Our Beloved Summer

AMAZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!! If you are a fan of a love story with drama and a little bit of a plot twist, this is the drama for you. I loved the story,the acting, THE MUSIC especially!!! What I didn't liked tho it's that we didn't get more details about the story between Ji-ung and Chae-ran, but it's ok after all. About the main actors: i loved how cute their relationship was and i loved that they were very clingy with each other, mostly Ung, but............. Btw, this is also a life story and it has a great moral and that to not be selfish and to not ignore the people you love the most in this life and to not go trough things alone. I loved the drama and I can't wait to start anoher one!!!!!!

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Comforting to be faced with a summer love (that will last a long time) <3

Wait, I'm still impacted!!!!!!
I loved our beloved summer so much, as I said in some episode their love is very comforting to watch, as Yeon Su said in an ep "it's really good to be in a mature relationship" and that's what they achieved apart for a while and then together. They grew up. In addition to their love that I loved, it was the OST that won ALL of my heart. These are such nice songs to listen to, reading, doing things at home, to relax your mind, listen to in the morning when you wake up. It's simple, delicious and conveys the comfort of the drama and the couple, you know?
And speaking of summer, despite the heat, summer is also comfort and coziness, the drama's scenography is the most beautiful thing, following the seasons, the clothes, scenery, everything, everything. The only thing I didn't like: The other characters, I mean in couple form, firstly, I thought they could have been more developed, you know? I waited for them to go and I missed them. Ji ung at least resolved himself with his mother but his relationship with liking Yeon Su ended up making me upset and it took so long for him to get rid of that feeling (I know it takes time to stop liking someone but it took a long time for me).
I loved the drama format, mixed with documentary, watching it reminded me a lot of Lovestruck in the City which I loved too.
I'm in love with Woo Shik and Da Mi, they're so cute, they have great chemistry, great acting!
It was a really enjoyable drama to watch! 💛

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Food for the heart, food for the soul

"Our Beloved Summer" is HOW a slow-burn, romance drama should be done. It sunk its emotional hooks into my heart and never let go – and remains my bar for a good drama of this genre. The writing is thoughtful and witty, the acting is nuanced, the language of love is conveyed through beautiful cinematography instead of endless prattle, but the best part is what's under the hood.

Using the reality documentary as a narrative tool, the story of Choi Woong (Choi Woo-shik) and Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi) comes to life through this unique lens. It grounds this love story squarely in the age of digital and connects it to a young demographic.

It's roughly divided into 3 phases: the puppy love of teenagers, the tumultuous and tortured relationship of twenty somethings, and the hard realities of professionals dealing with career and adulthood. But there's another invisible division to the storyline: on-cam and off-cam. The docu cam follows them all throughout capturing the milestones of the couples' lives. Off cam, the storytelling becomes more eloquent, telling us what REALLY happens BTS.

In an age when most K-dramas are mindless time-sucks, "Our Beloved Summer" is a worthy investment in time. It offers so much more to deconstruct than just relationships. its about growing up. It's about the dumb luck of success and failure that happens despite your laziness or hard work. It's about vulnerability and art. It's about the futility of ambition in a career-obsessed society. It's about how loving adopted parents trump a biological father who chickens out.

The documentary narrative tool also gives viewers the BEST ending I've seen in a while in a K-drama with that garden scene where it's stated that they've gotten married (thank God no marching-down-the-aisle scene) and it's time for the next installment of their reality show.

Here are the other things I love about this series:

• Best acting by far by a male and female lead – and at this point, I've watched a lot. Choi Woo-shik IS Woong – his subtle acting makes a loser character lovable and multi-dimensional, while Kim Da-mi pulls off the hard feat of making an obnoxious character like Yeon-soo relatable, even sympathy-worthy. In the end, I understood her, even though she is the most flawed character in the series and the main source of heartache. I am also surprised that I didn’t hate the dominant-woman/weak-man dynamic of the lovers – while I love strong women leads, I hate irrational ones – and Yeon-soo can be irrational. And until Woong, I have never empathized with a weak, spoiled male lead, let alone stay with him on his journey to finding his passion. I guess that’s a testament to Woo-shik’s superb acting.

