Captures Humanity In All Its Honesty
Truly a masterpiece. Honestly I don’t know how the writer was able to come up with such a story. The script was so brilliant, the characters, the watch they use - it was all so brilliant. It felt so real and so relatable. I truly felt seen whilst watching this show. In the same vain as My Liberation Notes, it’s a healing drama. Very well acted, very well directed. I cannot think of one single flaw. Each character has their own problems and their ways of dealing with it. Seeing their relationships with one another really felt like it captures true humanity. This may just be my favourite show ever.Was this review helpful to you?
Never Knew a Drama Could Heal My Soul
Not a single boring episode!Not gonna lie, I cried a couple of times watching this.
Watching your friends climbing to the top while you're still standing at the starting point? Damn, sounds like my life story.
Watching your brother drown himself in alcohol? God damn, my heart was torn into pieces.
The downside is that: why there are only 12 episodes???? I NEED MOREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
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Absolutely cinema
It’s not a drama made for K-drama lovers—it’s a drama made for movie lovers.This wasn’t an easy watch for me because of how heavy and demanding it is. The weight of the story is immense. I genuinely think that if you combined the dialogue from dozens of K-dramas, it still wouldn’t match the sheer amount of conversation packed into this series. It’s so dialogue-driven that I often found myself fully focused on reading and understanding every subtitle just to keep up with the nuances of the conversations.
"We Are All Trying Here" is the perfect title. We're all trying our best, but not everyone succeeds. Feeling jealous of someone else's success is part of human nature—it doesn't automatically mean we hate them. The drama captures that idea beautifully and with remarkable honesty.
The acting across the board is insanely good. Every performance feels authentic, and the opening OST is still stuck in my head.
A masterpiece. Not for everyone, but if you love cinema, character studies, and thoughtful storytelling, this is a must-watch.
Highly recommended.
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One narcissistic loser and his enabler friends
Besides all the other idiotic things going on in this show, including the main character that’s utterly unbearable, the most annoying thing about this show is how passive this friend group is. They hate the main character but they just sit there looking uncomfortable. Say something! Just freaking tell him to leave. And they keep bring him back into the group!!! Why? So the show can happen.“You almost died but I’m so happy because I’m not crazy and destructive”. WTH. Narcissism at its finest.
This writer seems to think that being depressed is some type of privilege. They can act like @$$holes because they have crappy lives and it’s ok.
Tell me something funny = worship me. Hahahahaha.
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What Happens When Self-Destructive People Fall in Love?
Chaos. Beautiful chaos.If you’re looking for a formulaic K-drama with likable and predictable leads, I suggest you look elsewhere. This drama isn’t that, and it’s so much better because of it.
The male lead, Dongman, feels like the raw, unfiltered version of how I, and probably most people, might act if everything in life started falling apart. The female lead, Euna, exists on the opposite end of that same emotional spectrum. They contrast each other in such a fascinating way, yet both are clearly struggling under the weight of the lives they’ve been dealt. This drama will push you out of your chaebol drama comfort zone. It'll open your eyes to the cruel realities of daily life and the resilient hope found in community. It won’t be for everyone, but for those of us who understand burnout and the pressure of chasing a dream, it might hit a little too close to home.
What stands out to me is that the writers aren’t trying to make the leads likable or excuse their flaws, they’re just showing them as they are: deeply human.
My biggest takeaway was this: All of us are self-destructive people to some extent, but that does not mean that we give up on life; instead, we hold onto the small blessings of each day and the renewal found in our family and friends.
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this drama is my therapy
Story short I like this drama. Is it fun to watch.. I don't know.. but I relate to it.I see myself in both of the main leads, but not to the point that I end up depressed. I see two individuals trying to live, and I see how other people can either bring you up or tear you down. I am not a therapist, so I will be bad at explaining it, and I can't say much more than that I appreciate what the screenwriter is trying to do.
It's not action or thriller, but my heart is still pounding like it is.
Dong Man is played by Koo Kyo Hwan, and ever since I first watched him in DP, I've understood his charm. I really like the actor, and believe that he is the only guy that can pull off this character. Dong Man is annoying, he talks a lot, but he is an honest person. I can relate to that a lot, the self sabotaging attitude he has. The need to simply say something outloud to validate your existence. I don't want to get too introspective here, I just want to say I appreciate the character. I think people who don't like him just don't understand it. And that is ok.. I just wouldn't point blank say he is a bad person or annoying and horrible. He is a human trying to live, and trying to live doing what he loves to do. To say that he just doesn't want to be anxious, and that he isn't trying to live to please anyone else.. these are lines that resonated with a lot of people.. and I'm glad they are out there so people feel seen through it.
