Nevertheless,

A realistic and not uncommon type of relationship.

I've watched this two times already: first time with 17 and now with 20.
By this, i can say that this drama is really more 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, since only now i could look at it with the right eyes.

First of all, Nabi is a typical person with 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 and some childish manners along with it. It's even concerning to see how she gets quickly obsessed and jealousy. But, at least she can recognize her own pathetic ways.
And Jaeon, the first impression we can get of him is a 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿. The way he talks, how he moves, his gestures, it's all with the intent of seduction (and it can even get a bit cringe sometimes).

The first view that Nabi gets of him isn't much different from the stereotype, but it gets worse 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀. I mean, he may be not sincere with his flings, but i don't think he would never do something like, make fun of her for getting her period. He even asks if that's what she thinks of him. And she also turn some things he says, worse, because in my view when he says that they're not together or having something, he was getting along with what she was about to say, so the creepy guy would stop annoying them. It really doesn't makes much sense being upset about it because they haven't even kissed yet, he was only giving signals that he wanted to hook-up with her. What is true is that he have the "Do people need to date each other?" mindset, which has nothing wrong too.
Other thing about Jaeon is that he really is a more reserved person, he doesn't talk much about himself. This way of being leaves people talking about what they don't know and imagining stuff. And i think it's intentional, for the watcher to see him (most of the time) by her eyes and the eyes of others. Also, Nabi gets anxious with this type of behavior due to her own type. We can't hear his thoughts on the beginning so we end up just like her, wondering what passes on his mind.

I see them both, as 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻. Is shown that Nabi's mother is seemed by her as "neglecting" and she already had poor relationships, where the guy was a bad person but she loved him anyway. Unfortunately, we learn with our parents and end up 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀. Nabi has already had an terrible ex, where she needed a bigger issue to happen so she could leave him. And, after that, she founds Jaeon, that is emotionally unavailable. And Jaeon's mother is shown too, she's distant since he was a kid, but she compensates with money. Which might have led him to be distant in his relationships too. So, what i'm saying is that even if they have personal responsibility for their choices and actions, i can see where they come from.

None of them are saints and Jaeon have his moments of being a jerk, like when he acts stupid around Nabi and the freshman that is flirting with her. But, i don't think he's a bad person. He's a guy that is 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻, due to past experiences that isn't known much about. He even says that when you have certainty about a relationship, it becomes weak. That's why he draws some lines, as Nabi said. And, even after he asks her to date him, he cringes when he remember it. Also, I think Jaeon doesn't take much time to fall for her, but he doesn't even know how to deal with it. In my vision, it starts after their first kiss. Even his ex, Seol-Ah, can tell that something's going on with him. It's difficult to say some stuff due to the lack of information but i believe that he may has stopped seeing other girls after he realized what he was feeling. Cause, even that incident where he gets a punch, turns out to be a mistake and his ex confess that she lied to Nabi. So, i am defending Jaeon of the extreme critics he gets but i'm not denying that he has issues and can be labeled as some kind of red flag.

There's two things that i find very interest in this drama: the double meaning when he talks about butterflies and also talk about her, and the parallel between their relationship and Nabi's art. This drama is different from the others due to this type of subtle meanings. And that may be one of the reasons why people dislike this drama. But, it's so beautiful to see how Nabi gets "free" after she reconstructed her art piece. Even her professor says it to her and tells her to do whatever she wants. And that's what she does.

I think that in the end, she just 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 how that relationship started, in a bad way and with them both being stupid. She accepted that she liked him anyway, that she was happier in his presence. It's beautiful when he asks "you're not gonna regret it?" and she says "yes, i will regret, of course. but i'll do it anyway". They both are 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 and giving a chance to love again. The prologue gives me hope that this worked well for at least sometime and that's enough. Of course, we're being more critical, i'd want them both in therapy and trying to get better. If Nabi was a friend of mine i'd tell her to be cautious with him, to pay attention to his actions. But, in general, i don't think their relationship is "toxic but romanticized" or something like that. I think it's realistic and obviously not perfect.