• In terms of pacing, I wasn’t bored by this – the dialogue was mostly fast-paced with only a few lags. But it still cements my view that romances, no matter how well directed or scripted, are stretched at 16 episodes at 1 hour each. Even this gem of a script lags a little in the middle like that forced vacation in a secluded mountain resort. Still, that episode redeemed itself with the bicycle scene and that heart-wrenching kiss-in-the-rain hilltop shot that is simply gorgeous.

• The love triangle is so well-crafted and so well-interwoven my heart bleeds for the other Woong (Kim Ji-woong). Despite the fact that he’s hot and the physical opposite of Woo-shik's character, it’s clear why the female lead fell for Choi Woong – he oozes brooding charm and vulnerability, and complements her like water to fire.

• The sub-plot of Ji-woong’s mom is the only unsatisfactory storyline for me, but that’s a minor complaint.

• Kudos to the scriptwriter that the subplot of the second love triangle featuring the girl idol doesn't deteriorate into hackneyed. (Her story even manages to make a statement on cancel culture.) Even the "confrontation" scenes between this character and the female lead are sad but not sappy and circumvents the cliche of fighting females.

• I am thankful the showrunners did not belabor the LDR – no tired drama there, just mature people dealing with distance.

• The adoptive parents and grandmother are so well-scripted and cast: folksy-smart, angelic, loud or sharp-tongued at times, and never one-dimensional the way peripheral characters go. Even the subplot of Woong's biological father hanging around him skirted the usual melodrama.

Over-all, "Our Beloved Summer" is epic in its ambition to tell an intelligent urban love story through nearly three decades. And it succeeds in delivering the swoons (because in the end that's why we watch romances, right?) without the guilt of saccharine trope.

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All the reference movies from OBS.

আপনি জানেন কি?
Our Beloved Summer-এর প্রায় প্রতিটা এপিসোডেই কোন না কোন বিখ্যাত বা দর্শকনন্দিত মুভির রেফারেন্স টানা হয়েছে! চলুন একটু চোখ বুলিয়ে নেয়া যাক এই রেফারেন্স মুভিগুলোর উপর!

প্রথম এপিসোডঃ I Know What You Did Last Summer
১৯৯৭ সালের মুভি ক্রাইম/হরর জনরার মুভি I Know What You Did Last Summer। একটা গ্রুপ ট্যুর দিয়ে আসার পথে চার বন্ধু একটা এক্সিডেন্ট করে। আহত ব্যক্তিকে হাসপাতালে নেয়ার পথে তারা পুরো ব্যাপারটাকে ধামাচাপা দেয়ার জন্য লাশটা একটা খাদে ফেলে চলে যায়। তারপর অনেকদিন পর সবার জীবনেই কিছু অদ্ভুত ঘটনা ঘটতে থাকে যেটার যোগসূত্র পাওয়া যায় সেই এক্সিডেন্টটার সাথে।
ড্রামাতে দেখা যায় ১০ বছর আগে করা একটা ডকুমেন্টারি হঠাৎ ভাইরাল হওয়ায় ৫ বছর আগে ব্রেকাপ করা উং আর ইয়ুন সু-র আবার দেখা হয়।

দ্বিতীয় এপিসোডঃ 1791 Days of Summer
1791 Days of Summer এর রেফারেন্স টানা যায় ২০০৯ সালের রোমান্টিক মুভি 500 Days of Summer এর সাথে। মুভির মূল মেসেজটা ছিল- Your happiness cannot be dependent on another person. মুভিতে দেখা যায় টমের পুরো জীবনটাই সামার কেন্দ্রিক হয়ে যায়। তাই সামার যখন তাকে ছেড়ে চলে যায় তখন টম নিজেকে পুরোপুরি হারিয়ে ফেলে।
ড্রামায় দেখা যায় ইয়ুন সু চলে যাবার পর উং-এর জীবনটা কিভাবে তছনছ হয়ে যায়!