I'll wrap up that though. I also really like the FL and the actress portraying her. I don't feel the need to go into detail about it. There are plenty of other reviews that can do the drama justice in praise of acting and writing. For me, I write this to share my thoughts and to recommend. I would recommend this to people that are deep thinkers, and have people that want all the fun and quick content to stay away. This drama is a psychological, so don't come looking for romance or drama that is off the wall. I don't know how to recommend it really, but I do!
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Totally delightful, a true treat, a true HEALING ART
This drama is one of those classic masterpieces, 10 star drama with significant impact. Super great script, acting, camera, music, messages, everything.=====written after ep 9 =======
This drama is not about two ppl who quickly fell in love and jumped on each other
This drama is about two wounded ppl who ran into each other bc of work, and then started collaborating and helping each other, HEALING, and slowly falling in love.
SO THIS IS SLOW BURN EMOTIONAL WORKOUT
LIKE IN REAL LIFE
YOU SEE THE RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS
So.... This drama has no official dating and relationship, no steamy scenes YET
ML and FL are hanging out in a very close friendship, helping each heal, and slowly falling for each other...
and at this point they got so far that they are already known to the public as "dating" and dedicated to each other and liking each other.
He is already sure he likes her romantically and is already dreaming about it and flirting to self advertise...
She has some issues that perhaps prevent her from dedicating herself but she acts as his advocate and tells ppl she sees something in him...
But they never said I LOVE YOU or kissed yet or spent time in a private place just 2 of them.
BUT it is slowly getting there :)
THE WHOLE DRAMA IS ABOUT GETTING THERE
SO YES THIS IS A SLOW BURN ROM-COM AND PSYCH DRAMA AND EVEN THRILLER ALL ROLLED INTO ONE
====written after ep 1====
I am writing this after ep 1 because the summary writeup in MDL top page and the earlier MDL article for the drama does NOTHNG to convey what this drama is like.
This is absolutely delightful!
What a masterpiece! such a great story and acting, and filming. So creative.
Gods prevented me from bailing out on this drama by sending me an Angel user who wrote that the script writer for this drama also wrote My Mister, which is one of my top favs.
Based on the writeup in the MDL preview article long time ago, I thought this would be a gloomy psychological melodrama - no thanks!!!!!... - but heck no! There is humor, there is depression and hunger and loan sharks, and there is sunlight and fields of flowers and new experiences and love.
Totally charming and delightful. A real art piece :) Very deep, compassionate, painful, funny, such a treat!
I give Thanks to the Great Creator and drama production team that made this kdrama possible.
I trust that this will continue in all episodes :)
Helelujah baby we got a real kdrama to watch!!!!!!!
This is an event to be celebrated - we will be watching a masterpiece being born for the next 6 weeks. Also we will be watching transformation and rebirth of ML and FL, and hopefully all the commercially oriented 8 and their entourage.
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what is the purpose of your life?
there are several times jinman asked the purpose of life to some people around dongman's including dongman himself.i think the best answer is dongman's,
"humor"
"I'm just going to live life with a sense of humor"
life is suffocating enough, so let's live our life with sense of humor, turn any unpleasant situation into fun, positive and celebratory experience.
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A GEM from the genres of slice of life drama and black comedy.
This drama made me laugh, cry and relate to the characters.It's like a warm hug to the viewers. I have already known about the writer's works but it's the first time I'm watching her work. I'm impressed!
The drama gives you all the feels!
I feel this is how art is supposed to be. It does leave us with unanswered questions yet it does feel complete.
It's well made and the actors did a GREAT JOB in execution
I'm annoyed yet entertained by Hwang dong man lol. He's a lovable person so is byeon eun ah. All the characters feel real, have flaws and traumas yet they live by like us. I thought this is gonna be slice of live with depressing elements but it made me laugh and made me feel fuzzy. I've learned that I love black comedies lol.
The 1st episode is like a movie, it completely drew me in!
I'm glad i watched it.
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another master piece from the genius that is Park Hae Young
I am genuinely glad I didn't skip on this one, and glad I know who Park Hae young and chose to watch this one specifically because of her.she is a masterclass in and of herself in slice of life dramas.
she manages to create a world of everyday normal characters that you can encounter anywhere, and still manages to make every moment count. she draws these moments and writes these lines, that turn the most mundane of everyday moments in a heart-felt and profound scene. her dramas and this one is no exception will manage to bring a smile, a laugh, a tear to you constantly and sometimes all at once. her multi-layered deeply flawed characters are not just written with care and dedication that they feel relatable and believable, they actually breathe and live through her script. you will find yourself loving and hating a character at the same time, wanting to go through the screen and hug or slap a character at the same time, you will watch two chracters clash on screen and feel like you relate with both and understand where each is coming from. she is a masterclass in conveying emotion through her script, and this drama specifically helped this part, because the deeply emotional and intelectually profound lines felt all the more believable coming out of film production staff such as: writers, producers, poets, actors and directors; which makes up almost all of the characters.
