Our Universe

The show should've been called "Our Ragebait"

wtf is the severe decline in the plot development from a fluffy co-parenting storyline in the first few episodes into an absolutely exhuasting love triangle, annoying second male lead, and dumb female lead. like i get being confused over your first love aka your past vs your new life and her feelings might mostly be nostalgia, but at some point, this love triangle has NO business taking up most of the episode and having absolutely nothing to give to the actual plot development. writer-nim, here is a better plot written in 30 seconds:

ep 6: love triangle peaks but FL realises she gravitates towards ML
ep 7-8: more fluffy moments for the family, SML realises he has no place in FL's new life and their timing was never right. FL and SML has a closure moment where they realise they just weren't meant to be, and FL and ML gets tgt
ep 9-10: fluff moments+angst from the dad+ mystery reveal regarding ML's abandonment by his brother
ep 11-12: climax and conclusion of the dad and their psychological issue plot and they become a proper family

bro

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Entertaining and watchable

Four items that work well in this drama:

1. I appreciate the racially diverse casting in a couple of scenes.

2. Neither of the two leads is perfect. The plot is mostly believable and the characters likable.

3. Well-paced. So far the story hasn’t dragged.

4. Woo-joo is to die for–a 10 on the cuteness scale

Four items that could have been improved:

1. Too many stale tropes – the small scrape that requires a bandaid applied by the male or female romantic interest, sharing an umbrella in the rain, a work competition in which the female shows her abilities, serious car accident, etc. etc.

2. Exaggerated embarrassment when both leads end up (fully clothed) in the same bed. The over-acting made this scene a bit unbelievable.

3. This drama passes the Bechdel test, but just barely (look it up).

4. The FL seems indifferent and inconsiderate of the ML, a wounded soul who deserves better.

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A Universe of Missed Opportunities

Truth is, I really wanted to like Our Universe. I gave it a fair chance and tried to push through, but after episode 9 I had to drop it.
What makes this especially frustrating is the fact that the male lead is genuinely talented. His acting throughout the show has been solid, and his performance in episode 9 was almost heartbreaking. In a better written story, his emotional range could have carried some truly powerful moments.
Even though the direction the drama was heading in felt predictable early on, I kept watching in the hope that it would redeem itself. Honestly, two things kept me going: the male lead and the baby. I expected the baby to play a meaningful role in the story and become the emotional core of the narrative. Unfortunately, I kept hoping and that never really happened. Instead, the baby feels like little more than a plot device—something introduced to tug at the audience’s heartstrings rather than being an integral part of the story. That was one of the biggest missed opportunities in the drama. The bigger issue, though, is the female lead’s character. She’s so poorly written that it becomes difficult to stay invested in her storyline. At some point I even caught myself thinking if I would be relieved to see her end up with the second male lead and live happily ever after and the show would come to a quick end. The episodes increasingly featured the SML more(with actually the FL and SML getting more screentime than the baby, the FL and the ML together though theirs is supposed to be the central arc).
In the end, Our Universe had the ingredients for a truly memorable show but the execution didn’t live up to its potential.

A real missed opportunity.

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No good!!

Hi, this is my first time writing a review. Like many, I've been waiting for this series, and like many of you, my expectations weren't positive. "Our Universe" is a very poorly made remake of the American film "Life as We Know It." Aside from the love triangle (which is also present in "Life as We Know It," but marginally so), there's been no focus on the difficulties two young adults face in dealing with a 2-year-old child, which turns their lives upside down. It's more realistic to see ML, who despite her problems, tries to get closer to the child. Unlike FM, who goes on with her life without caring much about the child, who, out of guilt (she leaves SML because he says he wouldn't go abroad for her), tries to make amends by getting closer to SML again. This situation is found in many "I'm leaving you for your own good" K-dramas! Maybe the writers should have reversed the roles: Park Yun Seong as ML, who Woo Hyeon Jin, FL, meets again after a long time and apologizes for the mistake he made and tries to win him back, while Seon Tae Hyeong as SML who tries to win Woo Hyeon Jin but fails and leaves for work.

Salve, è la prima volta che mi cimento in una recenzione. Come molti ho atteso questa serie e come molti di voi le aspettative non sono state positive. "Our universe" risulta un remake, fatto molto male, di un film americano, "Life as We Know It". A prescindere dal triangolo amoroso (anche in "Life as We Know It" è presente, ma marginale) non ci si è soffermati sulle difficoltà che due giovani adulti si ritrovano a gestire un bambino di 2 anni sconvolgendo le loro vite. Risulta più realistoco ML che nonostante le sue problematiche cerca di avvicinarsi al bambino. A differenza della FM, che prosegue la sua vita senza curarsi più di tanto del bambino che per un senso di colpa (lascia il SML perchè lui dichiara che per lei non sarebbe partito per l'estero), cerca di rimediare riavvicinandosi al SML. Questa situazione si siscontra in tanti k-drama "ti lascio per il tuo bene"!!!! Forse gli autori avrebbero dovuto invertire i ruoli: Park Yun Seong come ML, che Woo Hyeon Jin, FL, rincontra dopo tanto tempo e si scusa dell'errore che ha fatto e cerca di riconquistarlo, mentre Seon Tae Hyeong come SML che cerca di conqustare Woo Hyeon Jin non riuscendici e parte per lavoro.