তৃতীয় এপিসোডঃ 10 Things I Hate About You
১৯৯৯ সালের টিন কমেডি মুভি 10 Things I Hate About You, যেখানে ম্যালা কাহিনী শেষে কেট তার ক্রাশ প্যাট্রিকরে জানায় যে আমি তোমারে অনেক ঘৃণা করি, কিন্তু তারপরেও তোমারে ভালোবাসি!
ড্রামাতে উং ও ১০ টা কারণ খুঁজে বের করে কেন যে ইয়ুন সু-রে ঘৃণা করে, কিন্তু তারপরেও ভালোবাসে!

চতুর্থ এপিসোডঃ The Boy, or the Girl, We Liked Then
জাপানি মাঙ্গা Na Xie Nian, Wo Men Yi Qi Zhui De Nu Hai by Giddens Ko অবলম্বনে তৈরি তাইওয়ানীজ মুভি You Are The Apple Of My Eyes (2011) মুভির রেফারেন্স দেয়া হয়েছে এই এপিসোডে যেখানে দেখা যায় ক্লাসের সবচাইতে বোকাসোকা ছেলেটা সবচাইতে মেধাবী মেয়েটার প্রেমে পড়ে।
ড্রামাতেও তাই। সবচেয়ে সিরিয়াস মেয়েটা সবচেয়ে খামখেয়ালী ছেলেটার প্রেমে পড়ে।

পঞ্চম এপিসোডঃ A Secret That Can’t Be Told
২০০৭ সালের তাইওয়ানীজ মুভি Secret (অথবা A Secret That Can’t Be Told)-এর রেফারেন্স টানা হয়েছে এই এপিসোডে। সেখানে অসম্ভব এক প্রেম কাহিনী দেখা যায় যেখানে নায়ক এক মিস্ট্রি গার্লের প্রেমে পড়ে কিন্তু যার কথা কাউকে বলতে পারেনা।
জি-উং তার বন্ধুর প্রেমিকার প্রেমে পড়ে, কিন্তু বন্ধুত্বের কথা ভেবে সব চেপে যাবার সিদ্ধান্ত নেয়।
উল্লেখ্য, এই মুভিটি কোরিয়াতেও রিমেকের কাজ চলছে যেখানে নায়কের ভূমিকায় EXO-র D.O. কে দেখা যাবে

ষষ্ঠ এপিসোডঃ Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen এর বিখ্যাত উপন্যাস Pride and Prejudice যেটা শত শত ভাষায় অনুদিত হয়েছে, মুভিও তৈরি হয়েছে বেশ কয়েকটা যেখানে দেখা যায় সমাজের দুই স্তরের বাসিন্দা দুই নর-নারী একে অন্যের প্রেমে পড়ে কিন্তু সামাজিক বিধি-নিষেধের বেড়া ভেঙ্গে তাদের আর এক হওয়া হয় না।
ইয়ুন সু-ও ঠিক একই কারণে উং-কে ছেড়ে যায়, কারণ তারা দুইটি আলাদা স্তরে বিলং করে।

সপ্তম এপিসোডঃ Catch Me If You Can
Leonardo Di Caprio আর Tom Hanks এর বিখ্যাত মুভি Catch Me If You Can (২০০২) দেখেননি এমন মানুষ মনে হয় খুব বেশি খুঁজে পাওয়া যাবেনা! পুরো মুভি জুড়ে চোর-পুলিশের খেলা চলে, কিন্তু কেউ কাউকে ধরতে পারেনা।
উং আর ইয়ুন সু প্রায় কনফেস করেই ফেলে যে তারা এখনো একে অন্যকে ভুলতে পারেনি। তারপর এমব্রারাসমেন্ট এড়াতে দুজনেই শ্যুটিং ছেড়ে পালায়!

