A flawed relationship between two flawed people.
Nevertheless is a 2021 Korean drama that tells the story of Yoo Na-bi (Han So-hee), a college student who falls in love with Park Jae-eon (Song Kang), a charming but emotionally unavailable man. Na-bi knows that Jae-eon is not good for her, but she can't help but be drawn to him.The drama has been praised for its realistic portrayal of relationships, especially the complex dynamics between men and women. Na-bi and Jae-eon's relationship is toxic and unhealthy, but it is also believable and relatable. The drama also does a good job of exploring the themes of love, desire, and heartbreak.
One of the strongest aspects of Nevertheless is its acting. Han So-hee and Song Kang give compelling performances as Na-bi and Jae-eon, respectively. Han So-hee is particularly good at capturing Na-bi's vulnerability, strength, and growth. Song Kang is also effective at portraying Jae-eon's charm, darkness, and complexities.
The supporting cast is also excellent. Chae Jong-hyeop is charming and likable as Yoo Han-sol, Na-bi's best friend. Yang Hye-ji is heartbreaking as Yang Ji-wan, a woman who is in love with Jae-eon.
While the drama is praised for its realism, it has also been criticized for its slow pacing and melodramatic tone. Some viewers have also found the characters to be unlikable and the plot to be unrealistic.
However, I believe that the slow pacing and melodramatic tone are essential to the story. The drama is not about a perfect relationship or perfect people. It is about a flawed relationship between two flawed people. The characters make mistakes, and they hurt each other. But they also love each other deeply.
The drama does not provide easy answers. It does not shy away from the dark and difficult aspects of relationships. But it also shows that love is powerful and healing.
Overall, Nevertheless is a well-made drama with strong performances from its cast. It is a dark and cynical look at love, but it is also surprisingly honest and insightful. It is a drama that will stay with you long after you've finished watching it.
**Conclusion:**
I felt a lot of different emotions while watching Nevertheless. I felt happy, sad, angry, and frustrated. But most of all, I felt heartbroken. The drama is a love story, but it is not a traditional love story. It is a story about the dark and difficult aspects of love. But it is also a story about the power of love to heal.
If you are looking for a light and fluffy rom-com, then Nevertheless is not the show for you. But if you are looking for a show that will challenge you and make you think, then I highly recommend it. Nevertheless is a drama that will stay with you long after you've finished watching it.
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romance done WRONG!
this show was rubbish, long and boring, ml's had no backbone, sad attempt of creating a visually appealing realistic romance drama! the only good thing going on were the side characters and ml's visuals. i get what the drama was trying to portray but My GOD! did they make it so cringe that i couldn't physically watch it anymore. the drama had aesthetic vibes and i don't hate any actors but lets be fr the drama only got famous because of song kangs butterfly tattoo and han so hee. If you want to see this drama better go watch the japanese version where they don't take forever to move on with the plot.Was this review helpful to you?
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Toxic behaviour and not enough main character development.
Spicy scenes between ML and FL were sizzling hot. That being said...I wasn't a fan of the main couple storyline.The side characters storylines were much better. Bit-Na and Nam Gyu Hyun's relationship was so cute, and had a lot of development. I'm happy they ended up together. Sol and Ji-Wan's relationship was refreshingly different for foreign dramas. My favorite relationship was the two teachers. I loved seeing their sweet relationship develop.
Lack of Character development was severely frustrating in ML/FL storyline. They should've provided some information about Jae-On's past, the storyline of Seola, and more on Na-Bi's past.
It felt like, the show-makers were trying hard to justify toxic relationship behaviour.
Na-Bi gets out of one relationship with a serial cheater, and goes right back into another. Her dismissing all kinds of red flags, even after leaving her garbage ex, is frustrating and painful to watch. She had no self respect! The fact she has to ask if he has any diseases🤢... because she suspects he has at least one other girlfriend, and knows he's a player, but still has sex with, and wants to be with him🤦🏼♀️. Kissing Jae-On with another girls lipstick still on his mouth, right after he said he considered kissing the other girl "just a game" 🤮!
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Must see
AT first I thought yeah this one is gonna bore me to death, but once I started I could not stop, this was funny and romantic , and yes there were some moments when you had to fan yourself because it got hot and heavy. What Got me most about this is it wasn't an easy story , like boy meets girl they fall in love everything is rosey, hardly. Boy meets girl then meets girl again, and again boy is a dog , he does whorish types of things, boy wants girl, girl wants boy but afraid because boy is a dog. would I watch this again... HECK YEAH I WOULD. The actors were great I was completely blown away with the story line it was very unexpected, but it worked... Love it love it love it.....Was this review helpful to you?
