A different kind of kdrama
First of all, the chemistry is too good. Jung Hae In and Son Ye Jin truly had a beautiful dynamic and looked amazing the whole time. The script is also a more mature one that didn't shy away from more serious topics in relationships and families that do exist in todays society, especially in Korea. There were toxic relationships that appeared normal on the surface, family dynamics and the general view of the society regarding older women dating younger men, navigating a borderline abusive partner whom your parents support and like, how to break that kind of dynamic off, creeps in the workplace and in general the issues women in todays society face overall. It felt like a genuine window into the Korean society.It actually reminded me of older Korean movies that wasn't too bothered with presenting an ideal world but rather showed the flaws in society. The dynamic between the leads was also a more realistic one that depicted a proper adult relationship and all that comes with it. I think a lot of recent shows has this purity complex and shy away from even referencing physical intimacy. While I don't think that it's always necessary, I do think that for a story like this it definitely did serve a narrative purpose and also made the characters and the relationship feel much more realistic.
The one thing that was a miss was the overuse of the soundtrack. I just really wanted to mute it after the 20th time it played.
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If you look at the list of hundreds of Korean dramas that have surfaced over the past few years, you will find that most shows had at least one of these three main characters: wealthy people; characters have superpowers; character has no superpower, but has the morality, the idea of life at a higher level than normal people. This stimulates the curiosity of the audience about the rare classes in society, which makes the story becomes new, more attractive. And along with that, we've had all these Hollywood's blockbuster level of production qualities in order to match the stories, landslide battles, beautiful cinematography, harmonious music, those that I personally thought were imperative to make a good show.
But "Something in the Rain" has none of that. Not a single thing.
Characters: Yoon Jin Ah, main female character, is a 35 years old supervisor. Seo Joon Hee, main male character, is just a 31 years old game designer. They're just another 2 people you can meet everywhere on the street that are struggling with their life.
Story: They fall in love with each other. Yes, that's literally it. Nothing more.
Cinematography: Mostly still shots. Not even that good.
Music: Sometimes a soft pop song will come up during romantic scenes. But nothing during normal ones.
At this point, you probably think my post would be a criticism but surprisingly, for all that, I am ADDICTED to this show – it brings a smile to my face and I actually find myself thinking about it even after the episode ends.
First off, the couple is really natural and relatable. Their chemistry is on fire and their physical interactions are exactly how you would expect a normal couple to be. Sometimes I think Korean dramas try to ‘normalise’ their shows and show that Koreans are exactly the same as everyone else, but end up overdoing and spoiling the momentum. Here, their acting doesn't look like acting at all. It's like you're watching videos of a couple filmed by a multi-thousand dollar camera. What they say and what the do, I can't even tell a difference from the "Behind the scene" and the final product. Search for them and you'll see what I mean.
For example, the first time they slept together, the focus was on the TV and you only see them taking off clothes (Joon Hee to be exact) and fidgeting under the blankets. The next time, it’s them with their clothes on but taking turns to be on top, smiling lovingly and then kissing the partner. We know what’s going to come, but it’s these moments that matter more to me – those quiet moments where you don’t say anything but simply look at your other half, which is why some dramas lose me when they start having bed scenes. In a sense, I think this drama has no less kissing scenes than any other dramas I’ve watched, and yet this is more intimate and at the same time, conservative, and I admire this balance. Other dramas are mostly passionate making-out, but here, we are seeing really small kisses most of the time. I read comments noting that the actors must have had a serious relationship before to act this out, and I agree – they seem to bring some part of themselves into the show, which is why I think I feel so attracted to this couple. Watching them reminds me of something, whether in the past or now.
This show doesn’t have a villain but I see it in the mother every time she talks. The script really feels so natural! I don’t need superpower mums who throw money at female leads to keep them away from their sons; I didn’t know until this show that a naggy mom who simply focuses on the background and pities Joon Hee and his sister behind closed doors could be just as infuriating. I know she also comes from a place of love, but I truly wish that by the end of the drama, she will be changed as well – her words are really oppressing the entire family in different ways and it’s no wonder that every time she speaks, I feel so grumpy.