অষ্টম এপিসোডঃ Before Sunset
বিখ্যাত Before ট্রিলজির দ্বিতীয় কিস্তি Before Sunset (২০০৪) যেখানে অনিচ্ছ্বা সত্ত্বেও একটা ট্রিপে গিয়ে জেসি আবার সিলেনের দেখা পায়। পুরান প্রেম জোড়া লাগে।
উং আর ইয়ুন-সু দুজনকেই কিডন্যাপ করে একটা ট্রিপে নিয়ে আসা হয় যেখানে তারা তাদের আগের ট্রিপের স্মৃতি রোমন্থন করে।

নবম এপিসোডঃ Just Friends
একশান কমেডি কিং Ryan Reynolds এর ২০০৫ সালের মুভি Just Friends এর রেফারেন্স টানা হয়েছে এই এপিসোডে। মুভিতে দেখা যায় স্কুল লাইফে জেইমি ক্রিসকে ফ্রেন্ডজোনড করে রাখে কারণ দেখতে সে খুব একটা সুবিধের ছিল না। দশ বছর পর আবার যখন তাদের দেখা হয় তখন তারা বুঝতে পারে যে তারা একে অন্যের প্রেমে পড়েছে!
উং আর ইয়ুন-সু সব ভুলে বন্ধু হবার সিদ্ধান্ত নেয়! জাস্ট ফ্রেন্ডস!!

দশম এপিসোডঃ Hello, My Soul Mate
২০১৬ সালের চাইনিজ মুভি Soulmate এর রেফারেন্স দেয়া হয়েছে এই ড্রামায়। উল্লেখ্য এই মুভিটা কোরিয়াতেও রিমেকের কাজ চলছে Hello My Soulmate নামে, যেখানে মেইন লিডে অভিনয় করেছে KIm Da-mi। জ্বি, Our Beloved Summer এবং Itaewon Class এর নায়িকা কিম দা-মি! দুই বান্ধবীর লাইফ-লাস্টিং বন্ধুত্বের গল্প বলা হয়েছে মুভিতে।
চৈ উং আর জি উং-এর বন্ধুত্বের গল্প বলা হয়েছে ড্রামায়। উং এর সাথে NJ কে দেখে ইয়ুন সু-র জ্বলে, খুব জ্বলে!!

একাদশ এপিসোডঃ Our Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days
১৯৮৯ সালের ফ্রেঞ্চ মুভি My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days এর রেফারেন্স দেয়া হয়েছে এই এপিসোডে যেখানে ফিজিক্যালি ডিজেবলড নায়কের সাথে মেন্টালি সিক নায়িকার অসম্ভব ভালোবাসার গল্প বলা হয়েছে।
উং আর ইয়ুন সু আবার এক হয়। উং তার আজীবন গোপন রাখা কষ্টের কথা ইয়ুন সু-কে বলে। ইয়ুন সু দুহাত বাড়িয়ে উং-কে বুকে জড়িয়ে নেয়।

দ্বাদশ এপিসোডঃ Begin Again
Begain Again (২০১৩) মুভিতে বয়ফ্রেন্ড ডিচ করার পর মানসিক ভাবে ভেঙ্গে পড়া তরুণ গায়িকার সাথে এক মিউজিক প্রডিউসারের দেখা হয়। তারা সব ভুলে আবার নতুন করে জীবন শুরু করে।
উং আর ইয়ুন-সু আবার নতুন করে ডেট শুরু করে। একেবারে প্রথম থেকে!

