This review may contain spoilers
Imperfect but gripping
So I just finished it. And honestly I'm still kind of confused about what I feel exactly and the exact rating I would give it. There are a lot of things I disliked about this drama but a lot of things I loved as well. The sometimes convenient/sloppy writing, some overdone tropes and plot holes/loose ends are among the things I dislike. But the characters, relationships, OST, general story, lessons are those I like and are always what matter most to me in any work of fiction. The acting from the actor of Go Jung Woo is also impeccable.
The first few episodes were pretty boring and frustrating to me but maybe because I wasn't in the right state of mind to watch then. When Geon Oh arrived is basically the moment I didn't want to stop watching anymore and even when I wasn't convinced by the writing, I wanted to know. Things were starting to seriously move at this point and I realized that the intense and complex personalities and relationships of all these characters made up for the sometimes sloppy writing - for me at least. Some twists I didn't except. Some were common boring tropes. Some were common but interestingly done. Then the ending felt a bit rushed, especially episode 16, and the twist with was seriously absurd and badly written imo, with no explanation whatsoever. Really weird. So that was disappointing. I also feel there are a lot of loose ends. But - what really mattered was resolved. And I think that's what makes its ending satisfying despite its many flaws.
I also absolutely loved the discreet friendship between the two male leads that slowly builds upon trust and suffering and I think that, while it could have been more developed, it was great and not like some dumb "bromance" done just to please bromance fans. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bro/sismance fan (although I really hate that term), but sometimes it's either just for the laughs and it's boring or it's overdone and not realistic. There it was really nice. Sang Cheol's character could have been deepened as well but he was a good guy anyway, loyal and honest from start to end and beyond.
Special mention for Sang Min, the father of Bo Young, that in all his imperfection and sins is actually a very powerful and interesting character.
Overall it's an extremely tragic, sad, bitter, sick but powerful story with fascinating characters, interesting relationships and a relatively satisfying ending despite a lot of unfinished businesses and sometimes too much plot convenience or not-so-great writing.
The first few episodes were pretty boring and frustrating to me but maybe because I wasn't in the right state of mind to watch then. When Geon Oh arrived is basically the moment I didn't want to stop watching anymore and even when I wasn't convinced by the writing, I wanted to know. Things were starting to seriously move at this point and I realized that the intense and complex personalities and relationships of all these characters made up for the sometimes sloppy writing - for me at least. Some twists I didn't except. Some were common boring tropes. Some were common but interestingly done. Then the ending felt a bit rushed, especially episode 16, and the twist with was seriously absurd and badly written imo, with no explanation whatsoever. Really weird. So that was disappointing. I also feel there are a lot of loose ends. But - what really mattered was resolved. And I think that's what makes its ending satisfying despite its many flaws.
I also absolutely loved the discreet friendship between the two male leads that slowly builds upon trust and suffering and I think that, while it could have been more developed, it was great and not like some dumb "bromance" done just to please bromance fans. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bro/sismance fan (although I really hate that term), but sometimes it's either just for the laughs and it's boring or it's overdone and not realistic. There it was really nice. Sang Cheol's character could have been deepened as well but he was a good guy anyway, loyal and honest from start to end and beyond.
Special mention for Sang Min, the father of Bo Young, that in all his imperfection and sins is actually a very powerful and interesting character.
Overall it's an extremely tragic, sad, bitter, sick but powerful story with fascinating characters, interesting relationships and a relatively satisfying ending despite a lot of unfinished businesses and sometimes too much plot convenience or not-so-great writing.
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