Nevertheless,

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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I absolutely loved this drama. Off late I have been used to watching very lame and juvenile dramas such as my beloved summer. I usually love a sweet slice of life such as fight for my way or reply 1997 but since 2020 we get dramas where all the characters have Peter Pan syndrome. Characters who act like tantrummy toddlers and behave in such a non adult way. They throw tantrums and cry and break up. There is no real intimacy in short a story right of a Disney movie. This drama was such a refreshing genre breaker. Real life is often exactly like this. People sometimes get drawn to each other because they are physically attracted and then it graduates to something deeper. Most dramas show heroines like wooden dolls admirable characters but people with zero physical desire. The character portrayal of nabi was so on point. She was a passionate soul as was evidenced by her amazing talent as a sculptor but she was so conditioned by the social culture which tends to put labels on people as sl#t shame them. This drama was about her awakening and navigating through it all.
Also in the wake of Harvey Weinstein and Jeffry E, consent has become so important and no drama usually do that well however this angle was explored beautifully with no characters ever crossing boundaries. I feel that some of what women go through with their bodies and the physical pain that they feel at specific times was also such a healthy thing to show. I wish more Korean dramas did that. I have seen a few Chinese dramas show this such as put your head on my shoulder (I love that drama) and I always love it when these things are addressed.
The redemption arc of main lead was awesome since he did not have a linear path but he went back and forth, sometimes slipping on his path to being a better person till he could find his Center. I think that was beautifully done. He also received his comeuppance since he realised that lot of people actually did not like him and were hurt by his actions. I feel that both the hero and the heroine fit like two imperfect peas in a pod.
My only beef with this drama was that this drama showed clearly rich kids since no one seem to have any financial problems and that was unrealistic. How were they thinking of earning money and what were some of the avenues they wanted to do beyond college. I wish that was addressed since I think before love, what concerns a college person is how will they earn and make a living in this world. And I thought that this bit was very poorly done. There should have been some focus on this. It felt too easy peasy for people to earn money, like hey I will open a noodle shop and hey I will earn pots of money, hey I will make metal sculpture and I will earn pots of money that is so unrealistic and unreasonable

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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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Sheesh

Gosh darn it all - FL is yet ANOTHER moping mumble-bunny and a completely uninteresting person. She has a couple of lash out moments, but they don't make up for her general "almost as interesting as cold, stale porridge" acting ability. ML is easy on the eyes, but he is not a good actor in this one. I thought he was better in Sweet Home, but that may have been a result of a more action oriented plot. OTOH, most secondary characters were well acted, but we really didn't get enough of those scenes to improve the overall plot.

The story really did not merit this many long, crushingly boring scenes. While some people may find it different with the whole "with benefits" aspect, the fact is, most romance movies and shows are already "with benefits" -- not a lot of dating or other more normal together times, so this show isn't as special as the promos want you to think it is.

The music was repetitive and annoying. You couldn't pay me enough to watch it again.

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Real, beautiful, atmospheric, a little slow

This drama seems to trigger a lot of negative emotions in people. Specifically, the character of Jae Eon seems to be people's canvas to project all their negative feelings towards past dates on, which makes them dislike the drama as a whole.

The word "toxic" gets thrown around a lot when people talk about Jae Eon. I don't see him as toxic, though. Na Bi knew from the beginning that he doesn't want a relationship. She knew what she was getting into and then caught feelings. Yes, he was acting pretty stupid, once he started catching feelings, too. But I guess that's understandable in some way, when you promised yourself not to catch feelings for someone and then don't know how to handle them. He should've communicated more and better and I don't get why he never clarified that Sol Ah isn't his current girlfriend, but I wouldn't call him toxic.

I absolutely loved the first episode. The camera work was brillitant - it made the viewer feel like we are getting seduced at the same time as Na Bi. The chemistry between Song Kang and Han So Hee was tangible and the tension continued throughout the whole drama. I think it portrayed falling for someone very well - the glances and stares, the back and forth between being happy and unsure whether the other person feels the same, the unjustified jealousy, when they talk to someone else, when you're not even dating,...

The story being set in the art department made for a beautiful picture and great metaphors - although sometimes the butterfly metaphors were a bit too on the nose. Everyone was talking about how great the OST is though, so I was kind of disappointed by how mediocre it was - none of the songs stood out to me or made me feel anything.

In the middle, there were a few episodes that dragged a bit too much. It is definitely a slow, atmospheric drama. But all the quirky side characters made up for when the main story was moving too slow. The only character I disliked was Do Hyuk. I don't understand why everyone likes potato boy so much. It must be that they simply hate Jae Eon so much, that they like ANY alternative for Na Bi. Because honestly, Do Hyuk must be the most boring character I've ever seen. I usually root for the second lead and am heartbroken when he doesn't get the girl. But to be honest, I just wanted to never see his boring sorry self again.

So all in all, it was beautiful and atmospheric, real and raw - but a little draggy, with a boring second lead and not a good OST.

(Also, I'm not really a Song Kang girl but damn, his shoulders are broad. Like, how??)

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