I watched this in the cinemas just recently. My honest thoughts as someone who loves watching wlw films: I enjoyed…
LONG COMMENT AHEAD(!) you have been warned β‘Μ
(First of all, I want to thank reireirins for writing a long and well written review up there! I think they explained the plot pretty well.)
I will start off with the part that was the most weird and jarring to me. In the beginning of the movie, I initially thought that Tong (about 35yo) was like a older brother/father figure to the two girls. This was because of a few reasons: 1. Their age gap, and how he said Jane reminded him of his own daughter. 2. Multiple scenes of him bringing the teens out for them to hangout, and how he taught them how to drive, listened to their concerns etc. He is a nice person, and did not judge Jane for wearing a chest binder.
(Just for recap, skip if needed:) Stressed out by her family situation and financial difficulties, Ann confides in Tong in his room. He offers a listening ear and a shoulder for her to cry on. Jane finds out that Ann was in his room the previous night and misunderstands. The neighbours in the apartment complex gossip about how close Ann and Tong seem to be because he gives her money in view of her family's dire financial situation. Ann's mother even tells her to get married with him since he has money (arranged marriage plot line).
Pause. I'm sorry but what the fuck? Are we forgetting that this man is 35 and the girls are in high school? The scene with Ann and Tong in the room was left rather ambiguous as to what actually happened and I was really hoping that the film wouldn't go THAT way. :/ Anyways, I was quite thrown off by how everyone in the apartment complex acted when they thought Ann and Tong were dating. --- and about this, I still cannot figure out whether they were actually dating or not because I was left very confused by the "don't leave me" line Tong said beside the riverbank. (?? is this grooming?) The whole arranged marriage thing and complicated relationship between the 3 people just turned this entire film into some soap opera built on misunderstandings and deliberately vague scenes. I felt that this really detracted the audience from the main crux of the issue which was the 2 girls' conflicting feelings and dreams. Not Tong, as we already established that he was meant to be a caring, supportive figure for them both.
Second, I felt that the main plot points of Ann's conflicts were not properly resolved in the second half. We get it, she wants to be an air stewardess, but she is tied down by her family and also her internal conflict of having to leave Jane. There were so many scenes of her crying and running away, and yes, she is stressed out and understandably so, I teared up many times whenever Ann cried. But after all that arguing, crying, running away, and then, nothing? She vanishes, leaving everything behind as she has chosen her dream of becoming an air stewardess. And that's perfectly fine. I just wished they could've showed this more conclusively instead of making her vanish on a cruise ship (which btw... makes no sense?). I did not expect that scene to be the last we saw of Ann in the entire film. Felt very anticlimatic to me. We do not know for certain Jane's feelings in the end. In the start of the film, we see that Jane's mother constantly criticises her for having a "large face and butt". I thought this was certainly an important plot point that was going to be explored but there was also nothing to show how Jane dealt with these insecurities. Quite a cliffhanger ending imo.
Third, I wasn't a fan of the unnecessary side plots in the second half. There was A LOT going on in the second half for the main plot. It felt very random and out of place for Jane's father to suddenly run away with a mistress (and her mum showing up with a gun.... really?). I'm sure there were better ways to show the abrupt worsening of Jane's family financial situation.
I watched this in the cinemas just recently. My honest thoughts as someone who loves watching wlw films: I enjoyed the plot up till the midpoint. I can't say much without giving spoilers so I will try my best to make this comment vague. The first half of the movie is great! We are introduced to the setting of the movie, the apartment complex, and we get to know the childhood friends Ann and Jane, and their neighbour, Tong. We see them hang out and play badminton regularly. This portion of the film touches on how Jane is struggling with her self identity, and we can tell the different socioeconomic classes of the two girls and their families, despite them living in the same place. We also briefly see Ann's struggles as the eldest daughter. The scenes are generally heartwarming, void of any conflict.