the story is written in a way that allows one to take a peak into the life of characters that are struggling with feelings of depression and questionign their purpose and self-worh. You will be amazed at how you will start almost hating the main ML's character (I personally reached a point where I also thinking to myself how am I going to watch this obnoxious protagonist till the end) but just hold on, cause she will make you not just sympathize and feel for him, but above all relate and cheer for him the more the story progresses. hwang dong-man was a magnificent protagonist and Koo Kyo Hwan was the perfect actor to play the role (it was my first time watching him, visually he stands out in many ways but his charisma and perfect acting will drag you in and leave you attracted to the crazy eccentric genius aura that he exudes) Go Young Jun did a marvelous job here as well and I commend her performance. all the other main and supporting actors delivered a superb performance that's why acting takes a perfect score from me.
the pacing of the story was perfectly balanced IMHO, and the drama never felt draggy. some scenes might feel unnecessarily long but then you will find that it served a purpose (like watching a bunch of drunk individuals dancing and goofing at the beach at night, only to cut to the short and sarcastic line that the only sober individual looking at them from afar says, and then cut to their melancholic ride back in the car, where some are deep in sleep other deep in thought). each and every character and its story arc served a purpose in the grand scheme of things, it gave meaning or taught a lesson to another character, it helped with the growth and the journey of other characters.
All In all, even if it will be the first time for you to try a drama by this screenwriter, and you are not attracted to the premise written here or offput by the low ratings, I would like to tell you to forget all of that and give it a try, and keep watching because it only gets better the more it progresses.
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Dong-manaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh Hwang Dong-maaaaaaannnnnnn !!
"WE ARE ALL TRYING HERE" is a beautifully raw, slow-burn masterpiece that perfectly captures the quiet desperation of ordinary adulthood.The show avoids typical K-drama clichés by focusing on deeply flawed, painfully relatable characters who are just trying to survive.
Hwang Dong-man’s twenty-year struggle to make his directorial debut serves as a heartbreakingly real anchor for the narrative.
The emotional climax in Episode 12 completely shatters viewers when Dong-man finally breaks down over his hidden, paralyzing fear of failure. Equally moving is the unspoken bond between the leads, which highlights how healing can happen without grand, dramatic romantic gestures.
The writing gently exposes the secret insecurities and envy that people carry while putting on a brave face for society.
Watching the characters slowly confront their deep-seated worthlessness feels like therapy for anyone who has ever felt left behind in life.
The ending offers realistic comfort rather than a fairytale, showing that growth is messy, slow, and rarely comes with an immediate reward. Its hauntingly beautiful cinematography and melancholic soundtrack perfectly mirror the characters' internal emotional battlefields.
Ultimately, this drama is a comforting hug that validates our struggles and reminds us that simply trying is enough.
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Stubbornly Existing
i started this drama 'cause it gave some serenity vibes but once it begun it was completely opposite of that.the characters, their own struggles and their fight for the WORTH. they say failure is something dreadful but nothing is more dreadful than drowning in the abyss of worthlessness. and in order to be free from that dreadful thing, one must prove it to oneself either by success or by failure. and it was quite a strong perspective of someone who was swinging on the edge of the worthlessness.
as it is shown in the show as long as the weather exists, the world hasn't ended.
this drama was kinda a rollercoaster, there are blues and lows, scenes where the characters feel stuck and then there are highs when characters just GO GET IT!!!! the background music in these scenes is such a delight.
from feeling something so deep and so helplessness, wanting to destroy oneself yet can't pinpoint that emotion, feeling behind while all your friends are ahead of you, the jealousy that results into bitterness, not knowing what to write anymore 'cause one can't even hope for living on, or living on despite the trauma that haunted one from the childhood.
while you definitely be there for yourself, standing for yourself but if someone is there to be with you, you should appretiate them and try to be there for them on matter how or what.
the fear of worthlessness, threatening to eat you whole but being stubborn for yourself, fighting with yourself and still moving forward might just be the very weapon to fight that fear.
each one of them have their quirkiness and their own life philosophies.
but i hate those who just can't even share the credit for the work they DEFINITELY didn't did all by themselves. if you can't handle the brightness of the other people just let it go, why you try to dim their light you sicko!!
i absolutely love it when eun-a straight up sides for dong man and how dong man describes eun-a that everything in the world be her, literally worships her.
also the scene where the SINGLE DEATH stare from jinman was enough to threat Ma Jae young. aka the sicko"
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