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Forever within a numbered days
There’s really something about tragic love stories that I really like. Call me a masochist but I really really love watching these types of dramas and bawling your eyes out.The plot and number of episodes were perfect because just like the story of our leads, it was short and straight to the point.
Just like the ML here, I too lost my other half. Not to a gun shot but to a terminal disease. I think that is why I feel for his character more especially during the last part where he was looking back to all the years that has gone by without the FL and how he coped up with everything. This drama made me think also of all the what ifs that could’ve been but it also made me realize that things do happen for a reason.
I think the only thing I’m missing from this drama is what happened to the people who were left behind? Like the FL’s family? What happened to the ML’s dad and stepmom? How did everyone moved on from what was happening?
I recommend this drama to anyone who wants to have a good cry and watch a heartwarming love story. Really really worth it!
Now, unto the next one
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Painfully beautiful
Rewatched It in May and It was as painful as the First time.It's well written and balanced, with the perfect number of episodes.
Lee Doo hyun and Gominsi chemistry Is unmatched, One of the best out of the kdrama actors.
I honestly watched because of Lee Do Hyun, One of my favourite kdrama actors, he Is such a good actor, this role proved once again his versatility; his character Is definetely One of the best in kdramas for me.
Heartbreaking but so beautiful.
I cried my eyes out.
To be honest It was hard to do a rewatch, It was a bit boring and I skipped many scenes, but watching It for the First time it's a whole other things.
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A lot to like, but flawed delivery
Essentially this is a love story set against the background of the Gwangju Uprising. It is not so much about the politics but rather a serious piece of social commentary that explores the impact on the people involved. There is a lot to like about this production that carries you through the flaws in the plotting, writing, staging and direction.The story centres around coercion on multiple levels: personal, family, business and political. We all make choices in life that reflect our response to current circumstances and when those circumstances turn increasingly oppressive the trigger point for each individual is different. Although our choices are our own to make, what we decide to do will impact those around us. At what point does the greater good triumph over family responsibilities? What is the cost to the individual if they choose family? What is the fallout if they choose the greater good? What is the tipping point, if there is one, to change from one to the other?
The drama sets up a number of scenarios to explore these dilemmas: from the nurse who has been impacted by her father’s decisions, to the student who chooses action regardless of family. The drama illustrates the human and emotional costs involved and shows that social change is only possible through the sacrifice of not only innocence but also the innocent.
The pluses of this drama are the performances, not just by the leads, Lee Do Hyun and Go Min Si, but also some of the supporting cast. Oh Man Suk was excellent as Hwang Ki Nam and had a very credible ruthlessness. Lee Sang Yi as Lee Soo Chan made a memorable impression as a good man forced to recognise and embrace reality. The lovers had a beautiful and believable chemistry and that made it easy to go along with their instant love.
There are also some very good character development arcs, as various characters get to grips with these issues. For me Lee Soo Chan, who is memorably played by Lee Sang Yi, is the best illustration of wilful ignorance to action. But others in the story are forced to come to terms with themselves in less favourable lights. There is a sense that we all would hope to be a hero, but the show reveals the courage needed just to survive, let alone take action, and does it with a certain amount of compassion.
Although the concepts within the drama are well thought through and delivered by the writer, Lee Kang, the actual structure and plotting is not always good. There are many times, particularly with the leads, where motivations are forced, or jarringly out of character, in order to serve the purposes of the plot.
The direction did little to help the lacklustre tension and was far too static and slow. It was in the mode of a romance which means it failed to do justice to the dynamics of the setting, which was in the middle of an uprising. At times we needed to see more anxiety and less stoicism. There needed to be more frequent and more marked changes of pace. This was partly the script but the greater responsibility lay with the director and how the scenes were played out and edited. Passages of dialogue in dire situations were delivered in calm measured ways, instead of urgent, desperate whispers. The editing interrupted impending threat by giving the actors all the time in the world to be romantic. It also often jumped erratically between the different scenarios leaking tension like a sponge, rather than building it in layers.