Then we have the pivotal scene which does change up the dynamic of the two girls quite a bit. From this point onward, I felt very confused by the relationships between the 3 characters. At this juncture, the audience were well aware of the main struggles of the 2 FLs. There were many emotional scenes as the two teens try to figure out what they want to do in life but some scenes felt repetitive and it felt like the plot was barely progressing. I will continue more about this in my spoiler comment as it is hard to explain. And more importantly, even from the trailer, we see that Tong is visibly much older than the two girls. The fact that him and Ann were rumored to be dating (again, from the trailer) is wild to me! Why is no one talking about this?! In the end, the key problems brought up early on in the film weren't really addressed and it kind of felt like an open ending & a cliffhanger. Like what user Lilyfrvr said, I wouldn't really describe this film as a romantic one, more of a coming of age story, if that's what you're looking for.
a really good season! the participants are very likable and of course very intelligent! i enjoyed the puzzles…
i was analysing the games with my friends and we tried out some of them together HAHA. we were quite proud when we managed to figure out the coordinates thing for the solo part of the game Decryption.
also, obviously we know from the get-go that Gyumin is really on another level but he really shocked me to the core when I realised he was memorising the numbers grid by grid, ignoring the sequences, basically with no order whatsoever for the Rainbow Sequence game. absolutely crazy omg. and of course, during the maze game as well. i'm now a fan π
i would have loved to see jeonghoon play the 2nd game of the finals! i'm absolutely sure it might have been a close match in coming up with formulas between him and junhyeong (the one in dentistry)
a really good season! the participants are very likable and of course very intelligent! i enjoyed the puzzles and games very much. they're definitely more complex than the first season.
if you found this season entertaining then i highly recommend watching the behind the scenes on youtube (coupang play)!! they're all subbed and really fun to listen to the commentary and hear the players explain their thought processes behind their decisions and strategies.
(also, some comments below have spoilers although they aren't marked as spoilers π so proceed with caution!)
i just finished this one and all i can say is that right from the start i wanted the misogynistic ass steve to shut the fuck up and leave π overall i enjoyed seeing xitsuh, HJH, acau, seongbeom, and of course goat JDM's plays! and people like yurisa, pani, chungju man definitely spiced things up LOL they have their fair share of entertaining moments. i was looking forward to seeing MJ again society game!! she is quite lowkey throughout the season though! and i felt very bad for hyeseon for being in the midst of a lot of alpha males... yikes. and also, gina is just whiny and annoyed me a lot. i felt that in general she didn't value add much to her alliances either.
a girl that is pretending to be in high school is actually training to be a kpop idol. she gets pregnant and literally gives birth in school by herself! completely no visible physical changes to her body or whatsoever and it's even more insane that she gets up and starts talking to her classmates right after the birth like there is no way her body would have that much energy... even for a makjang this is too much for me lmao π
i love marriage of convenience tropes but i'm dropping this unfortunately! the ML's acting is so-so i'm ngl and the way his character is treating the FL is toxic. i like watching jdramas but cringey romance plots like these really gotta stop :(
on a completely unrelated note, thank you to this drama for introducing me to ChoQMay, their music is really good. π
What the hell did I just watch? So he essentially sees her as an escort, pretend marriage and sex but no feelings…
right?! i feel like a lot of japanese dramas are based on mangas clearly intended as pure fantasy and not something meant to be acted out irl because the relationships usually come across as toxic or just plain weird
βUwu I grew up poor and felt inadequate so thatβs why I raped her!β Boo hoo Stfu mfer you pos rot in hell
literally infuriating! and the way their parents defended them by saying she had consensual sex with them because they were all "dating"?!?! i couldnt even believe my ears.
(First of all, I want to thank reireirins for writing a long and well written review up there! I think they explained the plot pretty well.)
I will start off with the part that was the most weird and jarring to me. In the beginning of the movie, I initially thought that Tong (about 35yo) was like a older brother/father figure to the two girls. This was because of a few reasons: 1. Their age gap, and how he said Jane reminded him of his own daughter. 2. Multiple scenes of him bringing the teens out for them to hangout, and how he taught them how to drive, listened to their concerns etc. He is a nice person, and did not judge Jane for wearing a chest binder.
(Just for recap, skip if needed:) Stressed out by her family situation and financial difficulties, Ann confides in Tong in his room. He offers a listening ear and a shoulder for her to cry on. Jane finds out that Ann was in his room the previous night and misunderstands. The neighbours in the apartment complex gossip about how close Ann and Tong seem to be because he gives her money in view of her family's dire financial situation. Ann's mother even tells her to get married with him since he has money (arranged marriage plot line).
