MY FAVORITE ROMCOM OF 2023
I'M GOING TO MISS THIS SERIES SOOOO BADLY. 😭😭The narration is non-linear so each episode was a treat for me. I thoroughly enjoyed analyzing and trying to predict what would happen next, only to be amazed at how things are revealed.
And that was a VERY satisfying and full-packed finale.
Thank you, screenwriter and PD-nim for this masterpiece.
Thank you as well to all the actors and production crew who served their best in every episode.
EVERYONE ACTED SOOOOO WELL IN THIS DRAMA, ESPECIALLY THE MAIN LEADS!!!
Jo Bo Ah, Kim Seok Woo/Rowoon, it was a privilege watching your craft every week. Thank you very much. I love you! 💓
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A Modern Kdrama with a Touch of Older Kdramas that Can Be Confusing and Unpredictable at Times
“Destined with You” is a drama with a mix of light and dark genres, which starts with a light tone, then the tone shifts, darkens as it gets more serious to reveal the backstory, and make viewers realise that they’ve been given clues along the way, and they just need to connect the dots as the story is unfolding, which means……it is also the type of drama that needs you to pay full attention or you will miss out on the details left by the writer/director. Trust me, I’d been rewatching while waiting for next episodes and found details that I didn’t notice on my first watch.
The drama does not spell out every detail for you due its non-linear narrative, but gives enough hints and details along the way if you pay attention. It does not hold smooth consistent tones from start to finish, nor are the characters all perfect and more akin to flawed human beings you find irl. The characters have layers and depth that you need to understand as a whole and if you only chose to see them from the surface, then you will definitely misunderstand them and their motives, actions etc You have to be patient with both, story and characters, in order to see it all unfolding and to enjoy it.
I missed the kind of feelings I get from Kdramas that remind me of how I fell in love with Kdramaland 13 years ago. Most modern Kdramas have become more westernised, most storylines and characters have become rather… ‘forgettable’. Kdrama has been losing its essence since few years ago that I switched to Thai/C/Jdramas that feel more like home.
But this one, is some kind of refreshments for me. It’s modern, but it also contains some tropes we saw in older Kdramas.
We have leads with FLAWS, which allows space for character development. We have dramatic, confusing and exciting plots - best when we watch it ongoing, sharing theories with other viewers.
My final say:
I suggest if you’re ready to start watching this drama, go with an OPEN MIND. Just go with the flow (it has non-linear narrative, so that’s where it gets confusing sometimes), so that you won’t be questioning why this happens, why this character did what they did, etc..
Don’t be too stuck up and too strict. This way you might end up loving this drama as a whole!
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Destined With You; An Interesting Premise, Just Lacking In Charming Writing…
Let’s be honest. Very few Korean dramas are original. Yes, they can explore different concepts and themes, but many are inspired or borrowed from other shows or movies across years, cultures and genres. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. Writers and directors are influenced by other works, and Destined With You is no exception.The series was written by Noh Ji Sul and directed by Nam Ki Hoon. It follows Lee Hong Jo ( Jo Bo Ah), a bright underdog civil servant, who works hard despite being overshadowed by others. When Hong Jo comes into possession of a mysterious object, she becomes intertwined with cold and stoic lawyer Jang Shin Yu ( Rowoon). Shin Yu has been cursed to live with an incurable disease, yet, Hong Jo may just hold the cure in more ways than one..
Off the bat, I will give it to Destined With You: it is an interesting premise. The cursed setup had been seen and done before, but the sense of the horror element being so spooky early on was quite well done. Some Korean dramas are fairly mild when it comes to horror or jumpscares( especially over censorship concerns), but Destined With You was surprisingly chilling in its opening episode . ( Moments such as the infamous “ bloodied-hand scene” , felt as though they were taken from shows like OCN’s The Guest and CW’s Angel .)
Yet as much as the horror element thrived, the show struggled with attempting to balance the horror and romance element to work well together. It is not necessarily that horror and romance cannot work well. In fact shows like The Master’s Sun and Arang and the Magistrate were able to use this formula fairly well in execution.