Overall, this is a good drama and well worth watching if you are prepared for patches of frustration along the way. It provides good food for thought and reveals multiple perspectives to reflect on.
What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.
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A Brilliant Story
Hands down, this is probably the best Kdrama that I’ve ever watched.I started watching this Kdrama without really knowing what the plot was about, and I'm so glad I stumbled upon this masterpiece.
The pacing is marvellous and I’m glad they kept the episodes capped just right at 12. There was not a single bad episode. Unlike countless dramas that reach a rut in the middle of the series, this Kdrama seriously had me shaking throughout the series. It explores themes of family, democracy, and justice and as someone who, admittedly, idolized South Korea as the place to be, giving its citizens their right to freedom of speech, I saw the opposite in their tragic history. It gave me a completely different perspective.
A mystery planted in the beginning kept me wondering about how the story's events would unfold. The plot then transports us to 1980’s Gwangju and a scenario that all drama fans would be familiar with. A small lie blows out of proportions and ends with people getting hurt. However, added on top of that was the setting of the plot, astounding chemistry between the cast and astounding development for each and every character that truly made it special. I am truly blown away by the characters; what great writing and acting!
Finally, at the eleventh episode, I finally knew for certain that the last episode would not give me an idealistic ending. However, upon completing the entire series, I finally realized what the purpose of this drama was. It was to portray the lives of people who went through this point of history and how they are carried forward into the present. Whereby the premise of Gwangju in the ’80s was not merely an extra afterthought to spice up a typical romance drama plot, but a to show the unfiltered reality of hardships during that time. Since it ends with the characters now in the present day with the events in 1980s as a memory, it shows how this past has affected them in the present and made them who they are today.
Overall, this Kdrama is definitely a heart wrenching one paying homage to the people who had experienced this moment in time and deserves a watch.
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Tragic.
I dragged this drama for way too long because I wasn’t ready for the angst that was promised, and in the end I binged the last six episodes because I knew that’s the only way I would be able to finish it quickly. In the process, I learnt about a very painful part of Korean history. I’m not Korean, but felt that this drama did a spectacular job in showing the tragic events impacted everyone. Episode 9 was a heartache, in fact everything from 7 gets sadder and sadder, it’s almost like each episode is competing with the former to beat the threshold of angst. Knowing how it ends for the couple, I was prepared and yet was able to feel the pain when the time arrived.What I loved about this drama is how well the characters were written, their dialogues so realistic and the acting was top notch! The chemistry between these two was perfect. I also loved that we got a kind of closure in the final minutes of the drama. I wish that the people of Gwanju would have been able to live a life of normalcy, reading up on the history and watching it unfold was brutal.
In the end it’s a very melancholic drama, there’s sadness but happy moments too. There are scenes that will leave you frustrated but they find redemption too. It’s a heartbreak of a drama, definitely on one of my favourite angst watches.
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i love it so much
this was the first kdrama ive ever watched after my friend basically gave me the gist of it to get me to see it. i finished it in one night after sobbing my eyes out at 4am. the actings perfect, lee do hyun delivered his cheeky adorable character so well, the best friends and the parents also.all the emotions i felt during this are unlike any drama ive seen thus far. constantly had me on the edge of my seat. such an underrated show, would give this 394728 stars if i could. i really enjoyed it, and i enjoyed having my heart ripped out by it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Please Respect what happened in his Drama...This isn't what you want from a "average Kdrama"
This Review May Spoil The Drama For You...If you don't like minor Spoilers, don't read the reviewI am not Korean so I don't have any right to say about the events that happend in the drama...I don't want to give my opinion on the real life events...
