We Are All Trying Here

Park Hae Young, you're the best! Thank you for gracing us again with your talent! Go Youn Jung, Koo Kyo Hwan, you guys are the best! All the actors in this show are busy brilliant. Thank you very much for giving us a show that will be etched in our hearts for a long time.

This is life, this is adulthood, this is a very definiton of reality, we are all trying here.

We may cease to exist, but at least we have tried to be something else, someone fun, someone decent, and someone who tries.

Thank you so much, Park Hae Yeong.
Thank you so much Go Youn Jung.
Thank you so much Koo Kyo Hwan
Thank you so much Oh Jung Se
Thank you so much Han Sun Hwa
Thank you so much Kang Mal-geum
Thank you so much Park Hae Joon.
To all the casts, staff, directors, and everyone who worked so hard for this masterpiece.

Thank you so much, and see you all at Baeksang 2027.

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Where Madness Moves Like Poetry

It’s simply a masterpiece. Every actor absolutely delivered their role perfectly — I genuinely couldn’t find a single weak performance in the entire cast. The dialogue writing was beautiful; every conversation felt like poetry in motion, filled with emotion, meaning, and depth.

The only reason I’m giving it a 9.5 instead of a perfect 10 is because I wanted a little more from the aftermath and ending. One extra episode to fully breathe in the consequences and emotions would have made it flawless for me. Other than that, it’s truly a 10/10 masterpiece that stays with you long after it ends.

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Here is My Unpopular Opinion

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Yes, I know this is going to be a very unpopular opinion. I started watching this fully understanding it was going to have some heavy topics. It had some strong ideas, but I wish the script was better. I understand they were trying to set the overall tone, but something was just lacking with the main storyline development. Although they could have done a better job introducing it, the watch aspect was interesting. However, this felt more like a gimmick instead of an integral part of the script. The romantic storyline was ok. It just had some aspects that were awkward and a little weird. The dialoged often directed towards Hwang Dong Man did not help. Although many of the characters were somewhat interesting and likable at times, this gave me very little to keep me invested in them or their storylines. The main positive aspect was the excellent cast. They actually did an outstanding job making what they had work. The other positive aspect was the amazing cinematography.

Random Note:

I almost dropped this after the first episode but there were two separate scenes towards the very end that gave me some hope. I gave it my usual 3-episode chance after sleeping on it and decided to give it a shot. I end up dropping this because the script was just not working for me.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

Unfortunately, the watch aspect gets forgotten until they connivingly need it.

The various lines directed towards Hwang Dong Man about how he needs to get a girlfriend or fine a woman really annoyed me. This was basically saying you will be fixed if you’re in a relationship.

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A MASTERPIECE IN MAKING ✨

Park Hae Young has worked her magic yet again. After masterpieces like “My Mister” and “My Liberation Notes,” she returns with “We Are All Trying Here.”

Actor Koo Kyo Hwan, whom we know from “D.P. 1 & 2,” plays the character of Hwang Dong Man, and Go Youn Jung, known for “Can This Love Be Translated?”, “Resident Playbook,” and “Alchemy of Souls 1 & 2,” plays the role of Byeon Eun A in this drama.

Honestly, when I started it, I wasn’t sure if it was going to click with me or not. It’s unlike the usual dramas we watch,there is no superhuman ML or invincible FL...What we see instead is a deep dive into the very realistic and harsh world of the film industry. When I first started the drama, I didn’t know who the writer was, but I got this uncanny feeling of similarity to “My Mister” and “My Liberation Notes,” and lo and behold, it's the same writer!✨🤗

Unlike the typical K-drama style, which often leans toward a kind of fictional utopia, this drama dives headfirst into the realities of the film world. There are no purely black-and-white characters; every character falls into the grey area, just like most of us in the real world...The characters represent complex emotions like: greed, ambition, jealousy, inferiority, competitiveness, hardship, and the deep desire to be noticed. Each of them has something they love, something they want, and something they are anxious about...

OUR ML & FL

Our ML, Hwang Dong Man, represents the struggle of someone who wants to pursue what he loves but hasn’t gotten his break yet, even after 20 years in the industry. He’s an aspiring director and the only one in the famous film industry group “The Eight” who hasn’t debuted...Despite this, he shows up to face the world with a smile, masking his anxiety with a talkative facade. It’s his way of maintaining a sense of normalcy in a harsh and often demeaning environment...

He’s a character that may be hard to fully understand at first. He uses his love for food and his talkativeness as shields to fill the void within him...Watching his peers move forward while he remains stagnant, he inevitably feels jealousy and anxiety, which sometimes cause him to behave unpleasantly towards his colleagues, friends, and those around him. Still, his struggles make him someone we can’t help but root for...

On the other hand, Byeon Eun A, a producer at Choi Film, is almost the complete opposite...Instead of expressing her emotions outwardly, she internalizes them, letting them build up until they manifest as anxiety in the form of nosebleeds. She reminds me of Lee Ji An (played by IU) from “My Mister,” especially in the way she moves through life with a deadpan expression and eyes that seem to lack warmth...There’s a sense of hollowness and emptiness within her that reflects in her gaze, almost as if her eyes are a mirror to her inner world. She’s known as “The Axe” due to her sharp screenplay reviews and used to be extremely cutthroat in her criticism. However, something happened about a year ago that caused her to change...It seems to be connected to her ex-boyfriend, though the details are still unclear since only two episodes have aired...This is something that will likely give us deeper insight into her character as the story progresses...

Both characters carry their own struggles, and it’s through these struggles that they begin to connect...