The problem is that while both predecessors were aware of creating and broadening characters and balance , Destined With You really struggles to do the same. As the series progressed the horror element was pretty non-existent and turned more into a cutesy rom-com. As a result, it was really hard to work out what this show was going for in thematic setup and messaging, even early on. The early episodes would suddenly go from menial moments of Hong Jo being stuck in a rom-com moment in front of a cute guy, to law procedurals and bickering, to full out body horror with Sin Yu. The constant flip between cutesy romance moments, courtroom drama and disturbing violence and horror , rubbed against one another in the wrong way because the show was never really settled to balance it out . Simply put, it felt like watching three very different shows at times, without a lot of opportunity to fuse them together.
Another major problem lay with character writing. The acting was decent enough. Rowoon is okay here too. He is certainly a good actor, and the idol has proven it in shows like Extraordinary You and Tomorrow. The problem is that Rowoon is not given an opportunity to really shine. His character is the trope-inducing “ cold male lead”.
Admittedly this is not entirely the fault of Rowoon as it is the writing. The cold male lead trope is a preference in romance dramas. It is not bad per say and can be used well in romances to explore characters’ backgrounds and fears. The problem with Shin Yu is that he is a bit of a paper-thin character. Yes, the audience gets he lacks social etiquette, a few “ sob” moments in his backstory and is stoic, but what else is there to say about him?
He is seemingly self-assured and confident in public , and suffering from his curse in private, but his composure rarely breaks beyond this even early on. We see some loose plot threads into Shin Yu’s mysterious family and their weird connection to shamans, but aside from being a necessary plot device, we are never shown the full effect on Shin Yu and how this has influenced any form of backstory or careful character development. In some later episodes we do see a “ softer” side to the male lead by playing into the romantic element and some angsty plot backstory , but aside from this, it’s hard to really see any pivotal or particularly poignant development, apart from going from being churlish then jealous to lovey-dovey with the female lead. This is the a little disappointing considering the fact that he could have been a really interesting character, especially from his written role and introduction with the female lead.
Hong-Jo is unsurprisingly Shin-Yu’s polar opposite. Jo Bo Ah is a good actress and does have some good moments of the show. However similar to Rowoon, her talents are never really given an opportunity to be explored further as a consequence of the writing.
It seemed like a really good writing point to have Hong Jo as the “ underdog heroine”. In theory, she has so many parallelisms that could have been explored to parallel metaphorically with the male lead’s literal “ cursed” predicament. She is outcasted at work, has an abject love life and often feels lonely. She is by all accounts, a “relatable” underdog heroine.
Before I go into the problems, I will say a few good aspects of Hong Jo as a character. She is fairly headstrong, both getting the job done such as the demolition case, confessing to her crush ( even if she was a little childish ) and remaining resilient against the toxic culture of her workplace. They were good attributes in the female lead, and did show off some of her strengths.
However, the problem is Hong Jo is never really fleshed out to the extent for the audience to truly connect with her. Sure, there were moments of pity for this character when it was needed in the plot, but on a deeper level, it was hard to really feel as strongly as the show wanted us to do so for her. For example, one major driving point early on is that she is very bullied and isolated from her work colleagues. She is not invited out after work for drinks, and spends most of her time alone. Yes, this shows she is alone, but why is it so significant for Hong Jo? We do learn a bit of history of being bullied, but, why is she so determined to be friends with people who have hated her? These may seem nuanced, but the show seemed to have multiple opportunities to really go into character’s backstories or growth early on, yet rarely did so even in later episodes.
Then there’s Yoon Na Yeon ( Yura), an interior designer with a bad history with Lee Hong Jo. There’s definitely a lot of mixed things about Na Yeon as a character.
On one hand, she is fairly complicated in the fact that she she puts on a lot of different sides as well as being a bully , and is more than the meets the eye, especially when Hong Jo renters the picture. On the other hand, while it feels like Yura has been typecast once again, the character feeds into a bit of a tiresome cliche of the cruel second female lead.