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Honestly the only thing that kept me watching this story ware the secondary plot lines.
Honestly the only thing that kept me watching this story ware the secondary plot lines, the main CP was extremely annoying to watch.The plot was just kind of shit and there was a lot of unnecessary drama that wasn't even interesting or adding anything to the plot. There were quite a few plot points that were touched on during the story but never given a resolution at the end, such as Jae-eon's obsession with butterflies.
By the half of the show I was so sick and tired of the main ML and FL that I honestly just skipped through most of their scenes together. The continuous longing/yeaning looks were just annoying honestly because their actions never lined up with their words, or even just another action afterwards. Most of the scenes the main CP were in were always so somber and just depressing to look at. Oh also, the love triangle was totally Y/N style and I mentally clocked out through most of it haha.
Now! Let's talk about the other people in the show! Spoilers of course, but I'm so glad that Yoonsol and Jiwan actually got together at the end romantically. This is a great step forward more lgbtq+ representation and it was very cute to watch. Of course the rest of the writing did catch up with them as there were a few useless dramatic moments that got just skipped over later on but in general they were very adorable to watch.
My second favourite pair was probably Minyoung and Joohyuk- I didn't think they'd actually go through with the pairing from the beginning but they did and it was really fun to watch! There's not much development but as they're not any of the main pairs it made sense. It was just cute to watch. <3
I found Bitna and Kyuhyun's story to be a bit eye raising but in the end it wasn't all that annoying. Dude should've found a better person but I digress haha.
Other supporting cast members like 'the single guy', and the two in the 'they're so married' CP were also a fun watch! They felt like their own characters and were very entertaining to watch!
Overall, I found most of the show enjoyable, but the biggest chuck (main CP) was just a drag. I would only recommend this to people if you can bear skipping through a large chuck of the show because that's the only way it's bearable! :)
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blend of confusion and uncertainity
There's some unspoken stereotype in dramas and this one is in complete contrast to it. you get the Hollywood mindset vibes which are nice but the episodes felt really long. I really ff it or watched it while completing my assignments,Many parts of it seemed incomplete and given the number of episodes neither did I expect to get a complete story of the male lead however it would have been good if there's some background story.
The beginning really escalates well but then there's a sudden drop from there. I appreciate the effort they put in to show how "open-minded" relationships look like, along with that I feel there should also be some story other than just the chemistry.
I wonder if Song Kang is the epitome of sadness. I'm not saying it's a tragic drama but that's what I realized after watching it. I believe many would consider watching it only for the cast and I myself wanted to watch it coz of them, so I won't blame anyone for that matter.
There are things that we might regret nevertheless we still do them just like how I'm gonna regret staying up late until 4 A.M to complete the drama and review it nevertheless I'm still doing it with bloodshot eyes.
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DROPPING BC NABI WTF
SPOILER AHEAD! PLS DONT READ IF U DONT WANNA RUIN ANYTHING UR IMAGINING ABT THE PLOT!when i first started it i got so excited nd curious bc the teasers were giving me buterflies but since it was on going and theyre trending on twitter i kepf seeing spoilers on my tl and at first twas alright but BROOO i cpuldnt take Nabi's dumbness ljke WHY WOULDD U PICK THE GUY WHO KEEPS TOYING U?? AHHH JINJA BICHEOSSO i liked the potato guy better even if Jae On was like hotter hehe MAJOR SECOND LEAD SYNDROME!
I also hate the girl that keeps meeting up with Jae On, i liked the side love stories better!! I endured watching more since i loved what was going on with Bit-na's relationship with her friend
and Sol with her bestfriend, but i couldnt take fr i hatw how dumb Nabi is lmaooo i wanted her tp have a healthy relationshjp bc of what happemed to her and his ex but urghhh she just wouldnt learn her lesson ugh..
But props for giving us more screentimes for the intimates scences hahaah one of the reason why i kept going too aside from i love the casts
Qnyway im jjst expressing my thoughts, watch this at your own risk or if u like toxic, push and pull relationship, with anxiety warning disguised as butterfly in stomach kinda things!
I might finish this someday but not right now tho i still cabt get over it
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A really special one
For me, when watching a drama it is always important what kind of feelings it gives me. I can tell I'll love a drama when I get so involved in the drama that I literally can feel it. And I felt this one. It gave me feelings on another level, the atmosphere, music and everything was perfect! A totally different vibe from usual dramas – but not a drama for everyone.I first resisted in starting this when it was announced but I got so curious when the first episode aired, so I gave it a try and then waited every week till it was finally saturday to watch the new episode. I am sad that it is over now but I will definitely re-watch it.