Pause. I'm sorry but what the fuck? Are we forgetting that this man is 35 and the girls are in high school? The scene with Ann and Tong in the room was left rather ambiguous as to what actually happened and I was really hoping that the film wouldn't go THAT way. :/ Anyways, I was quite thrown off by how everyone in the apartment complex acted when they thought Ann and Tong were dating. --- and about this, I still cannot figure out whether they were actually dating or not because I was left very confused by the "don't leave me" line Tong said beside the riverbank. (?? is this grooming?) The whole arranged marriage thing and complicated relationship between the 3 people just turned this entire film into some soap opera built on misunderstandings and deliberately vague scenes. I felt that this really detracted the audience from the main crux of the issue which was the 2 girls' conflicting feelings and dreams. Not Tong, as we already established that he was meant to be a caring, supportive figure for them both.
Second, I felt that the main plot points of Ann's conflicts were not properly resolved in the second half. We get it, she wants to be an air stewardess, but she is tied down by her family and also her internal conflict of having to leave Jane. There were so many scenes of her crying and running away, and yes, she is stressed out and understandably so, I teared up many times whenever Ann cried. But after all that arguing, crying, running away, and then, nothing? She vanishes, leaving everything behind as she has chosen her dream of becoming an air stewardess. And that's perfectly fine. I just wished they could've showed this more conclusively instead of making her vanish on a cruise ship (which btw... makes no sense?). I did not expect that scene to be the last we saw of Ann in the entire film. Felt very anticlimatic to me. We do not know for certain Jane's feelings in the end. In the start of the film, we see that Jane's mother constantly criticises her for having a "large face and butt". I thought this was certainly an important plot point that was going to be explored but there was also nothing to show how Jane dealt with these insecurities. Quite a cliffhanger ending imo.
Third, I wasn't a fan of the unnecessary side plots in the second half. There was A LOT going on in the second half for the main plot. It felt very random and out of place for Jane's father to suddenly run away with a mistress (and her mum showing up with a gun.... really?). I'm sure there were better ways to show the abrupt worsening of Jane's family financial situation.
Then we have the pivotal scene which does change up the dynamic of the two girls quite a bit. From this point onward, I felt very confused by the relationships between the 3 characters. At this juncture, the audience were well aware of the main struggles of the 2 FLs. There were many emotional scenes as the two teens try to figure out what they want to do in life but some scenes felt repetitive and it felt like the plot was barely progressing. I will continue more about this in my spoiler comment as it is hard to explain. And more importantly, even from the trailer, we see that Tong is visibly much older than the two girls. The fact that him and Ann were rumored to be dating (again, from the trailer) is wild to me! Why is no one talking about this?! In the end, the key problems brought up early on in the film weren't really addressed and it kind of felt like an open ending & a cliffhanger. Like what user Lilyfrvr said, I wouldn't really describe this film as a romantic one, more of a coming of age story, if that's what you're looking for.
edit: thank you all so much for the fast and insightful replies !! i'll watch the first few episodes after my finals end :)
also, obviously we know from the get-go that Gyumin is really on another level but he really shocked me to the core when I realised he was memorising the numbers grid by grid, ignoring the sequences, basically with no order whatsoever for the Rainbow Sequence game. absolutely crazy omg. and of course, during the maze game as well. i'm now a fan π
i would have loved to see jeonghoon play the 2nd game of the finals! i'm absolutely sure it might have been a close match in coming up with formulas between him and junhyeong (the one in dentistry)
if you found this season entertaining then i highly recommend watching the behind the scenes on youtube (coupang play)!! they're all subbed and really fun to listen to the commentary and hear the players explain their thought processes behind their decisions and strategies.
(also, some comments below have spoilers although they aren't marked as spoilers π so proceed with caution!)
overall i enjoyed seeing xitsuh, HJH, acau, seongbeom, and of course goat JDM's plays! and people like yurisa, pani, chungju man definitely spiced things up LOL they have their fair share of entertaining moments. i was looking forward to seeing MJ again society game!! she is quite lowkey throughout the season though! and i felt very bad for hyeseon for being in the midst of a lot of alpha males... yikes. and also, gina is just whiny and annoyed me a lot. i felt that in general she didn't value add much to her alliances either.
very light spoiler alert (from ep 1 only):
on a completely unrelated note, thank you to this drama for introducing me to ChoQMay, their music is really good. π