This isn’t to say that there can’t be animosity between a bully or victim, or alternatively see the character’s pettiness come to light, but rather than using this as an opportunity for Na Yeon to either be explored further in a more subtle manner,this storyline still seems to perpetuate a lot of archaic stereotypes . ( Particularly the oldest cliche in the book of two women at odds with one another being pitted against one another further for a man .)
Adding to this, there’s also the actual fact Shin Yu, probably one of the most misanthropic and seemingly “ isolated” characters in the drama, is in a dating relationship with Na Yeon. Understandably, relationships are not always straightforward and people can meet in a lot of different circumstances. Shin Yu never seems truly happy with Na Yeon, often trying to break up things with her or sitting in sullenness, while Na Yeon fawns over him and becomes more obsessive when she sees Hong Jo as a threat and love rival. Shin Yu does attempt to put their relationship on hold, but Na Yeon is obsessed and does not back down. The relationship displayed a good aspect of difficulties between dating partners, but, aside from just adding fuel to the fire on plot devices and drama, it did seem a little questionable as to why Shin Yu would even agree to date someone like Na Yeon, ( knowing about her past or not) .
The potential romantic pairing between Hong Jo and Shin Yu is fairly good, even if the screenwriting does not always justify it. One of the major parts that came to play here was the romantic sparks flying between Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah’s onscreen characters. They have surprisingly good chemistry as actors. For the characters, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. There is certainly romantic development ( in typical romance fashion) early on, but it was admittedly a little hard to root for the characters when Shin-Yu was often just plain rude to Hong Jo from gossip he overheard as well as his attitude. To make matters worse, even later on, he never really apologised for his actions. Later episodes improve this a little, but then there’s also the elements of Shin Yu’s obsession and later actions ( though there is a suggested cause), as well as feeding into some overused cliches.
On the pacing side, Destined With You is very slow to begin with. It’s understandable even in the first episode alone, there’s a lot to get through, but the first few episodes were fairly slow with pacing . Later episodes did pick up the pace more briskly, but there were later moments, which struggled to really get off the ground, even by the ending. Speaking of which, the ending was a little anticlimactic. Sure we saw a few loose threads tied, but it felt as though some characters and plot was left greatly unresolved.
The cinematography is definitely one of the show’s major highlights. It’s fairly stylish and sleek, with a glossy element of different palette schemes to reflect the mood and tone of the scenes. There are later episodes which feel a little insipid on the staging side, but scenes with the cursed hand, definitely helped capture the more horror and fearful element, with careful attention to detail.
Destined With You is a very odd show. It has a good cast, an intriguing premise and beautiful cinematography, but in execution, it has some very noticeable inconsistencies. The themes were so imbalanced that it was hard to work out what the show was going for in its general setup. While there’s nothing wrong with using classic tropes with a new spin or using them to address a message, Destined With You took them with a fairly copy and paste manner and nothing more . At times, it often made the show feel like it would have been less out of place in 2013 than 2023.
Writing and pacing is another major issue. There were some potentially brilliant characters in the show ( particularly the main leads) , but rather than fleshing them out to their full potential, they were rarely allowed to change and grow ( a key stage in any character’s development). Overall, Destined With You is an average show which is probably best to watch during a forgettable binge-watching session to pass the time .
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'Destined with You' review: a spellbinding romcom falls flat with a lackluster story
With the number of psychopaths in this kdrama, its title should have been "Obsessed with You" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯Destined with You revolves around Hong Jo, a civil servant, whose life unexpectedly got tangled up with Shin Yu, a renown corporate lawyer. A mysterious box and several encounters later, they find themselves stuck with one another and they discover their unbreakable connection.
For starters, the plot was messy, loaded with uninteresting supporting characters and subplots. The series can't even create two episodes which tackles the same thing. Every episode is unrelated to one another. It is very important for a fantasy k-drama to steadily build the mystery and keep the thrill. Adding more confusion and questions to the bunch is certainly not one of the ways to do that.
