good, but because the story is so weak I wasn't too impressed. My favorite member of the supporting cast was Jang So Yeon, she was great as sister and BFF, I just wish she had more of her own storyline. Jin Ah's family had some good performances, especially Kil Hae Yeon playing such a different mom from "One Spring Night", but the writing made her so repetitive that her performance just became an overdone trope, all she needed was a money envelope and to throw water in someone face. The writing definitely made me underwhelmed by certain performances. Oh Ryoong as her boyfriend at the beginning of the drama was pretty bad, but that also could be blamed on bad writing. There was also a lot of the story and many characters that I didn't care about at all, especially at her job.
To be honest, this whole story could have been a movie, but instead, it's drawn out into 16 episodes. The good thing is that watching their relationship build is entertaining. There are lots of cute, sexy, and romantic scenes to fill the time. There is also a random plot about sexual harassment that drags and feels like filler. No part of that story was interesting to me, and the whole coffee company subplot felt like product placement, not the empowering story it was meant to be, but that could be my cultural bias too. I know this is the exact same writer and director as "One Spring Night", but I definitely feel like the story and direction are not as good in this drama, and I don't think that would have changed if I saw this first. The direction is still great, with some beautiful shots, but not as moving.
Would I watch this again? No. I would watch a few scenes again, but I definitely couldn't sit through all 16 episodes without skipping most of it. The most annoying thing would be hearing "Save the Last Dance" and "Stand by Your Man" over and over again ad nauseam! It didn't help that in my head I kept changing the lyrics to "Stand By Your Man" to "Please Date her friend" (meaning Bo Ra), but the obnoxiously played English soundtrack is another thing this drama has in common with "One Spring Night". Some of the songs were good, but too often were misused in a distracting way.
Overall, if you're a fan of Jung Hae In this is still worth watching. I think this is his first starring role, and his babyfaced charm is perfect for a Noona-romance lead! Maybe bigger fans of Son Ye Jin will like her in this role as well, but I just couldn't empathize with her at all, nor understand what he even liked about her. If you are looking for chemistry, that is this dramas main appeal! If you're looking for an original story, you won't find much originality here. This writer also seems to want to tackle serious issues like abuse and sexism, but the evil male caricatures make these plots hard to take seriously. "Something In The Rain" has passion but no plot. The ending also didn't feel very satisfying after so many frustrating episodes. It has attractive leads in a story that goes nowhere slowly, which may be enough for some viewers. I think this was supposed to be Jin Ah's journey to independence but in reality, I didn't see much growth with her character, it was more about me waiting for more scenes with Joon Hee and rooting for him to finally move on. Every scene with him was worth watching, and I now officially consider him an actor favorite. Without him, this drama is easily dropable. Maybe constantly playing "Stand by your Man" was subliminally keeping me watching after all. However, "La la la... laaa ..." how I wished it would've ended 6 episodes sooner. I really wanted to like this drama much more based on how it started but I was definitely ready to leave it all behind by the end and await whatever is next for Jung Hae In.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I fail to understand why anyone could like this series
It's actually been a while since I watched this series, so forgive me if I misremembered some points; my memory is super hazy. But rage about how much this irritated me suddenly came back when I saw it on kisskh. I hate that I wasted time and energy watching this show.The premise is great - best friend's brother, older woman-younger man, whatever - these are tropes I understand and even enjoy if done right.
But the way this couple and the people around them act infuriates me beyond words.
The way they're acting like they're being oppressed when they're just a common straight couple boils my blood so bad. The way their families behaved is crazy. I just can't understand why the families act like they've committed a huge crime when they have a normal relationship.
Like, they both are old enough to not let whatever their families say get to them. I get it, Asian family ties (I'm Asian myself) or whatever but it's literally their lives. I'd have actually liked the show if they showed some backbone and stood up for themselves instead of acting super miserable.
I think the woman and man had backstories? And those parts where genuinely bad stuff happened to them were sad - I think there was some creepy ex going after the girl which did feel uncomfortable and real.
Things I liked - everything except the plot and characters, probably. I loved the music and the scenery - they felt beautiful and somewhat nostalgic. They somehow encapsulated the feeling of being smitten with someone. And when the couple was just in love and not whining I kind of liked their relationship, but that was only in very specific parts.
Anyway, if you somehow don't find a straight couple crying about how unfair their lives are and families that piss you off annoying, you'll definitely like this show. And I'm glad for you if that's the case; I could never be that patient.
Just wanted to put this review out in case someone disliked this show like I did, lol
Was this review helpful to you?
If you like truly dreadful and inexplicably homely clothing, watch RBB, it you want to see attractive adult women dressed dowdily and frequently emoting with all the depth of a dipsy doodle 13 year old, watch all three. Apparently it rains three times a day in Korea, and women lose their shoes after getting drunk on a regular basis. If I had to pick an order of quality, RBB would be on the top (the setting was interesting and had a purpose in the story), followed by OSN and then SitR.