I’m just a bit afraid of what the title Something In The Rain entails – is it going to be fleeting? I have this fear that the couple will separate and it’s because this relationship makes them a better person but they are not meant to be together (something like 500 days of Summer). It’s a tragic concept which I’m not against per se, but I hope it doesn’t happen here because the only thing that’s stopping them really isn’t the age but family and I’d think that it’s pretty uninspiring if they broke up just because of that. On being inspiring, I like the portrayal of gender issues in the workplace and I really hope they develop it well.
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I hate Jinah with a burning passion
I cannot describe the amount of pure rage that I feel for this drama. I started it and I was LOVING it, I was sure I was going to rate it between 9 and 10. The first half was honestly really good, the relationship was one of the most heartwarming ones I’ve seen in a while. It was a really good set up. I highly enjoy angst so I was ready for the drama and the troubles and a bit of heartbreak, I’m not mad that it wasn’t all sweet or that we had sad stuff, I’m mad that it became an absolute shit show by the halfway point.(Spoilers ahead from this point on)
First thing first: you know how they tell you that when you read a story you have to suspend your disbelief? Yeah, I couldn't with this story, I don’t know if it’s just cultural differences or bad writing but I just couldn’t believe that Jinah would simply let herself be treated like a 16 year old highschool girl in love with the bad boy. I understand respecting your family, I understand wanting to make them happy, I understand wanting to respect their wishes and all of that but there is a certain limit to all of that, there are some lines that once crossed there is no going back and Jinah’s mother crossed those lines again and again and again. It doesn’t matter how much I love, respect and want to honour my mother the moment she belittles, slaps and humiliates the people that I love I will stop trying to make her happy.ì and respecting her wishes. She’s a financially dependent woman with a full time job and still she acts as if she’s a 16 y/o who needs to live under her parents’ roof because she has no other choice. Girl, get your stuff and leave. There is obviously no reasoning with that woman, when her son told her how her behaviour was one of the factors that made him contemplate suicide not once but twice so she shouldn’t act ike that towards her daughter and she didn’t stop it’s the moment she should’ve realized that there was no point in trying to please her because she was never going to change her mind. So what's the point of trying to please her?
I liked Jinah at the beginning and by the last episode I was just furious with her and hoping that Joonhee could just find someone worthy of his love.
“I love him more than he loves me” she said once previously in the series and what a fucking joke that was.
I would take the “I won’t move to the US just for you because I have a life here” in any normal situation but honestly, honestly, what life does she have there? Does she have super close friends? A great job that she absolutely loves? A loving family that she doesn’t want to leave behind? What does she have? Nothing, and even when the time passes we see her with the shitty job and shitty boyfriend and no real friends. She even leaves the job and move to Jeju island for fuck sake. Why could you now move away but couldn’t before when your boyfriend just wanted for you two to start anew without all the drama and toxicity that you had to experience until now? I’m honestly so baffled, I honestly absolutely cannot understand her reasoning for not moving to the US with her boyfriend AT ALL. And then she has the balls to ask him to be like how they were before and tell him how bad she had felt the whole time. Oh no you felt bad as a consequence of your own actions? Poor you.
Even before that she just kept making one awful decision after the other.
The one that absolutely infuriated me was when she met his father behind his back and then got upset when he got mad? When he kept telling her to stop making him look immature for not wanting to meet his father, she got mad at him for saying that?? I was absolutely ready to punch her. In no way was he acting immature and yes she was making him look like a child throwing a tantrum when he had all the rights to feel like that
In general I hated the way this show dealt with parents. Joonhee’s father and Jinah’s mother were in their own way absolutely awful but the show also wants us to sympathize with them, wants them to be forgiven because they are family?All shows do this, american or korean it doesn’t matter, they all do it and I’m sick and tired of it. That man was nothing more than a sperm donor; he was in no way shape or form a father. End of story. That woman was a shitty mother even though she believed herself to be a great mother who only cared about her children's future. At best she was toxic at worst she was borderline abusive.