To end, i think one of the reasons why people don't like Nevertheless is because the drama is a 'slow burn'. It really doesn't have much scenes to leave you apprehensive, it's focused on the characters relationship. And even if i didn't mention it, the other characters are also very good to watch and analyse.

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A wonderful show about a complex relationship

This is one of my all-time favorite shows. I've seen it multiple times. The ML character gets a lot of "flack" for being Toxic and never really sincere about his female friends. People who don't even know him and have only heard rumors about him call him a jerk. She starts to believe what she hears instead of what she has learned from being around him. But what is overlooked is that this is a story about two people who have been deeply hurt. Her former boyfriend treated her dismissively and without love. His Mother dropped in once in a while when she was travelling the world as a ballerina. He has not lived with her since he was 10 years old, and they hardly know each other. Their art school "friends" like him and include him in on gatherings because he is good looking, and Mom gave him a Maserati for his Birthday! They may have called him "insincere", but they sincerely loved it when he paid for their meals out and gave them rides in his car. He has survived by having sort of arm's length relationships and not revealing too much of himself. But the more time he spends at night with Nabi, the more attached he finds himself becoming. He treats her like a queen, makes gifts for her, helps her with her wrecked project and is just generally there for her. He notices that he has never felt this way about anyone before and doesn't know what to make of that. These two wounded people try hard in their own ways to navigate this new territory. She finally runs from it and the pressure she feels. She takes up with an old friend from her old town, but finally realizes that is not the right answer for her. I loved the ending, in which they get back together and go about seeing what their world will look like at that point - no guarantees - just holding hands. Both Song Kang and Han So Hee were perfectly cast in this intimate exploration of what is truly of value and must be protected.

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There's toxicity. Nevertheless,

I started this without meaning to. I was just going to watch a couple minutes out of curiosity, probably forget about it, and move on to watch episode 8 of Romance is a Bonus Book. But, I watched the whole episode. Nine minutes somehow turned into over an hour.

It intrigued me. From the artistry, great lighting and camera work, really cool creations, just enough subtly, to the right amount of flirty.

They had me. I was short on time. Nevertheless, I started this drama.

And you know what? I don't regret it. While I ended up disliking one of the main characters, Na Bi, I was still able to enjoy this by rooting for who I did like and just observing the character as a person I didn't necessarily NEED to like or understand. I could just find her interesting at the very least.

I was rooting for both Na Bi and Jae Eon in the beginning. Unlike most people though, by the end of the drama I was there for Jae Eon, not Na Bi.

While Jae Eon is declared to be manipulative and toxic, the really toxic person was Na Bi. And the ending only solidified that for me.

So what did I love about this drama? I loved that it was very out-of-the-box and didn't tell a typical K-Drama romance story. I also loved the soundtrack, the side couples, the representation I wasn't expecting to get that was incorporated into this very popular drama alongside the main couple and treated as normal all the while, the physical art, the acting, Na Bi's backstory, and the metaphors surrounding Jae Eon.

You know what upset me with the reaction to this drama? The level of absolute hatred for Jae Eon while Na Bi got little to no criticism. She was either seen as the victim, someone who was just being too easy and going with the flow, or someone who was just a bit toxic.

I have to wonder: Did we watch the same ending? Did we hear the same internal monologues?

Because I have no idea how anyone can walk away from this still viewing Jae Eon as the "evil mastermind," or "monster" who simply got his hooks in the naïve Na Bi.

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Frustrating to watch

This is my first time reviewing a k-drama, and I felt like it was a necessity with this one. Bear with me as this will be lengthy - I have MANY thoughts regarding this drama..

'Nevertheless,' has an interesting start, however it really falls apart dramatically and suddenly. I must start by saying that I started watching this one on a whim, when only about 3 episodes were out. I thought the story was intriguing for a k-drama, and I liked the softness of Na-bi, the other characters, and the filming.