As for the characters. I think most of them did a great job in portraing their characters. I think a lot of people can relate to Na Bi – as some might have similar experiences in life. For me, I saw a character development and I think she realized a few things during the drama that are very important for her life. The same for Jae Eon – I liked his development and I could see him struggle with his feelings just as I could see Nabi and the others struggle. Do Hyuk on the other hand did not have a big character development for me. I feel like he stayed quite the same over the drama, which is not a bad thing of course but I feel like he should have realized some things for his life as well.
The music – as already mentioned – was perfect. It matched the drama so well and made the whole atmosphere into something special. Whenever I listen to the OST I immediately get reminded of the drama, and that´s a good thing for me.
For me, as I do art myself, the art aspect was a plus point, which made the whole setting more attractive. And I have to mention that Na Bi´s sculpture at the end was stunning. I also liked the cooking scenes, as I enjoy cooking too.
Everyone needs to decide for themselves if they like the ending, if they want her to end up with Jae Eon, Do Hyuk or alone. And I believe eryone has the right to do so, and everyone should respect the opinion of the others. As for me, I am really happy with the ending and I would have been sad to see an other one! So this drama is definitely a 10/10 for me and I hope many other people will discover it and be as happy watching it as I was! (And it was the best to watch it when its dark with a few candles, to just forget the world and dive into the drama)
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A Good Show that Many Will Dislike but I enjoy
Note: This is a show where the ending is predictable and less important than the process. So spoilers won’t affect too much of your experience, or so I think.Let it be clear that many people will not like this show, even though it is a good show imo. One major reason for dislikes is probably that the main story of this show is about an ostensibly unhealthy relationship. There is no deny of it, and the show is conscious of the fact that the central romantic story is deeply unhealthy. In fact, the multiple relationships depicted in the show all have clear problems that are so unlikeable that most causal K-drama reviewers (esp. in the West) cannot tolerate. But this is not a show that tries to justify unhealthy relationships or glorify problems in romantic relationships. Rather, it is a show that depicts how an unhealthy relationship can gradually become a healthy one, and it has done a good job of telling such a story. If you can bear through the discomfort that the show brings and carries it till the end, you may find catharsis in the end and in how mature the show surprisingly is.
I will not focus on specific plots, since all shows carry some plot holes that affect the story. All I will say is that the plot holes of this show do not affect too much of my enjoyment of it. Instead, it is the topic of this show that I want to highlight in this review. As I said earlier, it is a show about gradually turning an apparently unhealthy relationship into a healthy one. Let us pause for a moment and appreciate the courage for staging an unhealthy relationship in a TV show. The show does not shy away from the fact that main characters are college students who are carried away by their hormones and have no clue of how to be earnest, caring, and accommodating in a relationship. The relationships that are hence developed bear the poisonous fruits such as unnecessary mind-game, dramatic and moronic dialogues, ridiculous breakups, silly stubbornness, and avoidable damage that are characteristic of dating experience of college age. These easily identifiable problems also make this show difficult for audiences who cannot bear with these problems. If you have passed the college age or rather, the age where these problems finally becomes manageable, you may find the show reminiscent of past experience and appreciate the fact that these real problems are being depicted in their raw discomfort. This is one reason why I like the show.
Another reason for my enjoyment and appreciation of the show is how mature the characters are in dealing with all the problems they have. They show the rare awareness of problems, precious willingness and may I say, unconscious wisdom to give in, confess to each other, and repair their relations. One particular moment captures my attention. In the end, when the male protagonist asks the female protagonist whether she will regret dating again after all the drama they went through, she says affirmatively that yes, she will regret. But she is still willing to try. This complex attitude can easily drive the hygienic minds crazy, but truly is touching to me, for it signals the rare passion that still burns brightly after deep disappointment. Another touching point is the choice of the female protagonist. In the end, she chooses not the person who would be best for her, but the person who she loves the most. It is a choice that no one can comfortably affirm that it is absolutely right or wrong, but an undoubtedly human choice that often does not follow “reason” and “logic.” Such an ending, therefore, can again be highly uncomfortable to many audience. But I appreciate and enjoy the openness of such depiction in a TV show. If I may add a third point, let’s look at the ending again. It is not only a reunification of the main characters, but an attempt to try again. This is yet another reason why I think Western audience may have a hard time with this show: When, in the pop culture of U.S. for instance, do you ever hear the recommendation to “try again” when a relationship falls apart? The most you hear is to “move on,” “break up,” esp. when one of the partners shows clear problems. Yet in here we see something different, an willingness and attempt to forgive and restart. Much can be said about it, and I will only point out that neither choice is clearly right, but a conscious attempt of “let’s try again” is harder than the default choice of “giving up.” These points are why I think that beneath the surface of a college romance, the show is surprisingly mature, esp. in the growth of characters and its expression of human experience.