I’ll stop here or I’ll continue forever because this show just gets me so heated. I was so sure that I was going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this show but it’s the worst korean drama that I’ve seen so far.
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Painful music, tortured story
Number one, that music should never have passed in screenings. Totally horrible, I hope the responsible parties have been forced out of the industry. Was this a Netflix production?I felt the writer abused me as a viewer. The romance was good but the decisions in the story were torture for no good reason.
I went through the monotonous story, at times I wanted the couple to progress so bad.
In the end the reunion was unfulfilling and too short for all the aggravation I suffered in the story.
Main actress is beautiful and talented but the story did not make sense relating to her character.
Her growth in the story was pathetic, yeah she always caused trouble but does any of it make sense?
The office politics was brutal and unfulfilling. Was it just a political statement? That was just a mess.
Male lead was very good but at times he looked a little young and immature to be dating an older woman.
He was supposed to be so hot but he wants a nut job, older woman with so many self induced problems? Hard to believe. She is hot but he loved the suffering I guess.
His career as a game artist was not very believable. He was supposed to be so great but they put zero effort into making that look realistic.
The zillion times the couple lied to each other just to introduce more troubles? Lazy writing? Arrrgghh!
At times I felt that poor guy needs to find a mate that can make reasonable decisions. She supposedly loves him so much but will ruin their lives for no good reason.
She gets a horrible boyfriend after being treated like a goddess by the former boyfriend but doesn't try to work it out? Was she supposed to have borderline personality disorder like her mom?
How the dad and son put up with the monster of a mother was beyond me.
Writer good at abusing the viewer but I think the actors deserved a better story.
Regretting investing the time into this show. My social IQ dropped a couple points pumping those scenes into my head.
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The SLOWEST , MOST FRUSTRATING and PAINSTAKING drama I've ever watched. Total waste of time.
I wish somebody had warned me before I wasted more than 16 hours to that drama. THERE ARE SO MANY FLAWS THAT I DON'T REAALY KNOW WHERE TO GET STARTED. There is NO EVOLUTION whatsoever IN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THE END IS PATHETIC, just going back to the situation in episoe 5 or 6. NO CONFLICT RESOLUTION. No reward for good guys' suffering and punishment for the bad ones. NO MORAL VICTORY of the good ones. On the contrary, it seems like all the persistence and struggling to fight their battles was in vain. I am ESPECIALLY DISAPPOINTED ON HOW such a serious issue as SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS TREATED. You can't treat sth so delicate so lightly on screen! I knew that South Korean society is a bit male chauvinist, but this goes beyond my imagination! And what example does it set!? Just keep quiet and accept inappropriate attitude from your superiors, cause if you stand up for yourself, you will get the blame for the situation, people will treat you as if you were contagious, you will ruin your career, but the ones who actually wronged you would keep on as if nothing happened! So morally wrong! And what's with the fast outcome? It's been going soo slowly, only to get fast forward in the end and ignore resolving conflicts. It's almost like you overhear that she actually won the sexual harassment case and her boss says she should be happy with her victory, but then why does it feel like punishment!? She was forced to change her job within the company and eventually quit because she is burnt out by the whole situation. Even if I find this part of the story so unfair towards the main female character, I still can't help but hate her so much. She is a compulsive liar, her compliance goes beyond stupidity. And the only person who treats her right, respects and appreciates her, she treats as a douchebag. He must be a total saint to put up with all this and even ask her forgiveness (once again) in the end when he did nothing wrong. Both their characters are not credible. I can forgive him only because he is so cute. And don't get me started with the mother! Once again, absolutely surreal character. One usually has good and bad features, they are not blackand white. But this mother is only hateful. She is selfish, superficial and even mean to her kids. Conclusion, the worst story ever.Was this review helpful to you?
