Our Universe

Cute, but unbearably dragged out

Well, this "masterpiece" is finally over. The plot drags on painfully long: the main character’s phlegmatic nature and her endless overthinking about guys are just too much. The first love storyline is so overly sweet and unrealistically perfect that it becomes hard to take seriously. The female lead is a total disaster, with a completely emotionless acting. It’s impossible to tell what she’s feeling: joy, sadness, or nothing at all. Watching this is frankly boring and even annoying. The male lead at least tries, but it’s not enough.

On the plus side, the supporting characters are great: the neighbors are a gem, the girlfriend is great, and the friends are good too. And the real star is the baby — incredibly cute and charming. The final episodes are overloaded with drama to the point where it feels like they were trying to squeeze maximum stress out of everyone. In the end, it’s overly stretched, unconvincing, and at times annoying. And there were definitely not enough kisses.

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What even WAS that?!?

These are just my opinion, please don't come at me. This review might be all over the place, because that's the way the show was.
The good:
-The baby. ABSOLUTELY the high point of the entire show. He was precious. I need to go find behind the scenes footage of how they worked with him.
-The ending was so cute with all the scenes of the baby.
The bad:
-I love Bae In Hyuk, but to me it felt like he was struggling to get through this drama.
-I don't like love triangles to begin with, but this one went on entirely too long. Plus, the FL had more scenes and chemistry with the 2ML than ML. It's not right when they spend more time on that relationship than the main relationship. Plus, the FL acted like she liked the 2ML more, until she suddenly decided to like the ML. Did the writers realize they were running out of episodes and scramble to get them back on track? Because the ML/FL relationship certainly seemed like an afterthought. NOW, I understand why people ask about triangles before watching something.
-FL acting. Bad. It felt like they filmed a bunch of reaction shots of her and then edited them in. I often felt like her scenes were her the only one there, the rest was green screened.
-Tone of the show. So many wonderful opportunities for sweetness lost. They should have focused on trying to figure out how to co-exist and raise a baby, but the baby often seemed like just a prop.
-Unnecessary drama. When the ML's dad showed up, that was a waste.
-To me, the biggest problem was FL's actions. She was trying to become a permanent employee, stayed late all the time, not giving the baby a thought. She didn't supervise him well at all. She lost him, he got injured because she wasn't watching him, she was always pawning him off on someone else to watch him. When he got taken away, I couldn't even get emotional, because that was completely justified. Plus, her extreme reaction was painful to watch because it was so poorly acted.
-They continued to call each other "in-law" even after they were a couple. Granted, the subtitles said their names, but they were definitely saying in-law. That in itself showed the lack in their relationship.

The only reason I even gave it a rating of 4 was because of the baby.

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Our Universe show that it's funny, cute, and sad moments

I had started watching Our Universe korean drama show on March 1-March 13. I watched it on Kisskh website. This korean drama show is about Hyung-Jin meet Tae-Hyung when he was selling his rorman lights. they meet again when Tae-Hyung find out about his brother is marrying Hyung-Jin's sister. It makes them both sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Hyun-Jin decided to take care of her nephew, Woo-Joo. Tae-Hyung and Hyun-Jin both have a crush on each other. It took Hyun-Jin to realize her feelings and her love for him. I find Our Universe is funny when Tae-Hyung is pulling Woo-Joo while he was in the trash can. poor Woo-Joo carry by Tae-Hyung. it's cute that Woo-Joo is yawning in episode 1. I like Hyun-Jin and Woo-Joo is hugging in episode 2. it's funny Hyun-Jin see Woo-Joo and Tae-Hyung calls his sister-in-law honey in episode 2. I like that Hyun-Jin tells Tae-Hyung about the checklist and a check-in with Woo-Joo. it's funny that there's a video that embarrass to Hyun-Jin in episode 3. it's funny that Hyun-Jin and Tae-Hyung both realized that they were drunk in episode 4. it's funny that the two little kids attacked their tent down in episode 5. It's cute that Tae-Hyung is getting Woo-Joo ready for day care/child care in episode 6. It's cute that Tae-Hyung and Woo-Joo is sleeping together in episode 8. it's funny how Moo-Saeng say to Gyu-Jeong he is single and forever alone in episode 9. it's cute Woo-Joo have a show in episode 10. It's finally Hyun-Jin confess her feelings for Tae-Hyung. it's funny that Tae-Hyung say he is Hyung-Jin's boyfriend in episode 11. I didn't like it when Hyun-Jin hide Tae-Hyung and Woo-Joo in episode 5. I didn't like it how Tae-Hyung slam the plate of meat when Hyun-Jin gave it to him. I didn't like it when Hyun-Jin's coworkers think she's a spy in episode 7. I do agree with Tae-Hyung saying that is bullying. I didn't like how the child service lady say that Hyun-Jin is neglecting Woo-Joo in episode 12. I feel she still care when she checks on Woo-Joo when he starts crying.

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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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