Nevertheless,

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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??)

Read More

A mixed bag!

Okay so I did read the negative reviews before watching this but honestly I don't think it is as bad as people claim it to be.

The story is pretty cliche and weak but kinda realistic ( atleast for me). The first half started very strong with romance and hesitation but towards the end it was just same old jealous ML drama all together.

I wish we could got more depth into ML character. His connection to butterflies was poetically portrayed but the depth in his character development was missing.

The acting by both the leads were phenomenal. The frustration, the romance ,the pain of loosing someone was portrayed by both of them exceptionally.

The OST was amazing ! Like it just enhanced the watching experience.

Overall a mixed bag for me. I definitely don't dislike it though.

Read More

Don't lie, in our 20's we've all dated at least one guy like the male lead!

Those who wrote a review, and had only watched the first 2 episodes, will probably have a different opinion than those who watched the first 5 episodes. Both characters are pushing and pulling out of fear, not just the male lead (read the synopsis).

I think the direction that Korean script writers and dramas are heading towards is realism meets romance. I think this drama would be liked more by western viewers as opposed to South Koreans. However, I could be wrong. I usually dislike dramas in which there is an overflow of toxicity within the storyline or for a character, and if the toxicity is not needed in order to tell the story. However, with this drama it's different because there's a true purpose behind this story, the toxic traits behind both the female and male lead characters show us something. I think a lot of South Koreans tend to like the aegyo style romance (judging by the reviews on kisskh), but it doesn't make them asexual. I think westerners and Asians are both sexual beings but westerners tend to be more upfront with it. As a person who doesn't like overly sexualized movies or dramas, I think this drama is shining the light on the fact that Korean men, are no different than western men when it comes to dating; some men have good intentions, some men have bad intentions. Side note: The male lead actor is hot, as well as the second male lead (wheeeew)!

Dear readers,
PLEASE PRACTICE SAFE SEX, ESPECIALLY IF THE PERSON YOUR WITH IS PROMISCUOUS.
-XOXO From Your Private Parts

Dear readers,
You're single until your married.
-XOXO From TalkingWithYou

Dear readers,
If you have to guess where you stand with a guy, he's really not that into you. Move on, or stay and get your feelings hurt!
-XOXO From middle aged women, who have been there and done that

Dear readers,
I hope that everyone who reads this review will heal from childhood trauma, and any trauma acquired over the years before they consider dating someone else and or sleeping with someone else. If you do not, you may end up ruining someone else's life because you chose not to get rid of your toxic traits ahead of time. Thanks in advance!
-XOXO From all the singles who healed already

I didn't watch the last 2 episodes so I lowered my rating from a 9.0 to an 8.5. I dropped the drama because I kind of got bored seeing the same thing play out over and over again. Thus, my review is only for the first 8 episodes

Read More

Mature Aged Viewing

This drama was so good in the first half. Then after episode 5/6, I just lost interest on continuing. I fast forwarded so much that I end up only watching about 5-10 minutes each episodes. Very very disappointing.

The charm of this drama lies in the super good looking casts and the realistic portrayal of modern love (friends with benefits). The chemistry between the leads are incredibly sizzling (in the first few episodes anyway, before the FL turned nasty to the ML).

This drama reminds me of "Cheese Trap" K-drama.

From episode 5/6, the FL was trying to avoid ML like a plaque. Whenever she sees him, she always gave him the hateful look, which really creeps me out. We're talking about few episodes of that - what a joke!

PS. The butterfly tattoo on the back of Song Kang's neck is soooo totally hot!!!

Read More