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Light-hearted but morbid

As someone who is at the age where people start entering the workforce but who isn't quite as independent or qualified (yet) as my peers, this has resulted in me relying heavily on my 1-person support system, my mum. It is always at the back of my mind that I don't know what I would do if I suddenly lost her. Therefore, right from episode 1 this show unexpectedly struck a chord with me in a way no other show has.

I tend to avoid sad shows and dislike melodramas; sticking mostly to romcoms and mysteries (genres where grief and misfortune are usually greatly exaggerated) so I rarely have to do any reflection on my own life and circumstances because of a drama. However, throughout watching Our Universe I have had my heart tugged on by the show's gentle handling of death and life after death for those who remain.

I think it is very realistic the way life goes on as normal for the most part until the weight of it all crashes over you on a seemingly random Tuesday. Unlike the way grief is depicted in most media, a lot of people don't have time to grieve dramatically, and humans adapt to their circumstances quite swiftly when forced to.

As far as the love story goes, I think the transition from bickering in laws to roommates, then family and finally a budding romance was quite naturally paced. I appreciate that by the time both of the love interests have confessed, we as the viewers genuinely believe that both of them stand an equal chance because it is all too common that second leads one-sidedly like the FL who at no point in the show liked them romantically OR that the FL initially liked the 2nd ML and still claims to despite obviously having feelings for the ML.

While the ML can be quite immature and petty, he has been impressively mature about everything concerning his nephew and his feelings for FL when he could've so easily been portrayed as a borderline manchild (like the American film with a similar plot, "life as we know it", did). In contrast, he is actually the more competent parent/homemaker without the show harping about gender equality, instead attributing this difference to their personalities and backgrounds.

If I had to criticize one thing about the show, the male lead does talk about not liking "waiting" a bit too heavy handedly, like we get it, but that is basically my only complaint.

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Had to leave my two cents already!

Just finished episode 6 and I have to say my thoughts -- I am disapppointed in the FL. This girl, yes girl, is immature and unworthy of the ML and Woo Ju. I am at the point of dropping this series because of her character. She is poorly written and unfortunately poorly acted. I don't even get why the 2nd ML is obsessed with her. They have not been together for years and all of a sudden he is still in love with her!? And she with him!? Give me a break. Her priorities should have shifted once she became Woo Ju's guardian. At this point, I just want the ML to take Woo Ju away and they both live happily ever after. The only reason I will continue watching this is because of Bae In Hyuk and Yu Ho.

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MOST HEARTWARMING & WHOLESOME FAMILY DRAMA!!! (taught me so much personally, was a feast to watch)

I personally loved this drama. It's my best drama so far for this year. I was hooked to the story from the start, and it didn't disappoint me at any point. I loved the acting, the OSTs and the dialogues specially. It was so heartwarming to watch and so real at times. It has got everything- love, friends, neighbors, colleagues and the kid. It will make you both laugh and cry sometimes. It felt so pure and really touched my heart- some scenes. Second ML was portrayed so good, I still remember the dialogue when FL talks about him to her friend, Ï find my heart heavy while being with him." "It's because you don't love him and that's why you feel heavy as you can't return his feelings." With the loved one, you feel relieved and not overwhelmed.

I really got to learn some good applicable philosophy about family and relationships through this drama. Initially, I expected it to be light, humorous and rom-com type, but it shocked me by touching deeper layers of relationships and insecurities. A truly gem of a drama! (Ofc there might be some people disliking it, I don't actually get why!) We really need to change our lens. I don't get why some are hating on the FL, like she was given a character and the character developed remarkably throughout. Both ML and FL had their own shortcomings, when it came to relationships. We need to see this drama beyond the lens of just romance or romantic feelings.

The child character was the main lead of the drama, I loved watching him doing cute little actions and speaking in that cute language of his own. That in-laws relationship or uncle-aunt relation was really fun and unique to watch. Don't expect any romance or kiss scene before ep 10. More than a romance drama, it's more about slice of life drama. There were many thriller or mysterious elements in between to balance the overall tone of the drama. Like woo-joo's grandfather coming in, the stalker, and then at last, the whole child custody/guardianship thing.

How all neighbors came together to help ML and FL, really showed some true bonds there. There is no as such antagonist to the drama. And that's what makes it more real and closer to emotions. I was really on the edge of my couch while watching the last 2 episodes, it felt so emotional and heavy. I could really empathize with the characters and the last episode just felt so wholesome.

A must-watch drama for sure! Don't go by the comments, just give it a shot! You will eventually fall in love with the characters. And woo-joo <3 It's gonna make you smile, cry, shy and excited all at once.

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