I hope I have conveyed why I genuinely enjoyed t he show and why perhaps you may as well. Thanks for reading.
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Did it for Sol and Ji Wan
I started this drama mid through with low expectations since all the comments I saw rambled about how toxic Na-bi and Jae eon´s relationship was. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the criticism is well deserved.The main couple´s relationship should have never worked out. Unfortunately. Well. We know how it went.
Whenever Na-bi was around Jae eon, she kept feeling insecure while second-guessing herself. She constantly repressed her feelings and words. The best way to exemplify this is by using her statements. "Jae eon keeps making me think the way my annoying ex did." "Jae eon makes me feel anxious." "My anxiety about Jae eon hasn´t disappeared, but..."
When I reached the last episode, I was so saturated that I couldn´t even stand to look at Jae eon´s face. No matter how much he redeemed himself, the past holds too much of their relationship. Progressing from that is not realistic. A continuance between their relationship is just toxic.
"-Na-bi, you know what? Flowers don´t bloom just for one butterfly."
"-What are you saying?"
"-Jae eon is like that flower. Full of vanity, a symbol of seductive beauty that withers once it´s plucked."
I wish Na-bi had listened to Bit Na. My girl knew what she was saying.
Truth be told I only completed this series for Sol and Ji Wan. They were my breath of fresh air. It would have been lovely if they could have more screen time, but I´m not too upset. Okay. I sort of am. You can´t tell me that you have time to give a "happy ending" to a toxic relationship, but not explore Ji Wan and Sol´s story properly.
It felt only appropriate to end this review with my favorite quotes. "Sol. Can you hold my hand again? I like you the most. I like you more than my mom and dad. You´re my favorite person in the world."
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a uniquely frustrating plot
I agree with the others in the review section saying how realistic the drama/plot/feelings are. Not everything in life is just going to be following the typical kdrama relationship, there *will* be relationships where one person is stringing the other along, leading to miscommunication and toxicity. First of all, I'd like to applaud the writer for even thinking of creating such a fxckboy of a character for the male lead, as you don't see that very often. The female lead's character (imo) literally *makes* the whole plot possible as she's a submissive, gullible, helpless romantic. These two types of characters/personalities, when put together, obviously would create a huge headache that would be painfully entertaining to watch. In my case, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the drama, but at the same time, I had to pause every 10 minutes to think about how mad the plot (mainly the female lead's decisions) made me. If you've got a weak mental and can't tolerate people playing with another's feelings, this one's not for you. Mental masochists, grab some snacks as you'll probably finish this drama in a single night.Was this review helpful to you?
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Nevertheless, this show fell apart in the last quarter
This was the first Kdrama I couldn't binge in one sitting and I think that meant the anticipation for each episode was higher - so were the inevitable satisfaction and then disappointment.Nevertheless was a solid drama that was actually a very good drama until the end. The side romances, particularly the burgeoning lesbian romance were arguably more interesting and there was actually something delightful in seeing Sol realise that her feelings were reciprocated. I could have watched an entire show about that arc. As it is, Na-bi and Jaeon were interesting but full of cliches. I lost my mind at how he refused to explain to her a very simple truth about the circumstances of his relationships with other women when it would help his cause, especially when he got beaten up. His refusal for honesty coupled with his insistent reiteration that Na-bi was the one were confusing. His actions never supported his words. I thought the highs and lows of their relationship were beautifully realistic in the sense that she understood he was toxic and began managing her own heart, but only feebly. Although Jaeon's lack of transparency was frustrating, and his persistence was borderline unethical, the first half of the show was worth watching. Na-bi is a warming character who is navigating education whilst refusing, and failing, to get sucked into another heartbreak.
The story, for me, derailed with the cliched love triangle attempt. Viewers knew that 'potato boy' never had a chance. He was there as an interesting obstacle, but it wasn't even interesting. It made Jaeon's jealousy and continuing refusal to be honest all the more infuriating. The show did have some sweet and tender moments but they were a rarity by the end because it was clear Na-bi and Jaeon were incompatible. The resolution that was seemingly made in the penultimate episode was undone very quickly, although with some very good acting. That's the other thing, the acting was never an issue. All the actors performed their roles superbly. But some of the writing and character decisions were baffling. I just can't understand how the writers in this day and age thought to end the story like that whilst Na-bi is under the impression that Jaeon is someone who toys with people's feelings.
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