ত্রয়োদশ এপিসোডঃ Love Actually
২০০৩ সালের বিখ্যাত মুভি Love Actually-র রেফারেন্স দেয়া হয়েছে এই এপিসোডে। বিভিন্ন মানুষের ভিন্ন ভিন্ন প্রেম আর বন্ধুত্বের গল্প দেখানো হয় এই মুভিতে।
ইয়ুন সু তার কলিগের কাছ থেকে ডেটিং এডভাইস নিয়ে উদ্ভট আচরণ শুরু করে উং এর সাথে। এইদিকে এসিস্ট্যান্ড ডিরেক্টর Chae Ran লাভ একচুয়েলি মুভির রেফারেন্স দিয়ে জি উং-কে জিজ্ঞাসা করে- What’s your ending?

চতুর্দশ এপিসোডঃ Life Is Beautiful
Life Is Beautiful (১৯৯৭) সালের এই ক্লাসিক দেখেনি এমন কি কাউকে এখনো পাওয়া যাবে? অপ্রাপ্তির যন্ত্রণাকে কিভাবে প্রাপ্তির আনন্দ বানাতে হয় সেই গল্পই বলা হয়েছে এই মুভিতে।
সব ঠিকঠাক চলছে উং আর ইয়ুন সু-র ভেতরে। জি উং আর এনজে ও নিজেদের সামলে নিয়েছে। সল-ই তার নতুন রোমান্সের খোঁজ পেয়েছে। লাইফ ইজ বিউটিফুল!

পঞ্চদশ এপিসোডঃ Three Idiots
আমির, সারমান আর মাধবনের ২০০৯ সালের হিন্দি মুভি 3 Idiots এর রেফারেন্স টানা হয়েছে এই এপিসোডে। তিন বন্ধুর বন্ধুত্বের, স্ট্রাগলের, সফলতার আর ভালোবাসার গল্প বলা হয়েছে এই মুভিতে।
উং, ইয়ুন সু আর জি উং এর একান্তই নিজেদের গল্পগুলো বলা হয়েছে ড্রামায়। ইয়ুন সু অবশেষে তার সব দ্বিধা ঝেড়ে উং এর কাছে আত্ম-সমর্পণ করার সিদ্ধান্ত নেয়। উং-ও তার খাম খেয়ালির জীবন ছেড়ে সিরিয়াস হবার সিদ্ধান্ত নেয়।

ষোড়শ এপিসোডঃ Our Beloved Summer
অন্য কোন মুভি/ড্রামা নয়, এই ড্রামারই রেফারেন্স টানা হয়েছে। A life without love is like a year without summer. দিন শেষে সবাই ভালোবাসা খুঁজে পেয়েছে, জীবনের মানে খুঁজে পেয়েছে। জীবনে বসন্ত এসেছে। ওহ না, গ্রীষ্মের উষ্ণতা এসেছে!!

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Coming of age but with skeletons in the closet

It took me a long time to come back to this drama and finish it, but it was worth all the pain taken to sit and finish. I read a lot of reviews about it being slow paced, there being a lack of movement in plot or story, etc. I would like to add that if you're interested in character development, then this is the drama for you.
There's a popular phrase that states that you are bound to make the same mistakes over and again through the span of your lifetime. It's daunting but very easy to believe it. Every snippet of their past vowed a repetition of the same mistakes and the same habits that got them where they are, but their perseverance got them through to change. And all of that healing, all of these realizations, happened only and only because of how much they just really wanted to be with each other. Not because of their need for love, but because of their need to be better for the sake of each other. That was the highlight of this drama.
Choi Ung's art and its metaphors, interpretations, and meanings were a lovely and strong addition to his character development. Thoroughly enjoyed his character, it was very well conceptualized. Kook Yeon Soo's relationship with her grandmother and Lee Sol-I was also very insightful, but her character could have used a little bit more of the focus. There was a lack of addressal to the shift from her ambitious high school self to her office working determined but not as ambitious self. Losing all the money and having to build from ground up really changed her, and it would have been nice to have more depth into that as we got a lot of depth into Choi Ung.