Most of the episodes were merely fillers and keeps poking around the central conflict of the show. I'm not even sure if the main characters only have one main problem since they, too, are not searching for answers. The antagonists mostly did the work to keep the momentum going.
At the very beginning, the story is about spells and a century-old curse. Then, halfway through the show it became a secret office romance. Once again it changed course, the story became a thriller and that's the moment I knew the writers screwed up big time. It tries to have all genres at once. Honestly, the kdrama's only saving grace is Rowoon's visuals and his striking suits. At least the fashion department knew how to get the right work done.
Anyways, Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah had an undeniable chemistry here. Rowoon throwing funny puns while keeping a straight and handsome face certainly deserves a daesang. As for Jo Bo Ah, I kind of wished her character were more smart and strong. Hong Joo falls under the weak female lead stereotype category and I find damsels in distress intolerable. Her struggles of working and living alone definitely pulled some heartstrings. She also had some character development at the end but it felt too formulaic for my liking. Maybe it's just me who saw this issue. Perhaps I simply prefer smart female leads over the ones who needs saving and longs for a hero to realize her true worth.
On the other hand, I wish it had gone the same route as 'Extraordinary You' where the leads had one goal in mind and then conflicts appeared and the answers unfold one after another. We are solving the puzzle together with the main characters. That's the most simple structure of a fantasy drama.
In Destined with You's case, we don't even know what Shin Yu and Hong Jo want to do with their lives. They're simply flirting and encountering lunatics, that's it. The plot had so much potential. If only they stayed picked a lane, this fantasy k-drama could have been interesting and gripping.
This series could have also been way more short if it solely focused on Shin Yu and Hong Jo's past lives and their unbreakable connection. Up to now, I still can't figure if the spells were real or not. Shin Yu got better so the spell transcends through time? But why was Hong Jo never able to cast a spell if she were a direct descendant or even the reincarnation of Aeng Cho? We'll never know the answers to these questions because the show didn't even bother to acknowledge and answer them.
Episode 14 was not the resolution I was expecting. They could have given us glimpses of their past lives bit by bit throughout the series. However, they decided to dump the whole Joseon period in one go. I got emotionally invested in that episode but the sudden return to the present day only left me hanging. Aside from the talisman box, the show could have given more reasons why ML and FL were bound together by fate and how they gravitate towards one another even if they stay out of each other's lives.
Overall, 'Destined with You' both had its highs and lows. It was fun and swoon-worthy. However, the lackluster script made this show messy and incoherent. If only this story were written right, it could have been at par with What's Wrong with Secretary Kim and Business Proposal and will go down in the record books as one of the inventive and spellbinding office rom-com. The series is entertaining but doesn't quite put you under its spell.
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Cinderella meets Dark Magic and some other stuff...
This started off kind off meeh, with an abundance of over the top annoying characters and the some kind of familier vibe that took me back to 100 days my prince (same writer) that had me waiting for Rowoon to start saying Hoho in this kind of awkward I am above you kind of tone... Just that I never got the Hoho...In this modern and anciant Cinderella meets black magic and stalking drama. Equipped with the evil (highly annoying) step sisters in the form of colleagues, an evil step mother (the second female lead) and yes a prince (our lead). Some may find this drama messy with a lot of subplots and stuff that don't really add anything to the plot. which is kind of true but if you can just ignore that stuff and instead think of it as diversions that are there to make it harder to guess the main plot and have you guessing (done kind of poorly) you may find them ok...
What ups the score is the character development of our leads, the mom, the grandma and the fact that I love my messy clichefests. And I do feel that I have to warn you that even though Rowoon did a good job and looks like he was created to look to perfect, there is a high probability for SLS as Ha Joon plays his character to perfection and makes a damn good second male lead.
So this is not for those who need the plot to actually make sense or have some kind of consistency.I would be lying if I said this did have any of that. This is more of a watch for those who can appreciate turning off their brain for a while. Just watch some pretty scenery, one of dramalands most beautifully filmed bloody death scenes as well as a bunch very good looking leads. In a place where those who are evil are really evil and you can never be fully sure about those who are supposed to be good.