Was this review helpful to you?
But that's it. The storyline is so flimsy and the physical attraction so overdrawn that it gets rancid too quickly. It got tasteless after some point. There wasnt even a convincing build up of deeper emotional connection between the characters. And the female lead, am sorry to say is just too stupid, I almost couldnt get past the episode when there was much ado about buying a stupid cellphone. It was so irritating, that if the female character could actually have a say about the script she would probably refuse to do it.
For me, the plot and lead character (esp the female lead) got so unreasonably weak, boring and hackneyed I just had to drop it. I just couldnt even pass time watching it. I'd rather sleep.
Was this review helpful to you?
This show is a "Masterpiece" and will take you on a bitter sweet journey of two people truly in love with each other. While enjoying the ride, there may come a rough patch and it may get unbearable to watch but stick to the show that you loved until now, don't let go and see it to the end. Pay keen attention to the last episode and try to look at scenario from other the side of the wall. What may seem "Evil" and "Trashy Evil" might turn out to be right and just. Yes "Sometimes its difficult to be a woman" will be justified in last 15 min of the show.
Feelings apart, for the people who want a regular review, here it is:
First of all this show has a lot of romance and kiss scenes, it will fully satisfy your craving for romance. It is filled to brim with romance.
Story: Well crafted and nothing seemed out of place and unfair, it performs exceptionally well in conveying its message of True Love.
Cast and characters: The acting and the characters are so real that you will forget that you are watching the show.
Music: Music is top notch and well crafted according to scenario. You will surely be listening to this music even days after finishing the show.
Overall: It is a great show with a valuable lesson.
All I will say is that sticking together bearing all the pain together without running away is best way to show where you belong and to realize where love is.
Was this review helpful to you?
Perfect Male Lead, Undeserving Female Lead
My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.I held off writing this review because this drama disappointed me so much. I probably would have ranted a lot about the female lead. Now that I've calmed down, I'll try to keep this short.
Acting/Cast: The cast and acting were great. No complaints here. Watching the male lead (정해인) in particular made me think that he really is a top tier actor, as I compare him to some male leads I've seen in other dramas. 10/10
Writing: The first half of the drama was amazing. The way that the relationship was built and how it evolved. It was so cute. I usually stay away from age gap romances, but this one made me feel like it could actually work. I was becoming a believer. Their chemistry and the writing was making me believe in them and root for them when society would find their relationship weird and taboo. That is until about midway through, the female lead begins making a series of stupid decisions with no end in sight. Seriously, everything she did made things worse. It would have been better if she went into a coma for 5 years instead. It was almost as though she was intentionally trying to ruin everything (her life, her career, her relationships) and cause drama. I'll give an example (it's one of the early bad decisions & I'll try to be vague): She gets into a clearly dangerous situation with her ex, where she could have pressed charges against him. But instead, she continues to communicate with him like she's a naïve 14 year old girl and even GETS INTO HIS CAR (keep in mind this is a 35 year old woman with a boyfriend getting into her ex's car who has a recent history of emotional instability and violence). Then, after surviving an even scarier and more traumatizing situation that she had gotten herself into, she still acts like her ex is her friend and tries to shake his hand. It was so strange...I was bewildered by her behavior. This is why I think she may have been intentionally causing drama, because it just doesn't make sense. Maybe the writers were trying to emphasize how much of a doormat she is? But, it just gets worse from there. Her mental age continues to regress, all while trying to convince the audience that she's growing and becoming a better person. Meanwhile, the 25 year old male lead continues to be perfect. He's definitely the more mature person in the relationship to the point where the mental maturity of the two are greatly contrasted. The way she treats her boyfriend and her best friend...I couldn't believe it. She had become incredibly selfish and ended up completely thro- Ok I need to stop before I spoil anything. Let's just say, by the end, I wasn't rooting for her anymore. She didn't deserve such a perfect relationship with the male lead. 4/10
Direction/SFX/Music: I love the tone, the vibe, the camera work style of the drama. It had that charm that draws me back in and invades my thoughts. The OST is nice on it's own, but it was entirely in English which felt a bit strange. However, what really irked me was how repetitive and obnoxious the music became. The same loud English lyrics would replay over and over. 5.5/10
Entertainment Value: The first half was great. I was excited to watch the next episode. However, the female lead became progressively worse over time. It was frustrating to watch. Notice I haven't mentioned anything about the mom. That's because the female lead is the real problem. The mom was just there to cause a conflict for the leads to overcome. I get it. 3/10
Overall, I gave this drama a 5.5/10. The ultimate ending wasn't terrible. Yes, it was pretty unsatisfying how certain plot points ended, but watching the downward trend from midway through to the end of the drama was worse than the ending itself. What I'm trying to say is that relatively speaking, it ultimately ended on a high note in comparison to the events leading up to it. I know that's not saying much, but at least there's a tiny bit of light at the end of this tunnel.
Was this review helpful to you?