Because I started watching this when it aired, I had heard nothing of it beforehand, therefore I was unaware of the 'second male lead' (if you can even call him that). Do-Hyuk is very likeable as a second male lead/love interest, whilst I wanted Na-bi to remain single at the end (because f*ck Jae-Eon honestly - more on him later), I would have been content if she had chosen our second male lead. I have to say, the introduction of Do-Hyuk was strange and felt weirdly placed. Again, I had not heard anything about this drama prior to watching, so I had no clue there even was a second male lead/love interest. I felt like the drama should've been advertised better to include Do-Hyuk as an 'option', or he at least should've been introduced earlier in the series.

Na-bi herself is frustrating as well as the drama itself, there are times where she appears incredibly head-strong and confident in her decisions. It was refreshing to see her set boundaries for Jae-Eon and stick to them (for the most part), this is what made the ending of the drama feel so lacklustre and irritating. Na-bi had spent the earlier 2/3 of the series being confident in her choice of wanting a serious relationship with Jae-Eon or none at all, and, even in the final episode, she confirms that she knows he is going to hurt her and yet she will be with him regardless (I mean?? Wtf girl honestly??).

This series was ultimately saved by the wonderful background couples and friendships, relaxing soundtrack, and beautiful filming style. Again, Na-bi herself is likeable in the earlier episodes, it just grows more frustrating to watch her ignore Jae-Eon's red flags and borderline emotionally abusive behaviour. Even in the beginning, I felt like Na-bi and Jae-Eon's relationship was fairly representative of young people (and the chemistry between the two leads is undeniable). This series is a refreshing view on the types of relationships that young people will encounter, and for that I feel like I can't fault it. Even though the relationship between Na-bi and Jae-Eon is infuriating at times, there are so many young women who go back to men that treat them awfully and don't respect their boundaries.

The worst part of this series is easily Jae-Eon himself. Whilst, again, this type of relationship is unfortunately commonplace, he really is a prick. It is discomforting to see Na-bi state and imply many times that she wants a serious relationship, just for him to brush it off and continue to ignore her, treat her coldly randomly, and completely ignore the obviousness of what she wants. He does this all in favour of getting what he wants, someone to share his bed. Whilst Na-bi very clearly wants a serious relationship with him, Jae-Eon prefers to casually sleep with her and go off and meet other women (even talking to them in the presence of Na-bi). I think the show tries to bring this back when, in the final episode (spoiler alert - obviously), it is formally revealed that Jae-Eon had been interested in Na-bi since the first episode, where she goes to an exhibition with her ex-boyfriend. I understand what the writers were trying to do here - excuse his shitty behaviour by revealing "Oh, well! He had actual feelings for her all along!!" However Jae-Eon simply cannot be redeemed this way, and he needed more of a 'punishment' than the female lead simply not talking to him for a few days.

Overall, this drama was decent. It has vague re-watch value (it's quite nice because nothing crazy dramatic happens) and there are only 10 episodes, so it doesn't feel like a chore to watch at times. I would say that if you are watching for the first time and you are a young person - DO NOT ROMANTICISE JAE-EON. Everyone deserves a partner who will not invalidate their feelings, ignore their boundaries and sleep around without being 100% clear that it is what both parties are content with. However, the soundtrack was lovely and the background characters were truly delightful. (and again - THE CHEMISTRY!! truly wonderful to see).

7.5/10 rating, would've been higher had the female lead learnt from her relationships, or if the male lead had some time of comeuppance.

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Realistic drama

I decided to write a review after reading contradictory comments and reviews about this show.

First of all, I don't think young people - let's say younger than 25 - would really appreciate this drama at its full value.
Of course, we are all entitled to an opinion, but one shouldn't judge life situations one couldn't have lived.
(And yes, I'm over 30, been there, done that, I know what I'm talking about. ;) Or?...)

I think this drama is about couples and growth and it has a very original take on it.
We have the cute couple, the bickering on/off couple, the shy one, the gay couple and the complicated one. We also have couples where one is more into it than the other, "friends with benefits" etc.