This drama is not far an average Kdrama fan. This drama is based on the real life events that happened in Korea...but you can understand the situation they were in if you watched the drama...This drama doesn't have a "happy" ending...This drama is to show how people recover from such a brutal past...It wasn't supposed to have a happy ending...It wasn't supposed to be a Romance story
If we look at the drama at a critical sense...Yes, there are flaws and Yes, there are things this drama does pretty well...
The characters are well written...They are not usual one note characters thrown in a real life setting...There are some things this drama kinda teases but I am glad it didn't do it... Example, the love triangle that they kinda hinted at...Many love triangles were teased in this drama but I am glad the story knew where it should be going and it maintained that theme...
The acting was superb in this drama...Well what do you expect from this cast... Nothing to say here
Conclusion
Is it a must watch...No... Should you watch it for fun...Also No...You should only watch it if you can...
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Underrated Gem
To be honest I feel that I'm in no position to review this because the basis of this drama happened in real life but I'll still do it as a reference to my future self.At first, I feel uncertain about the actors but then when I was near the ending they proved themselves that they are excellent. I was enthralled by their acting that whenever I see the title I get sentimental. As a teen, the drama itself was a learning for me, it made my eyes more open when it comes to uprising. Moreover, they showcased diverse perspectives making me perceive such aspects.
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When the leads are not the main characters
This is a very hard drama to rate for me. I kept oscillating between giving it a 7 and giving it a 10. I ended up giving it a 7, reasons explained below. Major spoilers ahead!The story can be a 10 because it feels very real, it is 100% believable and it's based on historical events. But as a kdrama, I feel like having such a story can sometimes be a downside, because it brings a lot of frustration to the viewer, and it fails in some aspects by not focusing on the correct things.
In the beginning, I absolutely loved the main couple. I think other shows such as Business Proposal copied the whole idea of dating using someone else's identity. The ML is refreshing to watch. The chemistry - I honestly didn't feel any, but I mean it in a good way - the scenes were so relaxed that everything just made sense, they felt genuine, they didn't feel sexual or amplified by the cinematography. The characters were interesting and there was quite some tension between parents and children coming from different views. I could understand their problems, the hesitance to date each other, their struggles.
The tone of the series changed after Lee Soo Ryun (2nd FL) gets pressured by Hwang Ki Nam (father of the ML) in the interrogation room to advance the fake relationship between 2FL and ML towards marriage. This is the first moment we actually understand that things are much more serious and dramatic than they appear to be. And, even though the 2FL was receiving a lot of hate throughout the show, I feel like she was actually the first one to understand the danger of the situation they were in.
I started feeling that the choices the FL and ML made about their relationship after the engagement of the ML and 2FL were quite selfish. They didn't understand the message that was sent to them, and the choice to continue / resume their relationship was going to affect a lot of other people, because they weren't careful enough to keep it a secret. I mean, I understand their choice but I don't agree with it. One month together doesn't seem worth it when it can completely ruin the lives of entire families.
Then, the series started to show more and more about the protesters. We also get sequences from the army, and what the officials were planning. Those were nicely done and kept me hooked. Even though it kept switching between them and the main couple, I actually started to get really bored of the main couple and very uninterested in their relationship, it just seemed to go in circles. I was really interested in everything else, and that was something the series did really well in my opinion. This is why I named my review "When the leads are not the main characters", because it feels like their relationship was insignificant compared to what was going on in the world.
I didn't care as much about the ending. For the main couple, I might be harsh, but it felt like they deserved it a bit. It was a string of poor choices, judgements and crazy actions. For the other civilians though - they definitely didn't deserve it, but we can't get mad - it's based on historical events and I am glad the drama stayed true to it.
The acting is great. I especially want to highlight Oh Man Suk playing the father of the ML and the leader of the anti-communist investigation committee - or something similar. He did a wonderful job, and he played a similar role to one he had in CLOY. It suits him very well.
