How To Buy a Friend (2020)

“How To Buy a Friend” – L’amicizia come ultimo rifugio

How To Buy a Friend è una piccola serie che parla piano, ma lascia il segno.
Due ragazzi soli — un poeta silenzioso e un “bullo” ferito — firmano un contratto d’amicizia per convenienza, ma finiscono per scoprire che l’amicizia non si compra, si costruisce.

In otto episodi brevi, il drama racconta la solitudine adolescenziale con una sincerità disarmante: niente eccessi, solo sguardi, silenzi, e il peso di parole non dette.
Il mistero che attraversa la trama è secondario; ciò che resta davvero è la delicatezza con cui la serie mostra il bisogno umano di essere visti e compresi.

Un racconto imperfetto ma autentico, come l’amicizia stessa.

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This show is such a standard for mini-dramas. The pacing of the drama was perfection and didn't feel rushed but was also substantial and managed to tell the story it aimed to tell within its 8 episode span.

The Characterisation: So wonderful. I still don't know how they managed to effectively portray and explain the motivations and personalities of the characters and develop them so well within 8 episodes. With the exception of one minor character, everyone is so beautifully captured and explained in this story.

The Plot: Amazing and really intriguing. It was a pretty crazy ride but it was completely realistic. One major credit to the drama is that it deals with some really H E A V Y topics but it is still hilarious and respectful. The way in which the drama unfolds this story is so realistic but also enjoyable without weighing you down. In this regard it is a similar watch to Sky Castle, there are really touching moments, very dark and sad moment amongst very important lessons while maintaining a fresh, light air to it. (Disclaimer: it is a very different drama from sky castle, I am referring here to the feeling of watching)

The Music: This was forgettable for me, didn't feel like I wanted to listen to the songs outside the drama. I will say that the music matched well with the show and there was never any songs that felt out of place with where the story was going at all.

Personal Fave: A lot of the script is very beautiful and poetic. This is stronger if you have a relatively good understanding of Korean but also translates into English really beautifully. Perhaps because one of the main characters was a budding poet it was a stylistic choice? The best part about it is that its poetic without ever being pretentious r feeling disingenuous to the setting of High School.

Overall: I am not a big fan of high school dramas as I am older and sometimes find the writing of teenagers quite unrealistic and overly juvenile. This drama was so wonderful in its portrayal of both teenagers, the people around them and the less flowery events that sometimes young people have to deal with. It is highly recommended to anyone that likes touching shows but also want to laugh. Great Quarantine watch!!

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