If you had several relationships in your life, you'll probably recognize some of the situations: being intimate with someone you like but not love, having someone nice liking/loving you but you can't reciprocate, not knowing how to go from friends to lovers or the opposite.
Relationships may evolve, if you started with a carefree spending time together you may want more - or not.

And this is all this drama is about. Young people living their experiences, more or less mature, growing in a little better person after this.
I don't think any of them is good or bad or stupid like I saw in some comments. Just normal, perhaps with flaws but also good parts.

BTW, a special mention for the same sex couple (for once they are girls) - it was integrated so seamlessly in the story, so natural that I'd give a special point only for this.

I also appreciated the normal, natural behaviour of young people in this drama - PDA like holding hands, hugging etc. weren't made to seem inappropriate like they are in most kdramas. It has a "western" and modern vibe.

I found the actors were good in expressing the different emotions they went through.
OST is nice, I even added the main song to one of my playlists.

Rewatch value - I gave it a 9, I definitely watch it again after some time.

In conclusion, definitely go for it but, if you're young, instead of judging it harshly, tell yourself that perhaps you haven't experienced some of the situations they go through.

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no personality

main characters have no personality so i found it extremely boring to watch. the only reason i would recommend it is for the side characters; i basically skipped through the main couple’s parts every episode. It made me laugh sometimes because the girl doesnt really speak so all her parts are just her standing or staring in silence, i did not enjoy her character. Ive never really watched a drama where BOTH of the main leads genuinely do not have a single personality trait.

Also the main guy is so toxic and i think it sends a horrible message to girls or whoever’s new in relationships. overall not worth it and definitely not re watchable.

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This kind of relationship makes you regret it in the end!

At first I think, Park jae-eon is just confused about the relationship,Maybe he has another problem with dating, after watching EP7 I was hoping that Jae-eon feels comfortable with Na-bi and that's true.
But after EP8 I have no hope about there relationship.Because he just wants Na-bi to just focus on him and he doesn't want Na-bi to get out of his hands, end up with do-hyuk.
He wants to try everything to get back with Na-bi, he never let her go because of Do-hyuk.He wants to try everything to get back with Na-bi, he never let her go because of Do-hyuk.
What I can say about Na-bi, she doesn't care Do-hyuk feelings, Why? She only feel sorry for him.
She thought only of Jae-eon, but what of Do-hyuk?
In the end she ends up with her own self, many mistakes and just regrets.

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Highly underrated

A lot of people hated this drama because they think that Park Jae-on is a total red flag and Nabi is just a naive girl who's crazy for him but that's far from the truth, the drama was different from the webtoon in which Jae-On was actually toxic and was using Nabi,while in the drama adaptation,I noticed that whenever PJ and Nabi were romantically involved with each other,PJ would avoid even looking at other girls and it was clear that he actually loved her,he disappeared cuz Nabi hated seeing him around, he helped Nabi fix her project before the exhibit after it broke and that moment when he started to tear up while saying his final goodbye to her says it all.

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a light rom com drama, but it's a little bit different. it's not a fluffy drama but more of sensual ones and with background a toxic characters. honestly, the characters are not likeable for me. i think both leads characters are annoying? maybe because I cannot relate to them, so it was really hard to understand what were they thinking. plus, i wish we could get more of the male lead pov, it doesn't have to be detail. I wish i can just understand him more. im not sure, he's toxic, but is he changing or not? im as confused as nabi haha. bcs of that, even though i came here for the main couple i ended up loving the sub-couples instead and supporting them. but at least, song kang and han so hee chemistry saves the wholeeee series. the storyline was, idk nothing really stands out for me, just a light, sometimes slow paced with beautiful cinematography and good osts. but i dont like that the drama supports toxicity in relationship (based on nabi's line in the last ep). well, from the title we already know where it was going, but i do wish it gives a good message, to love yourself before anyone else. but idk that might be just my opinion from what i watched.

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