One more thing I did enjoy (and it's a very unpopular opinion) is the 2FL character. Even if it was a bit flawed in the beginning, I felt that she was one of the very few ones that correctly assessed the dangers awaiting the characters in the show. People call her selfish for going on with the engagement - but I would do the same if it was between choosing the safety of my own family and a very temporary relationship of two friends. And even though there was engagement / marriage pressure, she didn't intervene in the relationship between ML and FL more than she felt forced to. She didn't fall in love with the ML (or she hid it well), and she supported the ML-FL couple when she could. She was brave for intervening to save people during the violent altercations between soldiers and civilians.
Conclusion: the non-romance plot of the drama clearly outshined the romance one. Romance wasn't bad either (taken individually), but felt a bit out of place / unnecessary when looking at the bigger picture.
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Youth of May is the cause of my depression and needing therapy
I need help... I'm watching the saddest of saddest of sad kdrama and nothing sad is happening at the moment but I'm so anxious. Oh and I'm literally crying because I know something sad is gonna happen without actually anything sad currently happening, lol. I'M ALREADY CRYING FOR THE ANTICIPATED SADNESS :') Because I'm watching youth of May, which truly should have been called ANXIETY OF MAY. Because that's how I feel. I'm literally ageing years from all the stress.WHY AM I CRYING??? The leads are just sitting on afucking bench and some flower petals are falling and here I am crying like a baby.
I'm also not minding at all that they played siblings in sweet home & are now lovers. I remember how off putting it was and how I had to get used to the fault in our stars since the actors played/were siblings before they were/played a couple. And here I'm like LALALALA DON'T CARE **still need therapy lalala therapy**
Also I've decided I'm gonna watch youth of may before I'll see my Roommate is a Gumiho so I get that amazing fun pick me up after depression anxiety. I managed not to cry this time though even though I came close, but I held it in.
I was like hey I could watch Youth of May when I was procrastinating watching the finale of My Roommate is a Gumiho because of feelings. But then I had the sudden realisation: OH WAIT THAT'S FUCKING SAD AS WELL
I will finish watching Yputh of May because I hope that it will get better. All I feel now is boredom and it's pretty slow. I literally had to play with lucky to get through this episode. The ending shot of this episode was pretty though.
Somehow I'm kind of liking Youth of May now. It took around 7 or 8 episodes for me to get into it. And now I only have three left and I'm in no way ready for the end. I'm so anxious now.
I'M EVEN MORE ANXIOUS NOW! IT IS REALLY GOOD NOW! BUT WE ALL KNOW GIRL IS GONNA DIE.. AND OMG NOT READY FOR THAT... So I stopped watching again :') So now I'm watching Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!! I HATE YOUTH OF MAY! BITCHES DOING US DIRTY! They literally let the babies get married and THOSE ASSHOLES WILL KILL THE GIRL OFF AS WELL. BOTH (A WEDDING AND A FUNERAL) WILL HAPPEN IN THE SAME EPISODE. I'M CRYING. But first her dad died.....
NOOOOOOOOOO!!! I have a feeling they're gonna do a boy in the striped pyjama shit and kill the youngest son of the biggest asshole villain of the show because he tried to save his best friend and his sister. I'm really afraid they'll mistake him for the sister's little bro. *one eternity later* They didn't. Thank god!!!
THIS EPISODE IS GIVING ME HEARTBREAKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. The anxiety is real.
Nooooooooooooo...... I think the girl is gonna die now :"( :( :"( :(
She saved her little bro :"( She's really dead :"(
Whahahaha her husband/boyfriend only survived because of that fucking banner that his asshole dad put up when he had the highest marks in uni.
She really dead :((( )))): Emma: And they never found her. Only after 40 years *insert me sobbing my heart out*
Very sad. Very very sad. Capital letters SAD. The beginning was not the best, but my heart is destroyed. Even months later I'm still crying about this show.
Lee Do Hyun's character was definitely such a precious puppy, and our girl who deserved so much better had such a pure heart as well. I just can't. I'm utterly heartbroken. Utterly destroyed, heartbroken by this.
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