OTHER CHARACTERS

Park Gyeong Se, played by Oh Jung Se, is one of “The Eight” and is easily provoked by Dong Man’s blunt and talkative nature. After his movie receives bad reviews, he blames Dong Man for it. He represents someone who externalizes blame, and for him, Dong Man becomes the scapegoat...

His wife, Ko Hye Jin, CEO of Gobak Film (played by Kang Mal Geum), is loyal yet grounded. She’s the kind of person who will show you the truth when you’re wrong. She understands Dong Man’s situation while also recognizing her husband’s tendency to shift blame. Tho I have to say the way she kicks out Dong Man out of their group activities and his brother too when he confronts them about it I found to be very harsh especially the sign outside the restaurant "Dong Man and his brother not allowed here" is very bullying and discriminatory...But I guess she has her flaws too...

Choi Dong Hyeon, CEO of Choi Film (played by Choi Won Young), comes across as narcissistic and self-absorbed. He looks down on others and doesn’t like seeing anyone who might outshine him...

Hwang Jin Man, played by Park Hae Joon (“When Life Gives You Tangerines”), is Dong Man’s older brother. He works hard and struggles but deeply cares for Dong Man and wants the best for him. While he may seem brusque at first, his actions reveal his genuine concern and love for his brother...

There’s still so much more to explore in their stories, and I’m honestly looking forward to learning more about each of them as the series progresses!😇✨

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One of the best K Drama I have watched so far

Anyone who wants to watch something wholesome should watch this drama. I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Even though the English Title is ‘We All Are Trying Here’ but the literal translation of the native title, “Everyone is Fighting their own Worthlessness” fits better. While looking at the poster I thought its going to be either boring or overly serious drama. I don't watch trailers or read synopses before watching a drama thus I didn't have any idea of the plot.

It took me just one episode to get stuck with it. Thank god I started watching it after it ended or else I would have been thinking about the drama unit the next episodes would come. Usually I binge watch the dramas I like but for this one I took breaks after each episodes to absorb everything the drama wants to tell.

In every episode there are quotes to take notes on and remember for a lifetime. My favourite one is
“ What's there to life? Nothing!
But we can't just die either, so we need enough strength to get through the day!
That's why people watch movies and eat good food!
That's why people go on trips, fall in love, have s**,
get hammered all night long, and yell at the top of our lungs!”

I might not re-watch it, not because it's not worth it but because I want to cherish this first experience forever. I'll talk about this drama forever, whenever I'll get bore or tired of life I'll think about this drama. This drama has healed something in me that will be with me forever ✨.

Everything in this is on point, the writing, the acting, the complexities of the characters, everything. It's just not the story of Eun-a and Dong-man . It's included each one of the so called side characters. This drama helped me to realised that my favourite genre is “SLICE OF LIFE”.

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A World Where Everyone Matters

Wow, I have to say this K-drama blew me away in every possible way. I went in completely blind, and it turned out to be one of my favorite dramas of all time.

Usually, I watch dramas just to pass time or fill the gaps in my day, but for the first time in a long while, I was fully invested. I didn’t skip a single scene. I wasn’t on my phone. I listened carefully to every line and absorbed each moment as deeply as I could.

What really stood out to me was how I became invested in every single character. No matter how obnoxious some of them were, the director showed that they’re all just a mix of emotions. Once you understand where they’re coming from, you start to see beauty even in their flaws. It perfectly captures the idea that we’re all just trying.

Even though Dong-man is the main character, everyone felt like a fully realized person not just someone there to support the story. The way their lives intertwine, along with their individual struggles, made everything feel incredibly real. Because of that, I found myself caring about each character and how they impacted one another.

Beyond just entertaining me, this drama made me reflect on myself, my emotions, my life, and the world around me. It gave me a kind of clarity I didn’t expect.

That’s how powerful it was for me.

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For All The Reviews Where I Criticized the Writing

If you've ever criticized a Kdrama saying the writing was bad....well here is a drama showing you the torturous lives of these writers. Whether its being pressured to just write it so its finished, working through extreme writer's block, taking the blame from everyone (but especially the actors) for bad reviews, trying to be creative when you have to work to pay the bills.......this drama gives an inside view of the lives of entertainment writers in the movie and TV biz and they are by no means glamorous.

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty (how many reviews have I written that stated "just couldn't finish it, the writing was that bad"?)) as I saw the agony these tortured souls go through in doing their craft. I wondered if Park Hae Young , frustrated at criticisms on Kdrama writing, decided to show the viewers the reality of being a writer in the Korean entertainment industry. Is she guilt tripping us??

Whether my musings are true or not, the story is so much more. This Kdrama does not fit any of the usual Kdrama tropes, nor does it have any Kdrama memes. It stands apart from the genre as it is a realistic take on the ups, the downs, the successes, the failures, the excitement, the sadness, and even the very ordinary-ness of being an entertainment writer.

What I liked about it the most is how real the characters were, how easy it was to relate to them, and how real the storylines were. A lot of the drama was about attaining and/or maintaining success. Success is subjective because even a successful person by society standards can, in reality, be oh so miserable in their personal lives. Success can be fleeting, can be slow, can seem to never happen even if someone is working their butt off. Success isn't fair. It can happen to one person right out of the gate, while another works and works without anything to show. The entertainment industry can be cruel. You can work hard on something that another person takes credit for. You can constantly come under fire doing your job well because it doesn't fit your supervisor's narrative. This drama does not sugar-coat the industry, but gives a relatable look at people traversing a not-so-friendly professional world in pursuit of career success.

When all is said and done, the story is about perseverance in the face of failure, always stay true to yourself, and know that relationships with family and friends are the most important even if you aren't always getting along. This is absolutely one of the best Kdramas I've seen. Definitely my #1 pick for 2026 so far.

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