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Goddammit this show was frustrating. After episode 10 I wanted to smack everyone upside the head and quit. In episode 15 I wanted to burn the whole place to the fucking ground.
After the whole storyline of fighting against injustice, the main couple separates for five fucking years because the FL can't grow a pair and stand up to her parents, and on top of that she starts dating someone else that her parents chose for her. And you expect me to be on board with a happy ending with the male lead, when all I want is for the guy to meet someone with a backbone who'll stand by him?! I want 18 hours of my life back. Don't waste your life/nerves/energy on this.
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Started with a bang then fizzled out...
Just end... were my feelings after episode 8. The beginning was nice, very nice actually. The stages of attraction from like to love was beautifully done. Wow my kind of romance... loved it!!! Unfortunately at the halfway point of the series the drama went to the left for me. It became a torture to watch. I was begging for it to end quickly. I'm sad because it ended with me not really liking the main character Jin Ah (this doesn't happen often but when it does its disappointing). I hated that Joon Hee loved Jin Ah wished he would find someone who deserved his love... she was older but immature and a liar. Augh her constant lies drove me insane then her excuses were baffling irritating and frustrating... but then I tried to reason what do you expect with a cray cray meddling mental and emotional abusive eomma. I understand eomma wanted the best for her children but jeez she was over the top; however, it was nice to finally see her loving eomma side in the end. I also didn't care for Joon Hee appa but loved his noona, Kyung Sun. All credit for Joon Hee warmhearted love goes to Kyung Sun. Great job noona!!! Oh and lets not forget the twisted office sexual harassment. I have all kinds of thoughts and comments on that but for fear of spoilers I will keep it to myself but OMG really SMH. Overall this dramas love chemistry was soft sweet pretty amazing until it wasn't.Was this review helpful to you?
THE STORY
The story doesn't follow the typical romance tropes I see in Kdramas- there's no chaebols, deadly family secrets, nor is it a cinderella story. While there are typical family dynamics here, it all felt so real. The story pits Jin Ah and Joon Hee in not a "forbidden romance" but rather a romance that places them in an incredibly awkward situation. They're sort-of-friends (through their siblings) and live fairly average lives. There's the crazy mother obsessed with the family image that also pushes the plotline through. There are many mixed thoughts on the story, but I will acknowledge that a lot of times the story was very suffocating. I just wished for these two to catch a break- from work lives and home lives. Jin Ah reminds me of a lot of Asian girls I know and her family even mirrors a lot of my family dynamics. Many people will dislike much of her actions, but in the grand scheme, it's understandable how she's ended up in a lukewarm state because of how she was brought up. I also like the other plot happening at work- the director really knows how to make two large situations together to create one suffocating problem, but one that makes sense and doesn't take away from the other problem. The story leads you to sympathize and hate different decisions, but it's life. Neither Joon Hee nor Jin Ah were perfect, and that's what made it real and believable. You really need tissues and to make sure you're in the right state of mind for this one, but the skillful writing was very well-done.
THE CAST
Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae In are two of my favourite actors. They both executed their roles perfectly and the tender nuances in their gazes- wow. I melted, cried and laughed with them. While I love both of them, I was very pleasantly surprised by Hae-In's skill in acting and how he completely charmed me and swept me off my feet. I could feel the emotion from the other side of the screen. Hae-In has the nuances of Joon Hee so down and you can see that he's been interested in his noona for a while but never really acted or even realized it himself hahaha. I also admire the improv skills they have, and their amazing chemistry. I watched a lot of behind the scenes and I saw how much improv they've done and I was shocked silly. Honestly, Hae-In is a very skilled improv actor and he really knows how to place himself in the shoes of his character. Ye Jin also is an actor that you can sense the experience of right off the bat and she really brought her Noona role to life here. Also, I appreciated how the director kept a lot of the improv and encouraged it all! Honestly, the same director as One Spring Night and they're both so well directed!
