Maritza

This drama is very meandering and I feel like only Yoon hyung completed his character arc in the right, albeit rushed way. I almost feel like they should`ve told this story from his POV honestly. At least then, the ex having so much screen time wouldn`t be AS weird(but still a detrimental decision nonetheless). My guess is a combination of pressure and age range this can appeal to. Even then, there are better teen comedy dramas out there. Thank you!

Yup, you’ve been touched by the blessed hand(metaphorically,not literally you perv). I never fail to include IOTL anywhere and everywhere. Because it’s so brilliant. It evades most if not all, regurgitated tropes and the ones it does keep, feel natural, while staying within the confines of a romcom. That’s what writers should be striving for when writing a romcom ideally. I’ll be that annoying commenter on all your articles (*´◒`*)

It`s almost like you knew I`d roast you so you put like most of my oppas in gifs(KAIRI CAN FEED ME TOO and INSTEAD OF FIN AMORE PUT IN STARING AT MARITZA BECAUSE I`D DIE OK). I love the article topic and I agree for the most part(Absolutely love the passive aggression about the CLOY gif and don`t watch it, ain`t that good). There is DEFINITELY a place for romcom dramas still. I just feel, as a writer(yup that`s my one for the comment) that instead of incorporating these tropes that still have potential in a fresh way(KWTYDM and IOTL did this amazingly, writers of these shows just deserve flowers delivered to their apartment door every morning), the story they jam these tropes into just makes them extra irritable. There is always a place for banality but the concept of banality kind of changes depending on what`s an individual exposed to and to what level. For me, as long as there`s amazing chemistry between the leads that`s not tacked on and fake, and as long as I can see there`s PASSION, I`m down for all romcom clichés. However, as we become jaded, if even one part of these two requirements is missing, I ain`t waiting for that slow kiss and going through these boring ass misunderstandings. The best romcoms I find, are those which use up all their potential and work within their confines, making the best of what they have. When it becomes grandiose, you know damn well they`ll CRAM everything in.
Not only that, but me and my literature professor were discussing this, but there`s an increasing wave of bastardizing any and all materials into cringy and overly dark versions, whilst almost making fun of lightheartedness of a romcom. Not standing for that in any way. The best hardhitting stories seem fluffy and bright on the surface and then they hit you with THE DEEP, while still CRACKING JOKES. Because that`s real life. Both bitter and sweet. PERIODT.(What a poetic way to end a comment, we love that for me) :D

Good to know. I knew about reshooting but now I might give it a chance again

He just needs to bulk up a bit as Hak is pretty muscular but face is pretty close ^o^

I was kinda intrigued, then the whole scandal happened and now it has a lukewarm reception. I still have it on my PTW list though.

I would love to see a drama adaptation as this is one of my favorite manga and animes ever. Though I don’t know if most popular drama actors(except for Seo In-guk as Hak) would fit in the terms of the feeling. I definitely think an actress with a more defiant gaze should play Yona, as they made a point of her appearing a lot more energetic and brave, as opposed to cute and naive, even from the get go and this actress never struck me as such. Would be interesting though!

Nicely explained, I understand your reasoning. I guess their struggles just didn’t move me as much as the other two did. I feel like “Secret Love Affair” characters’ flaws were the most realistic, in the context of their situation. They felt like real adults in an overall tricky trap.

So glad Gong Hyo Jin, Kim Go Eun and many other actresses I liked managed to get onto this list. However I do think Shin Hye Sun, Han Ji-min and Kim Hye-soo are criminally underrated. I also feel weird seeing Park Shin Hye winning first place, as I always felt her presence to be kind of...passive, I guess?I`ve seen two dramas by her and I wasn`t that impressed. I was also SHOCKED to see Seo Ye-Ji so low, I thought her fanbase was quite expansive. Thank you for your hard work nonetheless!!

Ahn Pan Seok really is a master in evoking melancholia and giving us a feeling of romantic sadness, coupled with smell of rain. Personally for me, "One Spring Night" and "Secret Love Affair" are both miles better than "Something in the Rain", as I feel that one to be his weakest drama. However, I`m so glad you included "Secret Love Affair" as that choice seems to be controversial for whatever reason.
I`ve often had discussions with other viewers and it came to my attention that many just don`t understand characters` motivations, so I`m also glad you touched on that. That drama needs more love. Amazing list though!!

Yeah agree, it feels passively aggressive at times, plus her being my age almost has me GAGGING. I legitimately thought they were teenagers at first sksk.

Unfortunately, since you have a near same taste as I do, I can`t argue with that. It doesn`t help that I wasn`t interested in her arc AT ALL. I also felt like Bok Joo basically learnt nothing despite going through so many things. Yoon hyung`s story was the most interesting one and it really rubbed me the wrong way how her chubby best friend is established as desperate, when she`s at times, the most sensible one. And they didn`t even give her a boyfriend, spoiler.

Those haiku poems are gonna come real handy one of these days lol

You`re right. I`ll just rewrite it and publish it and let people ponder about the meaning when I wrote it about this piece of ART right here lol. Just write:The Best. Amazing. UNBEATABLE :D

Please, I went so deep into it that the system had to remind me to keep to 2000 characters. The nerve when I was writing an ode to this masterpiece...The AUDACITY -.-

Crazy hyped for this, mainly because of Kim Kyu Tae, I love his work!(insert Mean Girls gif here) (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)

Happy ending for me, since I`m an aspiring writer, is one where each of the characters(okay, mainly the leads) have fulfilled their intentions and are in the same way fulfilled on the emotional field. More often than not, I would like the characters I love to end up happy and together, but I can accept an ending where they are complete and happy within themselves. In some cases, I like ambiguous endings too, if the story calls for such an ending.

I can`t stand however, when a sad or fake deep ending is tacked on to make the whole drama appear more philosophical. This happens in movies and books too.
Great article, by the way!Love this topic :D

Hopefully it comes to fruition. Her absence is felt and if she accepts it’ll surely be a hit. ✨

Sure!

Well it typically goes "It`s Okay to Not Be Okay->"It`s Okay, That`s Love"->"Kill Me, Heal Me". It`s almost like some kind of sacred trio. It`s just the way of things, I guess :)