And as you can see this works perfectly for me in my current mood, but is defiantly not for everyone.
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a messy plotline
the addition of new twists and plotlines 3v3ry week is what made me get overwhelmed with this drama. they add new mysteries before solving the ones they introduced before. they showed us the Red hand haunting rowoon and now its suddenly nowhere to be found, the unexpected addition of a stalker to the storyline and this week, the new addition is Shinyu and Hongjoo being Past life lovers from Joseon period. the Past life lovers is what really gave me the ick, its overused, boring and repetitive.Was this review helpful to you?
the storyline
I love how they're showing us little by little how everything is turning out, I love the suspense and how they aren't rushing it, I commend Rowoon for his acting here. also the producers, story writers and the actors executed an excellent job, please do not mind the spoilers or those saying that the movie isn't worth it, it's actually interesting once you get to watch it and look past other people's opinion on how you views movies on general. also for now we have to wait for Netflix's updates every Wednesday for it as it's not fully out yet.Was this review helpful to you?
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Updated Review, Not the best drama personally.
The old review notes I had after 11 episodes have been deleted. Update after completion >A major issue I have with the series is the characters. There was a tendency for the characters to use romance as a foundation for their being, their presence. Yes, they had jobs, but that isn't really a complete picture of their character. There were 16 episodes supposed to tell me everything I needed to know about them in relation to the story, and it didn't. It was primarily due to the story structure that failed them. The story seemed to revolve around a romance triangle centered on indecision for 30% of the time. Then there was the boss' office romance? Everything was a mess. And by the time episode 13 -15 came along and tried to make a bit more sense out of things it was far too late. Anyhow...
It took me about 16 days to complete the last 5 episodes. The story improved a little bit. Personally, I have no problems with the actors. Their characters didn't appeal to me. In the end, it's art and its own story, so who am I to change it? With that said, if I could change some things, I would be able to come up with a million ideas. In order to keep my review as brief as possible, I will just say I would have started the story in the past, built up a strong foundation between the lovers while showing critical elements such as the Shaman aspect, the box, curse, etc. They promise to meet in the next life in order to fulfill the destiny for xyz reasons.
(continuing with my ideas) >Despite similarities or differences in appearance, there may be some similarities between the present and the past leads. In the past, they died together. Present day -- They use the next 4-5 episodes to build the main character's bio as well as the plot and struggles that ultimately connect to the past. Each of them has a unique personal history, which gives them deep character traits that make you fall in love with them. Events and circumstances eventually bring them together by fate. They discover their destiny from the past together as they struggle through a better story. As you would have fallen in love with them far before they officially reunited, their chemistry is stronger and authentic because you would have fallen in love with them even before they reconnected.
In my opinion, it is a much better story than Oh no you drank the spell by accident! Now you love me? Wait a minute, you're engaged. Wait a minute, come back! Wait, are you pure? Let's stay away from each other. Let's kiss, but stay away! WT*^*?
There are a lot of ideas I have for this story, but it would be a waste of time to go into it further. While I tried to like this series, after watching so many great dramas in the past I have to admit that this one isn't very entertaining for me. Yes, chemistry is all they talk about, but the story itself is rarely discussed. (what does that tell ya?) My favorite chemistry comes from liking the main characters FIRST and their struggles throughout a riveting story, nothing forced, and they naturally come together as the story dictates.
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How about a real challenge to play an ugly has-been alcoholic writer who showers once a month, has an old cracked phone and no woman wants to deal with him. Let him act and don't show close-ups of his eyelashes and face with perfect make-up every two minutes. Play a character that has nothing to do with his looks.
Supporting characters, like Shin Yu's mother, Seo Gu, and supporting actors are more interesting than the leads.
In one of the later episodes we get an underwhelming sex scene with a Tiffany bracelet shining in the dark, proving once again that this series is made to sell you products.