MUSIC
God, do not get me started. The music here was amazing and really set the scene. The arrangements were perfect and set the whole kind of "flashback/vintage" vibe immediately. Whoever arranged the set and the music did a phenomenal job. They complimented each other beautifully and I actually had all the songs from the soundtrack on repeat for a month. I literally play this music whenever I sit in the rain and the scenes with just music and their crazy antics were executed beautifully.
REWATCH VALUE
Honestly, I'd watch this 100 more times. I've watched it about five times now (though not completely). I wouldn't watch every single episode again if I didn't want to feel the suffocation from the angst (don't get me wrong I loved the angst) but you know my heart can't take breaking that much all the time hahah. Honestly, flag your favourite episodes and rewatch those or rewatch it all with a couple of friends- this drama is bound to bring a lot of discussions.
CONCLUSION
A beautiful and well-told story. Honestly, the director and videographers did an amazing job and the shots were timed perfectly and chosen perfectly for each scene. Honestly, I'm keeping an eye on this director because all his works are similar vibe and are skillful pieces of art. Ahn Pan-seok is a rare talent and also so funny during filming! All the production crew did a great job as well. I loved this and the story will always live in me and I don't have enough words of praise to fully express my appreciation and love.
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This drama was both a delight to watch and an utter pain in the butt. I get where the director was going with the long drawn-out scenes but while those work aesthetically in a movie, they are just plain awful in a drama. I felt like for a majority of the screen time, absolutely nothing was happening. In fact, it was almost like the production company realized they had about 5 episodes worth of material so they had a pow-wow for ideas on how to stretch that into 16 looooong episodes. I also was not a fan of the 3 songs that continually played on repeat.That aside (and getting to the “delight” part) Jin Ah and Joon Hee were adorable and I loved every scene of them together. I especially loved how their romance bloomed and the moments playing up to them actually becoming a couple. Man, it made my heart race at times. I even enjoyed the different conflicts they shared in their relationship and how their various mistakes and misunderstandings were portrayed because it felt really real. I did, however, absolutely hate Jin Ah’s mother and felt like we never got justice for how terrible of a human she was, no matter all her excuses of wanting the best for Jin Ah (it just went too far and I couldn't get behind her reasoning).
Which brings me to the ending itself. Not the worst last episode in the history of finale’s but damn close. I could understand most of the conflict in Jin Ah and Joon Hee’s relationship because it seemed relatable and natural to me, however I could not understand most of what occurred in the last episode. It made me not really care about what happened to either of them by the time it was over. In the end, I don’t regret watching the drama as a whole but this is definitely getting filed with the ‘what could have been’s’ and ultimately, forgotten.
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Pulls a strong emotional punch
This Kdrama absolutely pulls at the heartstrings all the way though. Initially we are drawn into the unfolding romance between the leads which is light , playful and a delight to watch. About half way though, the tone begins to change, as the characters encounter fierce opposition from all quarters and don't have the strategies or an ability to communicate with each other in a way that helps them to resolve it.The acting is outstanding from all players, and the camera work is so loving that each scene feels beautifully shot and intimate.
Anyone watching this for a sure romance will be disappointed, because the real story in this drama is the strong commentary on traditional Korean society. This drama explores the devastating impacts of parental pressure on the choices children have. We are shown two parenting styles - one who is uninvolved and neglectful and the other overbearing and controlling. Both end up playing emotional havoc on their children rendering them incapable of taking full responsibility for their lives. The journey of Jin Ah, in the lead female role, is to free herself from the grip of family and work so that she can grow into an independent self-determining adult. This journey is hard won, and painful to watch.
Because this is a romance, we know there will be a happy ending. However, the happiness achieved is undercut by what the characters will have to leave in order to achieve it and for this reason their future lives together feels hopeful rather than assured. I loved this kdrama for this complexity, and for the questions that linger long after I finished watching it.
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The one-note conflict dragged on so long, and the main couple was so frustrating by the end. None of the conflicts with family or friends were solved. The workplace conflicts were not tied up in a satisfactory way. Everything about this show was half-baked. Except for the chemistry of the leads. The acting was great.
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