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Superb drama about entering the adult world, full of sensitivity and emotion.

Story:
Reunion 10 years later, of 2 high school students who had filmed a documentary "the worst student, the best student". Afterwards, they dated for 5 years, and broke up painfully. The television crew wants to make a new documentary "what happened to them?".

Cast:
All the actors are excellent and the CL takes us into an emotional whirlwind. The chemistry between these two is palpable, amazing, natural.

Technical:
The production is dynamic and we don't get lost in useless scenes, although the narration is slow and delicate at times. This allows you to soak up the atmosphere of this drama little by little, all in sensitivity, in humanity.
The images are beautiful (the Korean directors and cameramen have really acquired a unique know-how on this point).
The OSTs are beautiful, sweet, moving.

Conclusion:
A superb moving drama about the difficulties of entering the adult world, full of sensitivity and emotion.

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"Summertime is always the best of what might be."

Reviews are one of two things for me. A waterfall of thoughts that can break a dam. Often leading to unorganized, but somehow still (hopefully) coherent thought. Sometimes though, my brain runs too fast and all the words escape me. I find myself wanting to bask in the feeling and immediately dive back into the content, in search of more with hopes of retaining the feeling even if just a bit more before it fades away. This show...well evoked the later. It was soo frustratingly good, so annoyingly mature, while still brilliantly capturing all the notes of youth that I love. Just like the name, it is a summer I will remember for a long time, just like the characters. And so as I sit here, nearly 3 years after my first watch...the feelings may not be as raw, as fresh, but they are still felt.

This is a drama that provides comfort. Our beloved summer was what beaches and fairs felt like for the child me. It was a breath of fresh air that swept my heart towards warmth as well as washed away thoughts of worry. It was also a reminder, that before summer is spring and after all the summer, comes the leaves of fall.

The story at its core is growth as a person and we as viewers get to see how this growth molds and opens the hearts of our leads...as they grow into another relationship. It was really interesting to see how they were able to showcase the internal conflicts and sometimes self sabotaging nature of our characters.

Our brilliant but tired Yeon soo, is strong and prideful, always with a goal and sense of direction. Little her was fighting against the circumstances of money. We see how this molds into the present as her sense of responsibility pushes her to made decisions for her future. A future that does not seem to be able to fit love into it's sphere. As an adult, she is able to breathe more, but still plagued of worry.

Our resident artist trying to live carefree and lacking in drive or discipline, much to Yeon soo's distain was all to shield himself from the fear of failure. No expectations, no disappointment. Once we see his grown up self, we see another layer of the onion. One where his past limited his confidence to be loved but allowed him to love and care for others. But his new worry that the success, the things he has, isn't his. As the onion is peeled, we see that it isn't just Yeon soo that has struggles, that this timeskip was also something he needed to discover things and accept others.

Our poor producer...if you fake it till you make it....and you make it, does it matter if it was fake?

All of our characters grew out of some worries, and into others with time. All because of this very beautiful summer. A summer that gave Yeon soo a glimpse of a life she wanted but too burdened to accept. One that gave Choi ung warmth and love that felt full. Also giving Ji Ung a goal and point of focus. It was a time where they felt a lot of things, had great impact and like summer...also had to end. As the cold winds of fall swept them back into reality.

Some say the pace is slow, and I agree to a certain extent but I think I enjoyed that pace. We can run with Choi ung and Yeon soo when they found courage to pick up their feet. We were also able to feel the hesitancy and weight of their worries by the pace. So much of the love shown in the drama was about actions, willingness and not about what was received or circumstance. It was a story of people. Rushing the pace would just have been rushing them through their growth. I think seeing the moments of growth, and their struggle to get there, made it all more rewarding and impactful.

The show hits like a quiet existential crisis tucked into a passing thought. HAHA

The ost was brilliant. All tracks capturing an important feeling, thought, timepoint. It complemented the mood and themes so much.