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Destined or Delivered?
The beginning concept of this series is interesting. Yet, how it is executed is quite touch and go. You can see where the story gains momentum in explaining the links of the past and present closer to the last episodes. However, the spell book and alternate spell book really could have been left out. (or a different link reveal could have worked better) The point of the Shaman explaining the box in retrospect makes the 'destined' feel more 'delivered' to deploy unknown possibilities. Besides that, the comedic parts of this romcom were entertaining and worth the break from all the seriousness of the storyline. The 'crazy' people throughout the series kept you guessing and asking 'why' such angst against the FL (which never was quite explained but just assumed) The overall drama is a solid watch of a unique mix of romance, comedy, mystery and drama.Was this review helpful to you?
This show is so so much better than any other overrated shows. Storyline is perfect with perfect ending. Most of Korean dramas are boring but this drama is exciting, fascinating and actions scenes are also good. I love this drama so much.
Actually, every actor did pretty good job in this drama. YOU MUST WATCH IT. This drama is so hilarious! I can't remember how many times I laughed.
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Was better as horror-romedy than thriller-romance.
I came here to say that I NEVER rewatch a series. Aside from Arang and The Magistrate, not once I have rewatched a show, but after I caught up with the latest episode, I went back and rewatched this show from episode 1 again.Honestly, just wanted to applaud some key things that I overlooked the first time while being in awe of Rowoon’s height and insane bod (my god he is so delicious but I digress). First, I only love Rowoon in this show as much as I do because Bo Ah’s character made Jang Shin Yu SO much more lovable. Her expressions and little sighs are absolutely adorable. But I can see why she wouldn’t get along with people. She’s dorky AF, in the most adorable but weird and socially awkward kind of manner. I don’t see her doing very well in the basic girl friendship and that’s why I find her loneliness so believable because it also mirror’s Jang Shin Yu’s loneliness and social awkwardness. His halting and holier-than-thou manner of speech is so strange that it would only make sense if Hong Joo was on the same page as him.
I also want to make note of how incredible the soundtrack, the foley and the music design is. I didn’t notice it the first time I watched each episode, but on my re-watch I have to say, this show would not be 50% as effective without the amazing score. Every scene in which Rowoon feels all the feels, I feel it too because of how good the soundtrack is. All the magic in the air is around me too because of how magical the music is.
That being said, also 5000 levels of kudos to director-writer-editor team wow holy crap. They managed to bring out ALL the amazingly weird yet hot-AF-to-watch ticks in Rowoon’s acting. All that teeth gritting, jaw clenching, neck adjusting, close up shots of hands, little eyebrow ticks, hands crawling up his body wow like they really went crazy on making us feel all the sensual and bodily feels while watching Rowoon deal with his curse. I literally felt myself getting hot watching those red hands crawl up his body wtf LOL
ANYWAY, I did not expect this drama to be as good as it is. I know its not done yet, but honestly, I’ve already gotten so much enjoyment out of it, I don’t expect to lower it by many stars, if at all, regardless of how it ends.
Edit//
Okay so it ended. I’m not completely disappointed in the way it went given that this was basically fluff romance but I have to say, the team did a better job with the first half in which it was horror-romance than they did with the second half with a thriller-romance plot because a lot of things unravelled in the last three episodes. For one, MAJOR a disappointment with Shin Yu’s mom’s divorce trajectory. That dad did not deserve the ending they gave him. I did not appreciate that Shin Yu did not once stand up for Hong Joo in front of his dad and in the end Shin Yu resolved it with a shit*y and lame reason that will eventually work against Hong Joo in the long run because his dad will use that reason against her and call it entrapment. His dad is trashy, end of story. I docked a whole star just for how much screen time his dad got in the end. Thriller wise, pretty loosely written but entertaining nonetheless. I came for the horror romance and stayed for the Rowoon visuals ngl. Anyway, 7 stars for keeping me entertained. Would have stayed at 9 had patriarchal bulls**t and useless parental drama not sidelined everything else in the last half of the story.
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