The actors!!! Oh god. They were so good. Eyes felt so raw, pleading so heartbreaking and desperate. The webtoon characters brought to life. It was honestly just a masterclass. There was something about being able to feel the hesitancy and distance in the body language, the vocal delivery...they just had such soulful eyes.


Well rewatch....HAHA try more than 10 times. I recommend. I am not sure if this will give everyoen a crisis. In the beginning, it was just plain old comfort and cozy like summer for me. As time grew, I loved it more. Like school, its returning to a class of students and friends you knew so well...and seeing a different version of them walk through the door. Summer is comfort and a time for fun, but also a time for growth as we ready ourselves for change.

Not sure if this counts as a review anymore but....welp, life moves on.

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Heartwarming

Watching this in the summer really hit different than if you would've watched it in any other season, it just really brings the full vibes of the show out. The dynamic between the main two is of course one of my favorites, the bickering and the pettiness between both of them is wonderfully shown and I loved it. It also had those very noticeable hints of them still caring for each other whenever they meet again, which with how they left things off there were a lot of feelings still there since they didn't actually wanna break up. A lot of people call this boring and although I agree that at some parts it was boring the actors chemistry and storyline made up for it, from the time that the two characters were teenagers to late adulthood they kept the same bickering attitude while still showing that they love one another. Another thing that I like about this show is the other possible love interests, because they weren't crazy they were just normal. They accepted their defeat whenever they realized that they didn't have a chance with them, I neeed to see more of that.

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It is possible to have way too much of a good thing

There are a ton of reviews for this show, so I wasn’t going to add to them, but I feel frustrated enough to want to write one. I’ll try and make it short, in keeping with my critique!

I loved how this show started. Great characters, clever interweaving of flashbacks, beautiful unfolding of relationship etc etc. But as a writer I got really frustrated watching this. There is a natural arc for any story that you write and it has an appropriate length that does it justice. The perfect length states your case and leaves a clear impression in the viewer’s mind that is just enough for them to want to hold it in their hand and gaze at it a while longer, hopefully realising things for themselves, that lead them deeper. In my mind, this is the joy of a story. Not just what is told, but where it leads you afterwards.

However, in order to realise that goal, a writer needs to do two things:
1) have the message precise in their mind;
2) write only enough to illustrate it clearly.

Mostly, too much information is written and the job of editing is the delight of tightening and sharpening and chipping away until that message shines like a cut diamond. When you have cut sufficient away for the brilliance to emerge, then you have found the natural length of your story.

But dramas are commissioned and given a length: write a story that fills 16 episodes. What happens when you need to expand the story to fill the space allotted? Your diamond gets cut to fit the setting and instead of being sparkling and sharp, it becomes cloudy and dull. The writer tried to expand the beauty that was there and in the process went round and around and around the same material until it was trampled underfoot in the endless circularity that was all the middle episodes, by which time I was barely interested enough to follow it through to its inevitable conclusion.

If this had been an 8 or even a 10 episode drama, it could have rated at 8, no trouble. There was stuff that was good. The dialogue, the performances of the leads in particular, the sets, the cinematography, the drawings featured in the show... But sadly, it just has to be a flawed 6.5 for me.

What my rating means: 6+ Some aspects of it were OK but it had serious flaws. It will pass the time but you can find something better.

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one of my fav dramas so far

Everything about this drama is perfect so far. The acting is well done, the express the emotion perfectly. the story plot is simply but interesting enough to captivate viewers and pull them along for each episode, and even make views think about their own life and relationships. The beautiful cinematography makes it hard for viewers to look away, it help strengthens the mood and emotions in scenes, especially with the help of pathetic fallacy. Also looooovee the ost, v's voice is like a comforting hug after you feel the emotions portrayed in the drama. The only bad thing about this is having to wait every week, every episode makes me longing for the next. 10/10 would recommend this drama. only on ep 8 will alter when finished

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